Cover Story
Louisville: Through the lens
Welcome to LEO Weekly’s 2009 Photography Issue. The assignment was simple: We asked six local photographers — some of whom we’ve worked with, others whose work we’ve enjoyed from afar — to give us a photo essay on Louisville. There were no rules or specific content requirements. We gave each photographer three uninterrupted pages and…
Out of bounds
When Ali Ahmadi built a massive indoor soccer club in 2007 without proper city approval, nearby residents were outraged. As a transportation engineer for Metro government, Ahmadi should have known better, and some observers speculated he intentionally circumvented the proper channels because he knew he could get away with it. But regardless of Ahmadi’s intent…
Nude as the news
Legend has it my great aunt Martha used to believe Mike Douglas could see into her living room when she watched his show, and that he was talking to her and could hear her when she talked back to him. He was her TV friend. Those of you who don’t remember Mike Douglas should know…
Rambler
The spirit of Bruce Springsteen’s epic song “The River” is conjured repeatedly in Edgehill Avenue’s new release. Many of the songs are in minor chords, which I have no problem with; in fact, I prefer the minor key, and Edgehill Avenue pulls it off splendidly. Second track “With These Hands” is as catchy as a…
A place for pervs
A decade ago, a federal judge sentenced Michael Potter Jr. to 27 months in prison for sending and receiving child pornography over the Internet. The Mount Washington man served his time and then returned to suburban Bullitt County as a registered sex offender. But it turns out that brief stint in federal prison was not…
New York Town
Alt-country is making me cynical. There may have been something unique and vibrant to start with, but we’ve ridden the cliché train too far to remember anything original. Israel Nash Gripka’s New York Town — aka “I’m from New York, not the Deep South. Also, have you seen my Dylan reference?” — is technically a…
Theater: “Under Construction” flips Rockwell on his head
(The Humana Festival of New American Plays at Actors Theatre presents “Under Construction.” Written by Charles L. Mee. Directed by Anne Bogart. Continues through April 5. Call 584-1205 or visit actorstheatre.org.) “If I understand something, I have no further use for it,” claims Leon Ingulsrud, one of the ensemble members of “Under Construction,” written…
Ethics dilemma
A proposal to establish an anonymous ethics tip line in Metro government has lingered for four years in the office of Mayor Jerry Abramson without coming to fruition. Now, at least two Metro Council members are attempting to bypass the mayor’s office, filing an ordinance that would create such a hotline. Oddly, the legislation lacks…
Sarah Borges throws herself in
How often does a band understand the value of honing skills at both garage and country without slipping into a cowpunk mash-up? Rare enough that an appearance by Sarah Borges and The Broken Singles merits full attention. It’s hard to say whether they’re coming to town to show off their range, capable of pulling off…
B-sides: Motherlodge Festival
Louisville’s Ray Rizzo and a few close friends have put on a weeklong series of shows dubbed the Motherlodge Festival. If the name sounds familiar, that’s because it was the name of a compilation CD released some years back to benefit The Rudyard Kipling (422 W. Oak St., 636-1311). This year, the festival version has…
Futuro
Describing Norway’s The Low Frequency in Stereo as “eclectic” is an unfortunate understatement. Futuro toggles, in rather freewheeling fashion, between anthemic pop and total weirdness. The most memorable, and best, songs balance the two. “Starstruck” amalgamates a motorik-informed rhythm with space-rock reverb and bubblegum vocals (think Pia Fraus or Deerhunter). “Geordie La Forge” makes me…
Film: “I Love You, Man” succeeds in its awkward dialogue
(Starring Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones, Sarah Burns and Jaime Pressly. Directed by John Hamburg. Rated R; 1:50. LEO Report Card: A-) It’s the chicken and the egg theory of a successful comedy — what comes first, a solid script or the adept crew of actors? Either way, if you don’t have one, the…
“Hard Weather Boating Party” sails toxic waters
(The Humana Festival of New American Plays at Actors Theatre presents Naomi Wallace’s “Hard Weather Boating Party.” Directed by Jo Bonney. Continues through April 4. For tickets, call 584-1205 or visit actorstheatre.org.) Louisville’s polluted Rubbertown is the unseen fourth character in Naomi Wallace’s “Hard Weather Boating Party,” a villain more dangerous than the chemical…
Review: Roll out the barrel at Bank Street Brewhouse
Lovers of microbrewery beer now have another local mecca: The long-awaited Bank Street Brewhouse, an offshoot of New Albanian Brewing Company, opened its doors this month and is operating with a limited menu and limited seating in downtown New Albany. If an early impression does justice to the end result, this brewpub will indeed have…
‘Like waking up from a dream’
Leslie’s Motel might have been Louisville’s first jam band. (Don’t stop reading, hipsters.) In the early 1970s, the band was the first in River City to do something akin to The Allman Brothers Band’s extended solo jam-out extravaganza of guitar noodling, says singer and guitarist Bill Tullis. But that claim can be misleading, and might…
Games for Slaves
If you can get past the deadpan, can’t-tell-if-they’re-joking German vocals and they-must-be-joking song titles, including tongue-in-cheek gems like “Shopping Blitz” and “Vorantwortungsfreude” (which apparently means something close to “joy of responsibility”), California’s Teenage Panzerkorps — aka Der TPK — might be your new favorite band. Games for Slaves, their second full-length album just released on…
Video TapeWorm
THIS WEEK’S TWIN PEEKS: THE CREMATOR 1968; $19.95, UR Notice that date: 1968. This is no mad-slasher/dead-teenager movie; this is one of the all-time most disturbing, cerebral and funny horror/dramas ever made, available for the first time on these shores. Karl is an obsessed crematorium worker in Prague who believes that he is liberating the…
Blueprints of Jazz Vol. 3
Now in his 70s, Donald Bailey still swings hard. Joined by the dynamic saxophonist Odean Pope (long a member of Max Roach’s band), Bailey presents a varied program. Pianist George Burton shows dexterity throughout, while bassist Tyrone Brown is given plenty of solo space. “Gone Now” shows just how funky 5/4 timing can be, while…
Clear as mud
Is Mayor Jerry Abramson guilty of malfeasance? Honestly, we don’t know. The longer Hizzoner opposes calls for increased transparency and openness in Metro government, the more reason we have to believe unethical activity might be occurring in the executive office. In the last couple of years, Louisvillians were subject to the grand deception known as…
The Bar Belle
Why does Brent Zerkel want to be my friend? Facebook does funny things to people — makes you talk in first person and think someone actually cares that you’re running to the grocery store or digging out an ingrown toenail. What it also does is bring back people to your life who you were pretty…
The Horse Fell Lame
Brooks Ritter might be the next Louisville troubadour we gravitate toward. The Horse Fell Lame is a mellow debut where nothing is off limits: Love, loss, politics and spirituality are fair game for Ritter’s tenor to wrap itself around and clutch. Sometimes those topics aren’t mutually exclusive and are broached all at once (“Bones from…
Art: On the outside
From the street to the wall, The Daveer does art his own way. Since 1996, the self-taught graffiti artist has offered his drawing and painting skills to the street. But he went straight, as it were. Working not only after midnight, his art can be seen in commissioned murals all over the city. When one…
The dance goes on
DAYTON, Ohio — Now they’re even. Louisville and Siena, that is. The Cardinals narrowly escaped, 79-72, advancing to the Sweet 16. (By the by, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association owns that trademarked term, kindly granting the NCAA permission to use it.) And there’s some history working here. The win evens the all-time series between…
Inbox — March 25, 2009
Let Me Clarify I am writing in regards to Phillip M. Bailey’s article in the March 18 LEO Weekly. The information presented in the article does not accurately represent what I discussed with Mr. Bailey. In our discussions, I could tell that Mr. Bailey was not listening to my explanation of the issues that have…
On Will Ferrell’s farewell to George W. Bush
Presidential impressions are a stock trade for the stand-up comedian. Will Ferrell has established himself as one of the best Bush impersonators. In fact, his act is so familiar, I wondered if Ferrell’s HBO special from the Manhattan Theater could keep me involved for the full hour-and-a-half. Certainly, the “satiric memoir” is consistently funny, regularly…
