Down On The Corner

By Paul Moffett

• Major Label Boogie Dept. Edenstreet (formerly Smokehouse) has been getting a good look from RCA, according to keyboardist Todd Smith. Todd, who was in the band Domani, says he isn't going to buy a car just yet. He also says he's been busy with his new daughter Sawyer.

• Louisville's rock-a-boogie meister and cult icon Bodeco has been inked to a six-record agreement with New Hampshire indie Safehouse Records, which also handles Southern Culture on the Skids.

• Gentlepersons, Start Your Cameras Division. Once again, Roadrunner Video and Coyote's are looking for music videos for the RRote Awards. There will be awards for Rock and Country, with each area having winners for: Best Video, Best Song, Best Concept or Storyline, Best Home Grown Video, Best Performance or Theatrics and Best Technical Achievement. Cash prizes will total $5,000. Judges will be Mona Karadshi, PolyGram Records, and Tammy Woodbury, Warner/Elektra/Atlantic Records.

Deadline for entries is 5 p.m., Nov. 17. Rock entries go to Tom Harper, WTFX, and country entries go to Marji Pilato at WAMZ. Registration forms are available at any Roadrunner Video store, WAMZ radio and WTFX radio.

Finally, you can rent and vote for the People's Choice Award, starting on Nov. 23. Rent a video of the best of the videos for only $1 at any of the Roadrunner stores. Proceeds will benefit MERF.

All winners will be announced on January 15. For more information, contact David Llewellyn of Wyvern Ltd., 502-893-5562.

• "Do Something" With Your Songs Dept. All you songwriters who want to "do something" with your songs should attend the Louisville Area Songwriters' Cooperative's Hit Makers' 94 Songwriting Seminar, Saturday, Nov. 12, from 9 a.m. 'til 4 p.m., at the Holiday Inn Downtown, 120 W. Broadway. There will be serious music business folks there, including representatives from music publishers, performing rights organizations, hit songwriters, music business attorneys, and the like. Greg Martin of the Kentucky HeadHunters will also be in attendance. So get your questions together, your demos recorded and your networking hat on and be there. Admission is $50. Call 502-241-2699 for more information.

• Speaking of the HeadHunters, Greg Martin faxed news that he and the guys have a new compilation album out, called Still Pickin'. There is also a video compilation coming out and they are writing material for a new album. Greg noted that he will be a guest columnist for Guitar Player Magazine. We already plugged his "Hot Licks" video.

• LMN Columnist Alan Rhody sent along a list of his latest doin's, including cuts by David Mallet, Katy Wallace, Murry McLauchlan and Rory Bourke. Rhody, his wife, Kathy, and daughter Heidi have had a show of their artwork at a gallery in Nashville.

• Kentucky native John Michael Montgomery picked up two CMA awards on Oct. 5, one for Single of the Year and plus Horizon Award, which is for artists who have demonstrated "significant growth," a.k.a, good sales early in their career. His album has also gone platinum. Maybe they'll recognize him next time he stops at the hamburger shop in Springfield.

• Multiple Grammy and Dove award winner Larnelle Harris is scheduled to undergo hip replacement surgery in December. He will miss the Young Messiah Tour for the first time since 1990. Harris' most recent release, Beyond All the Limits, recently reached #1 on five separate radio charts and he just picked up a nomination for "Male Vocalist of the Year, Contemporary" in the Stellar Awards.

• Louisville's gospel a capella group Straight Company has been getting good marks for their performances in support of their first album So Excited. They've gone back in the studio to cut their sophomore project, due out in early March.

• Steven Curtis Chapman has been nominated for Video of the Year by the Christian Country Music Association for "The Great Adventure."

• They Hang Gold Records on the Wall, Don't They? Division. U of L Music Professor John LaBarbera picked up a gold record for his production and arranging contributions to the In the Christmas Mood recording by the Glenn Miller Orchestra. LaBarbera's musical credentials are extensive - he has written for dozens of top recording artists, including Count Basie, Buddy Rich, Woody Herman and Sammy Davis, etc. etc.

• Lonnie Mack recently had to cancel several gigs, including a twin bill at Coyote's with Kelly Richey, due to elevated blood pressure. Mack's high b.p. put him in the hospital (temporarily) in Illinois.

• Open Stage Vol. Something Dept. Chaz Rough, he of Speaking in Tongues, called to say that he's been hosting a Thursday night Open Mike Night at the Silo Microbrewery. The event is called the Home Brew Jam, starts at 9:30 p.m., and is open to musicians and comedians. Performance earns a beer.

• Pretty Nice Dancer Bureau. The next time you're down at Renfro Valley, check out the newest member of the Barn Dance cast, Tonya Dee Virgin, Miss Kentucky 1993. And you thought that only looks mattered. Hah.

• Oh, Fiddle, Dept. And, speaking of Renfro Valley, fiddle enthusiasts will want to be in the barn on Nov. 4 and 5, when there will be a "gathering of fiddlers," rather than a competition, for three shows. Lots of chances to play and listen. A weekend pass is $12, a single show is $5. Call Linda Green at 1-800-765-7464 for more information. Tell 'em you saw it in LMN.

• A Planned Band Called Impromptu? Dept. Lee Cable's wife Karen called to report that he has put together a band that has played the last eight shows at the Palace and is now the house band at Stage Door Johnnies. The band, called Impromptu, has Lee on guitar; Gene Wickliffe on drums; Robbie Bartlett, vocals; Dan Trisko, lead guitar; Jim Brewer, bass, and Dan Hagar.

• Dave Regneri has closed down Four Seasons Records after eleven years in the business. According to Regneri, business at the store fell off and never recovered. An opportunity to become Classical Buyer for Disc Jockey Records in Shelbyville Road Plaza opened up and the deal was done. Regneri has been a longtime supporter of various musical events in Louisville, including Kentucky Music Weekend and assorted Louisville Dulcimer Society events.

• Auditions Office. The Louisville Youth Orchestra will be holding auditions for selected instrument sections through Nov.. Any musicians aged 21 and under may apply.

The LYO is particularly looking for low brass and percussion. Call Melody Welsh at 502-582-0135 for information.

• And More Auditions Division The Fort Knox Club System has scheduled its first-ever "Community Audition Night" for Thurs., Nov. 10, at the Armor Inn Night Club. They will be auditioning bands and individual performers for gigs on the base. Interested acts can call Derrick Spruel at 502-942-0959.

• And Still More Auditions (sort of). The Guild of Kentucky Opera will sponsor an afternoon of singing on Saturday, Nov. 12, at 1 p.m., when the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions are held in the main recital hall of the University of Louisville School of Music. The public is invited and admission is free.

Three opera singers will go on to tri-state auditions in Indianapolis, with a chance to advance to national competition at the Metropolitan Opera in April 1995.

• The Ursuline School of Music and Drama will be holding an open house, with demonstrations, on Tues., Nov. 1, and Wed., Nov. 2, from 3 – 5 p.m. For more information, call Terri Harrison at 897-1816.

• The Kentucky Opera picked up a cool $140,000 gift from Brown-Forman Corporation on the first of October. Kentucky Opera Board President Ron Murphy accepted the check from Phil Lynch, Assistant Vice-President of Corporate Communications for Brown-Forman on October 1, during a presentation at Oxmoor Center.

• The Louisville Chorus has announced its 1994-95 season. The next event will be an "Olde World" Christmas Concert, featuring authentic carols from Germany, Russia, Italy, Spain, and that well-known old-world country, America. The date is Dec. 18, with the location to be announced.

• A Little Early Notice Section. Cedar Lake Lodge will stage a pair of fund-raisers on December 3. First Light at the Temple will be at 6 p.m. at the Temple on Brownsboro Road. First Lightning will strike the Thunderdome at 10 p.m. and will feature Love Jones, danny flanigan & greathouse, plus Starbilly. (Kind of a Squirrel Bait reunion). Love Jones and the Cedar Lake Lodge Choir will entertain at First Light. Tickets for First Light are $300 a couple (well, it is a fund-raiser) and up. First Lightning will set you back only $12.

• Wanna Sing Handel's "Messiah"? Bureau. Zion Baptist Church, 2200 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd., invites vocalists to sing in its annual presentation of Handel's "Messiah" on Sunday, Dec. 11, at 4 p.m. Rehearsals will be on Mondays and Fridays, at 7:30 p.m., so you have a choice. Call Maurice Howard at 776-5881 for more information.

• How Many Gold Stars Can You Buy for 25 Grand? Longtime Homefront regular and Brown School primary teacher Bonnie Cecil was named one of five Kentucky Milken Family Foundation National Educators. The award includes a luncheon with the Governor, a trip to California, and, by the way, $25,000. Tell Bonnie congratulations when you buy your Homefront ticket from her.

• 54 Channels and There's Nothing On? Division. Jack Spurling dropped a note to remind us that he has a cable show on TKR Channel 10, Fridays at 10:30 p.m. That Channel 10 sure has some interesting shows and I'd publicize the musical ones if I had current info. Okay, Charlie and Winston, Win's World on Wed. at 9:30 p.m. The rest of you call me.

• Got a postcard from Quentin Sharpenstein, who is on tour with his Swedish-American Dixieland Band in Prague, Czech Republic. They're playing – ta-da – Dixieland music for the Czechs. Gary Falk made the trip with him, along with banjoist and former Louisvillian Jack Freckman.

• Airplay International held their Airplay International King Eagle Awards Show back in September. Household name Marvéll won three awards for Songwriter, Country Christian song and Country Song of the Year. And to think we pooh-poohed it.

• And speaking of Airplay International King Eagle nominees, Louisville rocker David La Duke will be releasing his Rock with Balls CD in early Nov.. The CD will be on his SB label. Also scheduled for Nov. release will be the SB production Unforgotten Rock, a tribute album with familiar rock covers.

• New Music Dept. A two-day Contemporary Music Festival will be held at the University of Louisville School of Music on Nov. 18 and 19. There will be eight concerts and three lectures, presenting the works of approximately fifty visiting composers.

According to Concert Coordinator Frederick Speck, "one hundred and forty-two composers . . . submitted well over three hundred compositions and proposals for inclusion on the festival."

Combining to present the compositions will be an array of Louisville performers, including the Ceruti Players, Trifarium, the Louisville Youth Choirs, the Kentucky Center Chamber Players, and the University of Louisville Symphony Band, Orchestra, Choirs, Trombone Ensemble and Contemporary Ensemble.

All events are free and will be held be at the University School of Music. For more information and a detailed schedule, contact Frederick Speck at 852-6997 or the School of Music at 852-6907.

NiteBites: Club News

• Red Bird Inn fans will find the club with a new look and a new name in a couple of weeks. The Preston Highway establishment is undergoing renovation, according to owner Jim Tino. and will be called J. T.'s Variety Club when the facelift is complete. Watch this space for a further update.

• Singing the Blues Dept. Under Main in Lexington has closed, according to Jim Rosen of the Mudcats, who lost a gig as a result. As if that weren't enough, he stepped on a nail the same day and had to go for a tetanus booster.

• Stevie Ray's on Main Street. Da blues keep on popping up. Stevie Ray's Blues Club (named after a certain Texas guitarist) opened Oct. 21. The club will be open at 4 p.m., Tuesday - Saturday, with a happy hour from 4 till 7. The main band will start at 9:30 p.m. The club is located at 230 E. Main, across from the Artic Ice building. Read Keith Clements' column on page 9 for more details.

Key Changes

• From the Boston Blues Society Newsletter comes word that the second guitarist for the Duke Robillard Band, Tall Paul Murphy, died unexpectedly while the group was touring Brazil in August. Robillard currently lives in Louisville.