Category Archives: Upcoming Events

CHIKAMORACHI with special guests STEVE GOOD and TIM BARNES at the NACHBAR, Sunday January 29th

Black Velvet Fuckere, Cropped Out and The Other Side of Life are proud to present:

CHIKAMORACHI (Chris Corsano and Darin Gray)

with special guests:

STEVE GOOD and TIM BARNES

Sunday, January 29th
at NACHBAR
969 Charles Street (at the corner of Charles and Krieger)
First set at 9 PM, second set at 10:30 PM — 21 and over
FREE!

Since 2005 DARIN GRAY (upright bass) and CHRIS CORSANO (drums) have performed side by side as CHIKAMORACHI. Working either in a trio with saxophonist Akira Sakata or a quartet that adds Jim O’Rourke on guitar, they’ve released six albums to date, including 2011’s And That’s the Story of Jazz double CD and Live at Hungry Brain LP. The high-speed empathy that Gray and Corsano have developed over the years will be brought to the fore in 2012, when the duo strike out on their own for a tour of the Midwest. Neither member is a stranger to the possibilities afforded when the melodic, harmonic and rhythmic duties are left to an upright bass and drum duo. Gray‘s group On Fillmore with Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche has been going strong for the past ten years. For his part, Corsano has gigged and recorded as a duo with double bassists John Edwards and Matt Heyner.

Darin Gray is best known as Jim O’Rourke’s go-to bassist for nearly 20 years, as half of the duo On Fillmore, and as the bassist for Grand Ulena, Dazzling Killmen, and Brise-Glace. As an improviser he has performed and recorded with among others: Loren Connors, Masami Akita (Merzbow), Josh Abrams, Jason Roebke, Axel Dorner, Kevin Drumm, Alan Licht, Thollem Mcdonas, and Jim O’Rourke. As a session bassist he has played on recordings by Will Oldham, Cheer-Accident, Rope, Bobby Conn, Daneilson Family, Early Day Miners, Bunnygrunt, Jim O’Rourke, etc… He has toured extensively in the United States, Japan, Brazil, Canada, and Europe.

Chris Corsano began a long-standing, high-energy partnership with saxophonist Paul Flaherty in 1998. A move from western Massachusetts, USA to the UK in 2005 led Chris to develop a solo music of his own, incorporating sax reeds, violin strings, pot lids, adhesive tape and other household devices into his drum kit. 2007 and ’08 were spent as the drummer on Björk’s Volta world tour. Returning back to the U.S. in 2009, Corsano shifted focus back to his own projects, most notably a duo with Michael Flower, Rangda (with Sir Richard Bishop and Ben Chasny) and solo work. In addition to the those mentioned above, he’s also worked with, among others: Evan Parker, Paul Dunmall, Nels Cline, Thurston Moore, Jessica Rylan, Jandek, Sunburned Hand Of Man, and Joe McPhee.

Watch a video of Chikamorachi with Akira Sakata here:

During the second set of the performance, CHIKAMORACHI will be joined by the addition of STEVE GOOD (saxophones, clarinet) and TIM BARNES (percussion). A vital natural resource in the Louisville music scene for multiple decades, Steve Good‘s musical vocabulary orbits lightly through a vast expansive local history: doing time with The Web, E-Or, Juanita, Ut Gret, Sapat, Crappy Nightmareville, Parlour, The Liberation Prophecy and many, many others.  He has documented via audio recording many thousands of local shows. Slint played in his basement, he recorded the first Will Oldham single, he ran sound and documented the weekly experimental music series at Artswatch through the 1990s, and yes, he shared a stage in Switzerland with Donovan back in the 1970s. Louisville resident and drummer extraordinaire, the list of Tim Barnes‘s collaborators is too long to list here, but it includes Jim O’Rourke, Silver Jews, Neil Michael Hagerty and the Howling Hex, The Tower Recordings, and countless others. Most recently, Tim Barnes played drums with the newly resurrected lineup of The For Carnation, as well as with MV+EE at Cropped Out in November, 2011.

Check out the Facebook invite here: http://www.facebook.com/events/154038334705749.

To join our email list, send an email to hstencil AT gmail DOT com.

Two Good Shows Tomorrow!

It’s going to be tough to decide on which of these to go to — that is, if we end up not having to work tomorrow night!

The Web
Brett Ralph’s Kentucky Chrome Revue
David Grubbs
Rude Weirdo
Straight A’s
at the Bard’s Town, 1801 Bardstown Road. 9 PM, $6, apparently now it’s all ages. This show, presented by Louisville’s excellent Noise Pollution label, should be a good one as it’s well-stocked with artists that (should) need no introduction. If you need more info, you might find it at the Facebook event here: http://www.facebook.com/events/145355115567233.

Also, over at Zanzabar (which is at 2100 S. Preston, of course), Natural Child and State Champion are playing (here’s the event invite: http://www.facebook.com/events/255787627819138). Natural Child played an excellent set at this year’s Cropped Out, so if you missed it, don’t sleep on this show! It’s $5, 21-and-over, and starts at 9 PM.

No matter what you end up doing, have a fantastic New Year!

JOSEPHINE FOSTER, PARLOUR, and DANE WATERS at ZANZABAR, Friday December 16th

Cropped Out and The Other Side of Life are proud to present:

JOSEPHINE FOSTER (from Colorado, on Fire Records)
with
PARLOUR (Louisville, Kentucky; on Temporary Residence)
DANE WATERS (from Louisville, Kentucky; member of Sapat and Softcheque)

Friday, December 16th
at ZANZABAR
2100 S. Preston
9  PM, 21 and over
$10

Over the course of just a few years, Colorado native JOSEPHINE FOSTER has captivated audiences & critics alike through a magnetic patchwork of recordings ranging from broken spirited balladry as one half of Born Heller, fiery psych rock gestalt with her rock outfit The Supposed to the voice of an outsider folk siren. The one constant is the utterly overwhelming strength and seductive unease of her voice & the bravery of an iconoclastic spirit. “You might call Ms. Foster’s eerie warbling old-fashioned, except that is evokes a scrambled past that exists only in her own vision: mountain songs that never were, spaced-out hybrids that never will be.” —New York Times.

PARLOUR originally began as a solo project from Tim Furnish following the mid-90s dissolution of CRAIN – the seminal Louisville rock group he co-founded in the late ’80s. Currently playing with new drummer (Greg Morris) and synth player (Lee Gutterman), Furnish’s PARLOUR evokes “A unique combination of interweaving guitar shards… driven by a dark, relentless rhythm section.” Their most recent album, Simulacrenfield (released on Temporary Residence), was one of our favorites of 2010.

 

DANE WATERS is one of Louisville’s brightest musical talents. As a member of SAPAT and SOFTCHEQUE, she displays an impeccable melodic sensibility, and has a voice so wonderfully haunting, it sends chills down your spine. Dane’s new solo album, Dark Waters, is now available at Better Days, Underground Sounds, and on Bandcamp here: http://danewaters.bandcamp.com.

Find the Facebook invite here: http://www.facebook.com/events/190881084333042.

To join our email list, send an email to hstencil AT gmail DOT com.

MUSIC and ART This Weekend, 11/17-11/20

There’s a lot of things going on this weekend to tell you about, so let’s get started…

Tonight, at the Clifton Center, none other than BASSEKOU KOUYATE AND NGONI BA will be performing. We wrote about their album Segu Blue way back in 2009 here:

Given the recent collaboration between Bela Fleck and Malian kora player Toumani Diabate, it’s possible that there’s been no greater spotlight on the West African nation at any other time than right now. Fortunately, all the attention on Mali is casting some light on other worthwhile players as well. Countryman Bassekou Kouyate plays the ngoni, a six-stringed instrument, which is arguably less complex than Tiabate’s 21-stringed kora, but still retains a beautiful melodicism. Kouyate’s 2007 album Segu Blue, issued in the United States this year, contains all the beauty one has come to expect from acoustic music from Mali. And on the blue “Lament for Ali Farka,” a requiem for the departed guitarist Ali Farka Toure, Kouyate and his group Ngoni Ba emerge from the shadows cast by their better-known comrades.

You can buy tickets here: http://www.cliftoncenter.org/?post_type=events&p=144. The Clifton Center is located at 2117 Payne Street, just off Frankfort Avenue. Tickets are $20 and the doors are at 7:30 PM.

Tomorrow night, KING’S DAUGHTERS & SONS make a rare appearance at 21C with SELUAH. Read an exciting interview with KD&S in this week’s LEO here: http://leoweekly.com/music/justice-served-king%E2%80%99s-daughters-sons. Doors are at 8 PM, and it costs $10.

Finally, tomorrow night is the opening reception of THE EXPANDED MUSIC PROJECT, a new show at the LAND OF TOMORROW gallery exploring the relationship between music and art. Here’s their description (with more information here: http://www.landoftomorrow.org/events-exhibitions/expanded-music-project/):

Land of Tomorrow (LOT) is pleased to present the Expanded Music Project, a showcase of work illustrating the intersection between art and music.  The opening reception will be held at our Louisville location on November 18th from 7pm, and the show will run through the 3rd of January.  Included in this exhibition will be work by Heather Cantrell, Aurora Childs, Saiman Chow, Hirsuta, Geneva Jacuzzi, Leslie Lyons, Andrea Stanislav, Thieves Like Us, as well as Raurouw with Shedding, Peaking Lights with artist Letitia Quesenberry, and musician EMA with artist Jacob Heustis.

The premise of this show is to highlight the fluidity between creative forms and artistic practices.  The influence of album art, video production, stage design, graffiti, and the appropriation tactics of remixing have established an ongoing conversation between artists and musicians.  This dialogue between visual artist and musician continues to play a major role, and creative forces as diverse as Elvis, The Velvet Underground, Talking Heads, Pink Floyd, and Afrika Bambaataa have delved into the realms of the visual and the auditory to produce work that both fields accept and champion.

The show will be up through January 3rd, but tomorrow night is a great chance to see it first. And it’s free! LAND OF TOMORROW is located at 233 W. Broadway, in the St. Francis High School Building.

CAVE and OLD BABY at ZANZABAR on Sunday, December 11th

CAVE and OLD BABY

Cropped Out and The Other Side of Life are proud to present:

CAVE (Chicago, Illinois; on Drag City)

with special guests

OLD BABY (Louisville, Kentucky; members of YOUNG WIDOWS, SAPAT, SHIPPING NEWS, and much more!)
and
DJ EVAN PATTERSON (YOUNG WIDOWS, OLD BABY)
DJ JOEL HUNT
(The Other Side of Life)
DJ KIM SORISE
(Dirty Soul Party)

Sunday, December 11th
ZANZABAR
2100 S. Preston Street
9 PM DOORS, $6 cover, 21 and over

CAVE began in Columbia, Missouri, playing mostly improvisational live music. CAVE is now located in Chicago, Illinois. In September 2011 Drag City released the new full length CAVE record Neverendless, which they describe as “a motorik masterwork! The new CAVE is roller-rinkin’ rock for the next generation!”

Watch the video directed by Miss Pussycat for the song “W U J” off their new Drag City album Neverendless here:

OLD BABY is a new Louisville-based band consisting of Todd Cook (SHIPPING NEWS, KINGS DAUGHTERS AND SONS), Jonathan Glen Wood, Neil Argabright (SAPAT), Drew Osborn (WORKERS) and Evan Patterson (YOUNG WIDOWS). This show with CAVE marks their debut, which we are sure will be auspicious, certainly not suspicious.

Link to the Facebook invitation is here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=215187421885679.

To join our email list, send an email to hstencil@gmail.com.

CROPPED OUT is one week away!

Holy smokes, folks! Time flies when you’re… working, eating, L-I-V-I-N’ in the Louisville these days. CROPPED OUT is nearly upon us! That means what will be Louisville’s best weekend of music (like you thought I was gonna say “Forecastle?”) is just a week away! (You can read our previous preview here: https://othersideoflife.wordpress.com/2011/10/24/cropped-out-is-coming-up/.)

There is some slightly bummer news as we hear that Detroit garage weirdos HUMAN EYE had to cancel (thankfully for us that means there will be no weird stains on our living room rug). But hey, there’s still lots more musical excitement for your listening pleasure. Here’s the whole lineup (our “picks to click” a la Hawk Harrelson in bold):

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11th — MV + EE, DOPE BODY, SUN ARAW, SAVAGES, MOUNT CARMEL, NATIVES, CHRISTMAS BRIDE, ANWAR SADAT, COUGH COOL, SHIT & SHINE, SHEDDING, ALCOHOL PARTY, AXEL COOPER, LEARNER DANCER

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12th — BILL ORCUTT, GUARDIAN ALIEN, PYGMY SHREWS, THE DREEBS, ANGEL OLSEN, CHAT LOGS, JOHN WESLEY COLEMAN III, NATURAL CHILD, LAST YEAR’S MEN, SAPAT, TROPICAL TRASH, MAYOR DALEY, THE MEN, FAT HISTORY MONTH, CIRCUIT DES YEUX, JOVONTAES, ANGELS IN AMERICA, ARCANE RIFLES, CROSS, VIDEO DAUGHTERS, BLACK GOD

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13th — SCRATCH ACID, YOUNG WIDOWS, COLISEUM

Check it out at the following internet spots:

Facebook event invitation: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=251887664858861
Official website: http://croppedoutmusic.com
Official tumblr: http://croppedout.tumblr.com

See y’all there!

UPDATE: CROPPED OUT has posted the festival’s entire schedule here: http://croppedoutmusic.com/fest/#schedule.

Two Good Shows This Weekend!

To be honest, we’re not huge fans of Halloween cover band shows. With the exception of the fantastic Jesus Lizard cover band show from a couple years back (R.I.P. Tony Bailey), usually it seems like most bands take the easy route and just do the same Misfits set or whatever. Yawn.

However, an exception to that rule is Louisville’s WAX FANG, which apparently pulled off Prince’s Purple Rain like it was no big deal. This year, they’re paying tribute to the Velvet Underground, one of our faves of all time! No word on which eras of VU will be represented, but I’m assuming it’s not gonna be just Doug Yule stuff from Squeeze or somethin’.

Another highlight of that same show will be THE BAD REEDS as the Plastic Ono Band (though again, it’s not clear entirely if they’ll be playing Yoko or John material). The show’s at ZANZABAR, which of course is at 2100 S. Preston. 9 PM, 21+, $10.

Also tomorrow night brings NYC post-hardcore chugga-chugg purveyors HELMET. If you’re like me, Meantime was one of your favorite albums at 16, mainly because it sounded like Sabbath played at 45 (with Ozzy’s vocals pitched down to 16 RPM)! TROPHY WIVES are the only opener we know of, but they pretty much rule, so that’s that. At the ridiculously still-chooglin’ PHOENIX HILL TAVERN, 7 PM, 21+ $15.

CROPPED OUT is coming up…

We haven’t had too much to say about the upcoming CROPPED OUT festival, on the weekend of November 11th – 13th here in lovely Louisville, Kentucky, because it seems like it’s all anybody can talk about anyway! I mean, can you believe freakin’ SCRATCH ACID is gonna play?* Me neither, and I’m really stoked!

But the CROPPED OUT fest is far more than just one band. It’s a whole mess of ’em! Including some of our favorite performers ever:

  • BILL ORCUTT, former guitarist for HARRY PUSSY, and one of the most exciting purveyors of six-string nonsense (even though he only plays four strings, apparently) going today.
  • MV + EE, the duo of Matt Valentine (formerly of THE TOWER RECORDINGS) and Erika Elder is probably the closest you’ll get to seeing Neil Young live, except perhaps even more damaged. And rumor has it that former TOWER RECORDINGS member TIM BARNES will be joining them!
  • MOUNT CARMEL is probably our favorite of the new SILTBREEZE roster — straight-ahead Ohio-style boogie rock!
  • HUMAN EYE might possibly be the best rock band in Detroit right now. Period.

And there’s a whole slew more, including lots of shit we’ve never heard of before! And a bevy of fantastic local artists, including our friends SAPAT, YOUNG WIDOWS, SHEDDING, COLISEUM, CROSS, and lots more!

They got a new web site up at http://croppedoutmusic.com, so check it out and buy your tickets ASAP.** It’s gonna be killer!

*On a side note, how come nobody got it together to bring THE JESUS LIZARD to Louisville during their recent reunion action? Just because Laura Shine has no idea who they are doesn’t mean they weren’t one of the most popular Chicago-style bands to play in Louisville during the 1990s. Our excuse for not booking them is, well, we were too poor to afford their guarantee (as if our shoe-string show budget wasn’t obvious).

**Seriously Louisville, if you sleep on this like you slept on TERRASTOCK 2008, you only have yourself to blame. The prices are good, the venue is centrally located, and if you miss it…

DISCLAIMER: We are buds with Ryan and James who are booking/promoting CROPPED OUT, and we think they’re awesome! We do occasionally co-promote shows with ’em but that’s only because they rule!

OBITS, BOTTOMLESS PIT, and STATE CHAMPION at Club 21, Thursday, October 20th

Our friends at CROPPED OUT are bringin’ it tomorrow night! Three great bands at Club 21 (formerly the Pour Haus, where you saw Pere Ubu, remember?). Here’s the details:

Cropped Out Presents
A very special evening of rock’n’roll music with:

OBITS (ex-Hot Snakes/Drive Like Jehu — from Brooklyn)
http://obitsurl.com/

with

BOTTOMLESS PIT (ex-Silkworm — from Chicago)
http://bottomlesspit.us/

and

STATE CHAMPION (“Deep Shit” record release show — from Louisville)
http://statechampion.tumblr.com/

Thursday, October 20th
Club 21 (formerly the Pour Haus)
Doors at 8. Show at 9.
$10. 21+.

Advance tickets available at:
http://www.ticketfly.com/event/59291

Be there! We will.

James Elkington & Nathan Salsburg, Avos (Tompkins Square)

This week’s LEO Weekly features my review of the new album by James Elkington & Nathan Salsburg, Avos:

Louisville resident Nathan Salsburg is an archivist for the Alan Lomax Archive and a music columnist for LEO Weekly. (Disclaimer: I’ve been friends with Nathan since middle school, and we occasionally collaborate on promoting musical events in town). What is perhaps less known by the public at large is Salsburg’s prowess at the finger-picking guitar style established in the 1960s and ’70s by John Fahey and others, as he’s previously only released one song, on the Tompkins Square label’s Imaginational Anthems compilation series. His new collaboration, Avos, with Chicago-based guitarist James Elkington, as well as his upcoming solo debut Affirmed, should definitely garner Salsburg some well-deserved praise as a guitarist. Avos is intricately composed, yet has a fresh, contemporary sound without feeling too gimmicky or of-the-moment. Salsburg and Elkington tastefully show enough dexterity to make the listener wonder, “How’d they do that?” without being too flashy. Rather, Avos is a slightly melancholy affair, with plenty of melodic, serene moments to match the six-string sleight-of-hand.

Buy it from Tompkins Square here: http://www.tompkinssquare.com/avos.html.

And don’t forget, Nathan will be playing a solo set with Glenn Jones this Friday at the Clifton Center. Details (including a link to purchase tickets) here: https://othersideoflife.wordpress.com/2011/10/10/glenn-jones-and-nathan-salsburg-at-the-clifton-community-center-friday-october-21st/.