Down On The Corner

By Paul Moffett

The fate of Abbey Road On The River seems to be up in the air — again. Gary Jacobs has gotten cross-wise with the Galt House, which solicited their current customers about booking a room for next year's AROTR, for which they are not the official hotel. Jacobs is threatening to move the entire event north along I-71. Of course, this is not the first time he has made such a threat and is unlikely to be the last. Predictably, the Mayor expressed his concern over the possible loss and perhaps will take behind-the-scenes action. Or not. Given the difficulty of relocating such an event, one might suppose there will be considerable pressure on Jacobs to resolve his dispute with the Galt House. In any case, AROTR will happen next year regardless.

Meanwhile, the festival season has gotten underway, sailing ahead under a full head of steam. Gary Sampson, President of the Kyana Blues Society and DJ for WCHQ FM 100.9 (Crescent Hill Radio), was bemoaning the stress he was feeling with all the blues festivals coming up in the next few weeks, never mind the not-blues festivals. Sampson is heavily involved with producing some of these festivals, so his stress is understandable.

Forecastle Fest remains the big dog of the early season, scheduled for July 17-19. For info, head over to http://forecastlefest.com/

Forecastle low-rent doppelgannger, Poorcastle Festival, happens at the Apocalypse Brew Works on July 10-12, up from two days last year. Info at Poorcastle Fest.

The 25^th Americana World Fest brings lots of world music to the Iroquois Amphitheater on June 6. It's a free event. Info at http://americanacc.org/special-events/world-festival/

On the same weekend as Forecastle, the Blues, Brews & BBQ Festival will be staged at the Water Tower. Info here: http://www.louisvillebluesandbbqfestival.com/

Enough. That's just from a quick search for bigger festivals early in the summer. There are other, smaller neighborhood festivals. Keep your eyes open and enjoy the summer.

CODAS

Brenner, Mark D., 60, died in Louisville on May 1, 2015. He was a drummer who played with The Fanatics as well as other local bands.

Tidwell. Dallas W., 65, died in Louisville on May 14, 2015. He was a member of the Louisville Orchestra for over 27 years and performed regularly with the Kentucky Opera Association, the Louisville Ballet and the Louisville Bach Society. He was a founding member of the Kentucky Center Chamber Players and a clarinet instructor at the University of Louisville School of Music, retiring as Professor Emeritus in 2014.