Thursday, Sept. 4
KMAC’s gettin’ busy
Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft is busy this time of year. Case in point — they have three exhibitions opening at the same time.
Local treasure Julius Friedman gives us a double shot of his photographs and graphic designs with “Images and Ideas” (through Oct. 11) and the accompanying same-titled book. He will discuss both on Thursday, Sept. 11, at 6 p.m.
Another local treasure, collector and author Shelly Zegart, is displaying her life’s work in “Passionate About Quilts” (through Oct. 26). Her lecture on quilts is Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 6 p.m.
“American Tapestry Alliance: Biennial 7” (through Jan. 3) is an exhibition promoting contemporary tapestry weaving. An unusual special event is planned to accompany the show: “Weaving Down Main Street” is a public art installation that will be displayed on the 700 block of West Main through September. —Jo Anne Triplett
Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft
715 W. Main St.
589-0102
www.kentuckyarts.org
$5 (exhibits/lectures), free (receptions); 5-7:30 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 5
Woodsongs Coffeehouse
The Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour brings original music to nearly a million listeners each week from Lexington. Now it’s extending its reach farther — the show is supporting a volunteer Woodsongs Coffeehouse series, and Louisville has joined the network. Louisville’s Woodsongs Coffeehouse will be held at Unity of Louisville downtown and will be hosted by local singer-songwriter Heidi Howe. The first show is Friday and will feature Louisville’s danny flanigan and headliner Diesel, a songwriter from Nashville. Her latest release, Journey of a Girl, blends an a cappella sound with full-band recordings. Performing Songwriter Magazine wrote, “Her sultry vocals are a jazz lover’s dream. Her sensual sway makes the music matter.” This is the first of many more, and Howe says she has a number of good shows lined up for the series. —Kevin Gibson
Unity of Louisville
757 S. Brook St.
415-3643
HYPERLINK "http://www.unityoflouisville.org/"www.unityoflouisville.org
$5; 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 5
‘Little Sex Shop of Horrors’
“Horror movies are just another avenue of adult fantasies,” says filmmaker Archie Borders. “Usually it’s women getting attacked by a deranged guy; in this film, we flipped the scenario and had a lot of fun with it.” Fun isn’t the first word that came to mind when the “Little Sex Shop of Horrors” co-director Borders and writer/co-director Dan Rhema first shared their idea of a 10-minute short about a guy trapped in a haunted adult toy store — complete with vampire mannequins and deadly dildos (with appropriate names like the Bram Stroker or Friday the 13-Incher). The kick-off party in June served to generate a buzz for the project, filmed here in July in a mere three days. Borders and Rhema are confident their project will garner well-deserved attention at film fests around the country, including Sundance, which they plan to enter.
“Little Sex Shop” premieres Friday night at the Fox Den inside City Block. The party sounds every bit as odd as the film — tattoo artists, boxer models, female impersonators, dirty T’s and an auction of props (“that are still quite usable,” adds Rhema) are a few things to watch out for. —Sara Havens
The Fox Den at City Block
166 W. Jefferson St.
www.littlesexshopofhorrors.com
$15; 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 5-6
Ballet does ‘The Great Gatsby’
Take a trip back to the Roaring ’20s as the Louisville Ballet opens its season with André Prokovsky’s interpretation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.” Prokovsky, who has been called one of the most versatile choreographers on the international ballet scene, has brought to life other celebrated works of fiction, including “The Three Musketeers” and “Dr. Zhivago.”
Prokovsky teamed with jazz expert Gunther Schuller to create a score containing music from the 1920s intertwined with classical pieces by the famous composer Charles Ives. The ballet also features lavish costumes and scenery created by designer Peter Farmer, whose work has been described by The New York Times as “rich in period flavor.” —Brittany Tracy
Kentucky Center for the Arts
501 W. Main St.
584-7777
www.louisvilleballet.com
$23; 8 p.m. (Fri.), 2 & 8 p.m. (Sat.)
Sept. 5-25
Asian Film Fest
The Crane House is kicking off this year’s Asian Film Festival with “Up the Yangtze,” a feature-length documentary that examines the mixed legacy of China’s economic growth; the development is welcome, but it comes at a heavy cost.
Not only is “Yangtze” one of the best-reviewed movies of the year, it’s also one of the best-timed ones. NBC’s Olympic coverage betrayed America’s anxiety over China’s startling economic boom. With the United States uncertain of its economic prospects, the commentators spoke of the host country with both awe and resentment. But as the film shows, the stability of America’s slow, sustainable growth is something many Chinese would envy.
“Up the Yangtze” screens from Sept. 5-11 at Village 8. Other titles in the fest include “The Children of Huang Shi,” “Hula Girls,” “Sunflower” and “Beautiful Boxer.” — CONTACT _Con-419CB26F8 c s l Alan Abbott
Village 8 Theatres
4014 Dutchmans Lane
897-1870
www.cranehouse.org
Saturday, Sept. 6
Comedian Brian Regan
Tight performances from a comedian whose focus is to do better stand-up every show, Regan addresses everything from airlines (“Wouldn’t it be nice if just once they delayed us to say they found money on board and were counting it for passenger distribution?”) to Einstein (“Lose your car and someone says, ‘Well done, Einstein.’ Are we actually honoring the man for his genius?”). He’s one of the top comedians working today, and in a busy weekend for comedy in Louisville, you should schedule this show. Regan might be your next favorite comedian. —Jason S. Sitzes
Louisville Palace
625 S. Fourth St.
583-4555
$34.50; 8 p.m.
MONDAY, SEPT. 8
Scull & Drones
As we’ve learned from Cameron Crowe, a vibrant soundtrack can elevate film to a striking synergy of, to borrow from Bowie, sound and vision. Such is the case Monday, when three shorts and one music video come to life at Swanson-Reed Contemporary.
The night features Polish-born director Barbara Stepansky’s film “The Trojan Cow.” Stepansky received critical acclaim for her last film, “Hurt,” which starred William Mapother and featured the Shipping News song “Louven” in its closing credits. She won a Student Emmy for “The Trojan Cow,” her thesis film while she studied at the American Film Institute.
Greg King, known for his work in Rachel’s, will show “Rotating Mirror,” a collection of 14 short films shot on Super 8. Jason Noble will screen 12 minutes of his Old Louisville-based horror film “Matchbook of a Heart,” whose score comes courtesy of The Gold Jacket Club. Noble’s entered the film in festivals in Austin, Chicago and San Diego.
Wax Fang’s Scott Carney and Louisville Film Society’s Ryan Daly will debut the video “World War II Pt. II,” for a song off the Fang’s second album, La La Land. The project combines footage from U.S.-government-hired World War II combat photographers, and puts the second track into a wholly startling, even unsettling, perspective. —Mat Herron
Swanson Reed Contemporary
638 E. Market St.
589-5466
Free; 7 p.m. (films start at 8)
TUESDAY, SEPT. 9
Vampire Weekend
It feels so unnatural / Peter Gabriel too intones Vampire Weekend lead singer Ezra Koenig over Graceland-inspired drums and staccato guitars on “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa,” which Rolling Stone named No. 67 on their top 100 songs of 2007. It’s a lyric that sums up much of Vampire Weekend’s sound: continuing the work of afro-pop-inspired musical artists like Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon, and melding it with New York hipness, part tongue-in-cheek, part cultural tourism, part dance party. Arising from the Ivy League towers of Columbia University, Koenig (vocals, guitar), Rostam Batmanglij (keyboard, guitar, vocals), Chris Tomson (drums) and Chris Baio (bass guitar) describe their sound as “Upper West Side Soweto.” —Hank Willenbrink
Headliners
1386 Lexington Road
584-8088
www.headlinerslouisville.com
Sold out; 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 10
‘Seeing Through the Fence’
I eat meat. Always have, probably always will. So, why would I want to watch a documentary about vegans and vegetarians? To see the different point of view that “Seeing Through the Fence” offers.
Created by Eleni Vlachos, drummer for the Durham, N.C., band Beloved Binge, the documentary flows through interviews with Vlachos’ family, activists and people on the street. She touches on tired arguments that equate animal rights activists with terrorists, the carnivorous “I Like Meat” defense and concerns about the vegan/vegetarian diet.
“People don’t realize that they can make choices every meal,” Vlachos tells LEO Weekly. “You don’t have to be a purist.”
In this humorous pro-vegan documentary, Vlachos allows others to speak their minds, asking, “What do you think of when you hear the word vegan?” Responses varied from “a bird” to “weirdoes” to “a person who doesn’t eat meat or any animal by-products.” The film will be shown prior to Beloved Binge’s Wednesday performance. —Caitlin Bowling
Ray’s Monkeyhouse
1578 Bardstown Road
459-4373
www.raysmonkeyhouse.com
Free; 8:30 p.m.
