Down On The Corner
• The noise problem inherent in having a number of bars and nightclubs in a very small area has erupted in a big way in the Highlands, with Kentucky Theatre's Jeanette McDonald front and center in the group of neighbors trying to quiet the 4 a.m. rowdies. McDonald and significant other (and musician) John Gage, lives barely a block from the Highland Avenue/Baxter Avenue intersection.
While the various functionaries of the Metro/City of Louisville government have long held up Austin, Texas, as the model to emulate vis-à-vis the live music scene, they are learning that it comes with a stiff political price, in particular because the area around the Highlands bar scene is not populated by twenty-something students but by ordinary folks of all ages with real jobs, homes, children and a steady desire for quiet at night. The neighbors are threatening to force a wet-dry vote in the affected precincts, much to the dismay of the club and restaurant owners, many of whom have been operating their businesses for many years prior to the current brouhaha. Metro Council member Tom Owen has stepped in and recently led a group of owners and neighbors in a walk around the area after midnight, which has resulted in promises from the owners to expand foot security and from the police to increase their late-night patrols to break up the post-4 a.m. spontaneous `tailgating' parties which seem to sprout in area parking lots after the clubs close.
Let's hope that the situation can be contained to the satisfaction of all, lest the city decide that the only place folks will be allowed to have live entertainment is in the 4th Street Live! Complex and elsewhere downtown. Urk.
• From the Kentucky Center, we learn that the Lonesome Pine Specials will continue next season, though at a much reduced pace, offering only two shows exclusively billed as Lonesome Pine Specials and co-billing two other show under the Midnite Ramble Series title.
The Center also announced that the New Directions in Dance series would not be continued in the 2004/2005 season due to insufficient sponsorship funds necessary to cover the $100,000 cost of the series.
• Louisville power-pop quintet Digby's second CD, Falling Up, has a big advantage over the first one: national distribution by the Madacy Label Group. Coming just in time for AAA Radio's NON-COMMvention in Louisville, the project stands a fair chance of giving Digby a major shove up the ladder. With a series of performances scheduled at various conferences and summits around the country over the summer, it appears that the group is finally making a move toward national recognition.
The Motet Singers of Louisville have announced their 50th Anniversary union, scheduled for the weekend of June 11-13, 2004. Things will kick off on Friday, June 11 at St. Paul United Methodist Church. Additionally, there will be a recording of "50 Years Of The Motet Singers," which will be released as their ninth CD. For more information, logon to their site at www.motetsingers.org or call 502-228-3517.
• The Louisville Youth Orchestra is sponsoring their SuperSummerStrings orchestra camp on July 12-16. The camp is for young string players with two to three years of training and will culminate in a concert on July 16 at South Oldham Middle School. For additional information, contact Melody Welsh-Buchholz at 502-584-0135 or log onto www.lyo.org.
Louisville Youth Orchestra will hold auditions for musicians through age 21 for the 2004-2005 season on August 28-29 and September 11-13, 2004. The LYO will offer six different ensembles of orchestral instruction ranging from beginner to pre-professional.
For more information, contact Melody Welsh-Buchholz at 502-584-0135 or log onto www.lyo.org.
• The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary's Seminary Academy of Music has announced that they are now providing instruction to students of all ages and skill levels, including private lessons in various orchestra instruments and music fundamentals. For more information, call 502-897-4115 or go to their website at www.sbts.edu/schools/music/acad/.
• At Mom's Music Rock School, they recently had a giveaway to promote the premier of the movie School of Rock, starring Jack Black. The winner of the Gibson SB guitar, autographed by Black, was Paul Gibson, presumably no relation. He also won a Rock School session.
• The Songwriters' Association of Washington has announced its 21st Mid-Atlantic Annual Song Contest. The contest features ten contest categories, including pop/r&b/blues; hip hop/dance/urban; children's; folk; country; gospel/contemporary Christian/inspirational; adult contemporary; rock/alternative; genre music and an open category for novelty, humor, seasonal, theatre and all other categories not mentioned above. Prizes range from $1,000 in cash to gift certificates. For more information, rules and regulations, log onto www.saw.org or call 301-654-8434. The contest deadline is August 12, 2004.
• From publicist and radio personality Leslie Stewart, we learn that Charles Spivey, former manager for danny flanigan and the rain chorus . has opened his own artist development agency, The Bourbon Cowboy, which will provide artist management and development services for musicians in the Triple-A genre. Thanks to Spivey's efforts, the rain chorus was able to get a foothold in the very competitive Nashville market. Current artists include the Middle Men and John Mann of Hell's 1/2 Acre, Pleasureville and the Tim Krekel Band.
Codas
• Joyce M. Considine, 82, died in Louisville on May 8. She was a professional upper club singer, appearing with such stars as Tony Bennett.
• James Grover Carter, Jr., 77, of Louisville, died in New Albany, IN. on May 1. He was a former guitar instructor.
• William Thomas Linde, 75, formerly of Louisville, died in Leesburg, Florida on May 2, 2004. He was a Country & Western and gospel musician.