Cover Story
Stepping toward happiness: Inside the self-quantification club
Two pale little girls sit with their parents at the dinner table, chanting a strange blessing. “The closer we are to the family benchmark, the closer we are to creating the perfect family,” they repeat in unison over digital counters blinking next to their plates. Yet the parents are dour, and the girls are glum.…
10 things to do under $5 this week in Louisville (12/5)
MONDAY Haymarket’s 4th Annual Repeal Day Celebration Haymarket Whiskey Bar Free | 4 p.m. This Monday is Repeal Day, a day marking the 83rd anniversary of the end of Prohibition. So, naturally, every bar in the city will be partying. At Haymarket Whiskey Bar, they will be celebrating with some special bottles at 9 p.m.,…
Our favorite winter beers from local brewing companies
It’s the twilight of the year and, despite some evidence by way of warm days this late in the season, winter is coming. With the seasonal change, you’d better believe that your favorite beer makers in Louisville and Southern Indiana are brewing up something to keep you company on the cold dark nights to come.…
Our six favorite local songs from November
T-Razor x Filthy Rich — “All I Know Is Smoke” (ft. Bonez & Dave) The lead single from the upcoming T-Razor and Filthy Rich album illustrates the depth of talent on this project. I challenge any casual listener out there to put this track on and not immediately nod your head along to the beat,…
10 Concerts You Shouldn’t Miss in December
T-Razor x Filthy Rich Saturday, Dec. 3 The New Vintage Local hip-hop has had a great couple of years, and it shows no signs of slowing down, with solid album after solid album being released, and various collaborations keeping things unpredictable. T-Razor and Filthy Rich add to that this month with the album Championships, the…
5 Things To Do This Weekend in Louisville (12/2)
FRIDAY Baby It’s Cold Outside Winter Extravaganza Play Louisville Free with donation (or $10) | 7 p.m. Join Derby City Bears and Derby City Sisters for a winter party that includes acts by Louisville Gay Men’s Chorus, VOICES of Kentuckiana and Louisville’s best drag queens, as well as an ugly, winter sweater contest and photos…
Making Ideas Realities: Louisville’s LGBTQ+ Community Coalition
“There could be this magical place where people could go for everything and feel safe and accepted and know that who they are is totally great – even if it’s in this one-block radius, they’re there,” smiles Anna Giangrande, program director at Louisville Youth Group. What she’s referring to is Louisville’s first ever LGBTQ+ Community…
Local Pantsuit Nation, ‘It’s not a Hillary fan club’
Hillary Clinton may have lost the presidential election, but her outfit of choice is living on as the symbol of a new national community of online-turned-offline politically-charged women and men. Welcome to Pantsuit Nation. Locally, the national group has spawned a Louisville/Southern Indiana chapter with more than 7,000 members. Some 300 people showed up for…
Thorns & Roses: The Best & Worst
It’s art, for business sake | Thorn Gov. Matt “Artless” Bevin continued his dictatorial roll, restructuring yet another board: the Kentucky Arts Council. The council is supposed to support the arts and distribute grants. It seems Bevin values only art for money’s sake. “The reorganized Council strikes the appropriate balance of expertise in the arts…
T-Razor and Filthy Rich team up for ‘Championships’
A collaboration between T-Razor and Filthy Rich seemed inevitable. The duo makes for a solid pairing, between the grimy rhyme style of T-Razor and the gritty beats of producer Filthy Rich. The two travel in similar circles in the city, having worked together last year on the track “Creepin’” from the Good N’ Filthy album…
City’s newest record store, Surface Noise, broken down into themes
Across the street from Magnetic Tape Recorder Company on Baxter Avenue sits Louisville’s newest record store, Surface Noise, which has now been open for almost two weeks. Owned and operated by Brett Ralph and Bill Barriger — who sold records online and at The Flea Off Market before opening the store — Surface Noise’s aim…
b-sides: Three more shows to see
David Ramirez Singer-songwriter David Ramirez sings with the sort of weary, melancholy country-folk style that’s reminiscent of Ryan Adams, with the powerful, rangy, yet subtle voice to match. With a direct, minimalistic approach, Ramirez should be a good choice for fans of ’90s alt-country. Last year’s record, Fables, was a introspective effort that balances sparse…
Jen Sorensen Comics
Art by Jen Sorensen.
Kathleen Madigan, ‘the unmistakable benefit of inevitable tragedy’
Kathleen Madigan is consistently one of the funniest people on the planet. Period. She has made appearances on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Late Show with David Letterman,” “Conan” and “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” and she appeared on “Ron White’s Salute to The Troops” five times, the latter reflecting her longstanding…
‘Underground Railroad,’ magic and realism
‘The Underground Railroad’ by Colson Whitehead (Doubleday; 309 pgs., $26.95) This novel comes with plenty of positive notice. An Oprah Book Club selection. A National Book Award winner. An even fuller blossoming of talent from a fellow of the MacArthur and Guggenheim foundations. So how does Colson Whitehead’s book stand apart? It’s shot through with…
Your number is up
“Who had the pork chop?” We’ve all been through this. You and your dining companions have chosen a restaurant, been seated, presented with menus and had your orders taken. When the food arrives, the server starts making you do all the work. It’s a conversation-stopper. Hands point to one another across the table. A glass…
Magic, tattoos and beer: This week in local breweries
Imagine a world of wizards, spells, magic and muggles. And beer. Lots of fresh, craft beer. Breweries have been known to employ a range of incentives, from tap takeovers to trivia, as a way of attracting customers to hang out in their respective taprooms. Special events, food trucks and game nights — you name it.…
A Barkeep Abroad
Here in Louisville, we live in a metropolis with a small-town vibe. We reside in a place where Northern progressiveness meets Southern hospitality in a steaming, if not saturated, pool of bars and restaurants. Most of us adore living here for reasons including being able to have an evening out and often run into old…
Biking in Louisville: Cabin Fever and Cold Feet
You’re riding along on your bicycle in Louisville in October and November. It’s simply paradise, here in the River City. And then Bam… Cold. Ice. Snow. Rain. Wind… ugh! To any cyclist, this presents a few challenges and more than a few questions: What to wear and when? What bike to ride and where? Indoor…
Ask Minda Honey: Are Braces A Deal Breaker?
Hey Minda, So here’s a unique situation: I’m a 29-year-old female who got adult braces a couple of months ago. I’ve created a profile on Match and felt it necessary to mention (aside from photos) that I wear braces — so there wouldn’t be any surprises — and, not wanting to put dating on hold…
Savage Love: Quickies
Q: My boyfriend of almost two years is wonderful, and we have had very few issues. But there is one thing that has almost been a deal breaker. He fiddles with his penis almost constantly — in front of me and in front of our roommates. I’ve confronted him about it a number of times.…
How to rig an election
During the campaign, Donald Trump raised the specter of a rigged election as the only way the “establishment” could defeat him. Turns out there was indeed a rigged election, one that gave him the presidency. Over the past quarter century the ubiquitous radical-right media has been demonizing liberals in dishonest, hateful ways and attacking the…
Shelter from dude-bros?
Scientific curiosity compelled me to change my sexual orientation on OkCupid. It was originally set to “Bisexual,” because that seemed appropriate, although I did not have any attachment to the term, and I had never “come out” as bi. (Hi, Mom!) It’s not a secret that I enjoy intimacy with men and women, but I…
The value of the worst president ever, moving the traitors’ statue
You’re back? What the bloody hell? I thought you promised to remain in the Albion if Trump won? If I wasn’t allowed back in, old chap. As a legal immigrant — particularly one who talks proper posh — I remain very welcome here. Besides, as you’ll recall, I girded my loins in preparation for him…
GLI, Get Lost Immediately
It is time to question whether Greater Louisville Inc., the city’s chamber of commerce, is a shell organization, a facade for opposition to progressive city government. It does little to advance the city’s progress. It is either functioning as a conservative political lobby under camouflage, or a group blind to the realities of urban America. GLI has…
Your Voice
On Trump and LGBTQ rights: Your worst nightmares unlikely to come true I fully expect Kentucky’s all-new Republican government to pass its so called religious freedom bill, destroying the Fairness Ordinance in quite a few Kentucky towns and cities. An effort that took decades. We’ve also been quietly lobbying Congress for federal protection from discrimination…
