Down On The Corner
• The Louisville Area Songwriters' Co-operative has scheduled its songwriting contest and annual seminar for 1991.
The contest, which will be open during the month of August, has substantial prizes, including a Grand Prize of $1,000. Check the LASC pages (6&7) for more details.
The Seminar is scheduled for November 8 & 9 at the Holiday Inn South on Fern Valley Road. A number of music business professionals have already been confirmed and it looks like it'll be a good 'un.
• Speaking of the Seminar, when we contacted Tom Casey of SESAC (the smallest of the three performing rights organizations), he said that he would be glad to come up, in part because at last year's seminar, SESAC had "picked up a couple of good writers." Of course, we had to ask who. Casey said that Ross McCort and Eric Johnson, two writers from Atlanta had been signed. McCort and Johnson also picked up First Prize in the Jazz category and Third Place overall with "Dellinger Park." A profitable trip for those guys.
• Marvin Maxwell of Mom's Musician's General Store and Recording Studio is taking another shot at getting some airplay for local product. This time, he is going to buy an hour of time on WQMF and air cuts from various groups which have recorded at Mom's studio.
The show, tentatively entitled "What's Cookin' at Mom's," will feature cuts from the Shufflin' Granddads, Spanky Lee, Steve Ferguson and Lonnie Mack, plus others.
Yamaha Corporation is helping with the funding of the show.
• There's yet another new theater group in town. "The Not Ready for Shakespeare Players" will be producing the musical "Snoopy!!!" at the Fern Creek Community Center and St. Francis of Rome at various times during the month of June. For more information,. call Lynn Humphrey at 569-360• or write the troupe at 2508 Hawthorne Ave, Louisville, KY 40205.
• Domani has been cutting tracks for an album out in LA for a while. During a break, Sam Anderson slipped back into town and reported that the group will be going on tour before long, opening for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The group has a two-record deal with MCA.
• The Danville Brass Band Festival got a nice piece of coverage on National Public Radio this month. Always to see the word spread about the music scene in Kentucky.
• Over at the Phoenix Hill Tavern Louisville s best musicians (as voted on by a non-random group of fans) will be performing as — tah-dah! — The All Star Band on the 4th of July. This year's winners are: Rae Smith, Female Vocalist; Jimi Vallandingham, Male Vocalist; Kevin Baxter, Lead Guitar; John Byrne, Rhythm Guitar; Andy Bowers, Bass; Jerry Roubieu, Keyboards; Dave Hobach, Drums; Chris Wunderlich, Saxophone; and Jim Rosen, Harmonica.
The All Stars will perform after Spanky Lee, Hopscotch Army and Mere Mortals have played on the outdoor stage, starting at 1 p.m.
• Blues mogul Scott Mullins called the other day to report that a number of cuts from the Louisville Blues Compilation Album (which Mullins produced) are getting airplay in several cities around the country and some of them are doing very well in the local charts of those cities. Details will follow when Scott sends me more info. (He's a newlywed, you know and a tad busy). In any case, kudos to Scott for promoting the local product and let's hope everybody got their applications into the performing rights organization of their choice so they can (maybe) cash a royalty check or two.
You didn't? Call the president of the Louisville Area Songwriters' Cooperative (that's me) for information. And hurry.
• Speaking of local blues, da Mudcats bassist Larry Holt will be going under the knife next month for some back surgery. Watch the C-J for a date for a benefit, possibly at the Cherokee Blues Club, possibly July 9. Mudcats vocalist Sue O'Neil said the group is getting increasingly busy and finding a replacement bassist is high on her "To-do" list, needless to say.
• In case you were wondering what happened to former Entertainer editor Brenda Woods, she is the managing partner of a new division of Triangle Talent, Concepts Media & Marketing. The new division will be focused on marketing of bands, including bio kits, promotional and press material.
Also new at Triangle is John Zangari, agent in the Single-Night Division. Some of you will know John from Preston Music Center.
• DotC is not in the habit of plugging commercial thingies, but this little tidbit seems worth it: Triangle Talent is looking for acts interested in a 3-6-week vacation at the hottest dance club on Grand Cayman Island in the British West Indies. Call Lynn Prather at (502) 267-5466 and be sure to say you saw it in the Louisville Music News. Thank you and you're welcome.
• No doubt you saw the tidbit in Jeffrey Lee Puckett's recent Scene column about the Stage Deli's move to mo' better blues. Talk to Curtis Marlatt about it. The Stage Deli is in the space formerly occupied by Othello's. For all the lamentations about how there ain't no clubs downtown, there sure is a hunch of stuff happening there. to wit: Hurricane O'Malley's, Stage Deli, the Connection, Zena's, Luckett's Downstairs at Actors plus four or five hotel lounges and some others I forget right this minute, including the upcoming club at the site that was formerly Hugs on Theatre Square.
• Fans of Nashville-syle and Nashville- content Open Stages have a treat in store. The energetic. Karen Le Van, who is the guest host on the Monday Night Open Stage at the Rudyard Kipling on July l, has arranged for a crew of Nashville performers to come up and play. Scheduled as of press time are: Walt Aldridge, a writer currently working in Muscle Shoals; Mark Irwin, who wrote "Here in the Real Wor1d"; Sally Mudd; Tim Probst; Kyle Rullmann; Laren Huntley; Bruce Frye; and E. G. Stiel. Needless to say, there won't be the usual Open Stage signup that night.
• Here's a downtown rumor: the Islands is moving and another floating entertainment center will move right in, complete with a sandpit for volleyball. Remember, I said a rumor. Tain't fact yet, as far as I know.