Down On The Corner
Dallas Embry came up and told me this little tale the other day: it seems that an unnamed bass player for an unnamed local band complained to him that that "fifty or sixty year old guy" in the Louisville Music News "has a prejudice" against rock music. Dallas queried him about who the "old guy" was and the player showed him a cartoon in the LMN - the one attached to this column, as a matter of fact.
Erk.
Upon recovering from the shock, I managed to get Dallas' giggles under control by reminding him that everybody thinks he's my older brother. Then we jawed about "young folks" and other old man kind of things before wandering off to listen to the band playing rock music in the other room.
Just to set matters straight, I'm a mere 44, which, I understand, is the same as fifty or sixty when viewed from the vantage point of 22 or 23 or whatever, but from my viewpoint, it ain't. No matter.
Regarding my supposed "prejudice' against rock, however, I must demure. Having cut my musical teeth on such at-that-time local performers as John Fred and the Playboys and Mouse and the Traps, who considered themselves rock 'n' rollers, and later the Animals, the Stones, and, of course, the Beatles, not to mention Chuck B. and Doug Sahm, I will fervently deny that I am prejudiced against rock. In the same breath, I will also tell you that I don't listen to much, if any, metal, as my ears have gotten more sensitive of late. The field of rock covers a lot of musical ground these days.
Truth is, I suspect the fellow was really complaining that the Louisville Music News doesn't cover as much rock as he would like and with that complaint I must concur. We don't write a lot about rock and for good reason – we lack writers who are knowledgeable about the current state of the music and who can write coherently. While I realize that the latter criterion might unduly restrict the available pool of writing talent, I have to stand by it, as the LMN is built on (at least) competent and coherent writing.
I also will say that I have made a point of asking several folks I know who claim to be knowledgeable about current rock to send me something and to this point, I have come up pretty much a blank, exepet for some contributions from Jim Powell. I keep asking and looking in my mailbox.
• The band Insufficient Funds sent some p.r. material which included a note that there is a new music magazine in town, called Stages Of Louisville. A gent named Calvin Hudson is the editor. I'm lookin'...
• Local international star Joe Wise (think I'm kiddin'?) and fabulous pianist Phillip Burkhead are doing a reading/performance in the MEX at the Kentucky Center for the Arts on Saturday November 25 and Sunday the 26th, with John Pell on classical guitar. Joe says its tender and funny and likely to be somewhat idiosyncratic. Tickets are $8.50 and on sale at the KCA and Four Seasons Records.
• Got a postcard from Quenton Sharpenstein, who is currently in Europe. The card, from Warsaw, has Polish captions, so I don't know what the picture is of, but Quention says that there is quite music scene in Warsaw, heavily influenced by American top 40 and rock. I think that's what the East calls "American cultural imperialism."
• Dan Gediman of Something Big sent me a copy of the band's first Comette, a combo two-tune cassette and sixteen-page small format comic book, by Pat Keeley. The comic is kinda . . . curious but I liked it. (Check out the panel reprinted elsewhere) The tape has two tunes, "Right Thing" and "Turn Away", which were recorded at Jeff Carpenter's Real-To-Reel Studio. The J-card has a wonderful photo of a baby boy, um, anointing himself. Look for it at the usual non-chain record stores. Gediman says that Comette #2 is due out October 21 and No. #3 is scheduled for November 18.
• Dave Snowden, President of Triangle Talent, has announced the opening of a new office in Reno, Nevada. Tommy Amato, an associate of Wayne Newton, will manage the office, with assistance from Simon Farrell, who moved out to Reno to aid in the setting up. The branch will focus primarily on Nevada dates but will also move into West Coast fairs, festivals, and conventions.
• Hopscotch Army's tune, "Pray for Tomorrow," has been picked to be included on the CMJ New Music Report compilation CD, Certain Damage Volume 23. They are also scheduled to play at the Limelight in NRC.
• Rumors (more or less) are circulating that Mighty Water Kings members Jeff McAllister and Jay Comstock, drums and bass respectively, are leaving to go with Lonnie Mack. Appears to have leave a smigden of hole in the Kings' rhythm section.
• Mark Smalley, owner of Uncle Pleasant's, has a new baby – Katy Smalley, born Monday, October 23 at 6:31 pm, and weighing in at 7 lbs, 11oz. Mom and daughter are doing well. We'll all expect cigars at the gbar. guy...
• New Places To Go Department - Londa Crenshaw has worked up a pretty good gig at Hudson's, the new restaurant and bar at 707 Lyndon Lane. Londa's there on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays at 7:30. Kim Barron plays piano on Friday and Saturdays and now and then Hugh Hill and Wally Hill play country stuff on Thursdays.
• Haven't been to Othello's on Broadway yet, but I hear lots of good things. Othello's replaced On Broadway and seems to be the spot where jazz is available a lot.
• John Richards and Larry Hamilton of Starwave Productions are opening a new place on Main street, called Stages. It's in the same room where Angel's used to be, next door to the old City Lights, which Richards also owns.
The new club, to be managed by Karen Shane, formerly with the Phoenix Hill Tavern, will feature a house band. The band, called '...Of Age,' will play top 40 and college rock and has Patty Hagewood on vocals, Jeff McIntosh on drums, Richards on guitar, Kelly Mettling on guitar, and two keyboardists, Rich Burchard and Jeff Poteet. The realllly interesting wrinkle is the stages from whence comes the name. The band members will be one to a stage, each stage at a different spot in the room, so that the audience surrounds the band. The monitor system will be very sophisticated.
Richards has some pretty ambitious plans involving development of the block on Main where Stages is located. He points out that there will soon be a large increase in the number of office workers within a couple of blocks. Combining that with the already large number of workers at the Presbyterian headquarters plus traffic from conventions, he predicts that the Main street nightclub scene will rise once again and he plans to be there with the best clubs presenting a wide variety of music including top 40, New Age, bluegrass and upscale country.
• The Rogers family, owners of several local taverns, are opening "Jim Porter's Good Time Emporium," on Lexington Road. The building formerly housed "Jim Porter's Tavern," which was recently closed. Ben Rogers, who owns and operates the Phoenix Hill Tavern, will manage day-to-day operations. Plans are to have five separate entertainment areas in the new club. Scheduled opening is early 1990.
• Barry Jones has converted the old Hilltop tavern at the corner of Pope Street and Frankfort Avenue into Barry's There will be live music and food prepared by Paula White, who formerly owned the now-defunct Fat Cats Deli and Pub.