this one
Paul Moffett

Down On The Corner
By Paul Moffett

Mrs. Frazier fans will be interested to know that Brent Starkey has assembled a new band, with the wonderful name of Cherub Scourge. In the group with Starkey are Rankin Mapother, formerly with Something Big and Core of Resistance, on bass; Big Jazz guitarist Dave Hughes, and Glenn Smith on drums.

The group has already cut a demo over at Real to Reel and are shopping it to various indie labels.

Chaz Rough of Speaking in Tongues is back in the studio with Todd Smith. Rough is planning to have an EP out in late summer. Speaking in Tongues is getting a serious look from a major label in New York and inquiries from certain Nashville management groups. Rough is also looking for new musicians, as the other players on his first project are both devoting time to solo projects. Check the Classifieds.

• Congratulations & Best Wishes to Bob "Bunny Foo-Foo" Rosenthal and Dr. Nanine Henderson on their recent wedding. The couple were married on Saturday, June 6 in Floyds Knobs.

• The Kyana Blues Society is sponsoring a blues concert and new-releases line. The number is 585-1212. Follow the prompts.

• Condolences to Greg Walker of Walker & Kays on the passing of his mother last month.

Club News. Talleywackers, on Frankfort Avenue, has been sold. The new owners are not planning to have live music. Phooey.

• PR's Main Place is open for lunch and dinner. In addition, Herman Anderson and the Derby City Blues Review has been playing there, although I didn't get the exact schedule. PR's is on the north side of Main, between 1st and 2nd Steets.

• Gator's, which is occupying the site formerly housing Barry's, at 1800 Frankfort at Pope Street, is undergoing quite a makeover. Your intrepid reporter stopped in a couple of days back and I am happy to report that ceiling fans are in place, as well as a smoke eater, and there is new paint all around. The wall dividing the two rooms has been partly removed, so that the overall look is more spacious. The schedule calls for a Grand Opening sometime in July. Stay tuned.

• In case you've been waiting with bated breath, here are the finalists in the Captain Morgan Indiana Music Awards: The rock finalists are The Chosen Few, Bloomington; Groove, Lafayette; Mama Sez, Indianapolis; Neurotic Box, Fort Wayne; Tornado Stu, South Bend; Young Blood, Terre Haute. The country finalists are The Cactus River Band, Lafayette; Dakota, Terre Haute; Dixie Flyers, Indianapolis; Racket Club, Fort Wayne; Rebel Pride, South Bend; Shirley Craig & Country Thunder, Bloomington.

Finals will be held at the Deer Creek Music Center. Contact Beth Bueltmann at 317-841-8900 for more information.

Sandy Kinder called to say that she's going to close the Harp and Shamrock in St. Matthews. Sandy and her husband Paul are big supporters of the Louisville Dulcimer Society. Sandy says the store just got to be too much work.

Turley Richards has wrapped up his gig at J. Graham's Cafe in the Brown. No word yet on his next stop.

You Read It Here First Dept. A California (where else?) company has introduced a guitar with LEDs on the fretboard that light up to show you where to put your fingers for over 2,500 chord, scale and note selections.

After you get over your initial sense of outrage and unfairness (You had to learn by looking at chord charts, didn't you? Yeah), why, it's a grand idea! I betcha it makes learning the guitar a lot easier.

• Here's a curious tidbit I picked up from the Washington (D.C.) Songwriters newsletter. A Brunswick, Maryland, radio station, WRTI-1520 AM. is on the air playing ONLY "local musicians," with a couple of locally produced shows as the only exceptions. I didn't realize that AM radio stations had gotten that cheap to buy.

The River Cities Concert Band will begin rehearsals for next year in August. If you're interested in playing, call Mr. Eugene Davis at 283-4730. Percussion, brass and woodwind players are always welcome.

• And finally, a great big "Ya say it's yer birthday, it's my birthday, too, yeah" to Paul McCartney on his 50th. Urk.

Everybody Knows But Me Dept. Tim Haertel of Falk Recording called the other day and happened to mention that Ben Jones of Better Days Records on Bardstown road has a record label, Better Days Records. Thinking that this was interesting news, I called Ben, who siad that he did indeed have a record label and has had one for two years!

Ah, well, your on-top-of-it reporter queried him anyway and found that he has released a number of recordings, ranging from r&b/soul to gospel to local hard-core punk, somewhat similar to the efforts of Mike Bacayu. His first gospel album was for Cable Mass Workshop Choir. Their second LP is due out in August. He also has recorded albums for Bush League, Indignant Few, Dead Boat; Son of Dog and No Comply.

I'll try to stay a little more in touch about this in the future.