Amigos del art

Here

Louisville artists Jeral Tidwell and Justin Kamerer have become known well beyond these borders for their dark-tinged artwork, full of fast cars, interesting women, kooky characters, tattoos, decay and beauty. This week, they celebrate the release of their new book, “Amigos de los Muertos” (made in collaboration with fellow artists Roberto Jaras Lira and David Lozeau), and its inspiration, Mexico’s Day of the Dead holiday.

The holiday honors those who have died, and in tribute to the traditional practice of building sugar skulls to be used as part of altars, sugar cookies are planned for the signing at Ultra Pop.

The book began when Tidwell and Kamerer, partners in Crackhead Press, were in Northern California on a business trip. Facebook called them into their headquarters to make some art last spring, and, on a side trip, they stopped into the headquarters of Last Gasp Publishing, a leader in underground comics and books since 1970.

Though the Louisvillians have published their own “Ink Alchemy” book series with another publisher, they were excited to work with Last Gasp, who have also published legends in the field from R. Crumb to Mark Ryden. Ryden’s 2003 book “Blood” offered a template, from its size to its structure.

Kamerer designed the book, which includes a faux leather cover, gold foil stamping, gilded edges and a purple ribbon tucked inside. Having access to Last Gasp’s printing facilities helped produce the high quality publication, which he modeled after “Bible-y stuff.”

“I wanted it to look, at first glance, like it was actually a mini-Bible. Originally, we were going to have it in the tiny pocket ones that they give out on campuses. But then we realized that our art shrunk down that tiny would be a big, blobby mess.”

The Day of the Dead theme also offered a chance to do some drawing in the style of Mexican artist Jose Guadelupe Posada, known for his satirical work with skeletons. Religious imagery runs throughout the four sections of the book, along with the grim reaper, skulls, beasts and other animals.

The locals met Jaras, who lives in Santiago, Chile, when he came to Louisville to visit a cousin. A fellow artist at the UnFair recommended him to Tidwell, and he has returned to work with them. He will be in attendance at the signing on Friday, which will also feature deluxe editions of the book.

“It was cool watching him learn really quickly, watching his skills enhance with us pestering the crap out of him,” Kamerer says.

As a Chilean, Jaras is quick to point out that the Day of the Dead holiday is as foreign to him as it is to Americans. Still, it’s a fun theme for art.

“I’m pretty sure that all four of us are in love with religious iconography, in general,” Kamerer says. “So that’s fun to do.”

Death has always been appealing to Jaras because it’s an integral part of life. “For some reason, unfortunately, Judeo-Christian culture has given it a different twist,” he says. “My intention was to bring some of the cheerfulness and goofiness that permeates both life and death. We’ve become too scared of death, and like my grandfather used to say, we should be worried about the variables, not the constant,” he notes. “It’s the ending of one thing, but the beginning of a new life. That’s the whole purpose behind these flowers coming out of skulls — life coming out of death.”

‘Amigos de los Muertos’
Friday, Nov. 2
Ultra Pop
1414 Bardstown Road
ultra-pop.com
Free; 6 p.m.

c. 2012 LEO Weekly

The Pass moves on up

Here

The Pass have been taking a shot at surpassing VHS or Beta’s ability to fill up venues with ’80s-style arena-sized hooks, grooves and beats for two and a half years, and now find themselves at the edge of glory. They’ve toured around the country, made popular videos and been heard on a half-dozen TV shows — but can they take it to the next level?

Their second and latest full-length album, Melt, will be released officially on Nov. 6 (though copies will be available at their 18+ Headliners show). It took a couple of years to get here. They wrote 30 songs, recorded 20, then picked 11 favorites.

Bassist Will Roberts is especially proud of singer Kyle Peters’ lyrics this time around. “The lyrics are cool and really original. That’s one of the things that makes us a weird band, I guess; our songs are kind of poppy, but you’ll never hear a lyric like an Ooh baby baby type thing. The lyrics are really deep. I’ve asked (Kyle) before, ‘Dude, what’s going on here?’ He explains them, and I’m like, ‘Oh, man!’” exclaims the impressed New Jersey native. “… ‘I’m not just saying that because you’re my roommate and my good friend. That’s sick!’”

“Psycho” is a song on the new album that Roberts, who wrote the music, points out for Peters’ contribution. The singer came up with a story about a long-term relationship ending, leaving the protagonist in a fragile state. Roberts says the second verse is his favorite on the album: You’ll want to be ready, when the voices start to call your name. / And you’ll try try to ignore, but it’ll fall like rain when you’re trying to stay dry. / And it’ll test your patience, it’ll test your mind.

At first, he hated what he heard coming from Peters’ voice. “Sometimes you can’t tell what he’s saying when he’s singing, that’s just the way he sings … a lot of people have trouble understanding him sometimes, the way he phrases stuff.” When he read what his singer had written, though, Roberts was “amazed.”

Growth has been a focus for The Pass this year. For their first year and a half together, they were happy to just play “straight-up, loud, raucous dance music.” But, Roberts says, “We got better at writing songs.”

They didn’t want to completely change styles, but “you can only do so much, trying to play a four-on-the-floor dance beat and write music to it. We’re sick of it a little bit. We still want to do dance music, but I think that’s why there’s more quote-unquote rock tunes on this album. More song-oriented.”

The band has begun seeing some early success in unexpected places.

“We get random comments on Facebook, like from Arizona. ‘Hey, we heard you in The Gap!’” he laughs. “That’s the coolest thing in the world. I just saw the royalties lately — we’re getting checks for, like, $2,000 from The Limited or something. Like, ‘what?’”

And so far, the biggest challenge they’ve faced is deciding what to be called. “Naming bands is the hardest thing ever. It’s just such an important thing, and everything you think of, you find a reason not to like it. It’s like naming a kid, I imagine — although kids have their own names. You can’t name a band ‘John,’” Roberts laughs. “I guess you could, that would be original.”

The Pass with The Deloreans and Skyscraper Stereo
Friday, Nov. 2
Headliners Music Hall
1386 Lexington Road
headlinerslouisville.com
$10; 9 p.m.

c. 2012 LEO Weekly

album review: The Coal Porters

Here

The Coal Porters
Find the One
PRIMA

They call it “alternative bluegrass,” but all that is alt about their ’grass is that the Coal Porters don’t let the genre’s limitations hold them back from adding new flavors to their plate. Also, they’re based in London. Leader Sid Griffin was raised in the bluegrass state, in the Southern town named for King Louis XVI, and his ragtag group features three lead singers, members older and younger, American and British, male and otherwise, plus, a guest solo here from Richard Thompson; it’s that grab-bag approach that distinguishes the Coal Porters. The band celebrates Americans who play like Bill Monroe, the Scotch-Irish who originated a form of this music, and throws in crowd-pleasing versions of two modern British standards (Bowie’s “Heroes” and the Stones’ “Paint It, Black”), which sound pretty gosh darn good reconstituted as ballads and barn-burners.

c. 2012 LEO Weekly

The Big Band Theory

Here

Saxophonist Drew Miller might have looked normal enough on the outside, but for a few years, he was carrying around an atypical idea for a band. “The inspiration behind the band’s inception came primarily from Tortoise, Jaga Jazzist, Zappa, Orchestre National de Jazz, The Sun Ra Arkestra, my time playing with Lucky Pineapple and Another7Astronauts, and as an outlet for me to write and arrange for a larger ensemble.”

His dream band, D’Arkestra, is now releasing their first album, Ghost Town, with a release show at the Tim Faulkner Gallery on Halloween. Miller likes the location because “it is a non-traditional type of venue with great atmosphere, especially the performance space that we will be using,” he says. “So we want to put on a relaxed, informal performance, and a really fun hang.” The $3 all-ages event starts at 9 p.m.

Miller says he realized his creativity hadn’t been fully satisfied merely playing others’ music. He started writing and arranging. “As I got deeper into the process, I was really energized by the endless possibilities that the instrumentation and size of the group presented in terms of texture, ‘arkestration,’ and ways to use the instruments.”

He collected some favorite colleagues to add sax, trumpet, trombone, keyboards, guitar, bass, drums, and other effects, and two songs on Ghost Town feature vocalist Dane Waters.

Miller realized early on that being focused on one form would never satisfy his musical impulses. He put himself into many different settings, from rock to jazz to experimental music, and approached even being an audience member as a form of research.

“I decided a long time ago that, to be viable and relevant, I needed to gain as much perspective as possible … If you are proficient on your instrument and are hungry to make music and be creative, you will feel at home no matter what style or genre.”

To hear the music, go to darkestra.bandcamp.com.

Photo by Ashley Stinson

c. 2012 LEO Weekly

Taking shots with Watt from Pedro

Here

To many who came up in the ’80s punk scene or ’90s alt-rock explosion, Mike Watt remains a folk hero. His influential bass playing, with The Minutemen and Firehose, inspired countless bands from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Fugazi, and his avuncular blue-collar hipster persona helped send others, like Sonic Youth and Nirvana, into Econoline vans to find their kindred spirits.

Watt is currently taking a break from playing alongside Iggy Pop in The Stooges to tour with his solo band. The famously productive 54-year-old recently participated in four different collaborative albums and a Firehose reunion; his second book, “On and Off Bass,” a collection of photos, poems and prose, was released in May.

The book was inspired by his early morning routine: Seven days a week, he’s pedaling his bicycle around his lifelong home of San Pedro, Calif., or paddling a kayak. “I like the early morning, when no one else is out: ‘Wow, this all belongs to me.’ But I also like the potential — what is to come?”

LEO: How did this book happen?
Mike Watt: The first thing was digital cameras. When these things came along, yeah, you just deleted the lame ones (laughs) and went for it. The other thing was, I started to ride a bike again, after 22 years. Some cat was moving, sold me a 10-speed for $5. I remember seeing these in people’s pads growing up, not using them, just using ’em like fuckin’ clothes racks. I figured, “I’m not gonna let that happen, I’m gonna peddle again.”

My town is Pedro, San Pedro, it’s the harbor of Los Angeles. So we got a weird mix of nature and industry. Early in the morning, when I rode, not as many people would see me fall down — which I did a lot at first — but I also learned to look and listen. It started hurting my knees, so a few years in, I started kayaking to break it up. I was born with bad knees and shit.

The trippy thing about the pictures is, in both situations, you can’t really put together the shots. They just come to you; you’re lucky enough to capture them. You learn to wait. All this stuff that’s much different from riding in the car, being in your own world, a lot of control over your own environment.

Last year, there was an art show, in Santa Monica at Track 16, where they picked 35 of my thousands of pictures to put up there. I’d never seen them printed. Soon after that show, Three Rooms publishing in New York asked to put a book out.

They picked out 30 other pictures and then some diary — because I write diaries on tour. They’re impossible to re-read, ’cause they’re embarrassing as hell. But it gives me focus when I’m doing them, in the moment. I told them, “You pick some.”

So that’s what the book is. The editor picking little spiels, and then Track 16 picking these pictures. They’re all my works, but they kinda, I don’t know, distilled them according to their … journey of life (laughs).

Obviously, I love sunrises and pelicans! (laughs) When I told Ig (Iggy Pop) about it, he laughed. But it’s genuine. What do I call them? ... “eye gifts,” you know? It’s like when you’re a boy and you just play to play. You’re just out there to see what happens, while you’re piddling and peddling.

It’s being connected, where in other ways we’re not so connected, through devices and machinery, social paradigms, you know? It’s just being there and witnessing. I love it! I don’t think it’s better, it’s just part of the whole … thing. Whatever my journey is.

And music remains at the forefront of Watt’s journey. “I’m into my trios, playing with two guys live, like the Minutemen. There’s always going to be that for me, that same, familiar thing. That old power-trio thing. And traveling around in the boat (his slang for the tour van), working the towns … I like that part, too. But then there’s the parts I didn’t do as a younger man, like wild collaborations. I was more afraid then (laughs). I was a lot more (afraid).”

Mike Watt + the Missing Men with Old Baby
Tuesday, Oct. 23
Zanzabar
2100 S. Preston St.
zanzabarlouisville.com
$12; 9 p.m.

c. 2012 LEO Weekly

Laura Marling's American detour

Here

Laura Marling is a rising star back home in England and in larger American cities, but when the java lover walks into Sunergos Coffee before her show at Zanzabar, chances are she won’t be recognized. At 22, the prodigy has already released three albums of Joni Mitchell-esque folk/pop, earning acclaim but not yet breaking through commercially.

Though her low-register voice and classy accent hide her youth somewhat, she still has plenty to see and experience. Her fall tour takes her through some lesser-known parts of this country.

LEO: Was this tour your idea?

Laura Marling: Yeah, it was my excuse to come to those places. I’ve wanted to see them all for a very long time. I’m doing it in a simple way, just a guitar and a rental car.

LEO: Did you pick out the itinerary?

LM: Yeah, I did. I put pins on a map and sent it to the powers that be.

LEO: How did you pick Louisville?

LM: I have a friend from Louisville, Morgan, who told me a bunch of magical stories about it, and Kentucky is a place I always wanted to see.

LEO: How did you meet him?

LM: Through music.

LEO: Is he a performer?

LM: No, he’s an ... interested party.

LEO: A superfan?

LM: (laughs) A superfan. You can say that.

LEO: We have some well-known musicians from here, like Bonnie Prince Billy —

LM: Yes!

LEO: Have you met him?

LM: No, I haven’t. I’ve seen him play many, many times. But no, I’ve never met him.

LEO: He’s been around lately, maybe he’ll come out to see you here.

LM: Oh, god, that’d be terrifying! (laughs). In a great way.

LEO: What are some of the other parts of America that interest you?

LM: I’m very much looking forward to New Orleans. I’ve never been that far south. I saw a lot of the West Coast last time I was here. That drive, in particular, the 101 … I’m a slightly romanticized tourist, I suppose.

LEO: That’s the fun of it, right? The escape and the fantasy of it?

LM: Yeah, exactly. I think I deserve to get lost for a little while.

LEO: Have you been feeling the pressures of the business?

LM: Yeah, I mean, the main idea behind this is to remind me of how simple it can be, if you put your mind up to it. You don’t need anything other than a bit of transport and a guitar.

LEO: The Woody Guthrie ideal.

LM: Yes, yes, I’m the female rambler! (laughs)

LEO: Have you been writing new songs?

LM: Yeah, I actually just finished the fourth album. So that’s been really nice. That’s coming out in February, I think.

LEO: How did you approach recording this time? Any differently?

LM: Yeah, I’ve done this album, just me and Ethan (Johns), who produced my last two albums. Just me and him in the studio, really. He’s a very good percussionist and instrumentalist. Between me and him, we’ve done what we can to orchestrate it in a way that doesn’t sound like a band. It doesn’t sound like a group of us sitting down and playing live-to-tape. It sounds like instrumentation on top of songwriting.

LEO: What inspired the songs for this collection?

LM: Umm … that’s an interesting question. I don’t think I’m far enough removed from it yet to know. I think … whatever I’ve been doing in the last year. Whatever’s been occupying my mind. I think a continuing theme from the last album would be natural morality. But at the same time, it’s very, very different from the last album. It’s more of a story, this one. There’s characters in it. Yeah … I couldn’t really answer that question.

LEO: Is there a concept running throughout it?

LM: Yeah, I mean, I haven’t listened to it back yet. Kind of consciously. When I hear the mixes and the master, those shall be the only two times I’ll listen to it back. And then I’ll kind of realize the themes or the characters within it, because I’ve had a bit of space from it. But I haven’t had that yet.

Laura Marling
with Bro. Stephen
Saturday, Oct. 20
Zanzabar
2100 S. Preston St.
zanzabarlouisville.com
$15; 8 p.m.

c. 2012 LEO Weekly

Trampled By Turtles: dads rock

Here

When Trampled By Turtles hit the road, they make it work. The Minnesotans return to Louisville after less than five months away, and this year has seen them play everywhere from “Letterman” to CNN to SXSW. Their sound is flexible enough to get them booked at many festivals. “You name one, we’re probably playing it,” agrees mandolinist Erik Berry.

“We did a 21-day tour that had 19 or 20 actual performances, contracted gigs,” earlier this year. “And we did an additional 12 appearances or recording projects: in-studios, in-stores, radio station appearances. Something like 30 appearances in 21 days,” Berry summarizes.

A couple of the members are family men now, and they’ve instructed their management to send them on the road for shorter but more intensive periods. “Time home is important, so when we’re out, we’re like, ‘Work us.’”

One way Berry has managed to balance work and family is “I went and turned my oldest into a fan of the band. That helps a lot,” he laughs about his 5-year-old. “The only other record (of ours) I listen to with any regularity is Palomino, and that’s because that’s the one my son likes so much.

“There’s tricky stuff I have to deal with, like him wanting to hear ‘Wait So Long’ 10 times in a row in the car, but … As opposed to him being like, ‘Why do you have to go out on the road again?’ He gets it.”

Stars and Satellites, the sixth full-length album for the bluegrass-inspired quintet, was released in April on their own BanjoDad label and debuted at No. 32 on the Billboard charts. They had recorded it near their Duluth homes, focusing on getting it right fairly quickly so they could see their families at the end of each day. The collection features some slower, more somber songs than the band has previously tackled.

“It was the batch of songs that (singer/guitarist) Dave (Simonett) had for us,” Berry says. “About six songs into the project, we were like, ‘Well, this is gonna be a little bit slower than other ones. Are we OK with that?’ But we were enjoying the tunes so much that it seemed like, ‘What are we going to say? This isn’t any good? This isn’t fun’? We liked it.”

Simonett was one of the new dads, contributing to his altered state of mind. Additionally, various friends and members of the band members’ families passed away between albums. “Grandpas got lost. Stuff like that,” says Berry. “I know that was going into his head.”

Though the band would surely be glad to have a big radio hit, or find some other way to spend less time touring, they can’t say they’re not glad to return to Louisville. “We’ve recorded a couple of our videos down there,” Berry recalls. “The live footage for ‘Where Is My Mind?’ was shot at Headliners, and then both ‘Victory’ and ‘Wait So Long’ were shot in Louisville.”

“We didn’t know what the deal was, but a few years ago, outside of Minneapolis and Duluth, our strongest retail was Portland (Ore.) and Louisville, Ky.!”

TRAMPLED BY TURTLES
WITH HONEYHONEY
Thursday, Oct. 18
Headliners Music Hall
1386 Lexington Road
headlinerslouisville.com
$18 adv., $20 DOS; 8 p.m.

Photo by Pieter van Hattem

c. 2012 LEO Weekly

Fiddle sticks

Here

Fiddler Rayna Gellert of Asheville, N.C., has had a prolific career playing with everyone from Bela Fleck to Robyn Hitchcock, and now steps out with a new solo album. She plays at Please & Thank You on Wednesday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m.

LEO: Can you tell me about working with Kentucky boys Nathan Salsburg and Ben Sollee?
Rayna Gellert: I love Kentucky boys! Excuse me: Kentucky men. Both of those fellas are an absolute joy to play with. Ben is such a fun musician. We met because Otis Taylor threw us in the studio together to play on his record, and as soon as we started playing, Otis was like, “Are you two related?” It just clicked. And I’m so indebted to Nathan — he was involved with my album from the get-go and brought so much musicality and thoughtfulness to the whole process. He’s a dear friend and deeply knowledgeable musician. And we love all the same dead guys!

LEO: Is it harder to step out front and be the singer/bandleader, or to be part of an ensemble?
RG: Right now, I’d definitely say stepping out front to be the singer and bandleader, because that’s what’s new and challenging for me. I’m excited to learn how to do it, though. And I still have plenty of opportunity to be a sideman, which I love. These days, I’m mostly getting that fix from playing with Scott Miller, who’s a great inspiration for me as a songwriter.

LEO: How do you balance playing traditionally inspired music in the modern era? How do you keep it sounding fresh and new?
RG: Good traditional music always sounds fresh to me — I don’t think anything needs to be done to keep it that way. My current musical adventure isn’t about sounding “new” so much as it’s an attempt to follow my own creative vision in a way I haven’t previously. One aspect of this is writing songs, and another is treating traditional songs differently than I have before.

Learn more at raynagellert.com.

album review: Dark Dark Dark

Here

Who Needs Who is not just the latest Dark Dark Dark album, it’s also the latest great album that should be taught in schools and known by all citizens. The gypsy folkers, now sprawled from Minneapolis to New Orleans, suffered from some Fleetwood Mac-style drama; after making loving fun, they wisely stayed together instead of going their own ways and, as with Mac’s Rumours, have produced a stunning collection of songs. A description of their various parts — goth, indie, folk, with dashes of European horns and accordions, propelled by the unsurpassable vocals of pianist Nona Marie Invie — might not sound like an obvious crowd-pleaser, but fans of Feist, Bat for Lashes, or even Adele should be won over. And those Adele people need a second record to buy this year, right? It is October already.

c. 2012 LEO Weekly

Weird Al — A life in the arts, examined

Here

What can be said about Weird Al Yankovic? If you don’t know by now, you’re probably a child and/or a terrorist. So, because there’s only so much room here, and we don’t get many chances to chat with the musical satire star and subject of the new book “Weird Al: The Book,” here are some highlights from LEO’s interview.

LEO: Do you ever think about your legacy when you’re in the shower or clipping your toenails?
Weird Al Yankovic: (laughs) You know, putting together my coffee table book, I gave it a whole lot of thought. It was kind of a daunting experience to look over your entire life and try to make sense of it all.

LEO: Did you make sense of it?
WAY: It’s an ongoing process.

LEO: Putting together a retrospective package, did it feel like “How much more do I have left to give?” or “I’m halfway there”?
WAY: All of the above. I’m not quite done yet. I still enjoy what I do, and people seem to have not gotten completely sick of me yet, so I’d like to continue with my career. But it has been three decades worth of stuff, and there’s a lot of stuff that’s gone down, and once you look at everything, in its entirety, it’s pretty overwhelming. For me, at least.

LEO: You’ve lasted this long without any serious competition and survived huge changes in the music industry, and MTV, so you seem to be here to stay.
WAY: I guess there’s nobody that’s doing it, specifically what I do, at the level I’m doing it at, but there’s 100,000 people on YouTube doing song parodies. The market is a little more crowded these days. But I keep on and hope that people will still appreciate what I do. I’m perhaps not as unique as I was in the ’80s and ’90s.

LEO: That may be true, but who else can fill up a 3,000-seat theater, charge $25 or whatever, and people will be happy to be there?
WAY: (laughs) That’s probably true.

LEO: The book — how big is it? What kind of stuff is in it? Were the literati clamoring for the Weird Al book?
WAY: Well, I don’t know about the entire literati, but Abrams Books thought it was a good idea. I was happy to be involved with it, but I didn’t really feel like writing an autobiography. It didn’t seem like a pleasant job. Also, it didn’t feel right for me; it’s not like I was trying to get my story out there. It seems like I’ve been talking about myself nonstop for 30 years. I don’t think there’s anything I haven’t said about myself in various interviews and podcasts over the years.

I felt like for a fresh perspective, I should have somebody else tell the story. So I had them hire Nathan Rabin, who’s the head writer of The Onion’s A/V Club. He did all the heavy lifting of going through the details of my life and trying to make it interesting, have it make sense.

LEO: Did he go back to Lynnwood and talk to old teachers and old girlfriends?
WAY: I don’t think he talked to old teachers, but he talked to various people in my life: the band, Dr. Demento, managers — the people who have had an effect on me. Then he put it all together.

LEO: What can you tell people who haven’t seen your live show about why they should come out?
WAY: It’s a high-energy, rock and comedy multimedia extravaganza. I’m on the stage with the same band I’ve had since the beginning of recorded history, and we’re playing a lot of stuff from the Alpocalypse album, all the greatest hits and a few surprises here and there, costume changes, film clips … it’s never a dull moment onstage.

LEO: What’s the worst thing about your show?
WAY: When’s it over, there’s an overwhelming feeling of depression among the crowd (laughs).

LEO: Is there anything you haven’t done that you’d like to do?
WAY: I’ve been thinking possibly about writing a musical, but I don’t know.

LEO: Can you tell me one thing about yourself that you’ve never told anyone before?
WAY: Uhh, I am currently wearing plaid underwear.

Weird Al Yankovic
Sunday, Oct. 14
Palace Theater
625 S. Fourth St.
louisvillepalace.com
$19.50-$75; 7 p.m.

c. 2012 LEO Weekly

Dance party USA

Here

pictured: Java Jews

KlezmerFest returns to Temple Shalom on Sunday, Oct. 14, at 1 p.m. with three bands: Iowa’s Java Jews, Indianapolis’ INDYKLEZ, and Louisville’s Lost Tribe. Founder Kathy Karr takes us behind the music.

LEO: How do you explain klezmer to the hundreds of thousands of locals who might have not even heard of it, let alone heard it played?

Kathy Karr: Klezmer music has gypsy, Romanian, East European, jazz, and Dixieland influences. Klezmer music is dance music and soulful music.

LEO: How did this fest get started?

KK: I envisioned a music festival of klezmer music in 2009. I had purchased a bunch of klezmer music CDs and listened to them so much in my car that I actually wore out a few CDs! I fell in love with the upbeat, energetic music that really touched my soul. I looked forward to getting in my car to drive somewhere so I could listen to klezmer music and escape my crazy, hectic world.

When I took over as fundraising vice president of Temple Shalom, I was mulling over some ideas, and then it hit me: organize a music festival to feature several klezmer bands and share with the entire community the music I loved, and make some much-needed funds for Temple Shalom.

My hard-working, passionate committee spent a year organizing the festival, and in May 2010, Temple Shalom’s first KlezmerFest happened. We were planning an outdoor event, but it ended up being a rainy, cold day. But we were prepared for rain or shine, and moved indoors. I never expected the huge crowd that attended! Young children, students, congregants, community members, musicians, senior citizens flocked to Temple Shalom in spite of the rainy day to hear our three featured bands.

Learn more at templeshalomky.org.

c. 2012 LEO Weekly

Getting involved with Ben Sollee

Here

Ben Sollee doesn’t just comb his hair, throw on a tie, and head out to the club. An average night for him is a unique event for everyone else.

Known for riding his bicycle (with cello onboard) to concerts, Sollee encourages fans to bike, walk or use public transport to get to his show. (“There will even be bike valet at some of the shows,” he notes.) Those who do will receive a $5 voucher toward his merchandise, “on the honor system.”

Sollee plans to “change up” Headliners a bit for his shows, adding seating options and different lighting.

Oh, and there’s also the music. He’s playing an octave mandolin on this tour, joined by bassist Luke Reynolds and percussionist Jordon Ellis … and a special guest or 12. (The serial collaborator joined numerous acts onstage at this summer’s My Morning Jacket-curated Forecastle Festival.)

The Lexington native has spent a lot of time in Louisville and has the fan base to show for it, as his two-night stand here proves. The most popular pop-R&B-classical-folk-rock singer-cellist in the world has just released his third full-length solo album, Half-Made Man, and buzz continues to build for Sollee. From Kentucky to NPR to Hollywood, it seems like a good time to be in the Ben Sollee business.

“That’s a wonderful hope, and expectation, to have,” Sollee says. “There’s no way to guarantee that, but I think if you go out and play a good show, and you connect with the community in those towns, there’s no way to not grow.”

Half-Made Man’s title song, in particular, reflects his ongoing growth process. Sollee thinks a lot about community and the role his work plays in it. A short film called “Wooden Box,” focusing on his school workshops, debuts at the Louisville International Festival of Film on Saturday afternoon.

The album was funded in less than 48 hours by 410 donations sourced through the Pledge Music site, many from Louisville (with some of the funds raised beyond the goal amount being donated to Oxfam America).

Having performed much of his earlier albums alone with multiple overdubs, Sollee this time spent two weeks in Louisville with a group of musicians at Kevin Ratterman’s studio, playing live-to-tape.

He’s pragmatic about the financial realities of his field, allowing that he, the artist, is also a “product.” Currently attempting to manage his business himself, the 28-year-old husband and father oversees every detail.

It’s not his first time around the track, and Sollee says he began learning how he wanted to make the industry work for him while touring with the successful Sparrow Quartet, alongside Bela Fleck, Abigail Washburn and Casey Drieesen, between 2005 and 2008. Too much time spent in airplanes (“lots of all-over-the-placeness”) led him to seek a slower, more sustainable path — though the game still occasionally requires, as it did last month, that he travel between places like Los Angeles, New York and Kentucky all within one week to publicize the new album.

Sollee attributes some of his insight to his work as a teen stagehand on Lexington’s “Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour,” where he was able to learn from hundreds of artists.

“I came into this industry having a really solid idea of what it meant to get involved in this … I had very realistic expectations when I came in. However, learning how to bend and manipulate yourself as quickly as the industry is changing is really, really tricky.”

Fans will note that his first solo album was titled Learning to Bend.

One artist he learned from was legendary singer and civil rights icon Odetta. They talked about stage presence, as well as social issues. “The impression she left on me was, you just have to tell your story and let folks get involved with it.”

If there’s any doubt left about what his story is, his Pledge Music profile describes him as “Cellist, Singer, Cyclist, Dad, Human.”

When you invest in his music, Sollee says, “I want people to know that it’s a locally made product that’s socially conscious, that has some ethics to it.”

Ben Sollee with Luke Reynolds
Oct. 5-6
Headliners Music Hall
1386 Lexington Road
headlinerslouisville.com
$20-$35; 8:30 p.m.

c. 2012 LEO Weekly

Make time for Alabama Shakes

Here

Small-town band enters a whirlwind of success

“Are there questions you’re sick of being asked?” LEO asks.

If there are questions Brittany Howard doesn’t want to be asked anymore, it’s questions such as How does it feel to go from a small town to stardom in a year? Has it been a whirlwind?

The 24-year-old singer for the breakout rock band of the year, Alabama Shakes, might be on the young side, but she’s a sharp character. Though willing to play the game to get her band’s music heard, she’s happier to talk about more everyday concerns.

Guessing as much, LEO asks if there are some questions she’d rather answer. Howard suggests, “What are your favorite foods?” “Who’s the best driver?” “Who snores the loudest?” and “Who got paid the most in their old job?”

When LEO spoke with her recently, she had been back home in Athens, Ala. (population: 20,000), for approximately one week. “I have no perception of time anymore,” laughs the former postal carrier, as she runs errands in her time between world tours.

Her band’s modernized fusion of soul and classic rock has won them fans like Adele, Jack White and Robert Plant; sold 300,000 copies of debut album Boys & Girls since April; and led to sold-out shows in numerous cities. “I think today’s Thursday, but I’m probably wrong. No, today’s Wednesday! I was close.”

Howard can walk around Athens relatively peacefully, but “it’s really hard to go grocery shopping … Any place where people congregate, you’re gonna get noticed.”

Surprisingly, people have been leaving her alone at bars, but “when you want to go to Wal-Mart and buy some toilet paper …” she laughs. “I’m usually taking photos of people who work there. I’m a curiosity when I go in there, I guess. People want to know, ‘What’s your world like?’ Pretty normal, I don’t know.”

Other popular questions: How did you guys get together? (They met in the Athens music scene). Why are you named Alabama Shakes? (They came up with the name “The Shakes,” then added their home to it when they realized another band had the same name.)

LEO: What are your favorite foods?
Brittany Howard: The best place to eat in Athens, it’s called Burrito Bus. It’s just a little Mexican lady in a bus who makes the best tortas. It seems, generally, we eat a lot of Mexican food on the road.

LEO: Who’s the best driver in the band?
BH: It’s probably gonna be Heath Fogg, our guitar player. Oh, my goodness! Heath Fogg is the most responsible driver … I don’t see good at night. (Drummer) Steve (Johnson) drives too fast. One time, we were going down this mountain and he was going 90 miles an hour. I went, “Dude! This is freaking me out.” I was in the front seat.

LEO: Who snores the loudest?
BH: (Bassist) Zach (Cockrell), for sure. Sometimes you get no sleep.

LEO: Who got paid more at their old job?
BH: Probably Steve. He made the most money. He worked at a nuclear power plant. He had to go through a lot of tests. It’s not easy to get a security clearance to work at a nuclear power plant! (laughs) It’s funny, a rock ’n’ roll drummer with security clearance.

Alabama Shakes with Fly Golden Eagle and Riley Downing
Monday, Oct. 8
Brown Theatre
315 W. Broadway
kentuckycenter.org
$25; 8 p.m.

c. 2012 LEO Weekly

album review: Rayna Gellert

Rayna Gellert
Old Light
STORYSOUND

Fiddler Rayna Gellert is known for her playing with the modern old-timey group Uncle Earl (which also included Abigail Washburn, and whose last record was produced by Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones; both remain fans and collaborators of hers), and for work with Scott Miller, Sara Watkins and Robyn Hitchcock. On Old Light, subtitled Songs From My Childhood & Other Gone Worlds, Gellert takes all she’s learned to date (including inspiration from musical parents) to turn out a world-class collection. Louisville’s own Nathan Salsburg helped arrange much of the album, and it balances old traditions with new energy and freshness. Like Gillian Welch and friends in Tennessee, Gellert’s North Carolina-based crew brings beauty and sadness, simplicity and widescreen sonic effects, together in a way that should — but sadly, doesn’t — define modern American music.

c. 2012 LEO Weekly