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The All-Ages Beat

By Duncan Barlow

Derby is approaching. And what does that mean for the local all-ages scene? Well, actually, nothing — I just put that at the beginning because the word seems to draw people's attention.

March and April were active months for the all-ages scene. The Cherokee allowed a steady onslaught of Sunday matinees, and bands reacted positively. I have only one reservation about it, and that is that most people do not want to go to a show on a Sunday afternoon. I think I speak for most of the all-ages scene when I say that evening and night shows seem to have a stronger energy, not to mention that all of the shows would be larger in size. It is strange, now that all of Louisville's supergroups have fragmented into smaller bands, the clubs are not so eager to support the all-ages scene.

I suppose it is nice that Louisville has always had at least one place that is willing to have all-ages shows. I hear that Cliffhangers has recently be rented, and that there might be a possibility of shows going on there. In fact, Kiwi, Church of Astronauts, Enkindel, and Avail will all be playing there on May 11, the same night as University of Louisville's graduation (which probably won't hurt the turnout too much). Hopefully the shows at Cliffhangers will be during the evening. The cost of the Avail show is $6, which is a decent price for four good groups.

Speaking of Enkindel, they just had an album release party on March 29 at ear X-tacy on Bardstown Road. The party went well; Enkindel was in tip top emo rocking form. They played most of the new songs off of the new record, Some Assembly Required. The record was released by Initial Records (Guilt, Falling Forward) and is the first full-length the label has ever done. I believe that the Enkindel record is a good release. With songs like "Sunday" and "Brandon," Enkindel proves that it is no longer some small-town group that spends its time lurking in the shadows of giants. Enkindel is ready to start taking a stab at the national market, and this record is a step in the right direction.

Guilt played its first local show with new addition Matt Piece. The show was at the Cherokee on April 14, with Kerosene 454 and Back of Dave. The show ran smoothly and all of the bands had a nice time playing. It was good to be at a show with so many people on a Sunday afternoon.

Madison played a small party show on April 13 with Kiwi. Kiwi opened the show with a rather tight pop punk set. Don't worry, you will hear more from them. They are a welcomed facet to the scene.

Madison opened with a rock intro, but I think the smoke machine got away from them because I had to exit the building for a while due to breathing complications. They had a rather tough time with technical difficulties, but I understand that situation. Madison is a group of hard-working guys and I hope things go well for them.

There will be an all-ages rave Saturday, May 25, at the Newman VFW hall; the tickets are $8 advance and $11 at the door. One may obtain the tickets at ear X-tacy.

Metroschifter and Wino are playing a show at the Cherokee on April 28 at 4 p.m.; it costs $5.

Guilt and Enkindel are touring with Flordia's Bloodlet this summer; the tour kicks off in St. Louis on May 28.

The Church of Astronauts just released a seven-inch on their own label. It sounds really great. If you are into crust type groups like Born Against and Rorschach, with a little Void tossed in . . . you'll love the Church of Astronauts.

Well, that is all for now. If you have anything you need reviewed or if you have news that needs to be talked about, please send it. Thanks for reading.