Cover Stories
The Comeback Cats
The preliminaries are over. Let the real season begin for the University of Kentucky Wildcats and Big Blue Nation, the most rabid fan base in all of sports. The 32-2 Wildcats won their 44th SEC regular season title in a walk. Asked what that meant, UK coach John Calipari replied, “Nothing.” UK’s conference tournament championship…
Cardiac Cards
The allure of the NCAA Tournament does not lie in its predictability. A year ago, when more of the top seeds advanced to the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight than ever before, the tournament was labeled as the “worst ever” by multiple members of the national media. Never mind that the best teams in the…
On the road again
Well, Louisville made it into the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals played pretty well often enough against good teams, and not too badly very often against weak teams to wind up with a 20-12 record (11-7 in the Big East Conference) and the overall image of being a darn tough team in a difficult league. “The…
The wheels on the bus
Without a car or a driver’s license, Joseph Hart will have to wake up around 6 a.m. to make an upcoming job interview at UPS by the afternoon. The 19-year-old college student, who lives in the Portland neighborhood, knows how to time the bus schedule just right and spends most of his week riding to…
Lucky in lunacy
Human ingenuity is truly a wonder to behold. It’s refreshing and hopeful that — even though the economy is ruined, jobs are scarce, health care is unaffordable, and Lil Wayne is in prison — technological advancements keep barreling along full speed like a braking Toyota. While the news in recent days has been dominated by…
Best pizza? Can you define that?
“Who’s got the best pizza?” Ask this question among a bunch of foodies and you’re bound to ignite an active debate. Unfortunately, this question is stupid. Pizza, an immigrant American dish like chop suey or tacos, has evolved into such a broad range of variations that it’s impossible — or at least not particularly sensible…
Art: A glimpse inside Tut’s Tomb
I have good news and bad news. The good news is the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage (KCAAH) is finally open after years of financial struggle. It promises to be a welcome addition to the attractions in our city, housed in a former trolley barn in the Russell neighborhood. KCAAH eventually plans to house…
B-Sides: Numbers game
By the Numbers is the new solo album from Dustin Edge. The Louisville native, who played for three years in the bluegrass-rock group Cast Iron Filter, returned to the United States in 2008 after teaching for two years in the Czech Republic. By The Numbers arrives March 30. More at www.dustinedge.com. Motherlodge Motherlodge, Ray…
American Gong
The Pacific Northwest has a history rich in its own brand of indie rock, and members of Quasi have carved a good chunk of that history out. Between the three: Sam Coomes, Janet Weiss and Joanna Bolme have had their hands on such definitive projects as Heatmiser, Sleater-Kinney, Elliott Smith and Built to Spill. While…
Book: Pearl strikes again
The Last Dickens By Matthew Pearl. Random House; 400 pgs., $25. A few years ago, I wrote an e-mail to “The Dante Club” and “The Poe Shadow” author Matthew Pearl. The rising literary prodigy, who graduated from both Harvard and Yale, told me he was in London doing research for his next book. Time…
Mug Shots: Free at last, free at last
In Indiana, amid the usual crazed politicking of the general assembly, something unexpected has happened. I half expect to awaken from a dream and find my fridge stocked with cheap American beer, because narrow rays of liberal sense and intelligibility have somehow evaded the scrutiny of society’s persistent naysayers — the Prohibitionists, the health fascists…
Art: News Bits
The Speed Art Museum (www.speedmuseum.org) has new hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Friday: 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sunday: 12-5 p.m. (closed Wednesdays). The New Albany Bicentennial Public Art Project (www.nabpublicart.org) is presenting free visiting artist lectures. The first speaker is sculptor Brad White on Thursday, March 18, from 12-1 p.m. at the…
Jerry’s kids
The chief conclusion that can be drawn from the SurveyUSA mayoral poll is that the leading candidate in both primaries is you — the undecided voter. Everything else is media punditry and campaign spin. Hoping to make good with those who are still uncertain, Democratic mayoral candidate and Metro Councilman Jim King, D-10, will begin…
Quarantine the Past
Pavement spent the better part of the ’90s as darlings of critics and geeks alike, and they managed to remain beneath the mainstream radar for most of their career. In the decade since their demise, Pavement has continued to be the standard by which all others have been measured, whether they knew it or not.…
How do you do?
It may seem trivial, but I hate it when people say, “Hi, how are you?” (Unless it’s Daniel Johnston.) Yes, I know it’s (probably) no more than a meaningless salutation; nobody really wants you to take the time to inventory the totality of your circumstances and present an accurate report. They really just mean to…
Inbox — March 17, 2010
Taking a Stand An Inbox letter in the March 3 LEO Weekly asked why the six people who wrote a column criticizing Israel’s human-rights violations did not also criticize Iran, Sudan and China. I do oppose the repressive policies of those countries. Fortunately, they are not being supported by my tax dollars. I focused on…
Valleys Of Neptune
Jimi Hendrix, in his brief career, revolutionized guitar playing. Valleys of Neptune presents 62 minutes of previously unreleased studio tracks from Hendrix, ranging from 1969 remakes of “Fire” and “Stone Free” to deeper, more experimental cuts. The title track is mature Hendrix, flowing, while “Ships Passing Through the Night” finds him feeding his guitar into…
Hologram Jams
First thought: Is this emo-crunk? No way. I guess it wasn’t really a stretch, but I didn’t think these ex-Blood Brothers had the moolah for cocaine. Second thought: Most of it is drum-machine party music, which is fine by me as long as it does its job. Problem: The creative parts (i.e., not choruses) fall…
Staffpicks
March 17-21 ‘The 39 Steps’ Kentucky Center • 584-7777 www.broadwayacrossamerica.com $20-$56; various times The British Film Institute calls Alfred Hitchcock’s “The 39 Steps” the fourth-best British movie ever. And while it has all the action and suspense of his later movies, it predated his Hollywood days and, as a result, doesn’t have the name recognition…
Theater: All the hotel is a stage
Heist Part of the 34th Humana Festival of New American Plays. Continues through March 28 at 21c Museum Hotel, 700 W. Main St. Directed by Sean Daniels. For tickets or more info, call 584-1205 or visit www.actorstheatre.org. Sean Daniels and Deborah Stein conceived and created “Heist” to be performed on location at 21c Museum Hotel…
Genuine Negro Jig
No less than five people have remarked to me in the past few days the oddity of me playing a bluegrass record and seeming to enjoy it. The Carolina Chocolate Drops are simply a great band, regardless of genre. Three 20-somethings who met at the doorstep of legendary fiddler Joe Thompson, they attack classics of…
CBC joins the black insurgency
The small, progressive “we must never stop asking questions” insurgency among black people seems to be growing. There have always been a few blacks with national profiles who have provided critiques of President Obama, but they are in the minority. Though black politicians, media personalities and even academics (including black studies professors who should know…
A new Mayer for Soultown?
Trust in Mayer Hawthorne, a studio wiz who grew up a few miles outside Motown. Hawthorne first approached the head of his record label with a few sample tracks that were the product of Hawthorne overdubbing himself as both choir and ensemble. The exec thought he was listening to R&B classics. A couple years later,…
The Grape Escape: Do I look fat in this Pinot Noir?
Google “wine and health.” Whoa! I just got 78 million hits! Human infatuation with wine and whether it’s good for you goes back 1,900 years or so, when the biblical letter to Timothy advised early believers to “No longer drink only water, but take a little wine for the sake of your stomach and our…
Courting courage on Capitol Hill
President Obama and fellow Democrats recently received a bit of advice from an unlikely sage: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. The senior Kentucky Republican warned that voting in favor of the president’s health-care reform proposal will likely result in Democratic leaders losing their seats in the upcoming midterm election. “Looking at poll data one could…
Rubbertown bouncing back?
The odor creeping in through the rolled-down windows of Earl Hartlege’s pick-up truck smells sweet at first, like a bag of Jolly Ranchers left to melt on an engine block. We’re driving down Bells Lane on a cloudy Wednesday afternoon, surrounded by massive chemical manufacturing plants, landfills and bombed-out vacant lots. As we pass the…
Video TapeWorm
THIS WEEK’S TWIN PEEKS: THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX 2009; $17.95-$27.95, PG Director Wes “Rushmore” Anderson’s first-ever stop-action animated feature is a marvel. A straight-up telling of the seminal Roald Dahl story with terrific voice-talent (especially George Clooney, Meryl Streep and Bill Murray) and suitably scruffy furred characters. Mr. Fox, a former pro chicken thief who…
Film: ‘Red Baron’ grounded by faulty script
The Red Baron Starring Matthias Schweighofer, Til Schweiger, Tino Mewes, Joseph Fiennes and Lena Headey. Directed by Nikolai Muellerschoen. Rated PG-13; 2:09. Starts Friday at Village 8 Theatres. LEO Report Card: C. Given all that went down last century, films that celebrate German military heroes are not something I normally rush to see. But, seeing as…
Plugged In: March 17-23
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 MAR 17…
The Golden Archipelago
How can you not sympathize with Jonathan Meiburg and his bandmates? Twenty months ago, they delivered an indisputable gem with Rook, which made the perfect case for their nature-based, progressive folk-rock. The songs stood by themselves but fit together in curious, compelling structure. This follow-up has many of the same high-quality moments: evocations of people…
