Friday, December 29, 2006

 

TLP December 28, 2006

Happy holidays, folks.

Taking a lil break from the Lex Pro. My apologies to everyone who sent in events for December and especially to Beth Connors Manke whose sharp Christmas commentary went unused. Sorry. Hoping to have a full issue out sometime next week.

An invitation:
'Listing '06' - What did you love in 2006? What were your favorite records, movies, shows, books, art exhibits, people, happenings, etc? Want to share it with the rest of us? I get a kick out of knowing what turned people on over the last year. Helps me work back on some of the things I missed. I think other folks enjoy it to. So, each of you are invited to submit a list of your 10 (ten's a random number - do more or less as you see fit) favorite things from '06 for the next Lex Pro. Make it one thing (cds, books, live shows) or mix and match however you like. Deadline for submission is 10pm, next Tuesday, January 2nd.

And ... one 'Pick' for the week ...

:: Tuesday, January 2nd ::
DRAGONS 1976 @ The Icehouse, 412 Cross Street (just off W.Maxwell)
8pm, all ages, $5

The Outside the Spotlight jazz and improvised music series wastes no time getting things going in '07 hitting us with a gig at the Icehouse the day after New Year's. The reason for the season? Dragons 1976, a trio of familiar faces from the Chicago new/free-jazz scene (well, they should be familiar faces - collectively the players - saxophonist Aram Shelton, bassist Jason Ajemian, and drummer Tim Daisy - have been through town over 20 times in the last four years with groups including the Vandermark 5, Triage, Grey Ghost, and the Rempis Percussion Quartet). Expect noir-ish slink and groove instead of the bombast you might associate with the term 'free jazz'. Sure to be an intimate evening at my favorite venue in town.

Seems the jazz heads have now embraced the possibilities of MySpace. You can find a few new songs and even performance footage on the Dragons page - http://myspace.com/dragons1976
. [Full Disclosure: Yup, I helped organize this one.]

OK, that's it 'til next week. Looking forward to peepin' some lists of '06.

Happy New Year!
Ross

Saturday, December 02, 2006

 

TLP December 2, 2006

A supa-slim edition ‘cause I messed around and didn’t get it out in time to tell you about the Hair Police/Wretched Worst and C-Rayz Walz shows on Thursday or UK’s Open Studio last night. Anyway, I hope a few of you get this in time to discover the Synaesthesia multimedia art event tonight at Mecca. Thanks to The Burch for his help with The Picks. I promise a much fuller Lex Pro next time ‘round. Hope all are well.
Luv, Ross

:::::::::::::::::::::::: Announcements :::::::::::::::::::::::::::

** Thurs-Sat/December 14-16 – Surprise Theatre at Natasha’s Café
Surprise Theatre returns to Natasha’s Café, 112 Esplanade, Thursday-Saturday, December 14-16. Probably the most unique theater happening in Lex. As a recent email from Natasha’s explained, “The plays, the actors, the scenery, are all kept secret from the public. The shows could emerge from any direction when you least expect them, from someone you would never suspect.” Cover is $5. All ages welcome. Reservations recommended. For more information, visit www.beetnik.com or contact Tara Adkins at 259-2754 or email tara@natashascafe.com.


::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: THE PICKS :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::: Friday, December 1 through Thursday, December 14 :::::::::::

:: Saturday, December 2 ::
“Synaesthesia” multimedia art event featuring music by TIGHT LEATHER, CABO LADIES, and more
@ Mecca, 451 Chair Avenue – across from UK’s Reynolds Bldg – doors 7pm, all ages, $7

Our friend Hannah Varga moved back to Lex from NYC only a couple months ago and is already making an impact on the scene. She began teaching modern dance at Mecca in October and now presents a multimedia event involving visual arts, dance, and music. Here’s a brief rundown of the “Synaeshetic” ideal:

“Synaesthetic Arts, located in Tuscaloosa Alabama, is a non-profit, contemporary arts education corporation that encourages artists to create and display new work. Synarts for short, was founded in July 2005 in response to the lack of opportunities for emerging, contemporary artists in Alabama. Synaesthesia is a phenomenon in which one form of sensory perception stimulates experience in another sense. Visual forms can be “heard” or sounds can be “touched”. This is an apt metaphor for our aim towards art that is collaborative, cross-disciplinary, employs new media or multi-media approaches, and is fresh, experimental, avant-guarde, and being made RIGHT NOW. “

So, tonight, you’ll get musical performances by Gughts (from Alabama), Cabo Ladies (which features Lex Pro contributor and RFL music director Chris Bush), We Fight Tigers (Lex), and the new darlings of the scene (and justly so) Tight Leather, and dance from Rhea Speights of Synarts, and the aforementioned Ms. Varga.

Doors open at 7. You’ll have an hour to check the visual arts stuff and settle in before the dance and musical elements get going.


:: Saturday, December 2 ::
“The Last Waltz” hootenanny @ The Dame
9pm (sharp!), ages 21+, $5

In honor of its 30th anniversary,The Band’s “The Last Waltz” concert gets the hoot treatment – tons of peeps taking short stabs at part of it. The lineup looks pert-near ideal for the material – Ray Smith’s Tula project as the primary/backing band, local and regional artists/authors/etc including Ed McClanahan, Silas House, Otto Helmuth, Mike Tevis, Carla Glover, Chris Sullivan and others playing the roles of the Band’s many guests. The door cash goes to benefit our friends working hard for economic, social, and environmental justice, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth.


:: Friday, December 8 ::
Outside the Spotlight 4th Anniversary Party/Show w/DAY DREAMS @ Mecca, 451 Chair Avenue
two sets starting at 8pm, all ages, $5 – sponsored by WRFL and Action Arts

The Outside the Spotlight jazz and improvised music series celebrates its 4th anniversary with Day Dreams, a bit of a Chicago/New York/Sao Paolo jazz supergroup which features percussionist Chad Taylor and trumpeter Rob Mazurek of the Chicago Underground Duo/Trio/whatever, bassist Jason Ajemian of Triage, Dragons 1976, and Born Heller, and influential NYC saxophonist Tony Malaby. How the pieces of the group will fit together is still a mystery – no recordings, live or otherwise, so far – but each of the four are skilled improvisers who seem to function on an other-worldly level of ‘tween musician communication, so expect it to be hot. In summary – fiery jazz, hot coffee, fine (boxed) wine, and CAKE! [Full Disclosure: I helped organize this show.]


:: Saturday, December 9 ::
THE HOLD STEADY @ Headliners (Louisville)
9pm, ages 18+, $
(Note: The Hold Steady is also playing at The Southgate House in Newport, KY on Friday, December 8.)

Who's ready to rock again? Well fuck shit damn bitches, the rock'n'roll era is re-upon us, as The Hold Steady plays Louisville Dec. 9. No need to score some weed, cold cans of beer is all you'll need. Main man Craig Finn recalls that cool uncle who was way into Tom Petty, the same way your older sister (ed. note: possibly your cool auntie) dug The Replacements and Husker Du. Finn brings the rock, the dirty laundry---sleepy short hair, thick glasses, too small wrinkled oxford cloth, hangover bristley stubble. The Hold Steady are touring behind their second record, "Boys and Girls in America", where power cords and muscled chops lift Finn's brilliantly tongue-in-cheek, coming of age lyrics over our heads as we pogo and spill beer on the dude next to us. This shit is blue collar rock in a white collar indie world. Fuckin' IPods? These guys only got as far as mix tapes. Throw up a devil-horned hand for side one, track one, bitches, right where The Hold Steady belong. Don't bother tappin' on the top of that beer before you open it. We'll all be too sweaty to care if it explodes. – Will Burchard


:: Wednesday, December 13 ::
MUTATION COLLAPSE w/IRENE MOON and more tba @ The Icehouse, 412 Cross St
9pm, all ages, “please bring a few bucks for the touring artists”

Don’t have all the details for this one. Here’s what scoop I have (via an email from Robert Beatty) … Mutation Collapse = Science Fiction play from members of Kites, Heart2Heart, and Byron House. And, the show will also feature videos by Irene Moon, Sara O'keefe, and more. I’ll update the info on the blog as I hear more.


:: Also worthwhile in the November 29 – December 14 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
Wed/Nov 29 THE JIMMY CARTER EXPERIENCE cd release party @ The Dame
Thurs/Nov 30 C-RAYZ WALZ w/MUDKIDS, and MYKRAPHONE MIKE @ The Dame
Fri/Dec 1 HACKENSAW BOYS w/PACKWAY HANDLE @ The Dame
Fri/Dec 8 THE KARL DENSON TRIO @ The Dame
Fri/Dec 8 THE HOLD STEADY @ Southgate House (Newport, KY) – ages 18+
Sat/Dec 9 UNKNOWN HINSON w/TAILDRAGGER @ The Dame
Sun/Dec 10 SOMEONE STILL LOVES YOU BORIS YELTSIN w/THE CHANGES @ The Dame – ages 18+
Mon/Dec 11 INDIAN JEWELRY w/PSYCHIC ILLS @ Southgate House (Newport, KY) – ages 18+

:: Soon Soon ::
Fri/Dec 15 OVER THE RHINE @ The Dame
Sat/Dec 16 THE PARLOUR BOYS w/FANGED ROBOT @ The Dame
Sat/Dec 23 NINE POUND HAMMER @ The Dame
Fri & Sat/Dec 29 & 30 CHRIS KNIGHT @ The Dame

:: Pertinent Resources ::

__Lexington__
THE DAME, 156 W.Main St, Lexington - http://www.dameky.com
THE ICEHOUSE, 412 Cross St (off W.Maxwell), Lexington
MECCA dance studio/gallery, 451 Chair Avenue, off S.Broadway near Bolivar - http://www.meccadance.com
CHARLES MANSION (a venue no longer, but the website’s a good spot to find out about shows) – http://www.charlesmansion.org
FROWNY BEAR, 208 Forest Park
THIRD STREET STUFF COFFEE, corner of Limestone and 3rd Street – ph. 859/255-5301
FIREBIRD STUDIO, 359 W. Short St – http://firebirdlexington.com
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
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 POUR HAUS, 1481 S. Shelby Street (corner of Shelby and Burnett), Louisville
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

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