Down On The Corner

By Paul Moffett

• How About Some Free Mandolin Lessons? No joke. The Louisville Mandolin Orchestra is offering free group mandolin lessons for anyone interested in learning to play the mandolin. Players of all ages and any playing lessons (even beginners) are welcome. Classes will be held Sundays at 1:00 p.m.. for more information, or to make a reservation, call Mike Schroeder at 451-0045.

• Last month, DotC got word that Sam Holt and Larry Holt have assembled a new group called Robbie Bartlett and Company. Presumably Robbie Bartlett is the singer in the group.

• Chaz Rough of Speaking in Tongues continues plugging away, with a two-song cassette which includes "Siren Song" and "Take Me Back." He is currently working on an album with SIT and a solo album. He will be playing unplugged June 3 at Twice-told Coffehouse. Opening will be the Celtic group Cloigean.

• Chanteuse Suzy Woods called to same she's getting married and moving to Ann Arbor, where her guy Bill Smith will be at the University of Michigan. They won't move 'til later in the year, so we can still hear her around town a time or two.

• In the Open Stage/Songwriter Night Dept., there are a couple of things to report. Jim Tino, owner of the Red Bird Inn, decided that his Tuesday Songwriter Night wouldn't fly; no word on what he'll do on Tuesday.

Out in Jeffersontown, there's a new Open Stage/Acoustic Guitar Night on Sunday nights from 8-11 at the Louisville Pizza Company, which is at the intersection of Ruckreigel Parkway and Billtown Road. Kitty, Meet the Lawnmower's Doug Dean is running the show. Contact Dean at 266-8983 if you're interested in playing.

• David Yates of the Reed Brothers Band dropped a note to tell us that he will be donating all of the proceeds from the sale of his album, All It Does Is Rain, during the month of May to the Crusade for Children. The tape can be bought from the band or by contacting the Crusade at 582-7706.

Yates also wrote that he was scheduled for an audition for the "Be A Star" television in Nashville.

• Artswatch will present the first Kentucky New Music Festival at the Kentucky School for the Blind, 1839 Frankfurt Ave., Saturday, June 26, 1993, beginning at 8:00 p.m.

Appearing will be ECM recording artist Marc Anderson, with Steve Tibbets; Local Universe, Phil Miller & Fred Baker.

• Country music in Kentucky will get a little nationwide television exposure on June 5, when the syndicated program "DiscoverAmerica" does a piece on Renfro Valley. The show airs on Saturdays, at 3:30, on CNBC (NBC's cable network).

• Alan Rhody continues to do well and stay busy. He's set to play at the Kerrville Folk Festival, he's going to perform on the Everly Brothers Homecoming and he's going to teach a songwriting class at the Kentucky Music Week, as well as play on the Kentucky Music Weekend. All that in between the touring that he's be doing.

Maybe I could get him to stop by sometime when he has a couple of spare minutes and write a song.

• Uncle P's owner Mark Smalley finagled a stand-by flight to Las Vegas to visit Dave the bartender. Last I heard, he wasn't there yet. I wonder who's running the bar? Send us a card, Mark.

• Do you have a great tidbit for the Down on the Corner column? I've gotten so busy that I can't get out and snoop around like I useta. Call me at 231-5559 with those juicy gossip items.