Cover Story
Bus Love – Short Fiction: 1st Place
By Terry J. Frost I noticed her the first time she got on the 6:13 #15 Market bus. She was shiny black, elegant, and at least 20 years my junior. There was no wedding ring, no cell phone, no iPod. She didn’t chat. She was a far cry from my craggy, old white and gray…
Forecastle adds Kentucky’s Sturgill Simpson and Louisville’s Jaye Jayle, among others
Early today, Forecastle announced the second wave of its 2017 lineup, featuring Sturgill Simpson, Spoon, Capital Cities, Phantogram, Tycho, Real Estate, K.Flay, What So Not, Whitney, Classixx, Joseph, Chicano Batman, Jaye Jayle, Jeffrey James, Oyster Kids and *repeat repeat. Sturgill Simpson has skyrocketed to prominence through his first three solo albums, from the old-school, smokey…
No sanctuary declared, but implied at mayor’s rally
Introduced as “the mayor of the most compassionate city in the country,” Greg Fischer took the stage at Monday’s rally to address the concerned, yet hopeful audience of thousands outraged by President Trump’s immigration order. But some left the rally disappointed — Fischer did not declare Louisville a sanctuary city, as Cincinnati did Monday. A…
Make Louisville a sanctuary city now!
Louisville has branded itself as a compassionate city and possibility city. It’s time that we prove we are both, and formally declare Louisville as a sanctuary city. It’s the right thing to do for our economy, and it’s the humane thing to do for thousands of Louisville families. What if every city in the nation…
Our six favorite local songs from January
James Lindsey — “Rainbows” (ft. Cicily) James Lindsey returned this month with the bouncy “Rainbows,” a colorful, sunny track that relishes the light, while questioning the darkness. The sub-bass here alone is the stuff of magic, the sort of bopper that you put on blasting out of your windows in nice weather, because, damn it,…
Stream the Louisville Is For Lovers 2017 compilation a week early
Featuring 27 original, previously-unreleased songs from local bands, the 2017 Louisville Is For Lovers compilation — featuring Adventure, Tycoons of Teen, The Winger Brothers, Satellite Twin, Alanna Fugate — will be available for purchase on Friday, Feb. 3. This year’s version, the 12th addition to the series, titled Tattered and Regal, is a wide-ranging batch…
9 things to do under $5 this week in Louisville (1/30)
MONDAY Rally for American Values Muhammad Ali Center Free | 6 p.m. Louisville has a sizeable refugee and immigrant population, and right now, President Donald Trump is threatening this integral part of our community with his immigration ban. So if you support our refugee and immigrant population, join Mayor Greg Fischer for a “Rally for…
New music roundup: White Reaper, Heidi Howe, Frederick The Younger, James Lindsey, Kaleidico
So much local music was released in the past few days, so we compiled a breakdown: White Reaper — “Judy French” Their first new music since 2015’s record White Reaper Does It Again, “Judy French” shows a gradual shift to slightly slower and more controlled tempo that still hits with the same tornado of piercing…
LEO Presents: Tender Mercy live in studio
Here’s the latest installment of our new video series, where we ask local musicians to come to our studio to perform three songs, acoustically (although our version of acoustic is a little loose, basically meaning no electric guitars). This time, it’s Tender Mercy (aka Mark Kramer), whose minimalistic style and trance-inducing vocals are front in…
LEO Podcast #44: The Foundry
LEO Weekly’s contributing arts editor Jo Anne Triplett talks with Matt Weir, Tamina Karem and Scott Boyer of The Foundry, a new bronze casting facility.
5 Things To Do This Weekend in Louisville (1/27)
FRIDAY We Are the Weirdos, Mister! Cure Lounge $10-$17 | 9 p.m. “We Are the Weirdos, Mister!” is a macabre night of entertainment with members of Louisville’s strangest groups: Octo Claw’s Bizarre Bizaar, Vaudeville Louisville, Suspend Performing Arts, Suicide Squad and Va Va Vixens. It’s a chance to let your freak flag fly, and enjoy…
Literary LEO 2017: The winners of our annual poetry, fiction and photography competition
We here at LEO throw a lot of words and images at you every week, but arguably none are as sweet, potent, profound, uplifting, shocking, funny, important, evocative or consciousness-shifting as those within this issue, Literary LEO. The best prose. The best poetry. The best photography. An annual staple since 1993, the literary issue showcases deep talent and passion…
Too Cool – Short Fiction: 2nd Place
by Lilly Cary I am looking at him standing at the bar. I had gotten there early and was nearly finished with my first cocktail. I notice he is going bald on the back of his head. His thin brown hair is slick as if he had just taken a shower. He still had his…
The Unlikely Fix of Jacqueline Du Pre – Short Fiction: 3rd Place
By Jean Marie Johnson “Elaine.” My eyebrows shot up in surprise. Your typical cattle-call auditions were just breaking big rocks into smaller ones, striving to be great at making failure look good; but this was new — no one had ever used my name at one of these before. “Give us the line again, with…
Curb Karma – Short Fiction: Honorable Mention
By William Burt The staccato blue strobe jolted Byron’s stomach into a knot. His first instinct was to run. His next instinct was to lie. Scenarios were invented, evaluated and dismissed with the urgency of a tail-spinning pilot. He never got the chance. The door opened hard against its stop. A loud, authoritative voice commanded:…
Death in the Family – Short Fiction: Honorable Mention
By Joe Barlund Dead. Dead. Dead. The word echoed through his head in an endless metronome as he pedaled his bike along the black strip of pavement, blacker still with nothing but a crust of moon and the stars to light the way. Suspended in the firmament were the stars in their uncountable numbers, mountain…
Kentucky – Poetry: 1st Place
By Elise Pfeiffer (After Allen Ginsberg’s “America”) I. Kentucky, I think about breaking up with you all the time. Kentucky, my father says you have a rude voice. Kentucky, I have a crush on your best friend. Her songs make me cry and I daydream that she wrote them all for me. Kentucky, I’m fed…
Marcher Russe – Poetry: 2nd Place
By Gaylord Brewer I am lonely, lonely, I was born to be lonely, I am best so! —William Carlos Williams I left that town behind, its cracked and pitted streets, its timely projects. I left the corrugated shacks and baleful roaming dogs. I hiked into the ring of mountains, a discovered path of damp, dark…
Original Sins ?and Recent Blemishes – Poetry: 3rd Place
By Lennie Hay The southwest corner of the bathroom mirror shows me a black flaw, same shape as Cuba. All manner of places stare back, a facial topography. A Galapagos nose hair hangs, clings to the Isle of Ferdinande. The pores of St. Croix dot hill and vale, circle a nose. A burnished Macau mole…
For Chris – Poetry: Honorable Mention
By Hannah Drake My friend died today Quietly Peacefully There were no headlines No breaking news declarations The world still spun on its’ axis My friend died today Quietly Peacefully Time did not stand still People moved about They laughed, smiled, got coffee and posted to Twitter My friend died today Quietly Peacefully Life didn’t…
Thin – Poetry: Honorable Mention
By Elise Pfeiffer thin and tight thin and tight and pure thin and tight and pure and never wrinkled thin and tight and pure and never wrinkled and loyal and innocent thin and tight and pure and never wrinkled and loyal and innocent and sweet and semi-transparent and perfectly shaped and white or light skinned…
An ode to Phoenix Hill Tavern
Phoenix Hill Tavern, an evolving legend since 1976, began its last act in recent days, disappearing beneath bulldozers to make way for gentrification. As owner Ben Rogers said in announcing the closure in 2015, the tavern began as one room in a rundown warehouse, eventually expanding to “a sprawling 25,000-square-foot ‘Live Music Showcase.’” Now, an…
We have a Mitch problem…
We say U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell’s constant obstruction during President Obama’s tenure made it possible, if not likely, for Donald Trump’s election. Here is artist Carrie Neumayer’s illustrated, pointed ode to Mitch. And now that you protestors are back from Washington, D.C., and the downtown rally, we would love to see and publish images of…
LEO-verse: A Poem for Trump’s Inauguration
Poetic, Republicans are not. President Trump proved that by choosing to not have an inaugural poem read. But five Democrats did so, including Barack Obama (Maya Angelou) and John F. Kennedy (Robert Frost). So here is our own poem, the one missing from Trump’s corona… er, inauguration. A Great America America, many times I’ve flown…
Thorns & Roses: The Worst & Best
UofL president for life? | Thorn He did damn good job for the city for 21 years, so Jerry Abramson should be the natural first pick to lead UofL as president. Instead, Mayor Jerry is returning from his stint in D.C. to become an Executive in Residence at Bellarmine University. That sounds boring, Jerry. The…
Kaleidico’s new record dives into isolation and uncertainty
Kaleidico’s third record, Afro·brain, opens with an ominous sample of Jeffrey Dahmer ruminating on his crimes, distorted and mutated, for an unsettling effect. “I was sitting and watching Jeffrey Dahmer on YouTube,” said Matt Moore, the sole songwriter and driving force behind the band. “They asked, ‘Why would you do it?’ And [he said] the…
A Lion Named Roar talks about new music
A Lion Named Roar spent their 2016 quietly, writing and doing principal tracking on new material, which will either turn into a full-length or a string of EPs this spring. In the meantime, you can hear some of the new songs at Zanzabar on Saturday, Jan. 28. “Our goal was to venture into some new…
The man who could play it, wrote it: Rachmaninoff concerto highlights ?Louisville Orchestra concerts
One thing is for sure: If Serge Rachmaninoff were around today, he would be thrilled that the Louisville Orchestra, with soloist Andrew Tyson, will perform his “Piano Concerto No. 3” this weekend. A century after he composed the work, and 64 years after his death in 1943, the classical musical world is still programming his…
‘Circle Mirror Transformation,’ ‘what’s happening to us right now’
Actress Tonye Patano is probably most-widely known for her television and movie roles (especially her multi-season stint as Heylia Jackson in the Showtime series “Weeds”). But it’s theater that she loves, and theater where she has spent most of her career. And it’s theater that’s brought her to Louisville to play the central role in…
Tim Northern, comedy is being funny, not about an agenda
Tim Northern’s sense of humor has often been describes as “intellectual comedy.” And that’s true, but not really. Audiences simply aren’t used to a performer who doesn’t feel the need to wrap punch lines in a nice little package with a bow. He takes the stage with the presumption that the public will follow along…
‘The Midnight Cool,’ a story of charming WWI horse traders
Lydia Peelle wants you in the world of her historical novel. Such an intent is usually addressed by the author coming to a reading/signing in costume. Well, not this time: There’s a lot to see and hear as Peelle, and her husband Ketch Secor (of the great Americana band Old Crow Medicine Show), bring their…
Cans aplenty on the way, Tailspin Ale Fest cometh
Goodwood Brewing Co. recently held a tasting event to choose the recipe for a new product line addition in cans, that being Spruce Tip IPA. Those who participated got to taste three versions, choosing their favorite. Well, the recipe designated Red at the event was the winner. I arrived late and got to taste only…
Consistency is Key
I recently saw a Facebook post directed to the chef of a newish popular restaurant. A patron was enthusing about a meal he’d had at the restaurant the night before. I’m paraphrasing, but the exchange went something like this: “Hey, Chef, we ate at your place last night. It was wonderful. I didn’t manage to…
The Barkeep Does D.C.
On the night of Thursday, Jan. 19, I worked my regular bar-closing shift, but an impending trip, and actions in our country, were on the mind. I may have been cracking open bottled beer and stirring old-fashioned cocktails, but thoughts of a newly-purchased sweatshirt, imprinted with a uterus, and packing the appropriate shoes were dancing…
Ask Minda Honey: Have I Outgrown My H.S. Besties?
Ask Minda Honey is LEO Weekly’s relationship advice column. Write Minda with your dating, love and relationship questions at AskMindaHoney@leoweekly.com or follow her on Twitter at @MindaHoney Hi Minda, I have two best friends from high school. Most of my friends are from my adult life (I’m 34), and my two high school besties don’t…
Savage Love: ITMFA!
Q: I am quite the follower on social media — Facebook and Twitter in particular. I make no trolling comments, no #MAGA hashtags; I just look with my male gaze. Like Laura Mulvey says, the male gaze is only natural. I’ve lost interest in pornography, so I use everyday pictures of women, typically selfies. It…
Offensive tweets: #ExpectBetterFromUofL
I read with alarm The Courier-Journal article Dec. 8 with the headline: “Cheerleaders cleared for Election Night tweets.” It said UofL had issued a statement saying that ‘those involved were not responsible for violations of the Student Code of Conduct,” and they’d returned to practice but UofL expects all student-athletes to be “responsible users of…
High voltage, stay out
A few days back on Almond Avenue, right outside the tomb that is Toohey’s Auto, a pile of clothes, that would accumulate in size over the weekend, from a clump of articles to a full wardrobe, appeared, dumped by a telephone pole and left to get pounded, day after day by this strange, sick inducing,…
Make these lies painful
On Saturday afternoon, President Pussy Grabber Von Trumpnik Twitter Low-Turnout Baby Hands visited with the CIA. During the session, he claimed that the media lied about the size of his inauguration crowd. He also said that when he looked from the stage, it looked like a million to a million and a half people. Reporters…
Editor’s Note: Don’t tweet me, show me
Actions, not words, will change this country. When President Trump besmirched civil rights leader U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a national hero, U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth (yes, my dad — so what?) sent a message to Trump: Respect for the presidency is not a permanent fixture. Yarmuth showed what he stands for by boycotting the inauguration…
Your Voice
on editor’s note: the nra has spoken! We should adopt Chicago’s gun control laws. Working wonders up there! … — Rob Bingham … The problem is not that Chicago has taken action. The problem rears itself in the surrounding areas that lack the same stance on a citizen’s procurement of weapons. It’s simple: Just because…
