Bunny Day and the Mercy Buckets, as a name, tells potential listeners a couple of things. First, that they’re not your average rock band – indeed, there’s little that is rockist about them.
You might guess that they’re goofy, quirky, weird. They are, if you think that “normal” music means Jamie Foxx or Nickelback.
Also, if your skills include knowing some freshman-level French and/or enjoying puns, you might assume that this group is not only whimsical but also French-inspired. Their influences include diverse sources like polka, indie rock and, yes, French cabaret and chanson music.
“We've been really good friends for a long time, but we’d never lived in the same city before,” begins Lacey Guthrie, who plays accordion. “We had been courting each other musically. I would go to Lexington and do cover songs with her. Amy moved here, and we decided that it was just gonna happen.”
Now they write their own songs. Banjoist Amy Lee said, “We're good at writing when we're hungover. Sometimes it's together, sometimes it's not. It's hard to write without each other.”
Lee was inspired to begin playing her banjo after an Avett Brothers concert. Scott Avett let her play his instrument briefly, and “I decided that, ‘This is awesome, I want this for Christmas.’”
Guthrie began playing her instrument on “kind of a whim. I already played piano, and I thought they sound really sweet, so I went accordion hunting.” Recently, she bought a saw at Home Depot after hearing one played in an Ugly Casanova song. “I went online and found clips of old men playing them. They were really adorable, so I just learned from that.”
They recorded material for an EP last fall at the now-closed club Skull Alley. Guthrie said, “It was surprisingly difficult. We had some Bulleit bourbon, which we used for percussion.”
Now that the duo are neighbors, it will prove hard to keep them apart.
Lee said, ”If we had a falling out, I would never do music again. I would kill my banjo. I would light her accordion on fire. That's how I feel.”
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
music issue 2011 - Barefoot Best Friends
From the Chieftains to the Pogues, Celtic folk music has often been seen as a rugged, manly musical genre. Songs about the potato famine and The Troubles depict a rough life in a beautiful land.
Though La Grange is a lovely town in Oldham County, there’s little that is rough, rugged or manly about the Barefoot Best Friends. Louisville’s youngest group plays a lively, mostly instrumental strain of the music which reveals its role as a progenitor of Bluegrass music. The all-female members – Christina, Isabelle, Emmaly, Ellie, Lily and Jessie - range in age from 10 to 17.
The BBF girls, hailing from four families, have been BFFs for several years. They began playing together while working on a project for disability awareness in school, said Patti Beth Miller, mother of Ellie and Jessie.
“Three summers ago,” Miller said, “I was selling flowers at the La Grange Farmers Market. I suggested that if they played there next to me, they might get tips. So they started looking for music that they would all enjoy playing together.”
The girls share an appreciation for Celtic and mountain music, and are generally uninterested in pop music. “Barefoot Best Friends is fiddle music, more like dance music,” relates 13-year-old Emmaly, a violinist. During the nice months, they continue to perform at the Farmers Market, in addition to other performances around the region.
Several of the parents are musicians, and often played public radio while driving the girls around. “I heard banjo on the radio, and I asked my dad what it was,” said her 10-year-old sister Christina. What she heard was “Snowden’s Jig,” a old-timey string song by the Carolina Chocolate Drops.
“I decided I was going to learn, so I got lessons. “ Initially trained on piano, she also plays accordion, washboard and now, “banjo is pretty easy,” she said. “I have the hang of it. I try to practice every day, but it doesn't always work out that way.”
As to what the future might bring, the younger girls have voted to bring in a new member. The 16-year-old family friend, who also plays violin, is a boy.
Ten-year-old Christina mused, “I don't know if I'll make a career out of it, but I'll keep on playing as long as I can.”
c. 2011 Velocity Weekly
Though La Grange is a lovely town in Oldham County, there’s little that is rough, rugged or manly about the Barefoot Best Friends. Louisville’s youngest group plays a lively, mostly instrumental strain of the music which reveals its role as a progenitor of Bluegrass music. The all-female members – Christina, Isabelle, Emmaly, Ellie, Lily and Jessie - range in age from 10 to 17.
The BBF girls, hailing from four families, have been BFFs for several years. They began playing together while working on a project for disability awareness in school, said Patti Beth Miller, mother of Ellie and Jessie.
“Three summers ago,” Miller said, “I was selling flowers at the La Grange Farmers Market. I suggested that if they played there next to me, they might get tips. So they started looking for music that they would all enjoy playing together.”
The girls share an appreciation for Celtic and mountain music, and are generally uninterested in pop music. “Barefoot Best Friends is fiddle music, more like dance music,” relates 13-year-old Emmaly, a violinist. During the nice months, they continue to perform at the Farmers Market, in addition to other performances around the region.
Several of the parents are musicians, and often played public radio while driving the girls around. “I heard banjo on the radio, and I asked my dad what it was,” said her 10-year-old sister Christina. What she heard was “Snowden’s Jig,” a old-timey string song by the Carolina Chocolate Drops.
“I decided I was going to learn, so I got lessons. “ Initially trained on piano, she also plays accordion, washboard and now, “banjo is pretty easy,” she said. “I have the hang of it. I try to practice every day, but it doesn't always work out that way.”
As to what the future might bring, the younger girls have voted to bring in a new member. The 16-year-old family friend, who also plays violin, is a boy.
Ten-year-old Christina mused, “I don't know if I'll make a career out of it, but I'll keep on playing as long as I can.”
c. 2011 Velocity Weekly
music issue 2011 - Sandpaper Dolls
When "Don't Worry, Be Happy" hit the pop charts in 1988, many Americans were introduced to A cappella singing – and quickly dismissed it as a goofy trick. Bobby McFerrin's overly optimistic song nonetheless exposed an approach to pop music that continues today in unexpected places - like Louisville.
In an era when even the most obviously sexy pop group has little chance of succeeding in the music business, three women have joined to sing together, unencumbered by instruments that need to be played outside of one's own body, and unconcerned about the business of the music business.
The Sandpaper Dolls were all veterans of the local music scene when they met each other at downtown's late Jazz Factory. Suki Anderson worked there and had sung with the soul group a.m. Sunday. Amber Estes sang with the jazz groups Liberation Prophecy and the Todd Hildreth Trio. Rebecca Dennison sang with folk singer Jamie Barnes.
Anderson approached Estes about working together. Estes said, “We slowly peeled members and instruments away until we were left with just the voice. We decided on an A cappella trio and had a couple of people in mind, but then realized, who has a better voice than Rebecca? So we got together and sang in Suki's dining room and made animal noises until we had a band.”
In addition to more obvious vocal inspirations - The Staple Singers, The Pointer Singers, The Bulgarian Woman's Choir - the women have also been encouraged by composer Philip Glass, deep soul from Donny Hathaway to the Budos Band, and the experimentation of off-center pop artists like Bjork and Tom Waits.
They self-released a full-length live album, “Live at 21C,” recorded in the downtown hotel’s atrium, in 2009. Future goals include not only a studio album and touring, but also, according to Estes, “creating a silent movie soundtrack and forming a creepy choir.”
c. 2011 Velocity Weekly
In an era when even the most obviously sexy pop group has little chance of succeeding in the music business, three women have joined to sing together, unencumbered by instruments that need to be played outside of one's own body, and unconcerned about the business of the music business.
The Sandpaper Dolls were all veterans of the local music scene when they met each other at downtown's late Jazz Factory. Suki Anderson worked there and had sung with the soul group a.m. Sunday. Amber Estes sang with the jazz groups Liberation Prophecy and the Todd Hildreth Trio. Rebecca Dennison sang with folk singer Jamie Barnes.
Anderson approached Estes about working together. Estes said, “We slowly peeled members and instruments away until we were left with just the voice. We decided on an A cappella trio and had a couple of people in mind, but then realized, who has a better voice than Rebecca? So we got together and sang in Suki's dining room and made animal noises until we had a band.”
In addition to more obvious vocal inspirations - The Staple Singers, The Pointer Singers, The Bulgarian Woman's Choir - the women have also been encouraged by composer Philip Glass, deep soul from Donny Hathaway to the Budos Band, and the experimentation of off-center pop artists like Bjork and Tom Waits.
They self-released a full-length live album, “Live at 21C,” recorded in the downtown hotel’s atrium, in 2009. Future goals include not only a studio album and touring, but also, according to Estes, “creating a silent movie soundtrack and forming a creepy choir.”
c. 2011 Velocity Weekly
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Column #29: The Bonnaroo banner should help Forecastle
Previously on “Mid-Sized Middle-American City”: A young man with a dream throws a
music party in a park. More like a barbecue than Lollapalooza, it would grow into a major festival.
Last month, that young man saw his decade of hard work pay off, selling into the bigger and more successful Bonnaroo Festival of Tennessee.
Next year, the Forecastle Festival — the little festival that would — will be reborn as a Bonnaroo farm team. I, for one, am very happy about this development.
It's no secret to devoted readers that I have written about Captain J.K. McKnight and his Forecastle Festival before, and have committed the crime of suggesting that
some aspects of the fest were less than perfect. There is a difference between a
publicist and a critic, and my job was the latter.
There is also a difference between acting as though everything that is made here is
wonderful — like a parent with a 4-year-old who has learned to tie her own shoes —
and allowing for the possibility that you, me or the other guy might have room for
growth.
Forecastle, which I believe comes from the Native American word for “glowstick,” has
been very enjoyable at times. I have attended three of the festivals, bought art and enjoyed performances by many local bands as well as out-of-towners such as
Sleater-Kinney, Mucca Pazza and Girl Talk.
I haven't been since 2008. That summer, as the lineup became more diverse and a
mbitious, it also became (in my opinion) more schizophrenic and unfocused.
In this magazine, I wrote about that. What I said, for the record, was that I was looking forward to two-thirds of the bands, and less enthused about the remaining third.
Some folks, like the understandably frustrated Captain McKnight, were not
amused. Others were.
I haven't been back mostly because I'm less inclined today to spend a lot of money
to see bands that I like at 1, 4 and 10 p.m. while younger people all around me are
tweaking and tweeting, and having to leave and come back to ignore bands I don't
care about.
I want Forecastle to succeed, not merely try and fail. I want everybody in Louisville to succeed, and I want to like everything — don't you? It would certainly make my life more exciting. But as much as I would like to have the best of everything right outside my door, I don't always.
I am fortunate — in my neighborhood there's a great bakery, a great coffee shop,
some wonderful restaurants and about 109 bars. But when it comes to music festivals,
Forecastle is not yet up there with Lollapalooza, Pitchfork, Coachella or
Bonnaroo.
This new deal with the Bonnaroo folks should give the Captain and his merry crew
the resources to book bigger, better bands. Instead of a stale headliner like De
La Soul or what's left of Smashing Pumpkins, maybe now Louisville will now
be able to land a festival headliner like Radiohead or Eminem.
Will it stay in the concrete fields of downtown, or move to a farm so the
tourists can visit downtown museums without hearing DJs dropping banging club
beats nearby?
Who's going to come here that's never been? Will devoted music fans fly in from
overseas and discover a new love for bourbon? (I hope so — my wedding
reception alone converted a handful of people into bourbon lovers.)
I'm excited to wake up one day next year and hear all about the new model Forecastle. I think that it will be a good thing — a better thing — both for music
and for further proving that Louisville is a great place to live.
c. 2011 Velocity Weekly
music party in a park. More like a barbecue than Lollapalooza, it would grow into a major festival.
Last month, that young man saw his decade of hard work pay off, selling into the bigger and more successful Bonnaroo Festival of Tennessee.
Next year, the Forecastle Festival — the little festival that would — will be reborn as a Bonnaroo farm team. I, for one, am very happy about this development.
It's no secret to devoted readers that I have written about Captain J.K. McKnight and his Forecastle Festival before, and have committed the crime of suggesting that
some aspects of the fest were less than perfect. There is a difference between a
publicist and a critic, and my job was the latter.
There is also a difference between acting as though everything that is made here is
wonderful — like a parent with a 4-year-old who has learned to tie her own shoes —
and allowing for the possibility that you, me or the other guy might have room for
growth.
Forecastle, which I believe comes from the Native American word for “glowstick,” has
been very enjoyable at times. I have attended three of the festivals, bought art and enjoyed performances by many local bands as well as out-of-towners such as
Sleater-Kinney, Mucca Pazza and Girl Talk.
I haven't been since 2008. That summer, as the lineup became more diverse and a
mbitious, it also became (in my opinion) more schizophrenic and unfocused.
In this magazine, I wrote about that. What I said, for the record, was that I was looking forward to two-thirds of the bands, and less enthused about the remaining third.
Some folks, like the understandably frustrated Captain McKnight, were not
amused. Others were.
I haven't been back mostly because I'm less inclined today to spend a lot of money
to see bands that I like at 1, 4 and 10 p.m. while younger people all around me are
tweaking and tweeting, and having to leave and come back to ignore bands I don't
care about.
I want Forecastle to succeed, not merely try and fail. I want everybody in Louisville to succeed, and I want to like everything — don't you? It would certainly make my life more exciting. But as much as I would like to have the best of everything right outside my door, I don't always.
I am fortunate — in my neighborhood there's a great bakery, a great coffee shop,
some wonderful restaurants and about 109 bars. But when it comes to music festivals,
Forecastle is not yet up there with Lollapalooza, Pitchfork, Coachella or
Bonnaroo.
This new deal with the Bonnaroo folks should give the Captain and his merry crew
the resources to book bigger, better bands. Instead of a stale headliner like De
La Soul or what's left of Smashing Pumpkins, maybe now Louisville will now
be able to land a festival headliner like Radiohead or Eminem.
Will it stay in the concrete fields of downtown, or move to a farm so the
tourists can visit downtown museums without hearing DJs dropping banging club
beats nearby?
Who's going to come here that's never been? Will devoted music fans fly in from
overseas and discover a new love for bourbon? (I hope so — my wedding
reception alone converted a handful of people into bourbon lovers.)
I'm excited to wake up one day next year and hear all about the new model Forecastle. I think that it will be a good thing — a better thing — both for music
and for further proving that Louisville is a great place to live.
c. 2011 Velocity Weekly
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Column #28: It's getting harder to find me on TV
A recent story in Entertainment Weekly detailed the history of gay teens on TV, and proclaimed "Glee" as a bold new step forward in their representation. Every year, various minority groups issue reports about their representation on TV, usually to lament how few of them are depicted as successful, mainstream Americans.
So, of course, this got me thinking: How well am I represented on TV?
Who, or what, am I? Do I fit neatly into a multi-racial, or gender-specific, or handicapable box?
Well, I was raised in a Jewish family, though I am not personally religious today. I grew up in Florida, though I have since claimed Louisville as my adoptive home.
I am male, heterosexual, and married to a woman. I am co-parenting three cats, who range from adorable to sassy. I am pursuing higher education, and a part-time journalist, and sometimes I book art shows and music concerts around town.
My interests include the various arts, and good food and drink. Uhh, that's about it, actually. Despite my orientation, sports haven't done much for me since I was in grade school.
So where are there people like me on TV? The most obvious example would be IFC's "Portlandia," the wickedly astute satire of all things hip, organic and counter cultural. Though I can laugh at parts of myself, I think it's safe to say that I am not one of the dumpster divers or lesbian bookstore denizens that they focus on.
MTV's "My Life As Liz" offers much needed respite from the pregnant moms and juiced up self-tanners who otherwise dominate that channel. In season one of this faux reality show, we met Liz, a smart, sarcastic teen in a small town who does battle with the mean girls. In season two, she's made the leap to the big city, where there are more like her, though her problems remain much the same.
I can see Liz as an 18-year-old girl version of a younger me, and though she may be a more idealized version of younger me than "Beavis and Butt-head", it's still nice to see that she has a place on the small screen.
NBC's "Parenthood" has a similarly sarcastic and misunderstood teen girl in Amber, who, as in real life, is frequently shuffled to the background by her family, under the assumption that she can take care of herself as they fight about the other children or their jobs.
HBO's "Treme" offers lots of music, and music lovers, and chefs and food lovers, though Steve Zahn's grating performance as a self-centered DJ is irksome. Lance Robertson as DJ Lance Rock, is much more enjoyable on Nick Jr.'s "Yo Gabba Gabba!," though, again, less like me than I'd like. The goofy rapper Biz Markie also makes appearances, as does nerdy music legend Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo. Sadly, I am probably more like Brobee, the program's confused little green weirdo monster, or whatever he is.
After that, it gets harder to find me on TV. Higher education is represented by a pair of law school students on ABC Family's "Greek," though law is far from my field of studies, and the rest of the cast consists of fraternity and sorority members. AMC's "Mad Men" had a bearded beatnik character who was, predictably, a bit obnoxious and eventually written out.
Fox's "House, M.D." has two Jewish characters who actually look like many people in my family, but otherwise the show avoids cliches in their depiction. Jennifer Carpenter of Showtime's "Dexter" is a native Louisvillian pretending to be a native Floridian, which is at least relatable.
Also, I have been told that I look like one of the "Big Bang Theory" nerds, which is great for my self-esteem.
So, the 2010-11 season has been a so-so time in the history of me on primetime TV. Let's hope that next year we'll see fewer middle-class white guys, and more people like me.
c. 2011 Velocity Weekly
So, of course, this got me thinking: How well am I represented on TV?
Who, or what, am I? Do I fit neatly into a multi-racial, or gender-specific, or handicapable box?
Well, I was raised in a Jewish family, though I am not personally religious today. I grew up in Florida, though I have since claimed Louisville as my adoptive home.
I am male, heterosexual, and married to a woman. I am co-parenting three cats, who range from adorable to sassy. I am pursuing higher education, and a part-time journalist, and sometimes I book art shows and music concerts around town.
My interests include the various arts, and good food and drink. Uhh, that's about it, actually. Despite my orientation, sports haven't done much for me since I was in grade school.
So where are there people like me on TV? The most obvious example would be IFC's "Portlandia," the wickedly astute satire of all things hip, organic and counter cultural. Though I can laugh at parts of myself, I think it's safe to say that I am not one of the dumpster divers or lesbian bookstore denizens that they focus on.
MTV's "My Life As Liz" offers much needed respite from the pregnant moms and juiced up self-tanners who otherwise dominate that channel. In season one of this faux reality show, we met Liz, a smart, sarcastic teen in a small town who does battle with the mean girls. In season two, she's made the leap to the big city, where there are more like her, though her problems remain much the same.
I can see Liz as an 18-year-old girl version of a younger me, and though she may be a more idealized version of younger me than "Beavis and Butt-head", it's still nice to see that she has a place on the small screen.
NBC's "Parenthood" has a similarly sarcastic and misunderstood teen girl in Amber, who, as in real life, is frequently shuffled to the background by her family, under the assumption that she can take care of herself as they fight about the other children or their jobs.
HBO's "Treme" offers lots of music, and music lovers, and chefs and food lovers, though Steve Zahn's grating performance as a self-centered DJ is irksome. Lance Robertson as DJ Lance Rock, is much more enjoyable on Nick Jr.'s "Yo Gabba Gabba!," though, again, less like me than I'd like. The goofy rapper Biz Markie also makes appearances, as does nerdy music legend Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo. Sadly, I am probably more like Brobee, the program's confused little green weirdo monster, or whatever he is.
After that, it gets harder to find me on TV. Higher education is represented by a pair of law school students on ABC Family's "Greek," though law is far from my field of studies, and the rest of the cast consists of fraternity and sorority members. AMC's "Mad Men" had a bearded beatnik character who was, predictably, a bit obnoxious and eventually written out.
Fox's "House, M.D." has two Jewish characters who actually look like many people in my family, but otherwise the show avoids cliches in their depiction. Jennifer Carpenter of Showtime's "Dexter" is a native Louisvillian pretending to be a native Floridian, which is at least relatable.
Also, I have been told that I look like one of the "Big Bang Theory" nerds, which is great for my self-esteem.
So, the 2010-11 season has been a so-so time in the history of me on primetime TV. Let's hope that next year we'll see fewer middle-class white guys, and more people like me.
c. 2011 Velocity Weekly
Gen Next: Timothy Tucker
After graduating from the Sullivan University culinary program in 1998, Timothy Tucker worked at upscale restaurants across the country. He was on a quick path to "Top Chef" status.
But in 2005, he veered off onto a different path when he took a job at the Salvation Army's Center of Hope. He would spend the next five years serving meals to the homeless and training at-risk students how to run a kitchen. During his tenure, the program drew positive press from ABC News, CNN and USA Today.
Last year, Tucker, 35, was selected last year by Slow Food USA to attend their conference in Torino, Italy. Tucker and his colleagues exchanged ideas about sustainability, green practices, school system nutrition, rooftop gardens – or, as Tucker sums it up, “all that good stuff.”
Tucker had planned to be gone for a month, but when the Salvation Army couldn’t give him the time off, he left the Center of Hope and ended up spending months traveling throughout Italy, Spain and the Netherlands.
“I became a couch surfer, cooking for parties in exchange for a place to sleep each night,” he said.
In Viterbo, an hour north of Rome, he harvested olive oil and apprenticed with a local chef who made everything from scratch, from bread to liquor. “It was great,” Tucker said, “I didn’t get paid but I got to stay in paradise for free.”
After trying to learn the cuisine as much as he could in Italy and Spain, Tucker found himself in Amsterdam. There, he found many connections between the Dutch and ours, and marveled at their love for fast food – “French fries, waffles, big burgers, they love it all. It’s the opposite of the food pride people have in Italy, where everyone has a super love for making it themselves, and take serious pride in their food.”
Back home in Louisville, Tucker is working on a book about the way food can change lives and is working with an agent to find a publisher. “It’s about inspiration," he said, "why it’s important to get good food, getting good food in institutions and to stop saying that we can’t do it."
While at the Center of Hope, Tucker said he helped dozens of people land jobs or scholarships in the culinary field. One of them, he said, landed a full ride to study at Sullivan.
He's now looking for the next project that blends his skills.
“I’ve been having a renewal of my love for food. It is my passion, and I want to continue to work in food activism.”
c. 2011 Velocity Weekly
But in 2005, he veered off onto a different path when he took a job at the Salvation Army's Center of Hope. He would spend the next five years serving meals to the homeless and training at-risk students how to run a kitchen. During his tenure, the program drew positive press from ABC News, CNN and USA Today.
Last year, Tucker, 35, was selected last year by Slow Food USA to attend their conference in Torino, Italy. Tucker and his colleagues exchanged ideas about sustainability, green practices, school system nutrition, rooftop gardens – or, as Tucker sums it up, “all that good stuff.”
Tucker had planned to be gone for a month, but when the Salvation Army couldn’t give him the time off, he left the Center of Hope and ended up spending months traveling throughout Italy, Spain and the Netherlands.
“I became a couch surfer, cooking for parties in exchange for a place to sleep each night,” he said.
In Viterbo, an hour north of Rome, he harvested olive oil and apprenticed with a local chef who made everything from scratch, from bread to liquor. “It was great,” Tucker said, “I didn’t get paid but I got to stay in paradise for free.”
After trying to learn the cuisine as much as he could in Italy and Spain, Tucker found himself in Amsterdam. There, he found many connections between the Dutch and ours, and marveled at their love for fast food – “French fries, waffles, big burgers, they love it all. It’s the opposite of the food pride people have in Italy, where everyone has a super love for making it themselves, and take serious pride in their food.”
Back home in Louisville, Tucker is working on a book about the way food can change lives and is working with an agent to find a publisher. “It’s about inspiration," he said, "why it’s important to get good food, getting good food in institutions and to stop saying that we can’t do it."
While at the Center of Hope, Tucker said he helped dozens of people land jobs or scholarships in the culinary field. One of them, he said, landed a full ride to study at Sullivan.
He's now looking for the next project that blends his skills.
“I’ve been having a renewal of my love for food. It is my passion, and I want to continue to work in food activism.”
c. 2011 Velocity Weekly
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Column #27: An old-school road trip, one tune at a time
When I was younger, I was not always happy. I found some solace for my suburban frustrations in loud, aggressive music – punk, avant-garde noise and, mostly, heavy metal. I was an angry teen boy in central Florida at a, well, happy time for fans of heavy music. Napalm Death bleated, “You suffer!” and I nodded in agreement as I set the dinner table, miserable in the knowledge that I still needed to finish my homework.
In hindsight, I probably would have spent my time more wisely becoming a Goth. As some of my suffering came from a lackluster social life, posing as a Goth would have put me in closer proximity to girls. Sure, most lacked the looks and charm of the late ‘80’s Winona Ryder model, but it would have been good practice.
As I matured, I began to realize that most civilized young ladies don’t necessarily respond well to Slayer, Overkill or Carcass. (Their loss). I learned that while most well-bred gals don’t always need to be wooed with Nat ‘King’ Cole, the latter was always better than a romantic setting of dinner, candles, flowers and Pantera.
If the woman I married had had a similar interest in such music, it wouldn’t be a problem. We could share a delightful bubble bath while enjoying the sounds of Morbid Angel together. However, she is a grown woman, not an angry boy, and therefore is more interested in, say, The Shins or the Arcade Fire when it comes to listening to music for pleasure.
It’s not a problem, really, because I, too, am an adult, now, and notably less aggressive these days. If I need a fix of “Reign in Blood,” it’s easily accessed online; I don’t need to spend much time anymore with such expression. Plus, I’ve always been a music fan first; even when I subscribed to “Metal Maniacs,” I also listened to R.E.M., Willie Nelson, Ice Cube and lots of other different music.
In too many years of bad dating, I eventually learned this as well as other lessons, I guess, because someone married this, after all. While this distinction between the genders is, of course, not always so simple – I have 30-something female friends, who, unlike me, would still rather listen to Bad Brains than Joni Mitchell – I’ve found it to be fairly consistent.
In recent years, I’ve had another love – the “shuffle” button. Like many human Americans, my attention span has decreased over the past decade, thanks to evil, wonderful technology. I keep my music moving, sometimes unable to stay on a single song for too long. I’ve never wanted to be That Guy, the one who insists that “You have to hear this!,” plays a record for 20 seconds, then gets impatient and says, “No, wait! You need to hear this instead,” jumping from one to another like Jennifer Aniston picking a boyfriend.
So on a recent road trip to Chicago, I decided to try going back in time and selecting music the way the creator intended – one album at a time. The notion began simply enough; I thought 35 minutes of prime Beatles would get us moving in good spirits. Well, “Rubber Soul” led to the Rolling Stones’ “Exile on Main Street,” which, though a bit thick of a work for such a drive, still helped us push past the 2-hour mark.
I felt a need to keep it lighter, and skipped over Dylan for early Elton John. Fleetwood Mac would’ve been next but the lady at the lunch spot had the same idea, so the Zombies got moved up, which inspired Elliott Smith, a shared favorite.
The White Stripes proved to be “too garage-y,” or noisy, for delicate ears, and Radiohead proved too subtle for the highway, but mostly, it proved to be a successful attempt to keep two people content at the same time. Glenn Danzig may not be any happier now, but I am, and that’s all I ever wanted.
c. 2011 Velocity Weekly
In hindsight, I probably would have spent my time more wisely becoming a Goth. As some of my suffering came from a lackluster social life, posing as a Goth would have put me in closer proximity to girls. Sure, most lacked the looks and charm of the late ‘80’s Winona Ryder model, but it would have been good practice.
As I matured, I began to realize that most civilized young ladies don’t necessarily respond well to Slayer, Overkill or Carcass. (Their loss). I learned that while most well-bred gals don’t always need to be wooed with Nat ‘King’ Cole, the latter was always better than a romantic setting of dinner, candles, flowers and Pantera.
If the woman I married had had a similar interest in such music, it wouldn’t be a problem. We could share a delightful bubble bath while enjoying the sounds of Morbid Angel together. However, she is a grown woman, not an angry boy, and therefore is more interested in, say, The Shins or the Arcade Fire when it comes to listening to music for pleasure.
It’s not a problem, really, because I, too, am an adult, now, and notably less aggressive these days. If I need a fix of “Reign in Blood,” it’s easily accessed online; I don’t need to spend much time anymore with such expression. Plus, I’ve always been a music fan first; even when I subscribed to “Metal Maniacs,” I also listened to R.E.M., Willie Nelson, Ice Cube and lots of other different music.
In too many years of bad dating, I eventually learned this as well as other lessons, I guess, because someone married this, after all. While this distinction between the genders is, of course, not always so simple – I have 30-something female friends, who, unlike me, would still rather listen to Bad Brains than Joni Mitchell – I’ve found it to be fairly consistent.
In recent years, I’ve had another love – the “shuffle” button. Like many human Americans, my attention span has decreased over the past decade, thanks to evil, wonderful technology. I keep my music moving, sometimes unable to stay on a single song for too long. I’ve never wanted to be That Guy, the one who insists that “You have to hear this!,” plays a record for 20 seconds, then gets impatient and says, “No, wait! You need to hear this instead,” jumping from one to another like Jennifer Aniston picking a boyfriend.
So on a recent road trip to Chicago, I decided to try going back in time and selecting music the way the creator intended – one album at a time. The notion began simply enough; I thought 35 minutes of prime Beatles would get us moving in good spirits. Well, “Rubber Soul” led to the Rolling Stones’ “Exile on Main Street,” which, though a bit thick of a work for such a drive, still helped us push past the 2-hour mark.
I felt a need to keep it lighter, and skipped over Dylan for early Elton John. Fleetwood Mac would’ve been next but the lady at the lunch spot had the same idea, so the Zombies got moved up, which inspired Elliott Smith, a shared favorite.
The White Stripes proved to be “too garage-y,” or noisy, for delicate ears, and Radiohead proved too subtle for the highway, but mostly, it proved to be a successful attempt to keep two people content at the same time. Glenn Danzig may not be any happier now, but I am, and that’s all I ever wanted.
c. 2011 Velocity Weekly
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Column #26: Don't know much about astronomy - and that's OK
As I left class for the final time last month, I was filled with mixed emotions. At 36 years old, I probably should have been leaving the class that I had been teaching. Instead, some “interesting” life choices along the way had left me playing catch up on the road to conventional adulthood.
My iPod shuffle landed on “A New Life” by the Marshall Tucker Band, and it fed my confusion. My new life – marriage, domesticity, etc. – had led me back to college to complete a degree, as I now had a future that I could believe in. As such, graduating didn’t mean that I would be moving away, or leaving anyone behind.
Though I had spent the past two years with a regular crew of fellow students all pursuing the same courses, it certainly wasn’t the college experience as seen in “Animal House”. Occasionally, I would even need to turn down invitations to “study” with my colleagues at the New Albanian Brewing Company because, at the moment, I had other responsibilities that my 22-year-old peers did not share. (At other times, however, such “studying” was unavoidable).
I had tasted the classic college life the first time around, and it didn’t agree with me then. At 18, I had no interest in alcohol, and I was more likely to make a friend in a bookstore than in a frat. A suburban upbringing made me hungry to explore a big city, which left less time for classes. I had little interest in subjects that I didn’t enjoy – math and science – and indulged in elective classes such as Italian cinema.
While I continue to argue that my work since – game show winner, pop culture journalist – has benefited from studying the works of Fellini, Rossellini and De Sica, it didn’t help me get closer to an undergrad degree. Part of returning to school at 34 meant accepting the harsh reality that I still had plenty of non-fun classes left to fulfill.
Our mayor’s office wants to get 55,000 more Louisvillians to earn their degree in the next decade. As I have now done so, you’re welcome, folks – only 54,999 left. No one asked me to write about this; in fact, part of why I am writing is to complain about how I would like to see our higher education system overhauled.
I have 30-something friends who have told me that they won’t go back just because they don’t want to make up requirements in subjects that don’t interest them or benefit them. I don’t disagree with them. To my understanding, the point of receiving a general college education about many unconnected subjects is that most 18-year-olds don’t yet know what they’re good at, or what they enjoy doing.
For those “non-traditional” students who return to college past, let’s say, 25, who know that we want to be a nurse or an IT expert, can someone please start a college that doesn’t require us to learn a foreign language? Does a 43-year-old who wants to teach history need to go back to learn more about science?
Are there adults who can’t buy groceries or pay their bills just because they didn’t learn enough math by the time they left high school? (The answer: no). If your job requires a working knowledge of higher math, then let’s hope you already had such knowledge before your boss hired you.
I realize that this is all about money. However, many more people might give lots more money to whomever can give them a degree that doesn’t require spending three years on miscellaneous banalities.
The person who cuts my hair went to hair cutting school at 18, and has enjoyed a fruitful career of cutting hair since graduation from that school. She knows little about Astronomy, and is doing fine.
My college Spanish professor learned more about speaking Spanish by summering in Argentina than she did from a textbook. She probably also couldn’t tell you much about Astronomy.
c. 2011 Velocity Weekly
My iPod shuffle landed on “A New Life” by the Marshall Tucker Band, and it fed my confusion. My new life – marriage, domesticity, etc. – had led me back to college to complete a degree, as I now had a future that I could believe in. As such, graduating didn’t mean that I would be moving away, or leaving anyone behind.
Though I had spent the past two years with a regular crew of fellow students all pursuing the same courses, it certainly wasn’t the college experience as seen in “Animal House”. Occasionally, I would even need to turn down invitations to “study” with my colleagues at the New Albanian Brewing Company because, at the moment, I had other responsibilities that my 22-year-old peers did not share. (At other times, however, such “studying” was unavoidable).
I had tasted the classic college life the first time around, and it didn’t agree with me then. At 18, I had no interest in alcohol, and I was more likely to make a friend in a bookstore than in a frat. A suburban upbringing made me hungry to explore a big city, which left less time for classes. I had little interest in subjects that I didn’t enjoy – math and science – and indulged in elective classes such as Italian cinema.
While I continue to argue that my work since – game show winner, pop culture journalist – has benefited from studying the works of Fellini, Rossellini and De Sica, it didn’t help me get closer to an undergrad degree. Part of returning to school at 34 meant accepting the harsh reality that I still had plenty of non-fun classes left to fulfill.
Our mayor’s office wants to get 55,000 more Louisvillians to earn their degree in the next decade. As I have now done so, you’re welcome, folks – only 54,999 left. No one asked me to write about this; in fact, part of why I am writing is to complain about how I would like to see our higher education system overhauled.
I have 30-something friends who have told me that they won’t go back just because they don’t want to make up requirements in subjects that don’t interest them or benefit them. I don’t disagree with them. To my understanding, the point of receiving a general college education about many unconnected subjects is that most 18-year-olds don’t yet know what they’re good at, or what they enjoy doing.
For those “non-traditional” students who return to college past, let’s say, 25, who know that we want to be a nurse or an IT expert, can someone please start a college that doesn’t require us to learn a foreign language? Does a 43-year-old who wants to teach history need to go back to learn more about science?
Are there adults who can’t buy groceries or pay their bills just because they didn’t learn enough math by the time they left high school? (The answer: no). If your job requires a working knowledge of higher math, then let’s hope you already had such knowledge before your boss hired you.
I realize that this is all about money. However, many more people might give lots more money to whomever can give them a degree that doesn’t require spending three years on miscellaneous banalities.
The person who cuts my hair went to hair cutting school at 18, and has enjoyed a fruitful career of cutting hair since graduation from that school. She knows little about Astronomy, and is doing fine.
My college Spanish professor learned more about speaking Spanish by summering in Argentina than she did from a textbook. She probably also couldn’t tell you much about Astronomy.
c. 2011 Velocity Weekly
Thursday, December 30, 2010
The Year in Review 2010
This holiday season, I have asked local music special people to share the tale of their year with you, the readers. I don’t know about you, but I want to know about more than just the top records, I also want to know about real life, too. That, and the top records.
CHEYENNE MARIE MIZE, violinist/vocalist, Maiden Radio
Best year yet. 2010 brought me more good things than I ever expected or probably deserve. Much mending and moving forward. It seemed like 2009 was a really bizarre year for everyone I know. But 2010 made up for it. It must have something to do with the planets and stars or something...
The music closest to me tends to stick with me the most. Some folks I've had the honor to work with this year who are totally inspiring and the go-tos in my collection: Doug Paisley - Dark Hand & Lamplight, or his new one Constant Companion; Ólöf Arnalds - Innundir Skinni; Vandaveer - A Minor Spell; Johnny Flynn - Been Listening; Wax Fang - "The Astronaut (Part 1)".
I'm expecting 2011 to be even better.
PATRICK HALLAHAN, drummer, My Morning Jacket
2010 has been a very restorative year for me. Amidst a few macro let downs, the micro has been truly wholesome, and I couldn't ask for anything more. I feel like I've learned more in the past 365 than I have in the whole dance leading up to this moment. And it's good.
I have to start off with the relationship I have with my wife, Brigid. We've been married close to 7 years, been together for over 10, and we've spent a good portion of that time in different cities. Every time I leave for tour, we learn how to live on our own. And just when that makes sense, I come back and we have to learn how to live together again. It's a confusing existence, and it will try your every fiber. BUT, it's made us stronger. 2010 is a year I can say that, just when I think we can't get any closer or make any more sense, we do. If I could give thanks for anything at this year's end, it's that the love of my life is also my best friend.
In addition to a wonderful nucleus at home, I have a fantastic nucleus abroad (also home). 2010 is a year I can say my band mates and I have a complete understanding of one another. We've been blessed with a positive relationship for many years, but for whatever reason 2010 has been a year of total acceptance and cohesion. I very much enjoy playing music with these guys, but it's gotten to the point that when a tour ends or the recording session is over, I genuinely miss being with them. Tom, Carl, Bo, and Jim are amazing, compassionate people, and I am forever thankful that we get to do what we do.
Onward....music. 2010 has been a year of rediscovery vs. discovery. Maybe it was spawned by packing up and moving to a new house, but I've spent a lot of time going back over things that I usually pass by because I've "already had a moment" with them. Pavement. The Beatles. The Jesus Lizard. The Flaming Lips. Fleetwood Mac. Slayer. Simon and Garfunkel. NWA. Rodan. Elton John. I don't know... things that, for whatever reason, I see the name and usually pass because I know how if feels to listen to them. But I was wrong. More life leads to more perspective, and these bands and albums I've so foolishly labeled as "understood" have peeled back my brain once again. Absolute masterpieces.
SCOTT CARNEY, guitarist/vocalist, Wax Fang
This year was both a blast and a blur. I've been busier and more productive this year than any other. I went to Europe for the first time. Played some amazing shows with some amazing people and saw some great bands play. Directed a music video, along with Ryan Daly of the Louisville Film Society, for the band Dead Confederate. And spent the rest of my free time working on the various future releases of Wax Fang. Yep, that's about it.
I really dig the newest Beach House record, Teen Dream. I saw them play in England. They were fantastic. Other than that, the Sparklehorse/Danger Mouse record, Dark Night of the Soul, had some great tunes on it as well, as did the new MGMT double LP, Congratulations.
JOHNNY BERRY, vocalist/bassist, Johnny Berry and the Outliers
Musically, 2010 was a tough year for me. I had a new CD, but it never really got any legs. I also went to book a tour on the East Coast that fell through, they said I wasn’t ‘country enough’. Can you believe that s**t! Yet these very same East Coast urban country music experts, the learned ignorant if you will, will listen to the stupidest lyrics as long as some joker pretended he was Hank Williams while singing them. I was turned down for many showcases and events by several different organizations throughout the year. I guess I’m not cool or hip enough.
With all that said, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I realize what a finicky bunch of know-nothings run the music business and basically everything else. We, as in the American proletariat ‘we’, are screwed. Hell with it. I am now working towards a degree, my children are happy and healthy and I’ll keep on writing and singing songs. I have also begun playing the pedal steel guitar, which is a lot of fun.
I have no idea what my favorite music of the year is. I’ve been listening to truck driver compilation albums, the Wizard of Oz soundtrack and James Brown records from the ‘60′s.
WILLIAM BENTON, guitarist, The Phantom Family Halo
I joined The Phantom Family Halo at the end of 2009, only a couple of weeks before (drummer) Tony (Bailey) passed away. My first tour with them was in December, so I began 2010 with a great surge of energy, being able to write, perform, record and tour with a band that I have always liked very much.
I finally got to see the Louisville installment of "Burn to Shine", shot in 2005. I had always said that if it didn’t come out within a year of it being shot that it would be much cooler to see many years down the line.
The premiere was a great night filled with many friends new and old. The evening opened with incredible and moving performances by Liberation Prophecy, Rachel Grimes, and Bonnie "Prince" Billy with Cairo Gang. Bonnie and Cairo’s set filled the Bomhard theater with no microphones, no P.A., and ranks highly among favorite musical performances I have had the good fortune to witness.
After many years of amazing experiences and many recordings and performances that I am very proud of, I decided that it was time to bow out of Lucky Pineapple. It was the usual circumstances of creative differences but coupled with the logistical difficulties of nine people convening in rural Indiana as often as that band needs to.
Perhaps the most depressing bit of 2010 was that it marked the end of my relatively short marriage. It was long discussed and eventually decided that our worlds were changing and that this was the best decision. We had been "together" for a long time but married less than two years. Oh well. These things happen.
It was the most diplomatic break-up I have ever experienced. I was very lucky.
Dom, of The Phantom Family Halo, moved to Brooklyn and asked me to as well to continue with the band. Between my leaving Lucky Pineapple and being single again, it sounded like a great and exciting idea - so I agreed.
Currently, I am saving money and hoping to head that way in the new year. I hope I can make it.
Favorite albums of 2010:
Gil Scott-Heron - I’m New Here; Grinderman - Grinderman 2; Swans - My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky; Devo - Something for Everybody; Syl Johnson - Complete Mythology; Shipping News - One Less Heartless to Fear; Hank Williams - The Complete Mother’s Best Recordings; Gorillaz - Plastic Beach; The Black Heart Procession - Six; Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and the Cairo Gang - The Wonder Show of the World
CARRIE NEUMAYER, guitarist/vocalist, Second Story Man
My year was pretty great. I turned 30, traveled around in Turkey, got a new job teaching high school photography, became a dog owner and got engaged. This might be my favorite year I’ve ever had.
Musically, I recorded a new album with Minnow called Hello Hubris. Sadly, we released the album on the same day, November 20th, that we played our last show. Also, Second Story Man lost a band member (bass player Justin Davis left to spend more time with his family and pursue other musical endeavours) but we’ve continued working on writing new material and practicing with our awesome new band member Mike Snowden. We have some cool projects planned for 2011- looking forward to it.
Favorite albums of 2010:
Quasi - American Gong: probably played on repeat more than any other records I bought this year.
Thao with the Get Down Stay Down - Know Better, Learn Faster: Technically came out in 2009, but I discovered them this year.
Superchunk - Majesty Shredding
Versus - On the Ones and Threes
Coliseum - House With a Curse
Beach House - Teen Dream
Shipping News - One Less Heartless to Fear
Stooges Brass Band - It’s About Time (2003) I saw this band in New Orleans at a crowded little bar. Watching the performance and being a part of the crowd was one of most joyous, rowdy, exciting music experiences I’ve had since I started going to punk rock shows.
JEFFREY SMITH, publicist, Crash Avenue
I have to say that 2K10 has been a pretty great year! I'll ultimately mark this year as the year that everything came together. The personal life, the professional life... both firing full-bore! I've been extraordinarily focused on shifting the definition of success and what it means to truly sustain that success within my industry. Honestly, I can say that about my personal life as well. Adulthood has never felt better than in 2010.
I've expanded my management roster this year to include two new magnificently talented human beings: Ms. Cheyenne Marie Mize (from right here in Louisville) and J. Irvin Dally (from Los Angeles)... all while preparing for a new Ben Sollee album for release in May 2011.
In no particular order - and excluding my client's albums... ‘cause they already know I love them!
Kitten - Sunday School
Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
Sleigh Bells - Treats
Gonjasufi - A Sufi and a Killer
Everything Everything - Man Alive
No Joy - Ghost Blonde
Warpaint - The Fool
JASON NOBLE, guitarist/vocalist, Shipping News
This year was probably the most intense year I can remember - but also one of the most interesting, challenging and inspiring. My wife, Kristin, and I have have been learning how to handle my health issues and it feels like simple things have taken on a certain glow (for lack of a better word). We've felt more excited about life (in whatever circumstance) than I can ever remember. Having time to return to creative projects in the last few months with Shipping News and The Young Scamels has been a real spirit-lifter. Kristin and I have been humbled and amazed by the generosity of the creative people in the Louisville music and art community (and the benefit concerts they organized to help us). Production Simple & ear X-tacy records have also helped us immensely. It's been a very harsh year, with oil spills, multiple wars, a rancorous election cycle and several of the worst natural disasters in history - so, it seems important to remember the thousands who are in very difficult circumstances.
Hopefully 2011 will be a little more peaceful. We could all do more to make that a reality.
For pure enjoyment... we've enthusiastically followed several bands this year. It's been a fantastic time for music and film and theater. Not to be too cheesy, but - it's incredible how powerful music can be - especially if you step back and really open yourself to it - if you can look outside of certain biases or assumptions about style or genre. Here's a very rough "top ten" list and then several very honorable mentions...
Shannonwright - Secret Blood
Parlour - Simulacrenfield
Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
Massive Attack - Heligoland
Coliseum - House With A Curse
Wax Fang - "The Astronaut (Part 1)"
Frontier(s) - There Will Be No Miracles Here
Cerebellum - Cerebellum LP reissue
Various - RISE: A Louisville Lip Records Tribute to Kinghorse
Chime Hours - Chime Hours EP
CHEYENNE MARIE MIZE, violinist/vocalist, Maiden Radio
Best year yet. 2010 brought me more good things than I ever expected or probably deserve. Much mending and moving forward. It seemed like 2009 was a really bizarre year for everyone I know. But 2010 made up for it. It must have something to do with the planets and stars or something...
The music closest to me tends to stick with me the most. Some folks I've had the honor to work with this year who are totally inspiring and the go-tos in my collection: Doug Paisley - Dark Hand & Lamplight, or his new one Constant Companion; Ólöf Arnalds - Innundir Skinni; Vandaveer - A Minor Spell; Johnny Flynn - Been Listening; Wax Fang - "The Astronaut (Part 1)".
I'm expecting 2011 to be even better.
PATRICK HALLAHAN, drummer, My Morning Jacket
2010 has been a very restorative year for me. Amidst a few macro let downs, the micro has been truly wholesome, and I couldn't ask for anything more. I feel like I've learned more in the past 365 than I have in the whole dance leading up to this moment. And it's good.
I have to start off with the relationship I have with my wife, Brigid. We've been married close to 7 years, been together for over 10, and we've spent a good portion of that time in different cities. Every time I leave for tour, we learn how to live on our own. And just when that makes sense, I come back and we have to learn how to live together again. It's a confusing existence, and it will try your every fiber. BUT, it's made us stronger. 2010 is a year I can say that, just when I think we can't get any closer or make any more sense, we do. If I could give thanks for anything at this year's end, it's that the love of my life is also my best friend.
In addition to a wonderful nucleus at home, I have a fantastic nucleus abroad (also home). 2010 is a year I can say my band mates and I have a complete understanding of one another. We've been blessed with a positive relationship for many years, but for whatever reason 2010 has been a year of total acceptance and cohesion. I very much enjoy playing music with these guys, but it's gotten to the point that when a tour ends or the recording session is over, I genuinely miss being with them. Tom, Carl, Bo, and Jim are amazing, compassionate people, and I am forever thankful that we get to do what we do.
Onward....music. 2010 has been a year of rediscovery vs. discovery. Maybe it was spawned by packing up and moving to a new house, but I've spent a lot of time going back over things that I usually pass by because I've "already had a moment" with them. Pavement. The Beatles. The Jesus Lizard. The Flaming Lips. Fleetwood Mac. Slayer. Simon and Garfunkel. NWA. Rodan. Elton John. I don't know... things that, for whatever reason, I see the name and usually pass because I know how if feels to listen to them. But I was wrong. More life leads to more perspective, and these bands and albums I've so foolishly labeled as "understood" have peeled back my brain once again. Absolute masterpieces.
SCOTT CARNEY, guitarist/vocalist, Wax Fang
This year was both a blast and a blur. I've been busier and more productive this year than any other. I went to Europe for the first time. Played some amazing shows with some amazing people and saw some great bands play. Directed a music video, along with Ryan Daly of the Louisville Film Society, for the band Dead Confederate. And spent the rest of my free time working on the various future releases of Wax Fang. Yep, that's about it.
I really dig the newest Beach House record, Teen Dream. I saw them play in England. They were fantastic. Other than that, the Sparklehorse/Danger Mouse record, Dark Night of the Soul, had some great tunes on it as well, as did the new MGMT double LP, Congratulations.
JOHNNY BERRY, vocalist/bassist, Johnny Berry and the Outliers
Musically, 2010 was a tough year for me. I had a new CD, but it never really got any legs. I also went to book a tour on the East Coast that fell through, they said I wasn’t ‘country enough’. Can you believe that s**t! Yet these very same East Coast urban country music experts, the learned ignorant if you will, will listen to the stupidest lyrics as long as some joker pretended he was Hank Williams while singing them. I was turned down for many showcases and events by several different organizations throughout the year. I guess I’m not cool or hip enough.
With all that said, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I realize what a finicky bunch of know-nothings run the music business and basically everything else. We, as in the American proletariat ‘we’, are screwed. Hell with it. I am now working towards a degree, my children are happy and healthy and I’ll keep on writing and singing songs. I have also begun playing the pedal steel guitar, which is a lot of fun.
I have no idea what my favorite music of the year is. I’ve been listening to truck driver compilation albums, the Wizard of Oz soundtrack and James Brown records from the ‘60′s.
WILLIAM BENTON, guitarist, The Phantom Family Halo
I joined The Phantom Family Halo at the end of 2009, only a couple of weeks before (drummer) Tony (Bailey) passed away. My first tour with them was in December, so I began 2010 with a great surge of energy, being able to write, perform, record and tour with a band that I have always liked very much.
I finally got to see the Louisville installment of "Burn to Shine", shot in 2005. I had always said that if it didn’t come out within a year of it being shot that it would be much cooler to see many years down the line.
The premiere was a great night filled with many friends new and old. The evening opened with incredible and moving performances by Liberation Prophecy, Rachel Grimes, and Bonnie "Prince" Billy with Cairo Gang. Bonnie and Cairo’s set filled the Bomhard theater with no microphones, no P.A., and ranks highly among favorite musical performances I have had the good fortune to witness.
After many years of amazing experiences and many recordings and performances that I am very proud of, I decided that it was time to bow out of Lucky Pineapple. It was the usual circumstances of creative differences but coupled with the logistical difficulties of nine people convening in rural Indiana as often as that band needs to.
Perhaps the most depressing bit of 2010 was that it marked the end of my relatively short marriage. It was long discussed and eventually decided that our worlds were changing and that this was the best decision. We had been "together" for a long time but married less than two years. Oh well. These things happen.
It was the most diplomatic break-up I have ever experienced. I was very lucky.
Dom, of The Phantom Family Halo, moved to Brooklyn and asked me to as well to continue with the band. Between my leaving Lucky Pineapple and being single again, it sounded like a great and exciting idea - so I agreed.
Currently, I am saving money and hoping to head that way in the new year. I hope I can make it.
Favorite albums of 2010:
Gil Scott-Heron - I’m New Here; Grinderman - Grinderman 2; Swans - My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky; Devo - Something for Everybody; Syl Johnson - Complete Mythology; Shipping News - One Less Heartless to Fear; Hank Williams - The Complete Mother’s Best Recordings; Gorillaz - Plastic Beach; The Black Heart Procession - Six; Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and the Cairo Gang - The Wonder Show of the World
CARRIE NEUMAYER, guitarist/vocalist, Second Story Man
My year was pretty great. I turned 30, traveled around in Turkey, got a new job teaching high school photography, became a dog owner and got engaged. This might be my favorite year I’ve ever had.
Musically, I recorded a new album with Minnow called Hello Hubris. Sadly, we released the album on the same day, November 20th, that we played our last show. Also, Second Story Man lost a band member (bass player Justin Davis left to spend more time with his family and pursue other musical endeavours) but we’ve continued working on writing new material and practicing with our awesome new band member Mike Snowden. We have some cool projects planned for 2011- looking forward to it.
Favorite albums of 2010:
Quasi - American Gong: probably played on repeat more than any other records I bought this year.
Thao with the Get Down Stay Down - Know Better, Learn Faster: Technically came out in 2009, but I discovered them this year.
Superchunk - Majesty Shredding
Versus - On the Ones and Threes
Coliseum - House With a Curse
Beach House - Teen Dream
Shipping News - One Less Heartless to Fear
Stooges Brass Band - It’s About Time (2003) I saw this band in New Orleans at a crowded little bar. Watching the performance and being a part of the crowd was one of most joyous, rowdy, exciting music experiences I’ve had since I started going to punk rock shows.
JEFFREY SMITH, publicist, Crash Avenue
I have to say that 2K10 has been a pretty great year! I'll ultimately mark this year as the year that everything came together. The personal life, the professional life... both firing full-bore! I've been extraordinarily focused on shifting the definition of success and what it means to truly sustain that success within my industry. Honestly, I can say that about my personal life as well. Adulthood has never felt better than in 2010.
I've expanded my management roster this year to include two new magnificently talented human beings: Ms. Cheyenne Marie Mize (from right here in Louisville) and J. Irvin Dally (from Los Angeles)... all while preparing for a new Ben Sollee album for release in May 2011.
In no particular order - and excluding my client's albums... ‘cause they already know I love them!
Kitten - Sunday School
Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
Sleigh Bells - Treats
Gonjasufi - A Sufi and a Killer
Everything Everything - Man Alive
No Joy - Ghost Blonde
Warpaint - The Fool
JASON NOBLE, guitarist/vocalist, Shipping News
This year was probably the most intense year I can remember - but also one of the most interesting, challenging and inspiring. My wife, Kristin, and I have have been learning how to handle my health issues and it feels like simple things have taken on a certain glow (for lack of a better word). We've felt more excited about life (in whatever circumstance) than I can ever remember. Having time to return to creative projects in the last few months with Shipping News and The Young Scamels has been a real spirit-lifter. Kristin and I have been humbled and amazed by the generosity of the creative people in the Louisville music and art community (and the benefit concerts they organized to help us). Production Simple & ear X-tacy records have also helped us immensely. It's been a very harsh year, with oil spills, multiple wars, a rancorous election cycle and several of the worst natural disasters in history - so, it seems important to remember the thousands who are in very difficult circumstances.
Hopefully 2011 will be a little more peaceful. We could all do more to make that a reality.
For pure enjoyment... we've enthusiastically followed several bands this year. It's been a fantastic time for music and film and theater. Not to be too cheesy, but - it's incredible how powerful music can be - especially if you step back and really open yourself to it - if you can look outside of certain biases or assumptions about style or genre. Here's a very rough "top ten" list and then several very honorable mentions...
Shannonwright - Secret Blood
Parlour - Simulacrenfield
Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
Massive Attack - Heligoland
Coliseum - House With A Curse
Wax Fang - "The Astronaut (Part 1)"
Frontier(s) - There Will Be No Miracles Here
Cerebellum - Cerebellum LP reissue
Various - RISE: A Louisville Lip Records Tribute to Kinghorse
Chime Hours - Chime Hours EP
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Column #25: What does the future hold for Ear X-tacy?
I recently found a book called “Louisville Savoir Fair,” which billed itself as “a discriminating guide to the city's best shops, boutiques, restaurants, unique services and attractions.” Given that it was published in 1984, there is no Ear X-tacy to be found here; the section “Music and Home Amusement” only has one entry, Wilder Electronics in St. Matthews, which then sold stereo equipment “from well-known manufacturers such as Sony, Fischer, RCA, Zenith, Sanyo and Quasar.”
If that's not enough to make you think about how much has changed, the top restaurants listed included Casa Grisanti, Sixth Avenue and Kaelin's. Today, we have so many wonderful restaurants that if three of the best were to close, it would be a shame, but no one would be denied a special meal.
Last month, I attended a record release event. The band, Shipping News, had long recorded for the independent Touch and Go Records until the label, a mainstay of indie music since 1981, announced in early 2009 that it would no longer release new music.
The band's new album was recorded mostly at Skull Alley, an all-ages venue downtown that will soon close its doors after less than three years in business. On the way to the event, I also passed by Highland Records, which has now closed.
The host of the release party was Ear X-tacy, the record store that has been the center of the local music community since 1985, and twice this year has urgently asked Louisvillians to spend more money to keep it from closing.
Store owner John Timmons' pleas, which have been met with a combination of support and derision, demand, if nothing else, that we think more about the role that Ear X-tacy plays in this community and what future it should have — if any. (Disclosure: I once worked at Ear X-tacy.)
We still have a good independent record store in Underground Sounds, but it is much smaller and unable to host free performances by the likes of My Morning Jacket, The Secret Sisters and The Del McCoury Band. Though it has a more carefully curated selection, it doesn't have nearly as much product as Ear X-tacy. Nor does it have nearly as many staffers with knowledge and opinions about a wide range of culture. While doing so saves Underground Sounds thousands of dollars in expenses each month, it also makes it less of a central meeting point for the greater community.
Still, we've existed relatively happily for a few years now with only Carmichael's Books. Does this community also need another, bigger shop like Hawley-Cooke, which was absorbed into the Borders chain? At least there are no major music retail chains left that directly challenge Ear X-tacy; that victory has been won by iTunes, illegal downloading and big-box stores like Walmart.
Do we need a store like Ear X-tacy to exist as a community center? The radio station WFPK offers “Live Lunch” and summer concerts, which provide a social scene as much as a free show. We have festivals of varying quality. And 21c museum hotel offers a stream of art, music, food and drinks. So the teens who loitered outside of Ear X-tacy now annoy people outside Qdoba instead.
Some want to designate the Twig & Leaf diner a historic location. One mistake made by Ear X-tacy was in moving five times and never establishing an iconic location. Which business deserves protection more? Meanwhile, shouldn't we also be considering protection for the Louisville Orchestra?
If our city's leaders want to point to symbols of our city's awesomeness, do they need to do something to keep them viable?
The local radio and concert business will see a negative effect if Ear X-tacy disappears. Perhaps WFPK could host a pledge drive, and truly make Ear X-tacy the people's store. Perhaps it needs to merge with another business threatened by technology, like a book shop or video store.
There are many empty storefronts downtown that would welcome such a tenant. Perhaps it will take Ear X-tacy merging with one of the area's plentiful wig stores to keep it alive.
C. 2010 Velocity Weekly
If that's not enough to make you think about how much has changed, the top restaurants listed included Casa Grisanti, Sixth Avenue and Kaelin's. Today, we have so many wonderful restaurants that if three of the best were to close, it would be a shame, but no one would be denied a special meal.
Last month, I attended a record release event. The band, Shipping News, had long recorded for the independent Touch and Go Records until the label, a mainstay of indie music since 1981, announced in early 2009 that it would no longer release new music.
The band's new album was recorded mostly at Skull Alley, an all-ages venue downtown that will soon close its doors after less than three years in business. On the way to the event, I also passed by Highland Records, which has now closed.
The host of the release party was Ear X-tacy, the record store that has been the center of the local music community since 1985, and twice this year has urgently asked Louisvillians to spend more money to keep it from closing.
Store owner John Timmons' pleas, which have been met with a combination of support and derision, demand, if nothing else, that we think more about the role that Ear X-tacy plays in this community and what future it should have — if any. (Disclosure: I once worked at Ear X-tacy.)
We still have a good independent record store in Underground Sounds, but it is much smaller and unable to host free performances by the likes of My Morning Jacket, The Secret Sisters and The Del McCoury Band. Though it has a more carefully curated selection, it doesn't have nearly as much product as Ear X-tacy. Nor does it have nearly as many staffers with knowledge and opinions about a wide range of culture. While doing so saves Underground Sounds thousands of dollars in expenses each month, it also makes it less of a central meeting point for the greater community.
Still, we've existed relatively happily for a few years now with only Carmichael's Books. Does this community also need another, bigger shop like Hawley-Cooke, which was absorbed into the Borders chain? At least there are no major music retail chains left that directly challenge Ear X-tacy; that victory has been won by iTunes, illegal downloading and big-box stores like Walmart.
Do we need a store like Ear X-tacy to exist as a community center? The radio station WFPK offers “Live Lunch” and summer concerts, which provide a social scene as much as a free show. We have festivals of varying quality. And 21c museum hotel offers a stream of art, music, food and drinks. So the teens who loitered outside of Ear X-tacy now annoy people outside Qdoba instead.
Some want to designate the Twig & Leaf diner a historic location. One mistake made by Ear X-tacy was in moving five times and never establishing an iconic location. Which business deserves protection more? Meanwhile, shouldn't we also be considering protection for the Louisville Orchestra?
If our city's leaders want to point to symbols of our city's awesomeness, do they need to do something to keep them viable?
The local radio and concert business will see a negative effect if Ear X-tacy disappears. Perhaps WFPK could host a pledge drive, and truly make Ear X-tacy the people's store. Perhaps it needs to merge with another business threatened by technology, like a book shop or video store.
There are many empty storefronts downtown that would welcome such a tenant. Perhaps it will take Ear X-tacy merging with one of the area's plentiful wig stores to keep it alive.
C. 2010 Velocity Weekly
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Holiday Gift Guide 2010
Among the many joys of Louisville life is how small, and efficient, our community is when it comes to commuting. What can take an hour in Chicago takes five minutes here, and I'm beyond thankful for that. Time is money, after all, and the holiday shopping season is when we need even more of both.
On a recent afternoon, my shopping took me from the revitalized New Albany downtown to the west side of downtown Louisville, and then on to Butchertown's one-stop shopping mecca. The drive from point A to point C is only 15 minutes, so I had plenty of time left over to look around some fun, surprising, local shops.
My adventure began at Destinations Booksellers (604 E. Spring St.), where Randy Smith suggested a pair of interesting reads. Bill Bryson's "At Home: A Short History of Private Life" ($28.95), said Smith, "has a universal appeal. It's the history of the things that we live around, the rooms we live in, full of anecdotes and trivia about - for example - How did we start eating in dining rooms? It's good for anyone, 18 to 80."
On a more focused note, Smith guessed that "Daily Show" contributor Lewis Black's new, caustic collection, "I'm Dreaming of a Black Christmas" ($19.95), in which the comedian gleefully attacks all things holiday-related, would appeal to the alt-weekly set.
"I think a lot of the 'Daily Show' fans would enjoy this. It's the follow-up to his book, 'Me of Little Faith'."
That might be good for your college-aged brother, but your hip niece who reminds you of "Juno" would prefer something handmade from The Dandy Lion (310 Bank St.). Co-owner Katy Traughber goes straight to a collection of prints by artist Matt Cipov.
"I think these are amazing. I love 'em because I feel like they're really playful. I can see a guy or a girl hanging these. I haven't seen anything like this in this area yet. I kinda like the creepiness about it, too."
Both boys and girls have those times when they want to drink a little drank, but aren't supposed to. For those times, Traughber recommends any one of their various flasks, and agrees with my manly selection of one in particular: "I like the skull flask, it's got moth wings on the back. It's also got a little bit of Art Deco."
The new DL has another new neighbor within walking distance. Michelle Byrne recently opened Creative Handmade Arts Boutique (302 Pearl St.) with her husband Billy.
Billy makes some eye-catching wine bottle toppers ($25), for those of us who need to drink even more when the family's around. Michelle explains that it's the detailing that helps their toppers stand out. "He uses mainly exotic woods from South America, like walnut."
Keeping it in the family, Michelle also recommends the "Dusk to Dawn" soy candles ($16). "The soy candles are really popular. They're really creamy. My sister-in-law makes them, she's local. They're all-natural, they don't leave black soot on your walls! When the wax has burned, you can actually use the lotion as a moisturizer."
There's even more to see in downtown New Albany these days, but I'm on a mission, because this magazine loves all of Kentuckiana equally, and it's downtown Louisville's chance to impress me.
Glassworks (815 W. Market St.) is known for their glassblowing, event spaces and awe-inspiring lofts. I also know them because their gift shop has helped me buy presents for Mom through the years.
Sherry Daws turns me on to some fused glass cufflinks ($32), which are more for Dad, but hey, he needs presents, too, right?
"They're created with Dichroic glass, which was patented by NASA. When you look at it from different directions, it changes colors. A very reasonable price, and very sparkly. You'll look very special when you wear them!"
You can't leave the Glassworks gift shop without finding something that you need by the new, exclusive Glassworks Home Collection. I selected an assortment of Ball Stemware ($67.50). Daws notes, "They come in such a nice assortment of colors. Their nice jewel tones complement any decor. They're long and they're elegant, and they're crafted here at Glassworks."
More family gifts in tow, I turn around the corner, where the Frazier International History Museum (829 W. Main St.) also offers a full-scale gift shop, in addition to their more obvious attributes.
Krista McHone helps me pick out a pair of gifts for the young and young-at-heart. An LED 3D puzzle ($20.99) is fun, and educational, for boys and girls.
"In the LED series, we have Statue of Liberty, Big Ben, Tower of Pisa, Empire State Building and the White House. You light 'em up and they'll twinkle. We've got a huge Eiffel Tower one, also. I looove those. They're fairly easy to put together, too."
My wife loves three-dimensional wall art, so I pick up a cardboard Bison "trophy" ( Small - $16.99, Medium - $29.99, Large - $54.99), which is like crafty, animal-cruelty-free taxidermy. "We have brown or white cardboard, and it's also available in Buffalo, Elephant, Deer, Rhino and Moose."
We already have the deer and the buffalo at home, so I pack up my new Bison buddy and head on down the road.
Inside the Butchertown Market (1201 Story Ave.), the porcine smells of the neighbors (The JBS Swift plant, The Blind Pig restaurant) disappear, as you're transported to an overseas-style bazaar.
In Canoe Textiles, it's hard to choose between all the unique rugs, jewelry and other hard-to-find items. Kelli Wicking points me to the scarves ($118). "All of our scarves are hand-done, and this is a lightweight cashmere scarf. It's great for the winter, it will keep you warm - but it's also such a light weight that it can be worn into the spring. These are all vegetable-dyed, as well, so the colors are really vibrant. We have a large variety of them."
Another option is a Kilim wallet ($50). "This is made in Turkey. It's leather. Killims are flat weave rugs, so these are made out of the rug remnants."
In an adjoining pair of rooms, Work the Metal is busy, and my visit fell on a Monday, when I expected it would be quieter.
My sister-in-law has never met a fleur-de-lis she didn't love, and Jack Mathis is happy to show me some locally-centric items.
A coaster set (a set of 4 for $19) "is made locally, it sells really well. It's made with marble, and it's screen-printed. It has a fleur-de-lis and says, 'Louisville.' Some of them just say have a fleur-de-lis, with no words. It's a really affordable gift. They come in about 20 different designs."
I'm concerned that I don't have enough drinking paraphernalia, so I'm glad to see an aluminum ice bucket with a scoop ($30 and $10). "It's not local," warns Mathis, "but it represents Louisville with the fleur-de-lis. A lot of people will pair it with this ice scoop. That's a great gift, a good hostess gift, wedding present gift..."
Visitors to Work the Metal can now also check out the new storefront of Cellar Door Chocolates, where Erika Chavez-Graziano has found space to not only make but also sell her treats. Best of all, she's generous with handing out samples.
I can't think of a better way to reward myself, after doing so much shopping for others (and, OK, maybe a bit for myself, too). Chavez-Graziano tells me that I have to try her white chocolate pretzels ($5 for a quarter pound). "They have Christmas designs, and they are wildly popular during Christmas!"
A variety pack "is always a good hostess gift. It's good to leave in your guest room. It's one of our best sellers. They come in 5, 6 or 7 pieces." (5 piece is $6, 6 piece is $7 and the 7 piece is $8.)
c. 2010 Velocity Weekly
On a recent afternoon, my shopping took me from the revitalized New Albany downtown to the west side of downtown Louisville, and then on to Butchertown's one-stop shopping mecca. The drive from point A to point C is only 15 minutes, so I had plenty of time left over to look around some fun, surprising, local shops.
My adventure began at Destinations Booksellers (604 E. Spring St.), where Randy Smith suggested a pair of interesting reads. Bill Bryson's "At Home: A Short History of Private Life" ($28.95), said Smith, "has a universal appeal. It's the history of the things that we live around, the rooms we live in, full of anecdotes and trivia about - for example - How did we start eating in dining rooms? It's good for anyone, 18 to 80."
On a more focused note, Smith guessed that "Daily Show" contributor Lewis Black's new, caustic collection, "I'm Dreaming of a Black Christmas" ($19.95), in which the comedian gleefully attacks all things holiday-related, would appeal to the alt-weekly set.
"I think a lot of the 'Daily Show' fans would enjoy this. It's the follow-up to his book, 'Me of Little Faith'."
That might be good for your college-aged brother, but your hip niece who reminds you of "Juno" would prefer something handmade from The Dandy Lion (310 Bank St.). Co-owner Katy Traughber goes straight to a collection of prints by artist Matt Cipov.
"I think these are amazing. I love 'em because I feel like they're really playful. I can see a guy or a girl hanging these. I haven't seen anything like this in this area yet. I kinda like the creepiness about it, too."
Both boys and girls have those times when they want to drink a little drank, but aren't supposed to. For those times, Traughber recommends any one of their various flasks, and agrees with my manly selection of one in particular: "I like the skull flask, it's got moth wings on the back. It's also got a little bit of Art Deco."
The new DL has another new neighbor within walking distance. Michelle Byrne recently opened Creative Handmade Arts Boutique (302 Pearl St.) with her husband Billy.
Billy makes some eye-catching wine bottle toppers ($25), for those of us who need to drink even more when the family's around. Michelle explains that it's the detailing that helps their toppers stand out. "He uses mainly exotic woods from South America, like walnut."
Keeping it in the family, Michelle also recommends the "Dusk to Dawn" soy candles ($16). "The soy candles are really popular. They're really creamy. My sister-in-law makes them, she's local. They're all-natural, they don't leave black soot on your walls! When the wax has burned, you can actually use the lotion as a moisturizer."
There's even more to see in downtown New Albany these days, but I'm on a mission, because this magazine loves all of Kentuckiana equally, and it's downtown Louisville's chance to impress me.
Glassworks (815 W. Market St.) is known for their glassblowing, event spaces and awe-inspiring lofts. I also know them because their gift shop has helped me buy presents for Mom through the years.
Sherry Daws turns me on to some fused glass cufflinks ($32), which are more for Dad, but hey, he needs presents, too, right?
"They're created with Dichroic glass, which was patented by NASA. When you look at it from different directions, it changes colors. A very reasonable price, and very sparkly. You'll look very special when you wear them!"
You can't leave the Glassworks gift shop without finding something that you need by the new, exclusive Glassworks Home Collection. I selected an assortment of Ball Stemware ($67.50). Daws notes, "They come in such a nice assortment of colors. Their nice jewel tones complement any decor. They're long and they're elegant, and they're crafted here at Glassworks."
More family gifts in tow, I turn around the corner, where the Frazier International History Museum (829 W. Main St.) also offers a full-scale gift shop, in addition to their more obvious attributes.
Krista McHone helps me pick out a pair of gifts for the young and young-at-heart. An LED 3D puzzle ($20.99) is fun, and educational, for boys and girls.
"In the LED series, we have Statue of Liberty, Big Ben, Tower of Pisa, Empire State Building and the White House. You light 'em up and they'll twinkle. We've got a huge Eiffel Tower one, also. I looove those. They're fairly easy to put together, too."
My wife loves three-dimensional wall art, so I pick up a cardboard Bison "trophy" ( Small - $16.99, Medium - $29.99, Large - $54.99), which is like crafty, animal-cruelty-free taxidermy. "We have brown or white cardboard, and it's also available in Buffalo, Elephant, Deer, Rhino and Moose."
We already have the deer and the buffalo at home, so I pack up my new Bison buddy and head on down the road.
Inside the Butchertown Market (1201 Story Ave.), the porcine smells of the neighbors (The JBS Swift plant, The Blind Pig restaurant) disappear, as you're transported to an overseas-style bazaar.
In Canoe Textiles, it's hard to choose between all the unique rugs, jewelry and other hard-to-find items. Kelli Wicking points me to the scarves ($118). "All of our scarves are hand-done, and this is a lightweight cashmere scarf. It's great for the winter, it will keep you warm - but it's also such a light weight that it can be worn into the spring. These are all vegetable-dyed, as well, so the colors are really vibrant. We have a large variety of them."
Another option is a Kilim wallet ($50). "This is made in Turkey. It's leather. Killims are flat weave rugs, so these are made out of the rug remnants."
In an adjoining pair of rooms, Work the Metal is busy, and my visit fell on a Monday, when I expected it would be quieter.
My sister-in-law has never met a fleur-de-lis she didn't love, and Jack Mathis is happy to show me some locally-centric items.
A coaster set (a set of 4 for $19) "is made locally, it sells really well. It's made with marble, and it's screen-printed. It has a fleur-de-lis and says, 'Louisville.' Some of them just say have a fleur-de-lis, with no words. It's a really affordable gift. They come in about 20 different designs."
I'm concerned that I don't have enough drinking paraphernalia, so I'm glad to see an aluminum ice bucket with a scoop ($30 and $10). "It's not local," warns Mathis, "but it represents Louisville with the fleur-de-lis. A lot of people will pair it with this ice scoop. That's a great gift, a good hostess gift, wedding present gift..."
Visitors to Work the Metal can now also check out the new storefront of Cellar Door Chocolates, where Erika Chavez-Graziano has found space to not only make but also sell her treats. Best of all, she's generous with handing out samples.
I can't think of a better way to reward myself, after doing so much shopping for others (and, OK, maybe a bit for myself, too). Chavez-Graziano tells me that I have to try her white chocolate pretzels ($5 for a quarter pound). "They have Christmas designs, and they are wildly popular during Christmas!"
A variety pack "is always a good hostess gift. It's good to leave in your guest room. It's one of our best sellers. They come in 5, 6 or 7 pieces." (5 piece is $6, 6 piece is $7 and the 7 piece is $8.)
c. 2010 Velocity Weekly
Column #24: I always shop local, except when I don't
Congratulations, fellow residents of the hottest city in the country. It’s Thanksgiving, it’s cold, and it’s about time we started thinking about buying dumb, useless presents for those friends, relatives and coworkers whom we don’t care much about or know very well.
Regular readers hopefully think of me as a proud and fervent supporter of all things local, independent, handmade, ethical, fair trade, organic and/or Socialist. Despite our recent election results, I am still Kentucky Proud, and have not yet applied for French citizenship.
There’s little than can excite me faster than a market full of cheeses grown by old hippie ladies, earrings depicting a child literally hugging a tree, and soaps made with hemp drained from Willie Nelson’s beard.
I hope that, during this year’s sprint of mindless consumerism and consumption, we can agree that there are many reasons why we should all be making gifts, or discovering them at one of the locally-owned boutiques around town that do so much to keep Louisville weird or, at least, less dull.
Recently, shops like The Green Haus, Acorn, Hey Tiger, Revelry, Consider and Creative have joined proven favorites The Makery, WHY Louisville, Dot Fox, Cherry Bomb, Ultra Pop and Work the Metal. We now have a Dandelion and a The Dandy Lion. We have two Regalos, and now we also have a Rigolo.
I also love our grand antique malls, home design shops and used bookstores.
So, should I be troubled by my growing awareness that there are some corporate chains whose goods I find equally desirable?
These chains fall into two categories: clothing or food. These are also categories that fall into the life-or-death section; though, if you asked me what my essential needs where, I’d probably list books, vinyl records and paintings of angry clowns before stopping to think that, well, no, those aren’t technically essential needs.
When it comes to clothing, it can be tough, in a town this size, to find clothes that I can call comfortable, relatively stylish, and affordable. When I lived in bigger cities, I was able to stock my drawers with thrift and vintage store finds. Not only is that tougher here, but, at 36, I also have to deal with the fact that some of my past choices are no longer quite so age-appropriate.
(As I age, I’ve realized that I’ll never be old enough for my older relatives. To them, I will always be 8. Anyone under 20, however, already seems to think that I’m “old”, 40 or 50, and “so weird.”)
So, to solve my essential clothing needs, I have found myself augmenting my locally handmade organic clothes with items from Banana Republic, The Gap and J. Crew. I have found clothing at Target, and I know that I’m not alone in that decision.
This month, I made my first ever trip to The Summit, the outdoor shopping plaza so far north of my neighborhood that I thought I had traveled to Canada. It wasn’t as painful as I had expected. The natives were polite, and on a brisk fall day, it’s more life-affirming to walk outside than to be stuck in an endless indoor mall.
The Summit is also home to Five Guys Burgers & Fries, whose fresh deliciousness thrills me every time. If the other fast food chains turned out products like this, I would visit them, too. Out West, I loved In-n-Out, and have missed them dearly.
On a healthier note, I am thankful for Subway, especially while on the road. What a concept – a chain where one can find relatively healthy food. Imagine if that caught on…
That’s about it: A handful of clothing stores, and a handful of fast food stops. I will be buying my people presents from my favorite local boutiques this year, again, as well as making some lovingly selected mix CDs.
But I will also be back up North soon, because that new frozen yogurt chain, 32 Degrees, is fantastic.
Regular readers hopefully think of me as a proud and fervent supporter of all things local, independent, handmade, ethical, fair trade, organic and/or Socialist. Despite our recent election results, I am still Kentucky Proud, and have not yet applied for French citizenship.
There’s little than can excite me faster than a market full of cheeses grown by old hippie ladies, earrings depicting a child literally hugging a tree, and soaps made with hemp drained from Willie Nelson’s beard.
I hope that, during this year’s sprint of mindless consumerism and consumption, we can agree that there are many reasons why we should all be making gifts, or discovering them at one of the locally-owned boutiques around town that do so much to keep Louisville weird or, at least, less dull.
Recently, shops like The Green Haus, Acorn, Hey Tiger, Revelry, Consider and Creative have joined proven favorites The Makery, WHY Louisville, Dot Fox, Cherry Bomb, Ultra Pop and Work the Metal. We now have a Dandelion and a The Dandy Lion. We have two Regalos, and now we also have a Rigolo.
I also love our grand antique malls, home design shops and used bookstores.
So, should I be troubled by my growing awareness that there are some corporate chains whose goods I find equally desirable?
These chains fall into two categories: clothing or food. These are also categories that fall into the life-or-death section; though, if you asked me what my essential needs where, I’d probably list books, vinyl records and paintings of angry clowns before stopping to think that, well, no, those aren’t technically essential needs.
When it comes to clothing, it can be tough, in a town this size, to find clothes that I can call comfortable, relatively stylish, and affordable. When I lived in bigger cities, I was able to stock my drawers with thrift and vintage store finds. Not only is that tougher here, but, at 36, I also have to deal with the fact that some of my past choices are no longer quite so age-appropriate.
(As I age, I’ve realized that I’ll never be old enough for my older relatives. To them, I will always be 8. Anyone under 20, however, already seems to think that I’m “old”, 40 or 50, and “so weird.”)
So, to solve my essential clothing needs, I have found myself augmenting my locally handmade organic clothes with items from Banana Republic, The Gap and J. Crew. I have found clothing at Target, and I know that I’m not alone in that decision.
This month, I made my first ever trip to The Summit, the outdoor shopping plaza so far north of my neighborhood that I thought I had traveled to Canada. It wasn’t as painful as I had expected. The natives were polite, and on a brisk fall day, it’s more life-affirming to walk outside than to be stuck in an endless indoor mall.
The Summit is also home to Five Guys Burgers & Fries, whose fresh deliciousness thrills me every time. If the other fast food chains turned out products like this, I would visit them, too. Out West, I loved In-n-Out, and have missed them dearly.
On a healthier note, I am thankful for Subway, especially while on the road. What a concept – a chain where one can find relatively healthy food. Imagine if that caught on…
That’s about it: A handful of clothing stores, and a handful of fast food stops. I will be buying my people presents from my favorite local boutiques this year, again, as well as making some lovingly selected mix CDs.
But I will also be back up North soon, because that new frozen yogurt chain, 32 Degrees, is fantastic.
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Column #23: A music lover searches for the perfect venue
It's not too loud, but I'm starting to feel that I'm getting too old.
Now that the music industry has been destroyed, can we agree that such concepts are outdated? The idea of "selling out" by licensing your song to a car commercial sure went the way of the Edsel, and many a band has made their name in the background of a tearful "Grey's Anatomy" sex-with-a-ghost scene. Do we still have to chastise folks for committing the crime of aging past 30?
In my parents' era, a popular notion was that "You can't trust anyone over 30." What's today's equivalent? You can't trust anyone who doesn't have a Facebook profile? (OK, maybe you can trust 'em, but how else will you find out about their dating history, or whether or not they "like" "Saying 'dude' when you get excited about something"?)
It’s not too loud. I’m much happier listening to extreme Japanese death metal than Sheryl Crow. However, I’m also a lot more interested in some other things – cooking, gardening, yoga – than I was 6 years ago.
There’s nothing wrong with that, is there? It would be wrong if I was still the same foolish 20-something, staying out drinking all night and dating the wrongest people available.
In my 20-year career of attending live music performances, I have rarely been impressed by the way in which they are presented. My earliest concerts – Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Chicago – were all in the enormo-domes which are today saddled with corporate names like “The Mayor McCheese Amphitheater.” (Yum!)
My gateway concert was seeing the Dead Milkmen, outdoors on the campus of the University of South Florida, at 5 in the afternoon. At 16, I was beginning to soak up the non-commercial sounds of the weird and wacky punks of the time, but hearing those cassettes was nothing like walking into a field of weirdoes with colored hair, odd piercings and torn clothes. Even then, though, while I enjoyed the spectacle, I knew that I could never truly be one of them.
I’ve never felt comfortable in any one clique, an unfortunate circumstance probably exacerbated by moving amongst several cities. I’ve always been too punk for preppies, and too preppy for punks. My athletic abilities peaked when I was 9, but theater never held much appeal, either. Piano lessons were abandoned, though not as quickly as guitar lessons.
Otherwise, as a listener, music has all but replaced religion as my religion. The search for the perfect song can never end, and that is wonderful. It’s the gift that keeps on giving, no matter what Sting or Rod Stewart do to it.
From classy concert halls to some dude’s beer-soaked basement, from coffeehouses to progressive churches, from radio station rooftops to the back rooms of Mexican restaurants, I’ve seen some transcendent moments - from the surprise triumph of the Buena Vista Social Club in their full glory to Monotonix tearing up the Pour Haus - and, in hindsight, witnessed some bittersweet history (Nirvana’s last tour, Stevie Ray Vaughan’s last tour, an unintelligibly wasted Elliott Smith six weeks before his death).
But here’s the thing. At most of these times, I’ve always wanted to be some place more comfortable. Perhaps there’s a contradiction between wanting to lounge while watching crazy Israelis empty trash cans on the drummer’s head midsong, but hey, that’s how I roll.
I haven’t become too old. Internally, I’ve always been too old. I’ve always preferred sitting over standing, especially over many hours. Also, I’m not Jack Bauer – I’m not doing anything extremely important before 11 p.m., so feel free to start playing your songs shortly after dinner, OK? If the music’s good enough, it’ll sound just as good at 7:30 as it will at 1:30.
Will I one day be able to watch every concert on demand, at home? Will I miss anything meaningful? If so, will it be more exciting than playing with my cats and not paying $12 in “convenience fees”?
c. 2010 Velocity Weekly
Now that the music industry has been destroyed, can we agree that such concepts are outdated? The idea of "selling out" by licensing your song to a car commercial sure went the way of the Edsel, and many a band has made their name in the background of a tearful "Grey's Anatomy" sex-with-a-ghost scene. Do we still have to chastise folks for committing the crime of aging past 30?
In my parents' era, a popular notion was that "You can't trust anyone over 30." What's today's equivalent? You can't trust anyone who doesn't have a Facebook profile? (OK, maybe you can trust 'em, but how else will you find out about their dating history, or whether or not they "like" "Saying 'dude' when you get excited about something"?)
It’s not too loud. I’m much happier listening to extreme Japanese death metal than Sheryl Crow. However, I’m also a lot more interested in some other things – cooking, gardening, yoga – than I was 6 years ago.
There’s nothing wrong with that, is there? It would be wrong if I was still the same foolish 20-something, staying out drinking all night and dating the wrongest people available.
In my 20-year career of attending live music performances, I have rarely been impressed by the way in which they are presented. My earliest concerts – Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Chicago – were all in the enormo-domes which are today saddled with corporate names like “The Mayor McCheese Amphitheater.” (Yum!)
My gateway concert was seeing the Dead Milkmen, outdoors on the campus of the University of South Florida, at 5 in the afternoon. At 16, I was beginning to soak up the non-commercial sounds of the weird and wacky punks of the time, but hearing those cassettes was nothing like walking into a field of weirdoes with colored hair, odd piercings and torn clothes. Even then, though, while I enjoyed the spectacle, I knew that I could never truly be one of them.
I’ve never felt comfortable in any one clique, an unfortunate circumstance probably exacerbated by moving amongst several cities. I’ve always been too punk for preppies, and too preppy for punks. My athletic abilities peaked when I was 9, but theater never held much appeal, either. Piano lessons were abandoned, though not as quickly as guitar lessons.
Otherwise, as a listener, music has all but replaced religion as my religion. The search for the perfect song can never end, and that is wonderful. It’s the gift that keeps on giving, no matter what Sting or Rod Stewart do to it.
From classy concert halls to some dude’s beer-soaked basement, from coffeehouses to progressive churches, from radio station rooftops to the back rooms of Mexican restaurants, I’ve seen some transcendent moments - from the surprise triumph of the Buena Vista Social Club in their full glory to Monotonix tearing up the Pour Haus - and, in hindsight, witnessed some bittersweet history (Nirvana’s last tour, Stevie Ray Vaughan’s last tour, an unintelligibly wasted Elliott Smith six weeks before his death).
But here’s the thing. At most of these times, I’ve always wanted to be some place more comfortable. Perhaps there’s a contradiction between wanting to lounge while watching crazy Israelis empty trash cans on the drummer’s head midsong, but hey, that’s how I roll.
I haven’t become too old. Internally, I’ve always been too old. I’ve always preferred sitting over standing, especially over many hours. Also, I’m not Jack Bauer – I’m not doing anything extremely important before 11 p.m., so feel free to start playing your songs shortly after dinner, OK? If the music’s good enough, it’ll sound just as good at 7:30 as it will at 1:30.
Will I one day be able to watch every concert on demand, at home? Will I miss anything meaningful? If so, will it be more exciting than playing with my cats and not paying $12 in “convenience fees”?
c. 2010 Velocity Weekly
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Column #22: Short-lived TV series created ripples felt today
I come to praise, and to bury.
My focus in this column, generally, is to examine the intersections between culture and real life, while also fighting stubbornly against prejudices and other forms of lazy thinking.
My anger is often aimed at those who continually look back, on past days that they imagine to be better than these today. Because I believe strongly that anyone who thinks that life must have been better in the 1980s, or the 1960s, or the 1920s, is fooling himself.
With that said, let us look back on the mid-1990s, when we were younger and there was a TV series better than most on the tube today, or ever.
“My So-Called Life” began in 1994 and seemed to come from another planet. In the complacent Clinton era, when “Beverly Hills, 90210” passed for an honest teen drama, “My So-Called Life” jumped into the hearts of those of us who quickly fell in love with its funny, frank and deeply thoughtful look at very real, very flawed and very yearning teens, whose parents couldn't pretend to know it all anymore.
After a single, perfectly pitched season, ABC canceled the series, a victim of being scheduled against the new, terrible hit “Friends” and of the Hollywood aspirations of stars Claire Danes and Jared Leto.
The good news though, is that its legacy lives on, and its influence has been felt since, from “Freaks and Geeks” through “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.”
Two of the people behind “My So-Called Life” have brought their vision back to television recently, and we viewers are better off for it.
Writer Jason Katims has nurtured the shows “Friday Night Lights” and “Parenthood,” telling stories of what right-wingers like to call “real people” — people who are struggling to raise families while holding on to their jobs (yes, on “Parenthood,” even Berkeley yuppies don't have it easy).
The fact that “Friday Night Lights” has lasted through to its fifth season is admirable, as quality network dramas (such as the recent Fox attempt “Lone Star”) sometimes only make it through two episodes.
Do the big networks still have any authentic reasons for producing quality dramas? Cable channels like HBO and AMC are clearly much better at making them work. It took a deal with a satellite provider, Direct TV, to keep “Friday Night Lights” on the air.
It's too easy to blame the networks in this case, I fear. The creators of FX's “Damages” also had to beg DirectTV to keep the show alive, but unlike “Friday Night Lights,” which continues to air on NBC, “Damages” will be enjoyed solely by subscribers to the satellite service.
“My So-Called Life” co-creator Winnie Holzman, who had left TV for Broadway success, returned this summer to help her daughter create a series for ABC Family (the cable channel that most likely would have been the home of “Life” had it begun in the current era).
“Huge” had a great first season, full of some of the most real people ever seen on TV — teens at fat camp. It was funny, smart, moving and, at times, brave. And last week, it was canceled.
It seems unfair. Perhaps this self-described “family” channel is content to build its brand on sexier, less thought-provoking soaps like “Pretty Little Liars” and the cheerleaders of “Make It or Break It.”
(Perhaps that's not entirely fair. ABC Family is also home to the oft-overwrought but overall worthwhile “Secret Life” and the sharp “Greek,” which also includes some awkward young people who don't have perfect beach bodies.)
There is good news here: Even in Hollywood, writers are continuing to tell real stories, against all economic odds. If nothing else, the legacy of “My So-Called Life” continues to influence new generations of storytellers.
c. 2010 Velocity Weekly
My focus in this column, generally, is to examine the intersections between culture and real life, while also fighting stubbornly against prejudices and other forms of lazy thinking.
My anger is often aimed at those who continually look back, on past days that they imagine to be better than these today. Because I believe strongly that anyone who thinks that life must have been better in the 1980s, or the 1960s, or the 1920s, is fooling himself.
With that said, let us look back on the mid-1990s, when we were younger and there was a TV series better than most on the tube today, or ever.
“My So-Called Life” began in 1994 and seemed to come from another planet. In the complacent Clinton era, when “Beverly Hills, 90210” passed for an honest teen drama, “My So-Called Life” jumped into the hearts of those of us who quickly fell in love with its funny, frank and deeply thoughtful look at very real, very flawed and very yearning teens, whose parents couldn't pretend to know it all anymore.
After a single, perfectly pitched season, ABC canceled the series, a victim of being scheduled against the new, terrible hit “Friends” and of the Hollywood aspirations of stars Claire Danes and Jared Leto.
The good news though, is that its legacy lives on, and its influence has been felt since, from “Freaks and Geeks” through “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.”
Two of the people behind “My So-Called Life” have brought their vision back to television recently, and we viewers are better off for it.
Writer Jason Katims has nurtured the shows “Friday Night Lights” and “Parenthood,” telling stories of what right-wingers like to call “real people” — people who are struggling to raise families while holding on to their jobs (yes, on “Parenthood,” even Berkeley yuppies don't have it easy).
The fact that “Friday Night Lights” has lasted through to its fifth season is admirable, as quality network dramas (such as the recent Fox attempt “Lone Star”) sometimes only make it through two episodes.
Do the big networks still have any authentic reasons for producing quality dramas? Cable channels like HBO and AMC are clearly much better at making them work. It took a deal with a satellite provider, Direct TV, to keep “Friday Night Lights” on the air.
It's too easy to blame the networks in this case, I fear. The creators of FX's “Damages” also had to beg DirectTV to keep the show alive, but unlike “Friday Night Lights,” which continues to air on NBC, “Damages” will be enjoyed solely by subscribers to the satellite service.
“My So-Called Life” co-creator Winnie Holzman, who had left TV for Broadway success, returned this summer to help her daughter create a series for ABC Family (the cable channel that most likely would have been the home of “Life” had it begun in the current era).
“Huge” had a great first season, full of some of the most real people ever seen on TV — teens at fat camp. It was funny, smart, moving and, at times, brave. And last week, it was canceled.
It seems unfair. Perhaps this self-described “family” channel is content to build its brand on sexier, less thought-provoking soaps like “Pretty Little Liars” and the cheerleaders of “Make It or Break It.”
(Perhaps that's not entirely fair. ABC Family is also home to the oft-overwrought but overall worthwhile “Secret Life” and the sharp “Greek,” which also includes some awkward young people who don't have perfect beach bodies.)
There is good news here: Even in Hollywood, writers are continuing to tell real stories, against all economic odds. If nothing else, the legacy of “My So-Called Life” continues to influence new generations of storytellers.
c. 2010 Velocity Weekly
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Idea Fest schedule
Velocity's pop-culture guru Peter Berkowitz offers his take on this year's festival lineup
For four days, all are welcome to witness new, often surprising perspectives on where our society will — or, at least, should — be heading. While none of these people have appeared on Dancing With the Stars, many are superstars in their own fields of work and study.
WEDNESDAY
Thrivals 3.0
Get an early start with this daylong seminar led by futurist Nat Irvin II. 7a.m.
Janelle Monae
The wonderfully spaced-out singer and composer helps get things going with a very special Idea Festival concert. 8p.m.
THURSDAY
Dynamics of Arts in Healthcare
A panel discussion on how the arts can influence health care and the healing process. (Or is it really about how Obamacare is a socialist plot to destroy Betty White? Hmm?) 7:45 a.m.
Stefan Sagmeister
The acclaimed graphic designer is also a multiple Grammy nominee, but he'll be discussing the future of design, not playing hot tracks from the new Taylor Swift record. 9 a.m.
Daphne Miller
In “The Jungle Effect,” physician Miller shares her findings on how different local practices culled from around the world can benefit our health. Note: Bring your own yoga mat. 10:30 a.m.
Peter W. Singer
I'm a guy who gets a tingling feeling from the title of this presentation: “Robotics and the Future of Conflict in the 21st Century.” I'm envisioning many educational clips from RoboCop and Iron Man. 12 p.m.
Hugh Herr
On the same track, this MIT professor talks about his work with bionics, and how this will all lead one day to robot housekeepers like we were promised by The Jetsons. 1:30 p.m.
Rick Bragg
Look! It's that rarest of creatures — a well-paid journalist! The author All Over But the Shoutin' and Ava's Man will discuss the art of storytelling. 3p.m.
Anand Giridharadas
What's a “fushionista”? Or “Ghandian engineering”? Learn how they will bring about an entire reshaping of our planet, all in less time than it takes to watch an episode of Project Runway. 4:30 p.m.
Ben Sollee
This popular singer/songwriter/cellist has toured now by bicycle because he believes in helping the planet by living sustainably. If there are lights on in the theater, try to not be too confused by the contradiction. 7:45 p.m.
FRIDAY
Jim Tucker
Do you believe that you have lived past lives? Do you love the Baby Geniuses movies? Tucker will discuss his work with children “who appear to have vivid memories of previous lives.” 9a.m.
Will Pearson
While it's rare to combine hard-won knowledge with goofball fun, Pearson and his interactive “Mental Floss Trivia Show” will delight people who dream of canoodling with NPR's Carl Kassel. 10:30 a.m.
Dom Sagolla
A summary of a Twitter co-founder should be 140 characters or less, yes? He's also the author of a book called 140 Characters... surprise! (Was that short enough?) 12 p.m.
Caroline Alexander
This author delves into The Iliad, the Trojan War and the lessons that emerge from Homer's epic tale. Russell Crowe, we've found your next hit! 1:30 p.m.
Daniel Tammet
This best-selling author is “a high-functioning autistic savant” who will share his point of view on the world through the prism of autism. 3p.m.
Alejandro Echeverri
The architect, a co-winner of the prestigious Curry Stone Design Prize, will discuss his efforts to re-design the troubled city of Medellin, Colombia. 4:30 p.m.
Diavolo
The dancers, gymnasts and actors of this Los Angeles troupe present a surreal night of theater centered on individuals and their environs. So, yes, they do think they can dance. 8 p.m.
SATURDAY
Sapphire
The author — aka Ramona Lofton — of the book Push will talk about the novel and the hugely successful film Precious that it inspired. 9 a.m.
Philip Done
In “Close Encounters of the Third Grade Kind,” this teacher will share tales of from the educational frontlines, as well as his thoughts about our educational system. 10:30 a.m.
What Is Literary Louisville?
A panel of local writers and publishers will address this question. 10:30 a.m.
Creating the Artful Organization
Funding guru Ruby Lerner and others discuss how to raise cash without selling your soul. 12 p.m.
Sean Carroll
This Cal Tech physicist has written a book about time, from cool stuff like time travel to more academic questions like why we perceive each work day as being, like, really really long. 1:30 p.m.
Philippe Petit
Meet the man famous for — illegally — walking a tightwire between the World Trade Center towers in 1974. He still trains daily for... well, you'll just have to come and find out. 3 p.m.
Tori Murden McClure
The Spalding University president is also an adventurer who has done a bunch of crazy stuff that none of us will ever have the guts to do. 4:30 p.m.
The Contemplative Life
The philosophy of Thomas Merton, the monk who did some if his most profound thinking at Kentucky's Abbey of Gethsemani, is the subject of this panel discussion. 4:30 p.m.
Jon Landau
The producer of the blockbuster flicks Titanic and Avatar will discuss what it takes to get a film made from start to (hopefully) successful finish. 7 p.m.
All events listed are at the Kentucky Center for the Arts, 501 W. Main St.
(Credit: Illustration by Josh Thomas)
c. 2010 Velocity Weekly
For four days, all are welcome to witness new, often surprising perspectives on where our society will — or, at least, should — be heading. While none of these people have appeared on Dancing With the Stars, many are superstars in their own fields of work and study.
WEDNESDAY
Thrivals 3.0
Get an early start with this daylong seminar led by futurist Nat Irvin II. 7a.m.
Janelle Monae
The wonderfully spaced-out singer and composer helps get things going with a very special Idea Festival concert. 8p.m.
THURSDAY
Dynamics of Arts in Healthcare
A panel discussion on how the arts can influence health care and the healing process. (Or is it really about how Obamacare is a socialist plot to destroy Betty White? Hmm?) 7:45 a.m.
Stefan Sagmeister
The acclaimed graphic designer is also a multiple Grammy nominee, but he'll be discussing the future of design, not playing hot tracks from the new Taylor Swift record. 9 a.m.
Daphne Miller
In “The Jungle Effect,” physician Miller shares her findings on how different local practices culled from around the world can benefit our health. Note: Bring your own yoga mat. 10:30 a.m.
Peter W. Singer
I'm a guy who gets a tingling feeling from the title of this presentation: “Robotics and the Future of Conflict in the 21st Century.” I'm envisioning many educational clips from RoboCop and Iron Man. 12 p.m.
Hugh Herr
On the same track, this MIT professor talks about his work with bionics, and how this will all lead one day to robot housekeepers like we were promised by The Jetsons. 1:30 p.m.
Rick Bragg
Look! It's that rarest of creatures — a well-paid journalist! The author All Over But the Shoutin' and Ava's Man will discuss the art of storytelling. 3p.m.
Anand Giridharadas
What's a “fushionista”? Or “Ghandian engineering”? Learn how they will bring about an entire reshaping of our planet, all in less time than it takes to watch an episode of Project Runway. 4:30 p.m.
Ben Sollee
This popular singer/songwriter/cellist has toured now by bicycle because he believes in helping the planet by living sustainably. If there are lights on in the theater, try to not be too confused by the contradiction. 7:45 p.m.
FRIDAY
Jim Tucker
Do you believe that you have lived past lives? Do you love the Baby Geniuses movies? Tucker will discuss his work with children “who appear to have vivid memories of previous lives.” 9a.m.
Will Pearson
While it's rare to combine hard-won knowledge with goofball fun, Pearson and his interactive “Mental Floss Trivia Show” will delight people who dream of canoodling with NPR's Carl Kassel. 10:30 a.m.
Dom Sagolla
A summary of a Twitter co-founder should be 140 characters or less, yes? He's also the author of a book called 140 Characters... surprise! (Was that short enough?) 12 p.m.
Caroline Alexander
This author delves into The Iliad, the Trojan War and the lessons that emerge from Homer's epic tale. Russell Crowe, we've found your next hit! 1:30 p.m.
Daniel Tammet
This best-selling author is “a high-functioning autistic savant” who will share his point of view on the world through the prism of autism. 3p.m.
Alejandro Echeverri
The architect, a co-winner of the prestigious Curry Stone Design Prize, will discuss his efforts to re-design the troubled city of Medellin, Colombia. 4:30 p.m.
Diavolo
The dancers, gymnasts and actors of this Los Angeles troupe present a surreal night of theater centered on individuals and their environs. So, yes, they do think they can dance. 8 p.m.
SATURDAY
Sapphire
The author — aka Ramona Lofton — of the book Push will talk about the novel and the hugely successful film Precious that it inspired. 9 a.m.
Philip Done
In “Close Encounters of the Third Grade Kind,” this teacher will share tales of from the educational frontlines, as well as his thoughts about our educational system. 10:30 a.m.
What Is Literary Louisville?
A panel of local writers and publishers will address this question. 10:30 a.m.
Creating the Artful Organization
Funding guru Ruby Lerner and others discuss how to raise cash without selling your soul. 12 p.m.
Sean Carroll
This Cal Tech physicist has written a book about time, from cool stuff like time travel to more academic questions like why we perceive each work day as being, like, really really long. 1:30 p.m.
Philippe Petit
Meet the man famous for — illegally — walking a tightwire between the World Trade Center towers in 1974. He still trains daily for... well, you'll just have to come and find out. 3 p.m.
Tori Murden McClure
The Spalding University president is also an adventurer who has done a bunch of crazy stuff that none of us will ever have the guts to do. 4:30 p.m.
The Contemplative Life
The philosophy of Thomas Merton, the monk who did some if his most profound thinking at Kentucky's Abbey of Gethsemani, is the subject of this panel discussion. 4:30 p.m.
Jon Landau
The producer of the blockbuster flicks Titanic and Avatar will discuss what it takes to get a film made from start to (hopefully) successful finish. 7 p.m.
All events listed are at the Kentucky Center for the Arts, 501 W. Main St.
(Credit: Illustration by Josh Thomas)
c. 2010 Velocity Weekly
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
of the readers, by the readers, for the readers
"It’s that time of year again — a time when we let you, the reader, determine the best our fair city has to offer, from all-you-can-eat deals and fine dining to church picnics and strip clubs. We welcome your votes, even when we seriously disagree, and we present the winners in these pages without interference, aside from correcting the occasional mangled word (it turns out very few people can spell Muhammad Ali or Peter Berkowitz correctly).
But did you honestly think we would be willing to relinquish all editorial control? Of course not. And so this year, LEO writers weigh in as well, presenting our own picks in some rather unorthodox categories. After all, where else are you going to learn about the best places to take a romantic stroll and watch drunken frat boys vomit?
Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks to our readers for caring enough about Louisville to log on and vote.
And now for the winners ..."
Best Local Feature Writer
1) Peter Berkowitz
2) Steve Shaw
3) Dana McMahan
Best Local Columnist
1) Pam Swisher
2) Peter Berkowitz
3) Rick Bozich
Best Local Arts Writer
1) Erin Keane
2) Peter Berkowitz
3) Jo Anne Triplett
Best Local Blog
1) Backseat Sandbar
2) Consuming Louisville
3) Peter Berkowitz
Column #21: Is 'Top Chef' a microcosm of our cultural biases?
“I worry about his taste level.”
This is a phrase used often on reality TV shows. It’s not as popular as “I didn’t come here to make friends,” but that’s because nothing feels better to say in the heat of battle and yet means as little to the outside world.
Though the concept of “taste” is clearly offensive to anyone-can-do-it competitions like “American Idol” and “America’s Got Talent,” the "taste level" of contestants is often invoked on competitions between professionals who already have actual skills, like “Project Runway,” “HGTV Design Star” and “Work of Art.” The judges debate it, and the contestants use it to belittle each other.
However, the definition of “taste” can vary between different people, whether because of class, race or other cultural influencers. When we can’t agree with each other about the merits of a movie, or a dress, “We can agree to disagree,” because “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”
But in a competition, where people of varying backgrounds are asked to make “the best” cake or dress or to be “the best” singer, is it more like apples and oranges? Who’s a "better" singer, Kelly Clarkson or Ruben Studdard, Carrie Underwood or Adam Lambert?
Ask anyone involved in making comedy movies whether they get the respect they feel they deserve, come awards season. I don’t think “Airplane!” or “Office Space” were considered important by judges, but I think more movie aficionados would consider them classics above serious sludge like “A Beautiful Mind” or “Scent of a Woman.”
A lot of rich Hollywood producers didn’t see Tyler Perry coming, or expect that Ice Cube could become a media mogul, too. Perhaps their works aren’t up to the “taste level” of Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock’s “All About Steve” or that brilliant Mike Meyers’ “The Love Guru.”
Similarly, when I tune in to our public radio station, I often wonder why I never seem to hear music by exciting new talents like Janelle Monae or proven favorites like Jill Scott, Maxwell or Mary J. Blige.
A station known for playing artists like k.d. lang, Natalie Merchant and The Dave Matthews Band would seem ideal for such talents, but as the very tasteful music writer Jeffrey Lee Puckett, wrote recently, they are perceived as playing “music that white, 25- to 54-year-old professionals want to hear.”
No one’s saying that Schoolly D’s hip hop classic “Am I Black Enough for You?” is compatible with this audience, but a demographic that can’t get enough Bob Marley and Michael Franti would also enjoy Alicia Keys.
For a legend like Mavis Staples, I guess it takes Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy producing your record to get you played on public radio.
It took four seasons for a woman to claim the title of “Top Chef,” and even that season’s winner, Stephanie Izard of Chicago, would agree that she only won on a technicality. By setting this season in Washington, D.C., one might even
assume that the producers were working overtime to find their first African-American winner.
In the first half of the season, the battle appeared to be obvious: Kenny, an African-American whose bio declares him to be, “An intense and no-nonsense chef, Kenny once split his pants open while cooking a 10-course meal and didn’t even blink an eye,” versus the Latino Angelo, a creepily nervous but talented chef.
By the finale, Angelo seemed to be imploding, making victory easier for average white man Ed, while the inconsistent Kevin, an African-American, looked like the longshot.
So, spoiler alert, yes, Kevin won, and he shared how proud he was to be the first African-American winner. Did he deserve the title? In this case, it’s impossible to say, as we viewers can’t taste their food. But who’s a better comedian, Chris Rock or Sarah Silverman? Is Jonathan Franzen a better writer than Z.Z. Packer? Can we all agree on what’s tasteful?
Or is our country doomed to be forever equal, but separate?
c. 2010 Velocity Weekly
This is a phrase used often on reality TV shows. It’s not as popular as “I didn’t come here to make friends,” but that’s because nothing feels better to say in the heat of battle and yet means as little to the outside world.
Though the concept of “taste” is clearly offensive to anyone-can-do-it competitions like “American Idol” and “America’s Got Talent,” the "taste level" of contestants is often invoked on competitions between professionals who already have actual skills, like “Project Runway,” “HGTV Design Star” and “Work of Art.” The judges debate it, and the contestants use it to belittle each other.
However, the definition of “taste” can vary between different people, whether because of class, race or other cultural influencers. When we can’t agree with each other about the merits of a movie, or a dress, “We can agree to disagree,” because “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”
But in a competition, where people of varying backgrounds are asked to make “the best” cake or dress or to be “the best” singer, is it more like apples and oranges? Who’s a "better" singer, Kelly Clarkson or Ruben Studdard, Carrie Underwood or Adam Lambert?
Ask anyone involved in making comedy movies whether they get the respect they feel they deserve, come awards season. I don’t think “Airplane!” or “Office Space” were considered important by judges, but I think more movie aficionados would consider them classics above serious sludge like “A Beautiful Mind” or “Scent of a Woman.”
A lot of rich Hollywood producers didn’t see Tyler Perry coming, or expect that Ice Cube could become a media mogul, too. Perhaps their works aren’t up to the “taste level” of Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock’s “All About Steve” or that brilliant Mike Meyers’ “The Love Guru.”
Similarly, when I tune in to our public radio station, I often wonder why I never seem to hear music by exciting new talents like Janelle Monae or proven favorites like Jill Scott, Maxwell or Mary J. Blige.
A station known for playing artists like k.d. lang, Natalie Merchant and The Dave Matthews Band would seem ideal for such talents, but as the very tasteful music writer Jeffrey Lee Puckett, wrote recently, they are perceived as playing “music that white, 25- to 54-year-old professionals want to hear.”
No one’s saying that Schoolly D’s hip hop classic “Am I Black Enough for You?” is compatible with this audience, but a demographic that can’t get enough Bob Marley and Michael Franti would also enjoy Alicia Keys.
For a legend like Mavis Staples, I guess it takes Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy producing your record to get you played on public radio.
It took four seasons for a woman to claim the title of “Top Chef,” and even that season’s winner, Stephanie Izard of Chicago, would agree that she only won on a technicality. By setting this season in Washington, D.C., one might even
assume that the producers were working overtime to find their first African-American winner.
In the first half of the season, the battle appeared to be obvious: Kenny, an African-American whose bio declares him to be, “An intense and no-nonsense chef, Kenny once split his pants open while cooking a 10-course meal and didn’t even blink an eye,” versus the Latino Angelo, a creepily nervous but talented chef.
By the finale, Angelo seemed to be imploding, making victory easier for average white man Ed, while the inconsistent Kevin, an African-American, looked like the longshot.
So, spoiler alert, yes, Kevin won, and he shared how proud he was to be the first African-American winner. Did he deserve the title? In this case, it’s impossible to say, as we viewers can’t taste their food. But who’s a better comedian, Chris Rock or Sarah Silverman? Is Jonathan Franzen a better writer than Z.Z. Packer? Can we all agree on what’s tasteful?
Or is our country doomed to be forever equal, but separate?
c. 2010 Velocity Weekly
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Column #20: My generation's aging - and that's a good thing
In last week's USA Weekend magazine, the cover story was about Drew Barrymore. Generally, that wouldn’t interest me, but this story caught my eye. The cover quoted her as saying, "I'm trying to figure out what the second half of my life is going to be."
Barrymore, 35, is only 6 months younger than me, and only slightly young enough still to remain within the youth-obsessed media's acceptable age demographic.
From the perspective of today's teens, I suppose she's been an adult for a long time now. By any reasonable standard, 35 is fairly adult. But, as someone who's known about (if not actually know) Barrymore since we were both 7, it's odd, having to consider that someone still so youthful and immature-seeming is barreling towards 40. Because that means that I am, too.
This isn't a problem for me, though. I'm one of those people who got called "an old soul" by concerned teachers. I can't wait to yell, "Get off my lawn!" at some rambunctious kids without having to worry that they might still consider me young enough for a fight.
I anticipate being a lot more adorable at 70 than I was at 35. At the very least, it will make more sense, why I'm wandering around in a cardigan and sensible shoes, mumbling about how the Kardashians haven't done anything to deserve their fame.
In the same magazine, I saw that Macauley Culkin just turned 30. Melissa Joan Hart, TV’s "Sabrina the Teenage Witch", and starring in a new sitcom with Joey Lawrence, also 34. Remember Hanson? They just played a free show at Ear X-tacy. Among the three of them, the brothers now have seven children. Recently, Hanson played inside Ear X-tacy. The Hanson brothers now have 7 children between them.
I've tried to be young. It just wasn’t for me. There’s not much worse than not knowing what's going on, not knowing who you are, being at the mercy of so many cruel factors - parents, teachers, bosses. I'd rather be old, rich and fat than get really stoned while the Foo Fighters play in a field behind me.
Meanwhile, all around me, some of my peers are trying hard not to grow up and move on. Hey, I'm glad that your band was awesome in 1989. I'm sure it was super exciting for you when you were 16, rocking out with your teenage fans and friends, hormones in overdrive and totally stoked to move out of your parents house one day. But now we're heading towards middle age, and even Drew Barrymore is getting old.
Why do bands keep reuniting 20 years later, but old high school football teams never do? Would that really be any different? Both are intensely physical roles played by people who are, ideally, in prime physical and mental shape, trained and ready to go out and conquer in the name of glory, money and, most importantly, chicks.
Athletes, like dancers, retire much younger than teachers or doctors for a pretty obvious reason. Yet seeing how old, fat and sad the Pixies look now did little to discourage their fans.
Clearly, I didn’t peak in my teens. I’m finally happy now, in my 30’s. I did what I guess you'd call "settling down". No more psychodrama romances, no more staying out 'til 4 a.m. drinking away the pain. Now we have cats — three of them — and they are much more entertaining than hanging out with dudes, rocking out to yet another intense band in yet another sweaty basement.
That stuff helped me hate the suburbs and Ronald Reagan when I was an angry teen, but now I get to live in a great neighborhood in a lovely city, and we finally have a president who symbolizes the fact that this country is making progress and dealing with its prejudices.
Dear Generation X, our turn is over. Kennedy is no longer our VJ. MTV doesn't even play videos any more. Winona Ryder is no longer a movie star and Soul Asylum is finally a faded memory. Reality doesn’t bite us any more.
C. 2010 Velocity Weekly
Barrymore, 35, is only 6 months younger than me, and only slightly young enough still to remain within the youth-obsessed media's acceptable age demographic.
From the perspective of today's teens, I suppose she's been an adult for a long time now. By any reasonable standard, 35 is fairly adult. But, as someone who's known about (if not actually know) Barrymore since we were both 7, it's odd, having to consider that someone still so youthful and immature-seeming is barreling towards 40. Because that means that I am, too.
This isn't a problem for me, though. I'm one of those people who got called "an old soul" by concerned teachers. I can't wait to yell, "Get off my lawn!" at some rambunctious kids without having to worry that they might still consider me young enough for a fight.
I anticipate being a lot more adorable at 70 than I was at 35. At the very least, it will make more sense, why I'm wandering around in a cardigan and sensible shoes, mumbling about how the Kardashians haven't done anything to deserve their fame.
In the same magazine, I saw that Macauley Culkin just turned 30. Melissa Joan Hart, TV’s "Sabrina the Teenage Witch", and starring in a new sitcom with Joey Lawrence, also 34. Remember Hanson? They just played a free show at Ear X-tacy. Among the three of them, the brothers now have seven children. Recently, Hanson played inside Ear X-tacy. The Hanson brothers now have 7 children between them.
I've tried to be young. It just wasn’t for me. There’s not much worse than not knowing what's going on, not knowing who you are, being at the mercy of so many cruel factors - parents, teachers, bosses. I'd rather be old, rich and fat than get really stoned while the Foo Fighters play in a field behind me.
Meanwhile, all around me, some of my peers are trying hard not to grow up and move on. Hey, I'm glad that your band was awesome in 1989. I'm sure it was super exciting for you when you were 16, rocking out with your teenage fans and friends, hormones in overdrive and totally stoked to move out of your parents house one day. But now we're heading towards middle age, and even Drew Barrymore is getting old.
Why do bands keep reuniting 20 years later, but old high school football teams never do? Would that really be any different? Both are intensely physical roles played by people who are, ideally, in prime physical and mental shape, trained and ready to go out and conquer in the name of glory, money and, most importantly, chicks.
Athletes, like dancers, retire much younger than teachers or doctors for a pretty obvious reason. Yet seeing how old, fat and sad the Pixies look now did little to discourage their fans.
Clearly, I didn’t peak in my teens. I’m finally happy now, in my 30’s. I did what I guess you'd call "settling down". No more psychodrama romances, no more staying out 'til 4 a.m. drinking away the pain. Now we have cats — three of them — and they are much more entertaining than hanging out with dudes, rocking out to yet another intense band in yet another sweaty basement.
That stuff helped me hate the suburbs and Ronald Reagan when I was an angry teen, but now I get to live in a great neighborhood in a lovely city, and we finally have a president who symbolizes the fact that this country is making progress and dealing with its prejudices.
Dear Generation X, our turn is over. Kennedy is no longer our VJ. MTV doesn't even play videos any more. Winona Ryder is no longer a movie star and Soul Asylum is finally a faded memory. Reality doesn’t bite us any more.
C. 2010 Velocity Weekly
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Column #19: Cool music took the heat out of sucky summers
"Is this record called 'Summer's Greatest Hits'?", my wife asked.
The record I had playing as we dressed that morning wasn't but, as a collection of the Lovin' Spoonful's greatest hits, could have been.
Even without their classic song, "Summer in the City", the Lovin' Spoonful still reign as the most summery-sounding band ever. Their bouncy, light songs - thoughtful but never heavy, optimistic even when sad - sound the way that summer should feel.
Just not this summer.
As kids, we loved summer because we didn't have to go to school. We were free to play with our friends, go to camp and have important but long-forgotten romances.
Today, however, summer is a poorly-planned fusion of work, familial obligations and 60-band music festivals stuffed with leather-pants-wearing 22-year-olds hoping to conquer the world and bloated has-beens who gave up trying long ago.
The part of this formula that I really don’t understand is why, if they insist on making us sit through so many bands in one day, they can’t do it in the spring and in the fall? It’s so much nicer outside then, and there’s not much competition in the festival business.
Festival headliners such as Huey Lewis and Smashing Pumpkins are just glad that they don’t have to play the State Fair yet. Wouldn’t they sound even less pathetic without sweat dripping in our ears?
I haven't been a fan of this season for a while. A surplus of bright heat and shirtless men who should, really, have more shame is bad enough. Worse, for me, though, is the lack of quality television.
No matter how exciting that action-packed sequel to that comic book movie is, it's still less than two hours long and costs almost $10 per person. What am I supposed to do the rest of the week? I'm thankful that summer TV has improved, but even the best efforts of the cable channels aren't enough to fool me into thinking that they're really trying.
The MTV series Jersey Shore is back. You already knew this, of course, due to the national media's decision to spend more time discussing Snooki's latest hot tub adventure than, say, the two wars we find ourselves mired in, or the continuing tragedy of the Gulf oil spill.
How Bruce Springsteen allowed those twits to redefine the very concept of summer fun in the name of his home state is another unforgivable scandal.
Earlier this summer, I found myself craving the Boss's second album, the unjustly lesser-known The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle. I had an urge to enjoy something, anything, summery under 100 degrees (besides ice cream).
The album begins with bleating horns suggesting an impending New Orleans funeral party, so you know that you’re in for a good time.
A funk groove that playfully dates it to the '70's takes over, while Bruce narrates one of his first stories of young lovers and fighters making the best of their situation. The album is filled with voices rising in the background, the sounds of block parties and backyard bar-b-ques in full swing.
“As them sweet summer nights turn into summer dreams/Little Angel picks up Power and he slips on his jeans/And they move on out down to the scene/All the kids are dancin'.”
Accordions, organs and horns (including a tuba!) propel the swingin' shuffles and teen romance ballads; what makes this album seem so summery is its looseness, especially compared to anything the E Street band has done in the past 35 years.
They weren't famous, they were lean, hungry and wore sleeveless shirts and beards; they were less working class heroes than young guys looking for the next cold beer and/or warm companion.
“Oh Sandy, the aurora is risin' behind us/The pier lights our carnival life on the water/Runnin' down the beach at night with my boss's daughter/Well he ain't my boss no more, Sandy.”
Take that, Katy Perry.
The record I had playing as we dressed that morning wasn't but, as a collection of the Lovin' Spoonful's greatest hits, could have been.
Even without their classic song, "Summer in the City", the Lovin' Spoonful still reign as the most summery-sounding band ever. Their bouncy, light songs - thoughtful but never heavy, optimistic even when sad - sound the way that summer should feel.
Just not this summer.
As kids, we loved summer because we didn't have to go to school. We were free to play with our friends, go to camp and have important but long-forgotten romances.
Today, however, summer is a poorly-planned fusion of work, familial obligations and 60-band music festivals stuffed with leather-pants-wearing 22-year-olds hoping to conquer the world and bloated has-beens who gave up trying long ago.
The part of this formula that I really don’t understand is why, if they insist on making us sit through so many bands in one day, they can’t do it in the spring and in the fall? It’s so much nicer outside then, and there’s not much competition in the festival business.
Festival headliners such as Huey Lewis and Smashing Pumpkins are just glad that they don’t have to play the State Fair yet. Wouldn’t they sound even less pathetic without sweat dripping in our ears?
I haven't been a fan of this season for a while. A surplus of bright heat and shirtless men who should, really, have more shame is bad enough. Worse, for me, though, is the lack of quality television.
No matter how exciting that action-packed sequel to that comic book movie is, it's still less than two hours long and costs almost $10 per person. What am I supposed to do the rest of the week? I'm thankful that summer TV has improved, but even the best efforts of the cable channels aren't enough to fool me into thinking that they're really trying.
The MTV series Jersey Shore is back. You already knew this, of course, due to the national media's decision to spend more time discussing Snooki's latest hot tub adventure than, say, the two wars we find ourselves mired in, or the continuing tragedy of the Gulf oil spill.
How Bruce Springsteen allowed those twits to redefine the very concept of summer fun in the name of his home state is another unforgivable scandal.
Earlier this summer, I found myself craving the Boss's second album, the unjustly lesser-known The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle. I had an urge to enjoy something, anything, summery under 100 degrees (besides ice cream).
The album begins with bleating horns suggesting an impending New Orleans funeral party, so you know that you’re in for a good time.
A funk groove that playfully dates it to the '70's takes over, while Bruce narrates one of his first stories of young lovers and fighters making the best of their situation. The album is filled with voices rising in the background, the sounds of block parties and backyard bar-b-ques in full swing.
“As them sweet summer nights turn into summer dreams/Little Angel picks up Power and he slips on his jeans/And they move on out down to the scene/All the kids are dancin'.”
Accordions, organs and horns (including a tuba!) propel the swingin' shuffles and teen romance ballads; what makes this album seem so summery is its looseness, especially compared to anything the E Street band has done in the past 35 years.
They weren't famous, they were lean, hungry and wore sleeveless shirts and beards; they were less working class heroes than young guys looking for the next cold beer and/or warm companion.
“Oh Sandy, the aurora is risin' behind us/The pier lights our carnival life on the water/Runnin' down the beach at night with my boss's daughter/Well he ain't my boss no more, Sandy.”
Take that, Katy Perry.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Column #18: Facebook can be a mundane fantasy world
My friend Justin posted a status update last week: “When Robin and I get home for the evening, we don't talk about our respective days. We like to talk about what you, our Facebook friends, have been doing today. Thanks.”
After laughing out loud (which is what I do in real life; I tend to reserve my “LOL”ing for online conversations about “The Family Circus” or local music festivals), I thought about what might have stimulated this obviously sarcastic post.
Though a walk through any office or school today makes it seem like everyone in the world uses Facebook, there’s still a billion folks who don’t. Most of my relatives don’t.
Aside from the time commitment, the complaints I hear from non-users are usually of the “I don’t want some kid I went to third grade with wanting to be my ‘friend’” variety - though most of these same people would otherwise enjoy seeing that popular jock from high school as a 38-year-old fattie, if it were in an alumni newsletter.
What’s sad about such pictures is that social sites such as this offer people a place to present a better version of themselves, and yet most don’t even understand how to do so.
Facebook is where you can try to convince others of the fantasy that you are more awesome than them. If a documentary film is like real life without the boring parts, then Facebook is like real life without the boring parts, and without people getting to hear how annoying your voice is, how often you nervously play with your hair and how bad you look in profile.
Yet most merely bombard us, their friends, with updates such as “I wish I was at home instead of work,” “It really is hot today!” and “I’m hungry.”
I use it primarily to learn about events - music, art, beer, anything fun and occasionally charitable. If I could get that information without having to read five opinions of a basketball game, I would.
Such updates often serve to remind me that I’m not missing much in the real world. But hey, have fun at that late night dance party, guy I used to work with five years ago. I’ll see your pictures in the morning.
Facebook holdouts don’t listen to me when I tell them that I rarely get messaged by old classmates. The holdouts talk about privacy, but don’t want to acknowledge that information about everyone can be found online, somewhere, whether we like it or not.
If you don’t want non-friends to see what you’re up to, it’s easy to quickly learn how to hide one’s ostensibly personal information on Facebook. As an old married man, I don’t care if my parents or bosses see what I’m up to. Even when I was younger and making stupid choices in public, I stayed out of pictures that might embarrass me.
Why are so many thrilled about typing their lunch into this website? Talking about what you ate, seemingly to make others jealous of how much better you’re eating than them, is not charming. It’s like seeing a Food Network program without any explanations or recipes, let alone pretty pictures.
It’s the jealousy angle that fascinates me the most. I don’t get why people think writing, “On the beach in Hawaii. Sooo beautiful!” is helping anyone. The rest of us just hate you for having something that we all want.
I post pictures of trips online, though I worry a little about alienating others. There’s a big difference, though, between seeing a beautiful sunset – or a double rainbow – and merely reading about one. Same with that huge burrito you had for lunch. If it’s so special, why don’t you take a picture of it? The kids on the playground tell me that it’ll last longer.
After laughing out loud (which is what I do in real life; I tend to reserve my “LOL”ing for online conversations about “The Family Circus” or local music festivals), I thought about what might have stimulated this obviously sarcastic post.
Though a walk through any office or school today makes it seem like everyone in the world uses Facebook, there’s still a billion folks who don’t. Most of my relatives don’t.
Aside from the time commitment, the complaints I hear from non-users are usually of the “I don’t want some kid I went to third grade with wanting to be my ‘friend’” variety - though most of these same people would otherwise enjoy seeing that popular jock from high school as a 38-year-old fattie, if it were in an alumni newsletter.
What’s sad about such pictures is that social sites such as this offer people a place to present a better version of themselves, and yet most don’t even understand how to do so.
Facebook is where you can try to convince others of the fantasy that you are more awesome than them. If a documentary film is like real life without the boring parts, then Facebook is like real life without the boring parts, and without people getting to hear how annoying your voice is, how often you nervously play with your hair and how bad you look in profile.
Yet most merely bombard us, their friends, with updates such as “I wish I was at home instead of work,” “It really is hot today!” and “I’m hungry.”
I use it primarily to learn about events - music, art, beer, anything fun and occasionally charitable. If I could get that information without having to read five opinions of a basketball game, I would.
Such updates often serve to remind me that I’m not missing much in the real world. But hey, have fun at that late night dance party, guy I used to work with five years ago. I’ll see your pictures in the morning.
Facebook holdouts don’t listen to me when I tell them that I rarely get messaged by old classmates. The holdouts talk about privacy, but don’t want to acknowledge that information about everyone can be found online, somewhere, whether we like it or not.
If you don’t want non-friends to see what you’re up to, it’s easy to quickly learn how to hide one’s ostensibly personal information on Facebook. As an old married man, I don’t care if my parents or bosses see what I’m up to. Even when I was younger and making stupid choices in public, I stayed out of pictures that might embarrass me.
Why are so many thrilled about typing their lunch into this website? Talking about what you ate, seemingly to make others jealous of how much better you’re eating than them, is not charming. It’s like seeing a Food Network program without any explanations or recipes, let alone pretty pictures.
It’s the jealousy angle that fascinates me the most. I don’t get why people think writing, “On the beach in Hawaii. Sooo beautiful!” is helping anyone. The rest of us just hate you for having something that we all want.
I post pictures of trips online, though I worry a little about alienating others. There’s a big difference, though, between seeing a beautiful sunset – or a double rainbow – and merely reading about one. Same with that huge burrito you had for lunch. If it’s so special, why don’t you take a picture of it? The kids on the playground tell me that it’ll last longer.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Column #17: The road to being a writer has twists and turns
"If you don't mind me asking, how did you become a writer?"
The young lady asking this was a friend of a friend.
She had asked if I minded her question, which usually doesn't happen unless the question seems like a rude one. (For example: "Hey, if you don't mind me asking, what happened to your face?")
The way she asked it was odd, as if being a writer were some weirdly obscure profession that polite people don't talk about. Replace the word "writer" with "executioner" or "prostitute," and you might get a sense of her tone.
However, being a writer is far from an obscurity. I would guess that there are many multiples of millions of people who are writers, or like to consider themselves to be writers.
I considered myself a writer, and would tell people that I was, long before I was ever paid or otherwise recognized for accomplishing such a task.
When I was 14, I tried to write a TV script for the first time. I didn't think it would get produced, but at that time I didn't have many friends, and my ability to play baseball competitively had ended as others grew larger and stronger than me.
If anything benefits a writer, it's having lots of free time and no other more useful abilities.
My favorite TV series at the time was Moonlighting, an inventively comedic detective-romance show. I got 30 pages into my script before I gave up. There are a few reasons why high school freshman don't write for major Hollywood productions. I wish I had kept that script, though. I'm sure it would be fascinating to look at today.
At 22, I moved to Hollywood (or, more precisely, Santa Monica). I didn't know where to go to be a writer, or to whom to give my writings when I was done. I hadn't thought that I had a foolproof plan. I just didn't know what else to do.
A listing in the LA Weekly caught my attention. There was a comedy show happening near my apartment, featuring a comedian I had seen on TV, which is where famous people live!
The show was free. The venue was called Connections or Crossroads and was in a small storefront run by an aging Venice hippie. (It closed months later, because free shows don't help pay the rent.) It - clearly - was not a comedy club. It was more like a workshop for the many free spirits who would perform, for free, in the hopes of being spotted by an agent.
Amateurs were allowed to get up and try to be funny, too. Months later, I, hoping that one five-minute spot would get me hired on The Simpsons, decided to try. Three years later, my writing abilities had improved, though I had learned that I am not a good performer.
I met a girl, Tannis, who also wanted to write for TV. We wrote three scripts, all of which went nowhere. The years were going by, and my personal life was as big a failure as my professional life - good material for writing, but bad for living.
Before L.A., I had spent a year in Louisville, attending the University of I-Can't-Find-a-Parking-Spot-Within-Three-Miles-of-Campus, and I had loved the relatively small scale and pace of the city. A month after I returned, I met a guy in a bar.
A mutual friend told him that I was a writer, and that I knew a lot about music. As a Louisvillian, surely you have recognized that the man I met that night was Jeffrey Lee Puckett, the mayor of Germantown and the pop music guy at our newspaper.
So, that's one way to become a writer.
c. 2010 Velocity Weekly
The young lady asking this was a friend of a friend.
She had asked if I minded her question, which usually doesn't happen unless the question seems like a rude one. (For example: "Hey, if you don't mind me asking, what happened to your face?")
The way she asked it was odd, as if being a writer were some weirdly obscure profession that polite people don't talk about. Replace the word "writer" with "executioner" or "prostitute," and you might get a sense of her tone.
However, being a writer is far from an obscurity. I would guess that there are many multiples of millions of people who are writers, or like to consider themselves to be writers.
I considered myself a writer, and would tell people that I was, long before I was ever paid or otherwise recognized for accomplishing such a task.
When I was 14, I tried to write a TV script for the first time. I didn't think it would get produced, but at that time I didn't have many friends, and my ability to play baseball competitively had ended as others grew larger and stronger than me.
If anything benefits a writer, it's having lots of free time and no other more useful abilities.
My favorite TV series at the time was Moonlighting, an inventively comedic detective-romance show. I got 30 pages into my script before I gave up. There are a few reasons why high school freshman don't write for major Hollywood productions. I wish I had kept that script, though. I'm sure it would be fascinating to look at today.
At 22, I moved to Hollywood (or, more precisely, Santa Monica). I didn't know where to go to be a writer, or to whom to give my writings when I was done. I hadn't thought that I had a foolproof plan. I just didn't know what else to do.
A listing in the LA Weekly caught my attention. There was a comedy show happening near my apartment, featuring a comedian I had seen on TV, which is where famous people live!
The show was free. The venue was called Connections or Crossroads and was in a small storefront run by an aging Venice hippie. (It closed months later, because free shows don't help pay the rent.) It - clearly - was not a comedy club. It was more like a workshop for the many free spirits who would perform, for free, in the hopes of being spotted by an agent.
Amateurs were allowed to get up and try to be funny, too. Months later, I, hoping that one five-minute spot would get me hired on The Simpsons, decided to try. Three years later, my writing abilities had improved, though I had learned that I am not a good performer.
I met a girl, Tannis, who also wanted to write for TV. We wrote three scripts, all of which went nowhere. The years were going by, and my personal life was as big a failure as my professional life - good material for writing, but bad for living.
Before L.A., I had spent a year in Louisville, attending the University of I-Can't-Find-a-Parking-Spot-Within-Three-Miles-of-Campus, and I had loved the relatively small scale and pace of the city. A month after I returned, I met a guy in a bar.
A mutual friend told him that I was a writer, and that I knew a lot about music. As a Louisvillian, surely you have recognized that the man I met that night was Jeffrey Lee Puckett, the mayor of Germantown and the pop music guy at our newspaper.
So, that's one way to become a writer.
c. 2010 Velocity Weekly
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Column #16: Offbeat picks for mayor could spice up our future
Though a few, bittersweet "Tyler Allen for Mayor" signs remain on lawns across the Highlands, our mayoral primary is over.
Last month, Louisville went back to the polls and voted for the next affluent white man whom we wouldn't mind being mayor more than the other guy.
Though we knew it was coming, it was still a shock when neither our incumbent mayor-for-life nor musician/entrepreneur Scott Ritcher was on the bill.
When Jerry Abramson was first elected mayor, the year was 1813. Now it's 2010, and, like it or not, we're in for some changes. (Don't worry, though -- public radio will continue to play old 10,000 Maniacs and Waterboys discs way too often).
This is an exciting time for Louisville, but one fraught with uncertainty. Will we continue to progress into the future, making great strides with technology, healthy food and "green" living? Or will we continue to dwell on the same issues, causes and excuses that we used in the last century?
I'm not a political genius, and I lack fundamental insight into what it takes to run the 16th- (aka 64th-) largest city in the country. What's great about this country, though, is that I can freely share my ideas about who might make a good future mayor for this city. Most aren't even rich.
Harold Maier would be my first choice. The heart and soul behind the late Twice Told Bookstore is a bold, surprising thinker, as anyone who lingered in the aisles of his shop could testify. While his politics may be a tad to the left of the mainstream, I think "Possibility City" is ready for some surprises.
I doubt that there's any reasonable universe in which his former shop assistant, artist Sean "Rat" Garrison, could run this town. However, if Garrison promised a reunion of his early '90s band, Kinghorse, for everyone who voted for him, I think he could easily win, becoming our Jesse Ventura. There's little this town loves more than nostalgia.
Rob Pennington is another singer/screamer from the good ol' days. Many Louisvillians were raised following his lead -- helping and respecting others and living a thoughtful, responsible life, examples he continues to live by. Pennington is a natural for greater public service. It's a great shame that few of the 1,500 folks excited to see his band Endpoint perform again are as interested in his current work, teaching children with special needs.
There are probably a few folks involved in the sporting world who are good leaders. As a non-sports person, the only one famous enough for me to know about is Coach Rick Pitino. I like Italian food, too, so I know why he probably won't run.
Summer Auerbach, vice president of Rainbow Blossom Natural Food Markets, achieved success at a young age. She has proven that she can run a multifaceted, growing, progressive business. She has been a civic leader and booster, seen often in newspapers and at neighborhood festivals. Best, she is scandal-free, an important quality for a mayor.
A sure bet for the office would have to be James Olliges Jr. You probably know him better by his stage name, Jim James. The leader of My Morning Jacket is evidence that Louisville has more to offer than a two-minute horse race and KFC, and he's a proven uniter of people from different worlds. Who else could so easily share a stage with both John Prine and Erykah Badu?
J.K. McKnight, founder of the Forecastle Festival, is another uniter. Though this paper has had fun pointing out his festival's growing pains through the years, this year's Forecastle promises to be the best yet. What McKnight has accomplished -- taking a neighborhood party in Tyler Park and guiding it into a major regional event - cannot be denied. Has Widespread Panic ever played an inauguration party?
Gill Holland, owner of The Green Building, already wants to make our neighborhoods greener and more artsy. Plus, he has something none of those other non-candidates has: He's not from here. Maybe that's something we need. Also, he's an affluent white man. I hear they do well in politics.
c. 2010 Velocity Weekly
Last month, Louisville went back to the polls and voted for the next affluent white man whom we wouldn't mind being mayor more than the other guy.
Though we knew it was coming, it was still a shock when neither our incumbent mayor-for-life nor musician/entrepreneur Scott Ritcher was on the bill.
When Jerry Abramson was first elected mayor, the year was 1813. Now it's 2010, and, like it or not, we're in for some changes. (Don't worry, though -- public radio will continue to play old 10,000 Maniacs and Waterboys discs way too often).
This is an exciting time for Louisville, but one fraught with uncertainty. Will we continue to progress into the future, making great strides with technology, healthy food and "green" living? Or will we continue to dwell on the same issues, causes and excuses that we used in the last century?
I'm not a political genius, and I lack fundamental insight into what it takes to run the 16th- (aka 64th-) largest city in the country. What's great about this country, though, is that I can freely share my ideas about who might make a good future mayor for this city. Most aren't even rich.
Harold Maier would be my first choice. The heart and soul behind the late Twice Told Bookstore is a bold, surprising thinker, as anyone who lingered in the aisles of his shop could testify. While his politics may be a tad to the left of the mainstream, I think "Possibility City" is ready for some surprises.
I doubt that there's any reasonable universe in which his former shop assistant, artist Sean "Rat" Garrison, could run this town. However, if Garrison promised a reunion of his early '90s band, Kinghorse, for everyone who voted for him, I think he could easily win, becoming our Jesse Ventura. There's little this town loves more than nostalgia.
Rob Pennington is another singer/screamer from the good ol' days. Many Louisvillians were raised following his lead -- helping and respecting others and living a thoughtful, responsible life, examples he continues to live by. Pennington is a natural for greater public service. It's a great shame that few of the 1,500 folks excited to see his band Endpoint perform again are as interested in his current work, teaching children with special needs.
There are probably a few folks involved in the sporting world who are good leaders. As a non-sports person, the only one famous enough for me to know about is Coach Rick Pitino. I like Italian food, too, so I know why he probably won't run.
Summer Auerbach, vice president of Rainbow Blossom Natural Food Markets, achieved success at a young age. She has proven that she can run a multifaceted, growing, progressive business. She has been a civic leader and booster, seen often in newspapers and at neighborhood festivals. Best, she is scandal-free, an important quality for a mayor.
A sure bet for the office would have to be James Olliges Jr. You probably know him better by his stage name, Jim James. The leader of My Morning Jacket is evidence that Louisville has more to offer than a two-minute horse race and KFC, and he's a proven uniter of people from different worlds. Who else could so easily share a stage with both John Prine and Erykah Badu?
J.K. McKnight, founder of the Forecastle Festival, is another uniter. Though this paper has had fun pointing out his festival's growing pains through the years, this year's Forecastle promises to be the best yet. What McKnight has accomplished -- taking a neighborhood party in Tyler Park and guiding it into a major regional event - cannot be denied. Has Widespread Panic ever played an inauguration party?
Gill Holland, owner of The Green Building, already wants to make our neighborhoods greener and more artsy. Plus, he has something none of those other non-candidates has: He's not from here. Maybe that's something we need. Also, he's an affluent white man. I hear they do well in politics.
c. 2010 Velocity Weekly
Jonathan Glen Wood interview
Jonathan Glen Wood is a country/folk/singer-songwriter magician making tentative steps into the Louisville musical jungle. His debut EP, things you find out about the people you love., is available for free listening by clicking here. He'll soon leave for a short East Coast tour with fellow local Johnny Berry.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Sissonville, WV, which is about 20 minutes outside the state capitol of Charleston. Once, I bought a copy of a book published by The Onion and a tiny article in the book actually included a bio of a fake soldier from "the rural, impoverished village of Sissonville." They really must have done their homework. It really wasn't a village, but when I was growing up, there was a bar at the mouth of my road called The Village and it was certainly rural and impoverished.
Is your family musical or artistic?
Music and art were never an important part of my family when I was growing up. It was almost taken for granted. The dreams and aspirations of most of the people I knew were to have a family and a job they could retire from. I could never understand why I never shared those goals and felt pretty lost. Creativeness seemed almost equal to daydreaming - it was certainly fun to create, but there was really no future in it and it was shelved. My parents always wanted me to be a dentist. I'm still not really sure why, other than the fact that my mom is obsessed with keeping her teeth clean and white.
What is your musical background / training?
Everything I know about guitar, I learned from my good friend Robin Kessinger. Robin is a renowned old-time flatpick guitar player from close to my neck of the woods, with a musical heritage that's out of this world. It wasn't necessarily the flatpicking aspect that drew me to the guitar. I loved finding new chords and rhythm patterns to play behind fiddlers and lead guitarists. Everyone I knew wanted to be a lead guitar player; I felt like I just wanted to be a strong rhythm player. Robin started taking me around the country on gigs with him to back him up and I learned so much from so many incredible players along the way.
I always dabbled in songwriting on the side, but never really thought about playing much on my own. I liked singing a song or two in sets with the folks I played with. I completely quit playing music for almost two years right before I moved to Louisville, due to lots of job stress. I decided playing and writing made me happy and I needed to strive to do it more often. Louisville has given me a fabulous opportunity to be creative and happy.
Who are your musical favorites/inspirations?
Most of the usual suspects. When I began writing songs, Hank Williams, Norman Blake, Townes Van Zandt and Merle Haggard were probably my biggest influences. I felt so connected to their words and delivery. I still think they were/are the greatest poets that ever lived. I went through a pretty large Gram Parsons phase when I discovered him. My mom was a huge John Prine fan, so I still hold those first few Prine records dear. One music related childhood memory I do have is knowing all the words to "Illegal Smile." I had no idea what an illegal smile was at that point, but I could sing the hell out of it. Over time, I certainly learned what it meant.
I'm interested in so many different things. Can I just list some things that I'm fairly obsessed with? Ginny Hawker and Tracy Schwarz, The Byrds, The Delmore Brothers, The Delta Sisters, Jody Stecher, Tex Ritter, Hamper McBee... the list just goes on and on.
Being new to Louisville, I'm completely inspired by the immense talent that surrounds me. I'm also flattered to call some of my favorite singers and songwriters in the country, friends. Thomas A. Minor and the Picket Line, Elephant Micah, Joe Manning, The Ladybirds, Johnny Berry, Andrew Iafrate, Maiden Radio, Mickey Clark, Young Widows, Nathan Salsburg, Glen Dentinger, Natural Geographic... all continue to reassure me that Louisville has one of the richest music communities in the country.
What bands/projects are you currently involved with? How did you get involved with them?
Usually when I play out, my good friend Andrew Iafrate accompanies me. He's actually from West Virginia as well and I've known him before we both ended up here in Louisville. Our voices and ideas blend well, and playing with him has shaped some new creativity.
I've got a few new things on the horizon that I'm really excited about. I've been writing a lot of songs with Oscar Parsons, of Thomas A. Minor and the Picket Line, for a project we hope to get off the ground sometime soon. Oscar is a kindred hillbilly. We got to talking about where we grew up and our circles started overlapping. We know some of the same folks. We sat down with guitars and three and four songs started happening at a time.
I'm also writing some things with Evan Patterson of Young Widows. Evan and I met last year when I played a show with him and Dan Davis under the moniker Bad Secrets. It was completely improvised and I was terrified. I lived, though, and Evan and I stayed in touch. We've been talking about collaborating for a while and lately we've been working some things out. We're both pretty excited about the sound.
What do you hope to achieve with music?
I just want to keep doing what makes me happy. The only "goal" that I have is to make an album at some point down the road. I don't put time lines on many things, for better or worse. Maybe a few people will like what I'm doing and come out to a show? Oh, I also hope to make enough money to buy a decent ribbon microphone.
Jonathan Glen Wood plays at Sunergos Coffee on Saturday, June 12th, along with Andrew Iafrate and Joan Shelley. The concert begins at 7 p.m. and is free.
c. 2010 Velocity Weekly
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Joan Shelley interview
Joan Shelley is a busy woman starting to make her name in Louisville's ever-fertile music scene. Her first album, By Dawnlight, produced by Danny Kiely and featuring appearances by some of the city's finest session players, is being released, an occasion celebrated by a concert on the Glassworks rooftop, on Friday June 4th, with her friend and collaborator Cheyenne Marie Mize, who is also releasing her first album. She will also perform on Saturday June 12th at Sunergos Coffee.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Louisville, or just outside of it really, on a few acres just east of the city. I gained access to Louisville only first through the ever encroaching suburbs in the east end. And that was dull. It was only until after coming back to town about two years ago that I really started to feel that I was from Louisville.
Is your family musical or artistic?
My dad is an artist and a painter. He has been the greatest source of inspiration and confidence in choosing this path. Besides him, I had a very art/music-loving family that raised me. I have one of the most supportive families of anyone doing what I am trying to do.
What is your musical background / training?
I have been singing forever, in whatever form I could. I started writing songs in elementary school. I've walked around singing into a handheld recorder for most of my 24 years. I was in all kinds of school choirs up until college, when I started playing in bars down in Athens, Georgia. I picked up instruments along the way to support my songwriting. I would say that the most intense learning has happened in the past year and a half, in recording this album with Danny Kiely and playing with Maiden Radio and several other great musicians around town.
Who are your musical favorites/inspirations?
I have to say that Gillian Welch and Jolie Holland were the biggest game-changers for me. They turned me on to old-time music and a kind of vocal delivery that has hung in my head like smoke since the day I first heard them. Along with them, I think Bonnie Raitt, Neko Case, J.J. Cale, Betty Davis, Gram Parsons and Townes Van Zandt have been significant influences on me and on how I thought music ought to be done. And Paul Simon can write a song. I’ve always wanted to be able to do it like he does.
What bands/projects are you currently involved with? How did you get involved with them?
I currently have my solo project, Maiden Radio, and a very new thing with Joe Manning. It’s a pretty exciting time. Maiden Radio happened last fall when I met Cheyenne Mize through some mutual musician friends. We were all playing and singing around a campfire when Cheyenne and I realized that we had a really good sound going. She knew another great vocalist and player, Julia Purcell, and we’ve been having a great time playing together ever since. Then I met Joe Manning just a few months ago and started playing with him to see what would happen. It was another easy fit, and, as rare as those can be, we plan to make something good come out of it.
What do you hope to achieve with music?
There's a long answer to this. But for now... I just want to write some good tunes and one day, a really great song that melts everybody's hearts. Is that too much to ask?
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