Angela Fitzpatrick: Pianist

The music is always around you, even in the bathroom.

Von Maur at Oxmoor Center employs four pianists, who perform in three-hour shifts on a Yamaha standing on a large rug near the front escalators. Ninety-year-old Angela Fitzpatrick was the first the store hired 13 years ago, and she still works five days a week. On this November afternoon, the 4-foot-11-inch Fitzpatrick (“More like four-six these days,” she says, laughing) wears a black jacket over a red sweater and a plaid skirt that spills over the piano bench. The dress code: Women wear dresses or blouses and skirts (no pantsuits or slacks); men wear ties. No hats. No singing. No accepting tips. Fitzpatrick is a subtle rainbow, her eyes somewhere between blue and green, her long hair a blondish color. She always cleans the piano before sitting. “I insist on it,” she says. "It’s not because of the associates that I play with, it’s the people that play when we’re not here!”

The Connecticut native has been playing piano for 85 years. “My mother was a very fine pianist,” she says. “She would have been a classical pianist if she hadn’t married my father.” Fitzpatrick graduated from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, in the 1940s and became a wife, mother and music educator. Beginning in 1976, she spent 15 years as a classical-radio DJ and station manager in upstate New York. Upon moving to Louisville to be close to her son, she landed a job at classical WUOL, where she stayed for a decade.

The pianists choose what to perform, a freedom that has kept Fitzpatrick, Ruth Gilbert (12 years) and Marla Kay Kosnik (10 years) around. Speakers throughout the store play their various styles: Fitzpatrick is fond of lush movie music from Henry Mancini and Michel Legrand. Gilbert likes show tunes. Kosnik prefers baby-boomer pop. Chuck Mink — the lone man — is jazzier and doesn’t like sheet music. Fitzpatrick also plays themes, such as a 40-minute set of weather-related songs that she calls “The Weather Report,” from Gershwin’s “A Foggy Day” to Harold Arlen’s “Come Rain or Come Shine.” “What I enjoy most about this job,” Fitzpatrick says, “is being able to bring music to more people.”

c. 2015 Louisville Magazine.

Funny ways to cheat on your partners: Louisville Improvisors and friends team up for one-person shows

Louisville Improvisors Alec Volz, Brian Hinds and Chris Anger

Stand-up comedians are solitary animals because their parents didn’t show them enough love, say those who have studied funny people in their element, while sketch and improv performers come from happy families where their parents were maybe a little too supportive.

In improv, the comedy family that plays together stays together. So it’s surprising to hear that the latest production by the long-running Louisville Improvisors group is “Single Shots,” a two-evening festival of solo theater. The shows take place Friday and Saturday, Nov. 20-21, at The Bard’s Town, a home away from home for the troupe. Why solo, Improvisors?

“Actually, this is a total group effort,” clarifies Chris Anger, the artistic director and a co-founder of LI and the star of one of this weekend’s shows, the hour-long “Animal Farm.” This vehicle is the finale of his trilogy of autobiographical shows.

“Animal Farm” is directed by Alec Volz, another LI member and co-founder. Volz, who directed Anger’s earlier solo shows, will direct two other shows during this festival. Third member Brian Hinds stars in the 20-minute-long “Karen.” Even when they go solo, the LI can’t get away from each other.

“We’re very much about staying busy and creative,” Anger tells Insider. “We don’t ever want to get locked in or boxed into just doing one thing. One of the best ways to avoid that is to generate your own work, which is what we are all about.”

From this festival to other ventures, he says, including their podcast “What Happens Next” or live fake radio show “The Buddy Gilm Show” or “Late Night Shakes,” their improvised Shakespeare show, when they’re inspired, they apply improv’s golden rule of agreeing with what’s been presented and continuing down that path: “Once we find an idea we like, we ‘Yes, and’ the hell out of it,” says Anger.

“Chris, Alec and I have improvised hundreds of scenes together over the past four years,” says Hinds. “In that time, we have developed a hell of a trust and chemistry, which ideally comes out of longtime collaboration. These solo pieces are a great way to expand and enhance that collaboration. We won’t be on stage together, but Alec is directing us both, and Chris and I have sat in on the other’s rehearsals and offered feedback.”

Volz adds, “We’re still team players. It’s just that our roles have changed. We’re still all in the same rehearsal room … each of us has a lot of input into each piece.”

For the trio, one exciting aspect of this event involves bringing other partners into their intimate relationship. Comedian Raanan Hershberg revives his show “Crying Behind 3-D Glasses,” which explores his love of pop culture as an adult, while “Karen” is an original commission by playwright Tad Chitwood (directed by Volz) about a man reacting to a break-up. And just when you thought it was all about men, there’s “Agatha,” written and performed by Melinda Beck (and also directed by Volz).

“I love the chance to work on new scripts and to work with playwrights,” Volz adds. “Chris and Tad have both written amazing pieces for this festival. With Chris, it’s been the chance to see the culmination of what I’ve been calling ‘The Green Chimneys Plays.’ He is an extremely insightful writer and has a great eye for detail. And our wives think we’re really married to each other.”

“From working together for the last 16-plus years, Alec knows me really well,” says Anger. “He knows my voice and how I write, so he can tell me if I’m heading in the right direction. If I tried to bring someone else in, we certainly wouldn’t have the history and trust that Alec and I have built up over the years.”

When the trio devised their festival, they wanted to do different things without asking an audience to stick around for too many hours, so they’ve divided the mostly short shows up, with two performances at 8 and 10 p.m. each night. The Bard’s Town’s Doug Schutte liked their idea immediately and signed on as a co-presenter.

It’s clear that while our world may be filled with strife in many ways, there are a few folks in Louisville who have found a happy home together.

“It’s a great little intimate theater where everybody can tell their stories intimately,” says Volz. “It’s about as close as you can get to having Raanan, Chris, Melinda or Brian sitting in a booth with you telling you such an interesting, involving story that you forget to pick up the dog from daycare.”

“Single Shots” runs at 8 and 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 20-21, at The Bard’s Town, 1801 Bardstown Road. Tickets are $15 for each time slot, or $25 for both. Click here to see a schedule and/or buy tickets.

c. 2015 Insider Louisville

Teddy Abrams and the Orchestra gear up for ‘Kaddish to Klezmer’ and the first-ever ‘Louisville Concerto’

“I don’t know if I told you I was performing at Whitney Hall Oct 23rd and 24th with the Louisville Orchestra,” rapper JaLin Roze recently shared with his social media followers.

It’s not a typical gig for Roze, even though he’s considered among the best in his genre across the region. That’s precisely the type of disconnect Louisville Orchestra music director Teddy Abrams was looking to fix when he conceived of the Orchestra’s collaborative “Louisville Concerto,” which premieres at the Kentucky Center for the Arts on Friday, Oct. 23.

Roze is part of a quartet of native Louisville musicians who make up the two-shows-only “Louisville Concerto.” He’s joined by violinist Scott Moore, who has performed with the bluegrass band the 23 String Band and alongside Ben Sollee and Jim James; influential and internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Will Oldham; and percussionist Dani Markham, who has been touring with the Oakland-based experimental rock band Tune-Yards.

“None of them have worked together, which is particularly cool,” notes Abrams of the “group solo piece for four soloists.”

The youthful Abrams, now into his second season, passionately approaches his orchestra as a vital, living creature. Markham says she hadn’t met him before but had “heard great things” as she traveled around the world. Abrams sought out her cell number and texted her to ask if she would be interested in collaborating on the project. The “Concerto” features the Orchestra backing the quartet as they each perform a piece they feel connected to.

“My mind was blown,” says Markham, who had been planning to return to Louisville during October after her tour ended. “I had just been thinking about trying to collaborate with orchestras … It really came at a perfect time.”

Abrams also made a good impression by visiting with Markham’s alma matter, the Louisville Leopard Percussionists youth performance group, where she also teaches whenever possible. Abrams has earned that respect by tirelessly reaching out to community members east and west, in churches and synagogues, and with musicians in many genres.

“I love how it’s been working so far,” the northern California native Abrams says of his Louisville adventure. When he started, he says he knew there was potential for bringing crowds, especially younger and more diverse crowds, back to the Louisville Orchestra that had not been met yet. Now, “people are following it in a way that they would also follow a sports team, or something else they’re passionate about.”

Abrams — who conducts and also plays piano and clarinet — delights in pushing musical boundaries, balancing the popular and the progressive. It’s a tradition that goes back with this orchestra to 1948, when Mayor Charles Farnsley decided that modern composers would receive commissions to create new music to be played first by the Louisville Orchestra.

But Abrams says it’s a work in progress. “You can’t immediately rip open people’s expectations, because that’s when you can alienate people instead of bringing them all together. And that’s what I’m trying to do.”

When we spoke on Wednesday, he was driving to New Albany to talk about this weekend’s neighborhood concerts, including performances Saturday night (at the Ogle Center at IUS) and Sunday afternoon (at The Temple in Louisville’s East End) of “Kaddish to Klezmer.” (A Friday night performance at Central High School has been postponed).

The focus in “Kaddish to Klezmer” is on a variety of Jewish composers, covering ground from show tunes to jazz to folk music written by icons Irving Berlin and George Gershwin as well as lesser-known composers.

“It’s one of those crazy days that’s part of a crazy week, and becoming part of a crazy season, too,” Abrams says. “But it’s good … that means we’re doing something, which is how it should be.”

The Louisville Orchestra is leaving their home and traveling to more neighborhood locations this year than last year, having seen an overwhelmingly positive response to the experiment during Abrams’ introductory season. As audiences have increased, so has financial support, through ticket sales and underwriting, giving them increased viability in an era that has been notoriously difficult for arts groups everywhere.

“We’ll never be 100 percent comfortable. Nonprofits don’t exist like that,” he says. The message he’s trying to spread is that there’s always room for more people to come and enjoy their orchestra.

“You have to remember, our government does not support the arts to the extent I think a) they should, or b) they can,” Abrams says. “But it’s a two-way street. We need to show them why they should support us, and that’s what we’ve been working on — changing that whole image and connection with the public.”

“Kaddish to Klezmer” takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17, at the IUS Ogle Center, and at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18, at The Temple. “Louisville Concerto” takes place at 11 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, and 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Kentucky Center for the Arts. For tickets and more information, go to louisvilleorchestra.org.

c. 2015 Insider Louisville

A Man of Wealth and Taste

Patrick Wensink has lived in Louisville for several years. During that time, his career as a savvy detailer of our absurd world has only grown, including an episode where he publicly tangoed with the Jack Daniel’s corporation. He told me about his latest novel and what’s ahead.

Q: Let’s pretend I haven’t read your new novel, because most people reading this interview probably haven’t yet. What’s it about?
A: It’s pretty much a direct rip-off of Hemingway. Fake Fruit Factory is about the fourth-youngest mayor in America, Bo Rutili, and the small town in Ohio he is in charge of, Dyson. Dyson is bankrupt and needs money quickly. Just about this time, NASA informs Bo that a satellite is going to crash right on top of his sleepy little village. Suddenly, Dyson has more national attention than it knows what to do with, but it might not matter if the town gets wiped off the map. Oh, also, there is a lotto millionaire, an ex-opera star turned sheriff, a Civil War reenactment buff and a mysteriously generous mummy all making trouble for Bo as he tries to save his town … same premise as Old Man and the Sea, really.

Q: Gee, that sounds fantastic! How did you get the idea?
A: My books usually come from blending together several ideas, not just a single one. I started writing Fake Fruit Factory over five years ago. At the time, I was freelancing for a very shady hotel-booking site run out of England. My job was to write profiles on over 400 towns in California and about 300 in New York for British visitors, so they’d know what to do if they were stuck in Cupertino, California or something. I saw a lot of small towns with a lot of history and independent spirit sort of desperately scratching for tourist dollars, trying to stay afloat. I wrote about the Gilroy Garlic Festival and a parade in upstate New York where they throw toys at people, and weird attempts to stay alive.

It reminded me of my own hometown, Deshler, Ohio, which has a population of about 2,000 and has fallen on fairly hard times since I was a kid. Deshler doesn’t have anything that could bring in tourists, though. So I wondered, what would they do if they tried to stimulate the economy since a lot of the industry has dried up and people are moving to bigger cities? Finally, I read about a satellite that crashed in the Australian Outback and it grabbed my attention. Standing alone, those three things weren’t much of a story, but when I thought of combining them, it gave me the fuel to start the book.

Q: I was walking down the street the other day and heard some ladies talking about how you recently signed a deal to write a pair of books for children. Is that true?
A: What part of town do you walk in where women discuss these sorts of things and when should I be there? Yes, I am insanely proud that HarperCollins, who published kid-lit geniuses like Shel Silverstein, Maurice Sendek and Margaret Wise Brown, made some sort of clerical error and offered me a two-book deal for picture books. The first one is called Go Go Gorillas. It’s about trouble-making apes who would rather dance than go to bed. It’ll be out in the summer of 2017.

Q: At one point on your own Wikipedia page, you are called “Peter Wensink.” What’s the best part about being a successful writer?
A: Being a hugely successful writer like me is pretty great. I mean, my private jet is a gas hog and it’s getting really hard to find a decent set of monogrammed silk pajamas, but I struggle onward somehow. Honestly, I am insanely fortunate for whatever modest success I have had so far. I have now had five books published – one of them became a bestseller – and The New Yorker once wrote one whole entire sentence about me! Plus, I haven’t had a regular office job in about eight years. I am a lucky person.

Patrick Wensink will read at the September installment of the InKY series at The Bard’s Town on Friday, September 11.

Photo by Leah Wensink.

c. 2015 The Voice-Tribune

Mo Money, Less Problems

Part boutique, part gallery, Revelry has succeeded as both. But it wasn’t always easy – their original location in the Highlands on Barret Avenue suffered from the closure of neighbor Lynn’s Paradise Café, which led to their current location on East Market Street in NuLu.

Fueled by a mission to make local art accessible and further supported by sales of handmade jewelry, home decor, screenprints, photography, gifts and more, Revelry boss Mo McKnight Howe is celebrating her fifth year in business this Saturday evening from 7 to 10 p.m. with a party and new art featuring Mike Maydak’s “Heritage” exhibition. Maydak was an artist who took a chance on showing at the fledgling business from its earliest days, and this weekend’s activities will highlight how both the art and the business have evolved at Revelry. I caught up with Howe to ask why, where, which and when.

Q: How has a unique, locally focused business survived in these crazy times?
A: Hard work, a local-loving community and a new location. It’s not always easy, but no small business is. Louisville has a wealth of incredible artistic talent and a strong contingent of people who support local arts and business.

Q: Have you learned some painful lessons along the way? Was the post-Lynn’s period on Baxter the worst of times for the shop?
A: Every small business owner goes through thin, challenging times. Every day is a lesson. Moving to NuLu drastically changed the course for Revelry. It’s been an incredible journey, and the future for Rev is bright.

Q: Who are some of your personal favorite artists who have shown and/or sold there?
A: Right now, Ewa Perz is killing the oil game. She just dropped off 10 of her newest oil paintings and I covet them all. Julio Cesar, a master oil painter, is constantly going to impress me with what he is creating. And, of course, Lyndi Lou, who helps me curate quite a few shows at Revelry, is always going to be a favorite. Honestly, we have over 115 hand-selected artists showing in here at one time. We chose them because we love their work and admire their talent. They are all my favorite!

Q: Tell us about Mike Maydak and his relationship with the business.
A: Mike Maydak was the first artist we featured at Revelry’s grand opening five years ago. He’s most known for his painting of an exaggerated 400 W. Main building (the Aegon building), which sold the night of the grand opening. I asked him to come back for the five-year anniversary to go full circle with this thing. I’m looking forward to showing his newest paintings and prints.

Q: What kind of special treats will you be sharing with the people to celebrate this big birthday?
A: Five days of discounts leading up to the anniversary. We never do discounts because it’s hard with handmade things, but we want to say thanks to everyone who has supported us over the years! We will also have cupcakes, drinks and a special art project for those who want to partake. Should be a night of revelry! Get it?

Q: How do you feel about the evolution of the NuLu area? Has it peaked or is there still more room for growth?
A: NuLu’s growth is far from over. Louisville’s urban core is key to the city’s growth, and NuLu is the natural gateway to a downtown that’s rapidly evolving. There’s five new businesses opening here in the next month! It’s an exciting time to be a part of this community. My husband Scotty and I recently bought a home in Butchertown and have fully embraced NuLu, both professionally and personally. I’m glad we made the move.

Q: Where do you buy art outside of Revelry?
A: I buy art in all sorts of places. I bought a small Shane Hull two weeks ago at Chuck Swanson’s because I like supporting other local galleries. I’ll pick up pieces at Mudpies Studio, the Flea, Louisville Visual Art to support them, and I buy art when I travel to remember the places I’ve been. Scotty and I are still working on our collection; we’ve got a long way to go!

Photo by Sarah Katherine Davis for LVA.

c. 2015 The Voice-Tribune

Yum! Grasping the Grales

Gralehaus opened in the Highlands over one year ago, joining sibling the Holy Grale in a morning-to-night celebration of great food and drinks. We caught up with Lori Rae Beck, co-owner with Tyler Trotter of both businesses and the Louisville Beer Store, to discuss upcoming events, the planned B&B aspect of Gralehaus and more.

Q: How was Gralehaus’ first year? What important lessons were learned?
A: I couldn’t be more proud of our first year! Our crew is solid right now and our management team, Andy Myers and Leslee Macpherson, are total rock stars! Everything Andy does in the kitchen is done right, no corners cut, and everything he makes is delicious. Leslee’s ability to concoct beverages is unparalleled; whether it be coffee, tea, soda or beer, she always surprises you with her creativity and whimsy. As far as lessons go, I’ve learned so much about coffee, especially from the folks in Chicago at Intelligentsia. Oh, and I also painfully learned what it means to gut a three-story house down to the studs and remodel the whole thing for a hybrid business (laughs).

Q: When will Gralehaus’ upstairs B&B be open to the public?
A: We are so close, so very soon … we just did a test run and have a few more things to address … we just want to do it right! They are beautiful, and we can’t wait to share them with our guests.

Q: Tell us about the ongoing “Hot Sünner Nights” series.
A: Tyler and I love drinking Kölsch in Cologne, Germany. I mean, who doesn’t want to drink little slender glasses of the freshest ale in the world, one after another, while your köbe harasses you to drink more and marks your coaster for every beer drank? This is the third season of us doing our best to “imitate” the authentic Kölsch service in Cologne right here in Louisville. We offer it on Wednesday and Thursday evenings in the Gralegarten starting at 6 p.m., and sometimes, to accompany all that Kölsch drinking, “Doghaus” pops-up to serve up house-ground sausages.

Q: Tell us about the upcoming dinner with Moody Tongue on August 14, and your relationship with them.
A: Moody Tongue beers lend themselves so well to culinary application and are designed to do so, with ales like “Caramelized Chocolate Churro Porter” and Lemon Steeped Saison.” Chef Andy and brewer Jared Rouben have collaboratively decided to do a “breakfast for dinner”-style beer dinner, where they will be recontextualizing some of our classic breakfast plates and presenting them alongside Moody Tongue in a wholly new form.

Q: What are some of the best pairing events you’ve done?
A: I’d have to say the famous music, beer, and food pairing event with musician Will Oldham, Sam Calagione – owner of Dogfish Head – and Holy Grale chef Josh Lehman, “Holy Trinity,” at Holy Grale. You would have had to be there to believe me, but I and others were actually moved to tears. Somehow, the convergence of sound and the taste and aroma of food and beer, mixed in with the joy of all those around you, resulted in an unforgettable emotional and enlightening experience.

Q: You and Tyler are going to Europe soon. What do you hope to accomplish on that trip for your business?
A: The first part of our trip, we will be zipping through Northwest Italy visiting some of our favorite Italian breweries. For the second part, we are being hosted by one of our favorite importers, Artisanal, on a trip to Belgium visiting several breweries that we have never been to before. Things to accomplish? Have fun, drink great beer, learn more and make new friends along the way!

Q: I hear everyone in NuLu and the Highlands will be moving to Portland very soon. When will you open your first Portland location?
A: Not planning on opening anything new anytime soon. I think it is important to do the best with what you already have. Right now, we are just trying to button up everything to the best of our ability and get all three of our operations running tightly, remaining profitable and being good to our staff and customers along the way. But who knows! When opportunity knocks, it is hard to not open the door.

c. 2015 The Voice-Tribune

The Re-evolution Has Begun

Skyscraper Stereo, one of the most popular hip-hop acts in Louisville music history, returns with their latest full-length, Scrape or Die!, this week with a release show on Friday at the New Vintage. The Voice-Tribune connected with crew member Daniel Guess, a.k.a. Goodbar, to learn what’s up.

Q: How was your Forecastle?
A: Forecastle was perfect. I didn’t know that the city of Louisville was ready to receive a collective of homegrown hip-hop artists in that capacity. I underestimated what we could accomplish as a unit. That was a milestone for Louisville hip-hop as a whole, not just for the acts chosen to perform that particular set. Dr. Dundiff’s selfless act created a movement. The majority of us have collaborated and supported one another on some level or another, but on that stage we became a family.

Q: Which year has been better for you so far, 1995 or 2015?
A: I feel like 1995 was an amazing year altogether for the entertainment industry and those who wanted to be entertained. It just so happens that we have a song on Scrape or Die! entitled “Party Like ’95” where we each confess our obsession for pop culture, music, clothing and the like from ’95. The hook may or may not reference the O.J. Simpson trial … and, yes … he was innocent.

All jokes aside, with our fourth LP on the stove, that epic Forecastle experience a few weeks ago and the thriving Louisville hip-hop scene as a whole, this year has been very prosperous so far as well.

Q: How did each group member contribute to make this record what it is? What’s everyone best at?
A: Chuck MF Deuce (CMFD) is the quarterback when it comes to Skyscraper Stereo … Dat Boi Dunn (DBD) and I typically go into Skyscraper recording sessions with eager ears, open minds and lots of blind faith. It’s not uncommon for the two of us to hear something Chuck is working on and think, “Where is he going with this?” or “How am I supposed to rap to this?” The irony is that most of the tracks we’re apprehensive about end up being our favorites when we hear the finished product … Chuck is constantly looking to improve as a musician. For this album, he decided to stray away from sampling. Legally, that’s a great idea, but it will also help him to develop a signature sound. He also told us that he wants every song on this album to be a single. Maybe I’m a little biased, but he may have actually pulled that off!

CMFD provided the backdrop and his stories about high school crushes and sucka emcees. DBD and myself polished up our metaphors about sex, drugs and Nike SBs. And the product was Scrape or Die! DBD is the personality of the group. Whether it’s his stage presence or catchy hooks - which he can come up with in his sleep - he’s just an undeniably lovable guy. Don’t confuse that for lack of lyrical prowess, though. Ya boy gets right … His progression is evident on this new album. As far as I’m concerned, I’m the lyricist. I’m very humble, but a few people have told me I’m pretty decent at what I do. Who am I to argue? Nothing out of the ordinary from me on this album, as far as what I offer. Just the usual under-your-ground, over-your-head raw.

The beauty of Skyscraper, in my personal opinion, is we have polar-opposite musical influences, but somehow we mesh. Everyone contributed their all to this project. I can’t forget about AK, our DJ. He has a cameo on the album and we’re thankful that he’s behind us, literally and figuratively.

Q: The production on Scrape or Die! sounds more pop to me than previous albums. Are you guys trying to expand your audience this way, or is it a more natural progression (a re-evolution)?
A: I think it’s more of CMFD broadening his horizons as a producer. Rap music has never even really been his first choice of genre. He plays a mean guitar (check the solo on “Ya Boy Gets Right”). We welcome a wider demographic, but at the same time, we don’t want to lose loyal fans by changing our formula. After all, that’s the definition of selling out. It’s safe to call it a re-evolution.

c. 2015 The Voice-Tribune

The Education of Sister Sweet Epiphany

As a novice sister in the Derby City Sisters, a group of “radical fun-loving nuns whose mission is to raise funds and spread joy throughout the LGBTQ community,” Shawn Wallace was tasked with creating a project that would benefit others. “I have so many names,” Wallace laughs, when asked how to identify him. “You can just call me by my Sister name if you want, Sister Sweet Epiphany.”

“Trans Awareness: United As One” is the event he organized, happening this Friday, July 31 at 7 p.m. at the Mercury Ballroom downtown. “I’m super, super excited about it,” says Wallace.

Wallace has acted as an informal consultant for parents confused about their children who have discussed transitioning. Many have wanted to be supportive but were scared and didn’t know where to start. Wallace is one who knows where they can go to get help and education.

“Of course, once Caitlyn Jenner came out, it really put the spotlight on the trans community,” Wallace says. “People are still uneducated – I was uneducated. There’s a lot of the LGB community that is uneducated, and this is a prime opportunity that’s in our face right now. We need to educate while we can. Because otherwise, the trans community’s going to be pushed to the side again.”

“It seems like it’s always been concentrated on the L, the G and the B – now it’s time to bring the T in and unite as one.”

The night will feature Phoenix, a drag queen from Atlanta who competed on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” as well as many local drag performers, speakers – including trans youth from the Louisville Youth Group – and booths for supportive businesses. Based on early positive response, Wallace hopes to make it an annual event.

Wallace, who grew up on a tobacco farm near Elizabethtown, has a close friend, Trista Ray, who transitioned several years ago. She and her wife had a baby in 2009, and Wallace says he acted as “the dad” for a period, visiting doctors with the women sometimes because they were afraid of how they would otherwise be perceived.

We’ve grown in leaps and bounds since then, he says, noting that trans-positive and educated physicians from the University of Louisville will be among the featured guests Friday. But Wallace was inspired to put this night together when he realized that he had never seen an event like this before here.

“Education saves lives. If people aren’t educated, they’re going to continue to hate without realizing that they’re hating…as odd as that sounds, that’s really how it is.”

Wallace has always felt comfortable in his regular performance character, whom he calls a “gay sideshow zombie performer,” testing limits and confusing people gleefully. “At Forecastle, I walked around as Shawna. Everybody – straight, gay, man, woman – when I got that eye contact, they were, like, ‘What is that?’ I’d give them a big hug. ‘You’re scary but you’re beautiful!’ A lot of the straight guys shocked me. They were, like, ‘You know, my girl’s been getting hit on all day long. You’re the first person to tell me I’m beautiful.’ It was a really cool experience.”

But when he was younger, it wasn’t always so cool. Around the time of the Columbine shootings, Wallace found his name on a hit list because he was gay. He and a few others were pulled out of school for a day but then returned. Nothing much came of the incident then, but Wallace says the person he is today would make sure local news organizations were made aware of such a situation.

“This has been an amazing journey for me, to walk around and meet the community and hear stories of what the trans community has gone through…If we don’t get out there and fight for them and tell them how much they’re loved – there’s so much suicide in the trans community right now. They don’t realize that they’re loved. They don’t realize that they’re supported. They’re struggling financially because it’s hard for them to be their selves at jobs. The idea of this event is to bring all of those organizations together that support the trans community, and will educate the rest of the community.”

c. 2015 The Voice-Tribune

Fisherman’s Friends

White Reaper, one of the most famous rock bands to ever emerge from the humble backwater of Louisville, is doing it again with this week’s release of their official debut album, White Reaper Does It Again. Issued on vinyl, CD, cassette and digitally by Polyvinyl Records in the U.S. and Royal Mountain Records in Canada, its birth is being celebrated by the youthful quartet with shows at Headliners Music Hall on Saturday and the Forecastle Festival on Sunday.

In this exclusive interview, guitarist/vocalist Tony Esposito gave us an update on some of the all-male band’s recent adventures, their philosophies and the album about which NPR said, “You’ll be combing it out of your hair for weeks.”

Q: Are you taking your recent success for granted?
TE: Obviously.

Q: How much fun do you have on a Tuesday night?
TE: Is it Tuesday?

Q: Did you enjoy meeting Spongebob?
TE: You know how sometimes when you meet your idols they turn out to be pretty rude? Not the case here. You see, Sponge was a real class act, as well as his buddy Patrick. They were very nice, very down to earth, and they didn’t act like we were wasting their time. Great group of guys.

Q: You’ve spent a lot of the past couple of years on the road. What are some lessons learned from other bands? What have you learned from regular people?
TE: Greg from Deerhoof told us that when you check into a hotel, you should ask for a “late checkout.” Typically, these places want you gone by 11 a.m. or something like that, which doesn’t seem early, but we usually don’t get to check in until about 2 a.m. But if you ask for a late checkout, you can sleep in a little longer.

Q: Do you enjoy playing in small-to-midsized cities in places like Utah and Iowa?
TE: It really depends. A lot of small cities are college towns, and when you play there over the summer, no one is there because they all left school and went home. But if you play these places in the spring or fall, they can be really great. Small cities are nice, though, because parking is a piece of cake.

Q: Has Royal Mountain Records been good to you?
TE: Royal Mountain Records have been incredible so far. They came to our show the last time we played Brooklyn in May, and that’s when we met them. One of the heads of the label – his name is Menno – he gave me what’s called a “Fisherman’s Friend,” which is a Canadian throat lozenge (available for sale on Amazon.com). We gave them some beers, they gave us some beers, we hit it off instantly. We’re super excited to be working with those guys.

Q: How much immense, overwhelming pressure does the band feel about playing record release shows in their hometown that have to be THE GREATEST EVER?
TE: Crippling – no, DEVASTATING pressure. Just pulling your leg, man. We actually look forward to playing shows in Louisville more than we look forward to playing shows anywhere else because people have known us for so long that the shows are just so much fun no matter what. We actually didn’t really get to play a release show last year because we were out west when the record came out, so we’re really excited about these shows.

Q: You’ve been written about by a few “music writers” who seem dismissive of Louisville and of Kentucky, and who want to keep labeling you as representing certain genres you never defined for yourself. Is that frustrating? Is it worth it?
TE: It’s a little frustrating, I guess, but there’s just really nothing we can do about it. They can overlook Louisville if they want to, but they’re obviously wrong, and they’re not going to change our opinion. There’s a ton of great bands in town, like Jaye Jayle, Tropical Trash, Vaderbomb … and on top of that, everybody is friends with each other. If you sat down and worried about what a bunch of other people thought or what other people said, you’d probably lose a lot of sleep.

Photo by Michael Powell

c. 2015 The Voice-Tribune

The Potential of Patrick

Filmmaker Zach Meiners’ second feature, I Am Potential, celebrates the life of one of Louisville’s most inspiring citizens, musician Patrick Henry Hughes. Hughes was born without eyes and unable to walk, but he rose to national fame through his performances with U of L’s marching band, having been helped by his father pushing his wheelchair on the field. The family has since appeared on several TV shows, and Hughes published his autobiography in 2008.

Q: Why did you want to have the world premiere screening in Patrick Henry’s hometown, instead of New York or L.A. where his story is lesser known?
ZM: The reason why I wanted I Am Potential to premiere in Louisville is because this is where the story began. Patrick Henry has inspired many from around the globe. That all started in Louisville, and I think it’s fitting that the movie spreads from here as well.

Q: Where did you film in Louisville? Did any city leaders help you achieve this production?
ZM: We worked with city officials and LMPD to film a large driving scene on I-65 in downtown. The challenge with this scene was it takes place in 1988, so we had to intermittently stop traffic on I-65 so that only ’80s cars were seen on the highway. We also worked with UofL’s administration and Athletic Office to film some large scenes at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.

Q: You know, the name Meiners means a lot in local media.
ZM: Yes, I am Terry’s nephew. He actually was one of the first to introduce Patrick Henry on TV at “The WHAS Crusade for Children.” Patrick John Hughes – Patrick Henry’s dad – plays Terry Meiners as a cameo in the “Crusade” scene of the movie.

Q: Did Patrick John or any other family work with you to shape the story?
ZM: We kept the Hughes family involved throughout the process of writing the script. While they weren’t physically writing anything, their input was essential to me. This is the first script that I wrote that was based on a true story. Having characters that are not only real but are alive – and you can sit and have lunch with them – that adds pressure. But it was a great process.

Q: Is there any one part of Patrick Henry’s story that is most inspiring?
ZM: We really follow Patrick John’s story throughout the movie. Patrick John had to drop his own preconceived plans and dreams for his son so that he could see Patrick’s own potential. That journey is what attracted me to this story and that continues to inspire me.

Q: Does Patrick Henry’s religious faith inform how you told his story?
ZM: Patrick’s faith comes across when you meet him. But he doesn’t preach to you or hit you over the head with anything. The movie is the same way. It’s just a window into their life and who they are.

Q: How did you cast the roles, especially the lead?
ZM: Casting was tricky, especially for Patrick. Beverly Holloway was our casting director in L.A. She and her staff went through thousands of audition tapes. Jimmy Bellinger rose to the top. He just embodied and was Patrick Henry. You forgot you were watching an actor. Working with Burgess Jenkins was incredible. Jama Williamson comes from more of a comedy background, but because of that, she brought an incredible depth to the role of Patricia that was amazing. Patricia’s story has gone mostly untold, so I cannot wait for people to see her in this movie. We also had an incredible supporting cast with Lance Nichols, Judge Reinhold and so many others.

Q: I met Judge Reinhold once, and he was a character, just like fans would assume. Did you get any good Judge stories out of this?
ZM: Judge Reinhold was awesome to work with. He is a character in real life and brings so much to his characters.

Q: What’s next for you?
ZM: I currently run a production company based in Louisville called Chronicle Cinema. I’m always working, and there are exciting things ahead – gotta love NDAs. Overall, I just can’t wait for audiences to see I Am Potential. I hope that people are inspired by Patrick’s story as they see the story in a whole new way.

c. 2015 The Voice-Tribune

Clearing the Airs

Pianist, composer and arranger Rachel Grimes has connected the dots between independent rock and modern classical music for over two decades now, influencing a generation in the process. Grimes’ latest release is a solo album, The Clearing, which finds her collaborating with several old and new friends, including members of her bands Rachel’s and King’s Daughters & Sons.

She says The Clearing reflects her many musical interests more completely than recent solo efforts, piecing together works composed between 2009 and 2014. Grimes and her current ensemble will perform at the Kentucky Center on Friday, June 26.

Q: This is your second solo album, and it’s definitely different from the first. Can you tell me about how writing the new album went in such a different direction?
Rachel Grimes: I have been experimenting with many different ensembles and processes for making new music over the last several years – usually beginning with improvising at the piano, then ideas for specific instruments come out of that process. I make sketches with pencil and then move to Sibelius to arrange the parts for other instruments. Most of the time I have several pieces of music in development, flowing along at different rates.

Between 2011 and 2014, I had several other large creative projects that consumed a lot of my time, so some of these chamber pieces sat dormant for a bit. In between, I was developing more solo piano music and touring. Eventually, a collection of pieces for an album was evident to me, and then it was a question of finalizing the scores, getting the recordings and finding a pleasing sequence. I developed “The Airs” last spring to be connective tissue, weaving in and out around the larger chamber works.

Q: This time, you bring in members of Rachel’s and King’s Daughters & Sons, and Temporary Residence is releasing the album. If a Louisvillian makes music without bringing in their old friends, did it even happen?
RG: I am so happy to be working with (label owner) Jeremy (deVine), another hometown guy. He has been in New York for quite a while now and has a very deeply developed sense for the music business. It is such a pleasure to make music with friends, and sometimes I write moments in the music just for them, like with the viola solo in “Transverse Plane Horizontal” for Christian Frederickson. That said, I also met and worked with several people from far-flung places on this album: an engineer from Brussels, a string trio from Amsterdam and one of my favorite recording artists from Vancouver, Loscil.

Q: How did you start working with Loscil, and how much did he add to this?
RG: In the spring of 2014, I had been introduced to Scott Morgan via email, and being a huge fan of his work, I unabashedly asked him if he would consider working on the “Airs” to help create that unique atmosphere I was imagining. I was delighted when he said yes, and we exchanged music files most of the summer of 2014 to create the six “Airs.” My idea was for Scott to process, or as I called it, “Loscilize,” the existing individual tracks of violin, piano, strings to expand the soundscape, giving an ambient background to the acoustic tracks in the foreground. He also brought new shape to some of the short songs, adding intros and endings.

Q: What other collaborations have you enjoyed in the past few years, and where have you traveled?
RG: I have loved going to Europe, and last fall to Japan and Taiwan. I just returned from sitting in for three shows in Portland and Seattle with the Portland Cello Project. I arranged several of my songs for their group: 10 cellos, two trumpets, bass and drums. Had a great time writing a suite of pieces with cellist Julia Kent for a visual art exhibit in Belfast called “Doppelgänger,” by Peter Liversidge. I have written some music with the band ästrid from Nantes, France, and last spring we got to perform those songs with Sylvain Chauveau singing on several of them. Also, really having a romp with actor Chris Wells creating a musical theatre piece centered around his memoir.

Photo by Jessie Kriech-Higdon.

c. 2015 The Voice-Tribune

Swift Boat

As Pride Month reaches its midpoint, I checked in with one of Louisville’s biggest drag stars, Jade Jolie, to see what’s going on in her world. The “RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestant moved here after her time on the TV competition, and in the time since, has consistently improved upon her act and found her voice in one tall blonde.

Q: I’m eager to know more about your Taylor Swift. How did you realize that she’d be such a good fit for you?
Jade Jolie: I’ve always loved her music, but actually following her more and more, I’ve truly come to appreciate her as an artist and the similarities we share as being blonde, bubbly and ambitious. We’re two people working hard on our goals.

Q: How have you learned to finesse her character as she evolves?
JJ: With anything, the more you practice a subject – or in this case, a character illusion – the more overall time you spend in fine-tuning that illusion.

Q: You recently went to Vegas to audition as a Taylor. Can you tell me about that experience, and if you hope to pursue that type of Diva life?
JJ: A very positive experience. I loved the city and getting some time in with Coco Montrese, who has been a constant source of support for many years. I am grateful for the opportunity to have met and auditioned for Frank Marino. (Marino’s stage show) “Divas” is a dream I do greatly hope to experience at some point in my career. But I must say, however, that I love my Play family and am proud to be a part of this amazing establishment.

Q: You’ve been in Louisville for around two years now, right? Did Play pursue you, or did you audition? Why did you want to move here from Florida? And how do you like life here?
JJ: It’s hard to imagine that amount of time has truly flown by (laughs), but it has been almost two years and two wonderful ones at that. I actually heard of the opportunity through a friend and fellow entertainer, Dee Ranged, who had been a cast member of Play for several years. I like to think the interest was mutual (laughs), but either way, I was on cloud nine when I was offered the position. Since then, life in Louisville has been one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life. It’s nice to be treated with genuine care by our neighbors and friends, as well as being treated as a valued entertainer new to the city. Play will always be family.

Q: How much time do you spend on the road these days as a touring headliner?
JJ: Part of my motivation for coming to Play Louisville was not only to be in an incredible cast, but (also) to be able to work regularly and have the leisure of traveling without having out-of-town bookings being an absolute necessity. I am quite the homebody, and I love being with my hubby and kitty as much as I can.

Q: How does it feel to be featured one night in, say, Columbus, and then return to the cast at Play?
JJ: I just love what I’m doing. I feel elated that I’m still able to share my craft in or out of town with such respected and talented entertainers. The feeling is just appreciative.

Q: Another season of “RuPaul's Drag Race” has ended. How did you feel about this season? Did the right queen win? I assume the picture you posted recently in a very tight corset was a tribute to Violet?
JJ: I’ve really thought Violet was stunning since the first trailer, and I couldn’t be more thrilled for her. I think Ru knows what she’s doing, so I’ll leave it at that (laughs). Regarding the corset, you gotta love a good cinch!

Q: How is Pride Month different for you than other months? Do you get more bookings, more money, or have more fun than usual?
JJ: Pride is always a popular time of the year. I like to think I’m having the most fun whenever and wherever I am, but Pride can really bring the community together, which just creates more fun to be had by all.

c. 2015 The Voice-Tribune

We Love Mom: Gloria's brisket

Photograph by Eugene Ahn

I grew up in Tampa, Florida, the armpit of the “Armpit State.” Also known as the home of Magic Mike, the strip club-loving city is also known for its shocking lack of quality restaurants. The eatery closest to the house that my parents have lived in since 1986 is an Applebee’s.

Thankfully, at home I was fed better than what the city could otherwise offer. My mother, Gloria, retired last year after a long and distinguished career as an educator — a reading specialist. I credit her good genes with fueling my love for reading, writing, and trying to avoid arithmetic. She was raised in Manhattan, on the Lower East Side — something that made me very jealous as a child, and still does now. The fact that she and my father, Herb, chose to move to a suburb of Tampa instead of living a New York City life will always mystify me, especially since that suburb has 20,000 residents and only one good restaurant. Still, they seem happy there.

What’s so great about my mom’s cooking is that when she cooks for me and my dad, she gives it her all. She puts love in it, which is expensive at Publix these days — it’s the exclusive domain of moms, dads, and other loved ones who are doing their best so you don’t yell at them. Her brisket whisks me back to a simpler time, when the world was still new and we all shared a love for Bill Cosby. It’s also so good: there’s beer in there. Also barbecue sauce. Even healthy junk, like carrots.

Our people eat, and most of my favorite childhood food memories are holiday-based. Now that I’m living in Louisville, Kentucky, it’s harder for me to get good hamantaschen, latkes, or matzo brei. My parents are at their most authentically Jewish when it’s time to prepare food for the holidays, by which I mean we eat even better (“more” means “better,” right?) than ever. And because I live away from their home, it also means extra packages delivered to me.

INGREDIENTS
+ vegetable oil
4–5 lbs first-cut beef brisket
1 clove garlic, crushed
+ salt and pepper to taste (about 2 t salt per pound of meat)
1 C barbecue sauce (or enough to cover the meat)
1 can beer (any cheap brand will be fine)
1 package dry onion soup (Lipton's, of course)
1 1/2 C carrot slices (not too thin)
1 1/2 C potato slices (not too thin)
Makes 6 to 10 servings

1) Heat the oven to 300°F. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan over medium-high heat until it starts to shimmer, and sear the meat on all sides until dark brown. Put the meat in 9 x 13-inch roasting pan.

2) In a large bowl, mix the garlic, salt, pepper, and the barbecue sauce. Add the beer, stir, and pour the mixture over the meat. Tuck the carrot and potato slices around the meat and pour the Lipton’s over everything.

3) Cover with foil and cook in the oven for about 3 hours, or until tender. Cool the brisket and then refrigerate after slicing the meat. Cook the brisket at least one day before you intend to serve it; two or three days is even better. Uncover the meat at least once to skim off all the surface fat. Make sure the meat is covered with liquid (more beer and/or barbecue sauce thinned with water can be used) and reheat in a microwave or in a slow oven before serving. Serve the liquid separately as a sauce.



Peter: When and where were you born? Where did you grow up?

Gloria: I was born in New York, and spent my first year in my grandparents’ apartment in the Bronx (the section later immortalized in Fort Apache, The Bronx), and then moved to 20th Street and First Avenue, in Manhattan. I was born in 1947 — one of the boomers born after my father returned from World War II. I lived there until I graduated from college.

Peter: What was your favorite food growing up?

Gloria: Anything Chinese. We often ate in restaurants in Chinatown where the menu was written in Chinese characters on the mirrors that lined the walls.

Peter: What’s your earliest childhood memory involving food?

Gloria: My earliest memories about food center on the fact that my mother was not a good cook and she disliked cooking. We ate in restaurants far more often than did most families in those years. I felt guilty rejoicing in the fact that my mother was an awful cook.

Peter: What’s the story behind this dish?

Gloria: Brisket is a staple of Jewish cuisine. Unfortunately, it can often be dry and rather flavorless. I found a version of this recipe in a cookbook published by a preschool as a fundraiser, and played with it until I was happy with the results. Everyone loves this version of brisket. I always make it for Passover and our friends even request it for Thanksgiving (yes, we have turkey, too). Brisket is a traditional dish, but this never would have been served for an Orthodox Passover seder. Beer is not kosher for Passover because it’s made from a grain.

Peter: Can you describe a typical family meal when you were growing up?

Gloria: A typical meal when I was growing up would have started with a fruit cup or grapefruit slices, very overcooked meat (my dad wouldn’t eat anything that was the slightest bit pink or bloody), canned vegetables (yuck!), and a starch. Dessert was usually Jell-O. My mother kept a kosher home so she had to follow the rules of kashrut.

Peter: What was your favorite thing that was cooked in your house?

Gloria: My favorite dish at home was matzo brei (literally: fried matzo). Sheets of matzo are soaked in water until soft, mixed with beaten raw eggs, and fried in butter. This dish is a traditional treat for Passover, but we ate it year-round. It was one of my mom’s only successes!

Peter: Who did the cooking?

Gloria: I do all the cooking. My husband is excellent at using the microwave, but he doesn’t cook from scratch unless I’m not able to cook. He kept us well fed after I had surgery, but he was happy to give it up once I recovered.

Peter: How did you learn to cook or bake?

Gloria: I learned to cook by reading cookbooks. I shared an apartment with a roommate in graduate school, and our deal was that she would clean if I cooked. My mom never taught me to cook (thank goodness!). She never liked cooking and she told me that I’d have to do it when I grew up so she wouldn’t make me do it before then.

Peter: Do you like cooking? What do you like about it?

Gloria: I do, given enough time. Now that I am newly retired, I’ve gone back to trying out new recipes and revisiting old favorites. I love to go grocery shopping (everyone should have Publix near their house), and I get great ideas from seeing new products and coming up with ways to use the foods that are on sale that week.

Peter: What do you have in common with your mom?

Gloria: My mom and I share a love of eating out! I love to try new restaurants and unusual items. I love living in Tampa, but we are not strong on good, independent restaurants. We do have every chain that has ever been invented and sometimes a burger at Ruby Tuesday is just fine.

Peter: What do we have in common?

Gloria: You and I share a love of good restaurants; you’re a more adventurous eater. Spicy is my least favorite word on a menu. We love to visit you and your wife, Robin, for many reasons, but the list of good restaurants in Louisville is high on our list.

Peter Berkowitz is a writer and editor who lives in Louisville, KY. Gloria Berkowitz is a retired reading specialist who lives in Tampa, Florida.

c. 2015 Lucky Peach

Seluah is back, darker and stranger

Alternative indie psych dub atmospheric doom rock band Seluah released their second studio album, Phase III, this week through Kentucky’s own Karate Body Records. “Phase III” is the follow-up to 2012’s debut full-length album, Red Parole, which saw the quartet reunite after an initial 2004 breakup. Drummer and vocalist Edward Grimes told The Voice-Tribune about their latest phase.

Q: What’s been going on with the band since Red Parole was released in 2012?

Edward Grimes: Much of the core of this record was born while we were scoring a live showing of the Tod Browning/Lon Cheney (movie) masterpiece The Unknown. We have continued exploration of new material and have been on the lookout for unusual venues and contexts for us to play in. (Guitarist) Andrew Killmeier has also made some great films for many of the songs on “Phase III” that are a total blast. We are currently hiring a best boy or best girl to assist us live with the films, by the way.

Q: Seluah went to “Hell and Back” on the last album, and now you’re “Back to Hell.” What’s the connection between those two songs?

EG: They are two of my personal favorite songs of ours, for sure. Andrew K. and I really dig Scotty Moore and Link Wray, and that comes through on those songs respectively, I think. Somehow to us, when Andrew came up with “Back to Hell,” we knew instantly it was somehow a follow-up to “Hell and Back,” and I died laughing when he plainly declared it “Back to Hell.” I love that name.

Q: Is this album intentionally a more cohesive, more “classic” approach to the Seluah sound, as opposed to experimenting with rockabilly or other surprising influences?

EG: “Hell and Back” was no experiment. We just finally had an opportunity to record more songs, so there was definitely more variety in terms of instrumentation and style on Red Parole. We were, thankfully, very open to a lot of wild ideas at that moment in time. I do think Phase III has a more primal subterranean thread running through it. I probably didn’t think we’d ever go darker than Red Parole. Luckily, I was wrong.

Q: How does Jamaican dub influence the band’s songwriting?

EG: It had a bit of an influence for sure in the early days. Now, not so much. But the incredible connection drums and bass have on really good dub is still something (bassist) Andrew Peace and I both continue to strive for, even if we’re less in that world now…

The track “Held So High Above Her Head” certainly has a dub-like ending. This is a track whose foundation was written around the (2002) EP, but we had come back to it. I finally wrote lyrics and a vocal melody to it, and we wrote new guitar parts for the ending section. Then (recording engineer) Kevin (Ratterman) was really able to go to town on a dub-like production for that part of the song, which was a total blast.

Q: What does the album artwork say about Seluah?

EG: We fully embrace that our music is dark and strange, and certainly wanted that in the look of the record as well. A good friend of mine, graphic designer Cesar Perez-Ribas, helped us put it all together, and we eventually came back to a great picture that artist Aron Conaway took. We felt that could be this ominous focal point of the layout.

Q: Has the band been back on track now for longer than the first run? Either way, do you still have that feeling of being reborn, or is it more routine by now?

EG: It’s probably been a tad longer this time around, although we practiced a lot more back in the day. I’d be lying to you if I said we have exactly the same fire and brimstone we had when we very surprisingly got back together, but it is still often very intense. We perhaps have caught ourselves recently coming close to falling into a routine, but have wisely changed up our method a bit in order to be in the moment more and foster new material.

Seluah will play at the Flea Off Market on the evening of Friday, June 5.

Photo by Meagan Jordan

C. 2015 The Voice-Tribune

That’s How Writers Write

John Patrick Shanley is a playwright, screenwriter and both an Academy Award and Pulitzer Prize winner. Shanley, the creator of works such as “Moonstruck” and “Doubt,” will speak at a free appearance May 27 at The Brown Hotel, as part of Spalding University’s Festival of Contemporary Writing.

The festival, which also features poet Jane Olmsted and many others, brings attention to the school’s low-residency Master of Fine Arts in writing program. We asked Spalding’s Katy Yocom to tell us more.

Q: What can people look forward to at this spring’s Festival of Contemporary Writing?

Katy Yocom: The festival includes a lineup of writers from all areas of writing and from all over the country. We have screenwriters and playwrights from New York and L.A., poets, children’s and YA authors, fiction writers, creative nonfiction – the gamut, really. Most of them are on the Spalding low-residency MFA program’s faculty. That includes some names that are very well-known in town – Sena Jeter Naslund, Silas House, Crystal Wilkinson, Kathleen Driskell, Maureen Morehead – as well as some amazing writers from elsewhere whom you might not otherwise get to hear.

Q: How does this low-residency program work? Where do students come from, and how experienced are they when they enter?

KY: The beauty of low-res is that students and faculty can live anywhere and still be part of the program. It’s a full graduate degree program – four semesters, 65 credit hours – but most of the work is completed from home, which means that students can fold their graduate work into their lives. From home, each student works one-on-one with a faculty member who’s an active, publishing writer. Thanks to that one-on-one attention, the amount of feedback students receive is huge – three to four times more than in a traditional classroom model. The independent study is also a great setup because that’s how writers write – in the thick of things, while they’re also earning a living, raising a family, all that.

But there’s also a very important community aspect: Before they begin each semester’s independent study, they come to a residency here in Louisville or abroad. We also have a residency abroad each summer for a very intense learning experience…

Students come from all over the country (or world – we have a grad who came here from Singapore) and they come in at every level, from someone with lots of raw talent but little experience to someone who has already had major book publications. One of our screenwriting alums came in with an Emmy under his belt!

Q: How have you seen students benefit from the program?

KY: Lots of our alums have garnered excellent publishing deals, and I think that’s what most of our students really want – to get their work out there. They’ve won some major awards as well. One grad, Jackie Gorman, won the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction, one of the most prestigious prizes in all of literature. Frank X. Walker was Kentucky poet laureate for 2013-2014. Those are huge, huge honors. Some want to teach, as well, and we’ve seen students land university professorships as well. Those usually require a graduate degree and a book publication.

Q: You’ve had several types of writers in residence. Does each year’s writer (playwright, poet, memoirist, etc.) change the focus of study in the program or the festival?

KY: Yes and no. This residency, it’s John Patrick Shanley, and we’re having a special focus on playwriting and screenwriting, with several events and assignments feeding into that focus. … But that doesn’t by any means replace the intensive work happening separately in each area of study. It’s on top of that. It enhances it. In this program, every writer gets the chance to learn the best tools from other areas. It’s a great way to become a better writer – borrow the best techniques from every other area. You can’t believe how that helps you grow.

c. 2015 The Voice-Tribune

Diners, Words and No Guy Fieri

Maybe you haven’t eaten at the Twig & Leaf recently, but Ashlee Clark Thompson has. Her blog, Ashlee Eats (summarized by its motto, “Filet mignon appetite. Dollar menu budget.”) led to her first book, Louisville Diners. The book records her travels across the city to explore the fading art of affordable diners.

Thompson will sign copies at Crescent Hill’s Carmichael’s Bookstore on May 14, at 7 p.m.

Q: You write often about finding cheap eats. Is cheap better? Or is it more a reflection of the reality that most people don’t have any money, and you’re helping them find something good?

ACT: Cheap isn’t always better, but expensive isn’t always better, either. I began writing about inexpensive dining when I didn’t have a lot of disposable income. … But as the blog grew, I realized that most people aren’t only looking for lower-cost meals, but (also) good value for their money. Sure, you can get fast food for less than $10, but what if you want to support local business, or just eat food that’s a little bit healthier for you? The majority of us live under financial constraints. We can’t eat at white-tablecloth restaurants every day. But access to good food should not be a privilege.

Q: When newer places make simple staples (tacos, barbecue, etc.) by hand and with better ingredients, some people complain about the increased cost to consumers. Where do topics like expense or health – most diners being less than healthy – enter this discussion?

ACT: It’s hard to eat a healthy meal at a diner, especially when you see plates of biscuits and gravy and chili cheese fries pass you by. But it’s not impossible. You just have to be strategic – maybe choosing an egg white omelet loaded with vegetables instead of a regular omelet loaded with ham and cheese, for example. Eating healthfully while on a budget, both in restaurants and at home, is challenging and takes a lot of planning.

Q: Louisville is becoming known for its new, progressive restaurants. Is this book a work of preservation of a dying culture, or a reminder of a vital scene that is often taken for granted?

ACT: The book is definitely a reminder of a vital scene often taken for granted. There are plenty of places in the city that keep churning out good food at good prices. It’s just that they don’t get as much attention as the newer, trendier restaurants in Louisville. Diners will always have an important part in the city’s dining culture, because these businesses provide food made for everyday life. You don’t have to get dressed up or pretend to know how to pronounce tough words on a menu. You can go in, get familiar, home-cooked food and leave happy.

Q: Do you anticipate that this book will mostly reach a local audience, or is there a world of diner lovers across the US who will also find it?

ACT: So far, the book has seemed to reach a local audience. I think readers are discovering great places in their own city that they didn’t even know existed. I hope that the book will gain some attention among diner enthusiasts nationwide and give tourists in Louisville a chance to discover something new.

Q: Diners rarely make Top 10 lists or win awards. Is it possible to compare diners and “fancier” restaurants without also having to think about race or class issues?

ACT: Often, the folks who put together these top 10 lists or hand out awards are looking for the next big thing in culinary innovation. These lists profile new and notable restaurants with big-name chefs at the helm. However, I have as much respect for a line cook at the Frontier Diner, who can keep all his orders straight, as I do for Chef Edward Lee. Diners and “fancier” restaurants are indeed apples and oranges, but you can’t dismiss either of them in terms of their importance to the diner scene. Sure, they’re very different than one another, but to go with the apples/oranges comparison, they’re both still fruits. And sometimes, you might want an orange instead of an apple, or the apples out of season. We have to look at all of these restaurants to tell the full story of restaurant dining in Louisville.

Photo by Jessica Ebelhar.

c. 2015 The Voice-Tribune

‘Yes, I Am Fired Up’

Coliseum released their fifth full-length album, Anxiety’s Kiss, this week on vinyl, CD and cassette. The ever-evolving band has added more industrial and dark wave tones to their steady diet of hardcore and post-punk. The album finds them collaborating again with producer/engineer J. Robbins, an early inspiration to the band from his days playing in the bands Jawbox and Burning Airlines. Coliseum founder, guitarist and vocalist Ryan Patterson says Robbins “feels like our George Martin,” and the reference to the Beatles and their later, more experimental studio recordings reveals Patterson’s restless need to consistently try new ideas and a refusal to be boxed in by others’ perceptions.

He told The Voice-Tribune more about how Coliseum’s new album came together. “Our influences are wide-ranging, individually and as a band, but there’s always a general connection revolving around British post-punk and American post-hardcore of the Dischord and Touch and Go variety,” Patterson says. “Personally, I’ve been greatly inspired over the past four to five years by Rowland S. Howard and his music, both solo and with Crime and the City Solution and Lydia Lunch. His influence as a guitarist weighed heavy on me during the Anxiety’s Kiss sessions.”

The album is their first to be distributed by Deathwish Inc. Patterson has had close ties to the label since before Coliseum started in 2003. “They are all part of our extended community through music, and we feel so incredibly fortunate that we have such wonderful people that are willing to release our music.”

Q: Do you agree that songwriters, in any genre, aren’t using topics like police brutality and other social ills like they did 20 years or 50 years ago? How have you stayed on course when others have fallen off?

Ryan Patterson: I don’t necessarily agree with that. I think it’s being pushed away from mainstream music and art. There’s very little outlet in that world for a dissenting voice, because there’s very little money in it. But it’s there, whether it’s from Run the Jewels or Coliseum. There are artists addressing these things, especially in the underground, where it is always being tackled. It’s actually harder for me not to sing about social issues. It’s more of a challenge to write about other topics, because the injustice of oppression is never-ending and always fodder for songs.

Q: How do you approach writing about love and lust?

RP: I write about those subjects from direct personal perspectives and from more abstract dramatic narratives. I find the different perspectives to be inspiring and interesting, enabling me to explore ideas in ways that don’t always directly involve my personal experiences but are shaped by my perspective and imagination. I find the songs of love important to write, because love is such a powerful thing – something that we are very lucky if we have it in our lives – yet so many songs about love are trite and hollow. On the darker side, songs like the two centerpieces of Anxiety’s Kiss, “Dark Light Of Seduction” and “Sharp Fang, Pale Flesh,” each deal with forms of obsession through two different narratives. Ideas of shadows, submission and possession.

Q: This collection includes some of your most melodic material so far. Do you feel that you are mellowing with age at all? Or are you more fired up than ever, and just showing it in different ways?

RP: While we are generally operating in the realm of guitar-based music and have always stuck by our roots as a punk band, we have never felt that we needed to hold ourselves to any rules of genre, or specific trappings set by expectations or our own previous material. We try our best to not repeat ourselves. We also learn as we go along – we learn new ways to use our instruments and our voices. Melody is not inherently mellow or boring; I find that to be a silly concept. The music we are making now is more dynamic and interesting to me than the music we made a decade ago, with more nuance and more depth. To answer the question, yes, I am fired up. I feel that with Anxiety’s Kiss, and Sister Faith before it, Coliseum is on fire and we are making the best music we have ever made.

Coliseum plays at the New Vintage on Friday, June 5. For more information, visit www.coliseumsoundsystem.com.

Photo by Nick Thieneman

c. 2015 The Voice-Tribune

King of Queens

Promoter Daniel Cole introduced his “Hard Candy” series seven years ago, and it has recently expanded beyond just Louisville, adding events in five other cities: Lexington, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Baltimore and Huntington, West Virginia. The current season is headlined by several drag queens that have competed on the hit TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Q: Who will win season 7 of RuPaul’s Drag Race? Who should win?

Daniel Cole: I see Ginger Minj as the winner – she’s kind of the sure thing in my eyes. The show has definitely leaned towards fan favorites over the last few years, and she is very deserving in my eyes, just like Bianca Del Rio last year. She’s funny, (has) great stage presence, and anyone who calls themselves a "glamour toad" has to be appreciated.

My favorite, hands down, is Violet Chachki. She’s the youngest queen on the show but has such a specific identity of what kind of aesthetic she wants - Bettie Paige and Dita Von Teese come to mind - and is so incredibly on-point with it. Her runways are consistently jaw dropping. She’s not nailing acting challenges just yet, but I know she has incredible performance elements that have yet to be seen on the show, like aerial stunts, etc.

It’s incredibly hard for some queens like that to be given justice when the gals like Ginger, Bianca, who are incredible MCs, can improv in nearly every situation. I think if you’re looking for the next drag superstar, Violet just might be it.

Q: How does booking shows work for you now – do you approach other cities or vice-versa?

DC: In some instances, it’s been where I had a friend who managed a nightclub who had interest in having me bring entertainment to their venue. Penny Tration in Cincinnati has been a great friend over the years – she was actually the first queen I ever booked at “Hard Candy” – so I love working with her at The Cabaret. It’s a similar situation with Cadillac Seville at The Bar Complex in Lexington.

I’ve also had a couple of markets like St. Louis and Huntington where I reached out because one of my favorite queens, Willam Belli, wanted to work that particular market. Willam had been burned by a venue in St. Louis last year for a Pride booking, and all the fans there were super disappointed. I was already doing a gig with her in Louisville, so we put together a pop-up show at this great spot called Attitudes. It was so successful that I’ve made St. Louis a regular city for the event series.

Same with West Virginia. It’s one of the very few states Willam had never performed in, so I reached out to Stonewall in Huntington and we did an event there. It was fantastic.

Q: Tell us about your new “Drag Brunch” series.

DC: Well, it’s not a series just yet. Here’s to hoping, though! I worked in the past with a benefit drag brunch a couple years back, and it was so fun. There’s such a desire for fun daytime events, and it opens up to a whole new crowd. We had people ranging from 21-75 in the audience.

The first event is going to be Sunday, May 31st at 8UP Elevated Drinkery and Kitchen. It’s one of the most gorgeous spots in Louisville and a perfect fit for this type of event: a great brunch that flows seamlessly into a great Sunday Funday on the patio. Add drag queens into that, and it’s a memorable event in the making!

One of my all-time favorite gals, Delta Work, is the featured performer. She’s incredibly funny and so polished as a queen. Her celebrity impersonations are incredible, yet she still has her own identity as Delta outside that element. Also, two Entertainer of the Year titleholders will be with us: Trinity Taylor and Vanessa Demornay.

Q: What will be different about this versus a night at a club like Play?

DC: I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from people who can’t do late night events like the “Hard Candy” series. They have job or family responsibilities, and I understand that. I’m really excited to offer a daytime event as an alternative and still offer the same high quality entertainment.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/HardCandyKY.

c. 2015 The Voice-Tribune

New clothing store in Schnitzelburg: Vintage Banana rocks your socks off

Brittney and Josh Dunning know how to dress well and stand out in a sea of followers. For their wedding, the bride and groom chose a chapel in Las Vegas — the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel — on Halloween. The chapel ran through 265 weddings on that blessed day, but only the Dunnings defied Vegas Halloween wedding conventions by dressing him in a formal tuxedo and her in a conventionally beautiful dress. They let their dog, a Brussels Griffon named Count Chocula, steal the show in his own custom-made dog tuxedo.

“I’ve always been a connoisseur of vintage clothing,” says Josh, 32. As a younger musician, he was into trendier looks. Touring the country, he picked up vintage pieces along the way. Eventually, he found himself buying clothing that didn’t fit him — or any man — because he appreciated it too much to leave it where he found it. He turned to eBay, where he saw that he could make more money repurposing fashion than in rock ‘n’ roll.

After getting more good responses at the Flea Off Market, with customers inquiring about a store they could visit, the Dunnings decided to leave their jobs — Brittney in retail management, Josh as a bar manager — and try to make a brick-and-mortar store work in real life.

Vintage Banana Clothing opened March 6 in a small, dusty strip mall near St. X, next to the Tim Tam Bar at Poplar Level and Clarks Lane in Schnitzelburg. The Dunnings know the location lacks the foot traffic available on more obvious streets, but for the price, they’re in a well-traveled location close to many local vintage aficionados (including themselves; they live within walking distance). Their closest competition, Fat Rabbit, is on the other side of the neighborhood, a mile and a half away.

“I shop online very little,” Brittney says. “It’s a pain in the ass to ship stuff back if it doesn’t fit … I prefer shopping in an actual brick-and-mortar location, and I think a lot of people are still that way — especially in Louisville, where it’s so geared toward shopping local.”



Josh says it’s hard for them to pinpoint a favorite era in fashion because they love it all, especially from the 1950s through ’90s — the rock’ n’ roll era, roughly. The pair met outside a rock club; she was accompanying her younger brother to a show, and Josh was handing out fliers for his own band. She requested his MySpace friendship. He replied, “Hi?” Soon, they were inseparable.

Today, Josh is all over Louisville, handing out fliers all over again. But this time, he doesn’t have to worry about his place in the future of rock ‘n’ roll. While he’s out getting people to come shop at their store, Brittney works in it, with dog Count as company half the time. (He started out as a full-time presence but hasn’t found true peace there just yet).

Like another new local clothing retailer, Bermuda Highway, Vintage Banana — whose name and logo comes from the Andy Warhol-designed cover of the first Velvet Underground album, a pairing that fits the Dunnings’ aesthetic well (it also refers to a giant stuffed banana Josh won for Brittney at a State Fair that they often bring to parties) — is fueled by rock culture. They stand out primarily through their well-cultivated and stocked selection of classic T-shirts, covering everything from Loverboy to Loretta Lynn (their country music selection comes close to matching their rock options; they are Kentuckians as well as businesspeople).

Even their first day was marked by a visit from country-rock royalty. Shooter Jennings, whose manager had become friendly with the Dunnings, dropped in to see the shop before his Jim Porter’s show that night. One of the new items Vintage Banana carries now is a Shooter tour shirt that spells out something dirty and funny.

“Music makes us happy, and there is something about wearing a shirt with a band that inspired all the bands we hear today,” Josh says. “Those shirts came from a time when rock ‘n’ roll was real and your parents didn’t want you listening to it. That’s the throwback vibe we want to put out.”



Vintage Banana is located at 1016 Clarks Lane. Hours are 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays and noon-6 p.m. Sundays.

c. 2015 Insider Louisville

How to Tell a True War Story

Graham Shelby performing at the Norton Center for the Arts in Danville. Photo Courtesy of David Flores

Storyteller Graham Shelby’s birth father was a Vietnam War vet whom Shelby didn’t meet until he was 18. But at 12, Shelby saw his father, a Green Beret, on the “CBS Evening News” program, talking about his experiences. Shelby will perform his one-man show, “The Man on TV,” at the Frazier Museum on Tuesday, March 24 from 6 – 8 p.m. to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the end of that war.

“The heart of the story is a father and son trying to connect, to both understand and be understood by one another,” he says. “Their relationship is about more than just the war. At the same time, war is both the barrier to and the vehicle for the connection they need to make.”



Q: This show marks the 40th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. Tell me how the war had an impact on you as an American child.

A: As a kid, I thought of Vietnam as the place where my parents’ America went to die. That’s how it seemed just from the way grown-ups talked about it – or didn’t talk about it. Vietnam was kind of like a black hole, a name people couldn’t hardly speak without getting this kind of hushed, funereal tone in their voices. I picked up on that, but didn’t really understand it. I always felt like Vietnam was one of those things that people, particularly those who lived through it, talked about as if everybody knew and understood what had happened there, when I think many Americans have a very limited understanding of what happened in those roughly 10 years. I include myself among them.

Q: Do you deal with the war differently now as an adult, and as time has passed?

A: I see Vietnam as one of many important chapters in our history and evolution as a nation, and, frankly, a species. The passage of time and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have also changed our perspective as a society about Vietnam. We now understand that PTSD is real and that it’s a serious issue for combat soldiers. The term Post Traumatic Stress Disorder emerged in the late 1970s and ‘80s, a decade or more after my father was earning a crippling case of it in the Central Highlands of Vietnam in 1969.

In addition, I have to acknowledge that my father and mother met when he was in Special Forces training. He wouldn’t have gone into the Army without a war to fight. That’s just how he was. What that means is that if America hadn’t entered the war in Vietnam, I wouldn’t exist. I’m not sure how to feel about that, but it’s undeniably true.

Q: Did your father talk to you about it? If so, how old were you?

A: He and I didn’t meet until I was 18, and even after that, it was a gradual process. I was always interested in his war stories, fascinated, really, though he held back some of the tougher stories for quite a while. One way I got him to tell me more was that I started bringing a tape recorder when I’d visit him … with the tape recorder, I could guide the conversation, and that’s how I found out a lot of some of his more intense and revealing stories.

I should say also that before he died, he told me it was okay for me to share these stories, even the ones that don’t make him look good. We agreed that we wanted these stories to be useful to other people.

Q: What are some of your favorite other depictions of the Vietnam War, in any media?

A: I think the most important and beautiful depiction of that war – and maybe any war – is Tim O’ Brien’s (book) The Things They Carried. It’s an amazing work of art that tells stories about the war, but it’s really about people and also, to some degree, it’s about stories themselves, which are a big part of war.

In fact, that’s one of the things my research has led me to conclude about war – that it’s just as much a battle between competing narratives as nations. If you want people to volunteer to risk their own lives and kill strangers, you have to present them with an incredibly compelling story; otherwise, why would they do it?

c. 2015 The Voice-Tribune

Flavor Town U.S.A.

Writer and Louisville native Aimee Zaring has spent several years teaching ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) to newcomers across this city. Working with immigrants and refugees opened her eyes to their often inspiring and sometimes tragic stories of leaving home countries, only able to feel as though they are still there by cooking their native cuisine in their new Louisville kitchens.

Zaring stumbled onto these stories after meeting a Bosnian refugee through a Leadership Louisville program in 2008. Zeljana Javork told Zaring about her journey of escaping war in Bosnia, coming to the U.S. before she knew much English, and working her way up to become the English Language Trainer manager at Catholic Charities’ ESL school.

“She invited me to volunteer at the school,” Zaring continues, “which I did, and I soon discovered that working with immigrants was a perfect fit for me, bridging my love of the English language and other cultures with my interest in helping some of the disadvantaged people in my community. I really love working with this population. Whenever I’m with them, I feel like a part of me is returning home.”

Zaring shares their stories and recipes in her new book, “Flavors from Home.” One featured immigrant is Omar Pernet Hernández, who was Zaring’s student at the Refugee Elder Program (co-sponsored by Kentucky Refugee Ministries and Catholic Charities). The political activist spent over two decades in Cuban jails defending human rights. Zaring says, “He and so many of the people featured in ‘Flavors from Home’ have sacrificed and lost much – including their homelands, because they wouldn’t, and won’t, compromise their beliefs or tolerate injustice. All of the contributors in the book are heroes to me, and their stories will forever resonate in my mind and heart.”

I asked Zaring if she thought altering traditional recipes for American palates was ever necessary.

“On the one hand, my immediate response is a resounding ‘No!’ But I’m speaking from my own preference for tasting and experiencing food in its most authentic form, or as close to it as possible. That’s what I also tried to do in ‘Flavors from Home,’ keep the original ingredients and methods as close to what the cooks used when preparing the dish for me in their kitchens.

On the other hand, I just visited the Akramis at Shiraz Mediterranean Grill the other day, and they mentioned that they’ve made some minor adaptations to some of their native dishes to appeal to American tastes. I remember Huong ‘CoCo’ Tran (owner of Roots and Heart & Soy) also telling me that when she first opened The Eggroll Machine in 1981 (the first Chinese fast-food restaurant in Louisville) and tried to introduce her native Vietnamese cuisine on her original menu, she found that “Louisville wasn’t ready” yet. So, from a business standpoint, I don’t fault immigrant entrepreneurs whatsoever for doing what they feel is necessary to bring people in the door and appeal to a wide range of tastes.

That said, I think people’s tastes across America and right here in Louisville are evolving. Just look at our growing number of ethnic restaurants and grocery stores, and even American restaurants that are constantly introducing internationally-inspired dishes on their menus. And the more we are exposed to something, as research studies suggest, the more it grows on us and we acquire a taste for it, quite literally, in this case.”

An unexpected side effect of learning new foods was discovering that they would become her staples, too. “I actually crave them like I do my Mom’s German potato salad, cheese grits or chocolate chess pie. When I have a well-stocked kitchen and some time on my hands, I like to make the Persian dish tachin, Somalian sambusas, Vietnamese soft spring rolls and Nepalese momos.

But I also like the faster and equally flavorful recipes where you basically throw everything in a pot and let it simmer, like the Vietnamese green curry soup, Hungarian chicken paprikás, Bhutanese ema datshi and Burmese pork curry. I can honestly say there isn’t one recipe in the book that I don’t like.”



Part of the book’s proceeds will help support the efforts of local resettlement agencies. A reception will be held Monday, 6-8 p.m. at Simply Thai in St. Matthews.

c. 2015 The Voice-Tribune