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The All-Ages Beat

By Duncan Barlow

Once again the Louisville all-ages scene has tightened up and begun to shine. It appeared for the last couple of years as if the uniqueness and importance of the scene had vanished. This month alone I have witnessed the unity and support that it appeared the scene had lacked for so long.

For example, on Sunday, Jan. 14, at the Toy Tiger, Kinghorse headlined a show that included Wino and the Rainbow Girls. This show hosted over six hundred fans, a crowd size that no show has seen in months. The Rainbow Girls, a band dedicated to letting the "freaks" have their time in the spotlight, opened. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the band, the singer is in a wheelchair, the guitarist is short enough to have trouble riding many of the rides at King's Island, the female guitarist barely plays a chord, the bassist claims that he is not right in the head, and they all say the drummer is "normal."

l never really thought of the people as freaks, but apparently the number who did inspired them to form the Rainbow Girls. As for the music, well, it is a little rough right now. I think the band was nervous at this show, because they were spending more time trying to keep their hair and sunglasses out of their face than actually playing. But I will definitely be checking out more shows by the Rainbow Girls.

The second band of the night was Wino, and they played about their usual set time. I watched only about half their set, simply because my head was killing me. The crowd seemed mildly enthused about Wino — I really think they have more over-age appeal —but I admire that they still play for all ages.

Kinghorse came on with two old songs. It had been half a year since this band had played for all ages, so they were pretty worked up. They traded their patented Kinghorse tightness for energy, which proved to work very well with the crowd. Kinghorse has taken a stance on, scene support these~days; shouldn't we all?

On Saturday, the 13th, Madison and Castner played at Ground Zero. Madison opened with a very nice set. This band needs a bit of time to really pull itself together, but I think within a year it should have quite a draw. Their music was very melodic yet oddly heavy, and the vocals fluctuated in the same pattern.

Castner played last. I have never seen a band get so good so quickly; they will probably dominate the Louisville all-ages scene in a couple of months. lf you enjoy hardcore, see Castner!

On Friday, Jan. 12, shortly before"Ozzy played in Lexington, By the Grace of God played at The Flashback. Their set was a bit awkward because of technical problems, but it seemed to be fun; It was By the Grace of God's first official show, so the crowd response was not frantic, but rather observant. Damnation canceled, but Lifetime played a short set. To surprise the crowd, Enkindel played without guitarist Billy Halter.

Guilt made a surprise appearance with Korn at the Thunderdome on Saturday, the 13th. The crowd seemed to enjoy Guilt, yet seemed to love Korn (a band I had never heard of). To dispel any rumors: Guilt has not broken up.

The Month of Sundays has just released an LP on Shakin Sheila Records. This album does not remind me of Sebadoh as much as expected. lt is very creative in that it takes after James Taylor one minute and The River Bottom Nightmare Band the next.

As one might see, there has been a total revival in the Louisville scene. I hope to see good things. Expect a four-band Louisville compilation on Whitehouse Records in March.

The Louisville scene will mourn the loss of Richard Terry. most known for his dedication to vegan straight edge, who was murdered by a drunk driver. (l think we will all miss you!)