Down On The Corner

By Paul Moffett

• Spring has proven to be a bit hard on the roster of writers for LMN: Keith Wicker died of a heart attack, as was noted last month. The Mid-City Meddler, Muffy Junes, moved to northern Indiana with her husband Jay. Our Celtic columnist, Decimus Rock, suffered a meltdown from overwork on his regular job and decided he had to give up the column. Muffy said she would write another column about her departure from Louisville but we haven't seen it yet.

As for Grace Notes and Jazzin', the Memorial Day Weekend combined with some technical problems that resulted in those files not getting to the LMN office in time to be included. They should return next month.

As for Grace Notes and Jazzin’, the Memorial Day Weekend combined with some technical problems that resulted in those files not getting to the LMN office in time to be in the paper. They will be posted online at www.louisvillemusicnews.com

So here's the story: if you have an interest in writing about Celtic music, give me a call at 893-9933. If you have an interest in writing CD reviews, call. If you can write and work on a deadline, give me a call. Louisville music needs your help.

• Louisville chanteuse and card-caring vegan Heidi Howe has written and recorded a tune called "Food Without A Face" which is now included on a CD which `informs' rather than preaches the vegan lifestyle. Proceeds from the sale of the CD, available in Louisville at all Rainbow Blossom stores, Amazing Grace Health Food store, Ear X-tacy and two Health and Harvest stores, will go to benefit EarthSave. For more information about this or anything else Heidi is doing, logon to www.heidihowe.com.

• The Louisville Youth Orchestra will sponsor two orchestra camps this summer for young string players with two or three years of experience. One camp will be held July 22-26 at the Louisville Central Area Community Center; the other, also on July 22-26, will be held at North Oldham Middle School in Oldham Country. For more information about these camps, contact Melody Welsh-Buchholz at 502-584-0135.

The LYO will also hold auditions for interested young musicians through age 21 for the 2002-2003 season on August 23-25 and again on September 6-8. Any young musician playing an orchestral instrument is invited to apply. For more on this, contact Melody Welsh-Buchholz at the number noted above.

• Brenda Lee fans, take note. The music legend will be signing copies of her biography, Little Miss Dynamite, at Hawley-Cooke Booksellers on Shelbyville Road, on Saturday, June 1 at 2 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

• Singer-songwriter (and former member of the LASC) Rhonda Rainwater Smith is holding a CD Fundraising Party & Yard Sale on June 8, 8 a.m. - ?. In addition to the objects being offered for sale, she's inviting everyone to come and bring an acoustic instrument and pick a little, jam a little, sing a tune. Call her at 502-968-1391 for more information and directions.

• Radio, My (my) Radio. Sometimes radio listeners get really involved in the business side of the on-air, as when a favorite on-air personality gets the big heave-ho from the station. In this case, it's friends of WLRS' Random Guy, who (apparently) was "outsourced" recently by Radio 1. The enraged fans and supporters of Random Guy staged a boycott of the station, along with a petition to the CEO of Radio One, urging that the station hire Random Guy back. There's more to this story, but not enough room to elaborate here. If you have an interested, contact LRS or somebody you know who knows somebody who knows Random Guy and get filled in.

Codas

• Michael Duane Collins, 53, died on May 19 of injuries from an automobile crash. Collins was a retired music teacher and current director of the children's choir for Ballardsville Baptist Church. He was bass soloist in several choruses, including the Louisville Chorus and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary's Oratorio Chorus.

• Clarita Baumgarten Whitney, 69, died May 23 in Louisville. She was the widow of Robert S. Whitney, founding conductor of the Louisville Orchestra and former Dean of the University of Louisville School of Music. She was an Honorary Life Member of Friends of the School of Music at U of L; Honorary board member and Life Member of the Association of Louisville Orchestra.