Cover Story
The hacktory
Almost every night of the week, LVL1’s 2,000-square-foot communal workshop is a hive of tinkering, socializing and building. Oscilloscopes, wave-form synthesizers and multi-meters, all donated by members, line the shelves and tables inside the hacker space. Puffs of smoke and tiny explosions erupt from the poised tips of soldering irons. Hand-built robots click and flash.…
No Time for Dreaming
It’s telling when the best song is the instrumental. With the Ted Williams meme fresh, Charles Bradley could be a sentimental favorite. Hard-knock kid sees James Brown play the Apollo. Future is set, but he isn’t “chosen.” Pick-up bands pepper his career, but nothing takes off. Brother murdered, about to give up, meets musical mentor…
The Taste Bud: The circle of foodie life
Don’t you hate it when you decide to go to a restaurant, and then you arrive to find it’s no longer open? That’s a crave-kill that can deflate even the most resilient of foodies. Sadly, in our current economic climate, such closings are always possible, especially with smaller, niche locations. My beloved Taste of Jamaica…
Theater: MiG wants some chicken
Broadway is breaking out the Aqua Net for “Rock of Ages,” which comes through town next week as a part of the PNC Broadway Across America series. The musical, which garnered five Tony Award nominations during its stint on Broadway, spins a love story to the soundtrack of ’80s glam/ballad rock, featuring songs from the…
Going ‘Mobile’
What a character. This New York City native has voyaged through an eclectic and downright unusual career. A former vocal jazz student at the Manhattan School of Music (she didn’t graduate), Nellie McKay has ventured into stand-up comedy, random acting gigs, a Doris Day tribute album and a rich body of original music, with notable…
S/T
In the press release, leader/guitarist/composer Chris Parrello says his first CD is “probably a jazz record.” Or not. There are no bebop changes, no interpretations of classic jazz or American songbook tunes here. Rather, Parrello explores frequently dark and cinematic musical ideas of his own. Accompanied on most tracks by vocalist Karlie Bruce, Parrello employs…
Divided we stand
The usual rancor of Washington was momentarily silenced after the shooting of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., earlier this month in Tucson, where a lone gunman opened fire in an area where the lawmaker was meeting with constituents. While Giffords is recovering from a gunshot wound to the head, the nation is going through a…
Opera: Baby, it’s cold outside
Soprano Kara Shay Thompson headlines Kentucky Opera’s annual “Carnivale” event Saturday night at the Marriott Hotel Ballroom — a preview salute to the company’s next opera season that carries the theme “A Night in Seville.” Two of the three operas Kentucky Opera will produce next season are set in that city of Spain: Bizet’s…
Schizophrenifesto
Barely any of the 12 tracks on the aptly titled Schizophrenifesto make much sense alongside one another; a few songs feature the choppy, mathy rhythms of early-’00s post-hardcore, but that’s the only semblance of a common thread. Throughout, the band apes Lucky Pineapple’s exotica-prog, crafts delicate ballads like sublime highlight “You & I,” and tops…
Staffpicks
Jan. 19-23 Roe v. Wade Anniversary Various locations wenches.wordpress.com Saturday marks the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion (with a 7-to-2 vote). The pro-life/pro-choice debate is as heated today as it was then. There’ll be several events around town this week to commemorate this important decision — Tonight:…
The Endtables at SXSW
The Endtables will perform live for the first time in 30 years on March 18 at Barbarella, as part of the 25th annual SXSW Music Festival in Austin. One of Louisville’s earliest punk bands, their material was out of print and highly sought after before Drag City issued a retrospective last year. The vinyl…
Gimme shelter
On paper, Nicholas Hoehler should have everything going for him in a country like America. A native Louisvillian, Hoehler started his own business, Acclaim Renovation, shortly after graduating from Christian Academy High School. Within a few years of its incorporation, Acclaim would experience steady growth, enabling Hoehler to put $60,000 down on a $112,000, two-story…
Hooray for happy thoughts
I recently watched the cinematic adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s 2006 award-winning novel “The Road.” How could I go wrong with this flick? I’d heard a lot about the book, but had never read it. I love science fiction, and I love Viggo Mortensen (who plays the movie’s lead). No downside, right? Wrong! This was the…
Video TapeWorm
THIS WEEK’S TWIN PEEKS: RED 2010; $28.95-34.95, PG-13 The perfect cross-generational popcorn actioner, with oldsters Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren, teapot in hand, playing retired government agents who find their lives comically threatened by upstart former underlings. It’s all done for fun with loads of firepower, goofy stunts and tongues planted…
Bones EP
For brand new trio Young Circles, mixing, matching and bending genres isn’t really a means to an end — it’s the point entirely. Their six-song EP, Bones, is an ambitious debut. The press material accompanying the release name-drops The Flaming Lips, DJ Shadow, Blur and the Beta Band, and the Miami group takes special care…
Deerhoof vs. Evil
Deerhoof have emerged as something akin to elder statesmen among the legions of V-necked indie-poppers wholly self-satisfied in their own cutesiness, and your enjoyment of Deerhoof vs. Evil, the band’s 10th long-player, rests largely on your tolerance for this hard-to-label yet inescapable style. That same syrupy smugness tests the listener’s patience throughout, ultimately proving insufferable…
City of Refuge
For her latest solo album, clawhammer banjo player Washburn made the conscious decision to leave her East-West folk smashups for a more indie-pop sound. The list of musicians helping her is amazing and eclectic: MMJ’s Carl Broemel, Chinese guzheng master Wu Fei, jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, Old Crow Medicine Show’s Ketch Secor and Morgan Jahnig,…
Everything is broken
One day last month, a funny little document appeared on my Facebook page. It was a photo of a wrinkled page of loose-leaf paper upon which was sloppily scribbled a list of “Ways to be cool.” There were 23 items listed. I can’t imagine anyone arguing that “Motorcycles,” “Leather jackets” or “learn to play guitar”…
The Grape Escape: Not with a bang but a whisper
Part of the fun of a sparkling wine is popping the cork, but letting it fly with a noisy bang isn’t really a great idea. You might break the china, poke out a pal’s eye, or make a mess and waste good wine. A lot of people fear the cork. Whip out a bottle of…
Inbox — Jan. 19, 2011
Correction A news story in last week’s issue incorrectly identified Barbara Haines’ position within the Louisville Kennel Club; she is the organization’s representative to No Kill Louisville. LEO regrets the error. It’s Getting Better This month, I was proud to add my voice to the “It Gets Better” campaign — an effort to bring hope…
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 the show happens. We do not accept listings via social networking sites. Wed. Jan.…
Funmi’s shows off the flavors of Nigeria
Think of Nigeria, and you’re likely to visualize a state on the edge of failure, part of the harsh legacy of colonialism. Though it is a modern country, its boundaries were drawn by Westerners who carved up the world for commercial exploitation, dividing traditional tribal regions without thought or concern. It is a state endowed…
Culture: Podcasts You Might Be Missing
Hey, everybody, it’s Opposite Week! For starters, these two ’casts didn’t quite make the top 10 cut, so I’d planned to save them ’til later. But since we’re getting close to the Oscar countdown, and national entertainment coverage will soon be nothing but celebrity glitz and glam, I thought it might be time to delve…
How to play
Attention young children: Hi kids! I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news for you. According to The New York Times, the culture of play is vanishing from our society. Numerous studies suggest that you youngsters spend far too much time staring at screens. Lessons and homework dominate your weekdays, and parent-organized sports leagues and activities…
