Wednesday, November 23, 2005
TLP November 23, 2005
Hey, friends.
Short and sweet Lex Pro with three new contributors. Thanks to Dickie Haydon and Jackson Silvanik for their help with The Picks. And, thanks to Blake Wilkinson, whom I’ve been badgering to write something for six months now, for the review of Tender Forever’s new cd.
Two shows this past weekend (weekend-extended, I guess) reaffirmed my belief in the power of live music and public experiences. Calvin Johnson and Tender Forever absolutely charmed me (in a very Jonathan Richman sort of way) on Sunday night at Underlying Themes. Next night, same spot, The Thing and Joe McPhee crushed me with their visceral wailing. I left both shows floating. So, it is with renewed vigor that I implore you, GET OUT GET OUT and see something new! There is so much good stuff going on in this town.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Ross
:::::::::::::::::::::::: Announcements :::::::::::::::::::::::::::
** Sunday, November 27 - African Dance Workshop @ Mecca
This Sunday, November 27 from 2-3:30pm, Mecca presents an African dance workshop with accomplished teacher, artist, actress, storyteller and dancer Kibibi Ajanku, director of the Sankofa Dance Theater in Baltimore. For more information, contact the studio at info@meccadance.com or by phone at 254-9790.
** Thursday, December 1 - A double dose of interesting film opportunities …
OK, film enthusiasts, you’ve got two worthy events to choose from next Thursday.
At 7:30pm in the auditorium of the Oswald Building on the campus of the Bluegrass Community and Technical College (formerly LCC), our friends at the Bluegrass Film Society will be screening the Russian film “Kukushka” (English Title: Cuckoo). Here’s a synopsis from the Sony Classics website, “September of 1944, a few days before Finland went out of the Second World War. A chained to a rock Finnish sniper-kamikaze Veikko managed to set himself free. Ivan, a captain of the Soviet Army, arrested by the Front Secret Police 'Smersh', has a narrow escape. They are soldiers of the two enemy armies. A Lapp woman Anni gives shelter to both of them at her farm. For Anni they are not enemies, but just men.” The screening is FREE and open to the public. http://bluegrassfilmsociety.blogspot.com
At 8:30pm at the new Mecca location (451 Chair Avenue – just off S. Broadway near Bolivar – across the street from UK’s Reynolds Bldg), the Outside the Spotlight jazz and improvised music series presents “The Animated Adventures of Knox: an emotional portrait in sound and image,” a new work by New York filmmakers Tom Abbs, M.P. Landis, and Michael Sanzone with a live soundtrack to the screening provided by NYC free jazz quartet Frequency Response (see The Picks for more info). Admission is $3, all ages welcome. http://outsidethespotlight.blogspot.com, http://knoxmovie.com
** Help KFTC while doing your holiday shopping online
An easy way to contribute to our favorite community activist organization, Kentuckians For The Commonwealth. If you sign up with iGive.com with KFTC as your cause and then access any of more than 600 online stores through the iGive site a percentage of the purchase will come to KFTC. There also may be a $5 signup bonus to KFTC if you make purchases within 45 days of becoming a member. To sign up go to http://www.igive.com/kftc and then follow the instructions. The only thing to remember after that is each time you go online to shop is to go to the iGive site first to sign in before accessing the store you plan to shop at.
** A quick look ahead …
A little slow these next couple of weeks, but things explode in the second week of December. Specifically, the Dec.9-11 timeframe is packed with great haps. Here’s some info to help you start mapping out that weekend:
>> Friday, December 9 - Outside the Spotlight 3rd Anniversary Celebration/Performance @ Firebird Studio – The little weird-jazz series that could turns three with the help of the NYC’s Sabir Mateen Quartet and Cincinnati’s ISWHAT?! Fire-jazz, hip hop, and FREE cake and wine – can’t beat that. Show starts at 8pm. Admission is $5, all ages welcome. outsidethespotlight.blogspot.com
>> Fri-Sat, Dec. 9-10 – Mecca presents “Muse, A Reverence to the Divine Deities of the Ancient Worlds” @ Lexington Children's Theater - A collaborative performance between Mecca, the UK Dance Program, and famed NYC dancer/choeographer Dalia Carella based on the works of Ruth St. Denis. It’s been a long time since Mecca’s last large scale conceptual production (has it been three years since “One Veiling” sold out Singletary Center?). You don’t want to miss this one. meccadance.com
>> Fri-Sun, Dec. 9-11 - Rogue Theater presents “Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll” by Eric Bogosian @ Underlying Themes - The Rogue Society Players, Russell Williamson’s renegade theater troupe that stormed the scene a couple years ago with a wonderful reworking of “Waiting for Lefty” (which they staged at, among other places, The Dame), tackles Eric Bogosian’s “Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll” in the Underlying Themes loft. Forget your previous staid and boring theater experiences, and go see what innovative independent theater can be.
** And, while we’re looking ahead, why not look waaaaaaaay down the line …
>> Sunday, January 15 – The new Lexington Underground Performing Arts Series debuts at Firebird Studio, 359 W. Short St. Outside the Spotlight has provided an outlet for touring experimental/jazz/improvising artists to present their music to Lexington. LUPAS, a monthly series (3rd Sunday of every month at Firebird), is designed to give local artists working in that vein a chance to stretch out. For more information, email informationactivists@yahoo.com
>> Saturday, February 25 – Lexington’s 3rd annual Mardi Gras Jazz Parade! Outside of the city’s unofficial Halloween parade aka Mecca’s “Thriller!” resurrection, the Mardi Gras Jazz Parade is Lexington’s only true example of a people’s parade. It’s freaks in the streets making joyful noise and celebrating the opportunity to celebrate. And, you can be a part of it (c’mon, all y’all have a bit of freak in you). Check out http://lexingtonmardigrasparade.blogspot.com for more info. And for a sneak peek at the band we’re hoping will lead the parade, check out http://www.burntsugarindex.com.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: THE PICKS :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::: Wednesday, November 23 through Wednesday, December 7 :::::::::::
:: Thursday, November 24 ::
SEXUAL DISASTER QUARTET w/Q*BURNS ABSTRACT MESSAGE @ The Dame
9pm, ages 21+, $5
Need to beat a Thanksgiving retreat from your family? The Dame’s the spot. SDQ will fill the night with groovy groovy funky stuff and Q*Burns will be spinning a late-night set to help you dance off your Thanksgiving excesses.
:: Friday, November 25 ::
SCOURGE OF THE SEA w/NANA AND THE BOY NOISE and MARK CHARLES @ The Dame
9pm, ages 21+, $5
Whenever someone asks Bub at Gumbo Ya Ya (you know Bub – the big, charming, bald guy who greets you with a “hey, boss” when you enter the S. Broadway location) what a sauce tastes like, he always says, “you tell me” and grabs a sample for them. I’m growing weary of typing “great local indie/folk/rock” for Scourge of the Sea, so I’ll direct you to the new tracks they have up on Myspace.com and let you tell me what they sound like. Seriously … can someone help me with a more eloquent description of these guys. I feel like I’m doing them a huge disservice. http://myspace.com/thescourgeofthesea
Show up early, you don’t want to miss Mark Charles. It’s our friend Mark Heidinger of the Apparitions playing a solo set.
:: Saturday, November 26 ::
PARLOUR BOYS w/PETTICOAT, PETTICOAT, IN ENDEAVORS ITALYA and THE OXFORD FARM REPORT @ Firebird Studio, 359 W. Short St – 7pm, all ages, $5
Parlour Boys - Well-rehearsed and even better-dressed, it's safe to say you'll want to bring a dance partner along when seeing these guys. Upon first listen it's obvious that these 5 gentlemen have more than a few U2 records in their collection, but their songwriting and live show are clear indications that they've done their fair share of rock 'n roll research. They also don't play all-ages shows very often, so if you're under 21 and haven't had the chance to see them yet, I'd steal $5 from Mom's change purse. http://www.parlourboys.com.
Petticoat, Petticoat - (words by Jackson Silvanik) - This lady and 3 young lads seem to be Lexington's only true indie-pop outfit. Though they draw from many present-day indie-rock icons, their music would not sound out of place on a mixtape of classic songs from the 60’s and 70’s. This four-piece showcases the vocal talents of the beautiful Kristin Messina, and she wastes no time proving that she’s not just a pretty face (though she is that, as well). Their recently self-recorded and released EP, "White Love," is now available at all of their shows. If you're planning on checking them out, be sure to wear a few flowers in your hair. http://myspace.com/petticoatpetticoat
In Endeavors Italya - Featuring members from the now defunct Sink Or Swim, IEI have quickly become one of Lexington's hottest young bands. Playing virtually every show they can get on, Gerren, Clif, Patrick, and Del have built up a noticeably loyal fan base in only the past few months. Combining aggressive guitar riffs and vocals with danceable bass and drum patterns, one could easily compare these kids to At The Drive-In, Les Savy Fav, or Beep Beep. http://myspace.com/inendeavorsitalya
The Oxford Farm Report - Okay. Take the better half of Elvis, a dash or two of Primus, and a healthy dose of We Vs. The Shark. Now you've got The Oxford Farm Report. After witnessing this band's ridiculously bipolar tendencies, one can see that their influences stretch from one end of the musical spectrum to the next. Oh, and they're also a 3-piece. Needless to say, it's required that each one of these boys give 110% of their efforts to the songs they perform. And trust me, they do. http://myspace.com/theoxfordfarmreport
– Dickie Haydon
[Full disclosure: Dickie plays guitar and sings in Petticoat, Petticoat. That’s why Jackson filled out that part of the preview.]
:: Thursday, December 1 ::
film screening with live free-jazz soundtrack – “The Animated Adventures of Knox”
accompanied by TOM ABBS & FREQUENCY RESPONSE @ Mecca, 451 Chair Avenue
8:30pm sharp!, all ages, $3
NYC bassist Tom Abbs has turned out tons of quality work lately with ensembles including Active Ingredients (with trombonist Steve Swell, saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc, and percussionist Chad Taylor), Triptych Myth (a trio with pianist Cooper-Moore and Taylor), and Transmitting (with NYC poet Jane LeCroy and Cincinnati mc Napoleon Maddox of ISWHAT?!). For better or for worse though I’ll always remember him for almost coming to blows with the aforementioned Swell after a September 2003 gig at Natasha’s Café. Yeah, you’d assume it was typical touring-related frustrations – p’haps old dude’s always hogging the car stereo or running his gums about something about which he knows nothing. Nope, this was about the playing. Near fisticuffs over musical shortcomings in front of a crowd of maybe ten people (including the wait staff)! These guys take the music seriously.
Anyhoo, Abbs makes his first return trip to Lexington since that infamous Natasha’s gig with his Frequency Response ensemble (which features members of the Chicago Underground Duo and Sticks and Stones) next Thursday. The group will be providing a live soundtrack for a new film by Abbs, M.P. Landis, and Michael Sanzone entitled “The Animated Adventures of Knox.” Here’s an excerpt from Abbs’ director’s notes: “The Animated Adventures of Knox chronicles the development of emotional states throughout a lifetime. Your sense of love grows and changes. Your sense of guilt can grow and take over. Your self-awareness, your sense of wonder and the sense of your place in the world, each grows and changes and can go off track. Once madness has come, it is forever a part of you. It's an internal world, an ongoing drama that controls perception. These patterns are the biggest characters in my life. The interactions of these characters define me. The dramatization of it all is just an attempt to gain some respectable level of self knowledge.” Expect a meditative, (mostly) abstract exploration of personal and urban landscapes. And, hopefully, no fisticuffs.
For audio and visual samples, check out http://jumparts.org/tomabbsounds.html and http://knoxmovie.com.
[Full disclosure: I helped organize this show.]
:: Friday, December 2 ::
“Open Studio” @ UK’s Reynolds Bldg, off S. Broadway near Bolivar
5-10pm, all ages, FREE
Open Studio, UK’s sprawling annual showcase of student artwork, can feel like a flea market. Save for the 2nd floor gallery (which usually houses a juried exhibit of work by upper level students) and the photography room, the work usually appears in cluttered groupings along hallway and classroom walls and ledges. Purusing the work is visually exhausting, but like a flea market, time spent digging through the mess occasionally leads to an exciting discovery.
The rub of this Open Studio evening may be a musical performance by percussionist Jordan Munson and friends. Munson and five others will be playing sculptures while Jason Corder (lights like windows) and Chuck Moreland (Tryptamine Arkestra, psychoactive sound) sample and remix the sounds live. If that weren’t interesting enough, the loosely conducted improv will be based on the narrative of Siddhartha.
As per usual, organization for the event is seemingly non-existent. So, I can’t tell you exactly when the performance will go down (even Jordan didn’t know). My best guess is that it’ll begin sometime around the middle of the event. So, 7:30ish? Just a guess. You’re going to have to show up, hang out, and hope for the best. There’ll be free food and beverage to keep you company.
:: Also worthwhile in the November 23 – December 7 timeframe ::
Wed/Nov 23 WILL HOGE @ The Dame
Wed/Nov 23 MY MORNING JACKET w/VHS OR BETA @ The Louisville Palace (Louisville)
Sat/Nov 26 SUNDAY VALLEY w/THE DEEHAWKS @ The Dame
Fri/Dec 2 CRACKER (acoustic) @ The Dame
Fri/Dec 2 THE DEREK TRUCKS BAND @ Headliners (Louisville)
:: Soon Soon ::
Fri/Dec 9 SABIR MATEEN QUINTET w/ISWHAT?! @ Firebird Studio, 359 W. Short – all ages
Fri-Sat/Dec 9-10 dance – “Muse, A Reverence to the Divine Deities of the Ancient Worlds” @ Lexington Children’s Theater - www.meccadance.com
Fri-Sun/Dec 9-11 theater - “Sex Drugs & Rock N’Roll” @ Underlying Themes, 110 S. Upper – all ages
Sat/Dec 10 SELF-EVIDENT w/VANISHING KIDS @ The Comet (Cincinnati)
Wed/Dec 14 MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD w/WITH HONOR, MODERN LIFE IS A WAR, THE DISTANCE, and THIS IS HELL @ ArtsPlace, 161 N. Mill St – all ages, www.counterfiction.com
Wed/Dec 14 IRON AND WINE/CALEXICO @ Headliners (Louisville) – ages 18+
Sat/Dec 17 BYRON HOUSE w/HAVES AND THIRDS, ODEM PRESS, LIMP LUNGS, and 396 MOUNTAINS @ Bornmugged – all ages
Sat/Dec 17 THE APPARITIONS w/SUNDAY RUNNER @ The Dame
Sat/Jan 14 JESSICA PAVONE/MARY HALVORSON @ Firebird Studio, 359 W. Short – all ages, outsidethespotlght.blogspot.com
:: Pertinent resources ::
__Lexington__
THE DAME, 156 W.Main St, Lexingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif - http://www.dameky.com
MECCA studio/gallery, 451 Chair Avenue, off S.Broadway near Bolivar - http://www.meccadance.com
UNDERLYING THEMES LOFT SPACE, 110 S. Upper (above Busters) – http://www.underlyingthemes.com
CHARLES MANSION - http://www.charlesmansion.orghttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
NATASHA'S CAFE, 112 Esplanade - http://www.beetnik.com/
FAUNTLEROY’S CAFÉ, 640 W. Maxwell – ph. 859/455-8188
THE ICEHOUSE, 412 Cross St (off W.Maxwell), Lexington
DOWNTOWN ARTS CENTER, 141 E. Main St, Lexington – http://www.lexarts.org
ARTSPLACE, 161 N.Mill St, Lexington
LEXINGTONSHOWS.com (all ages show listings) - http://www.lexingtonshows.com
COUNTER FICTION (more all ages show listings) – http://www.counterfiction.com
CRICKET PRESS (amazing local poster art) - http://www.cricket-press.com
WRFL 88.1FM (UK's student-run radio station) - http://wrfl.uky.edu
YOU AIN’T NO PICASSO (great locally-produced music blog) – http://www.youaintnopicasoo.com
__Louisville__
LAVA (Louisville Assembly of Vanguard Artists) HOUSE - 927 Shelby Parkway, Louisville - http://www.lavahouse.org
HEADLINERS MUSIC HALL, Louisville - 1386 Lexington Road, ph. 502/584-8088 - www.headlinerslouisville.com
UNCLE PLEASANTS, 2126 S. Preston, Louisville - p.502/634-4147
THE RUDYARD KIPLING, 422 West Oak Street, Louisville -
http://www.therudyardkipling.com/pages/206999/index.htm
OLD LOUISVILLE COFFEHOUSE, 1489 S. Fourth St, Louisville - ph. 502/635-6660
PRODUCTION SIMPLE (produce many of the events at Headliners and Uncle Pleasants) – http://www.productionsimplehttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif.com)
__Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky__
THE SOUTHGATE HOUSE, Newport, KY - http://www.southgatehouse.com
ALCHEMIZE, 1122 Walnut Street, Cincinnati, OH – http://www.alchemizebar.com
THE COMET, 4579 Hamilton Avenue, Cincinnati, OH - http://www.cometbar.com
BOGART'S, 2621 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH - http://www.bogarts.com
THE MOCKBEE (formerly SS NOVA), 2260 Central Parkway, Cincinnati, OH - http://www.ssnova.org
NORTHSIDE TAVERN, 4163 Hamilton Ave, Cincinnati, OH – http://www.northside-tavern.com
Know of an upcoming event that others should get hip to? Let us know - email informationactivists@yahoo.com
All Picks by Ross Compton unless otherwise noted.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: CD REVIEW :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Tender Forever
The Soft and Hardcore
(K Records, 2005)
For all twenty lucky people in attendance Sunday at the Tender Forever/Calvin Johnson show (last Sunday @ Underlying Themes), you witnessed first hand the jewel of France. Between the goofy frolics and cardboard computers I was entranced. So much so that I agreed to fill in for The Late, Late Show on RFL just to play The Soft and the Hardcore as quickly as possible. I must say I was a bit disappointed, and after listening, I’ve concluded that the greatest appeal to Tender Forever was the playful antics of Melanie Valera. That’s not to say the record is charm-less; it just lacked the same energy. It still served as an endearing indie pop record with highlights including “Then If I’m Weird I Want To Share” and “Tender Forever.” “Then If I’m Weird I Want to Share” is the sole acoustic track with lyrics such as “people told me/ that you’re too sexy/ too sexy for me/ but actually I just don’t care” that are as adorable as they are awkward. “Tender Forever” is more in keeping with the rest of the album as danceable synth-pop. The album will wet your taste buds, but her live performance would have made you wet yourself. – Blake Wilkinson
[You can find a couple free mp3s from the record at http://www.takemybreathaway.net/showsreports.html. While you’re there take time to listen to the track “Are You For Real” by Tender Forever’s friends (p’haps ‘friend’ – I think it’s one woman) Squeeze Me I Squeak. It’s wonderful. – Ross]
:::::::::::::: QUESTIONS/COMMENTS/SUBMISSIONS ::::::::::::::::::::::::
email thelexingtonproject@yahoo.com
Short and sweet Lex Pro with three new contributors. Thanks to Dickie Haydon and Jackson Silvanik for their help with The Picks. And, thanks to Blake Wilkinson, whom I’ve been badgering to write something for six months now, for the review of Tender Forever’s new cd.
Two shows this past weekend (weekend-extended, I guess) reaffirmed my belief in the power of live music and public experiences. Calvin Johnson and Tender Forever absolutely charmed me (in a very Jonathan Richman sort of way) on Sunday night at Underlying Themes. Next night, same spot, The Thing and Joe McPhee crushed me with their visceral wailing. I left both shows floating. So, it is with renewed vigor that I implore you, GET OUT GET OUT and see something new! There is so much good stuff going on in this town.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Ross
:::::::::::::::::::::::: Announcements :::::::::::::::::::::::::::
** Sunday, November 27 - African Dance Workshop @ Mecca
This Sunday, November 27 from 2-3:30pm, Mecca presents an African dance workshop with accomplished teacher, artist, actress, storyteller and dancer Kibibi Ajanku, director of the Sankofa Dance Theater in Baltimore. For more information, contact the studio at info@meccadance.com or by phone at 254-9790.
** Thursday, December 1 - A double dose of interesting film opportunities …
OK, film enthusiasts, you’ve got two worthy events to choose from next Thursday.
At 7:30pm in the auditorium of the Oswald Building on the campus of the Bluegrass Community and Technical College (formerly LCC), our friends at the Bluegrass Film Society will be screening the Russian film “Kukushka” (English Title: Cuckoo). Here’s a synopsis from the Sony Classics website, “September of 1944, a few days before Finland went out of the Second World War. A chained to a rock Finnish sniper-kamikaze Veikko managed to set himself free. Ivan, a captain of the Soviet Army, arrested by the Front Secret Police 'Smersh', has a narrow escape. They are soldiers of the two enemy armies. A Lapp woman Anni gives shelter to both of them at her farm. For Anni they are not enemies, but just men.” The screening is FREE and open to the public. http://bluegrassfilmsociety.blogspot.com
At 8:30pm at the new Mecca location (451 Chair Avenue – just off S. Broadway near Bolivar – across the street from UK’s Reynolds Bldg), the Outside the Spotlight jazz and improvised music series presents “The Animated Adventures of Knox: an emotional portrait in sound and image,” a new work by New York filmmakers Tom Abbs, M.P. Landis, and Michael Sanzone with a live soundtrack to the screening provided by NYC free jazz quartet Frequency Response (see The Picks for more info). Admission is $3, all ages welcome. http://outsidethespotlight.blogspot.com, http://knoxmovie.com
** Help KFTC while doing your holiday shopping online
An easy way to contribute to our favorite community activist organization, Kentuckians For The Commonwealth. If you sign up with iGive.com with KFTC as your cause and then access any of more than 600 online stores through the iGive site a percentage of the purchase will come to KFTC. There also may be a $5 signup bonus to KFTC if you make purchases within 45 days of becoming a member. To sign up go to http://www.igive.com/kftc and then follow the instructions. The only thing to remember after that is each time you go online to shop is to go to the iGive site first to sign in before accessing the store you plan to shop at.
** A quick look ahead …
A little slow these next couple of weeks, but things explode in the second week of December. Specifically, the Dec.9-11 timeframe is packed with great haps. Here’s some info to help you start mapping out that weekend:
>> Friday, December 9 - Outside the Spotlight 3rd Anniversary Celebration/Performance @ Firebird Studio – The little weird-jazz series that could turns three with the help of the NYC’s Sabir Mateen Quartet and Cincinnati’s ISWHAT?! Fire-jazz, hip hop, and FREE cake and wine – can’t beat that. Show starts at 8pm. Admission is $5, all ages welcome. outsidethespotlight.blogspot.com
>> Fri-Sat, Dec. 9-10 – Mecca presents “Muse, A Reverence to the Divine Deities of the Ancient Worlds” @ Lexington Children's Theater - A collaborative performance between Mecca, the UK Dance Program, and famed NYC dancer/choeographer Dalia Carella based on the works of Ruth St. Denis. It’s been a long time since Mecca’s last large scale conceptual production (has it been three years since “One Veiling” sold out Singletary Center?). You don’t want to miss this one. meccadance.com
>> Fri-Sun, Dec. 9-11 - Rogue Theater presents “Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll” by Eric Bogosian @ Underlying Themes - The Rogue Society Players, Russell Williamson’s renegade theater troupe that stormed the scene a couple years ago with a wonderful reworking of “Waiting for Lefty” (which they staged at, among other places, The Dame), tackles Eric Bogosian’s “Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll” in the Underlying Themes loft. Forget your previous staid and boring theater experiences, and go see what innovative independent theater can be.
** And, while we’re looking ahead, why not look waaaaaaaay down the line …
>> Sunday, January 15 – The new Lexington Underground Performing Arts Series debuts at Firebird Studio, 359 W. Short St. Outside the Spotlight has provided an outlet for touring experimental/jazz/improvising artists to present their music to Lexington. LUPAS, a monthly series (3rd Sunday of every month at Firebird), is designed to give local artists working in that vein a chance to stretch out. For more information, email informationactivists@yahoo.com
>> Saturday, February 25 – Lexington’s 3rd annual Mardi Gras Jazz Parade! Outside of the city’s unofficial Halloween parade aka Mecca’s “Thriller!” resurrection, the Mardi Gras Jazz Parade is Lexington’s only true example of a people’s parade. It’s freaks in the streets making joyful noise and celebrating the opportunity to celebrate. And, you can be a part of it (c’mon, all y’all have a bit of freak in you). Check out http://lexingtonmardigrasparade.blogspot.com for more info. And for a sneak peek at the band we’re hoping will lead the parade, check out http://www.burntsugarindex.com.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: THE PICKS :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::: Wednesday, November 23 through Wednesday, December 7 :::::::::::
:: Thursday, November 24 ::
SEXUAL DISASTER QUARTET w/Q*BURNS ABSTRACT MESSAGE @ The Dame
9pm, ages 21+, $5
Need to beat a Thanksgiving retreat from your family? The Dame’s the spot. SDQ will fill the night with groovy groovy funky stuff and Q*Burns will be spinning a late-night set to help you dance off your Thanksgiving excesses.
:: Friday, November 25 ::
SCOURGE OF THE SEA w/NANA AND THE BOY NOISE and MARK CHARLES @ The Dame
9pm, ages 21+, $5
Whenever someone asks Bub at Gumbo Ya Ya (you know Bub – the big, charming, bald guy who greets you with a “hey, boss” when you enter the S. Broadway location) what a sauce tastes like, he always says, “you tell me” and grabs a sample for them. I’m growing weary of typing “great local indie/folk/rock” for Scourge of the Sea, so I’ll direct you to the new tracks they have up on Myspace.com and let you tell me what they sound like. Seriously … can someone help me with a more eloquent description of these guys. I feel like I’m doing them a huge disservice. http://myspace.com/thescourgeofthesea
Show up early, you don’t want to miss Mark Charles. It’s our friend Mark Heidinger of the Apparitions playing a solo set.
:: Saturday, November 26 ::
PARLOUR BOYS w/PETTICOAT, PETTICOAT, IN ENDEAVORS ITALYA and THE OXFORD FARM REPORT @ Firebird Studio, 359 W. Short St – 7pm, all ages, $5
Parlour Boys - Well-rehearsed and even better-dressed, it's safe to say you'll want to bring a dance partner along when seeing these guys. Upon first listen it's obvious that these 5 gentlemen have more than a few U2 records in their collection, but their songwriting and live show are clear indications that they've done their fair share of rock 'n roll research. They also don't play all-ages shows very often, so if you're under 21 and haven't had the chance to see them yet, I'd steal $5 from Mom's change purse. http://www.parlourboys.com.
Petticoat, Petticoat - (words by Jackson Silvanik) - This lady and 3 young lads seem to be Lexington's only true indie-pop outfit. Though they draw from many present-day indie-rock icons, their music would not sound out of place on a mixtape of classic songs from the 60’s and 70’s. This four-piece showcases the vocal talents of the beautiful Kristin Messina, and she wastes no time proving that she’s not just a pretty face (though she is that, as well). Their recently self-recorded and released EP, "White Love," is now available at all of their shows. If you're planning on checking them out, be sure to wear a few flowers in your hair. http://myspace.com/petticoatpetticoat
In Endeavors Italya - Featuring members from the now defunct Sink Or Swim, IEI have quickly become one of Lexington's hottest young bands. Playing virtually every show they can get on, Gerren, Clif, Patrick, and Del have built up a noticeably loyal fan base in only the past few months. Combining aggressive guitar riffs and vocals with danceable bass and drum patterns, one could easily compare these kids to At The Drive-In, Les Savy Fav, or Beep Beep. http://myspace.com/inendeavorsitalya
The Oxford Farm Report - Okay. Take the better half of Elvis, a dash or two of Primus, and a healthy dose of We Vs. The Shark. Now you've got The Oxford Farm Report. After witnessing this band's ridiculously bipolar tendencies, one can see that their influences stretch from one end of the musical spectrum to the next. Oh, and they're also a 3-piece. Needless to say, it's required that each one of these boys give 110% of their efforts to the songs they perform. And trust me, they do. http://myspace.com/theoxfordfarmreport
– Dickie Haydon
[Full disclosure: Dickie plays guitar and sings in Petticoat, Petticoat. That’s why Jackson filled out that part of the preview.]
:: Thursday, December 1 ::
film screening with live free-jazz soundtrack – “The Animated Adventures of Knox”
accompanied by TOM ABBS & FREQUENCY RESPONSE @ Mecca, 451 Chair Avenue
8:30pm sharp!, all ages, $3
NYC bassist Tom Abbs has turned out tons of quality work lately with ensembles including Active Ingredients (with trombonist Steve Swell, saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc, and percussionist Chad Taylor), Triptych Myth (a trio with pianist Cooper-Moore and Taylor), and Transmitting (with NYC poet Jane LeCroy and Cincinnati mc Napoleon Maddox of ISWHAT?!). For better or for worse though I’ll always remember him for almost coming to blows with the aforementioned Swell after a September 2003 gig at Natasha’s Café. Yeah, you’d assume it was typical touring-related frustrations – p’haps old dude’s always hogging the car stereo or running his gums about something about which he knows nothing. Nope, this was about the playing. Near fisticuffs over musical shortcomings in front of a crowd of maybe ten people (including the wait staff)! These guys take the music seriously.
Anyhoo, Abbs makes his first return trip to Lexington since that infamous Natasha’s gig with his Frequency Response ensemble (which features members of the Chicago Underground Duo and Sticks and Stones) next Thursday. The group will be providing a live soundtrack for a new film by Abbs, M.P. Landis, and Michael Sanzone entitled “The Animated Adventures of Knox.” Here’s an excerpt from Abbs’ director’s notes: “The Animated Adventures of Knox chronicles the development of emotional states throughout a lifetime. Your sense of love grows and changes. Your sense of guilt can grow and take over. Your self-awareness, your sense of wonder and the sense of your place in the world, each grows and changes and can go off track. Once madness has come, it is forever a part of you. It's an internal world, an ongoing drama that controls perception. These patterns are the biggest characters in my life. The interactions of these characters define me. The dramatization of it all is just an attempt to gain some respectable level of self knowledge.” Expect a meditative, (mostly) abstract exploration of personal and urban landscapes. And, hopefully, no fisticuffs.
For audio and visual samples, check out http://jumparts.org/tomabbsounds.html and http://knoxmovie.com.
[Full disclosure: I helped organize this show.]
:: Friday, December 2 ::
“Open Studio” @ UK’s Reynolds Bldg, off S. Broadway near Bolivar
5-10pm, all ages, FREE
Open Studio, UK’s sprawling annual showcase of student artwork, can feel like a flea market. Save for the 2nd floor gallery (which usually houses a juried exhibit of work by upper level students) and the photography room, the work usually appears in cluttered groupings along hallway and classroom walls and ledges. Purusing the work is visually exhausting, but like a flea market, time spent digging through the mess occasionally leads to an exciting discovery.
The rub of this Open Studio evening may be a musical performance by percussionist Jordan Munson and friends. Munson and five others will be playing sculptures while Jason Corder (lights like windows) and Chuck Moreland (Tryptamine Arkestra, psychoactive sound) sample and remix the sounds live. If that weren’t interesting enough, the loosely conducted improv will be based on the narrative of Siddhartha.
As per usual, organization for the event is seemingly non-existent. So, I can’t tell you exactly when the performance will go down (even Jordan didn’t know). My best guess is that it’ll begin sometime around the middle of the event. So, 7:30ish? Just a guess. You’re going to have to show up, hang out, and hope for the best. There’ll be free food and beverage to keep you company.
:: Also worthwhile in the November 23 – December 7 timeframe ::
Wed/Nov 23 WILL HOGE @ The Dame
Wed/Nov 23 MY MORNING JACKET w/VHS OR BETA @ The Louisville Palace (Louisville)
Sat/Nov 26 SUNDAY VALLEY w/THE DEEHAWKS @ The Dame
Fri/Dec 2 CRACKER (acoustic) @ The Dame
Fri/Dec 2 THE DEREK TRUCKS BAND @ Headliners (Louisville)
:: Soon Soon ::
Fri/Dec 9 SABIR MATEEN QUINTET w/ISWHAT?! @ Firebird Studio, 359 W. Short – all ages
Fri-Sat/Dec 9-10 dance – “Muse, A Reverence to the Divine Deities of the Ancient Worlds” @ Lexington Children’s Theater - www.meccadance.com
Fri-Sun/Dec 9-11 theater - “Sex Drugs & Rock N’Roll” @ Underlying Themes, 110 S. Upper – all ages
Sat/Dec 10 SELF-EVIDENT w/VANISHING KIDS @ The Comet (Cincinnati)
Wed/Dec 14 MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD w/WITH HONOR, MODERN LIFE IS A WAR, THE DISTANCE, and THIS IS HELL @ ArtsPlace, 161 N. Mill St – all ages, www.counterfiction.com
Wed/Dec 14 IRON AND WINE/CALEXICO @ Headliners (Louisville) – ages 18+
Sat/Dec 17 BYRON HOUSE w/HAVES AND THIRDS, ODEM PRESS, LIMP LUNGS, and 396 MOUNTAINS @ Bornmugged – all ages
Sat/Dec 17 THE APPARITIONS w/SUNDAY RUNNER @ The Dame
Sat/Jan 14 JESSICA PAVONE/MARY HALVORSON @ Firebird Studio, 359 W. Short – all ages, outsidethespotlght.blogspot.com
:: Pertinent resources ::
__Lexington__
THE DAME, 156 W.Main St, Lexingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif - http://www.dameky.com
MECCA studio/gallery, 451 Chair Avenue, off S.Broadway near Bolivar - http://www.meccadance.com
UNDERLYING THEMES LOFT SPACE, 110 S. Upper (above Busters) – http://www.underlyingthemes.com
CHARLES MANSION - http://www.charlesmansion.orghttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
NATASHA'S CAFE, 112 Esplanade - http://www.beetnik.com/
FAUNTLEROY’S CAFÉ, 640 W. Maxwell – ph. 859/455-8188
THE ICEHOUSE, 412 Cross St (off W.Maxwell), Lexington
DOWNTOWN ARTS CENTER, 141 E. Main St, Lexington – http://www.lexarts.org
ARTSPLACE, 161 N.Mill St, Lexington
LEXINGTONSHOWS.com (all ages show listings) - http://www.lexingtonshows.com
COUNTER FICTION (more all ages show listings) – http://www.counterfiction.com
CRICKET PRESS (amazing local poster art) - http://www.cricket-press.com
WRFL 88.1FM (UK's student-run radio station) - http://wrfl.uky.edu
YOU AIN’T NO PICASSO (great locally-produced music blog) – http://www.youaintnopicasoo.com
__Louisville__
LAVA (Louisville Assembly of Vanguard Artists) HOUSE - 927 Shelby Parkway, Louisville - http://www.lavahouse.org
HEADLINERS MUSIC HALL, Louisville - 1386 Lexington Road, ph. 502/584-8088 - www.headlinerslouisville.com
UNCLE PLEASANTS, 2126 S. Preston, Louisville - p.502/634-4147
THE RUDYARD KIPLING, 422 West Oak Street, Louisville -
http://www.therudyardkipling.com/pages/206999/index.htm
OLD LOUISVILLE COFFEHOUSE, 1489 S. Fourth St, Louisville - ph. 502/635-6660
PRODUCTION SIMPLE (produce many of the events at Headliners and Uncle Pleasants) – http://www.productionsimplehttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif.com)
__Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky__
THE SOUTHGATE HOUSE, Newport, KY - http://www.southgatehouse.com
ALCHEMIZE, 1122 Walnut Street, Cincinnati, OH – http://www.alchemizebar.com
THE COMET, 4579 Hamilton Avenue, Cincinnati, OH - http://www.cometbar.com
BOGART'S, 2621 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH - http://www.bogarts.com
THE MOCKBEE (formerly SS NOVA), 2260 Central Parkway, Cincinnati, OH - http://www.ssnova.org
NORTHSIDE TAVERN, 4163 Hamilton Ave, Cincinnati, OH – http://www.northside-tavern.com
Know of an upcoming event that others should get hip to? Let us know - email informationactivists@yahoo.com
All Picks by Ross Compton unless otherwise noted.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: CD REVIEW :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Tender Forever
The Soft and Hardcore
(K Records, 2005)
For all twenty lucky people in attendance Sunday at the Tender Forever/Calvin Johnson show (last Sunday @ Underlying Themes), you witnessed first hand the jewel of France. Between the goofy frolics and cardboard computers I was entranced. So much so that I agreed to fill in for The Late, Late Show on RFL just to play The Soft and the Hardcore as quickly as possible. I must say I was a bit disappointed, and after listening, I’ve concluded that the greatest appeal to Tender Forever was the playful antics of Melanie Valera. That’s not to say the record is charm-less; it just lacked the same energy. It still served as an endearing indie pop record with highlights including “Then If I’m Weird I Want To Share” and “Tender Forever.” “Then If I’m Weird I Want to Share” is the sole acoustic track with lyrics such as “people told me/ that you’re too sexy/ too sexy for me/ but actually I just don’t care” that are as adorable as they are awkward. “Tender Forever” is more in keeping with the rest of the album as danceable synth-pop. The album will wet your taste buds, but her live performance would have made you wet yourself. – Blake Wilkinson
[You can find a couple free mp3s from the record at http://www.takemybreathaway.net/showsreports.html. While you’re there take time to listen to the track “Are You For Real” by Tender Forever’s friends (p’haps ‘friend’ – I think it’s one woman) Squeeze Me I Squeak. It’s wonderful. – Ross]
:::::::::::::: QUESTIONS/COMMENTS/SUBMISSIONS ::::::::::::::::::::::::
email thelexingtonproject@yahoo.com
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
TLP November 9, 2005
Hey, friends.
Late Lex Pro. Sorry. Thanks to Eli Riveire, Jessica Weems, Matt Jordan, and Mikey T for the help with The Picks. And, thanks to Jesse Saxon for his unbelievable Smacks! cd review. Hope all are well.
Ross
:::::::::::::::::::::::: Announcements :::::::::::::::::::::::::::
** Now through December 4 - “The Lonesome Traveler Returns” new works by Lee Bryant at Good Foods Café
“The Lonesome Traveler Returns: One road, my friend. Many Miles,” new works by Lee Bryant on display in the Good Foods Café on Southland Drive now through December 4th.
** November 9-10 and 15-17 - Harold Pinter’s “Family Voices” at Natasha’s Cafe
Natasha’s Café will present Nobel Prize winner Harold Pinter’s “Family Voices,” a radio script written and performed for the BBC in 1983, November 9-10 and 15-17. Featured performers are Janet Scot and Ryan Case. Seating for the dinner/performance starts at 7pm. Showtime is 8:45pm each evening. Tickets are $10. All ages are welcome. For reservations, call 259-2754. For more information about Pinter, check out http://www.haroldpinter.org/home/index.shtml.
** Saturday, November 12 - Mountain Witness Tour
Saturday, November 12th, Kentuckians For The Commonwealth hosts another Mountain Witness Tour. The Tour is an opportunity for residents of Central Kentucky to visit Eastern Kentucky to see examples of Mountaintop Removal first-hand and to talk to KFTC members who are directly affected. The event will start at 2pm in Perry County. A carpool will leave Lexington at 11am from Eastland Shopping Center (off Winchester Rd) near the True Value. For more information, contact Dave Newton at dave_hn@yahoo.com.
** Every Monday at the Dame - “Lounge Nights” – FREE food, FREE admission
The Dame is introducing a new ‘come hang out and dig the free eats’ shindig every Monday night. The fun starts Monday, November 14th with free grub provided by Puccini’s Smiling Teeth Pizza (you know, the joint next to Oasis and Shoppers Village – yummy pizza!). Monday, November 21 it’s Joe Bologna’s (again, pizza – redundant? p’haps, but I can’t get enough pizza). Then, November 28th, it’s the casual Creole cuisine of Gumbo Ya Ya (yes, that’s the spot where I work, so, no doubt, I’ll be schlepping the grub down … so, come say ‘hey’). Doors open at 8pm. Ages 21+ admitted.
** Tuesday, November 15 – Wilco listening party at Pazzo’s
CD Central, Pazzo's, and Nonesuch Records are hosting a listening party for the new Wilco live double cd Tuesday, November 15th from 6-8pm at Pazzo’s, 385 S. Limestone (just a couple doors down from CD Central). In addition to spinning the cd, there'll be drink specials, FREE Pazzo's pizza, Wilco cd giveaways, and more. The event is free and open to all ages.
** Two Latitude related art exhibits
>> Friday, November 18 – Artist reception for “SenseAbilities” art exhibit at Carnegie Center
SenseAbilities is an art exhibit intended to strengthen and support the community of artists in Kentucky who work with people considered to have disabilities. The exhibit is the result of a collaboration between two agencies who serve people with disabilities- Latitude in Lexington and Dreams with Wings in Louisville. Each of the fourteen visual artists in this exhibit are represented by artwork and a written narrative which discusses their role as one who has provided support to those of us considered to have a disability. An artist reception will be held Friday, November 18th at the Carnegie Center for Literacy at 251 W. 2nd St in Lexington during Gallery Hop from 4:30-8:30pm. The event will include a screening of “The Rest of My Life!” (a new dvd produced by Kentucky Protection and Advocacy), a reading by author Kim Edwards from her new novel “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter,” a performance by local folk duo Wishing Chair, and an open mic. For more information, contact Bruce Burris at 859/806-0195.
>> Through November 23 – “Beyond Latitude: Art for a Unframed World” @ UK’s Rasdall Gallery
Beverly Baker and Jesse Dunahoo are two community artists whose work has been shown in various galleries and businesses around Lexington. They’ll be exhibiting works at UK’s Rasdall Gallery in the UK Student Center through Nov. 23. A Gallery Hop reception will be held on November 18 from 5-7pm.
** Saturday, November 19 – Louisville’s Squallis Puppeteers at the Living Arts & Science Center
Peeps have been dying to get Squallis Puppeteers over from Louisville. Well, now it’s happening – as the third installation of LASC’s guest artist series. Saturday, November 19th from 10:30-11:30am, Squallis will present “Duncan’s Bad Day” at the Living Arts & Science Center, 362 N. Martin Luther King Blvd. Following that, the troupe will host a puppet-making workshop from 1:30-3:30pm. Here’s the scoop (by way of an LASC press release – sorry, I’m getting tired of sitting in front of the computer):
Imagine a “flock” of 25 snow geese, with people handlers, moving down Lexington’s Main Street in a “V” formation! That’s what the Living Arts & Science Center is working toward with their special guests, the Squallis Puppeteers!
If you see something strange, inexplicable and ten feet tall, you are probably watching a Squallis Puppeteer! The Living Arts & Science Center is now taking registrations for the November 19th, 2005, performance and workshop with Louisville’s exciting larger-than-life puppet company, the Squallis Puppeteers. Squallis Puppeteers will be visiting the Living Arts & Science Center and presenting one of their original audience participation puppet plays, Duncan’s Bad Day. The puppeteers will also be providing a puppet-making workshop for individuals to be able to create one of their own “backpack” puppets. (Puppets that are so big, the handler actually wears the puppet!)
Participants in the puppet-making workshop will then be featured by the Living Arts & Science Center in Lexington’s Christmas Parade! It will definitely be a great event with the “Flock” of puppets moving down Main Street!
The Squallis Puppeteers performance is $5.00 per person and will include lunch provided by Wild Oats. The cost for the Squallis Puppeteers workshop is $20.00 per person and includes all supplies to create one of the large “wearable” puppets. (Scholarships for the workshop and performance are available for individuals or families.)
Squallis Puppeteers is a constantly evolving troupe of puppet enthusiasts. They make their own puppets by sculpting, painting, sewing, recycling, and experimenting to create unique and innovative larger than life puppets. They also write their own plays and orchestrate them with original music. Squallis Puppeteers have been performing and teaching puppetry for children and adults in Louisville since 1997. In 2003, Squallis Puppeteers Inc. became a Non-Profit Organization and is dedicated to community participatory events.
For more info, check out http://www.squallispuppeteers.com and http://www.lasclex.org. Questions? Email Heather Lyons at Hlyons@LASCLEX.org.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: THE PICKS :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::: Wednesday, November 9 through Wednesday, November 23 :::::::::::
:: Wednesday, November 9 ::
FREAKWATER w/MARAH and THE ZINCS @ The Dame - 9pm, ages 21+, $10
:: Thursday, November 10 ::
FREAKWATER w/THE ZINCS @ Headliners (Louisville) - 9pm, ages 18+, $10
OMFG. Have you heard these ladies (and one fella)? It's probably some of the most twangy stuff I've heard and still liked, and I'm pretty tolerant when it comes to twang. They use all kinds of awesome instruments like steel guitars and mandolins and fiddles and dobros (what even is a dobro?), but I guess that's kind of to be expected when it comes to their line of work. Anyway. It's old-timey-seeming folk music with splashes of bluegrass and rock and just plain country goodness. Their show in Louisville is bound to be good, and I'll give you two specific reasons for that – 1) their name comes from a term for moonshine, and 2) they actually formed in Louisville back in 1987, so this is sort of like a home-town kind of deal. Snap on your western shirt and pull on your boots, sidle up next to some cute cowboy (or girl) at the bar, and sit back and enjoy some old-fashioned good 'Mercan music. You'll be glad you did. – Eli Riveire
http://www.freakwater.net/, http://www.mp3.com/freakwater/artists/9694/summary.html
:: Thursday, November 10 ::
Community Action Council benefit featuring SCOURGE OF THE SEA @ The Limestone Club, 213 N. Limestone
7pm, all ages, $5
An ASAP (Artists Stand Against Poverty) event featuring music by Lex Pro favorites Scourge of the Sea. The door money will go to benefit the Community Action Council, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending poverty in our community. In addition to the music, there’ll be free food, a cash bar, and a live and silent auction featuring art by 25 local and regional artists. For more info, call 244-2221.
:: Thursday, November 10 ::
THE SMACKS! cd release show w/HOT BOX @ Buster’s
10:30 pm, ages 21+, FREE
Lookin’ for a good time at no cost but to support your local rockin’ musicians at their new CD release show? Then look no further for you have come upon one hell of a good time. The Smacks! Will be releasing their new CD entitled “Here Lieth The Smacks! Protected By the Ejaculation of Serpents”. Consider yourself lucky to feast your eyes and ears at the most amazing show to ever be had in Lexington. Busters’ will be hosting this glorious event on the 10th of November at 10:30pm. Free. Except for the fact that you should be buying their CD because it is one never to be forgotten. Opening for The Smacks! will be Neely’s (formerly of the Murders, Suicide Instigators, and now to be seen in Arsenic on the Rocks) all-girl punk band HotBox! Hot stuff ladies and gents, hot stuff! This is the first show of The Smacks! North and South tour, Detroit to Memphis. If you are one of the very few who do not know The Smacks! please let this be your introduction. - Jessica Weems
:: Thursday, November 10 ::
ELF POWER w/THE IMPOSSIBLE SHAPES @ The Dame
9pm, ages 21+, $
Pop music and the word 'different' don't usually go hand in hand, but that's how Elf Power likes to play it. Their latest album, "Walking With the Beggar Boys," is full of three-minute gems that push the boundries of what it means to be a traditional pop tune. You can expect their wild approach to songwriting to carry over into a spirited live show that they'll be bringing to Lexington.
Bloomington, IN natives The Impossible Shapes have built a reputation on a fantastic live show, and some crazy records. If you're a fan of early Weezer or even The Apples in stereo, don't miss out on this one. – Matt Jordan
:: Friday, November 11 ::
PAPER LEGS w/SHARKS WITH WINGS and BUNNY BUNNY APE @ Underlying Themes, 110 S. Upper
11pm, all ages, $3 suggested donation
A late show at Underlying Themes featuring the return of Lex-patriate percussionist Brian Osborne (now living in Brooklyn). Some of you will p’haps still remember him from the George Steeltoe Ensemble, Thermal Man, and Mark the Schizophrenic during his days in Lexington. Others of you probably might have seen his Outside the Spotlight gig with Bruce Eisenbeil and Katsu Itakura (remember the ecstatic little Japanese man who wailed so hard on Chuck Moreland’s Rhodes that he broke a key?). This time around Brian arrives as part of Paper Legs, a noise/freak out improv duo with fellow Brooklynite Trevor Healy. Joining Paper Legs on the tour are Philadelphia’s Sharks With Wings. WWSWWD? (what will sharks with wings do?) They’ll produce schizophrenic noise scapes that will blow your mind. (Check out the mp3 link below.) Bunny Bunny Ape = a mishmash of Lextown dudes stumbling into sound and trying to justify having such a cool name. Includes members of Hexose (yeah, I went old-school on ya), Mimic Mishap, Psychoactive Sound, and Birthday Girl.
[Full disclosure: I’m part of Bunny Bunny Ape … I think.)
http://www.heatretentionrecords.com/paper%20legs.asp, http://www.sharkswithwings.com/pretendyoulikeit.mp3
:: Saturday, November 12 ::
PARLOUR BOYS w/PETTICOAT, PETTICOAT and THE ALL-STARZ @ Underlying Themes, 110 S. Upper
5pm, all ages, $3
Avoid the Parlour Boys if you have a medical condition which may be agitated by excessive dancing, grooving, and/or getting down. Because I can promise you that not a butt will be left unshook when these local boys leave the stage. Dance-punk never looked so good. http://www.myspace.com/parlourboysmusic
Fresh off some new songs, Petticoat, Petticoat are out to prove why it is that they're one of Lexington's most consistantly reliable bands. Check out http://www.myspace.com/petticoatpetticoat to hear songs from their new “White Love” ep. – Matt Jordan
:: Saturday, November 12 ::
BLACKALICIOUS w/ZION-I @ The Dame
10pm, ages 21+, $17
The lynch pins of the Quannum crew roll into Lexington for the first time! (I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again - Wake up! We’re starting to get really good independent hip hop shows – Lil Brother, Ming and FS with Napoleon of ISWHAT?!, etc - in town. If you like this, get out and support it.) And … I’ve gotta go to a wedding. That’s cool. I’m sure shit’ll be jammin’ at the reception. You readin’ this Will and Danielle? It better be jammin’!
For the full scoop on Blackalicious, check out http://quannum.com/site/main.php?section=artists&artist=Blackalicious. You can find more info about Zion-I at http://www.zionicrew.com and find a free mp3 at http://www.epitonic.com/artists/zioni.html.
:: Monday, November 14 ::
ROTTEN MILK w/OCCASIONAL DETROIT and BELLAFEA @ Bornmugged House, 324 Preston
8pm sharp!, all ages, $5
Rotten Milk and Occasional Detroit = “rock hard freak outs.” Bellafea = indie rock from Chapel Hill.
http://www.diabolical.org/rm/rottenmilk.html. http://www.beyababa.indiegroup.com/
[Thanks to Mikey T. for the descriptions.]
:: Tuesday, November 15 ::
BRIGHT EYES w/FEIST and THE MAGIC NUMBERS @ Brown Theatre (Louisville)
doors 7pm, showtime 7:30pm, all ages, the Production Simple website says $25 but I called the KCA ticket office and they said $26.50
While it may seem that everyone loves Bright Eyes, it seems that everyone I know is part of the rubberband snap – the predictable backlash by us indie types that happens when an indie artist gets “too much” recognition. I’m as guilty, or more so, about the backlash in most cases, but, in this case, I still dig Conor. Actually, I dig Bright Eyes a lot more now than I used to. I rock “I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning” a couple times a month. And I have the urge to cry every time Emmylou Harris joins him on “We Are Nowhere And It’s Now.” OK, that out of the way, I think Feist is the real treat of this show. Our friend Ed at Sqecial Media turned Vanessa on to her after a discussion about Joanna Newsom. Vanessa turned me on to her, and I’ve put Feist mix cds in the hands of most everyone I know. She’s a Canadian chanteuse who guested on records by Broken Social Scene, Kings of Convenience, and Peaches (!), before releasing her solo debut “Let It Die.” Seek it out and love it. Oh, and The Magic Numbers are pretty great too. Anybody up for carpooling?
http://www.saddle-creek.com/bands/brighteyes/, http://www.arts-crafts.ca/feist/, http://www.themagicnumbers.net
:: Thursday, November 17 ::
NAUTICAL ALMANAC w/BIRTHDAY GIRL and “A Film From the Collection of the Late Howell Bend” @ Charles Mansion – for directions, email charlesmansion@hotmail.com
9pm, all ages, $donations accepted for traveling bands
“Nautical Almanac's electronic music is the ANTITHESIS of laptop electronic music. These Baltimore intuitives hone their unconscious local ancestry of JOHN WATERS, EDGAR ALLEN POE and HL MENCKEN. They are Mad scientist scavengers who dig through junk yards, thrift stores, estate sales and flea markets for broken equipment that is then rewired into futuristic vintage analog alchemy of occult heaven or hell sound worlds depending on the vantage point. Three years ago, their last visit to town included a merchandise table full of compact discs with lp grooves cut into the discs: playable on both mediums! Via endless self released music and art objects, extensive touring through the smallest and largest of towns across the world and via their deep recording history ties from WOLF EYES to ANDREW W.K., Nautical Almanac are one of the deepest revered bands of the current American underground of abject artists. Points of reference: THROBBING GRISTLE, PAUL McCARTHY, JOHN CAGE.” That description’s borrowed from an email my friend Kris Abplanalp sent out about their Louisville show. (The show in Louisville is Wednesday, Nov. 16 with author Bil Brown and Louisville’s own Kark @ St. John’s Renaissance Center, 637 Market St (near Clay St), Louisville - 8pm, all ages, $3)
Here’s Mikey T’s take …
Nautical Almanac (http://www.heresee.com/nauticallink.htm, or straight to a free tune - http://www.heresee.com/mp3/stopstart.mp3)
-Carly, Twig and new member fall apart w/ homemade elec.
-Recommended if you like being challenged by cut up bronze
-Last Mansion gig was g.r.o.s.s. Twig slept on top shelf
-ANTAGONIZED BY THE LIIGGHHTT
Birthday Girl (our dude dee snyder)
-transplant to the Mansion/bornmugged crew by way of soil and fire
-backwards frEe jazz...does that make it controlled? fck no it only means it's been "REBORN"
-one of the nicest people I have ever met
“A Film from the Collection of the Late Howell Bend” with live soundtrack (http://www.begoniasociety.org/bend.htm)
-Auk Theatre figure head Irene Moon shows flicks and plays beautiful music w/Ellen and Sara from Eyes and Arms of Smoke
-darkness but the kind that you find in a 'pleasant' forest
-Once caught them at The Dame and afterward realized it was the best show I'd seen there
For more info about Charles Mansion, head to http://www.charlesmansion.org.
:: Friday, November 18 ::
Gallery Hop! @ various spots around downtown
5-8pm, all ages, FREE
Checked the LexArts website, but it still had the September Hop info up. I’d wager that if you check back in a week, you can get the full scoop - http://lexarts.org/programs_galleryhop.php. Anyway, here are a few things that sounded interesting to me:
>> James Shambhu: DRAWINGS IN PLASTER @ IVOS salon and gallery, N. Mill St between Main and Short (up through November 30th – check out http://www.jamesshambhu.com)
>> The two exhibits Latitude is involved with @ the Carnegie Center and UK’s Rasdall Gallery (in the UK Student Center) - check out the Announcements section above for the full scoop.
>> Conjuring Characters: Prints by Kathyrn Berry Martinez @ the Kentucky Theatre, 214 E. Main
:: Saturday, November 19 ::
ELEPHANT MICAH w/WARMER MILKS and SHEDDING @ Bornmugged House, 324 Preston Ave.
8pm sharp!, all ages, $5
Elephant Micah = “slow brooders ala Red House Painters/Neil Young.” Shedding = “ex member of Parlour/representing Louisville proper.” And, for this show, Warmer Milks = Mikey T solo acoustic. Expect three very intimate sets. [Again, thanks to Mikey T for the descriptions.] http://shedding.home-tapes.com/, http://www.elephantmicah.com/, http://www.warmermilks.com/
:: Saturday, November 19 ::
ANDREW BIRD w/HEAD OF FEMUR @ Southgate House (Newport, KY)
Remember those guys that played violin in your high school? Chances are that they never recorded what is arguably the best folk/pop album of 2005. "The Mysterious Production of Eggs" proved that Andrew Bird is one of the most exciting, innovative songwriters still putting out material. Plus, I can vouch first hand that his live show is second to none. – Matt Jordan
More info - http://www.bowloffire.com. Here’s a link to a free mp3 from “The Mysterious Production of Eggs” - http://ekonomiskmgmt.com/audio/andrew_bird/Nervous_Tic.mp3. If you venture over to the Righteous Babe Records website, you can stream the whole record - http://www.righteousbabe.com/artists/andrewbird/tmpoe/index.asp.
:: Sunday, November 20 ::
CALVIN JOHNSON w/TENDER FOREVER and SCOURGE OF THE SEA @ Underlying Themes, 110 S. Upper
8pm, all ages, $5
Probably the most fascinating aspect of Calvin Johnson, and probably the one thing that people notice right off the bat, is, of course, his voice. It's deeper than any voice really should be, and not particularly very "good," in terms of musical ability; but it's also what makes him incredibly endearing. It's him working with what's he got, which is pretty refreshing. Plus, it's just captivating to listen to – what's the big, bad voice gonna say next?! The voice has been a part of a couple different bands since 1982, with the birth of Beat Happening (pioneers of the American-post-punk-evolving-into-what-we-call-indie-pop movement). Other notable groups include Dub Narcotic Sound System and The Halo Benders, a side project featuring the combination of Johnson and Built to Spill's Doug Martsch (that vocal combination is enough to make anybody swoon). Johnson's other indie-pop world contributions include the creation of K Records (legendary home to bands like All Girl Summer Fun Band, Little Wings, and Mirah), working for Sub Pop when it was just a music zine, having his own radio show at the tender age of 15, and making Washington (specifically his hometown Olympia) a cool place for good music. So, yeah. Whether you like the voice or not, this guy's pretty important. He's currently touring with K Records' own Tender Forever, Melanie Valera's solo band. Valera is a French lady, hailing from Bordeaux, with a really pretty voice and music that has been described as both "emotional pop" and "lo-fi R&B." Both Johnson and Tender Forever will be joined at Underlying Themes by Lexington's own The Scourge of the Sea. For a show of this caliber to be both inexpensive and all-ages, there's really no excuse to miss it. – Eli Riveire
Both Calvin Johnson and Tender Forever have their own sub-pages filled with information, photos, and music samplings at http://krecs.com. More info on The Scourge of the Sea can be found at http://www.myspace.com/thescourgeofthesea.
:: Monday, November 21 ::
THE THING + JOE McPHEE @ Underlying Themes, 110 S. Upper
8pm, all ages, $5
When the Scandinavian trio The Thing decided to call their 2004 album "Garage" (after the composition of the same name), they couldn't have picked a more apt title. If it can be said that the three members have spent the past decade building their respective reputations as some of the most prominent, innovative players in the European jazz scene (and it can), then The Thing can be considered their "garage band" - a project for loosening things up, getting together and belting out a few unlikely cover tunes; the kind that draw noise complaints from the neighbors.
Yes, The Thing plays rock covers, and yes, they are heavy. Very heavy. However, The Thing pulls it off without the slightest shred of irony or gimmickry in their delivery. The Thing selects songs that compliment their masterfully heavy rhythm section and wailing sax counterparts.
Consisting of European jazz phenoms Mats Gustafsson (baritone and tenor sax), Ingebrigt Haker Flaten (bass) and Paal Nilssen-Love (drums, samplers), The Thing builds on it's repertoire of 60's new-jazz era compositions (Don Cherry, James Blood Ulmer, Albert Ayler) by mixing in more contemporary alternative and indie-rock covers from bands like The White Stripes, Yeah Yeah Yeah's and PJ Harvey. This blending of genres brings out the essence and sheer energy that a trio such as this can create. Anyone who has witnessed recent Lexington performances featuring Nilssen-Love and Mats Gustafsson can attest to the physical intensity of their playing, and it's worth it alone just to see the way Gustafsson wields his saxophone like a weapon, conjuring an onslaught of sounds - like a man possessed by the energy of the music.
The Thing will be joined onstage by the legendary Joe McPhee on tenor sax and trumpet. Long considered one of jazz's true living messengers of the avant-garde, McPhee brings his lifetime of musical storytelling experience and soulful, bluesy expression, which fits right in with the core of intensity that lies in the heart of The Thing. – Brian Turner
:: Also worthwhile in the November 9 – November 23 timeframe ::
Wed/Nov 9 THE SHOWDOWN w/BLOODLINE CALLIGRAPHY, CHASING VICTORY, MAYLENE AND THE SONS OF DISASTER, INKED IN BLOOD, and GHOSTRIDER:BLACK @ Open Door Church (Nicholasville, KY) – all ages, http://www.counterfiction.com
Thurs/Nov 10 FREAKWATER @ Headliners (Louisville) – ages 18+
Thurs/Nov 10 SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS @ Southgate House (Newport, KY)
Thurs/Nov 10 CHRIS MILLS @ The Comet (Cincinnati)
Fri/Nov 11 BORN CROSS EYED @ The Dame
Fri/Nov 11 OHMEGA WATTS @ Wick’s Pizza, 10966 Dixie Highway (Louisville) – ph.502/458-1828
Sat/Nov 12 SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS w/BODECO @ Headliners (Louisville)
Mon/Nov 14 DAVID DONDERO @ Southgate House (Newport, KY) -
Tues/Nov 15 BRIGHT EYES w/FEIST and MAGIC NUMBERS @ Brown Theatre (Louisville) – all ages
Wed/Nov 16 KISS ME DEADLY w/FANGED ROBOT @ The Dame
Fri/Nov 18 CAITLIN CARY & THAD COCKRELL @ The Dame
Fri/Nov 18 BOB MOULD w/PETER SEARCY @ Headliners (Louisville) – ages 18+
Fri/Nov 18 MAZARIN w/SOUND TEAM @ Southgate House ballroom (Newport, KY)
Fri/Nov 18 Film Screening – “Walmart; The High Cost of Low Prices” by Robert Greenwald @ Southgate House parlour (Newport, KY) – FREE, two screenings 8pm and 11pm
Sat/Nov 19 PARLOUR BOYS w/THE MEREDITHS and I.RAYMOND @ The Dame
Sat/Nov 19 ANDREW BIRD w/HEAD OF FEMUR @ Southgate House (Newport, KY)
Sat/Nov 19 JUNIOR BROWN @ Headliners (Louisville)
Sun/Nov 20 CALVIN JOHNSON w/SCOURGE OF THE SEA @ Underlying Themes – all ages
Mon/Nov 21 THE THING + JOE McPHEE @ Underlying Themes Loft Space – all ages
Wed/Nov 23 WILL HOGE @ The Dame
Wed/Nov 23 MY MORNING JACKET w/VHS OR BETA @ The Louisville Palace (Louisville)
:: Soon Soon ::
Thurs/Nov 24 SEXUAL DISASTER QUARTET w/Q*BURNS ABSTRACT MESSAGE @ The Dame
Fri/Nov 25 SCOURGE OF THE SEA w/NANA AND THE BOY NOISE @ The Dame
Sat/Nov 26 SUNDAY VALLEY w/THE DEEHAWKS @ The Dame
Thurs/Dec 1 TOM ABBS & FREQUENCY RESPONSE @ Mecca, 451 Chair Ave – all ages
Fri/Dec 2 CRACKER (acoustic) @ The Dame
Fri/Dec 2 THE DEREK TRUCKS BAND @ Headliners (Louisville)
Sun/Dec 4 ISLANDS (formerly THE UNICORNS) w/CULTURE QUEER @ Southgate House – ages 18+
Fri/Dec 9 SABIR MATEEN QUINTET w/ISWHAT?! @ Firebird Studio, 359 W. Short – all ages
Wed/Dec 14 IRON AND WINE/CALEXICO @ Headliners (Louisville) – ages 18+
Sat/Dec. 17 BYRON HOUSE w/HAVES AND THIRDS, ODEM PRESS, LIMP LUNGS, and 396 MOUNTAINS @ Bornmugged – all ages
:: Pertinent resources ::
__Lexington__
THE DAME, 156 W.Main St, Lexingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif - http://www.dameky.com
MECCA studio/gallery, 451 Chair Avenue, off S.Broadway near Bolivar - http://www.meccadance.com
UNDERLYING THEMES LOFT SPACE, 110 S. Upper (above Busters) – http://www.underlyingthemes.com
CHARLES MANSION - http://www.charlesmansion.orghttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
NATASHA'S CAFE, 112 Esplanade - http://www.beetnik.com/
FAUNTLEROY’S CAFÉ, 640 W. Maxwell – ph. 859/455-8188
THE ICEHOUSE, 412 Cross St (off W.Maxwell), Lexington
DOWNTOWN ARTS CENTER, 141 E. Main St, Lexington – http://www.lexarts.org
ARTSPLACE, 161 N.Mill St, Lexington
LEXINGTONSHOWS.com (all ages show listings) - http://www.lexingtonshows.com
COUNTER FICTION (more all ages show listings) – http://www.counterfiction.com
CRICKET PRESS (amazing local poster art) - http://www.cricket-press.com
WRFL 88.1FM (UK's student-run radio station) - http://wrfl.uky.edu
YOU AIN’T NO PICASSO (great locally-produced music blog) – http://www.youaintnopicasoo.com
__Louisville__
LAVA (Louisville Assembly of Vanguard Artists) HOUSE - 927 Shelby Parkway, Louisville - http://www.lavahouse.org
HEADLINERS MUSIC HALL, Louisville - 1386 Lexington Road, ph. 502/584-8088 - www.headlinerslouisville.com
UNCLE PLEASANTS, 2126 S. Preston, Louisville - p.502/634-4147
THE RUDYARD KIPLING, 422 West Oak Street, Louisville -
http://www.therudyardkipling.com/pages/206999/index.htm
OLD LOUISVILLE COFFEHOUSE, 1489 S. Fourth St, Louisville - ph. 502/635-6660
PRODUCTION SIMPLE (produce many of the events at Headliners and Uncle Pleasants) – http://www.productionsimplehttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif.com)
__Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky__
THE SOUTHGATE HOUSE, Newport, KY - http://www.southgatehouse.com
ALCHEMIZE, 1122 Walnut Street, Cincinnati, OH – http://www.alchemizebar.com
THE COMET, 4579 Hamilton Avenue, Cincinnati, OH - http://www.cometbar.com
BOGART'S, 2621 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH - http://www.bogarts.com
THE MOCKBEE (formerly SS NOVA), 2260 Central Parkway, Cincinnati, OH - http://www.ssnova.org
NORTHSIDE TAVERN, 4163 Hamilton Ave, Cincinnati, OH – http://www.northside-tavern.com
Know of an upcoming event that others should get hip to? Let us know - email informationactivists@yahoo.com
All Picks by Ross Compton unless otherwise noted.
:::::::::::::: CD REVIEW :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The Smacks! - Here Lieth The Smacks! Protected By the Ejaculation of Serpents
I can't see doing a write-up for the Smacks! CD without laying down a bit of generalized beef to chew on. Something to soak in while you daydream of the musical miscreants who conjured the "Sex Apple." Anything to help you understand just how foul the monkeyjuice that these guys swim in really is.
It takes two, baby. On one swollen hand you've got J. Todd Dockery, a man who enjoys rolling his own cigarettes, and, at times, rolling up his shirt sleeves to threaten God, ghost and beast alike with his crooked drumsticks. On the other you'll find Brian Manley, a small ferocious creature whose double-dips into the No Drug Test Zone of guitar have inspired more whys than hows from those smacked the hardest. Two gurgling carnies sharing life, voice and, most importantly, the overall blame for grimy content. Off duty they live in rank amongst the raccoons and opossums, and are generally untidy. The Smacks! Ignore parking tickets, subpoenas, and mail in general. You see them all of the time stopped outside of convenience stores figgerin' out junk food wrappers or pointing at items of interest with sticks and other found objects. The Smacks! are the grunting sound around the corner; the last gasp of vaudeville. They come in late everyday and sleep in the Laundromat when the pinball's out. If you think the Smacks! can't hold a job then you'd better get it straight…No job can hold the Smacks!!
Butchered, bacherlorized and half-crazed, they wander out of their "yards" and into your gardens to piss on your petunias and eat your rake. But don't let them touch anything…you'll be sick for weeks. They smell like everywhere they've been, plus onions. And no one can stop them 'cos it's been seven years already and now there's this new CD, but its not just any CD…it's a twenty seven song CD. Is this supposed to be a career retrospective or something? Are the Smacks! plannin' a plane crash on tour? Perhaps they'll choke on chickenbones in the parking lot, instead. But, a greater problem is at hand. Every song on this CD is a bad egg, and soon our streets will reek as 27 slack-jawed smacklings roam the rubbish bin district, searching for vice and cheap fuel (vice).
No album of such length and mastery should suffer the embarrassment of nominal brevity. Payphone Took My Quarter at the Lexi-con Border was considered for the title, however, after hours of considerable chewin' and inner circle legislation the crew o' two opted for a slim-lined Here Lieth the Smacks! Protected By the Ejaculation of the Serpents instead. Despite its aura of innocence, this disc handles its biz with the communicable grace of gum on the sidewalk. One wrong step and these guys might find the bottom of your shoe. With a Smack! in your stride you'll stick it to the whole neighborhood with confidence and class. Slum along with the boys as they stop to give the landlady a little bit of that mid-month smoochy smooth talk. Right on! Don't you worry about her though. One listen to the new Smacks! CD and she'll be swoonin' with the rest of them, especially once they put down some that "I'll do the dishes tonight" croonin' that's made them famous…the kind that's drenched in grease. The only sound with that slow-handed, slow-roasted assurance she needs to feel like a woman without all the rent. Hear this tuna melt burn best on tunes like "Locked In a Cellar": "Ahhmm…Locked in a cellarrr…all alooone…" Hear a distant voice beneath the door on the floor holler, "This ain't no goddamn metaphor!" Yeah, these guys spend a lot of time lookin' up from the bottom, and it takes a certain kind of hurtin', that's for sure. You'll find this perspective theme returning again for "The Drowing Song Parts 1 & 2." Two parts 'cos it takes awhile, ya know, but they drown proudly with every flush.
When Mr. Manley asks "Where Are the Drugs?!!" you'll know that's its already too late. And what about this "Sex Apple" biz-ness anyhow? Once the Smacks! take their brand of hickey rock down AC/DC street there's no turning back. Who else could/would rhyme lunch, munch and crunch in song without shame or fear of retribution? Rumor has it that a public performance of "Sex Apple" was once segued by a moving, "this one's for you, Mom"; an apparent appeasal to requests from kinfolk in the audience. A New York band that shared the bill that evening were left to ponder family life in Kentucky…But what the Smacks! wanna know is, if New York is supposed to be so great, then how come no one calls it the "Big Sex Apple"?
Let "Big Hands and Thighs Slappin'" warm your soul with each tender touch. Who needs scented candles when it "Smells Like Hot Blood Tonight?" Explore strange medicine cabinets with Brian's crusty guitar on "Last Man on Earth." Dive "Into the Negative Zone" and have "All the Disgusting Parts Taken Out." Every one's a sinner.
With talent like this, you may be wondering "why the shabby duds?" Hey, these guys donkeys free of charge, but their performance fee/bar tab ratios have been compared to the plight of yesteryear's sharecroppers. What little dough they can scrape past the "company store" is usually re-invested into guitar strings and drumsticks (chicken).
Are you ready to join the boys as they take the "c" out of "charm" for good? The Smacks! say "Get It! Get On It!" Look, if you wanna ride along in their musical mopbucket, you'd better dig the sloshin' or get lost, 'cos the Smacks! have got no time for your stooped questions.
-Jesse Saxon. October 2005
:::::::::::::: QUESTIONS/COMMENTS/SUBMISSIONS ::::::::::::::::::::::::
email thelexingtonproject@yahoo.com
Late Lex Pro. Sorry. Thanks to Eli Riveire, Jessica Weems, Matt Jordan, and Mikey T for the help with The Picks. And, thanks to Jesse Saxon for his unbelievable Smacks! cd review. Hope all are well.
Ross
:::::::::::::::::::::::: Announcements :::::::::::::::::::::::::::
** Now through December 4 - “The Lonesome Traveler Returns” new works by Lee Bryant at Good Foods Café
“The Lonesome Traveler Returns: One road, my friend. Many Miles,” new works by Lee Bryant on display in the Good Foods Café on Southland Drive now through December 4th.
** November 9-10 and 15-17 - Harold Pinter’s “Family Voices” at Natasha’s Cafe
Natasha’s Café will present Nobel Prize winner Harold Pinter’s “Family Voices,” a radio script written and performed for the BBC in 1983, November 9-10 and 15-17. Featured performers are Janet Scot and Ryan Case. Seating for the dinner/performance starts at 7pm. Showtime is 8:45pm each evening. Tickets are $10. All ages are welcome. For reservations, call 259-2754. For more information about Pinter, check out http://www.haroldpinter.org/home/index.shtml.
** Saturday, November 12 - Mountain Witness Tour
Saturday, November 12th, Kentuckians For The Commonwealth hosts another Mountain Witness Tour. The Tour is an opportunity for residents of Central Kentucky to visit Eastern Kentucky to see examples of Mountaintop Removal first-hand and to talk to KFTC members who are directly affected. The event will start at 2pm in Perry County. A carpool will leave Lexington at 11am from Eastland Shopping Center (off Winchester Rd) near the True Value. For more information, contact Dave Newton at dave_hn@yahoo.com.
** Every Monday at the Dame - “Lounge Nights” – FREE food, FREE admission
The Dame is introducing a new ‘come hang out and dig the free eats’ shindig every Monday night. The fun starts Monday, November 14th with free grub provided by Puccini’s Smiling Teeth Pizza (you know, the joint next to Oasis and Shoppers Village – yummy pizza!). Monday, November 21 it’s Joe Bologna’s (again, pizza – redundant? p’haps, but I can’t get enough pizza). Then, November 28th, it’s the casual Creole cuisine of Gumbo Ya Ya (yes, that’s the spot where I work, so, no doubt, I’ll be schlepping the grub down … so, come say ‘hey’). Doors open at 8pm. Ages 21+ admitted.
** Tuesday, November 15 – Wilco listening party at Pazzo’s
CD Central, Pazzo's, and Nonesuch Records are hosting a listening party for the new Wilco live double cd Tuesday, November 15th from 6-8pm at Pazzo’s, 385 S. Limestone (just a couple doors down from CD Central). In addition to spinning the cd, there'll be drink specials, FREE Pazzo's pizza, Wilco cd giveaways, and more. The event is free and open to all ages.
** Two Latitude related art exhibits
>> Friday, November 18 – Artist reception for “SenseAbilities” art exhibit at Carnegie Center
SenseAbilities is an art exhibit intended to strengthen and support the community of artists in Kentucky who work with people considered to have disabilities. The exhibit is the result of a collaboration between two agencies who serve people with disabilities- Latitude in Lexington and Dreams with Wings in Louisville. Each of the fourteen visual artists in this exhibit are represented by artwork and a written narrative which discusses their role as one who has provided support to those of us considered to have a disability. An artist reception will be held Friday, November 18th at the Carnegie Center for Literacy at 251 W. 2nd St in Lexington during Gallery Hop from 4:30-8:30pm. The event will include a screening of “The Rest of My Life!” (a new dvd produced by Kentucky Protection and Advocacy), a reading by author Kim Edwards from her new novel “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter,” a performance by local folk duo Wishing Chair, and an open mic. For more information, contact Bruce Burris at 859/806-0195.
>> Through November 23 – “Beyond Latitude: Art for a Unframed World” @ UK’s Rasdall Gallery
Beverly Baker and Jesse Dunahoo are two community artists whose work has been shown in various galleries and businesses around Lexington. They’ll be exhibiting works at UK’s Rasdall Gallery in the UK Student Center through Nov. 23. A Gallery Hop reception will be held on November 18 from 5-7pm.
** Saturday, November 19 – Louisville’s Squallis Puppeteers at the Living Arts & Science Center
Peeps have been dying to get Squallis Puppeteers over from Louisville. Well, now it’s happening – as the third installation of LASC’s guest artist series. Saturday, November 19th from 10:30-11:30am, Squallis will present “Duncan’s Bad Day” at the Living Arts & Science Center, 362 N. Martin Luther King Blvd. Following that, the troupe will host a puppet-making workshop from 1:30-3:30pm. Here’s the scoop (by way of an LASC press release – sorry, I’m getting tired of sitting in front of the computer):
Imagine a “flock” of 25 snow geese, with people handlers, moving down Lexington’s Main Street in a “V” formation! That’s what the Living Arts & Science Center is working toward with their special guests, the Squallis Puppeteers!
If you see something strange, inexplicable and ten feet tall, you are probably watching a Squallis Puppeteer! The Living Arts & Science Center is now taking registrations for the November 19th, 2005, performance and workshop with Louisville’s exciting larger-than-life puppet company, the Squallis Puppeteers. Squallis Puppeteers will be visiting the Living Arts & Science Center and presenting one of their original audience participation puppet plays, Duncan’s Bad Day. The puppeteers will also be providing a puppet-making workshop for individuals to be able to create one of their own “backpack” puppets. (Puppets that are so big, the handler actually wears the puppet!)
Participants in the puppet-making workshop will then be featured by the Living Arts & Science Center in Lexington’s Christmas Parade! It will definitely be a great event with the “Flock” of puppets moving down Main Street!
The Squallis Puppeteers performance is $5.00 per person and will include lunch provided by Wild Oats. The cost for the Squallis Puppeteers workshop is $20.00 per person and includes all supplies to create one of the large “wearable” puppets. (Scholarships for the workshop and performance are available for individuals or families.)
Squallis Puppeteers is a constantly evolving troupe of puppet enthusiasts. They make their own puppets by sculpting, painting, sewing, recycling, and experimenting to create unique and innovative larger than life puppets. They also write their own plays and orchestrate them with original music. Squallis Puppeteers have been performing and teaching puppetry for children and adults in Louisville since 1997. In 2003, Squallis Puppeteers Inc. became a Non-Profit Organization and is dedicated to community participatory events.
For more info, check out http://www.squallispuppeteers.com and http://www.lasclex.org. Questions? Email Heather Lyons at Hlyons@LASCLEX.org.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: THE PICKS :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::: Wednesday, November 9 through Wednesday, November 23 :::::::::::
:: Wednesday, November 9 ::
FREAKWATER w/MARAH and THE ZINCS @ The Dame - 9pm, ages 21+, $10
:: Thursday, November 10 ::
FREAKWATER w/THE ZINCS @ Headliners (Louisville) - 9pm, ages 18+, $10
OMFG. Have you heard these ladies (and one fella)? It's probably some of the most twangy stuff I've heard and still liked, and I'm pretty tolerant when it comes to twang. They use all kinds of awesome instruments like steel guitars and mandolins and fiddles and dobros (what even is a dobro?), but I guess that's kind of to be expected when it comes to their line of work. Anyway. It's old-timey-seeming folk music with splashes of bluegrass and rock and just plain country goodness. Their show in Louisville is bound to be good, and I'll give you two specific reasons for that – 1) their name comes from a term for moonshine, and 2) they actually formed in Louisville back in 1987, so this is sort of like a home-town kind of deal. Snap on your western shirt and pull on your boots, sidle up next to some cute cowboy (or girl) at the bar, and sit back and enjoy some old-fashioned good 'Mercan music. You'll be glad you did. – Eli Riveire
http://www.freakwater.net/, http://www.mp3.com/freakwater/artists/9694/summary.html
:: Thursday, November 10 ::
Community Action Council benefit featuring SCOURGE OF THE SEA @ The Limestone Club, 213 N. Limestone
7pm, all ages, $5
An ASAP (Artists Stand Against Poverty) event featuring music by Lex Pro favorites Scourge of the Sea. The door money will go to benefit the Community Action Council, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending poverty in our community. In addition to the music, there’ll be free food, a cash bar, and a live and silent auction featuring art by 25 local and regional artists. For more info, call 244-2221.
:: Thursday, November 10 ::
THE SMACKS! cd release show w/HOT BOX @ Buster’s
10:30 pm, ages 21+, FREE
Lookin’ for a good time at no cost but to support your local rockin’ musicians at their new CD release show? Then look no further for you have come upon one hell of a good time. The Smacks! Will be releasing their new CD entitled “Here Lieth The Smacks! Protected By the Ejaculation of Serpents”. Consider yourself lucky to feast your eyes and ears at the most amazing show to ever be had in Lexington. Busters’ will be hosting this glorious event on the 10th of November at 10:30pm. Free. Except for the fact that you should be buying their CD because it is one never to be forgotten. Opening for The Smacks! will be Neely’s (formerly of the Murders, Suicide Instigators, and now to be seen in Arsenic on the Rocks) all-girl punk band HotBox! Hot stuff ladies and gents, hot stuff! This is the first show of The Smacks! North and South tour, Detroit to Memphis. If you are one of the very few who do not know The Smacks! please let this be your introduction. - Jessica Weems
:: Thursday, November 10 ::
ELF POWER w/THE IMPOSSIBLE SHAPES @ The Dame
9pm, ages 21+, $
Pop music and the word 'different' don't usually go hand in hand, but that's how Elf Power likes to play it. Their latest album, "Walking With the Beggar Boys," is full of three-minute gems that push the boundries of what it means to be a traditional pop tune. You can expect their wild approach to songwriting to carry over into a spirited live show that they'll be bringing to Lexington.
Bloomington, IN natives The Impossible Shapes have built a reputation on a fantastic live show, and some crazy records. If you're a fan of early Weezer or even The Apples in stereo, don't miss out on this one. – Matt Jordan
:: Friday, November 11 ::
PAPER LEGS w/SHARKS WITH WINGS and BUNNY BUNNY APE @ Underlying Themes, 110 S. Upper
11pm, all ages, $3 suggested donation
A late show at Underlying Themes featuring the return of Lex-patriate percussionist Brian Osborne (now living in Brooklyn). Some of you will p’haps still remember him from the George Steeltoe Ensemble, Thermal Man, and Mark the Schizophrenic during his days in Lexington. Others of you probably might have seen his Outside the Spotlight gig with Bruce Eisenbeil and Katsu Itakura (remember the ecstatic little Japanese man who wailed so hard on Chuck Moreland’s Rhodes that he broke a key?). This time around Brian arrives as part of Paper Legs, a noise/freak out improv duo with fellow Brooklynite Trevor Healy. Joining Paper Legs on the tour are Philadelphia’s Sharks With Wings. WWSWWD? (what will sharks with wings do?) They’ll produce schizophrenic noise scapes that will blow your mind. (Check out the mp3 link below.) Bunny Bunny Ape = a mishmash of Lextown dudes stumbling into sound and trying to justify having such a cool name. Includes members of Hexose (yeah, I went old-school on ya), Mimic Mishap, Psychoactive Sound, and Birthday Girl.
[Full disclosure: I’m part of Bunny Bunny Ape … I think.)
http://www.heatretentionrecords.com/paper%20legs.asp, http://www.sharkswithwings.com/pretendyoulikeit.mp3
:: Saturday, November 12 ::
PARLOUR BOYS w/PETTICOAT, PETTICOAT and THE ALL-STARZ @ Underlying Themes, 110 S. Upper
5pm, all ages, $3
Avoid the Parlour Boys if you have a medical condition which may be agitated by excessive dancing, grooving, and/or getting down. Because I can promise you that not a butt will be left unshook when these local boys leave the stage. Dance-punk never looked so good. http://www.myspace.com/parlourboysmusic
Fresh off some new songs, Petticoat, Petticoat are out to prove why it is that they're one of Lexington's most consistantly reliable bands. Check out http://www.myspace.com/petticoatpetticoat to hear songs from their new “White Love” ep. – Matt Jordan
:: Saturday, November 12 ::
BLACKALICIOUS w/ZION-I @ The Dame
10pm, ages 21+, $17
The lynch pins of the Quannum crew roll into Lexington for the first time! (I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again - Wake up! We’re starting to get really good independent hip hop shows – Lil Brother, Ming and FS with Napoleon of ISWHAT?!, etc - in town. If you like this, get out and support it.) And … I’ve gotta go to a wedding. That’s cool. I’m sure shit’ll be jammin’ at the reception. You readin’ this Will and Danielle? It better be jammin’!
For the full scoop on Blackalicious, check out http://quannum.com/site/main.php?section=artists&artist=Blackalicious. You can find more info about Zion-I at http://www.zionicrew.com and find a free mp3 at http://www.epitonic.com/artists/zioni.html.
:: Monday, November 14 ::
ROTTEN MILK w/OCCASIONAL DETROIT and BELLAFEA @ Bornmugged House, 324 Preston
8pm sharp!, all ages, $5
Rotten Milk and Occasional Detroit = “rock hard freak outs.” Bellafea = indie rock from Chapel Hill.
http://www.diabolical.org/rm/rottenmilk.html. http://www.beyababa.indiegroup.com/
[Thanks to Mikey T. for the descriptions.]
:: Tuesday, November 15 ::
BRIGHT EYES w/FEIST and THE MAGIC NUMBERS @ Brown Theatre (Louisville)
doors 7pm, showtime 7:30pm, all ages, the Production Simple website says $25 but I called the KCA ticket office and they said $26.50
While it may seem that everyone loves Bright Eyes, it seems that everyone I know is part of the rubberband snap – the predictable backlash by us indie types that happens when an indie artist gets “too much” recognition. I’m as guilty, or more so, about the backlash in most cases, but, in this case, I still dig Conor. Actually, I dig Bright Eyes a lot more now than I used to. I rock “I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning” a couple times a month. And I have the urge to cry every time Emmylou Harris joins him on “We Are Nowhere And It’s Now.” OK, that out of the way, I think Feist is the real treat of this show. Our friend Ed at Sqecial Media turned Vanessa on to her after a discussion about Joanna Newsom. Vanessa turned me on to her, and I’ve put Feist mix cds in the hands of most everyone I know. She’s a Canadian chanteuse who guested on records by Broken Social Scene, Kings of Convenience, and Peaches (!), before releasing her solo debut “Let It Die.” Seek it out and love it. Oh, and The Magic Numbers are pretty great too. Anybody up for carpooling?
http://www.saddle-creek.com/bands/brighteyes/, http://www.arts-crafts.ca/feist/, http://www.themagicnumbers.net
:: Thursday, November 17 ::
NAUTICAL ALMANAC w/BIRTHDAY GIRL and “A Film From the Collection of the Late Howell Bend” @ Charles Mansion – for directions, email charlesmansion@hotmail.com
9pm, all ages, $donations accepted for traveling bands
“Nautical Almanac's electronic music is the ANTITHESIS of laptop electronic music. These Baltimore intuitives hone their unconscious local ancestry of JOHN WATERS, EDGAR ALLEN POE and HL MENCKEN. They are Mad scientist scavengers who dig through junk yards, thrift stores, estate sales and flea markets for broken equipment that is then rewired into futuristic vintage analog alchemy of occult heaven or hell sound worlds depending on the vantage point. Three years ago, their last visit to town included a merchandise table full of compact discs with lp grooves cut into the discs: playable on both mediums! Via endless self released music and art objects, extensive touring through the smallest and largest of towns across the world and via their deep recording history ties from WOLF EYES to ANDREW W.K., Nautical Almanac are one of the deepest revered bands of the current American underground of abject artists. Points of reference: THROBBING GRISTLE, PAUL McCARTHY, JOHN CAGE.” That description’s borrowed from an email my friend Kris Abplanalp sent out about their Louisville show. (The show in Louisville is Wednesday, Nov. 16 with author Bil Brown and Louisville’s own Kark @ St. John’s Renaissance Center, 637 Market St (near Clay St), Louisville - 8pm, all ages, $3)
Here’s Mikey T’s take …
Nautical Almanac (http://www.heresee.com/nauticallink.htm, or straight to a free tune - http://www.heresee.com/mp3/stopstart.mp3)
-Carly, Twig and new member fall apart w/ homemade elec.
-Recommended if you like being challenged by cut up bronze
-Last Mansion gig was g.r.o.s.s. Twig slept on top shelf
-ANTAGONIZED BY THE LIIGGHHTT
Birthday Girl (our dude dee snyder)
-transplant to the Mansion/bornmugged crew by way of soil and fire
-backwards frEe jazz...does that make it controlled? fck no it only means it's been "REBORN"
-one of the nicest people I have ever met
“A Film from the Collection of the Late Howell Bend” with live soundtrack (http://www.begoniasociety.org/bend.htm)
-Auk Theatre figure head Irene Moon shows flicks and plays beautiful music w/Ellen and Sara from Eyes and Arms of Smoke
-darkness but the kind that you find in a 'pleasant' forest
-Once caught them at The Dame and afterward realized it was the best show I'd seen there
For more info about Charles Mansion, head to http://www.charlesmansion.org.
:: Friday, November 18 ::
Gallery Hop! @ various spots around downtown
5-8pm, all ages, FREE
Checked the LexArts website, but it still had the September Hop info up. I’d wager that if you check back in a week, you can get the full scoop - http://lexarts.org/programs_galleryhop.php. Anyway, here are a few things that sounded interesting to me:
>> James Shambhu: DRAWINGS IN PLASTER @ IVOS salon and gallery, N. Mill St between Main and Short (up through November 30th – check out http://www.jamesshambhu.com)
>> The two exhibits Latitude is involved with @ the Carnegie Center and UK’s Rasdall Gallery (in the UK Student Center) - check out the Announcements section above for the full scoop.
>> Conjuring Characters: Prints by Kathyrn Berry Martinez @ the Kentucky Theatre, 214 E. Main
:: Saturday, November 19 ::
ELEPHANT MICAH w/WARMER MILKS and SHEDDING @ Bornmugged House, 324 Preston Ave.
8pm sharp!, all ages, $5
Elephant Micah = “slow brooders ala Red House Painters/Neil Young.” Shedding = “ex member of Parlour/representing Louisville proper.” And, for this show, Warmer Milks = Mikey T solo acoustic. Expect three very intimate sets. [Again, thanks to Mikey T for the descriptions.] http://shedding.home-tapes.com/, http://www.elephantmicah.com/, http://www.warmermilks.com/
:: Saturday, November 19 ::
ANDREW BIRD w/HEAD OF FEMUR @ Southgate House (Newport, KY)
Remember those guys that played violin in your high school? Chances are that they never recorded what is arguably the best folk/pop album of 2005. "The Mysterious Production of Eggs" proved that Andrew Bird is one of the most exciting, innovative songwriters still putting out material. Plus, I can vouch first hand that his live show is second to none. – Matt Jordan
More info - http://www.bowloffire.com. Here’s a link to a free mp3 from “The Mysterious Production of Eggs” - http://ekonomiskmgmt.com/audio/andrew_bird/Nervous_Tic.mp3. If you venture over to the Righteous Babe Records website, you can stream the whole record - http://www.righteousbabe.com/artists/andrewbird/tmpoe/index.asp.
:: Sunday, November 20 ::
CALVIN JOHNSON w/TENDER FOREVER and SCOURGE OF THE SEA @ Underlying Themes, 110 S. Upper
8pm, all ages, $5
Probably the most fascinating aspect of Calvin Johnson, and probably the one thing that people notice right off the bat, is, of course, his voice. It's deeper than any voice really should be, and not particularly very "good," in terms of musical ability; but it's also what makes him incredibly endearing. It's him working with what's he got, which is pretty refreshing. Plus, it's just captivating to listen to – what's the big, bad voice gonna say next?! The voice has been a part of a couple different bands since 1982, with the birth of Beat Happening (pioneers of the American-post-punk-evolving-into-what-we-call-indie-pop movement). Other notable groups include Dub Narcotic Sound System and The Halo Benders, a side project featuring the combination of Johnson and Built to Spill's Doug Martsch (that vocal combination is enough to make anybody swoon). Johnson's other indie-pop world contributions include the creation of K Records (legendary home to bands like All Girl Summer Fun Band, Little Wings, and Mirah), working for Sub Pop when it was just a music zine, having his own radio show at the tender age of 15, and making Washington (specifically his hometown Olympia) a cool place for good music. So, yeah. Whether you like the voice or not, this guy's pretty important. He's currently touring with K Records' own Tender Forever, Melanie Valera's solo band. Valera is a French lady, hailing from Bordeaux, with a really pretty voice and music that has been described as both "emotional pop" and "lo-fi R&B." Both Johnson and Tender Forever will be joined at Underlying Themes by Lexington's own The Scourge of the Sea. For a show of this caliber to be both inexpensive and all-ages, there's really no excuse to miss it. – Eli Riveire
Both Calvin Johnson and Tender Forever have their own sub-pages filled with information, photos, and music samplings at http://krecs.com. More info on The Scourge of the Sea can be found at http://www.myspace.com/thescourgeofthesea.
:: Monday, November 21 ::
THE THING + JOE McPHEE @ Underlying Themes, 110 S. Upper
8pm, all ages, $5
When the Scandinavian trio The Thing decided to call their 2004 album "Garage" (after the composition of the same name), they couldn't have picked a more apt title. If it can be said that the three members have spent the past decade building their respective reputations as some of the most prominent, innovative players in the European jazz scene (and it can), then The Thing can be considered their "garage band" - a project for loosening things up, getting together and belting out a few unlikely cover tunes; the kind that draw noise complaints from the neighbors.
Yes, The Thing plays rock covers, and yes, they are heavy. Very heavy. However, The Thing pulls it off without the slightest shred of irony or gimmickry in their delivery. The Thing selects songs that compliment their masterfully heavy rhythm section and wailing sax counterparts.
Consisting of European jazz phenoms Mats Gustafsson (baritone and tenor sax), Ingebrigt Haker Flaten (bass) and Paal Nilssen-Love (drums, samplers), The Thing builds on it's repertoire of 60's new-jazz era compositions (Don Cherry, James Blood Ulmer, Albert Ayler) by mixing in more contemporary alternative and indie-rock covers from bands like The White Stripes, Yeah Yeah Yeah's and PJ Harvey. This blending of genres brings out the essence and sheer energy that a trio such as this can create. Anyone who has witnessed recent Lexington performances featuring Nilssen-Love and Mats Gustafsson can attest to the physical intensity of their playing, and it's worth it alone just to see the way Gustafsson wields his saxophone like a weapon, conjuring an onslaught of sounds - like a man possessed by the energy of the music.
The Thing will be joined onstage by the legendary Joe McPhee on tenor sax and trumpet. Long considered one of jazz's true living messengers of the avant-garde, McPhee brings his lifetime of musical storytelling experience and soulful, bluesy expression, which fits right in with the core of intensity that lies in the heart of The Thing. – Brian Turner
:: Also worthwhile in the November 9 – November 23 timeframe ::
Wed/Nov 9 THE SHOWDOWN w/BLOODLINE CALLIGRAPHY, CHASING VICTORY, MAYLENE AND THE SONS OF DISASTER, INKED IN BLOOD, and GHOSTRIDER:BLACK @ Open Door Church (Nicholasville, KY) – all ages, http://www.counterfiction.com
Thurs/Nov 10 FREAKWATER @ Headliners (Louisville) – ages 18+
Thurs/Nov 10 SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS @ Southgate House (Newport, KY)
Thurs/Nov 10 CHRIS MILLS @ The Comet (Cincinnati)
Fri/Nov 11 BORN CROSS EYED @ The Dame
Fri/Nov 11 OHMEGA WATTS @ Wick’s Pizza, 10966 Dixie Highway (Louisville) – ph.502/458-1828
Sat/Nov 12 SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS w/BODECO @ Headliners (Louisville)
Mon/Nov 14 DAVID DONDERO @ Southgate House (Newport, KY) -
Tues/Nov 15 BRIGHT EYES w/FEIST and MAGIC NUMBERS @ Brown Theatre (Louisville) – all ages
Wed/Nov 16 KISS ME DEADLY w/FANGED ROBOT @ The Dame
Fri/Nov 18 CAITLIN CARY & THAD COCKRELL @ The Dame
Fri/Nov 18 BOB MOULD w/PETER SEARCY @ Headliners (Louisville) – ages 18+
Fri/Nov 18 MAZARIN w/SOUND TEAM @ Southgate House ballroom (Newport, KY)
Fri/Nov 18 Film Screening – “Walmart; The High Cost of Low Prices” by Robert Greenwald @ Southgate House parlour (Newport, KY) – FREE, two screenings 8pm and 11pm
Sat/Nov 19 PARLOUR BOYS w/THE MEREDITHS and I.RAYMOND @ The Dame
Sat/Nov 19 ANDREW BIRD w/HEAD OF FEMUR @ Southgate House (Newport, KY)
Sat/Nov 19 JUNIOR BROWN @ Headliners (Louisville)
Sun/Nov 20 CALVIN JOHNSON w/SCOURGE OF THE SEA @ Underlying Themes – all ages
Mon/Nov 21 THE THING + JOE McPHEE @ Underlying Themes Loft Space – all ages
Wed/Nov 23 WILL HOGE @ The Dame
Wed/Nov 23 MY MORNING JACKET w/VHS OR BETA @ The Louisville Palace (Louisville)
:: Soon Soon ::
Thurs/Nov 24 SEXUAL DISASTER QUARTET w/Q*BURNS ABSTRACT MESSAGE @ The Dame
Fri/Nov 25 SCOURGE OF THE SEA w/NANA AND THE BOY NOISE @ The Dame
Sat/Nov 26 SUNDAY VALLEY w/THE DEEHAWKS @ The Dame
Thurs/Dec 1 TOM ABBS & FREQUENCY RESPONSE @ Mecca, 451 Chair Ave – all ages
Fri/Dec 2 CRACKER (acoustic) @ The Dame
Fri/Dec 2 THE DEREK TRUCKS BAND @ Headliners (Louisville)
Sun/Dec 4 ISLANDS (formerly THE UNICORNS) w/CULTURE QUEER @ Southgate House – ages 18+
Fri/Dec 9 SABIR MATEEN QUINTET w/ISWHAT?! @ Firebird Studio, 359 W. Short – all ages
Wed/Dec 14 IRON AND WINE/CALEXICO @ Headliners (Louisville) – ages 18+
Sat/Dec. 17 BYRON HOUSE w/HAVES AND THIRDS, ODEM PRESS, LIMP LUNGS, and 396 MOUNTAINS @ Bornmugged – all ages
:: Pertinent resources ::
__Lexington__
THE DAME, 156 W.Main St, Lexingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif - http://www.dameky.com
MECCA studio/gallery, 451 Chair Avenue, off S.Broadway near Bolivar - http://www.meccadance.com
UNDERLYING THEMES LOFT SPACE, 110 S. Upper (above Busters) – http://www.underlyingthemes.com
CHARLES MANSION - http://www.charlesmansion.orghttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
NATASHA'S CAFE, 112 Esplanade - http://www.beetnik.com/
FAUNTLEROY’S CAFÉ, 640 W. Maxwell – ph. 859/455-8188
THE ICEHOUSE, 412 Cross St (off W.Maxwell), Lexington
DOWNTOWN ARTS CENTER, 141 E. Main St, Lexington – http://www.lexarts.org
ARTSPLACE, 161 N.Mill St, Lexington
LEXINGTONSHOWS.com (all ages show listings) - http://www.lexingtonshows.com
COUNTER FICTION (more all ages show listings) – http://www.counterfiction.com
CRICKET PRESS (amazing local poster art) - http://www.cricket-press.com
WRFL 88.1FM (UK's student-run radio station) - http://wrfl.uky.edu
YOU AIN’T NO PICASSO (great locally-produced music blog) – http://www.youaintnopicasoo.com
__Louisville__
LAVA (Louisville Assembly of Vanguard Artists) HOUSE - 927 Shelby Parkway, Louisville - http://www.lavahouse.org
HEADLINERS MUSIC HALL, Louisville - 1386 Lexington Road, ph. 502/584-8088 - www.headlinerslouisville.com
UNCLE PLEASANTS, 2126 S. Preston, Louisville - p.502/634-4147
THE RUDYARD KIPLING, 422 West Oak Street, Louisville -
http://www.therudyardkipling.com/pages/206999/index.htm
OLD LOUISVILLE COFFEHOUSE, 1489 S. Fourth St, Louisville - ph. 502/635-6660
PRODUCTION SIMPLE (produce many of the events at Headliners and Uncle Pleasants) – http://www.productionsimplehttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif.com)
__Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky__
THE SOUTHGATE HOUSE, Newport, KY - http://www.southgatehouse.com
ALCHEMIZE, 1122 Walnut Street, Cincinnati, OH – http://www.alchemizebar.com
THE COMET, 4579 Hamilton Avenue, Cincinnati, OH - http://www.cometbar.com
BOGART'S, 2621 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH - http://www.bogarts.com
THE MOCKBEE (formerly SS NOVA), 2260 Central Parkway, Cincinnati, OH - http://www.ssnova.org
NORTHSIDE TAVERN, 4163 Hamilton Ave, Cincinnati, OH – http://www.northside-tavern.com
Know of an upcoming event that others should get hip to? Let us know - email informationactivists@yahoo.com
All Picks by Ross Compton unless otherwise noted.
:::::::::::::: CD REVIEW :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The Smacks! - Here Lieth The Smacks! Protected By the Ejaculation of Serpents
I can't see doing a write-up for the Smacks! CD without laying down a bit of generalized beef to chew on. Something to soak in while you daydream of the musical miscreants who conjured the "Sex Apple." Anything to help you understand just how foul the monkeyjuice that these guys swim in really is.
It takes two, baby. On one swollen hand you've got J. Todd Dockery, a man who enjoys rolling his own cigarettes, and, at times, rolling up his shirt sleeves to threaten God, ghost and beast alike with his crooked drumsticks. On the other you'll find Brian Manley, a small ferocious creature whose double-dips into the No Drug Test Zone of guitar have inspired more whys than hows from those smacked the hardest. Two gurgling carnies sharing life, voice and, most importantly, the overall blame for grimy content. Off duty they live in rank amongst the raccoons and opossums, and are generally untidy. The Smacks! Ignore parking tickets, subpoenas, and mail in general. You see them all of the time stopped outside of convenience stores figgerin' out junk food wrappers or pointing at items of interest with sticks and other found objects. The Smacks! are the grunting sound around the corner; the last gasp of vaudeville. They come in late everyday and sleep in the Laundromat when the pinball's out. If you think the Smacks! can't hold a job then you'd better get it straight…No job can hold the Smacks!!
Butchered, bacherlorized and half-crazed, they wander out of their "yards" and into your gardens to piss on your petunias and eat your rake. But don't let them touch anything…you'll be sick for weeks. They smell like everywhere they've been, plus onions. And no one can stop them 'cos it's been seven years already and now there's this new CD, but its not just any CD…it's a twenty seven song CD. Is this supposed to be a career retrospective or something? Are the Smacks! plannin' a plane crash on tour? Perhaps they'll choke on chickenbones in the parking lot, instead. But, a greater problem is at hand. Every song on this CD is a bad egg, and soon our streets will reek as 27 slack-jawed smacklings roam the rubbish bin district, searching for vice and cheap fuel (vice).
No album of such length and mastery should suffer the embarrassment of nominal brevity. Payphone Took My Quarter at the Lexi-con Border was considered for the title, however, after hours of considerable chewin' and inner circle legislation the crew o' two opted for a slim-lined Here Lieth the Smacks! Protected By the Ejaculation of the Serpents instead. Despite its aura of innocence, this disc handles its biz with the communicable grace of gum on the sidewalk. One wrong step and these guys might find the bottom of your shoe. With a Smack! in your stride you'll stick it to the whole neighborhood with confidence and class. Slum along with the boys as they stop to give the landlady a little bit of that mid-month smoochy smooth talk. Right on! Don't you worry about her though. One listen to the new Smacks! CD and she'll be swoonin' with the rest of them, especially once they put down some that "I'll do the dishes tonight" croonin' that's made them famous…the kind that's drenched in grease. The only sound with that slow-handed, slow-roasted assurance she needs to feel like a woman without all the rent. Hear this tuna melt burn best on tunes like "Locked In a Cellar": "Ahhmm…Locked in a cellarrr…all alooone…" Hear a distant voice beneath the door on the floor holler, "This ain't no goddamn metaphor!" Yeah, these guys spend a lot of time lookin' up from the bottom, and it takes a certain kind of hurtin', that's for sure. You'll find this perspective theme returning again for "The Drowing Song Parts 1 & 2." Two parts 'cos it takes awhile, ya know, but they drown proudly with every flush.
When Mr. Manley asks "Where Are the Drugs?!!" you'll know that's its already too late. And what about this "Sex Apple" biz-ness anyhow? Once the Smacks! take their brand of hickey rock down AC/DC street there's no turning back. Who else could/would rhyme lunch, munch and crunch in song without shame or fear of retribution? Rumor has it that a public performance of "Sex Apple" was once segued by a moving, "this one's for you, Mom"; an apparent appeasal to requests from kinfolk in the audience. A New York band that shared the bill that evening were left to ponder family life in Kentucky…But what the Smacks! wanna know is, if New York is supposed to be so great, then how come no one calls it the "Big Sex Apple"?
Let "Big Hands and Thighs Slappin'" warm your soul with each tender touch. Who needs scented candles when it "Smells Like Hot Blood Tonight?" Explore strange medicine cabinets with Brian's crusty guitar on "Last Man on Earth." Dive "Into the Negative Zone" and have "All the Disgusting Parts Taken Out." Every one's a sinner.
With talent like this, you may be wondering "why the shabby duds?" Hey, these guys donkeys free of charge, but their performance fee/bar tab ratios have been compared to the plight of yesteryear's sharecroppers. What little dough they can scrape past the "company store" is usually re-invested into guitar strings and drumsticks (chicken).
Are you ready to join the boys as they take the "c" out of "charm" for good? The Smacks! say "Get It! Get On It!" Look, if you wanna ride along in their musical mopbucket, you'd better dig the sloshin' or get lost, 'cos the Smacks! have got no time for your stooped questions.
-Jesse Saxon. October 2005
:::::::::::::: QUESTIONS/COMMENTS/SUBMISSIONS ::::::::::::::::::::::::
email thelexingtonproject@yahoo.com
