Down On The Corner

By Paul Moffett

• Can I Pick a Hit or What? When Matraca Berg and Tim Krekel performed together at the Rudyard earlier this year, they played a new tune they had written together, called "You Can Feel Bad If It Makes You Feel Better." I thought it was a radio tune if I ever heard one, and said so to Krekel.

Sure enough, Patty Loveless cut it and released it as the first single from her new, as yet untitled album, which will be released after the first of the year. Tim told LMN on Dec. 21 that the single had entered the charts just that week at No. 38. (He doubts .they'll name the album after it, though.)

Tim said that Patty had already recorded most of the album and sent out the word that they needed some more songs. That's when Tim and Matraca got the tune to her producer. Krekel was pleased but modest about his good fortune: "l try to write one (a hit) every twelve years." He was referring to his No. 1 hit by Crystal Gayle in 19 84, "Turning Away."

Way to go, Tim.

• While I'm Ego Tripping Division. Our Esteemed Editor, Jean Metcalfe, and I also pitched Patty a tune we co-wrote, but we were too late. You can hear that tune and others at the CoffeeStop show at the Bardstown Road Presbyterian Church, 1722 Bardstown Rd., on Sunday, Jan. 21, at 7:30 p.m. In addition to your not-sufficiently humble correspondent, Ray Major and Ralph Sidway will also be on the -show. It'll be a case of the Nuclear Child (Sidway's new' album) plus reminisences of the Days of the Post-Nuclear Spanish Opera House on Ekin Ave. in New Albany. Talk about being hipper than Hard Times.

• Gettin' On-Line with that Web Page.

LMN has a new Web Page and after January, all the text of each issue will be available on line. The address is http://River-City.com/lmnews. River City Online is the service, run by Rob Totten. Totten will be offering web page sites to bands for the insignificant sum of $20 a month. River City Online's number is 245-5831.

• Take Care of Those Hands Dept. lf you are a player, then you know that taking care of your hands is essential to continuing your career. The U. of L School of Music is sponsoring a lecture entitled "How to Prevent Hand and Arm lnjuries: A Music Student's Guide to Playing for Life." The lecture will be by Dr. Luis R. Scheker,'a partner in Kleinert, Kutz and Associates Hand Care Center, those physicians famous for reattaching severed hands and fingers and whose services you fervently hope you never, ever, ever need. Dr. Sheker will present ways to avoid repetitive motion injuries and explain how certain exercises help.

The lecture will be on Tuesday, Jan. 30, at 2 p.m., in the North Recital Hall. It is free and open to all interested musicians and students. If you need more information, please call the Music School at 852-6907.

• The Grammy Showcase mentioned in this space last month has announced the dates and venues for the local, regional and national concerts. Of local interest are the concertsw in Nashville on Jan. 27 snf Atlanta on Jan. 13. Interestingly, the only non-coastal concerts are in Nashville, Atlanta, Chicago and Dallas. All the rest can be reached by ocean liner. The "regional" showcases are New York and Los Angeles. The national showcase is in Los Angeles.

• Yo Mama or Joe Mama? Former members of Goodnight Maxine, Joe Hanna and Mike Clark, have formed Joe Mama. Presumably, they aren't really into a seriously non-PC attitude. Why, it's almost as nifty a name as the old Sambo Studios. They've signed with Triangle Talent.

• Cherub Scourge's Brent Starkey called to say that the band is having an album release show at the Cherokee on Jan. 6, 1996. There will be an all-ages show at 6 p.m., with Skam Impaired and Hip Doubt. Admission is $5. The over-21 set can catch the late show at 10 p.m., with Liver Girl opening. Admission is $3. The album is Outside of Everything.

• John Hiatt is coming to town in February. Call Billy Barriger at 582-9888 and ask him when and where. Tell him you read about it in Louisville Music News.

Would $1,000 Lift Your Spirits? The Grand Prize winner of the Louisville Area Songwriters' Cooperative's Songwriting Competition '95 is Susan White of Port Republic, Md. She is a singer/songwriter with a new CD , Show A Littl eHeart. "This House" is on the CD. Blix Street Records, a subsidiary of Curb Records, is handling national distribution.

CLUB CHANGES

Since the last time a section of club changes appeared in this space, there have been several interesting developments.

Closings:

• The East End Club, formerly Rhinestone's, in Middletown, is closed. The club's management attempted to shift from a country bar to a variety bar. It didn't work. You could have bought Christmas trees in their parking lot, however.

• Cardinal's Inn. All we know about this is that someone left a message on our answering machine, asking that we not send mail, as the bar was closed. lf you know more, give us a call.

Openings:

• Amberjack's, at 119 Chenoweth Lane in St. Matthews, has been open since Nov. 15, according to owner Mark Harrod. The club has a kitchen, serving sandwiches, burgers and the like, a full bar and live music on Fridays and Saturdays. Currently, there is no particular music style being booked. Acts have ranged from blues to bluegrass to folky rock to New York rock. The hours are 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Monday-Thursday; and 11 a.m. - 1 a. m. Friday and Saturday.

• Cherokee Club. The now-it's-open, now- it's-not Cherokee is open "for good," according to Brent Starkey, who has nothing to do with the club and only called LMN to give us details of Cherub Scourge's album release party. (See item above.) Starkey says that Terry Payne is now the sole owner. We'll follow up on this and let our faithful readersk now.

• Louisiana Jack's has opened in the Silo Microbrewery on Barret. The restaurant will feature New Orleans Comfort foods, freshly brewed beer and live music. The phone number is 589-2739 (BREW).

• The Main Exchange, 117 E. Main. I thought this was a leftover sign from the days when Wayne Lord was trying to get an artists' thingy running down the street. It's not, but I know little or nothing about it, except that Yer Girlfriend has/had a New Year's date there.

Stay tuned for an update.

• Zephyr Cove is up and running at 2330 Frankfort. See Bob Bahr's overview in the Upcoming section on page 14.

KEY CHANGES –

Irvin J. Guenther, age 69, died on Dec. 11. Guenther was a retired Hollywood entertainer who performed with his wife on the "Cousin Annie Belle and Irv TV Show" on TKR Cable for about 15 years.

Dan Shockley, age 49, was shot to death on Dec. 2. Shockley owned the Air Devils Inn on Taylorsville Road, were the shooting occurred. A customer, Walter Means, age 50, was also killed in the incident. The Air Devils Inn was closed for about a week following Shockley's murder, but it has since reopened.