New Year's resolutions

I resolve to eat more donuts - especially the amazing Maple Glaze with bacon on top that they make over at Nord's Bakery in Germantown. Oh, and I also resolve to eat more Mo's Bacon Bars, available most affordably at Old Town Liquors. Chocolate and smoked applewood bacon... proof of a higher power if ever I've seen any.
I resolve to drink more Booker's True Barrel Bourbon.
I resolve to see as many movies as is possible shown by the Louisville Film Society, and everything interesting at Baxter Avenue Theaters, Village 8 and U of L's Floyd Theater.
Finally, I resolve to continue seeking out new and old, fun, interesting music from a variety of sources and not just listen to the same old 10,000 Maniacs disc over and over again.

Favorite and least favorite records of the year

If you need any more shopping suggestions, perhaps you'll consider - and/or reconsider - some of these titles for the music lover in your life.

MOST FAVORITE:

1) Girl Talk - Feed the Animals (Illegal Art)

(Warning: adult language)
The most fun, surprising record of the year continues DJ Gregg Gillis' streak of putting together new songs from hundreds of old songs. Who else can make people go crazy, tearing their clothes off while dancing to samples of The Band and Metallica, amongst lots and lots of rappers and pop singers?

2) Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (Sub Pop)

Proof that there is nothing more necessary than human voices working together to make something beautiful. It's hard to believe that almost no one outside of their hometown knew who they were a year ago.

3) Kasai All-Stars - In the 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into a Swimming Fish and Ate the Head of His Enemy By Magic (Crammed Discs)

Africa is a continent, governor, and this group makes a sound big enough to fill it from north to south. Their long, trance-inducing grooves should be the definition of "jam" music.

4) Sun Kil Moon - April (Caldo Verde)

Leader Mark Kozelek has been writing great songs for 15 years or so, but hit a new high with this gorgeous collection. (Local note: fan and colleague Will Oldham sings backing vocals on some songs).

5) Lucky Pineapple - The Bubble Has Burst in Sky City (Noise Pollution)

Louisville's most inventive and diverse band, LP continues to evolve with this collection of dark and light pieces that make you think while you're dancing.

6) Los Guachos - Filtros (Sunnyside)

Guillermo Klein's little big band do amazing, weird and wonderful things with jazz, Latin rhythms and other, less identifiable influences.

7) Brothers and Sisters - Fortunately (Calla Lilly)

A strong sophomore collection from this group, who filter their pop and country influences from the '60's and '70's into a gorgeous sound and lyrical point of view all their own.

8) Ron Owen - "Ready Or Not" (self-released)

The most surprising local album of the year came from this older singer-songwriter, whose songs of faith and inspiration are more than worth seeking out. This has been and might still be available at ear x-Tacy, the Unity Church of Middletown bookstore or the Unity of Louisville bookstore, or by contacting him at www.myspace.com/ronowens1952.

9) Department of Eagles - In Ear Park (4AD)

What seems at first to be some obscure grad school project is quickly revealed to be some catchy pop songs surrounded by lovely, heartfelt and yes, artsy trappings.

10) Grupo Fantasma - Sonidos Gold (Aire Sol)

The best and music fun dance group in the Americas and the pride of Austin, Texas, this bunch brings their tropical roots up to date and unites the generations and races through some expertly executed rhythms, riffs and grooves.

LEAST FAVORITE:

Discussing these isn't really worth my time or yours. If you disagree with me, then just listen to them again. You'll hear how bad they are, sooner or later. Seriously.

1) Metallica - Death Magnetic (Elektra)

2) Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (XL)

3) Silver Jews - Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea (Drag City)

4) Jewel - Perfectly Clear (Valory)

5) James Taylor - Covers (Hear Music)

6) G. Love & Special Sauce - Superhero Brother (Republic)

7) James McMurtry - Just Us Kids (Lightning Rod)

8) John Hiatt - Same Old Man (New West)

9) Brightblack Morning Light - Motion To Rejoin (Matador)

10) The Black Kids - Partie Traumatic (Columbia)

Scott Carney interview

Scott Carney's band, Wax Fang, will play at Headliners on the night before Thanksgiving. We recently asked him to explain every last detail about what makes his mind work, and why:

Where did you grow up? Is your family musical or artistic?
I grew up in Louisville, KY, in Hikes Point. My family is neither particularly musical nor artistic, however, my father did play a bit of guitar back in the day. I remember him playing the intro to "La Bamba" for me when I was a kid. I suppose, in some way, that was what made me want to learn to play guitar - to be able to play "La Bamba" better than my father, which I can now do. Take that, Dad!



What is your musical background / training?
I took formal guitar lessons for a little over a year. My first lessons were from my 6th grade teacher, Barbara Simmons. She played guitar in our church and gave a summer course in acoustic guitar. Nothing fancy, just chords and such. I learned to strum songs like "Take Me Home, Country Road" and "Amazing Grace". After that, I was taught by a fellow named Monty Foster, who taught at a place called Bader Music Village, located in McMahon Plaza near my house. I stopped taking lessons from him after he failed to live up to his end of a bargain we made - he bet I couldn't learn "Dueling Banjos" in a week's time and that, if I did, he would teach me Metallica's "One" from start to finish. Let's just say I had to teach "One" to myself. I'm still learning it.



Who are your musical favorites/inspirations?
At the moment: The Features, Centipede E'est, Wolf Parade, TV on the Radio, Les Paul, Django Reinhart, Bob Dylan, Whistle Peak.



What bands/projects are you currently involved with? How did you get involved with them?
Wax Fang. I met (drummer) Kevin (Ratterman) when I went to his studio to mix our first record, Black & Endless Night. I had gone to him specifically because I knew he wasn't playing with anyone at the time and I was hoping he would like the record enough to want to play together and, lo and behold, he did. Then we stole (bassist) Jake (Heustis) from Cabin and completed the circuit, so to speak.



What do you hope to achieve with music?
I suppose at the very least, I'd like to inspire other people to make music of their own.

Building "The Ark"

Adam Kurland
is the 26-year-old director of Dr. Dog's new video for their song, "The Ark", in collaboration with Panoptic. The video has been praised by no less than blogger Kanye West for its "beautiful" imagery. Here are some exclusive behind-the-scenes photos from Kurland himself:



You're getting noticed these days for directing Dr. Dog's new video. What is your background in film and/or music?
I've been obsessed with music since I first passed out in a mosh pit at the Bored in South Bay festival, while I believe Bad Religion was playing Suffer. I was 12 and stoned out of my mind.

I did a steady progression of record store jobs, slinging at both Rhino and Amoeba Records in Los Angeles. When I look back at Amoeba and who was working there I find my alumni to be more illustrious than that of USC where I was supposed to be "making connections" (no offense, George Lucas). Randy Randall from No Age, Devon Williams (who you may not know now, but check out his s/t record on Ba Da Bing Records), Subtitle, Jimi Hey (All Night Radio), Russ Pollard (formerly of Sebadoh, now Everest), were all doing time in that building that can only be described as a music lover's wet dream.

I mean, working there I was a fiend, gobbling up anything (that is, if you've got that exclusive Amoeba check-out card). While I was enrolled at USC I would work mainly on the weekends, using the store as my amended film school curriculum. USC's focus on modern Hollywood filmmaking can take the piss out of you, so I, of course, had to dive head first into Brakhage, Kenneth Anger and Jodorowsky - get wild about the Psyched out 60's - The Monkees' Head; High-class horror - Argento's Suspiria, out there docs, Orson Welles' F is for Fake and whatever else looked like it might curdle some brain pieces.

My USC production knowledge mixed into this music nerd on acid s**t that I was on set the scene for my first feature project, a documentary about the J.L. Hunter Rountree, The World's Oldest Bank Robber. The film, This Is Not A Robbery, was shown at this year's Tribeca Film Festival, and is now traveling the festival circuit, mixing it up with the sordid tale of how this 86-year-old upstanding Houston businessman became a notorious bank thief.

How did you get hired to direct this video? Who is Panoptic, and why are they trying to steal your glory?
I had met Zach Fischel at Park The Van Records who had invited me to see Dr. Dog play a show back in May at the Mercury Lounge here in New York. I think that it might have been there first show playing the material from their new record, Fate, and I really found myself digging it. I had only heard Dr. Dog's Takers and Leavers EP which I also enjoyed, but for different reasons. These new songs had that sort of earthy-whimsy that can be heard on CSNY and early Band Records, and I've been on a pretty big Deja Vu, Music from Big Pink kick, so I really got into it.

I let Zach know what I thought of Dr. Dog and put myself out there to direct Dr. Dog's first video off the new record. I got the track for "The Ark" about a week after that, and spent a couple of weeks letting the song take me to places, I'd never been before. I would close my eyes, lay back and see what happens.

I have a strange relationship with music videos. I love the medium, the mash up of music and film, but given the quality and ideation of most videos, I often wonder: what is the point, what is being said, what is being furthered... just constantly investigating what the hell is the point of spending all of this money on a product like this.

When I started listening the lyrics for the song, and hearing the biblical references, that bombastic cry and plead to a higher power, I at once felt the pull away and towards simultaneously. I wanted to make something that responded to the emotion behind the song, but not directly reference and play on the spoken words. Something that was spiritual, cosmic and altogether otherworldly, but not biblical.

The pitch came from that deep dark place where you go into late at night, half asleep, when your dog turns into corn-on-the-cob and you smear butter on your hermaphroditic college professor's ear lobe, yelling: Pompano!

The central phrase in the song is, "what does it mean to be here?" At the time Sam Peckinpah's Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia was on constant rotation inside my brain. I had revisted it recently and I got really into the interplay between Warren Oates and Garcia's head, and I thought, what happens if you take it one step further. What happens if instead of the head being hidden inside of a bag the whole time that it is just out in the open, held up by his hair, and what happens if the head talks back. What happens if the head starts to sing.

I knew that I would run the risk of being morbid and grotesque, but I wanted to try and do something different, to treat the gore, the blood, the inevitable accoutrements of any good decapitated head scene as their own sculpture pieces, going less for authentic, believable effects, but those that look fake, that have a sense of artifice, so that the viewer can look at it as a creation, rather than actually believing that they are looking at "real blood" (if the viewer could ever actually believe that their was real blood coming out of a singing decapitated head).

Panoptic is a directors collective out of New York. I had worked with previously on This Is Not A Robbery and we decided that we wanted to collaborate on future projects. This seemed to be the perfect project. They have much more experience working with short form, highly graphic work, s**t, they even have a Wu-Tang video to their credit. Gary Breslin, the Creative Director at Panoptic, and I worked together on taking this from the original idea and sculpting it out into a complete piece, working out how we were going to mesh the computer effects work with the sets, and real-life effects et al, and then implementing then into all of the insanity.

How did you make these crazy images jump from your brain onto my TV screen?
Through a combination of coffee grinds, coconut milk and sunrise mart, we spent hours and hours and hours, first building our miniature sets (which were the background projections behind almost every image in the video. We created 4 dioramas, each representing a different season, and then built a jury-rigged dolly contraption that we could push our 16mm Bolex camera into. What we then captured on those cameras we transfered and using a rear projection screen (20' x 20' in dimensions), we used as our backgrounds during our main shoot with the band.

But beyond that we did so much detail work between blue screen suits, background plates, shooting things underwater, CG seeds... that I could go on and on and on forever about all of this.

Are you from the future?
I am from the future. About two minutes in the future. There's no real benefit, except that I'm usually a little bit early to most of my meetings.

Did it cost you over one million dollars?
Nearly, you just have to subtract one million dollars from that amount.

Kanye West posted the video and several stills from it on his blog and called it "beautiful". Did you give him permission to do so? If not, do you have any plans to sue him?
I didn't. I only gave him permission to use "lovely" "darling" "neato" and "ass-tastical." But actually, I am honored to have Kanye blogging the video. I've been listening to beats that Kanye's laid for Jay-Z tracks for years. I think the guy has great taste.
So, I might hold off on suing, for now.

Your feature-length documentary, This Is Not a Robbery, screened at the Indie Memphis Film Festival last month and you won the audience award. Wouldn't it make more sense to go to Cannes instead?
Cannes is far away and they have less quality BBQ restaurants, so, you know, we do what's best for the film.

Do you have any advice?
Advice? General Advice? Well, my dad always says drink lots of fluids and take twice the prescribed amount of Advil, other than that: eat well, when you can, read The Savage Detectives, and watch F is for Fake.

Do you have any other future plans, beyond continuing to breathe?
That phrasing makes it sound like: do I have any plans after I'm dead? The answer is YES! Most of my plans are for after I'm dead. I'm going to have my estate left to a one armed eunuch who will take half and dedicate it to collecting the most extensive Vintage Dolce and Gabana wardrobe (all personally tailored), and the other half to building the largest telescope/slide whistle.

As for while I'm living: I'm currently directing a documentary. So check that out in February 2010; it will be a balls out, irony filled psychedelic sports phantasy.

There are more projects that are too top secret to let loose, but keep your eyeholes peeled...


EDITOR'S NOTE: Both Russ Pollard and Warren Oates are natives of Louisville, KY. Neat!

My Mom Reviews Records - vol. 1

Have you noticed that the majority of people reviewing music these days are in their 20's or 30's, and are way too aware of what's "hip" - what we're "supposed" to enjoy? Is it possible that some records don't break through to the mainstream because most people wouldn't actually like them, if they heard them?
It seems like any goofball can start a blog and declare their opinion to be credible, but I thought it would be nice to get a fresh perspective. Forget the critics - I wondered how a person who doesn't care what Pitchfork thinks (and doesn't know what music geeks mean when they say "Pitchfork") would actually respond to a much discussed, hot new band that they've never heard of before?

Dorothy, Maggie, and Me
by Gloria Berkowitz
special guest columnist

This is my shot at my remaining seven and a half minutes of fame for this year (I used up the rest of the time as a blogger at the Democratic convention for our local Tampa newspaper). I am joining the ranks of Dorothy Letterman and Maggie Griffin; I am writing this review of Fleet Foxes based on my credentials as Peter's mom.
Readers deserve to know something of a reviewer's background and mine is fairly typical of one who grew up with the music of the late (very late) 1950's and 1960's. I was a young teenager when popular music moved from Frankie Avalon and Dion to the Beatles, and I moved with it. I spent summers at camp where someone always had a guitar and was always playing "The House of the Rising Sun" or "Kumbaya". I bought 45's and albums (many of which now belong to Peter) and my taste in music was formed from those sources.
My husband and I are often late adopters of the newest technology, but XM Radio did enter our lives when Herb bought a new car. After using it for a few months, he asked if I wanted to add it to my car, but, having used his car several times, I said no. When I had access to the zillions of stations on XM, all I ever listened to were the 60's stations, cool jazz, and the folk stations. An extra monthly charge for five or six extra stations didn't seem necessary. Besides, I'm usually glued to NPR.
Back to Fleet Foxes. I must admit, to my great guilt and shame, that I should love this CD. The music seems fused from all the musical elements I love: I heard old time country and gospel in it (I adore O Brother, Where Art Thou), shades of California pop, and folk, yet none of it grabbed me. If I were reviewing a wine, rather than music, I would say things like "melodic, yet bland" or "soothing, yet boring". To my great shame, each time I listened to the CD, I would be into song three for the second time before I realized I'd heard songs one and two before. The word that kept coming to me was vanilla.
Time to wrap this up. I'm off to Borders (Tampa lacks independent record stores like ear X-tacy) before it closes. James Taylor and Joan Baez have new CDs out and they seem to be calling me.

The Dating Game

The Dating Game

As the rules change (mostly for the better) some long for old-fashioned romance

My parents were both 16 when they met. They both grew up in downtown Manhattan, mere minutes away. They were married at 21 and had me at 27. When I was 16, I still had a paper route, and at 27 I was still suffering through awkward dates and misfiring relationships. Dating was a lot different in the early 1960s than it is today, even in downtown Manhattan. Or is it?

A decidedly unscientific survey of some Louisvillians - i.e. a few of my friends - found that the courting ritual has, indeed, changed. But the reviews are mixed on whether that's a good thing.

While the awkward first date, with the store-bought bouquet and the "getting to know you" conversation over dinner, still exists, it is being supplanted by less formal forms of connection.

"I've found that most people have friends-of-friends hookups," said Lindsey Dobson, a 28-year-old married artist. "Hang out with a fine lookin' guy you met through a friend, play mind games for a while, and fool around until you figure it out. Don't return his calls if you're not into it and repeat until you find Mr. Right."

For the most part, that works, said April Fultz, a 26-year-old graphic designer who is single. But she admits that traditional dating does have its upsides.

"In my experience you could go hang out, then eventually hook up with someone. It is a good way to get to know who they really are before getting serious," Fultz said. "But it gets messy in the beginning when you can't tell what's a date and what is just a gathering of friends."

As the wooing process evolves, so, too, do the old rules. No sex until the third date? What does that mean if you've never gone on a date?

"Personally, the woman who I'm now married to was courted only briefly - we were married in six months," said musician Justin Schotter-Davis, 27, who, like many people, simply follows his instincts. "For some people, that's what feels natural and right... but I understand if someone needs to engage in a longer dating process in order to feel comfortable with themselves and the person they're with."

Besides, anything you would learn about someone on the first few dates is probably lurking somewhere on the Internet.

"You can get juicy info on anyone these days," Dobson said. "Blogs, MySpace and Facebook have torn down the barrier between public and private space."

People tend to over-romanticize dating anyway, Fultz said.

"Sometimes you can't really get to know a person on a date, though," she said. "Those fancy dates can hide the real modern womanizers."

Tracy Heightchew claims she has never even been on a date. Rather, she relies on that most modern of techniques: networking.

"My life has been marked by serial monogamy with someone I met through friends/work," said Heightchew, the 30-year-old co-founder of the Louisville Film Society. "We would be around each other in social events and eventually figure out we liked each other, then we were in a relationship."

Jessica Faulkner-Cundiff also followed the "friends first" model.

"I tend to appreciate a man with a sense of humor, so I ended up dating people with whom I already had a good rapport," said Faulkner-Cundiff, 22, an administrative assistant and a newlywed. "Come to think of it, I didn't know anyone who dated somebody they didn't know well, or 'hang out' with, beforehand."

But as with most things, you don't miss something until it's gone.

"Call me old-fashioned, but I would actually prefer an old-school first date in which I would be treated like a lady and he would be a gentleman," Dobson said. "I want clear intentions and a bouquet of flowers when he comes to the door, a fancy dinner, and the whole bit. Women are rarely wooed like that these days."

If that makes Mark Butler old-fashioned, then so be it.

"I always tried for formal dates because they impressed girls who were used to guys just doing the hang out/hook up thing," said Butler, a 34-year-old city planner. "I thought I had a better shot of making a good impression with my wit and charm rather than just being a pretty face in the crowd."

Sorry ladies - he's taken.

"I always did the hang out/hook up thing for romantic relationships," said Butler's wife, Carrie, 36, an official with TARC. "The only guy to ever ask me out on a date, pick me up with flowers in hand and take me to dinner and a play was the one I married."


Photos.com

c. 2008 Velocity Weekly

Don't Touch That Dial

Who says there's nothing good on TV? We tackle the tube to sift the wheat from the chaff.

People are all too quick to say that there's nothing on TV but trash. They need to give some of this trash a chance.

Though I may know my way around a DVR, not everyone does. With that in mind (but remembering that quality is always the hope, at least), here is a helpful -- and totally random -- guide to navigating the vast and deep waters of TV.

Monday

8 p.m. "Gossip Girl" (CW) For their second and even more scandalous season, the kids of Riverdale High will stop abusing milkshakes and try not to go to so many sock hops. Oh, and have lots of three-ways in hot tubs while wearing $6,000 fur coats.

8 p.m. "Heroes" (NBC) After a fresh, exciting first season, they found themselves bogged down in dull plots and duller new characters. Can they bring back the magic? Or will Hiro be revealed to be a zero?

8:30 p.m. "How I Met Your Mother" (CBS) You might've heard that there's actually a very funny, very likeable sitcom on TV these days. It's even been on for three years already! It stars two people whose own parents haven't even heard of them and co-stars Neil Patrick Harris and the girl from "Buffy" (no, the other one) and the guy from "Knocked Up" (no, the other one.)

10 p.m. "CSI: Miami" (CBS) I hear David Caruso … (takes off sunglasses) is even more popular … (puts sunglasses back on) on his home planet.

10 p.m. "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" (Food Network) On a quest for the nation's best meatloaf, SoCal fratboy Guy Fieri helms a show that's delightfully revealing about the Third America, the one that combines solid, Midwestern values with weird, artsy-fartsy individuality.

10 p.m. "The Hills" (MTV) This season, Lauren, Stacy, Heather and Mildred resolve to work out their differences while wearing expensive clothes and not talking much. How interesting!

10:30 p.m. "Exiled" (MTV) Spoiled brats from "My Super Sweet 16" get sent off to foreign locales where they must work, sweat and learn life lessons. Hilarious!

10 p.m. "No Reservations" (Travel Channel) Armed with a punk rock/downtown attitude and a wide-open mind, Chef Anthony Bourdain travels the world in search of the most authentically local, earthy meals, and hangs out with the people who create them.

Tuesday

8 p.m. "House" (Fox) Hugh Laurie is now making $9 million a year. When I act like a jerk people hate me, but when he does it -- with an American accent that only I seem to find fake -- he becomes a middle-aged hunk. On this week's episode: A woman is sick because … she has cancer! (Just a guess).

8 p.m. "90210" (CW) Oh, what a disappointment. I don't know why someone thought it would be a good idea to take scripts from 1977 afterschool specials, blend them with 40-something Jennie Garth and anorexic tweens gone wild, but this is just stupid. In a bad way.

9 p.m. "Greek" (ABC Family) This college comedy makes me laugh out loud at least once or twice an episode. While many of the central characters are attractive and well-off, one of the leads and his roommate are actual geeks. Best of all, this so-called "family show" has its fair share of sex, substance abuse and a main character who's gay and African-American and gets to kiss his white boyfriend occasionally. Let's see that on "Deal or No Deal"!

10 p.m. "The Shield" (FX) The seventh and final season is in motion. Everyone from critics to fans to creator Sean Ryan has noted that this is a rare beauty that has never had a bad season. Finding out what happens between Vic and Shane is probably the most important priority in my life right now (well, after my family).

Wednesday

9 p.m. "Project Runway" (Bravo) This is the last season on Bravo before the show moves to Lifetime and relocates to L.A. As far as I'm concerned, this might as well be it. L.A.? I got antsy when they went to Paris for an episode and a half. My biggest concern is that designers have become far too savvy about positioning themselves on the show, and that it's lost its exciting freshness (Auf Wiedersehen, Blayne!)

10 p.m. "Top Chef" (Bravo) Currently on hiatus, ads have begun appearing promising that a New York edition is coming soon! Phone the neighbors, wake the kids! This hugely addictive food competition show is like a weekly Super Bowl for women, gays and foodies.

10 p.m. "Dinner: Impossible" (Food Network) The wacky food challenges thrown at original host Robert Irvine were always more interesting than the irritable, resume-padding Brit chef star himself. The new star, Iron Chef Michael Symon, is a much better choice to say, feed hundreds of people at Opryland with a menu based on the lyrics of "The Devil Went Down to Georgia."

10 p.m. "South Park" (Comedy Central) Part of the Stewart/Colbert/SP trio that keeps Comedy Central from being a complete comedy-hating wasteland. It's been on for, what, 30 years? And still "South Park" remains the bravest, boldest and funniest voice on TV.

Thursday

9 p.m. "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC) That Katherine Heigel, so beautiful that no average man could ever win her over. I agree with her, though, the writing and acting on this series is abysmal.

9:30 p.m. "30 Rock" (NBC) It's very exciting to get to watch a comedy series that's funny, inventive, smart and fun every week! I wish more of you had the privilege. I just hope that the parade of guest stars (Oprah! Jennifer Aniston!) doesn't get to be too much.

10 p.m. "ER" (NBC) This show is so old, they watched it after the Last Supper (oh, snap!)

10 p.m. "Ace of Cakes" (Food Network) Those adorable scamps who make custom novelty cakes came to Louisville's Lebowski Fest this summer, and we can all watch it together on Oct. 9! Look for me in the background!

10 p.m. "Glam God" (VH1) You'd think that a show looking for the top stylist in Hollywood, hosted by Vivica A. Fox, would be the most gay-friendly show on TV and, yeah, it pretty much is.

10 p.m. "Tim Gunn's Guide to Style" (Bravo) The American prep school headmaster comes back to teach middle-class hausfraus how to dress slightly better. To know Tim Gunn is to love him.

10 p.m. "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew" (MTV) Again, pretty self-explanatory. If you missed season one, you'll be interested to know two things: 1) Jeff Conaway, the most messed up drug addict ever put on TV, is back, and 2) Gary Busey will be around ... to counsel the addicts? This might not work out very well, but it's sure to be memorable.

Friday

8 p.m. "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" (Fox) Did you see the one with Sarah Palin?

10 p.m. "The Soup" (E!) The funniest and/or most absurd TV clips of the week, all wickedly tied together in one LOL package, hosted by comedian Joel McHale, the one guy whom I worry that my lady would leave me for if given the chance.

Saturday

10:30 a.m. "The Mighty B" (Nickelodeon) Amy Poehler voices the kid, an overeager girl scout, in this cartoon for girls and boys of all ages. The humor works on many levels, and the '70s-style animation is beautiful.

Sunday

9 p.m. "Dexter" (Showtime) One of the most provocative and exciting series on TV. I continue to be amazed at what they accomplish each season with this tale of the Robin Hood of serial killers. Forget Batman, this is the messed up anti-hero I want more of.

10 p.m. "Mad Men" (AMC) This Emmy-winning drama about Madison Avenue ad men in the early '60s is firing on all cylinders in season two. If you don't have cable, I refuse to hear your excuses. You can rent the first season at Wild & Woolly for only $4 a week -- that's, like, 50 cents an episode!

12 a.m. "Metalocalypse" (Cartoon Network) Simply the best cartoon about a death metal band ever. If you missed the one where they hired a yoga instructor to help them become more flexible, so they can, um, do that thing that no guy can do to himself … then you missed, um, something.

Daily

And, of course, there are the essentials that you'll want to see at least 10 minutes of each night:

11 p.m. "The Daily Show" (Comedy Central)

11:30 p.m. "The Colbert Report" (Comedy Central)

11:35 p.m. "Late Show with David Letterman" (CBS)

12:35 a.m. "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" (NBC)

12:35 a.m. "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" (CBS)

Lastly, every Sunday morning, eat your cereal and set your DVR/Tivo/VCR to tape any interesting guests on the upcoming talk shows. You say you wouldn't be caught dead watching "Regis and Kelly" or "The Martha Stewart Show," but do you really want to miss Bill Clinton on "The View"? Or Sigur Ros playing for Carson Daly? Or Dr. Phil discussing racial slurs with Al Sharpton? No, you don't.



c. 2008 Velocity Weekly

William Benton interview

Lucky Pineapple recently released their fantastic new album, The Bubble Has Burst in Sky City, available at ear X-tacy or through http://www.louisvillenoise.com/.
I recently asked William Benton, a guitarist and singer in the band, a few questions to help me understand more about what makes him feel so pineapple.

Where did you grow up? Is your family musical or artistic?
I grew up in rural Oklahoma. My brother and I were born in the panhandle area, moved around a lot, and we more-or-less settled down in south-central Oklahoma.
My immediate family was neither artistic or musical. However, my grandfather played guitar and, allegedly, had played with Bill Monroe.

What is your musical background / training?
None. I just started playing along to songs I like and eventually decided that I wanted to learn more. I am barely orientated on music rule. I have nothing against it but, to be honest, the more I learn about it the more I feel restricted. Neutered.
As Charlie Parker once said "Learn all the rules, then do your best to forget them."
A lot of people say versions of that.



Who are your musical favorites/inspirations?
John Coltrane, Devo, Minutemen, Captain Beefheart, Waylon Jennings, Nick Cave, Tom Waits, Black Flag, Willie Nelson, Prince, Descendents/ALL, John Cassavetes, Angelo Badalamenti, Sun Ra, Fugazi, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Talking Heads, Kurt Weill, Hank Williams Sr., PJ Harvey, Brian Eno, Jim White, Kraftwerk, Nels Cline, Marc Ribot, Henry Miller, Jack Kerouac, Irving Berlin, Charles Bukowski, Butthole Surfers, Bad Brains, fIREHOSE, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, Television, Ramones, Fela Kuti, Sonic Youth, Man... or Astroman?, Link Wray, Flaming Lips, Karen Dalton, KONK, Saccharine Trust, Meat Puppets, Buck Owens, John Lennon, George Harrison, Can, Alejandro Jodorowsky, David Lynch, Werner Herzog, The Dirty Three, Shipping News, Bernard Herrmann, Federico Fellini, Bela Tarr, Andy Kaufman, Peter Sellers, Moondog, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, Monty Python, Lou Reed, George Jones, Daniel Johnston, Axel Cooper, Blixa Bargeld, Pink Floyd, Circle Jerks, Sergio Leone, Califone, Bob Dylan, The Monks, Jandek, John Fante, Leadbelly, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Nick Lowe, Duke Ellington, The Geraldine Fibbers, David Bowie, King Crimson, Earl Thomas Conley, Dinosaur Jr., Shellac, The Birthday Party, Pixies, Faust, Neu, Klaus Kinski, Wilco, Jim O'Rourke, The Monkees, Otomo Yoshihide, John Frusciante, Big Youth, Smoke, Melt Banana, Pavement, Leonard Cohen, Skip James, The Slits, The Monorchid, Johnny Dowd, The 13th Floor Elevators, The J.B's, Queen, The Pogues, Chet Baker, The Raincoats, Gaunt, Raymond Scott, New Age Steppers, Husker Du, Shannon Wright, Southern Culture on the Skids, Gavin Bryars, Tubeway Army, Cole Porter, Jimmy Smith, Scott Walker, Radar Bros., The Fall, Wire and many others.

What bands/projects are you currently involved with? How did you get involved with them?
Currently I am just playing with/in Lucky Pineapple and doing some stuff on my own that I hope to start another band around.
I was asked to join Lucky Pineapple after JC and Matt met Brian and they had a few songs together. My prior band, Tyrone, had just split up so I thought I'd give it a try. That was four years ago. Dang.

What do you hope to achieve with music?
Personal satisfaction, mostly. It's difficult and you find yourself wondering if it is possible but that's how it keeps going, I guess. I've written things that I am proud of but I always end up thinking that it is just a door opened along the way to really finding IT.
Musically, I have a pretty clear idea how and where I work. I want to get more proficient at every musical instrument and I would like to be a better singer... but I feel I have a clear look at where I need to be and I know it just requires hard work and devotion. I am surely the type that is always dangerously close to dropping every responsibility to concentrate on the creative process.
I really like getting older. I can't get far enough away from my youth. I think getting older is getting me closer to satisfaction with my songwriting. Thankfully.

2008 LEO Readers' Choice Awards

Best Local Music Blog

1) Peter Berkowitz (peterberkowitz.blogspot.com)

2) Notes (leoweekly.com)

3) Louisville Hardcore (www.louisvillehardcore.com)


Best Local Arts Blog

1) Backseat Sandbar (www.backseatsandbar.wordpress.com)

LEO Weekly (www.leoweekly.com)

Peter Berkowitz (peterberkowitz.blogspot.com)


Best Local Writer

1) Bob Hill

2) Stephen George

3) Peter Berkowitz

Brain Power

A complete guide to Idea Festival 2008

Like Bonnaroo for brainiacs, Idea Festival brings some of the world's top eggheads together to scramble their thoughts. We asked Peter Berkowitz to handicap the field. (All events at the Kentucky International Convention Center, unless noted.)

Thursday, Sept. 25

The Big Jam
8:45-9:45 a.m.
Nine experts on eight disparate topics, and anyone interested in writing a screenplay or time traveling, for example, can participate in any three workshops for 12 minutes each. Already, there's too much math involved for my taste.

Another Day in the Frontal Lobe
10-11 a.m.
Katrina Firlik is a neurosurgeon and a writer who will be discussing the human brain. If you look at the Idea Fest website, they make a big deal about how she's a woman, and how that's apparently rare in her field. The whole thing made my human brain sad two times over.

Creative Space
11:30 a.m.-12:30 pm.
People will come together in a public space to hear Mark Beasley speak about how art in public spaces can bring people together. Like, heavy, man!

Puzzled?
1-2 p.m.
Arguably the biggest rock star is New York Times puzzlemaster Will Shortz, the NPR hunk for the women of a certain age who do crossword puzzles with a pen and don't watch TV. Shortz will lead "a rollicking journey into the world of puzzles." (Yes, these people use words like "rollicking.")

The Rise and Fall of Hyperpowers
2:30-3:30
Yale professor Amy Chua will talk about a bunch of history stuff like old empires and "implications" they might have for modern times. Sounds like a college class.

Curry Stone Design Prize
4-5 p.m.
Venice Biennale curator Emiliano Gandolfi presents the annual prize for breakthrough design solution, then moderates a discussion about design's potential to improve our lives. Bonus points if he has an adorable accent!

At the Movies
8-9 p.m.
Screenwriter Jack Epps Jr.'s credits include Top Gun and The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, as well as episodes of "Hawaii 5-0" and "Kojak." He probably has a nice house and lots of fun stories about the '80s, but could very well have no idea how Hollywood now works in the Internet age.

Friday, Sept. 26

Idling Technology: Solutions for "Greener" Air
7:30-8:30 a.m.
Hey all you morning people, come join Robert Hupfer, R&D director at German automotive components giant Webasto, discuss how to make your car's heating and cooling systems "green." So rise and shine!

The Black Swan
8:45-9:45 a.m.
Nassim Nicholas Taleb is, among other things, "a philosopher, scholar of randomness, essayist, risk-management expert (and) former trader," who will be speaking in circles about markets and unpredictability. Try to not sign up for any timeshares while he's around.

Studio Arne Quinze
10-11 a.m.
Brad Pitt and Oprah have bought some of sculptor Arne Quinze's works. Why doesn't this guy have a show on Bravo yet? Additionally, he'll be presenting "a proposal for a transformative project on Louisville's waterfront." Finally, somebody with a plan for the waterfront!

The Science and Wonder of Magic
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
It's Teller, the second-biggest star of the weekend and the silent partner of magic's "bad boys," Penn & Teller. The Joe Lieberman look-alike (with a much more pleasant demeanor) will speak on a topic close to his heart: Why do people like magic?

Proust Was a Neuroscientist
1-2 p.m.
Seed magazine editor-at-large Jonah Lehrer, a 26-year-old Rhodes Scholar and recent graduate of Columbia, will discuss the fact that science isn't everything. Like, art also provides answers, too! Sigh …

BIG: Designs on the Future City
1-2 p.m.
An acolyte of Rem Koolhaas, Bjarke Ingels is an architect known for "wildly experimental pragmatism." With the old lions like Frank Gehry going into their 80s and 90s, this guy's the new wave. It should be an entertaining hour of what-ifs.

Surviving Rwanda
2:30-3:30 p.m.
Immaculee Ilibagiza survived it, wrote a book about it, and now travels the world telling people about it. It is not expected that she will discuss "Gossip Girl" or "The Hills" today, so please do not ask for her opinion about either.

A Question of Freedom
4-5 p.m.
What does "freedom" actually mean? Let's go back to the dorm and let Suketu Bhavsar, Sanford Goldberg, Lori Hartmann-Mahmud and Tiffany Shlain talk over each other. By the end of the hour, apparently we will have the correct answer. (Kentucky Center)

Ninjutsu: The Art of Success
4-5 p.m.
If I'm understanding this correctly, then this is about Ninjas, and how they relate to the business world. It sounds more awesome than it really is, unless you live your life like Alec Baldwin in "Glengarry Glen Ross."

The "X" Factor: Who's Buying What and Why
5:30-8:30 p.m.
Bridget Brennan discusses how the "X" factor (i.e. women) are making most of the purchases now, which is changing how companies have to fool people into buying crap these days. (Warning: A long discussion about Sarah Palin has probably been hastily added.)

Vova's World
9-10 p.m.
Twenty-one-year-old Vova Galchenko isn't just any juggler. According to Time magazine, he is "the best juggler there has ever been." So this won't be your usual brainiac session.

Movies That Changed Your Life
9:30-11:30 p.m.
The invaluable Louisville Film Society presents a movie chosen by the people from 170 choices. The winner, Stanley Kubrick's Cold War-era satire Dr. Strangelove, will be screened. (Brown-Forman Amphitheatre in Waterfront Park)

Saturday, Sept. 27

Serious Play
8:45-9:45 a.m.
Digital game designer Jane McGonigal will discuss how games and virtual worlds can be developed to solve real world problems, even though everyone knows they'll just be used for porn eventually.

The World in Your Pocket
10:15-11:15 a.m.
Apparently, John Gauntt (and everyone else but me) believes there is a war going on between mobile technology, PCs and TVs as marketing media. I don't think so, guys -- you can try to force me to watch "Dexter" on a cell phone, but it's not gonna happen in the next decade or three.

The Physics of NASCAR
10:15-11:15 a.m.
Here's a topic that won't make either half of America happy! Diandra Leslie-Pelecky is a physicist who will address topics you've been wanting to discuss, such as, "What do you wear to a 1,800-degree gasoline fire?"

Who Helps Who … and Why? The Nature of Goodness
11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
Having read this far, you might assume that just because I am, at times, hilarious, that I am not also a good person. Well, you are wrong. Still, I would be fascinated to hear what U of L biologist Lee Alan Dugatkin has to say about why humans perform acts of goodness … when we do, that is.

The Space Colonization Imperative
1-2 p.m.
Princeton astrophysicist (and Louisville native) J. Richard Gott thinks that we are running out of time to colonize other planets. Is that a bad thing, really? We don't even do things well here -- do we really need to screw things up in space? I mean, seen any Native Americans lately?

Where's The Big Idea?
2:30-3:30 p.m.
This is billed as a bull session of Idea Fest celebs who are still hanging around. What? Thrown together at the last minute? To replace a cancelled event? How dare you suggest that!

Mozart: An Exploration of Genius
4-5:30 p.m.
Dr. Richard Kogan graduated from Julliard and Harvard Medical School, and is a psychiatrist and concert pianist. Hey, I'd rather hear more about him than Mozart! Dude's got skills, yo! (Kentucky Center)

Diavolo Dance Theater
8-9:30 p.m.
They're dancers, they're good, etc. Whad'ya want from me? It's been a long weekend and I'm tired. Enjoy the show. (Brown Theatre)

For ticket prices and availability, go to IdeaFestival.com. Note: Free events still require you to get a pass.



c. 2008 Velocity Weekly

Family Ties

Will Courtney brings his band, Brothers and Sisters, for a visit to his childhood home

Led by ex-Louisvillians Will and Lily Courtney, Brothers and Sisters is a charming folk rock collective from Austin, Texas, that makes music bubbling with sweet harmonies, irresistible hooks and fuzzy guitars. They’re making a tour stop at Skull Alley on Thursday, so Will took a tour break to chat.

Your influences include the Band, the Beach Boys and the Beatles. For people who haven't heard you before, how are you different from, say, Dr. Dog?

We're different in that I'm more influenced than most (people) by Jon Bon Jovi's Young Guns II soundtrack and Randy Newman's "Land of Dreams" LP. Who's Dr. Dog?

Your band has eight members, including your sister, Lily, and Conrad Keely, the singer in indie rock favorites ... And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead. How did you pull this lineup together?

With my sister, it was pretty simple. When I moved from L.A. back to Texas about three years ago, I suggested Lily and I start a band called Brother and Sister. Then we added a couple of S's to the title, because as we started working on our first record I knew we'd have to find a band to pull it off live. I put ads on Craigslist for members and it started falling in place quickly. Each new player introduced us to other musicians. Conrad Keely and I became quick friends when I moved to town. My sister and I sang all over Trail of Dead's last record and we toured together. Conrad is busy working on their new record that I can't wait to hear. It's a special treat when he can play, but it's becoming rare.

Your mother is a Grammy-winning gospel singer, known for her Streisandesque theatrical flair. Your father is a playwright and composer. Do you think you or your sister Lily could ever work a 9-to-5 office job?

No way. Lily works a 9-to-1 job and I help run the family label from home, but there's no schedule. It's a lot of e-mails and phone calls mixed in with searching eBay and Craigslist and figuring out which piece of music equipment I can trade or sell for better things. I may not have a fancy car, but I've traded for some good guitars and amps and microphones, and I get to work in my underwear.

What are your memories of your Louisville youth?

I was born in Nashville, but got to Louisville when I was 5 years old and went to elementary school at Emmet Field (in Crescent Hill). I guess we moved to Texas when I was about 10 or 11. I miss Louisville all the time. Lily and I have this promise that we made to each other that we would one day move back. It hasn't changed a lot since I left around 1989. Every time I go back, it's like I'm walking into my childhood. I love Cherokee Park and Bardstown Road and the weird streetlights that look like a red or green "X." Feels like I'm in St. Elmo’s Fire for some reason. That theme song is always playing in my head when I think about Louisville.

You're a man with a large beard. You could fit right in here if you wanted to. What does Austin have that Louisville lacks?

I love Austin, but if I didn't have a band and if I hadn't just bought a house, I’d probably move to Louisville. Austin is so rad, but it's always 200 degrees. In Louisville, you have cold winters and hot summers and old houses with basements.



Brothers and Sisters, from left: Lily Courtney, Greg McArthur, Will Courtney, Ray Jackson, Daniel Wilcox and David Morgan.

c. 2008 Velocity Weekly

Soulfly

Conquer
(Roadrunner)

I’ve had the pleasure of listening to Max Cavalera make music since 1991, when I first heard Sepultura, his first band. The charismatic singer-guitarist led his quartet out of Sao Paulo and defined the concept of Brazilian metal for the majority of the world, down to his novel, Portuguese-accented, guttural vocals. Almost two decades, one band and many years living in Arizona later have done little to alter the angry-teenager sound and perspective of Cavalera’s now-old-fashioned-sounding metal. This will be reassuring to some, and honestly, to me, to some degree, because it ain’t broke.



Then again, there are times when I wish that irmão would grow up a little. His idea of changing it up, on a song like “Unleash,” leads to little more than ripping off Pantera. Is that worth your time in 2008? Plus, Max and his brother made a record earlier this year as The Cavalera Conspiracy that was even more metal than this. The choice is yours.

c. 2008 LEO Weekly

Early Morning

COVER STORY

This weekend, My Morning Jacket will make a triumphant homecoming, playing for thousands in their native city. It didn't start out that way, of course. We talked to the people who were there at the beginning.

by Peter Berkowitz and Joseph Lord


photo by Frankie Steele

My Morning Jacket leader Jim James wasn't always Jim James. To those who grew up with him, he was and will always be Jim Olliges of Hikes Point, Louisville, Ky. With MMJ poised to play its biggest Louisville show ever on Saturday at Waterfront Park, we take you back to the beginning, when a big gig meant playing for 20 friends at a local pizza parlor.

Ben Blandford played bass in Month of Sundays, a band he formed with Jim Olliges, Dave Givan and Aaron Todovich. Olliges and Todovich were the principal songwriters.

We all grew up together in Hikes Point. We went to school together. Around age 13 or 14, we just started talking about making music together, making a band. We didn't know what we were doing. We just started getting together at Dave Givan's house, in his garage, and found our instruments one way or another. Every week, whether it was 90 degrees or 10 degrees, we'd be in there.

Danny Cash was a friend of Olliges and Todovich, and later played keyboards in My Morning Jacket.

We went up to Highland Grounds on Baxter and saw his band play. It was Aaron and Jim and Aaron's older brother, Mike, singing. Their friends Ben and Dave were playing bass and drums. Any coffee shop back in the '90s was open to kids who would come in and buy an espresso. That was sophomore, junior year, maybe. 1992, '93, something like that. They were called Chains of My Own at that point -- it was a lot of spoken word from Aaron's brother, a real high school kind of thing. But then Aaron's brother said, "Um, I don't want to do this anymore." Aaron was, like, "I don't wanna do it," so Jim was the next in line to do vocals because he was already playing guitar. So he (Olliges) just kind of took over and they became Month of Sundays.

Ben Blandford

I think Jim was always interested in vocals. When we were kids, different people sang. I guess at some point, Jim was ready to be the vocalist. When you're 15 and you're on stage, 100 people looking at you, you'll be uncomfortable. The older Jim got, the more comfortable he got, and the more he was able to command that role as the front person for a band.

Drew Osborne played drums in Todovich's next band, the Helgeson Story

Jim has such a strange, wonderful sense of humor. It's just bizarre. It's completely, unpretentiously strange. No one remembers this but me, but they used to do this song called "Mr. George" where they had these boards with the lyrics written on them. Lance Spaulding (a friend of the band) would drop them, like that INXS video. No one remembers that but me.

Dennis Sheridan went to St. Xavier High School with Olliges

The first time I ever hung out with Jim, we were with a group of people and we were trying to figure out what to do. We were about 16 or 17 or 18. You know, when you're in high school the world is not set up in a way where there's much for you to do. Jim asks us if we've ever gone "buckling." We were, like, "What does 'buckling' mean?" Apparently, it's a game he invented where you run really fast and you dive in the bushes. He was really into the bushes at Joe Creason Park. He's a goofy guy.

Drew Osborne

I know that he and Aaron had always talked about, "We are going to be musicians." I remember him saying that "I am going to be a musician." We were all in high school. "Well, what are you going to do?" Aaron was like, "I'm gonna be a rock star." People would be, like, "Well, what about a back-up plan?" And he's like, "No, I'm going to be a rock star." So, I think he was always inclined to make music. What kid doesn't want to be a rock star, y'know? But of course the Louisville style -- that Month of Sundays stuff is totally different than MMJ stuff, but for f---ing 16- and 17-year-old kids, it's amazingly complex. It's just good stuff.

Jeremy Johnson played guitar in the Helgeson Story

I think Month of Sundays were respected, but they weren't big. They were an indie rock band, but only when Aaron was involved. Not as much later. The impression I got from Jim was that was always turned off by the concept of indie rock. I think the perception of Month of Sundays as an indie rock band was why he broke that band up.

Ben Blandford

Hardcore was big in the scene at the time; we went to those shows and we liked a lot of that music, and we'd play with a lot of those bands. That's just what the scene was -- we knew we didn't quite fit in, but it's not like we were outcasts or anything like that. We were just kids; we were just playing what we liked. I think a lot of the hardcore fans grew up in the scene. I guess we grew up out of the scene and we found it through playing music, so we didn't have a lot of the same local influences as a lot of the other bands.

Carrie Neumayer is a guitarist for the band Second Story Man

Month of Sundays did seem a little bit more out there, but that's because they chose to separate themselves. Maybe they felt like they were too different.

Danny Cash

We had this little collective of bands who didn't belong, 'cause, you know, any time Endpoint played in town -- massive people. Kinghorse -- massive people. Scott Ritcher had his private school friends who would all come see him but, man, we had nothing to do with any of this (laughs). If we played some place, most of the crowd was just the guys in the bands.

Brandon Skipworth co-owned Shakin' Sheila Recordings, which released two Month of Sundays recordings on vinyl

They were definitely different than what was going on around at that time. Louisville was in the throes of emo and hardcore, and they were definitely a different breed than that. They had two sides to them. They definitely had a pop sensibility to them, in terms of melodies and songwriting. You can still see some of My Morning Jacket in those early songs. They also had a harder edge to them, too. Noisy, freakout stuff. It was definitely different, set apart from a lot of the bands at that time.

Meanwhile, Olliges experimented with styles and sounds. He briefly fronted a heavier side project called Hotel Roy.

Sean Bailey played drums in the band Plunge, which was also on the scene at that time

I remember one Sunday being handed a copy of the Hotel Roy "Helicopters" album by my friend Brian Brooks; his label, Omnicron, had just released it. Initially, I couldn't quite get into it -- not because I didn't like it -- but because it was different than most everything I had laid my ears on up to that point. There was an unrelenting chaos that somehow managed to seamlessly blend itself into catchy pop-inspired tunes.

The relationship in Month of Sundays became strained. Todovich eventually left to form the Helgeson Story, which broke up in 2001 on the eve of a U.S. tour. In 2003, Todovich committed suicide. He was 25. Jim James would later dedicate the song "Dondante" (on "Z") to his friend.

Ben Blandford

Aaron was a guy we knew since we were little kids. We all hung out together, and we played in this band together. Jim and Aaron would come in with the ideas. The older we got, the more we started thinking broader. We did a few out-of-town shows, weekend trips to Atlanta and Charleston, S.C. That's when we were getting older, and things started coming apart, I guess. We were together for eight years, and we ended up living in a house together in Lexington -- me and Jim and Dave. You can't pin the breakup on one thing. Being in a band is like being in a relationship. We were in that relationship for eight years, and, as you could imagine, there were a lot of good times and a lot of bad times.

Jeremy Johnson

Jim and Aaron were like best friends growing up. You know, Aaron was a very dramatic person. He definitely had a way of attracting it. And he would make situations maybe seem a little more dramatic than they really were. When he first joined our band, we were like, "Why would you leave Month of Sundays? That's crazy." And he was very diplomatic. He would say, "It just wasn't working and I don't want to talk about it." The impression I got over the years was that they both had really strong ideas of where they wanted to go, but neither of them were willing to let go. The impression I got was that they were probably going to kick Aaron out. I think it was a "you-can't-fire-me-because-I-quit" kind of situation. That's the read I got. But Jim and Aaron stayed friends. I think it was weird for a while.

Drew Osborne

Jim and Aaron had been friends for so long; they had a very complicated relationship. It seemed to me like it was very brotherly (but) they didn't want to be linked forever.

Jeremy Irvin plays guitar for Second Story Man

I think it's really cool that Jim re-released that Month of Sundays stuff. That was crazy, about Aaron and all that. … That'd be insane pressure for anyone … y'know? He was really hard on himself. Insanely hard on himself. I think he definitely had some social anxiety, stuff like that. Other than that, hanging out with that whole crew was awesome, so much fun. It was cool.

Drew Osborne

I think the Month of Sundays records are amazing, but they're sort of difficult to listen to. Just because it brings up some weird, weird emotions to the surface. I have to be in one of those wistful moods to listen to it.

Carrie Neumayer

Aaron was always doubting himself all the time. Aaron could never see how great he really was … wouldn't let himself see it. Jim just went out and did it. I always had a lot of respect for Jim. I always thought he was a really nice guy. He's very much the same when I talk to him now as I thought he was when we were younger. That's always impressed me about him.

Danny Cash

Eventually, Aaron left Month of Sundays to join Helgeson Story, or to start Helgeson Story, however you want to look at it. Then Ben left, because I think he was going back to school in Lexington. So eventually it became Jim and Dave. They just called themselves Two Shotguns. They were just drums and guitar and vocals, before that was cool. Before the Black Keys or the White Stripes or whatever "the" bands are now. It was just out of necessity. They were living together, and (current MMJ drummer) Patrick Hallahan was living there. It was a whole communal, collective kind of thing. We didn't know anything about it, but Jim had already talked to people at Darla, and he was already working on the record and everything. He was already working with his cousin John McQuade out in Shelbyville to start up a live band.

Jeremy Johnson

Jim would make these mixtapes that he'd hand out to friends. Just weird and unusual stuff. He probably realized that what he wanted wasn't going to happen with that group. He moved to Lexington (to attend the University of Kentucky). I didn't hear from him for a while. He'd be in town over the summer and he'd give me and Drew these weird mixtapes he'd made on his four-track. The next thing we heard was that he was putting a record out on Darla and was putting a band together. We were, like, "That's weird. How'd that even happen?" As far as we knew, he was just hanging out at school. I think the way Jim saw it was, "Why wait? Let's just send it out to everyone." He was always sending out demo tapes.

Drew Osborne

Jim would send us these tapes from Lexington, these really amazing tapes. A lot of it would go on to be "The Tennesee Fire." … [That's] really what is on those tapes. I mean, it was "Tennessee f---in' Fire," ya know?

Danny Cash

Some of the tapes said "My Morning Jacket." Some said "Mi Morning Jacketa," like in Spanish or something. They were real lo-fi, just Jim, kinda like his side project thing from Month of Sundays.

James Agren co-owns Darla Records, which signed My Morning Jacket to its first record deal

It was a Sunday morning. I woke up early and got out a big box of demos that came in the mail -- this huge pile of cassettes and DATs -- and gave each a 20-second listen. And then I'd throw them in the trash. That's the routine. It was February, and Jim had sent a valentine that said, "Darla, be my valentine." It was amazing. The vocals -- I was, like, "holy s---!" It was a whole bunch of songs Jim had recorded. Him and a guitar, and him playing drums and other instruments. I immediately woke up my wife, my partner in Darla Records, and said, "Help me find this letter. I've got to find this letter!" because this pile was just one huge mess. We found it, and I immediately called Jim up. I said, "I want to make a record with you." It was 1998 and everyone was still into post-rock, Tortoise (or) electronic, left-field, experimental artists. There was just nothing like this on the market. It turns out that the month before, we had been in Spin magazine -- a little feature on Darla. Spin wanted to get a photo of us, so we went and had our photos taken at the mall. It was really dorky and clean-cut. Jim said he sent the demo to us because he thought that was funny. He asked that we buy him a four-track, which we did immediately, and he did more songs.

Danny Cash

We had no idea. I didn't know Darla was a label out in California. I though it was a local label, some guy or some girl. I didn't have a clue. Darla said, "This is great. Here's 300 bucks -- buy yourself a 4-track and send us some better demos."

James Agren

Then he said, "I'm going to put together a band." We were, like, "Yeah, right." And then he put together a killer band. They were putting on shows that people were losing their minds over.

Danny Cash

There were a few shows where it was just Jim playing acoustic and John McQuade (aka Johnny Quaid) playing electric leads. I think (bassist) Tom Blankenship (aka Two Tone Tommy) came on next, 'cause I think he was in a band with John. John was from Shelbyville; Jeremy Glenn (the original drummer) was from Pleasureville, which isn't that far from there; Tom's from La Grange; and me and Jim are from Louisville. John and Tom had played together, and me and Jim's bands had played together. It's just that weird thing Louisville has where it's cohesive.

After Olliges left UK, he returned to Louisville and got a job at National Record Mart in Mall St. Matthews.

Paul Steven Brown was an assistant manager at National Record Mart

Jim was hired in 1999. He was genuinely just a swell guy. The first shows I heard about were at Twice Told Coffee on Bardstown Road. I went to one of the gigs there. The first half of it was the whole band playing, and then Jim played by himself for a while. He did "Tyrone" (a cover of an Erykah Badu song). Then the guys got back on stage and they played together.

Jeremy Johnson

It was 1999, and the Helgeson Story played a record release show with them at the Mercury Paw. I thought, "Who are these dudes? I don't know these dudes. I know Jim, but I don't know these dudes." Jim wore pants made out of stuffed animals. He was dating my now-wife's best friend, and she made him these pants. There wasn't a sense that this was some weird event happening, it was just a solid show. We weren't bands that were cool, so there wasn't a huge crowd of people there to be seen.

Carrie Neumayer

I remember them being kind of laid back; they certainly weren't doing the rockin' kind of songs they've done since. So it was just this really mellow thing, with this guy wearing stuffed animal pants.

Danny Cash

Half of 'em weren't wearing shirts. It must've been a hundred and something degrees. Steaming hot. I recognized Jim but none of the other guys. They didn't sound like kids playing. I thought, "Man, I wanna be in that band."

Paul Steven Brown

It was early on, when only a handful of friends would show up. I showed up and Jim said, "Paul's here. I guess we can start." After the Mercury Paw shows, things started picking up. "Tennessee Fire" was out, and they were getting a lot of buzz through the Internet and magazines like Alternative Press and Magnet. I sort of lost touch with them -- Jim quit just before the store closed.

Will Russell, co-founder of Lebowski Fest, was an early fan

I first heard about My Morning Jacket from Jim's sister, Jennifer, who worked at Highland Coffee. I checked them out online and was fairly indifferent to it at the time. A chance to see them open for the Pennies at Headliners came up so I thought I would check it out. I went into the show and didn't expect anything special. When they took the stage, I was blown away. I could not believe that this band was from Louisville. They were playing on such a different level than any other local bands. Jim was able to transmit the euphoria of playing great music to the audience. I remember watching that shaggy-haired guy thrash around stage with his Flying V guitar and a blanket wrapped around his neck and thinking, "These guys are going places."

c. 2008 Velocity Weekly

When an unstoppable force meets an immovable object

"JK" is online slang for "Just Kidding", but Forecastle Festival Captain JK McKnight wasn't kidding when he told me that he didn't want me to attend his concert this year. He was angry because, in a critical assessment of this year's bands that I wrote, I praised 25 of the bands, was ambivalent about 7 of them, and negative about 7 of them.
Louisville is a smaller and usually more forgiving market than Chicago or Nashville, so his underwhelming festival attempt still drew plenty of generic media coverage from the Courier-Journal, Velocity, LEO, WFPK and other media outlets, free of charge.
Most promoters, and humans, realize that criticism is part of life, and especially part of putting yourself out there in the public eye. Just Kidding McKnight apparently believes that he should be held to a different standard. I did a similar critical review of every band playing at Louisville's Terrastock Festival this summer.

Co-director Erica Rucker commented on this site, "I tended to like your reviews of Terrastock bands, and you were equally as honest... A review is a critique and does not have to be positive." She also dismissed McKnight's reaction as "childish".
Instead of continuing our conversation, Just Kidding declined to reply to me, and took his case to a freelance blogger. He chose a self-described "journalist" who printed Just Kidding's side of the story without contacting me to get my side of the story.
In his comments, Just Kidding accused me of having a "personal vendetta" against him and the festival, when, in fact, I've never met him, have attended the festival for the past two years and wrote about it for a piece in Spin magazine. Just Kidding continues to use a quote from that Spin issue on the Forecastle website to this day - he doesn't give me credit on his site, or mention it in his one-sided interview, either.

Just Kidding also said that my "narrow musical tastes" resulted in the tone of the piece. Here are some excerpts from what I wrote:
- Spank Rock's 2006 debut, "YoYoYoYoYo," was the best hip-hop album of the decade
- Pomegranates: Instant-classic sounding indie rock from Cincinnati that should sound perfect on a summer Saturday afternoon.
- Extra Golden: Do you like Kenyan music but wish it could be fused with Chicago post-rock?... This is an international cross-pollination that doesn't come around often, so don't miss a musical experience of a lifetime.
- Catfish Haven: This oddly soulful rock band only needs to be heard to increase its fanbase. It would take a cold, dark heart to not be impressed by the genuine feeling, talent and dedication.
- The Del McCoury Band: One of the greatest bluegrass bands in existence today graces us with its beautiful vocalizing, harmonizing and amazing musicianship.

Boy, my musical taste sure is narrow, huh?

Just Kidding went on to say that I "ignored the fact that the bands featured were successful." Coldplay is successful, sure - but have YOU heard of Z-Trip? (For clarification, I have, but I'm a music critic). The GZA's fairly successful - even my mother has heard of the Wu-Tang Clan - but are the Disco Biscuits that successful? Ekoostik Hookah? The Del McCoury Band is tremendously successful in the bluegrass world, for example, but I bet Alison Krauss has a bigger house. Is one more "successful" than the other? On what terms? I think we should consider that "successful" might be a relative concept.

"Z-Trip, for example, is the godfather of electronic music," McKnight said. "The article just shows the writer's ignorance, and it's an embarrassment to him and the publisher."

Jason Clark is a DJ who spun at the festival this year. He commented on TheVilleVoice.com, "As an electronic music nerd I have to point out that the 'godfather of electronic music' title probably belongs to Karlheinz Stockhausen, or maybe Robert Moog. The 'godfather of techno' title usually belongs to Juan Atkins. Z-trip, while putting on a great DJ set at Forecastle this weekend, is decades behind being coined a 'godfather' in the electronic music world."

An unfortunately anonymous commenter added, "I would also add Carl Craig or Derrick May (both guys who helped establish the Detroit techno scene and sound that became extremely influential). I wouldn't have said Z-Trip is the godfather; that's just not true. Hell, you could say Brian Eno is much more a godfather to electronic music then Z-Trip."

So, who's ignorant and an embarrassment?

Rucker added on TheVilleVoice.com, "A festival is a collaboration of so many flavors and tastes. There is no way to please everyone fully. We were simply stoked to have the amount of coverage we got... My thought on this whole issue (as someone who's been through a similar experience) is that you take your criticism and either use it or forget about it... It isn't going to kill you. The worst thing to do is to try to control your event so much that it loses the ability to have a life of its own."

Furthermore, "The decision to 'un-invite' the writer probably should have been a non-starter. Firstly because, it makes the un-inviter seem sour. Also while Mr. Berkowitz initially did not find some of the bands as intriguing as JK might, he may have been open to seeing them and forming a different opinion of some (and even writing some followup). Further, asking him or any other writer not to attend creates a communication breakdown in an area where most festivals or other events really like to have an opening. Having the press willing to work with you (regardless of the opinion expressed) is usually helpful. In regards to criticism, someone somewhere said it best... essentially the comment was to use the criticism to become better. It doesn't mean you cater to the needs of any one specific audience and it also doesn't mean that you diversify so much as to lose your original intent. It simply means that perhaps there is an area that could be improved. Perhaps it is the scope of the thing that is out of proportion to the talent level. Bigger does not mean better. Plus the higher the overhead the greater the possibility of serious financial loss. Quality should always win over quantity in the area of music and experience."

I obviously didn't go this year, but in 2007 the tobacco company American Spirits was a sponsor. In exchange, they were given a booth in the Activism section. I wasn't clear on how tobacco = activism, and I didn't get a chance to ask Robert Kennedy, Jr., but in 2007 I did walk by the 15-year-old sister of a friend who was smoking. I'm sure she was more excited to see Girl Talk in concert than American Spirits; she appeared to be smoking a Marlboro.

Local musician Justin Davis commented on TheVilleVoice.com, "Having been a part of multiple Forecastle Fests, I can honestly say that I miss the days when it was a local/regional arts event nestled in Tyler Park. There were no egos. No one got paid. If JK is unable to take criticism as he attempts to gain wider recognition for his festival, he's in for a world of disappointment."

Speaking of not getting paid, some photographers have an issue about not getting paid by Forecastle that they had to address. Just Kidding at least responded to them, unlike me, whom he ignored.

One reason why I love Louisville is that it's not Los Angeles.

I lived in the latter for almost 8 years, working as a product buyer at the Rhino Records store during the days and performing stand-up comedy at night. Yes, for several years, I got up in front of strangers, peers and the entertainment industry on a constant basis and was judged by them. I know what it's like to be criticized, and I know that the only way to improve your performance is to listen to professionals who might have some perspective - and who might not be your mother. I'm not a failed or frustrated musician - I'm a music fan, I'm a writer, and sometimes I'm funny, but I was not a good stand-up comedian at all. I wasn't the worst - those are the ones who, literally, haven't taken their meds, or are people trying to be a comic for that one month in their life before they realize that it's a lot harder to do than it looks. I was average, at best, and no one needs an average comedian. I killed in front of Larry David one night, and I bombed in front of David Cross one night; I spent many nights in the company of people like Zach Galifianakis and Patton Oswalt, ten years before you'd ever heard of them. They saw me do well, do OK and do horribly. I made Winnie Cooper from The Wonder Years laugh one night, and then scared her when I tried to talk to her afterwards. I did decently in front of the head of casting at NBC, but she never called me in for a meeting. Remember Seinfeld? Sure. Remember Berkowitz? Not so much...

It seems to me that some people in Louisville don't know what it's like to be criticized. I guess some have never had to go through it before. Forecastle's never been successful enough to be on the national radar. The Courier-Journal, Velocity, LEO, WFPK, television news shows, etc. - all have pretty much just gone along and given them free press because, hey, we're nice people! It's not like there's much else going on during that weekend! Neither I nor anyone else at Velocity intended to "go after" Forecastle, but if you want a music critic to discuss your concert and pretend like it's perfect, pretend like the Disco Biscuits are as good an act as the Del McCoury Band or Extra Golden... well, that's just as deluded as telling a journalist "don't come" as a "personal favor to me" and expecting that his newspaper might not ignore your festival next year.
That is, if your festival can afford to return next year.

When I moved back here from L.A., I felt like I'd been released from prison. Here, people are a lot nicer. It's not just a cliche. They just don't need to use you, screw you over and ignore you like they do there. It's cheaper to live, it's prettier, and we have a much better local music community. I've spent a lot of time and energy promoting Louisville music. I do this, I write for the Velocity print edition, and I've also written for LEO, Bejeezus, and as I mentioned, I briefly wrote for Spin about Louisville music. When I ran the Old Louisville Coffeehouse, I booked 130 concerts between November 2005 and Decemeber 2006, until one cranky neighbor shut it down. That's 3 shows per week for 13 months, while simultaneously running a failing business for 14 hours a day, 7 days a week.
And this guy thinks his job is hard?

Is it possible that after 7 years, booking 39 bands this year, getting headliners like Ekoostik Hookah, The Disco Biscuits and The GZA for a music festival in 2008 while attracting what people say was less than 1,000 ticket-buying attendees while Coachella draws 55,000 people and Bonnaroo thrills 70,000 people... is it possible that something just isn't being done right? Just Kidding speaks loudly and often of his dream to land U2 and Pearl Jam as Forecastle headliners. You tell me, Louisville, because I clearly haven't done my homework... are we there yet?

Can we maybe focus on improving what we already have, Louisville? Or do we need to get a new captain, to build a new ship?



c. 2008 Velocity Weekly

Nautical Fox bio

Louisville, Kentucky –

In the middle of the United States of America, in the uncertain days ever since Jaws hit the big screens, people have come to learn that anything can happen. Anyone who's had to drive for a few hours at a time can tell you that there's a lot of land out there, but we don't know how those people live. Or why, quite frankly. The land of bluegrass, and post-rock, indie rock, alt-country, progressive jazz, blue-collar metal and middle-class hardcore continues to surprise with sounds and smells unexpected from the city kind of next to Nashville. Nautical Fox, an atmospheric, British-feeling duo formed from Louisville's jazz and hardcore scenes, is the latest such surprise.

Ethereal, post-Factory scene groups like the Cocteau Twins and Lush come to mind, as well as otherworldly PMS-diva Kate Bush, with a subtle undercoat of experimental pop expats Scott Walker and Talk Talk buried close to the surface. Neither Kinghorse nor Slint come to mind as influences at any time, try as one might.

Patrick D. Hume and Amber Estes met in college and then began collaborating. Pat got his start as a bass player at age 13, and has been a member of the Louisville bands Lords (bass) and Piss Alley (bass). He has never played with My Morning Jacket. He switched to guitar recently. He currently is a member of Brain Banger (guitar).

Amber's background in music performance is more along the lines of the jazz scene. The singing started at age 3. The dentistry never started. Her Louisville bands include Liberation Prophecy, The Sandpaper Dolls and The Todd Hildreth Trio. She is also currently working with Rachel's.

Nautical Fox was born from the desire to explore an acoustic/ folk/ pop/ experimental sound. Each song is written in such a way that it can be stripped down to 2 members in a performance situation, while also leaving room for additional members when possible.

Other band members are on rotation and include: Josh Jacob (bass), Jason Lawrence (drums), Jeremy McMonigle (drums), Kyle Neumann (drums).

-The 5 song demo includes the following tracks:
1. "HH3-1"
2. "Part III: The Mountain"
3. "14th Century Prison Cell"
4. "Dark Day"
5. "Disappear"

http://www.myspace.com/nauticalfox
nauticalfox@gmail.com

Bio authored by Peter Berkowitz in collaboration with Amber & Pat.

Sometimes a Fantasy

What do Louisville's librarians think about Jim James' ode to sexy bookworms on the new My Morning Jacket disc?

Who hasn't had a librarian fantasy? Jim James sure has.

The My Morning Jacket singer has an ode to the librarian on Evil Urges, in which he describes how a simple little bookworm morphs into a sexy librarian just by taking off her glasses and letting down her hair. (Hey, in our librarian fantasies, the glasses stay on. But that's neither here nor there.)

In the song, James imagines this librarian listening to the Carpenters low on an AM radio in a nearly vacant library. "Since we got the Interweb, these hardly get used," he sings about the stacks of books. But then he spies her: "So I watch you thru the bookcase... You and I at dinner, spending time, then to sleep."

What do actual librarians make of having a rock star intrigued by them? We walked across the courtyard, toward the Louisville library.

Natalie Thompson, 28
"It's about time somebody recognized. A boy put it on a mixtape for me. It was pretty cute. It kinda makes me swoon."

Rainey Wyatt, 28
"I think it's nice that they're celebrating librarians. I don't think it quite encompasses everything about a librarian, though. It fits that stereotype - either you're bookish or you're a sexy librarian, nothing more."

Beth Nahenski, 45
"My husband and I were at the Nachbar a few weekends ago, and we saw it on the jukebox. I said, 'I wonder what that sounds like?' It was pretty funny. My husband's a librarian, also. But it didn't sound like they were singing to him. (laughs) Something about 'putting your hair down'? A few stereotypes there... Actually, I loved the song. I like My Morning Jacket."

James "J.J." Jackson, 58
"For me, it probably wouldn't (relate). I'm definitely not stereotypical. I, myself, since I'm not the quote-unquote typical librarian, I break the mold. As I grew up, that was the mold - you know, they had the bun on the head, pencil in their hair, telling people 'shhh!' (Today) it's much different."


Photos.com

c. 2008 Velocity Weekly

How to lose a lot of money in an hour or less

Today's Ville Voice has this report on the Forecastle Festival that founder JK McKnight asked me not to attend this weekend:

"It has (sic) hot and sticky, so the 300 or so fans who had come to listen to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speak at the Forecastle Festival were trying to stay cool, but they weren't missing a minute of the impassioned environmentalist's speech."

This is why Captain JK got upset, BTW.

The capacity at Headliners Music Hall is 700 people so, any time you go see, say, Wax Fang, you're probably surrounded by twice as many people as that.

Meanwhile, on Saturday night I was thrilled to attend a unique and wonderful Bonnie 'Prince' Billy concert in a field that also had 300 friendly people in attendance. Tickets were limited to 300 because it was a private residence.

Below, you can spot me next to - ironically - Lebowski Fest co-founder Will Russell!



c. 2008 Velocity Weekly