Down On The Corner

By Paul Moffett

• The turmoil continues to play out at the Public Radio Partnership following the departure of President Gerry Weston. The Courier-Journal's Tom Dorsey provided more (but not all) of the backstory plus comments from various knowledgeable notables in the January 20 issue of the C-J, if you're interested in all that. It bugs me not knowing all the nitty-gritty, though. A `360-degree' search is to begin shortly for a new president.

Meanwhile, Susan Sweeney Crum, on-air news anchor and reporter for WHAS-TV and most recently, WDRB TV for the last twenty years or so, will be anchoring the afternoon drivetime news desk on WFPL-FM.

• In even more PRP-related news, you can now donate your old guitars, amps and keyboards to WFPK 91.9 for eventual new `lives' as student instruments in area public school systems. Previously, only WUOL collected orchestra instruments for the program, called Instrumental Partners. To date, they've provided 300+ instruments to students.

The Music Department of Indiana University Southeast will hold auditions on Saturday, February 11, 2006 and Saturday, March 18, 2006 for students wishing to major in music and/or be considered for a music scholarship. Music scholarships are available to any student planning to attend IU Southeast, regardless of major. Auditions will be held from 9:30 a. m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall of the Paul W. Ogle Cultural and Community Center on the IU Southeast Campus, 4201 Grant Line Road in New Albany. Contact the Music Department Office at (812) 941-2655 for audition applications and information, or visit www.ius.edu/music.

• Former Louisvillian and singer-songwriter Jan Smith has been signed by Landslide Records, with an April 4 release date set for her new CD, 29 Dances. Smith currently lives in the Charlottesville, Virginia. For more information, surf over to www.honeybirdmusicnews.net.

• Here's one for the songwriters out there: During February, each participant in the February Album Writing Month project will attempt to compose at least fourteen original pieces of music during the shortest month of the year. The FAWM project, now in its third year, is the brainchild of Burr Settles, a singer-songwriter from Lexington, Kentucky now based in Madison, Wisconsin. Interested participants can still register online for the challenge at www.fawm.org.

• Here's a fundraiser that's a bit different: the Blue Apple Players fundraising event on Saturday, February 4, 2006 at the Brown Theatre will feature songs and scenes from the various BAP plays performed by some of the following Mayor Jerry Abramson; Barry Bernson; Ann Bowdan; Jim Bulleit; Jeanne Curtis; Heather French Henry; Billy Hower; Tim Krekel; the Lambert and Lindsey Morning Show team from 102.3 The Max; Eddie Lewis; Phil Lynch; Susan McNeese Lynch; Carolyn Gaeta McLean; Eric McKeaver; Chris Poynter; Joe Reagan; Shane Sellers; Bob Schulman; Kim Stevens; The Blue Umbrellas; Jim Voyles; John Yarmuth; 84WHAS Radio's Francene and more. Blue Apple Players is celebrating thirty years of producing plays for children. For tickets, contact the Kentucky Center box office at (502) 584-7777 or Blue Apple Players at (502) 587-7990.

• The Kentucky Derby Festival is looking for local bands to play along the route of the Meijer Derby Festival miniMarathon and Marathon on Saturday, April 29. For the exposure, of course, no dinero. Interested? Call Mark Shallcross, Kentucky Derby Festival Communications Manager, at 584-3378, ext. 822.

Ron Lewis of the Mr. Wonderful Production Band sent word that John Clay Jr.,49, trombonist for the Unhooked Generation Show Band, passed away December 16 ,2005 in Texas.