this one
Paul Moffett

Down On The Corner
By Paul Moffett

• Alumni of the Louisville Workshop of the Nashville Songwriter's Association International are invited to a 20-Year Anniversary celebration and songwriting seminar/workshop, featuring Kentucky songwriters James Dean Hicks, Lisa Palas, and Ron Hellard, at the Deer Park Baptist Church, 1733 Bardstown Rd, on October 6 at 1 p.m. The event costs $10 for NSAI members and $15 for non-members.

Bardstown native James Dean Hicks' hits include, among others, "Jesus and Mama," cut by Confederate Railroad, and "It Takes a Little Rain," which was a #1 hit for the Oak Ridge Boys. Cynthiana, Kentucky homegirl Lisa Palas has scored with "There's No Way Home" and "You've Got the Touch," both recorded by Alabama, plus cuts with Reba, Janie Fricke, Conway and Randy Travis. Ron Hellard, from Versailles, wrote "I Tell It Like It Used To Be" for T. Graham Brown and "I'm No Stranger to the Rain" for Keith Whitley, plus others.

For more information, contact Earl Meyers at 502-452-1996 or Kevin Brodie at 502-267-0725 or log onto www.nashvillesongwriters.com

Local 11-637 of the American Federation of Musicians has put up a website. Click to it at www.louisvillemusicians.org. They also have an email address - musunion@bellsouth.net.

Harris Entertainment has a new website as well: at www.harrisentertainment.com.

• That master of revisions and updates, David La Duke, sends notice that the online version of his heavy metal publication has been updated. You can see for yourself at http://www.BallBusterHardMusic.com.

• Louisville metal/hardcore band Flaw has headed out on tour in support of their upcoming Republic/Universal Records CD, Through the Eyes. They'll be joining Mudvayne, American Head Charge, Cold, Dope. Life and Stereomud at various venues on the tour. The CD was produced by David Bottrill, producer for Tool and Peter Gabriel, and is set for an October 30 release.•

News You've Been Panting For Dept. General Motors has announced that they will be offering XM Satellite radios in twenty of their 2003 models. The XM satellites have been launched over the last several months. The service will offer some 71 music channels, a whole thirty of them sans commercials, plus blather channels, for a mere penny less than $10 a month. Currently, the XM option will be available on two Cadillac models in November.

The press release announcing this also contained a Securities and Exchange Commission required disclaimer about actual results differing materially.

• Native American music fans now have a radio show featuring their kind of music. David Two Bears is hosting "Native Spirits" Monday-Thursday, from 9-10 p.m. on WKJK AM 1080.

T Bone Burnett will be the keynote speaker during the IBMA's World of Bluegrass Trade Show. Before you raise that objection, take note the Burnett produced the soundtrack for O Brother, Where Art Thou?, which has once again put bluegrass and Old Time Mountain music back into the forefront of America's musical awareness. `Nuff said?

While we're on the subject of the IBMA, note that country artist Steve Wariner will host the IBMA's awards show on October 4. Wariner is first and foremost a musician and, since bluegrass is generally regarded as musicians' music, he has been working a bit in the bluegrass field, including contributing a version of Bill Monroe's "Heavy Traffic Ahead" to the Ricky Skaggs production Big Mon: The Songs of Bill Monroe.

• The upcoming Louisville Film & Video Festival, set for November 8-11, will offer "The Ralph Stanley Story," a film by Kentucky filmmaker Herb E. Smith.

• As if having the IBMA in town the first week in October weren't enough to keep performers hopping, The Southern Arts Exchange will also be presenting the Performing Arts Booking Conference & Training Institute at the Louisville International Convention Center, October 3-7. For information about that, log onto www.southarts.org.

And while we're speaking of the PABC&T Institute, take note that former Louisvillian Vikki True will be in town during that event. She will be doing several things at the Kentucky Theatre on Theatre Square during that time. Working with John Gage and Jeannette McDermott of the Kentucky Theatre Project and the Berkshire Artists Group, she will present a "True Blues Cabaret" on October 4. Then on the 5th, Vikki will perform what she calls at `autobiographical cabaret,' reminiscing about the women who influenced her growing up in Kentucky. Finally, on October 6, True will present an evening of jazz along with her old jazz cronies from her years in Derby City. She will be doing tunes from her upcoming CD, Broke Down Girl. This last event will be a benefit for the Kentucky Theater Project.

There will be two or three other events related to all this at the theatre as well. Tickets for any event cost $10 and can be purchased at the Kentucky Theatre Box Office or call the Berkshire Artists Group at 888-234-2852 for reservations.

• If you were heading to the CMJ Fest in New York, it has been rescheduled for October 10-13. Log onto www.cmj.com for the latest updates.

• Talent buyers have their own non-profit association, the International Entertainment Buyers Association, and the IEBA now has a new website at www.ieba.org. Just in case you needed to know.

• Jazz fans have another venue in which to hear their fav live music, this one in Portland. The Harriet Tubman Cultural Center, 2910 Northwestern Parkway, has begun to book jazz acts on a limited basis. The Center also has a café called the Java House Café. For more information and, perhaps, a schedule of upcoming events, call 772-2243 or email Javahouse@artlover.com.

• The new Days of the New CD, Red, which is reviewed in this issue, was recorded with assistance from several Louisville Orchestra musicians, including violinist Scott Staidle, who orchestrated the music. One song, "Dancing With the Wind, makes major use of the orchestra; the CD has several other orchestral interludes as well. Staidle was well-suited for the task, as he played electric guitar in heavy metal bands, as well as violin and guitar with various rock, country and blues bands, while studying classical music with an associate concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra.

• Anybody need a rhythm section? Ex-Rhythm Planet members Alex Featherstone, bass and Jeff Williams, drums, are looking for work. You can reach Alex at 540-5922 or alex40204@yahoo.com

• Stuff We Swiped From Leslie Dept.

Louisville's favorite music publicist and part-time WFPK on-air personality (and what a personality!) , Leslie Stewart, keeps us all up-to-date on the comings and goings of her clients, which include ear X-tacy Records. Here are a couple of tidbits from her September newsletter:

First Quality Musical Supplies has presented the Kentucky School for the Blind with its own set of bluegrass instruments. LSB graduate Michael Cleveland, who tours with Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, was on hand for the event.

Ear X-tacy® recording artist Joel Timothy was commissioned to write a songs for Easter Seals. Now completed, "Everyday Heroes" moved the client to tears and is now slated for national use in the Easter Seals' ongoing campaign. You can check out Joel's music at www.focalpointvideo.com

Leslie got to go on her very first rock `n' roll road trip with Cooler last month. She was a bit excited and a little worried about it all (her previous experiences have been jazz-related) but figured that she would travel as a mother figure rather than as a rock `n' roll, ahem, hussy. She said she'd keep them buzzed on sugar cookies. In any case, it was just a quick run up to Indy.

• Shepherdsville-based Dalton advanced to the Regionals in the True Value Country Showdown. Local and state finals were held at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom on September 22 and 23.

Codas

Charles Fredrick "Fred' Ferguson Sr., 67, formerly of Louisville, died in Sacramento on September 9. He was a drummer.