Down On The Corner
• Unhappy news arrivess we go to press: Mary Jean Zena, owner of Zena's Café and a longtime supporter of Louisville music and musicians, died on Christmas Eve. Her passing is a great loss to blues musicians in particular, as she was most faithful about booking them into her club. Our condolences go out to her family.
• On January 29, there will be a benefit for Bob Rosenthal, who has made an amazing comeback from serious cord spinal injury. Like many musicians, Bob had no insurance when his injury happened, though he was eligible for Veterans benefits. Homefront founder John Gage, Tom Sobel of the Comedy Caravan and many other of Bob's friends have put together this benefit. As of press time, a lineup was not available, so check the LMN website for more updates.
• Louisville Local 11-637 of the American Federation of Musicians has returned to regular operation with the election of officers to replace trustee AFM Chris Durham. During the tenure of the trustees sent by the AFM National HQ, the existing debt has been paid off and a surplus has been accumulated. The newly elected president, Jeanette Kays, will have many tasks to deal with but at least she won't have to be concerned that the building the local owns and occupies might get sold, as was suggested at one point.
• Some of you might remember that I had mentioned a possible reunion gig for lovesauce and soulbones in last month's column. Well, the show mentioned there didn't happen, though a surprise gig did go down at Dutch's Tavern. Now, however, we can safely say that on Friday, January 5 at Headliners, there will be an offical reunion show of lovesauce and soulbones with Digby and David Cronin opening. Mark it on your calendar, ye lovers of funk and groove, and, if you can bestir yourself after the New Year's excesses, go dig it.
• All you fans of Mickey and Bill Clark, note that they are now appearing every Friday at Joe's (Older Than Dirt) on Preston Highway. They're playing as the Clark Brothers.
• Write this on your calendar: on Sunday, January 7, from 2 to 6 p.m., we'll be shooting more episodes of the television show "Mid City Mix." Scheduled to perform are our old friends Another Colour and the Troubadours of Divine Bliss, who graced the LMN cover a while back, plus one additional act to be named. This is a FREE event and kids are welcome. The bar will be open and you may come and go (quietly) as you please.
• Our old friend Earl Meyers sent along a note about the regular meetings of the Louisville meetings of the Nashville Songwriters' Association International (NSAI), a songwriter group based in Nashville. The meetings are on the second Monday of each month at the Deer Park Baptist Church, 1733 Bardstown Road, from 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. The next two are on January 8 and February 12. Bring a song on cassette with lyric sheet for evaluation. For more information, call Earl at 452-1996 or Kevin Brodie at 502-267-0725.
• New Opportunities. There is a new open stage operating on Wednesdays. This one, called "Sink or Swim," is held at the newly removed Willow Lake Tavern, on LaGrange Road just outside the Anchorage city limits. "Sink or Swim" is hosted by Ron Colton, with
Corrections and Clarifications
Due to reporter error Jeff Sullivan was identified as Jim Sullivan in the story about First Quality Musical Supplies. We regret the error.
Codas
• Kevin C. Mills, 32, died from injuries sustained in a motorcycle crash in Hollywood, California. He was a bassist and former member of Christian rock bands Newsboys and White Heart. Mills was a native of Louisville.
• Willliam L. "Mitch" Mitchell, 55, died on December 15 in Louisville. He was a retired musician with the Dynamic Invaders Band.