Down On The Corner
• Corrections and Clarification Dept. Several folks called to correct Kevin Gibson's misidentification of Vince DeMartino as a trombone player. DeMartino is, of course, a well-known trumpet player.
Wesley Myers also wrote to say the Holt Combo was not Bob Holt and Prime Time, also mentioned in the Roger Dane story. Kevin Gibson earns three lashes with a wet noodle for his errors.
• Our good buddies down at the Kentucky Theatre are constantly overworked, so it's never a surprise to get a press release just in time to make it into print, even if it's in this column rather than the Upcoming Music section. Their new "Kentucky Homefront" radio show series kicks off on February 9, with quite an interesting lineup of performers, including fingerstyle guitarist Steve Hammond; Frankfort singer/songwriter Scott Robinson, who's songs are mini-dramas often as not (listen to "Thieves" for a really chilling tale.); Hoosier Civil War buff Kevin Stonerock, whose influences appear to lie with the Jackson Browne/James Taylor/Dan Fogelberg school of singer/songwriters and the irrepressible and big voiced Heidi Howe, who has been building a solid audience both locally and regionally over the past couple of years. In the "famous people" department, the storyteller of the month will be the Courier-Journal columnist Bob Hill. As always, there will be a jam session after the show.
The Kentucky Theatre is located at 615 S. 4th Street in Theatre Square. Get your tickets at the door.
• The burgeoning metal/hardcore scene has spawned a number of websites of late. The C.O.R.E. Report site is at http://www.iagproductions.com/. This combination website/publication appears to be quite ambitious about connecting to the scene. If "Readers' Polls" are you thing, check theirs out - LMN is even listed in the top three nominees at the moment. Also, there is a links page of note. The Undergroundlou.com site (http://undergroundlou.com) is intended to be an online radio station, playing the hardcore tunes, though a show schedule is not available at the moment. Links and more. Rachel Taylor is running Area502.com (http://www.area502.com/), a music site run by a non-musician, a.k.a, fan. It, too, has many links, band profiles, message board, etc. Look for an article about this scene in an upcoming issue.
• Speaking of heavy websites, the 17th Edition of BallBanger Cyber Interactive Metal/Rock Newswire is now available at http://www.BallBusterHardMusic.net.
• Fans of Poor Girls will be thrilled to learn that the long-defunct act now has tracks on MP3.com, including "I Spent a Night with your Image," "Inspiration Evolves," "Cosmopolitan Hong Kong" and "I Painted Her Torso." They can be found at http://www.mp3.com/poorgirls.
• For the more currently focused fans, the Stumps have the #1 song on the MP3.com Pop & Rock In Louisville charts. Check it out at www.mp3.com/stumps. Way to go, folks!
• Bryan Hurst is leaving his post as LEO's music editor; new job responsibilities are to blame. He will be replaced by Lauren Musco, according to publicist Leslie Stewart.
• Tim O'Brien has been appointed IBMA President , replacing Pete Wernick, who has been in that position for sixteen years. The IBMA Board of Directors also changed in the bylaws to add a three-year maximum term limit to the office, which continues to be a one-year position.
• Geraldine Ann Snyder, Artistic Director of the Blue Apple Players, has had two of the Blue Apple musicals selected for publication by the Dramatic Publishing Company. The chosen plays are Snyder's "Johnny Appleseed" and her whimsical "Red Riding Hood A Roaring Twenties Vaudeville Romp," set in Louisville during the 1920s. Snyder also has had two previous musicals "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" and "Down From the Sky" published by Dramatic.
• Harry Lewman's video, "Twelve-String Guitar as Played By Leadbelly," has been released by Stefan Grossman. It's available on Grossman's site at http://guitarvideos.com/video/809.htm.
• Ron Lewis, president of Mr. Wonderful Productions, announced that his company is launching a jazz-oriented record label, Dynamic Imperials Records. The label will be distributed, marketed and promoted by Victori Promotions and Marketing of Detroit.
• The 14th Annual International Folk Alliance Conference is set for February 21-24 in Jacksonville, Fla. If you're a solo performer playing anything remotely like "folk music," this is the conference for you. Their document for this conference runs to twenty pages, so I won't try to detail the activities; just log on to www.folk.org and look for yourself.
Codas
• Morris I. Bennett, 68, died on January 25 in New Albany, Ind. He was a Country & Western musician and singer.
• Albert Louis William Borne, 82, of Clarksville, Ind., died on January 21 in Louisville. He was a tenor soloist for the Highland Presbyterian Church and performed on the "Songs Of Faith" and Crusade for Children television show.
• Gerald L. "Gerry" Ford, 64, died on January 4 in Louisville. Ford was the owner and operator of both Kitty O'Kirwan's and The Celtic Center and was the founder of the Irish band Drowsy Maggie.
• Albert P. "Bert" Giancola, 83, died in Louisville on January 19. He was a musician and band leader in the Louisville area.
• Bron Allen Jenkins, 37, died on January 12 in Louisville. He taught for over 15 years at Mel Owen Music and played with various bands around town, including the Crusade for Children and, most recently, Blue Swing Shooz at Zena's. He also toured with the Four Kinsmen of Australia.
• Lee Pope Lingham 89, died on January 4 in Louisville. She was a professional musician.
• Lois M. Shwab, 87, died on January 4 in Louisville. She was a concert pianist.