Thursday, August 03, 2006
TLP August 3, 2006
A day(+) late, but worth the wait. Tons o' info plus a new recipe from Vanessa and satire from Jonathan Meador. Thanks to Samantha Herald, Ben Allen, Brian Henry, and Michael Powell for help with the Picks.
Hope all are well.
Ross
:::::::::::::::::::::::: Announcements :::::::::::::::::::::::::::
** Fri/Aug 4 - ‘Work for Zirk’ – a benefit for Ross Zirkle – at The Icehouse
This Friday, August 4th from 7pm to midnight, The Icehouse (412 Cross St – just off W. Maxwell) will play host to a benefit for influential UK art professor Ross Zirkle, who was recently diagnosed with cancer. The evening will feature live music from BhudC and the Nasty Three, DJ Stephen Wiggins, Cosmic, and Lil’ Cory, affordable art (all or most pieces priced under $25, I believe), free food from Puccini’s, Stella’s Kentucky Deli, and Bourbon and Toulouse, as well as raffle prizes from an array of local shops, bars, and restaurants (including Gumbo Ya Ya and Alfalfa). Admission to the benefit is $2. All ages are welcome. Raffle tickets are $1 each. All money will go to help cover Ross’ medical expenses.
** Sat/Aug 5 – Home at Last’s “Animal Jam!” at Unitarian Universalist Church
Home at Last presents “Animal Jam,” a fun, festive, and FREE, musical jamboree designed to bring friends and families together to celebrate compassion, promote kindness to animals, and support the programs of the Home at Last Animal Sanctuary, Saturday, August 5th from 11am to 4pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Lexington on Clays Mill Rd. The event will feature musical performances by Heidi Howe, Jennifer Hart and friends, Mike Bratcher and friends, and The Swells, “hands on activities” by the Children’s Music Workshop, citizensCREATE!, and The Living Arts & Science Center, as well as a silent auction, raffles, and more.
Home at Last, accredited by the American Sanctuary Association, provides care for both farmed and companion animals, and includes a separate wildlife refuge. Home at Last is a “for-life” sanctuary emphasizing the concept of compassion and offering exceptional quality of life for many formerly abandoned or abused animals. Programs include rescue, adoption, education outreach, low-income spay/neuter assistance, and feral trap-neuter-return.
Their message is simple: Compassion for ALL species
For more information, visit Home at Last online at http://www.homeatlastanimals.org.
** Sat/Aug 5 – Hip Yard Sales
A heads-up for the scavengers among us … two of our friends are having yard sales this Saturday (Aug. 5) … here’s the scoop:
#1 Kenn Minter ditches some hip and likely kitschy stuff from 9am to 1pm at 588 Emery Ct. He’s threatening to pull out his grill and turn the sale into a damn barbeque. For directions or more info, drop him a line at percytrout@hotmail.com or give him a call at 523-9494. (And while you’re at it, check out his blog – http://doplacebo.blogspot.com - his art and comics - http://kennminter.com - and his comic book ‘The Experts’ - http://expertscomic.blogspot.com.)
#2 Rebecca McClung presents her “Moving to Scotland” sale at 693 Sheridan -- just off Cardinal, off Harrodsburg Rd – expect “lots of books (especially French, Russian, children's), nice shoes [size 7-8], clothes, jewelry, computer printer, furniture, etc., etc., etc...” For more info, you can drop her a line at ramgcl1@email.uky.edu. Rebecca’s also got a bitchin’ Subaru Forester she’s looking to sale before she leaves town. Here’s a lil’ info about the car excerpted from a recent email …
“It's a 1998 Subaru Forester S: automatic transmission, CD and cassette player, "winter" package -- seat warmers [my favorite part of the car!], side mirror and rear defrost, front grill guard, towing package, etc. It currently has around
105,000 mi. Kelley Blue Book for that mileage, in Good condition is $6995, but I am looking to sell it by August 14 so price is negotiable. Good gas mileage, lots of space inside... Great for camping, touring, dogs, kids, you name it …” If you're interested, you can get in touch with Rebecca at 859/699-2099 or the aforementioned ramgcl1@uky.edu.
** Sun/Aug 6 – Specially-priced preview performance of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”
LexArts will present a specially priced preview performance of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" this Sunday, August 6th at 7pm at the Downtown Arts Center. Tickets for the preview performance are $15 (for the other shows they’re $22.50 general public/$17.50 students and seniors. Tickets are available online at http://lexarts.tix.com or by phone at 859/225-0370. For more info, go to http://view.exacttarget.com/?ffcb10-fe8e1273776c057b72-fde617767c6d007476107776-feff16707d6204.
** Sat/Aug 12 - FREE In-Store @ CD Central - Harlan
Our friend John Harlan Norris is brings his band Harlan to our favorite record store for an afternoon in-store performance. The gig goes down Saturday, August 12th at 2pm. It’s a FREE event and all ages are welcome. For more info, give the store a ring at 859/233-3472. For more details about Harlan, check out the preview in the Picks’ section.
** Zine Library
Our friends Shanna Sanders and Patrick Smith have started a zine library that will be housed in UK’s King library starting sometime next semester. The focus of the collection are zines produced in or related to the Southern United States and/or ones with an environmental focus (bikes, global warming, building sustainable communities, vegetarian/veganism, etc). If you have any Southern or environmental zines you'd be willing to donate to the cause, drop Shanna or Patrick a note at shanna.sanders@gmail.com or johnpatricksmith@gmail.com.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: RECIPE :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Fennel and Couscous Salad
Cook 1 cup couscous according to package directions.
Add:
1 black tomato, diced
1 bulb fennel, cut into strips
1/2 small red onion, cut into strips
2-3 tbsp hazelnut oil
1 lemon, juiced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2-1 tsp sambal (chili paste)
1 handful chopped fresh herbs (I used basil, mint, lemon balm, and Italian parsley)
Toss and serve at room temperature!
-VO
:::::::::: THE LEXINGTON CASTLE MEDIEVAL FAMILY FUN THEME PARK ::::::::::::::::
by Jonathan Meador
While driving at great speed down Versailles Road en route to a semi-major drug deal in Beaver Dam, I had an idea that has the potential to make me millions.
Now, we’re all familiar with “The Castle”, that obnoxious stone behemoth that sits like some kind of autocratic monument to Lexington’s inherent elitism. What if, given the recent vigor of developmental arguments, that staid structure was rechristened in a fashion befitting the town’s impending commercialization?
Picture, if you will, The Lexington Castle Medieval Family Fun Theme Park™.
In this glorious vision, the long dirt path leading to the structure will be flanked with acres of paved lots, and after parking and exiting your 18V Ford Exploiter you will be greeted by the distant sounds of digitized lyres, the smell of succulent, roasting mutton.
The colossal gates function as turnstiles/ticket counter, wherein a man, flamboyantly costumed as some kind of drunken braggart (a la Canterbury Tales) demands $379.95 to admit you and your family for a day’s worth of “fun of the most enjoyable kinde”. It is a sum you gladly fork over, as the stench of mutton overpowers your higher reasoning faculties. The braggart affixes a plastic wristband to you, your wife, and your children, after which you are all set loose inside…
...Where the experience is orgasmic:
The outer keep is a spot-on depiction of the Dark Ages, replete with artificial pig shit, roving plague-corpse carts, and cavorting minstrels belting out ye olde versions of current chart-topping pop hits (Justin Timberlake’s “Sexyback” translates very well in this regard, by the way).
Think Bravehart, but with Starbucks.
You barely notice your wife and children disperse into this scene as the PA system’s narrator sounds remarkably similar to one-time Lexington resident William Shatner (because it is), which you stop to take note of:
“…Welcome [pause] friend [pause], to a land of pure enchantment [pause], a place where the hands of time roll back to an era of debauchery [pause], of superstition [pause]… and adventure! [pregnant pause] And don’t forget to try the Bard’s Special, only $4.99 at the Slaughtered Lamb Inn,[pause] right next to the Cobbler’s Market!”
Immediately you encounter a mead-wench named Eliza (who also works part-time at Solid Platinum) who offers you a faux-iron mug of Bud Light. You gulp it down quick, watching Eliza-The-Well-Endowed strut into the bulging crowd of fellow fanny-pack-adorned “time-travelers”.
Where is my beautiful wife? You think, but not for long.
You manage to consume several mead steins before Gilead, the mead wench-magistrate, casts you into a pile of aforementioned fake hog-shit, and you suddenly find yourself inside the inner-keep: A damn-near perfect recreation of the Globe Theater—with the addition of a Dolby 5.1 surround-sound system— where the play is already in progress.
PIMPLE-FACED ROMEO: Where is’t thou, my fair Juliet?
UNCOMFORTABLY-PLUMP JULIET: I am most likely gazing upon my autographed UK Basketball poster, only $17.89 at the Cobbler’s Market!
You leave the riveting production and spy your children along the outer-keep’s southeast rampart, where woman dressed as a witch regales them with a sensationalized synopsis of the Salem trials, which you laugh at as the kids remain quiet, the younger one in tears.
Together you climb the tight, winding staircase and reach the rampart’s summit, where just ten years ago you would have beheld a sight truly akin to medieval times: acres upon acres of rolling green pasture, the horizon filled with grass and clouds.
Now, you point out to your offspring the very Denny’s where you and your wife had your first date; over there, past the Toyota lot, the 36-theatre Cineplex where you and mommy held hands in darkness as a sixty-foot Owen Wilson made mommy shoot Pepsi out of her nose from sheer laughter; and, finally, the Shell gas station where daddy got his first job working the third shift.
“Can we go now?” the youngest one asks.
“Not until we find mommy,” you say, half-drunk and in the mood for mutton.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: THE PICKS :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::: Wednesday, Aug 2 through Wednesday, August 16 :::::::::::
:: Friday, August 4 ::
THE SCOURGE OF THE SEA w/JASON ZAVALA @ The Dame
10pm, ages 21+, $5
As if everyone doesn't know, Scourge of the Sea is comprised of Justin Craig, Andrew English and Robbie Cosenza. With their debut album coming out on Alias Records in July and being smack in the middle of a national tour, the men of Scourge of the Sea are the current kings of Lexington's pop music scene. I've recently seen the trio described as one of "Lexington's best kept secrets"; however, I know few who have ever been tight-lipped concerning their love of SotS.
The band formed in 2004 and every show Scourge of the Sea has performed in Lexington since has been packed with legions of locals. I don't know if it's their modest, but not too precious pop songs, or the fact that they are very cute and charming fellows, but everyone loves to support these guys.
This show is the official release party for SotS's debut album, Make Me Armored, released last week. The album features 10 finely tuned pop songs ranging from the slightly delicate "Waterwings" to some harder fare with "Chocolate Chips". English and Cosenza alternate writing credits and vocals, each singing lead on their own creations. English tends to take his listeners by the hand and sing in their ears while Cosenza seems as content standing in a corner yelling at the top of his lungs. Cosenza's songs are not as intimate as English's but certainly no less heartfelt.
For me, SotS excels most lyrically. The songs are all arranged beautifully with complimenting tambourine hits and intriguing keyboard melodies in addition to the traditional drum, bass and guitars. The music makes me happy but what really catches my ear and warms my heart is when I hear English sing such tender words as "…and I loved your lips on your overbite" or when Cosenza mentions his "waterwings and a cable knit sweater". With such striking imagery and coordinating harmonies, bands like the Fruit Bats may be out of work.
Opening for Scourge of the Sea is Jason Zavala, as he soldiers on representing his band The Elephants all on his own. Time after time, he entertains unsuspecting pop fans with his unique, unabashed vocals and vigorous guitar playing all with a tambourine around his ankle and a courteous nod. He is a musical force in cut-off shorts.
Between Zavala and Scourge of the Sea there will be many delightful sounds surrounding your ears and your heart Friday night. – Samantha Herald
http://thescourgeofthesea.com, http://myspace.com/thescourgeofthesea, http://myspace.com/theelephants
:: Tuesday, August 8 ::
THE MAYBELLINES w/THE JOYBOMB @ The Dame
9pm, ages 21+, $3
The Maybellines = super cheery indie pop from Denver, Colorado. Wonderfully fun and bouncy, smiley music. The Joybomb = a solo performance by Jeremy Midkiff of Big Fresh and The Joybombs. Should be a very happy night at the Dame. FREE sounds and more info at http://themaybellines.com. I like this jam a lot - http://themaybellines.com/sounds/maybellines_battleship.mp3.
:: Wednesday, August 9 ::
BLOODYMINDED w/GRAVEYARDS, LAMBSBREAD, DEMONS, and CAVES
@ The Frowny Bear, 208 Forest Park – 9pm, all ages, $ = be nice, bring a couple dollars for the traveling bands
Lexington's latest refuge for the aesthetically drifted and musically weird--The Frowny Bear--welcomes everyone to check out a great show on August 8, featuring some really amazing groups. Here's the lineup...
Bloodyminded--psychotic reaction power electronics meant to scorch yr meat.
Graveyards--creeped jazz feat. Olson from Wolf Eyes and Burning Star Core's Spencer.
Lambsbread--skronked out jams from this Ohio trio will kill you.
Demons--Nate Young (Wolf Eyes) flying solo.
Caves--Ben Allen's latest descent into fire and ash.
Everything's DIY, All AGES, BYOB, Starting at 9pm and cool.
And for a warm-up to all this hullaballoo, check out the Bear this Saturday, August 5. Join psychsters Red Wizard, doom devils Cadaver in Drag, and Detroit crazies Black Sand Desert and Charlie Drahiem for a night of ultimate rock. Same time, same place, same jazz. [ed. note – be on the lookout for more upcoming gigs at the Bear, including a Sun/Aug 13th gig with Extreme Animals … details are still being sorted out.]
- Ben Allen
[Full Disclosure: Benny lives at The Frowny Bear and he is Caves.]
:: Friday, August 11 ::
ALEUCHATISTAS w/GO! @ Mecca, 451 Chair Avenue
(just off S. Broadway near Bolivar) - 8pm, all ages, $3
GO! = free jazz saxophone and upright bass duo from North Carolina. For more info and sounds, check out http://www.goprov.com.
AHLEUCHATISTAS (pronounced A-LOO-CHA-TEE-STAS) = insanely intricate prog-ish post-punk from Asheville, North Carolina. Heavy, high energy, mind-blowing stuff. Intrigued? Well, you’re in luck – Clay Gaunce will be featuring their newest record “What You Will” in its entirety on his radio show this Saturday night from 6-8pm on WRFL. If you’re level of intrigue is a bit less than that, you can check out some music and even a short video at http://myspace.com/ahleuchatistas. More info and mp3s can be found at http://www.ahleuchatistas.com.
Here’s a fuller accounting of Ahleuchatistas from their label, Cuneiform Records …
File under Rock/Post-Punk
Ahleuchatistas is a guitar/bass/drums trio whose music resides at the meteoric end of the tempo scale. Favoring a clean, stripped-down sound and a delivery devoid of pretension, they play short, compressed and complex, polyrhythmic compositions with unrelenting speed and unrestrained joy. Their music has been compared to controlled chaos and, indeed, the trio creates a premeditated massacre of sound, volcanic in its power. Their work seems to be spiritually overseen by Robert Fripp, Damon Che and John Zorn, and recalls the restless avant-punk zeal of Fugazi and the pulsingly organic hyperactivity of early King Crimson.
"The rebellious spirit of punk, when it's honest, is no different from the radical sentiments that fed creativity in jazz music. I consider artists like Charles Mingus, John Coltrane and others to embody a punk attitude in their approach. Their music is about shaking things up and transcending imposed systems." - Shane Perlowin, Guitar, Ahleuchatistas
[Full Disclosure: I helped organize this show and I’m really excited about it.]
:: Saturday, August 12 ::
HARLAN @ CD Central, 377 S. Limestone – 2pm, all ages, FREE
HARLAN w/ SOFT ENDS AKCRE GROUP @ The Frowny Bear, 208 Forest Park – 8pm, all ages, $donations
I got this nifty press release (below) today and it really sums up what the Harlan experience is all about but I really don't think the reviews therein push the point home enough. "The Still Beat" is one of the freshest (if not THE freshest) pop albums released in the past year. While the record has some eighties synth leanings, it mainly relies on classic power pop cum classic rock energy and timeless wordplay all written by leader John Harlan Norris. Whereas many groups that've sprouted up in the past few years flirt with said genres, it is a steady bet that they don't have the depth nor foresight that Harlan effortlessly display. While Frank Black is playing down the street at The Dame on the same night, the Frowny Bear gig starts early at 8pm with a short set from Soft Ends Akcre Group. The openers are affiliates of Warmer Milks and fall somewhere on the "mellower" side of the Milks ala the Rwanda/Early Castles releases. While S.E.A.G. dabble in space and silence, psychedelia is not really the issue here, it's more about the SONG.
Harlan- R.I.Y.L. Guided By Voices, Bowie, Sufjan Stevens, Saint Etienne, Go-Betweens, Feelies.
Soft Ends Akcre Group- R.I.Y.L. "Corky's Debt" period Mayo Thompson, early Fleetwood Mac, Josephine Foster, Neil Young.
- Brian Henry
FREE sounds at http://www.thestillbeat.com, http://www.myspace.com/stillbeat.
The aforementioned press release …
PRESS:
Selected as ... 1 most intriguing Baton Rouge album of 2005: "Pop Genius....Norris' complex arrangements and melody shifts make this more of an ensemble piece than just one man pouring out his pathos into a jambox. Recommended if you like The Go-Betweens, Wilco, Your own record collection...a lot." - 225 Magazine
"Bowie would be proud. And so would GBV, The Replacements, old school Beck, and The Cure. (The Still Beat) is original, brilliant, fun, and smooth This is perhaps the freshest collection of songs I've heard since 69 Love Songs." - Rockstatic
"creative and unique indie synth rock." -Times of Acadiana
"Harlan seems to cover a mini-spectrum from my travel case, each song finding a referent in my late 80s music explorations ... (including) Charlatans UK, XTC, The Feelies" - Music Spectrum
HARLAN BIO:
Harlan makes broken pop music for a cracked century.
Harlan began when John Harlan Norris left his job at a Sotheby's werehouse in Spanish Harlem, NYC to spend time writing music and painting in a mountain cabin in his native Kentucky. The cardboard box of resulting four-track demos eventually became the Headphone Park EP. Norris then moved to Louisiana to pursue an MFA in painting.
When he wasn't in the painting studio, he was in the recording studio putting together The Still Beat -- an entirely self-produced debut LP filled with lush guitars, keyboards, and Harlan's distinctive voice; a lazy vibrato that delivers razor sharp lyrics that are sometimes heartfelt and sometimes cruel.
:: Saturday, August 12 ::
FRANK BLACK w/JOE MANNING @ The Dame
9pm, ages 21+, $12
I always thought Matt Pinfield looked like Frank Black, which redeemed (for me, at least) the fact that he worked for MTV. I miss 120 Minutes a whole lot *tear*. But VH1 has some pretty sick videos late night. Anyone with cable want to invite me over to watch VH1 with them?
Speaking of "mature music," there's a portly, stalwart, bald gentleman named Frank Black that will be riding his mighty 4AD steed into Lexington on Saturday, August 12th at THE LAME!
Frank Black was in the Pixies, but was known as "Black Frances" in that group. I've heard people like them. Frank Black was also in Frank Black and the Catholics. He was known as " Frank Black" in that group. He's released a number of killer solo albums since then under the name Frank Black. You can call him "Just Frank," but don't do that to his face.
Frank Black is part of the pool of middle-aged-but-still-got-it rock gods from the '80s and early '90s, such as Paul Westerberg, Bob Mould, Robert Pollard and Tonya Donnelly (to name a few), that left their earlier bands behind to pursue more roots-oriented, relaxed music that features that tint of Americana that makes it okay to play around mom. His latest, Fast Man Raider Man, features collaborations with Cheap Trick, The Band, and the mighty honky-tonk hero Marty Brown. Replete with horns, acoustic and classical guitars, and subdued but punchy hooks, Fast Man Raider Man oft reminds me of Beck's Sea Change joint. Despite the toning down Black has done in the past few years, he still rocks the schizophrenic vocals that mades things so intriguing back when you discovered the Pixies and pot in your pre-teen years.
Frank Black is a legend, undoubtedly. And check it, this is his first solo tour since 1995. He still rocks those suspenders, and as you know, suspenders are the new 20 inch rims.
Tickets are only $12 and are available at dameky.com, CD Central, or Charge-a-Tic at 1.800.594.8499. You NEED to get your tickets in advance because this show could sell out before the doors open. It might not, but making the right choices in your life can be fruitful and rewarding and shit.
Doors at 9 p.m. Frank Black around 11:30 p.m. Me drinking around 7 p.m. You drinking when, as a full moral agent capable of executing decisions on your own volition and autonomy, the mood strikes ya.
Matt Pinfield is opening. Not really.
– Michael Powell
[Full Disclosure: Yup, Mikey’s the publicity dude at the Dame, but he ain’t no pawn - he really digs Frank Black.]
:: Tuesday, August 15 ::
OF MONTREAL w/THE MINDERS @ Headliners (Louisville)
doors 8pm, show 9pm, all ages, $12
Of Montreal is a band that has been around for almost a decade now; the band released Cherry Peel in 1997, an album of impossibly honest and straightforward pop songs. Here is the start of Of Montreal and anyone who wants to fully comprehend this band's body of music as a whole should start here as well. I think it is necessary to know these songs in order to fully appreciate what the band has become. The Of Montreal of today is most unlike the Of Montreal of the 90's; their music has changed drastically and intensified a million times over. They have traveled all the way from acoustey indie-pop to their signature brand of electropop dance music.
Over the years Of Montreal's stage show has undergone a transformation as well. Their live shows are as grandiose as their music, with Kevin Barnes often going through as many costume changes as Janet Jackson; in fact, I recently saw some very striking photos of him in a very tacky wedding gown onstage. There are outfits all around and even some coordinated hoots and hollers throughout the set. Regardless of one's feelings toward Of Montreal's music, if you find yourself at one of their shows, rest assured you're going to want to shake it.
Opening up for Of Montreal is the Denver, CO based band The Minders. The Minders are close friends of Robert Schneider and, in fact, Schneider was sort of a founding member of the band. He was there from the get go and has been involved with the band, producing albums/songs, and contributing musically since its creation. The Minders produce exactly the kind of sounds that pop in one's head when they think of the Elephant 6 collective. Googley-woogely pop goodness, with an obvious 60's psychadelia influence. Martyn Leaper, the band's premiere singer songwriter, has a great sense of melody and structure. His songs just flow perfectly, with just the right amount of flare, a mysterious lead guitar tone or a piano integrated at just the perfect moment.
The Minders are touring in support of their new album It's a Bright, Guilty World. This new album finds The Minders at the closest they've ever come to living up to their seminal debut Hooray For Tuesday, the pop album that is so perfect that not even its creator can top it. Reviews of the live shows so far are all extremely exuberant; it seems Leaper has been gracious enough to play some oldies (including "Hooray For Tuesday" and "Now I Can Smile" among others) to his crowds. The old songs as well as the new are all ripe for an exhilarating onstage performance. I don't care what you listen to; nothing is better heard in a dingy club than a good old pop song. - Samantha Herald
:: Also worthwhile in the August 2 – 16 timeframe ::
Every Friday RAKADU GYPSY DANCE @ Nema’s Grille (Frankfort) – meccadance.com
Every Sunday THE BLUEGRASS COLLECTIVE @ The Fishtank, corner of Euclid and Woodland – 9pm, no cover
Fri/Aug 4 JOHN HAMMOND w/WILLIE EAMES@ The Dame – early show, 7pm
Fri & Sat/Aug 4 & 5 BORN CROSS EYED @ The Fishtank – 11pm
Sat/Aug 5 CHRIS KNIGHT @ The Dame
Sun/Aug 6 BRONSON ARROYO @ Southgate House (Newport, KY)
Tues/Aug 8 – Sun/Aug 20 “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” starring David Colbert and Petra DeLuca @ Downtown Arts Center – http://lexarts.tix.com
Wed/Aug 9 TULA w/THE FERVOR @ The Dame
Thurs/Aug 10 CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO @ The Dame – early show, 7pm
Thurs/Aug 10 HORNS OF HAPPINESS @ The Dame – late show, 10pm
Thurs/Aug 10 DON CABALLERO @ Southgate House (Newport, KY)
Fri/Aug 11 LFUCS w/THE OTHER BROTHERS @ The Dame
:: Soon Soon ::
Thurs/Aug 17 BUBBA SPARKS @ Headliners (Louisville)
Fri/Aug 18 THE GREAT WHITE JENKINS w/THE JOYBOMB @ Third Street Stuff Coffee – all ages, FREE
Fri/Aug 18 BRUCE ROBISON w/JOHN MANN @ The Dame – early show, 7pm
Fri/Aug 18 THE PARLOUR BOYS @ The Dame – late show, 10pm
Sat/Aug 19 AUK THEATRE @ Mecca – all ages
Sat/Aug 19 SUNDAY VALLEY w/JOHNNY BERRY & THE OUTLIERS @ The Dame
Sat/Aug 19 FORGET CASSETTES @ Southgate House (Newport, KY)
Sun/Aug 20 THE MINDERS @ The Dame – 7pm, ages 18+
Tues/Aug 22 RC PRO AM w/PLEASURE PRINTS, ULTRA PULVERIZE, RUSUDEN, CARPET OF SEXY, and IT’S A TRAP @ The Dame
Thurs/Aug 24 HIGH WATER MARKS w/DE NOVO DAHL @ The Dame
Thurs/Aug 24 WORLD PARTY @ Southgate House (Newport, KY)
Fri/Aug 25 DJ JON DOE with EDDIE MEEKS and CUNNINLYNGUISTS with CLUB DUB @ The Dame
Sat/Aug 26 THE FEATURES w/HOTPIPES @ The Dame
Sat/Aug 26 SILVER MT. ZION w/THE CHILDREN @ Headliners (Louisville)
Mon/Aug 28 JURASSIC 5 w/X-CLAN @ Bogart’s (Cincinnati)
Wed/Aug 30 BUCKWHEAT ZYDECO @ The Dame
Fri/Sept 1 ISWHAT?! w/RAOUL BELMANS @ The Dame
Wed/Sept 6 BALKAN BEAT BOX @ Southgate House (Newport, KY)
Sat/Sept 9 REVEREND HORTON HEAT w/HORRORPOPS @ The Dame
Tues/Sept 19 BE YOUR OWN PET w/THE BLACK LIPS @ Southgate House (Newport, KY)
Fri/Sept 22 CALEXICO w/OAKLEY HALL @ Headliners (Louisville)
Sat/Sept 23 GLENN KOTCHE/NELS CLINE @ UK’s Singletary Center for the Arts
Tues/Oct 3 BETTYE LAVETTE @ Headliners (Louisville)
Fri/Oct 6 RODNEY CROWELL w/WILL KIMBROUGH @ The Dame
Sat/Oct 14 THE WRENS w/SWEARING AT MOTORISTS @ Southgate House (Newport, KY)
Thurs/Oct 19 ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO @ Southgate House (Newport, KY)
Fri/Oct 20 WOLF EYES w/BURNING STAR CORE and JOHN WIESE @ Southgate House (Newport, KY)
Sat/Oct 21 SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS @ The Dame
Tues/Oct 24 XIU XIU @ Southgate House ballroom (Newport, KY)
Tues/Oct 24 ONE SELF (DJ Vadim w/Yarah Bravo and Blu Rum 13) @ Southgate House parlour (Newport, KY)
:: Pertinent resources ::
__Lexington__
THE DAME, 156 W.Main St, Lexington - http://www.dameky.com
MECCA dance studio/gallery, 451 Chair Avenue, off S.Broadway near Bolivar - http://www.meccadance.com
CHARLES MANSION – http://www.charlesmansion.org
THIRD STREET STUFF COFFEE, corner of Limestone and 3rd Street – ph. 859/255-5301
FIREBIRD STUDIO, 359 W. Short St – http://firebirdlexington.com
HIGH LIFE LOUNGE, University Plaza (corner of Woodland and Euclid) – ph. 859/455-8890
THE FISHTANK, corner of Woodland and Euclid Ave - http://www.thefishtankbar.com
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
SINGLETARY CENTER FOR THE ARTS, corner of Euclid and Rose Sts – http://www.uky.edu/SCFA/
LEXINGTONSHOWS.com (all ages show listings) - http://www.lexingtonshows.com
COUNTER FICTION (metal/punk/hardcore 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://wrfl881.org
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.productionsimple.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.
:::::::::::::: QUESTIONS/COMMENTS/SUBMISSIONS ::::::::::::::::::::::::
email thelexingtonproject@yahoo.com
Hope all are well.
Ross
:::::::::::::::::::::::: Announcements :::::::::::::::::::::::::::
** Fri/Aug 4 - ‘Work for Zirk’ – a benefit for Ross Zirkle – at The Icehouse
This Friday, August 4th from 7pm to midnight, The Icehouse (412 Cross St – just off W. Maxwell) will play host to a benefit for influential UK art professor Ross Zirkle, who was recently diagnosed with cancer. The evening will feature live music from BhudC and the Nasty Three, DJ Stephen Wiggins, Cosmic, and Lil’ Cory, affordable art (all or most pieces priced under $25, I believe), free food from Puccini’s, Stella’s Kentucky Deli, and Bourbon and Toulouse, as well as raffle prizes from an array of local shops, bars, and restaurants (including Gumbo Ya Ya and Alfalfa). Admission to the benefit is $2. All ages are welcome. Raffle tickets are $1 each. All money will go to help cover Ross’ medical expenses.
** Sat/Aug 5 – Home at Last’s “Animal Jam!” at Unitarian Universalist Church
Home at Last presents “Animal Jam,” a fun, festive, and FREE, musical jamboree designed to bring friends and families together to celebrate compassion, promote kindness to animals, and support the programs of the Home at Last Animal Sanctuary, Saturday, August 5th from 11am to 4pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Lexington on Clays Mill Rd. The event will feature musical performances by Heidi Howe, Jennifer Hart and friends, Mike Bratcher and friends, and The Swells, “hands on activities” by the Children’s Music Workshop, citizensCREATE!, and The Living Arts & Science Center, as well as a silent auction, raffles, and more.
Home at Last, accredited by the American Sanctuary Association, provides care for both farmed and companion animals, and includes a separate wildlife refuge. Home at Last is a “for-life” sanctuary emphasizing the concept of compassion and offering exceptional quality of life for many formerly abandoned or abused animals. Programs include rescue, adoption, education outreach, low-income spay/neuter assistance, and feral trap-neuter-return.
Their message is simple: Compassion for ALL species
For more information, visit Home at Last online at http://www.homeatlastanimals.org.
** Sat/Aug 5 – Hip Yard Sales
A heads-up for the scavengers among us … two of our friends are having yard sales this Saturday (Aug. 5) … here’s the scoop:
#1 Kenn Minter ditches some hip and likely kitschy stuff from 9am to 1pm at 588 Emery Ct. He’s threatening to pull out his grill and turn the sale into a damn barbeque. For directions or more info, drop him a line at percytrout@hotmail.com or give him a call at 523-9494. (And while you’re at it, check out his blog – http://doplacebo.blogspot.com - his art and comics - http://kennminter.com - and his comic book ‘The Experts’ - http://expertscomic.blogspot.com.)
#2 Rebecca McClung presents her “Moving to Scotland” sale at 693 Sheridan -- just off Cardinal, off Harrodsburg Rd – expect “lots of books (especially French, Russian, children's), nice shoes [size 7-8], clothes, jewelry, computer printer, furniture, etc., etc., etc...” For more info, you can drop her a line at ramgcl1@email.uky.edu. Rebecca’s also got a bitchin’ Subaru Forester she’s looking to sale before she leaves town. Here’s a lil’ info about the car excerpted from a recent email …
“It's a 1998 Subaru Forester S: automatic transmission, CD and cassette player, "winter" package -- seat warmers [my favorite part of the car!], side mirror and rear defrost, front grill guard, towing package, etc. It currently has around
105,000 mi. Kelley Blue Book for that mileage, in Good condition is $6995, but I am looking to sell it by August 14 so price is negotiable. Good gas mileage, lots of space inside... Great for camping, touring, dogs, kids, you name it …” If you're interested, you can get in touch with Rebecca at 859/699-2099 or the aforementioned ramgcl1@uky.edu.
** Sun/Aug 6 – Specially-priced preview performance of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”
LexArts will present a specially priced preview performance of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" this Sunday, August 6th at 7pm at the Downtown Arts Center. Tickets for the preview performance are $15 (for the other shows they’re $22.50 general public/$17.50 students and seniors. Tickets are available online at http://lexarts.tix.com or by phone at 859/225-0370. For more info, go to http://view.exacttarget.com/?ffcb10-fe8e1273776c057b72-fde617767c6d007476107776-feff16707d6204.
** Sat/Aug 12 - FREE In-Store @ CD Central - Harlan
Our friend John Harlan Norris is brings his band Harlan to our favorite record store for an afternoon in-store performance. The gig goes down Saturday, August 12th at 2pm. It’s a FREE event and all ages are welcome. For more info, give the store a ring at 859/233-3472. For more details about Harlan, check out the preview in the Picks’ section.
** Zine Library
Our friends Shanna Sanders and Patrick Smith have started a zine library that will be housed in UK’s King library starting sometime next semester. The focus of the collection are zines produced in or related to the Southern United States and/or ones with an environmental focus (bikes, global warming, building sustainable communities, vegetarian/veganism, etc). If you have any Southern or environmental zines you'd be willing to donate to the cause, drop Shanna or Patrick a note at shanna.sanders@gmail.com or johnpatricksmith@gmail.com.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: RECIPE :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Fennel and Couscous Salad
Cook 1 cup couscous according to package directions.
Add:
1 black tomato, diced
1 bulb fennel, cut into strips
1/2 small red onion, cut into strips
2-3 tbsp hazelnut oil
1 lemon, juiced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2-1 tsp sambal (chili paste)
1 handful chopped fresh herbs (I used basil, mint, lemon balm, and Italian parsley)
Toss and serve at room temperature!
-VO
:::::::::: THE LEXINGTON CASTLE MEDIEVAL FAMILY FUN THEME PARK ::::::::::::::::
by Jonathan Meador
While driving at great speed down Versailles Road en route to a semi-major drug deal in Beaver Dam, I had an idea that has the potential to make me millions.
Now, we’re all familiar with “The Castle”, that obnoxious stone behemoth that sits like some kind of autocratic monument to Lexington’s inherent elitism. What if, given the recent vigor of developmental arguments, that staid structure was rechristened in a fashion befitting the town’s impending commercialization?
Picture, if you will, The Lexington Castle Medieval Family Fun Theme Park™.
In this glorious vision, the long dirt path leading to the structure will be flanked with acres of paved lots, and after parking and exiting your 18V Ford Exploiter you will be greeted by the distant sounds of digitized lyres, the smell of succulent, roasting mutton.
The colossal gates function as turnstiles/ticket counter, wherein a man, flamboyantly costumed as some kind of drunken braggart (a la Canterbury Tales) demands $379.95 to admit you and your family for a day’s worth of “fun of the most enjoyable kinde”. It is a sum you gladly fork over, as the stench of mutton overpowers your higher reasoning faculties. The braggart affixes a plastic wristband to you, your wife, and your children, after which you are all set loose inside…
...Where the experience is orgasmic:
The outer keep is a spot-on depiction of the Dark Ages, replete with artificial pig shit, roving plague-corpse carts, and cavorting minstrels belting out ye olde versions of current chart-topping pop hits (Justin Timberlake’s “Sexyback” translates very well in this regard, by the way).
Think Bravehart, but with Starbucks.
You barely notice your wife and children disperse into this scene as the PA system’s narrator sounds remarkably similar to one-time Lexington resident William Shatner (because it is), which you stop to take note of:
“…Welcome [pause] friend [pause], to a land of pure enchantment [pause], a place where the hands of time roll back to an era of debauchery [pause], of superstition [pause]… and adventure! [pregnant pause] And don’t forget to try the Bard’s Special, only $4.99 at the Slaughtered Lamb Inn,[pause] right next to the Cobbler’s Market!”
Immediately you encounter a mead-wench named Eliza (who also works part-time at Solid Platinum) who offers you a faux-iron mug of Bud Light. You gulp it down quick, watching Eliza-The-Well-Endowed strut into the bulging crowd of fellow fanny-pack-adorned “time-travelers”.
Where is my beautiful wife? You think, but not for long.
You manage to consume several mead steins before Gilead, the mead wench-magistrate, casts you into a pile of aforementioned fake hog-shit, and you suddenly find yourself inside the inner-keep: A damn-near perfect recreation of the Globe Theater—with the addition of a Dolby 5.1 surround-sound system— where the play is already in progress.
PIMPLE-FACED ROMEO: Where is’t thou, my fair Juliet?
UNCOMFORTABLY-PLUMP JULIET: I am most likely gazing upon my autographed UK Basketball poster, only $17.89 at the Cobbler’s Market!
You leave the riveting production and spy your children along the outer-keep’s southeast rampart, where woman dressed as a witch regales them with a sensationalized synopsis of the Salem trials, which you laugh at as the kids remain quiet, the younger one in tears.
Together you climb the tight, winding staircase and reach the rampart’s summit, where just ten years ago you would have beheld a sight truly akin to medieval times: acres upon acres of rolling green pasture, the horizon filled with grass and clouds.
Now, you point out to your offspring the very Denny’s where you and your wife had your first date; over there, past the Toyota lot, the 36-theatre Cineplex where you and mommy held hands in darkness as a sixty-foot Owen Wilson made mommy shoot Pepsi out of her nose from sheer laughter; and, finally, the Shell gas station where daddy got his first job working the third shift.
“Can we go now?” the youngest one asks.
“Not until we find mommy,” you say, half-drunk and in the mood for mutton.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: THE PICKS :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::: Wednesday, Aug 2 through Wednesday, August 16 :::::::::::
:: Friday, August 4 ::
THE SCOURGE OF THE SEA w/JASON ZAVALA @ The Dame
10pm, ages 21+, $5
As if everyone doesn't know, Scourge of the Sea is comprised of Justin Craig, Andrew English and Robbie Cosenza. With their debut album coming out on Alias Records in July and being smack in the middle of a national tour, the men of Scourge of the Sea are the current kings of Lexington's pop music scene. I've recently seen the trio described as one of "Lexington's best kept secrets"; however, I know few who have ever been tight-lipped concerning their love of SotS.
The band formed in 2004 and every show Scourge of the Sea has performed in Lexington since has been packed with legions of locals. I don't know if it's their modest, but not too precious pop songs, or the fact that they are very cute and charming fellows, but everyone loves to support these guys.
This show is the official release party for SotS's debut album, Make Me Armored, released last week. The album features 10 finely tuned pop songs ranging from the slightly delicate "Waterwings" to some harder fare with "Chocolate Chips". English and Cosenza alternate writing credits and vocals, each singing lead on their own creations. English tends to take his listeners by the hand and sing in their ears while Cosenza seems as content standing in a corner yelling at the top of his lungs. Cosenza's songs are not as intimate as English's but certainly no less heartfelt.
For me, SotS excels most lyrically. The songs are all arranged beautifully with complimenting tambourine hits and intriguing keyboard melodies in addition to the traditional drum, bass and guitars. The music makes me happy but what really catches my ear and warms my heart is when I hear English sing such tender words as "…and I loved your lips on your overbite" or when Cosenza mentions his "waterwings and a cable knit sweater". With such striking imagery and coordinating harmonies, bands like the Fruit Bats may be out of work.
Opening for Scourge of the Sea is Jason Zavala, as he soldiers on representing his band The Elephants all on his own. Time after time, he entertains unsuspecting pop fans with his unique, unabashed vocals and vigorous guitar playing all with a tambourine around his ankle and a courteous nod. He is a musical force in cut-off shorts.
Between Zavala and Scourge of the Sea there will be many delightful sounds surrounding your ears and your heart Friday night. – Samantha Herald
http://thescourgeofthesea.com, http://myspace.com/thescourgeofthesea, http://myspace.com/theelephants
:: Tuesday, August 8 ::
THE MAYBELLINES w/THE JOYBOMB @ The Dame
9pm, ages 21+, $3
The Maybellines = super cheery indie pop from Denver, Colorado. Wonderfully fun and bouncy, smiley music. The Joybomb = a solo performance by Jeremy Midkiff of Big Fresh and The Joybombs. Should be a very happy night at the Dame. FREE sounds and more info at http://themaybellines.com. I like this jam a lot - http://themaybellines.com/sounds/maybellines_battleship.mp3.
:: Wednesday, August 9 ::
BLOODYMINDED w/GRAVEYARDS, LAMBSBREAD, DEMONS, and CAVES
@ The Frowny Bear, 208 Forest Park – 9pm, all ages, $ = be nice, bring a couple dollars for the traveling bands
Lexington's latest refuge for the aesthetically drifted and musically weird--The Frowny Bear--welcomes everyone to check out a great show on August 8, featuring some really amazing groups. Here's the lineup...
Bloodyminded--psychotic reaction power electronics meant to scorch yr meat.
Graveyards--creeped jazz feat. Olson from Wolf Eyes and Burning Star Core's Spencer.
Lambsbread--skronked out jams from this Ohio trio will kill you.
Demons--Nate Young (Wolf Eyes) flying solo.
Caves--Ben Allen's latest descent into fire and ash.
Everything's DIY, All AGES, BYOB, Starting at 9pm and cool.
And for a warm-up to all this hullaballoo, check out the Bear this Saturday, August 5. Join psychsters Red Wizard, doom devils Cadaver in Drag, and Detroit crazies Black Sand Desert and Charlie Drahiem for a night of ultimate rock. Same time, same place, same jazz. [ed. note – be on the lookout for more upcoming gigs at the Bear, including a Sun/Aug 13th gig with Extreme Animals … details are still being sorted out.]
- Ben Allen
[Full Disclosure: Benny lives at The Frowny Bear and he is Caves.]
:: Friday, August 11 ::
ALEUCHATISTAS w/GO! @ Mecca, 451 Chair Avenue
(just off S. Broadway near Bolivar) - 8pm, all ages, $3
GO! = free jazz saxophone and upright bass duo from North Carolina. For more info and sounds, check out http://www.goprov.com.
AHLEUCHATISTAS (pronounced A-LOO-CHA-TEE-STAS) = insanely intricate prog-ish post-punk from Asheville, North Carolina. Heavy, high energy, mind-blowing stuff. Intrigued? Well, you’re in luck – Clay Gaunce will be featuring their newest record “What You Will” in its entirety on his radio show this Saturday night from 6-8pm on WRFL. If you’re level of intrigue is a bit less than that, you can check out some music and even a short video at http://myspace.com/ahleuchatistas. More info and mp3s can be found at http://www.ahleuchatistas.com.
Here’s a fuller accounting of Ahleuchatistas from their label, Cuneiform Records …
File under Rock/Post-Punk
Ahleuchatistas is a guitar/bass/drums trio whose music resides at the meteoric end of the tempo scale. Favoring a clean, stripped-down sound and a delivery devoid of pretension, they play short, compressed and complex, polyrhythmic compositions with unrelenting speed and unrestrained joy. Their music has been compared to controlled chaos and, indeed, the trio creates a premeditated massacre of sound, volcanic in its power. Their work seems to be spiritually overseen by Robert Fripp, Damon Che and John Zorn, and recalls the restless avant-punk zeal of Fugazi and the pulsingly organic hyperactivity of early King Crimson.
"The rebellious spirit of punk, when it's honest, is no different from the radical sentiments that fed creativity in jazz music. I consider artists like Charles Mingus, John Coltrane and others to embody a punk attitude in their approach. Their music is about shaking things up and transcending imposed systems." - Shane Perlowin, Guitar, Ahleuchatistas
[Full Disclosure: I helped organize this show and I’m really excited about it.]
:: Saturday, August 12 ::
HARLAN @ CD Central, 377 S. Limestone – 2pm, all ages, FREE
HARLAN w/ SOFT ENDS AKCRE GROUP @ The Frowny Bear, 208 Forest Park – 8pm, all ages, $donations
I got this nifty press release (below) today and it really sums up what the Harlan experience is all about but I really don't think the reviews therein push the point home enough. "The Still Beat" is one of the freshest (if not THE freshest) pop albums released in the past year. While the record has some eighties synth leanings, it mainly relies on classic power pop cum classic rock energy and timeless wordplay all written by leader John Harlan Norris. Whereas many groups that've sprouted up in the past few years flirt with said genres, it is a steady bet that they don't have the depth nor foresight that Harlan effortlessly display. While Frank Black is playing down the street at The Dame on the same night, the Frowny Bear gig starts early at 8pm with a short set from Soft Ends Akcre Group. The openers are affiliates of Warmer Milks and fall somewhere on the "mellower" side of the Milks ala the Rwanda/Early Castles releases. While S.E.A.G. dabble in space and silence, psychedelia is not really the issue here, it's more about the SONG.
Harlan- R.I.Y.L. Guided By Voices, Bowie, Sufjan Stevens, Saint Etienne, Go-Betweens, Feelies.
Soft Ends Akcre Group- R.I.Y.L. "Corky's Debt" period Mayo Thompson, early Fleetwood Mac, Josephine Foster, Neil Young.
- Brian Henry
FREE sounds at http://www.thestillbeat.com, http://www.myspace.com/stillbeat.
The aforementioned press release …
PRESS:
Selected as ... 1 most intriguing Baton Rouge album of 2005: "Pop Genius....Norris' complex arrangements and melody shifts make this more of an ensemble piece than just one man pouring out his pathos into a jambox. Recommended if you like The Go-Betweens, Wilco, Your own record collection...a lot." - 225 Magazine
"Bowie would be proud. And so would GBV, The Replacements, old school Beck, and The Cure. (The Still Beat) is original, brilliant, fun, and smooth This is perhaps the freshest collection of songs I've heard since 69 Love Songs." - Rockstatic
"creative and unique indie synth rock." -Times of Acadiana
"Harlan seems to cover a mini-spectrum from my travel case, each song finding a referent in my late 80s music explorations ... (including) Charlatans UK, XTC, The Feelies" - Music Spectrum
HARLAN BIO:
Harlan makes broken pop music for a cracked century.
Harlan began when John Harlan Norris left his job at a Sotheby's werehouse in Spanish Harlem, NYC to spend time writing music and painting in a mountain cabin in his native Kentucky. The cardboard box of resulting four-track demos eventually became the Headphone Park EP. Norris then moved to Louisiana to pursue an MFA in painting.
When he wasn't in the painting studio, he was in the recording studio putting together The Still Beat -- an entirely self-produced debut LP filled with lush guitars, keyboards, and Harlan's distinctive voice; a lazy vibrato that delivers razor sharp lyrics that are sometimes heartfelt and sometimes cruel.
:: Saturday, August 12 ::
FRANK BLACK w/JOE MANNING @ The Dame
9pm, ages 21+, $12
I always thought Matt Pinfield looked like Frank Black, which redeemed (for me, at least) the fact that he worked for MTV. I miss 120 Minutes a whole lot *tear*. But VH1 has some pretty sick videos late night. Anyone with cable want to invite me over to watch VH1 with them?
Speaking of "mature music," there's a portly, stalwart, bald gentleman named Frank Black that will be riding his mighty 4AD steed into Lexington on Saturday, August 12th at THE LAME!
Frank Black was in the Pixies, but was known as "Black Frances" in that group. I've heard people like them. Frank Black was also in Frank Black and the Catholics. He was known as " Frank Black" in that group. He's released a number of killer solo albums since then under the name Frank Black. You can call him "Just Frank," but don't do that to his face.
Frank Black is part of the pool of middle-aged-but-still-got-it rock gods from the '80s and early '90s, such as Paul Westerberg, Bob Mould, Robert Pollard and Tonya Donnelly (to name a few), that left their earlier bands behind to pursue more roots-oriented, relaxed music that features that tint of Americana that makes it okay to play around mom. His latest, Fast Man Raider Man, features collaborations with Cheap Trick, The Band, and the mighty honky-tonk hero Marty Brown. Replete with horns, acoustic and classical guitars, and subdued but punchy hooks, Fast Man Raider Man oft reminds me of Beck's Sea Change joint. Despite the toning down Black has done in the past few years, he still rocks the schizophrenic vocals that mades things so intriguing back when you discovered the Pixies and pot in your pre-teen years.
Frank Black is a legend, undoubtedly. And check it, this is his first solo tour since 1995. He still rocks those suspenders, and as you know, suspenders are the new 20 inch rims.
Tickets are only $12 and are available at dameky.com, CD Central, or Charge-a-Tic at 1.800.594.8499. You NEED to get your tickets in advance because this show could sell out before the doors open. It might not, but making the right choices in your life can be fruitful and rewarding and shit.
Doors at 9 p.m. Frank Black around 11:30 p.m. Me drinking around 7 p.m. You drinking when, as a full moral agent capable of executing decisions on your own volition and autonomy, the mood strikes ya.
Matt Pinfield is opening. Not really.
– Michael Powell
[Full Disclosure: Yup, Mikey’s the publicity dude at the Dame, but he ain’t no pawn - he really digs Frank Black.]
:: Tuesday, August 15 ::
OF MONTREAL w/THE MINDERS @ Headliners (Louisville)
doors 8pm, show 9pm, all ages, $12
Of Montreal is a band that has been around for almost a decade now; the band released Cherry Peel in 1997, an album of impossibly honest and straightforward pop songs. Here is the start of Of Montreal and anyone who wants to fully comprehend this band's body of music as a whole should start here as well. I think it is necessary to know these songs in order to fully appreciate what the band has become. The Of Montreal of today is most unlike the Of Montreal of the 90's; their music has changed drastically and intensified a million times over. They have traveled all the way from acoustey indie-pop to their signature brand of electropop dance music.
Over the years Of Montreal's stage show has undergone a transformation as well. Their live shows are as grandiose as their music, with Kevin Barnes often going through as many costume changes as Janet Jackson; in fact, I recently saw some very striking photos of him in a very tacky wedding gown onstage. There are outfits all around and even some coordinated hoots and hollers throughout the set. Regardless of one's feelings toward Of Montreal's music, if you find yourself at one of their shows, rest assured you're going to want to shake it.
Opening up for Of Montreal is the Denver, CO based band The Minders. The Minders are close friends of Robert Schneider and, in fact, Schneider was sort of a founding member of the band. He was there from the get go and has been involved with the band, producing albums/songs, and contributing musically since its creation. The Minders produce exactly the kind of sounds that pop in one's head when they think of the Elephant 6 collective. Googley-woogely pop goodness, with an obvious 60's psychadelia influence. Martyn Leaper, the band's premiere singer songwriter, has a great sense of melody and structure. His songs just flow perfectly, with just the right amount of flare, a mysterious lead guitar tone or a piano integrated at just the perfect moment.
The Minders are touring in support of their new album It's a Bright, Guilty World. This new album finds The Minders at the closest they've ever come to living up to their seminal debut Hooray For Tuesday, the pop album that is so perfect that not even its creator can top it. Reviews of the live shows so far are all extremely exuberant; it seems Leaper has been gracious enough to play some oldies (including "Hooray For Tuesday" and "Now I Can Smile" among others) to his crowds. The old songs as well as the new are all ripe for an exhilarating onstage performance. I don't care what you listen to; nothing is better heard in a dingy club than a good old pop song. - Samantha Herald
:: Also worthwhile in the August 2 – 16 timeframe ::
Every Friday RAKADU GYPSY DANCE @ Nema’s Grille (Frankfort) – meccadance.com
Every Sunday THE BLUEGRASS COLLECTIVE @ The Fishtank, corner of Euclid and Woodland – 9pm, no cover
Fri/Aug 4 JOHN HAMMOND w/WILLIE EAMES@ The Dame – early show, 7pm
Fri & Sat/Aug 4 & 5 BORN CROSS EYED @ The Fishtank – 11pm
Sat/Aug 5 CHRIS KNIGHT @ The Dame
Sun/Aug 6 BRONSON ARROYO @ Southgate House (Newport, KY)
Tues/Aug 8 – Sun/Aug 20 “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” starring David Colbert and Petra DeLuca @ Downtown Arts Center – http://lexarts.tix.com
Wed/Aug 9 TULA w/THE FERVOR @ The Dame
Thurs/Aug 10 CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO @ The Dame – early show, 7pm
Thurs/Aug 10 HORNS OF HAPPINESS @ The Dame – late show, 10pm
Thurs/Aug 10 DON CABALLERO @ Southgate House (Newport, KY)
Fri/Aug 11 LFUCS w/THE OTHER BROTHERS @ The Dame
:: Soon Soon ::
Thurs/Aug 17 BUBBA SPARKS @ Headliners (Louisville)
Fri/Aug 18 THE GREAT WHITE JENKINS w/THE JOYBOMB @ Third Street Stuff Coffee – all ages, FREE
Fri/Aug 18 BRUCE ROBISON w/JOHN MANN @ The Dame – early show, 7pm
Fri/Aug 18 THE PARLOUR BOYS @ The Dame – late show, 10pm
Sat/Aug 19 AUK THEATRE @ Mecca – all ages
Sat/Aug 19 SUNDAY VALLEY w/JOHNNY BERRY & THE OUTLIERS @ The Dame
Sat/Aug 19 FORGET CASSETTES @ Southgate House (Newport, KY)
Sun/Aug 20 THE MINDERS @ The Dame – 7pm, ages 18+
Tues/Aug 22 RC PRO AM w/PLEASURE PRINTS, ULTRA PULVERIZE, RUSUDEN, CARPET OF SEXY, and IT’S A TRAP @ The Dame
Thurs/Aug 24 HIGH WATER MARKS w/DE NOVO DAHL @ The Dame
Thurs/Aug 24 WORLD PARTY @ Southgate House (Newport, KY)
Fri/Aug 25 DJ JON DOE with EDDIE MEEKS and CUNNINLYNGUISTS with CLUB DUB @ The Dame
Sat/Aug 26 THE FEATURES w/HOTPIPES @ The Dame
Sat/Aug 26 SILVER MT. ZION w/THE CHILDREN @ Headliners (Louisville)
Mon/Aug 28 JURASSIC 5 w/X-CLAN @ Bogart’s (Cincinnati)
Wed/Aug 30 BUCKWHEAT ZYDECO @ The Dame
Fri/Sept 1 ISWHAT?! w/RAOUL BELMANS @ The Dame
Wed/Sept 6 BALKAN BEAT BOX @ Southgate House (Newport, KY)
Sat/Sept 9 REVEREND HORTON HEAT w/HORRORPOPS @ The Dame
Tues/Sept 19 BE YOUR OWN PET w/THE BLACK LIPS @ Southgate House (Newport, KY)
Fri/Sept 22 CALEXICO w/OAKLEY HALL @ Headliners (Louisville)
Sat/Sept 23 GLENN KOTCHE/NELS CLINE @ UK’s Singletary Center for the Arts
Tues/Oct 3 BETTYE LAVETTE @ Headliners (Louisville)
Fri/Oct 6 RODNEY CROWELL w/WILL KIMBROUGH @ The Dame
Sat/Oct 14 THE WRENS w/SWEARING AT MOTORISTS @ Southgate House (Newport, KY)
Thurs/Oct 19 ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO @ Southgate House (Newport, KY)
Fri/Oct 20 WOLF EYES w/BURNING STAR CORE and JOHN WIESE @ Southgate House (Newport, KY)
Sat/Oct 21 SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS @ The Dame
Tues/Oct 24 XIU XIU @ Southgate House ballroom (Newport, KY)
Tues/Oct 24 ONE SELF (DJ Vadim w/Yarah Bravo and Blu Rum 13) @ Southgate House parlour (Newport, KY)
:: Pertinent resources ::
__Lexington__
THE DAME, 156 W.Main St, Lexington - http://www.dameky.com
MECCA dance studio/gallery, 451 Chair Avenue, off S.Broadway near Bolivar - http://www.meccadance.com
CHARLES MANSION – http://www.charlesmansion.org
THIRD STREET STUFF COFFEE, corner of Limestone and 3rd Street – ph. 859/255-5301
FIREBIRD STUDIO, 359 W. Short St – http://firebirdlexington.com
HIGH LIFE LOUNGE, University Plaza (corner of Woodland and Euclid) – ph. 859/455-8890
THE FISHTANK, corner of Woodland and Euclid Ave - http://www.thefishtankbar.com
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
SINGLETARY CENTER FOR THE ARTS, corner of Euclid and Rose Sts – http://www.uky.edu/SCFA/
LEXINGTONSHOWS.com (all ages show listings) - http://www.lexingtonshows.com
COUNTER FICTION (metal/punk/hardcore 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://wrfl881.org
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.productionsimple.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.
:::::::::::::: QUESTIONS/COMMENTS/SUBMISSIONS ::::::::::::::::::::::::
email thelexingtonproject@yahoo.com
