Cover Story
Build, Crash, Repeat … or how to snare a drone!
“I’m on five, I’m waiting,” said Flying Francis over his controller. “OK, I’m on eight. Going up,” replied CDrama, engaging the copter’s thrust. The two copters lifted off with a squeal of mechanical delight. It was a clear Monday evening. The high white clouds and cobalt sky of early summer contrasted against the expanse of…
A review of Louder Than Life’s Gourmet Man Food: Rating each dish based on completely arbitrary, but nonetheless recognizable, totems of constructed masculinity
Louder Than Life celebrated three years at the triumphantly-titled Champions Park this weekend — a festival that brings in both an economic impact of $13 million and a 5,000-percent increase in used Monster Energy cans to the city. And it conveys its value proposition right in its logo: music, whiskey and gourmet man food. Gourmet.…
A few words and a lot of photos from Louder Than Life 2016
[All photos by Nik Vechery] Saturday In its third year, Louder Than Life returned with nu-metal radio staples (Korn, Slipknot), hard-rock favorites that lean a little more to the underground side of things (The Cult, Ghost, Slayer) and a group of Rock & Roll Hall of Famers who continue to transcend their studio work on…
Dirty motels and political correctness: A Q&A with comedian Doug Stanhope
Doug Stanhope has a very particular brand of comedy. After 25 years on the road, Stanhope has built a highly-loyal fan base with his notoriously dark, brash and hilariously-obscene material, often wading through itchy topics like sex, drugs and death. As Stanhope returns to Louisville, I will give you the same advice about going to…
A Hillbilly Revival
When Karter Louis closed the doors of his beloved Appalachian tea cafe on First Street in May 2015, the Louisville food scene mourned the loss of Hillbilly Tea for months. However, much to the delight of locals and out-of-towners alike, Louis reopened Hillbilly Tea earlier this summer in an even grander location on Main Street,…
10 things to do under $5 this week in Louisville (10/3)
MONDAY Brew Guru Yoga Flat12 Bierwerks $5 Suggested Donation | 7 p.m. You no longer have to choose between everyone’s two favorite after-work activities, yoga and drinking. Now you can mix the two at Flat12 Bierwerks with the Brew Guru series. Just bring your yoga mat to Flat12 (a few blocks away from the Big…
10 Concerts You Shouldn’t Miss in October
Deerhunter Thursday, Oct. 6 Headliners An experimental rock band that still packs in plenty of compelling melodies, Deerhunter’s dreamy take on indie isn’t afraid to be all over the place, with splashes of dirty punk, manic pop and just a general disloyal deep dive into the depths of the last half century. Electric Six Sunday,…
A Q&A with artist and Art Sanctuary Vice President Britany Baker: On the history of Art Sanctuary, how she creates her work and more
[The above image is “Skulls” by Britany Baker.] I love artists. They say things like, “The nice thing about predetermined intent is that you can tell how close you are to hitting the mark.” Britany Baker (britanybaker.com) is a creative person, someone who has followed the curvy road of life to end up where she…
5 Things To Do This Weekend in Louisville (9/30)
FRIDAY St. James Art Fair (Sept. 30–Oct. 2) St. James Court Free | 10 a.m. It’s that time of the year again — the time for everyone in the city to descend on Old Louisville and gobble up as much art as their pocketbooks can handle. For art lovers, this is an event not to…
Our six favorite local songs from September
Joan Shelley – “Cost of the Cold” Joan Shelley’s music is so easy to listen to, gentle and serene, without losing any of the grit or tension that drives the narrative. Shelley has the kind of voice that sounds perfectly at-home on the radio, but that never comes off as saccharine or dishonest. Likewise, the…
A Sweet Legacy
While looking through Louisville’s elite, one would be hard-pressed to find an individual who has done more for HIV/AIDS awareness, research and treatment in this city than Craig Scherman. He is currently retired, but Scherman brings a lifetime of experience serving on the respective boards of Rotary Club of Louisville, Kosair Charities and countless other…
The Importance of Understanding
Kaila Story, Ph.D., is an associate professor of women’s and gender studies with a joint appointment in the Department of Pan-African Studies at the University of Louisville, where she also serves as the Audre Lorde Chair in Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality Studies. With co-host Jaison Gardner, she conducts a weekly podcast called “Strange Fruit,”…
Unified Pride: Kentuckiana’s many Pride organizations
It’s not unusual for a city to have more than one Pride festival. Other major metros in the U.S. host several – and at all times of the year, not just in June. But when Louisville Pride was announced last year – and subsequently held on September 19, 2015, on Bardstown Road – the community…
Modern Update: September/October 2016
Every year at the Kentucky State Fair, Kentucky Farm Bureau serves a side of hate with the sweet sorghum, country ham and red-eye gravy that are signatures of their Country Ham Breakfast. For some of us, last year’s breakfast came with a course of handcuffs for joining dozens of others standing in silent protest at…
In Search of Bliss
Written by Mariah Kline // Photography by Antonio Pantoja More than 30 years after their first meeting as adolescents in an Evangelical church, Renee Ananda and Aim Me Smiley have created a life full of love, music and community outreach. They call themselves the Troubadours of Divine Bliss, a name inspired by their poetic lyrics…
Farm Bureau explains its process behind its anti-LGBTQ positions
If you read LEO lately in print or online, you probably know that Editor Aaron Yarmuth took a hard stand against the Kentucky Farm Bureau for its opposition to gay marriage. Yarmuth’s column can be found here. In the “Kentucky Farm Bureau Policies” handbook — distributed to state and federal legislators — the bureau says: “The…
Thorns & Roses: The Worst & Best (9/28)
Gov. Matt ‘Wrong’ Bevin [Thorn] In the first of what we hope is many slap-downs for our governor, the state Supreme Court has found that Bevin illegally pulled $18 million from state universities. And what did our super-genius governor say about the ruling? “In this case, we have a Supreme Court that has decided to…
Tara Jane O’Neil breaks new ground on forthcoming solo record
Last summer, Tara Jane O’Neil ran into an old friend, who invited her to record at the Wilco Loft in Chicago. She used that invitation as inspiration for a forthcoming solo album, which promises, in some ways, to be a return to the basics, and, in others, to move in a new direction. “It’s a…
Jason Isbell talks about his latest record, ‘Something More Than Free’
No matter how you cut it, Jason Isbell is one of the most talked about singer/songwriters in the industry today. Whether it’s critics, fans or such legendary admirers as Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young, everyone seems to be enamored by Isbell’s ability to write music about fully-realized characters who have fallen between the cracks of…
Bands to see at this year’s Louder Than Life
Louder Than Life 2016, a two-day festival packed with metal and hard-rock bands, is happening this weekend, Friday and Saturday, Oct.1 and 2, at Champions Park. Here are a few of the bands that we plan to catch. The Cult Monster Stage Saturday | 6:45 p.m. The Cult is a veteran band of English rockers…
Bryan Puckett, founder of Little Heart Records, passes away at 35
On Sunday, Sept. 25, Louisville lost a great man. At only 35, Bryan Puckett had given so much to the community he loved, fostering unity and friendship along the way, before succumbing to the variety of ailments that culminated in a stroke. It was through his passion and creativity that Little Heart Records, so named…
Satellite Twin: Untitled
This untitled, “extended-cassette single” from experimental punks Satellite Twin spans three songs and 18 minutes. The first two tracks, “Igniter” and “Shock,” are cinematic, driving, ominous and affable, rolled up into the sort of energetic, captivating, angry and inventive rock that makes Satellite Twin so interesting. The third is a The Cure cover, “Push,” a…
Knocked Loose: Laugh Tracks
On Knocked Loose’s debut full-length, two things stand out about the hardcore band: 1) They worked to expand their range musically — the choppy, sludgy doom guitars are still there, but there’s a revolving door of ideas that run the metal/punk side of the rock spectrum, 2) singer Bryan Garris’ voice sounds stronger. Both went…
Doctor Girlfriend: Silent Screen
There is a special kind of magic in Silent Screen, with elements of indie, lounge, punk, jazz and more, held together in one cohesive package. The band channels the sort of indie charm that’s reminiscent of bands like Viet Cong or Joy Division, filtered through intensity of Television and tempered by the steady hand of…
Bitchin’ Bajas & Bonnie Prince Billy: Epic Jammers and Fortunate Little Ditties
It may not seem that the indie crooner Will Oldham and the Frippertronics-obsessed ambient duo Bitchin’ Bajas have much in common, at least from a stylistic approach, but the blending of their sensibilities is seamless. A colorful record with bleeping synths and chiming guitar, Oldham’s voice seems, as ever, on the precipice of breaking, but…
Don’t Hurt Yourself
A red light flashes telling me that a caller is on the line. I pick it up, “WFPK, hello.” The man launches immediately into a tirade, shaming me for playing the artist that is currently on. Teasingly, I reply, “Tony Bennett?” He comes back, dumbfounded, “No, that stupid cunt, Lady Gaga.” Whoa! “Seriously? She’s doing…
‘Fences,’ strong leads, solid direction and gorgeous set
I can’t turn off the social-justice part of my brain when I watch theater, and I doubt that award-winning playwright August Wilson would want me to do so. Lately, I’ve heard a lot of talk about making America great again, and a return to a better time for our country. In “Fences,” the season opener…
Flight of the ‘Jewnicorn’: A Q&A with Raanan Hershberg
Raanan Hershberg has spent the better part of the last decade being the keystone of the Louisville comedy scene. He’s a prolific writer with a unique voice that blends sophisticated cynicism with the wit of everyday observations. Hershberg is a graduate of duPont Manual High School where he was inspired by the works of Anton…
Sick days in the food service industry
My friend Dale was in a quandary the other morning. Although sick with a summer cold, he was scheduled for a shift at the independently-owned restaurant where he works. Those of us who are certified in health regulations by the local authorities know we are not supposed to work food in service when we are…
Window shopping at gourmet grocery stores
Sometimes I enjoy looking at food. And what I mean by that is to simply go into a grocery store of some sort, with no shopping agenda, to just look around. Trader Joe’s is a fun place for that, and it’s worth the drive north to visit Jungle Jim’s near Cincinnati for the same purpose.…
The role of a safe Negro
As a black woman, and one who is woefully short on patience or sympathy for police right now, I think N.W.A. best expressed the sentiments many black Americans, including me, are feeling. We have little love in our community for the police, and every day we are given a new reason why this is justified.…
Curly, the boss’ son
“Who throws an alligator from a moving vehicle?” I thought to myself as my brain jerked and bubbled like a rapped radiator preparing to blow a head gasket; it was the last bit of crimson news I had scrolled through and it was one click of mayhem too many. For hours, my eyes had been…
Trump loses, still wins
It’s hard to believe that 100 million Americans watched the same debate. The most-watched debate in history turned out to be a Cliff Notes version of Trump’s last 15 months. And nothing will have changed because of it. And we in the media are partly to blame. As for Secretary Clinton, she demonstrated the attributes…
Your Voice
on robin garr: guy fieiri’s smokehouse isn’t the worst, but is he having us on? No, this is a good thing for Louisvillians, actually. Let the touristy types swamp him under with business as us locals go where local fare is served by local folks. Yes, sir: Welcome Bob Fiona … I mean Guy Filandia…
