Down On The Corner

By Paul Moffett

There has been a flurry on releases from Louisville artists, both here and elsewhere, in the last few days. Here's the list at the moment:

Freakwater 's Catherine Irwin will release her second solo CD (and first in ten years), Little Heater, on September 18. It was recorded in Woodstock, New York with fellow Louisville native Tara Jane ONeil (Rodan, Ida) handling the production chores, with Bonnie 'Prince' Billy providing guest vocals on "Mockingbird."

Coincidentally, Tara Jane O'Neil has a new KickStarter campaign going on. She's trying to raise the money to finish her new album. Her goal is $6,999. Go here http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tarajaneoneil/a-new-offering-by-tara-jane-oneil to contribute.

SonaBLAST! Records has released A new Workers' CD, Both Hands. You can listen to a track and buy a copy at http://workers.bandcamp.com/

Louisville's reigning electro-pop crew The Pass has released a sample from their upcoming sophomore album Melt. You can hear it at http://soundcloud.com/the-pass/without-warning

The new Young Widows/Coliseum split 7-inch will be released on August 3. You have to be in Toronto to get it first, however.

There's a new Ben Sollee album, Half-Made Man, scheduled for release on September 25. It'll be released on his own label, Tin Ear Records.

Anybody who has been in the Haymarket Whiskey Bar (formerly Derby City Espresso) knows that the room is long and narrow, even more so than the old clubs on Washington Street. However, it turns out that proprietor Matthew Landan has a full concert space, complete with sound and such, on the other side of the wee patio at the bar of the bar. He has been booking shows quite aggressively since reopening under the new name.

On the major live event front, there was news early last month that a new general manager for the Yum! Arena, Dennis Petrullo, has been brought in from Los Angeles by Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), which has landed the contract to manage the facility. While there are no plans to increase the number of events immediately, AEG is looking at what is available from other cities where they have agreements. The LA corporate office is said to be helping with bookings. This suggests that we are likely to see more West Coast acts and boomer favorites out on the road, trying to make up for lost record royalties.

Meanwhile, The Clifton Center, which plans to "present more than double the number of concerts and events than last year," has hired Adam Fischer, managing director of Stuart's Opera House in Nelsonville, Ohio, as the new General Manager of the Clifton Center in charge of day-to-day operations. His position includes "overseeing facility rental, maintenance, and the continuing process of renovations, as well as working closely with Clifton Center Executive Director John Harris to coordinate the non-profit organization's programming and event production." Fischer has moved with his wife and daughter into a house in the Clifton neighborhood.

These developments are of concern to Louisville musicians. Louisville music fans, of course, should be delighted to have even more choices, but the players here are suffering from the greatly increased competition for those entertainment dollars. The number of touring musicians coming through Louisville is higher than it's been in decades, if not, in fact, at any time in memory. As a result, many venues available to local artists have greatly reduced their live music events, often substituting open stages, jam sessions and karaoke, which are much less expensive to produce. Paying gigs are increasingly hard to come by, especially for up-and-coming acts doing original material. Even cover bands are affected, with only a few earning what was once a routine amount.

All of this is a result of the impact of the internet on the music industry. Bands must tour to make any money, selling their CDs and merchandise at shows. Louisville's location makes it an easy top on the way to someplace else, and so we have much music to choose from. Louisville bands will just have to learn to get on the road, which is a very hard lesson, indeed.

Cox Radio announced that it is "realigning" its media holdings and will sell off radio stations in six markets, including Louisville. Stations on the block here are Classic Country WRKA-FM, AC WVEZ-FM, Classic Hits WSFR-FM and Country WQNU-FM.

CODAS

Henderson, John Scott, 53, died in Louisville on June 26, 2012. He was a jazz guitarist who played in many restaurants and clubs, Actors' Theater of Louisville, Louisville Amphitheater, Derby Dinner Playhouse, Kentucky Center for the Arts as well as the Indianapolis Symphony and Cincinnati Symphony. He taught hundreds of students over more than 30 years as an instructor with the Jamey Aebersold Jazz Workshops, and in private instruction. Throughout his career he played with many jazz greats and mentored many younger musicians.