Down On The Corner
• 4th Street Live! seems to be successful, at least to the point of persuading the Cornish Company to expand into more possible entertainment in the old Penney's Building on Fourth St. The Courier-Journal has the details at http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051026/NEWS01/510260462
The success of 4th St. Live! has to be considered within the context of the music/entertainment scene throughout the Metro Louisville area. From the point of view of the audiences for music in Louisville, it's wonderful. There's a veritable river of music coming through Louisville, as regional and national performers continue to expand their touring in an effort to make enough money to survive in the business. On the other hand, Louisville acts that have not gotten out on the road to some extent are finding the available venues (and income) shrinking in a fairly serious way.
Occasionally, of course, a new club opens; recently, we've added the Gate, which opened in the space formerly occupied by the Butchertown Pub rather quietly in the early Fall, and the St. Andrews Pub on St. Andrews Church Road in Southwest Jefferson Country, which is being converted to a rock `an' roll venue, with "Dirty Dave" Johnson of The Glasspack doing the booking. Over the last few years, however, the trend is definitely down for live Louisville music.
• Speaking of live Louisville music, MERF's Annual Rock The Ville multi-club event is happening on November 6. Participating clubs include the Phoenix Hill Tavern, Jim Porter's, Headliners, Coyote's and Stevie Ray's. There'll be a trolley circulator running between the clubs so you can park and ride. Ten bucks will get you into all the clubs and the money goes to the MERF fund to help Louisville musicians. For a list of the participating performers, check the calendar at www.louisvillemusicnews.net
• The Music Department at Indiana University Southeast has announced the first release on it new recording label, New Dynamic Records. The first release, Influence, features performances by the Aurelia Saxophone Quartet, Eighth Blackbird Ensemble and the Amelia Piano Trio. A formal announcement of the release will be at the annual Music Faculty Gala Recital, Sunday, October 23, 2005, 3 p.m. in the Richard K. Stem Concert Hall of the Paul W. Ogle Cultural and Community Center. Tickets for the Faculty Gala are $8 for adults, $6 for students and seniors, and are available at the Ogle Center Ticket Office, at all Ticketmaster locations, by calling Ticketmaster at (502) 361-3100, or online at ticketmaster.com.
•Do you have any of those perennial questions about copyright in the music business? There's a pretty good, recent article about it at Atlas Unplugged: http://www.musiciansatlas.com/newsletter/oct05/copyright10_05.htm.
• The Public Radio Partnership just announced that the Louisville-produced "State Of Affairs" program has won the 2005 Excellence in Women's Health Research Journalism Award from the Society for Women's Health Research. That makes five awards the program has garnered.
• Maiers The St. Matthews Tavern has changed owners again. The most immediate result is that the Thursday night jam session that Johnny Doughnut was running has been dumped.
• Lexington's Michael Johnathon, songwriter, folksinger and host of the worldwide broadcast of the WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour, has been selected by the Kentucky Broadcasters Association to receive the prestigious Stephen Foster Award for Broadcasting Excellence. The Award will be presented at the Kentucky Music Museum and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies on February 23, 2006.
• The schedule for the Governor's School For the Arts Artshops has been announced by the Kentucky Center. These free workshops, open to Kentucky high school freshmen, sophomores or juniors, offer master classes in creative writing, dance, drama, instrumental music, musical theatre, visual art or vocal music. To register, go to www.kentuckygsa.org or call the GSA Helpline at 502-562-0192
CODAS
Collins, Ola Mirale, 77, died in Lancaster, California on September 25, 2005/ She was a professional musician in Louisville and was a member of the American Federation of Musicians Local 11-637