Cover Stories
The last picture show
Remember that iconic scene in “Grease” when Sandy strands Danny at the drive-in and Rizzo announces she might be knocked up, all while cartoon concession treats sing and dance on the movie screen? There were no cumbersome 3-D glasses. No air-conditioning blasted at arctic temperatures. Just your ’55 Chevy, your girlfriend and a milkshake (or…
At the drive-in
Nostalgia can be contagious. I learned this while waiting for a double feature to begin at the Georgetown Drive-In last Friday night. Just before darkness fell, while people built temporary nests in the beds of their pick-up trucks, I was hit with something stronger than a sense of déjà vu. It was remembrance of a…
A truly authentic experience at Peking City Bistro
“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.” Not merely the intro line of the original Japanese “Iron Chef,” this fundamental hypothesis goes back to the French gourmet Anthelme Brillat-Savarin’s 1825 gastronomic essay, “Physiology of Taste.” If Brillat-Savarin had examined my dinner at Peking City Bistro, he might have concluded…
Dream sequence
Mayday Parade lead singer/guitarist Derek Sanders shows humility over the band’s second CD, Anywhere But Here, coming out on Atlantic Records. “That’s just something that, as a kid, when I started playing guitar, I just never ever, ever, ever thought that anything like that would ever happen,” Sanders says about the group’s arrival on a…
Jerry’s kids
As an outspoken critic of the $4.1 billion Ohio River Bridges Project, Shawn Reilly has come to expect a bit of public scrutiny. But the co-founder the Facebook group “Say NO to Bridge Tolls” never expected a supporter of the project would tattletale to his boss. Earlier this month, Reilly, a financial advisor, appeared on…
I must not think bad thoughts
Having a fairly skimpy budget for entertainment (after my cable bill, I have a pretty skimpy budget for groceries, too), I came up short on July 9, as I sadly realized I would not be able to attend this year’s Forecastle Festival. Dejected, I got on Facebook and posted my intention to boycott the affair…
‘Painting blind’
Casey Roberts is a man consumed by wilderness. Capturing vignettes of backwoods solitude like butterflies in a net, Roberts’ small-scale cyanotype paintings are as delicate and nuanced as haikus. For his upcoming show at the 930 Gallery, Roberts has produced a number of small-scale landscape paintings, an act of discipline considering the vastness of his…
Trans Continental Hustle
This is what I want to tell Gogol Bordello: I get it. You are eccentric. You are clever. You are doing this wild and crazy pan-ethnic thing that is yours and yours alone. You are boring me to tears. The frenetic and nonsensical Soviet-punk aesthetic was really great for a couple records, but it’s getting…
Long Time No See
From the first drummer of My Morning Jacket, J. Glenn’s new solo album Long Time No See displays his talents as a one-man band. Tactics vary: “Chinese Eyes” is a slick, synthy composition, where “Haunted Ways” is country acoustic guitar and lone kick drum. “Balding Eagle” is a competent rocker and contrasts with the lonely…
Blue Giant
This is what can happen when veteran musicians have fun while ignoring genre distinctions. Blue Giant’s debut full-length (and follow-up to their acclaimed Target Heart EP) will meander, strut, whistle and wail its way out of your speakers (or ear buds) and into permanent residence in your cortex (or soul). Brings: bluesy country licks and…
Adams family
During the 35-plus years he led NRBQ, Terry Adams was infamous for never going on stage with a predetermined set list, calling songs as the spirit moved him. But for his appearance at HullabaLOU Sunday with his new band, the Terry Adams Rock & Roll Quartet, he already has chosen a special song. “I’m looking…
Video Tapeworm
New, encore and low-price releases on Tuesday, July 27 BEYOND THE DARKNESS: BUIO OMEGA 1979; $24.95, UR A near-lost entry by that redoubtable master of horror and sleaze, the late Joe D’Amato. Aka “The Final Darkness” and “Buried Alive,” this roughie — banned in West Germany and Australia — tells the tale of a rich…
Bar Belle: A sloe comeback
A few weeks ago, I got my hands on a hard-to-find bottle of Plymouth Sloe Gin. I immediately thought of my nights at bartending school — where there was more book study and less real-word experience when it came to making and tasting drinks. For some reason, the Sloe Gin Fizz stuck in my memory…
Production is a ‘Picnic,’ despite a few flaws
William Inge is a beloved American playwright, and one of his most captivating and memorable plays is “Picnic,” for which he won the Pulitzer Prize. Broken into four scenes in two acts, “Picnic” tells the story of a small Midwestern town getting ready for its annual Labor Day picnic. The play opens by introducing the…
I don’t say this often enough
I love you. You really mean the world to me. I’m ashamed that I sometimes get caught up in the maelstrom of everyday living and neglect to tell you how important you are to me. When that happens, days, weeks or even months go by when I fail to say how beautiful and lovely I…
The grape escape
Staring befuddled at the hundreds of wine labels lined up on the wine shop shelves? Choosing a bottle of wine may seem more confusing than grabbing a six-pack of Coke or Bud Light, but the depth of information on the wine label reflects the lovable complexity of the beverage. With wine, you’ve got choices. You…
Staffpicks
Wednesday, July 21 Ladies in Louisville Stevie Ray’s Blues Bar 230 E. Main St. www.stevieraysbluesbar.com $4; 9 p.m. Wednesday night finds soul songstress Teneia Sanders making a long-awaited return from Arizona. However brief or extended her stay is, it’s worth catching. Jenn Stout offers up a preview of her forthcoming solo album, due out next…
Inbox — July 21, 2010
LEO Weekly welcomes letters that are brief (250 words max) and thoughtful. Ad hominem attacks will be ignored, and we need your name and a daytime phone number. Send snail mail to Inbox, 301 E. Main St., Suite 201, Louisville, Ky. 40202. Fax to 895-9779 or e-mail to leo@leoweekly.com. We may edit for length, grammar…
Infinite Arms
Band of Horses is one of those few bands that make it fun to be a cynical critic, because with every record, you say, “These guys can’t get any better, they can’t get any more original, and it will be impossible to top this.” And amazingly enough, I get surprised with each new album, and…
Relayted
Cross a pot leaf and vagina to get the logo for Gayngs, an indie supergroup that brought the fun by naming its album Relayted and setting the whole thing to a slow-grind 69 bpm. Producer-musician Ryan Olson hooked up with members of electro outfit Solid Gold to compose the spacey-yet-hypnotic “The Gaudy Side of Town.”…
Stranger than fiction
Time and again, it has been proclaimed that once the real truth is found, it often is stranger than fiction. With the array of fictional scenarios created in books, television and movies, that may be hard to fathom. However, one particular section of the Filson Historical Society’s Photography Collection tests the boundary between truth and…
Die and burn in hell, LeBron: Our unhealthy obsession with sports
Let’s get something straight at the outset — I’m a sports nut. I’m not some pansy-ass guy who thinks we’d all be better off without the grind of athletic competition. In fact, I don’t trust men who don’t like sports. Something is strange about them. That said, something has gone terribly wrong with our relationships…
Wizards, fart jokes & Hyland
Sarah Hyland is a Louisville native who is returning to town this weekend to perform at the Comedy Caravan with comedian John Fox. After graduating from Assumption, she attended art school in Chicago, where she worked at legendary comedy spots Second City and Zanie’s. With the encouragement of many of the comics around her, Sarah…
Plugged In
Wed. July 21 11th Frame: Karaoke with Allen; 9 p.m., free (R) BBC 4th Street: Open Mic with Ashley Burchett; 7 p.m., free, (R) Bearno’s Highlands: Open Mic with Chad Cheek; 8 p.m., free (R) Blu: Big Poppa Stampley; 8:30 p.m. (R) Buffalo Wild Wings, St. Matthews: Emily Clark Band; 8 p.m. (R) Buster’s: Astor…
The Chaos
For the dudes who were leading the pack on the Kate Bush revival and credibly cited Devo, XTC and Wire as major influences, The Futureheads’ fourth studio album sounds more like the Kaiser Chiefs than experimental post-punk. Their journey, from math rock to catchy radio pop and halfway back, has been plausible at every step…
On the robes
For Jefferson County District Court judge candidate Stephanie Pearce Burke, the restrictions associated with running for a spot on the bench have not made campaigning more difficult. In fact, the 41-year-old defense attorney says the longstanding regulations rightfully required judicial candidates to focus on their qualifications rather than politics. But a recent federal court decision…
