Cover Story
Frankfort Forecast
When state lawmakers return to Frankfort to kick off the upcoming legislative session on Jan. 5, their top priority will no doubt be grappling with Kentucky’s dismal budget forecast. And though legislators are expected to spend much of the next few months balancing a projected $100 million shortfall, that has not deterred them from pre-filing…
Game off
Both sides of the debate over expanded gaming in Kentucky watched closely as votes trickled in during the recent special election for the 14th district state Senate seat. When the polls finally closed, it was the anti-gaming contingent that had reason to celebrate, much to the chagrin of Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear. Since taking office,…
Ball Droppings: New Year’s Eve 2009 events
The French snack on foie gras as they watch the Eiffel Tower ignite into one giant 1,063-foot-tall sparkler at midnight. The Brits huddle around the London Eye as they await the 12 chimes from Big Ben. The Spanish gaze up at the Casa de Correos as the clock counts down. The Russians drink “dirty water”…
Book: Vonnegut’s unpublished work stays true, goes dark
I’m always filled with a slight sense of nervousness when picking up a posthumous collection of unpublished fiction by a well-respected author. The question looms throughout the reading: Why wasn’t this published? Thankfully, I don’t think there is one wasted story in here, nothing meant to be burned (as with Nobokov’s recently published final novel),…
O come, all ye faithful
Last weekend, I engaged a clever bit of counter-programming. I took my son to see Wes Anderson’s “The Fantastic Mr. Fox” instead of James Cameron’s mega-blockbuster “Avatar.” We were among approximately 15 people in the theater. There was no line for tickets. There was no crowd. It was a pleasant and laid-back experience, a rarity in…
Comedy: Five important questions with Project Improv
Project Improv, Louisville’s only long-form improv troupe, is gathering up current and former members for an after-Christmas Holiday Show at Zanzabar. After the improv, they’ll be screening the film “Just Another Week,” directed by PI member Dario Konjicija. Also in the mix, we hear, is the Most Creative Facial Hair Contest. LEO: Do you…
Bring the change
Happy holidays to all! As we bid adieu to 2009 and welcome 2010, it seems like a good time to reflect, take stock, and figure out where we stand concerning matters that are important to us. Personally, 2009 has proven to be one of the most positive years of my life, as I am growing…
Party clashers
On Jan. 31, 1900, Democratic candidate William J. Goebel was elected 34th governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky a day after being shot in the chest by an assassin. A true asshole by any era’s standards — once referred to a political opponent as “Gonorrhea John” in print; described as having a “reptilian” appearance; Machiavellian…
Plugged In
Readers are strongly encouraged to call ahead to verify these listings. To get your club, comedian, musical act or karaoke listed, please send e-mail to mherron@leoweekly.com with PLUGGED IN in the subject line. The deadline is NOON THURSDAY the week before publication. We do not accept listings via social networking sites. Wed Dec. 23 Bearno’s…
A Christmas miracle
The man — grizzled, disheveled — sat down heavily on the leather mall couch and looked lovingly at his unlikely companion, a small bespectacled girl with blond pigtails. The man’s cap, a well-worn camouflage model with the John Deere logo, asked more questions than it answered: Farmer? Hunter? Veteran? Mechanic? Exurban lawn enthusiast? Flea marketer?…
S/T
Country swagger comes unexpectedly from a band made up of ex-members of umpteen local punk bands from the ‘70s on (including The Blinders and The Endtables), but then again, curveballs are what this project was all about. Singer Steve Rigot set out to complete a strange and original recording project with this box set. 1069…
The Fall
Taking yet another step to de-emphasize the piano balladry that made her a star right out of the starting gate, Jones now assembles texture pieces where there’s not much to distinguish the chukka-chukka electric guitars from the keyboard layers. Opener “Chasing Pirates” has a nice hook, and Jones’s voice ascends it beautifully. But the lyric…
Six
The Black Heart Procession remain as lugubrious as ever on Six, much of which is devoted to glacial piano dirges with singer Pall Jenkins intoning like Bowie-via-Nick Cave. The best of these by a wide margin is “Drugs,” which recalls Leonard Cohen’s “Love Calls You By Your Name”; far less successful is the overwrought opener…
Mug Shots: The most divine of 2009
“The beer culture, beer IQ and all around tastes of beer drinkers in the Metro have risen, and businesses are taking notice thanks to the endless amount of work on the part of a few individuals. My short list would be too long, but it is still a small, dedicated group.” —Joel Halblieb, Bluegrass Brewing…
Street-corner preacher
Terrezz Jarrett recently released his debut, Frozen Blood, under his stage name C.O. Reign. It “stands for ‘CrossOver to Reign,’” the rapper says. “This basically explains my mission statement concerning my music and general life. It is a very detailed mission statement, but, in a nutshell, the mission is to bring strength, wisdom, clarity, purity,…
Video TapeWorm
THIS WEEK’S TWIN PEEKS: 9 2009; $19.95, PG-13 Awesome visuals and a profoundly original style drive this cool CGI-animated feature from director Shane Acker and nine — count ’em NINE! — producers, including Timur Bekmambetov and Tim Burton. The overpriced voice talent — Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau, Elijah Wood, etc. — don’t detract much (the…
B-Sides: Music & Other Ephemera
Three more benefit shows have been scheduled to help Jason Noble of Shipping News cover his medical costs. One you can walk to, the other two you’ll need a plane. The walker is Jan. 31 at Headliners Music Hall (1386 Lexington Road, 584-8088) and features D.W. Box, Ultra Pulverize, Second Story Man, Lucky Pineapple and…
Who put these foodie sugar plums in my stocking?
With visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads, and neither a kerchief nor a stocking cap in sight, a long winter’s nap has been the furthest thing from Mamma’s, er, Mary’s and my heads as the holiday season draws near. We’re obligate foodies, we’re ready for eats, and we see no conflict between celebrating…
Inbox — Dec. 23, 2009
Correction In last week’s story “Business first,” we incorrectly referred to Republic Bank as a “foreign-owned conglomerate,” when in fact the bank is locally owned and has been since opening in Louisville in 1982. LEO regrets the error. Homeboys As a proud and longstanding Louisville corporate citizen, locally owned Republic Bank would like to correct…
What Day Is It Tonight?
Live albums generally serve two main purposes: as documentation of a one-time-only, you-had-to-be-there concert that defines an artist’s career (think James Brown’s 1963 classic Live at the Apollo); or as a survey of greatest hits performed live (with the caveat that said album is a fulfillment of contractual obligations). Regardless, either approach usually disappoints. In…
