Celebrate St Patrick’s Day 115 days early this year. Yep, that’s right, on November 22^, Celtic punk rock band Dropkick Murphys will make a tour stop in Coyote’s at City Block. The Murphys are a small hardcore punk rock Celtic orchestra with more than ten types of Irish instrumentation, including uilleann pipes or Irish bagpipes.

File Photo

Dropkick Murphys formed in 1996 in Quincy, Massachusetts, which is just a few miles outside of Boston. They started as a four-piece punk rock act, changing a few members during their early years. They eventually started adding members with new types of instrumentation, which brought more of a Celtic flair to their punk rock sound. Today, the Murphys have grown to seven members playing up to ten types of instruments from one song to the next.

Dropkick Murphys started to make their way onto the national scene when they were added to the Vans Warped Tour in 2003. The following year, their remake of the Boston Red Sox’s anthem, “Tessie,” went on to become the Boston Red Sox’s official song when they won the World Series later that year.

Also in 2004 the Murphys landed a song on the Rock Against Bush, Vol. 2 CD compilation, which included the Foo Fighters, Green Day, Bad Religion, and Rancid. Rick Rubin was one of the producers of this album.

In 2005, they released their fifth album, The Warriors Code, on Epitaph Records. Their hit song “I’m Shipping Up To Boston,” with lyrics that is based on a Woody Guthrie poem, was used in Martin Scorsese’s Oscar winning film “The Departed,” which gained the Murphys considerable fame. Yep, you remember that song, don’t you?

So you already know this is one show you shouldn’t miss. This is one awesome showcase of musicianship, so long as you can stand the good ol’ punk rock drinking crowd whom will keep the environment quite “live” offstage too. The Dropkick Murphys will probably feel right at home here in Louisville. As for everyone else here at home, you’ll like this band because they are just as patriotic to their homeland as many of us Louisville / Kentucky musicians and fans are. And bagpipes in perfect unison with traditional punk-based instrumentation just effin rocks, too.

Opening the show is The Loved Ones and The Mahones. Ticket prices are $25, which seems a little on the high end for Coyote’s, but, I think the average person will get way more for their entertainment dollar on this $25 ticket price versus most other $25 ticket price shows at a bar.

Bottom line, go see it. Gas is down to $2.50 a gallon temporarily, and on top of that St. Patrick’s Day is one of the coolest holidays of the year, even this ad-hoc one on November 22.

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After walking 27 New York City blocks in the world’s largest human traffic jam, the Strawberry Fields sign along the West side of Central Park came as quite a relief to see. Strawberry Fields is a small area in Central Park memorializing the area where John Lennon both lived and where he eventually was murdered in 1980. Before I left that big electronic concrete jungle, I had to pay my respect to one of the world’s greatest musicians.

After rounding a few corners, I walked into the focal point of the memorial. It’s a big stone Italian-style mosaic with “Imagine” in the center.

Photo by Jason Ashcraft

There was a middle-aged bearded man nearby. Next to him was a Black Labrador wrapped in a sleeping bag, lying pretty much motionless. The man furiously sorted through a garbage bag of second-hand flowers and laying out the ones not wilted onto a small area on the cobblestone walkway. I was pretty sure the dog was getting ready to die and the man, apparently homeless, was making peace with the situation.

All the other tourists still came and took pictures of themselves around the Imagine mosaic, ignoring the man and his dying dog. Being a dog lover, ignoring that whole situation wasn’t easy for me. I snapped a quick picture of the mosaic and, opting not to visit The Dakota, the apartment building where Lennon was murdered, I headed back up to the Upper West Side. Although not having the human traffic jam that neighboring parts of the city do, the Upper West Side doesn’t have nearly as many places of business.

I still left somewhat amazed how there is a sense of solitude around Strawberry Fields, right in the middle of one of the world’s largest and most hectic human environments. Ying and Yang is the best way to think of it.

However, Strawberry Fields is a “must experience” place for music history buffs and Beatle lovers alike. If you can stand the chaotic city that surrounds it, I suggest you make the trip.

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    VS.   

I did something I have never done before. At the age of 31, I finally registered to vote. Why now you may ask? Because we are just days away from what will prove to be the most important presidential election of our generation, and I’m not going to let my personal reservations about government trump my most powerful concerns. As we head into this election with more critical problems and hardships than any other time in our life, one thing is inevitably clear; we must bring about change.

President Bush’s failed economic policies have forced millions of home foreclosures, record unemployment rates, lowering wages, reduced benefits, skyrocketing energy and gas costs, and the exportation of jobs to international shores, while political and corporate corruptions and scandals flourished. The Bush administration has typically turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the American working class family’s problems that his administration created. Mainly because they have only listened to the lobbyists that represent huge corporations, so therefore most laws passed are only good for wealthy corporate titans and their cronies who make up their big club. It’s really no surprise that the working middle class of America has lost all our faith in the government that is supposed to protect and preserve our right to live and prosper, and not disable it. . Instead they strip away our basic American liberties, tell us America is still “Land of the FREE” but you can’t find one damn thing in this world that doesn’t take your money. More like “Land of the FEE.” Everything is about money and that is a problem.

So what does this have to do with musicians? The majority of these hardships are working middle class hardships, which is exactly the social class that most musicians belong to, especially in Kentucky. Thus, these hardships – not just felt in Kentucky - signify a war on the working middle class nationwide and a clear threat to many musicians being able to export their sound. We are being muted, slowly but surely. 

The profession of being a musician has become increasingly challenging over the past few years due to changes in technology and rising fuel costs. These problems hit at the heart of every musician and are considered industry issues,  impacting each musician in a different way. With the proliferation of online pirating software and disc-burning technology, most musicians find it nearly impossible to make a living off of album sales alone. At best, most musicians (depending on if they have a record deal and its terms) should only expect to reimburse their label (and themselves) for the cost or recording and producing an album. In this day and age, musicians must tour relentlessly and constantly. Musicians make more money by filling clubs and stadiums with people than they do selling albums to them. But that is exactly where many musicians find themselves in a ‘Catch 22,’ so to speak. With skyrocketing gas prices, many musicians are now finding it a challenge to make money from touring after the cost of gas is deducted. How can they afford to tour if gas prices remain at the current astronomical levels and continue to rise? Simply stated, they can’t. Alternative sources of energy are going to be a must if the music industry is going to continue to exist. Can you imagine what it would be like to have significantly fewer concerts and live shows?

If America does not eliminate its dependence on foreign oil and aggressively transition to alternative sources of energy, the music industry – like many other industries - will begin to perish as a result, thus extinguishing the ability of musicians to export their sound beyond their hometowns. This issue alone is what makes this year’s presidential election so important for musicians across the country.

With that being said, we must elect a president who will move America into these types of renewable and green energy initiatives as quickly as possible.

The proposed energy policies of Barack Obama and John McCain are quite clear, therefore making it easy to distinguish the difference between the two candidates, and making the choice clear for what is best for the music industry. Musicians must take note of these differences and consider it as a guiding reason when they vote.

Barack Obama’s policies would aggressively transition America off our dependence of the expensive and environmentally hazardous fossil fuels, particularly oil, which we buy from the countries that finance terror against our nation. Obama would start by investing more than $150 billion dollars over the next ten years (or $15 billion per year) into alternative, renewable energy technologies, which in turn will create new jobs. Under Obama’s plan, we would reduce carbon emissions by 80% below the 1990 levels by 2050. Obama will also create a new $7,000 tax credit for those purchasing vehicles with hybrid or alternative fuel technology. Under Obama’s plan there would be over 1 million hybrid technology vehicles on the roads by 2015. Additionally, Obama’s plan calls for modest additional offshore drilling and tapping the reserve supply as a short term relief effort at the pump. However, he realizes this is not the long term solution for eliminating America’s dependence on oil and fossil fuel, so continuing to drill is not moving America in a new direction. You wouldn’t wean a drug addict off drugs by continuing to give them drugs, right?

John McCain’s policies on energy are contrary to Obama’s plan and not as aggressive about moving America to alternative energy sources and reducing our dependency on fossil fuels. One of his first initiatives would be to lift the ban entirely on off-shore drilling. Lifting this ban does nothing to reduce our move to dependence on fossil fuels. You will not see a meaningful price reduction at the pump. On top of that, the increased offshore drilling will likely result in more catastrophic environmental disasters such as oil spills. It also wastes valuable manpower and resources that could be used for the development of alternative renewable energy sources. McCain proposes a modest $2 billion per year to develop alternative energy technologies, compared to Obama’s $15 billion annual investment. Under McCain’s energy plan, we would reduce carbon emissions by 60% below the 1990 level by 2050, compared to Obama’s 80%. McCain’s tax credit for purchasing vehicles with hybrid technology would be $5,000, compared to Obama’s $7,000.

This is just a few of the defining differences between Obama and McCain’s energy plan. Essentially Barack Obama is the more logical choice for the working middle class citizens, including musicians. He is the definite choice for musicians who are worried about their ability to continue to tour and export their music. 

McCain takes a more typical Republican position, supporting the upper class and wealthy elite. While it’s true that some of his policies may be good for bands like Metallica, the Eagles, Jimmy Buffet and other millionaire artists, the vast majority of musicians – especially the indie music scene – will see their ability to continue music as a profession diminish.

How can we afford to trust McCain’s all-of-a-sudden adoption of “reform” policy, when for the last 8 years he has voted in favor on many of Bush’s policies? Many of the Bush administration policies are the defining reasons why so many hard working Americans can’t afford to live. And now – all of the sudden - McCain is going to reverse the failed policies he has long supported, and change America for the better? At age 73? Right. He’ll have a heart attack even before he could ever figure it out. Can you imagine having Sarah Palin as President?

Wake up people! We can’t afford to continue going down the road we have been going for the last 8 years! It’s time for change!

Barack Obama is the change that America needs. I encourage you to visit his website (www.barackobama.com) and learn about his policies and plans to change America for the better.

Plato once said, “When the mode of the music changes, the walls of the city shake.” Well, I can’t think of a better time then now!

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BSC hanging in the Highlands pre-show. Photo by Laura Roberts

It’s not to often that a band from Kentucky gets to take its music far outside the Bluegrass state, especially when gas is $4 per gallon. Most Kentucky rock bands just don’t have the means to reach an audience much farther than their nearby backwoods Eastern Kentucky honky-tonk, Louisville live music landmark or Northern Kentucky rock joint. There are so many choices for listeners and fans on the Internet that if you can’t manage to tour, then you can’t make a career out of music, which seems to be a predominate ambition among many Kentucky-based rock bands.

All that may change soon for Edmonton, Kentucky natives Black Stone Cherry (BSC). BSC is tearing up the live concert scene with relentless national and international touring. On August 19, they released their second studio album, Folklore and Superstition, on Roadrunner Records. Black Stone Cherry is John Fred Young, drums, Chris Robertson, guitar and vocals, Ben Wells, guitar and Jon Lawhon on bass. John Fred Young is the son of guitarist Richard Young and nephew to drummer Fred Young, Richard’s brother, co-founders of The Kentucky Headhunters.

BSC at ear X-tacy on August 21, 2008. Photo by Laura Roberts

Playing a collection of hard-hitting, energetic, and in-your-face Southern rock songs, BSC plans to refocus the national industry’s (such as it is attention to all Kentucky musicians, who have largely been ignored in recent years. They mix guitar-fueled hard rock with a post grunge era sound and, at times, a touch of metal. Like most country boys, when they are not kicking your ass onstage, they’re off-stage attitude is one of the best in the industry: classic Kentucky charm and utter sincerity.

It was May of 2003 when the boys, along with father, mentor and manager Richard Young, came up to at a Silvertide show at Jillian’s in Louisville. They had just recently started frequenting Louisville in an effort to promote their music to the Louisville rock scene. Since none of them were even close to 21 at the time, they had limited access to Louisville music venues; Richard Young was got them past that barrier. A copy of their first recording was passed along to me.

Like The Kentucky Headhunters’ records, their first EP, Rock ‘n’ Roll Tape, was recorded at Barrick Studios in Glasgow, Kentucky andwas released in 2003 on their independent label, Black Stone Cherry Records.

The intensity of the songs’ was immediately apparent, particularly on “Sissy Bitch,” “Redneck,” and the anthemic “America,” a testimony to their overwhelming appreciation for the country.

It should come as no surprise that their music is very positive, given that they were mentored by their “family,” The Kentucky Headhunters, the country rock band that received a flurry of awards in the late Eighties and early Nineties, including a Grammy. Not many bands get that kind of leg up.

Going Down South

My first trip to Edmonton, in Metcalfe County, to watch them rehearse came shortly after receiving the copy of Rock ‘n’ Roll Tape. It turned out to be more than what was anticipated. After the rehearsal, they decided to head out to the cow pastures for some photos. At the first group of cattle, they jumped out of the car and got as close to the cattle as possible, as quickly as possible. John Fred casually said to hurry and take the pictures “before they get pissed off.” To make matters worse, one of the bulls wasn’t fully polled. Grabbing my camera, I started shooting as the bulls breathing got harder and heavier. That shoot ended pretty quickly, as I wanted to get back to the safety of the car before there was a reenactment of Pamplona, Spain’s most famous tourist attraction.

BSC in 2003. Photo by Jason Ashcraft

We wrapped up the interview with dinner at their favorite Mexican restaurant in Glasgow, where the waiting staff greeted them upon arrival. Our waiter even inquired about when they were going to play a live show in their parking lot.

Back Then

John Fred Young’s first memory of music was when his father sat him in front of a TV to watch cartoons with Motown music, while Dad wrote and played his music. On the same subject, Chris Robertson said, “I remember quitting it, then hating it, then picking my guitar back up.”

John Fred and Chris have been friends from kindergarten and played together growing up. Ben Wells, also a native of the Glasgow area, started playing music with Chris and John Fred early in their teens. Jon Lawhon moved up from Jacksonville, Florida in 1998 and shortly met up with John Fred, Chris and Ben. Black Stone Cherry was officially formed on June 4, 2001, Chris’ 16^th birthday.

After they formed the band, they took over the Headhunters’ famed practice house and began cranking out heavy Southern rock with a twist of post-grunge tunes. Many of the songs on Rock ‘n’ Roll Tape could have gone straight to radio.

They have quite a catalog of excellent tunes, including “Bulldozer,” which was written early in the life of the band, and which has yet to appear on any studio album and has been absent from any live performance. An infectious tune, it instantaneously draws the listener in, feeling the flow of the song with its melody. Maybe they will break it out one night, or perhaps there is a “B” side recording; BSC records a lot.

With all of the songs they were writing and the increasing buzz circulating among their hometown fans, naturally they began to attract the attention of record labels. BSC also landed quite a few notable opening slots, appearing in front of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Ted Nugent, garnering the attention and appreciation of older music fans who appreciate their straight Southern rock ‘n’ roll.

In addition to the aggressive and relentless touring, BSC began to have chart singles like “Lonely Train,” a song that peaked at 14 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart; “Rain Wizard,” a Led Zeppelin-ish tune and “Hell and High Water,” a song with a very poppy chorus.

After considerable interest from several major record labels, they signed a deal with Roadrunner Records, home to Black Label Society, Slipknot and Nickelback, among other current rock acts. In an interview, the Black Stone Cherry boys described the guys at Roadrunner Records as being “cool dudes who just dug music.”

After they released their eponymous first studio album in July 2006, BSC immediately hit the road and launched an extensive U.S., Canadian and European tour.

Right Now

BSC has toured the U.S. Extensively; going to Europe has become a yearly habit. Most recently, BSC went out with Def Leppard and Whitesnake on a tour of England and Ireland and accomplished their childhood dream of playing to a sold-out Wembley Arena. BSC also went on to headline their own European tour and got to hang out with rock music pioneers like Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. Like such Louisville bands as My Morning Jacket and My Own Victim, these Kentucky boys are even more popular in Europe then they are in their own home state. Back in the U.S., they are no strangers to extensive touring and are usually on the road with bands like Black Label Society, Buckcherry, Hinder, Papa Roach, Shinedown, and Sevendust.

BSC refers to their fellow tour-mates as being their “friends,” and open shows for them even though they have surpassed what most of their U.S. tour-mates still aspire to do – play overseas where the live music scene is actually a little more “live.”

As soon as they arrived back from their last European tour in June, they scheduled their first show back in Kentucky in Louisville, at Headliners Music Hall on July 11.

BSC at “Blind Man” video shoot at Waverly Hills Sanitorium. Photo by Josh London.

I caught up with them there for a very brief interview. They were extremely excited to be playing at home again and were happy to answer a couple of questions:

LMN: What has changed since you signed with Roadrunner Records?

John Fred: “Actually, the ability to be able to - or to have an opportunity to - go out and play in front of people and have the chance to spread our music we created, e very since you knew us, even before we had a deal – to spread that music to other people, who had never heard it before.”

LMN: What is the biggest difference between the European live music scene and the American live music scene?

Chris: “There is not a huge difference, but there is a difference. At home the crowd is often a little more timid because the security is often like ‘if you move, I will break your jaw’, whereas over there (Europe the security feels like if they move they will get their jaw broken. So the crowd over there really doesn’t care. That’s main difference. It has to do with the security guards. It creates a fear in the fans here, They feel if they get a little out of hand they are going to get thrown out, whereas it is exactly the opposite over there (Europe).”

Black Stone Cherry and I post interview - Photo by Phil Longo

So what’s next for Glasgow’s newest favorite sons? Their new album, Folklore and Superstition, is in stores now and they have already hit the road for another nationwide tour. The closest shows are on September 11, Pierre’s in Fort Wayne, IN; September 12, University of Akron, Akron, OH and September 13, Riverfront Park in Nashville, TN.

They head back to Europe again for an opening date in Paris, France, on November 18^, so make sure you catch them live while they are still in the States. Also make sure you check out the new video (MTV2 and Myspace) for “Blind Man,” the first single from Folklore and Superstition. Staying loyal to their Kentucky and Louisville roots, the video was shot at Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville’s South End. The video is very sleek and straightforward, simply proclaiming that they are just some good ol’ boys who love their rock ‘n’ roll.

On August 24 Folklore and Superstition debuted at #1 on the UK Rock Album Chart beating out industry icons Kid Rock, Linkin Park, Foo Fighters, and Nickelback. Simultaneously Folklore and Superstition also debuted at # 23 on the UK Official Album chart. Quite an accomplishment for some rural Kentucky boys, but not surprising at all given their relentless touring in Europe over the past two years.

Go take over the world boys!

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Once a small afternoon outdoor concert, Louisville’s Forecastle Festival has come a long way in the seven years of its existence. Starting in 2002 as a small neighborhood gathering in Louisville’s Highlands district, Forecastle debuted with just six bands on one stage in one day. It has now grown to more than fifty bands on four stages over almost three full days. It has become one the region’s largest organized “Call to Action” showcases, combining music with art and environmental activism.

This year’s Forecastle Festival, held July 25-27 on Louisville’s Belvedere, brought together a wide array of social and cultural groups, from happy hippies, to hip-hoppers, some hillbillies and a few homeboys (and girls). Every one of them was treated to live performances of their favorite musical genre several times over from the large roster of talent. Regardless of any perceived social difference, everyone rallied around the festival’s environmental activism keynote speech, delivered by environmental activist Robert F Kennedy Jr., son of the late Robert F. Kennedy. His hour-long speech was extremely moving, given in such a context that only a hypocrite would have disagreed with him.

Photo by Kate Eldridge

Onto the music.

Code  Red

                                                                                                    Photo by Kate Eldrige

Louisville based Code Red, a hip-hop act that fuses r e g g a e - i n s p i r e d instrumentation into its music, felt right at home during their performance on the opening night. Greeted by what seemed to be a predominantly hometown crowd, Code Red delivered an animated set, highlighted by a performance of “Summer Jam,” with the rest of the songs somewhat running together.

Del The Funky Homosapien

 Del The Funky Homosapien brought mad lyrics, as it’s referred to in the hip-hop community/culture. His set was filled with repeated slang terms and sentence fragments, consisting of “1’s and 2’s,” “old school” “yo” and something that resembled a chorus, the repetition of “diving the virus…” Again, I interpreted this to be the chorus.

There were also plenty of 45-second breaks where Del requested the audience to “throw their hands up in the air.” I know there is talent that is rooted in his performance, but it is incomprehensible to anyone who has a only foundation of country or rock music as their basis of appreciation.

GZA

Photo by Kate Eldridge

Thankfully, there was Wu Tang Clan alumni GZA (pronounced Jizz-ah), who saved the night for the hip-hop performances. GZA’s immediate presence on the stage brought a flurry of “W’s” being made with the first three fingers of the crowd, a symbolic vow of allegiance to the Wu Tang Clan. Overall, GZA delivered a much tighter set with better rehearsed songs than his predecessor, and, for the most part, coherent pronunciation of words that were, um, comprehensible. DJ Muggs also was much better at controlling and influencing the perception of the music as a whole and complimented the lyrical mastery that GZA possesses. Notably, GZA’s set contained a tribute song by the late Dirty Old Bastard’s “Shimmie Shimmie Ra.” Good stuff from the world of hip-hop.

Film School

Los Angeles-based Film School surprised me with an impressively tight set of psychedelic Goth rock laden with pop influences. They delivered those eclectic styles consistently, with each song having its own attitude. Look them up at myspace.com/filmschool and make an effort to catch them live. You won’t be disappointed and will thank me later.

Snowden

Photo by Kate Eldridge 

This was one band that mailed me their latest studio album Anti Anti before heading to Louisville. Interesting band. Their music is delivered rather euphorically and pop -rock-ish but not cheesily. The band’s bassist, Corinne Lee, was the best performer and, possibly, the best musician in the band. Playing not only bass but a synthesizer as well, she also managed two floor toms. She had the best stage presence by far. You have to see Corinne play her instruments to believe me. Trust me, it’s pretty cool and I’m hard to please. Overall this is another artist worth checking out at myspace.com/snowden.

The Del McCoury Band

Photo by Kate Eldridge

Nashville’s Del McCoury Band brought a living room concert feel to their performance, playing to a setting sun and a bunch of shirtless, good ol’ boys who wanted more beer. Del seemed to be a happy old man who regularly laughed onstage at his own antics, and even provided an honest in-song admission of forgetting his lyrics. The crowd also laughed it off as Del continued with the song.

Del made his first public appearance in Nashville’s Grand Ole’ Opry, playing with Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys, way back in 1963.

Rounding out the rest of the band was Kentucky native Jason Carter, violin and fiddle; Ronnie McCoury, banjo; Rob McCoury, mandolin and Alan Bartram upright bass.

Their website is www.delmccouryband.com, definetly check them out.

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“Is that an aluminum foil dress?” I asked myself when Billy Corgan’s tall, slender and hairless silhouette emerged from the low-lit backstage of The Louisville Palace. The overly eager crowd, which had already logged a few outbursts due to background music change-ups and a stage lighting adjustment, finally was appeased. There was a moment of sheer panic by the audience (and even myself) when the Smashing Pumpkins just appeared on stage, live. My seat neighbor told me that some people would “kill” to sit where we were sitting. third row back from center left stage. Perfect.

Photo by Laura Roberts

Corgan wasted no time once he stepped in front the microphone, opening with “Tarantula,” the band’s first single off their latest album, Zeitgeist, released in July of 2007. Corgan and the rest of the Smashing Pumpkins did not seem overly enthusiastic during the opening of their set, judging by a modest stage presence, possibly because an early equipment malfunction.

After the monitor situation was apparently resolved and Corgan was satisfied with the sound, he quickly upped their stage presence by playing “Eye.” This is a song that initiated the Smashing Pumpkins’ diversion from the classic guitar-drum-bass instrumentation. “Eye” launched the Pumpkins into the electronica genre almost overnight, but only temporarily. The song’s melodramatic tone had an inverse effect on the audience, though, which seemingly demanded a return to the Pumpkins traditional sound, with a slew of fans requesting Siamese Dream song titles.

Just about when my own anticipation of hearing something off Siamese Dream reached its peak, the melodic intro of “Mayonnaise” was strummed by Corgan and again the crowd erupted in obvious satisfaction. As the crowd built, so did the Smashing Pumpkins stage presence, and “Mayonnaise” was played nearly perfectly.

Nearly halfway into the set, Billy Corgan finally addressed the crowd, saying “Go Cubs!”, an obvious hint to the band’s Chicago heritage. Then, while the stage was being changed to prepare for the acoustic set, Corgan mentioned that he usually says something “stupid” in these situations, but a crowd member boisterously suggested that it would be something “really stupid.” Surprised by the fan’s response, Corgan pitched him his vocal mic and said, “Here, you say something really stupid, man” while laughing with the fan. Wow! This was getting good. The fan paused and then shouted through the mic, “Wanna go for a ride?” The crowd immediately endorsed his request for the Pumpkin’s hit song “Zero,” off the double album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, released in October of 1995. But surprisingly Corgan never played “Zero” for this guy or anyone. He instead played songs like “Bullet With Butterfly Wings,” and “Tonight, Tonight” to round out the Mellon Collie album.

Another unusual situation was when Corgan - in between songs, officially - began tuning his guitar. I’m not sure the crowd even knew or cared at this point, as they continued to have their usual loud and random outbursts. But, 2 hours and 10 minutes later, Corgan was obviously winding down, as he started to stagger erratically around the stage, swinging his guitar, and signaling an intent to quit playing. After a few minutes of indecision, he walked off stage. Just when I thought it was going to be a classless ending, he and the rest of the Pumpkins emerged again to a still-cheering audience wanting another song.

What happened next is something I will never admit to seeing or hearing again in my life after publishing this review. The Smashing Pumpkins began harmonizing together to a keyboard, an accordion, and – um, uh – kazoo solos by each band member, which eventually led into a cover of Mungo Jerry’s “Summertime.” Good song, bad instruments, but cheerful nonetheless.

One last appearance from Corgan came with a visit from Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, who also came out waving to the audience.

So it was an interesting show with a lot of twists and turns in the Pumpkin’s musicianship. Would I go see it again? Yes. I still want to hear “Disarm,” or “Zero,” or “Spaceboy” played live. Oh well, that’s how it goes when a band has written as much great music as The Smashing Pumpkins have.

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Photo by Jason Ashcraft

The reopening of the Thunderdome on June 28th aroused quite a curiosity amongst many Louisville concert-goers, musicians and probably even other neighboring live music venue owners.

During the mid to late 1990’s – the Thunderdome’s glory days – almost every national tour that frequented Louisville made a tour stop at the Thunderdome. During that time, this was the place to see a concert. For those of you too young to remember the original Thunderdome, poor you, but secondly, beware. The new Thunderdome does not even come close to living up to the mystique that the original Thunderdome established during the late 1990’s. For all the veteran concert-goers and musicians, well, it’s like waking up from a one big wet dream. Neighboring live music venue owners, rest peacefully; your livelihood is not threatened.

Unfortunately, I was asked to leave before I could complete my assessment of the Thunderdome. Nonetheless, here is a rundown of the essentials:

Entertainment

One of the only things Thunderdome management did right was book such prominent Louisville artists as Heaven Hill, Bryan Fox, Kevin McCreary, Dead City Rejects, Primer 55 and MSD, along with quite a few other notable talents.

But, according to several artists who have played the Thunderdome, getting paid has turned out to be a bit of a hassle, even after receiving a guarantee from the Thunderdome’s management. If this trend continues, don’t expect to see any artists play there twice, or possibly, at all.

The sound is another matter. During the two nights I attended, it sounded like a bunch of echoed gargle in a metal garage or pole barn. Seriously. Even some of the performing musicians were complaining of not being able to hear their music through the monitors. I know the sound man is a competent pro, but it’s the room that is the problem.

Having a crowd of people will usually help prevent some of the sound waves from bouncing around so much and producing the excessive echoing effect – feedback - if there are no other sound proofing elements in place, which there were not. Regrettably, the current sound setup in this room just drowns out some artists’ better qualities of musicianship. Bottom line, I’ve heard better sound quality produced in the basements where bands rehearse in versus what Thunderdome’s environment offers.

Prices

Simply stated, it’s expensive. You’ll first pay anywhere from $7 – $10 to walk through the door. And make sure you only bring cash, because they do not accept credit cards.

It’s $6 for a well drink, served in an eight-ounce plastic cup. Of course, if that mixed drink is served a little stronger than you like, be prepared to shell out another $2 for more Coke and to upgrade to a twelve-ounce plastic cup. Cans of beer run $3 each and are also served with a plastic cup.

A margarita will set you back $8. It, too, was served in a plastic eight-ounce cup, garnished with a dry slice of, um, aged lime.

Whatever you order, just be sure you pay them promptly and with little resistance (I asked for more Coke in the rum and Coke I ordered) otherwise the bartender may opt to call security, which is what happened to me. Time to leave.

Hope you have better luck then I did!

scuttlebuttpress@yahoo.com

Photo by Jason Ashcraft

Nashville’s Framing Hanley recently made a tour stop in Louisville on July 3rd at Club Oasis. Playing to a somewhat small audience, Framing Hanley introduced a new member to their band, Ryan Belcher (guitar). Belcher originally from Nashville, now calls Louisville his home when he is not on the road. Belcher replaces original member Tim Huskinson (guitar) who recently left the band on good terms due to family obligations. The rest of the band consists of founding members, Nixon (vocals), Brandon Wooten (guitars), Luke McDuffee (bass), and Chris Vest (drums).

Framing Hanley are latecomers from that other mini-musical revolution that transpired right after true grunge began to fade – that being the birth of the screamo/emo genre of rock.

Framing Hanley’s sound, at times, is similar to bands like Thursday, Incubus, Story Of The Year, or 30 Seconds To Mars. If any of these artists hold any significance in your own musical dialect, then your estimation on Framing Hanley will probably follow suit.

When they claimed Club Oasis’s stage, it was as if it were their own garage, and what followed was an intense live set that seemed to pay no attention to the small crowd. Framing Hanley still, nonetheless, demonstrated an eagerness to get on stage and play leading up to going on. That was exemplified with all of them kind of pushing their way around on stage as soon as they opened their set. They remained at all times seemingly inspired to play their music. The majority of the crowd too seemed a bit inspired, something that was noted by many prying eyes on Nixon’s every move for the entire set.

Framing Hanley brings a real sense of passion to their music, which is a partially attributable characteristic to the essence of the emo genre, but still is something that was undeniably perceptible in Framing Hanley’s performance. They seem to understand that you really have to treat a live performance in the same manner as you do recording processes.

Speaking of recording, Framing Hanley is continuing to build on the success of there first major album, The Moment released by the Silent Majority Group (Tantric, Candlebox) in late 2007.

Framing Hanley’s first musical trait demonstrated on The Moment is that they write about the events that have shaped their lives, and not necessarily to live up to any commercial obligations. As Nixon describes what inspires them to write he stated, “Every song on that record (The Moment) is about something that one of us, or all of us had been going through. Every song has a story behind it.”

The albums first single, “Hear Me Now,” embodies Framing Hanley’s customary inauspicious song themes. It’s laden with shrieking backing vocals against Nixon’s predominantly melodic chorus, both of which are arranged over metalish guitars. “Hear Me Now” has enjoyed quite a few notable successes in its day, the most impressive being Sirius 20 Octane’s most requested song for 2007.

One other song off their album, “Built For Sin,” although not yet as popular as “Hear Me Now,” may be the better song of the two. This song could possibly lead Framing Hanley’s final effort for a push on The Moment before they head back to the studio to start recording their sophomore album. Framing Hanley has already stated they have enough new material to write another record but that’s still pending a final push on The Moment.

Photo by Tiffany Presley

Make sure you check out Framing Hanley’s website at www.FramingHanley.com where you can find out when they will be heading back to Louisville, something they plan to do in the not so distant future.

scuttlebuttpress@yahoo.com

Yep, that’s right! You can download Nine Inch Nails new album, The Slip for FREE!

Just click this link.

scuttlebuttpress@yahoo.com

Gonzo, a movie on the legacy of Louisville’s most infamous writer, Hunter S. Thompson, was released Friday July 4th. It’s set to make its Louisville debut, finally, on Friday July 18th at Baxter Avenue Theaters. A must see for all writers. For anyone actually.

Again, buy the ticket, take the ride.

scuttlebuttpress@yahoo.com

If patience is a virtue, then Heaven Hill’s new album Somewhat Civil, which was originally set to be released Fall 2007, will be worth the wait. Although it’s not due out in stores nationwide until August 26, all will be forgiven once you get your hands on a copy of this album.

Somewhat Civil, produced by Ryan Williams at Europa Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, is Teague Ridge, Chuck Willis and Chris Evans’s (Louisville music scene veterans) most well-polished recording effort, going back to the days of Breckinridge/Element H (Willis & Ridge) and The Constant (Evans).

The most impressive aspect of Heaven Hill’s efforts to perfect their sound on Somewhat Civil was their choice to head up the mastering process. Recording mastering icon Eddie Schreyer of Oasis Studios in L.A. has a laundry list of hit makers from almost every genre of music including Prince, Chevelle, Alice In Chains, Johnny Cash, Ben Harper and Queen, just to name a few.

Schreyer even went so far as to say that he thought Heaven Hill’s Somewhat Civil was going to “put another album on his wall.” I think it’s safe to say the album is loaded with quite a few potential radio hit singles, each consistently delivering Heaven Hill’s classic hard Southern rock.

Every time I listen to this album, I come away with a different song that I think is the dominant song. I’ve gone back and forth between “When It’s Sold,” “Top Of The South,” “I’ve Done It” and “Going Down.” I anticipate that a few of these songs will be the singles that pave the way for this album’s likely success.

“When It’s Sold” opens with an acoustic rhythm reminiscent of Evan’s former band The Constant and illustrates his songwriting stamp on Heaven Hill’s music. The song quickly builds on Willis’ grungy vocals and Kerr’s Southern-fried and hard-rockin’ dirty guitars. It’s hard to get the songs fervent chorus out of your head after it’s over.

“Top Of The South,” Heaven Hill’s geographic slang for Louisville, is the album’s most patriotic dub on our hometown. It opens up with an AM radio sound, with Willis’s vocals slightly predominating over O’Reilly’s drums. Like most of the songs on the album, it quickly gets to the chorus: “Southern by the grace of God…..” This song declares Heaven Hill’s pride at being “country ‘til the time I die” and solidifies their Southern roots. This is probably my overall favorite song on the album, at least for today. Tomorrow, or even in the next paragraph, it will be something else.

“I’ve Done It” flirts with pop rock, but still delivers that classic dirty-Southern sound that Heaven Hill has come to be known for. With a “rock the stadium” harmonized chorus, this song may just be the single that lands them airplay outside the mainstream rock stations.

“Going Down” is lyrically slightly raunchy but is consistent with style. Look for this song to be the probable favorite as the first single from the album.

Although most of the songs follow a standard verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus order, Somewhat Civil will be music to the ears of all Southern rock lovers across the country. I say so and so does Eddie Schreyer, so go buy it. If I’m wrong, then so is Eddie. That being said, I won’t lose sleep at night.

scuttlebuttpress@yahoo.com

Horseshoe Southern Indiana, (formerly Caesar’s), across the river in Elizabeth, Indiana, is producing a summer-long outdoor concert series with a really impressive lineup. Here are my top three picks:

The Black Crowes (July 26)

File Photo

The Black Crowes, a traditional American blues-based jam-rock band, is arguably one of the best acts featured in the series. Led by original members and brothers Chris (vocals, guitar) and Rich Robinson (guitar), along with Steve Gorman (drums), plus a rotating lineup, now composed of Adam MacDougall (keyboard), Sven Pipien (bass) and Luther Dickinson (guitar), The Black Crowes have toured the globe over the years and have gone on to sell over 20 million albums worldwide.

Forming in 1984 as Mr. Crowes Garden, they would eventually rename themselves in 1990 to The Black Crowes after signing to Rick Rubin’s Def American Records. Almost immediately, they burst onto the national music scene after releasing Shake Your Money Maker, an album loaded with hit singles like “Hard To Handle,” “She Talks To Angels” and “Jealous Again.” The album went on to sell over three million copies and launched them into the international music scene.

The Black Crowes second release, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, was released in 1992, again on Rubin’s Def American Records. The first single, “Remedy,” instantly pushed both the song and the album to #1 on the Billboard charts. The album would eventually sell almost 2 million copies. Ironically, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion’s title track is named after a certain musical tradition dating back to 1884 in Benton, Kentucky (Research for yourself).

The Black Crowes have since released five studio albums on a variety of labels, including Def American, American Recordings, Sony Music, V2 and currently, Silver Arrow Records. They have sold over 20 million copies of their albums to date and have toured relentlessly, other than for a short period from 2002 to 2005, when Chris Robinson experimented with a solo career. The Black Crowes will be playing live at on July 26 at Horseshoe Southern Indiana in support of their recent release Warpaint, on Silver Arrow Records.

Stone Temple Pilots (August 16)

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There is no arguing that the Stone Temple Pilots don’t have a plethora of great songs, but, like many other great bands, their singer, Scott Weiland, is as unpredictable on stage as he is off. The only way I’m burning $4 per gallon gas to see STP is if their publicist releases a press release on August 16 – the day of the show – announcing that Scott Weiland is clean and sober, willing and able to perform a coherent STP set. I don’t want to hear live STP songs murdered by Weiland, post intake of a multitude of substances. Really. Maybe if it was Velvet Revolver.

On the other hand, maybe a combination of the law of averages mixed with a little luck, will allow us to catch Weiland on a sober night where he delivers a stellar set of STP cuts that smack you right back into 1995. Hmm. On second thought, I think I’ll risk wasting some $4 per gallon gas. See you there.

Bob Dylan (August 23)

File Photo

Folksinger and songwriting legend Robert Zimmerman (Bob Dylan) is a big piece of American rock ‘n’ roll history and he is rolling into town, yet being another musical powerhouse set to take the stage at Caesars on August 23.

Dylan, who released his first album way back in 1962 and who is now 67 years old, still tours relentlessly as a solo artist. Essentially he is still on his “Neverending Tour,” which started sometime back in the late Eighties. Over the years, Dylan has been the recipient of countless iconic musical awards including several Grammys, induction into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame and, more recently, a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation in 2008. Dylan’s music was the soundtrack to the birth to America’s counter culture.

This is another must-see show and worth burning $4 per gallon on. Or is it $4.30 now?

scuttlebuttpress@yahoo.com

Jefferson TARC Bus’s usual drunken chaotic musical sets were a bit tame for the Youth Professional Association of Louisville (YPAL)’s annual YParty, which happened on Friday the 13th of June at the Mellwod Arts and Entertainment Center. Playing with the Jefferson TARC Bus that night was Kevin McCreary (Ugly, Tantric, Outspoken) taking up some guitar/vocal duties.

YPAL, an organization of different young talents, was celebrating the transition of the old board to the newly elected Board of Directors. For a full listing of the positions and newly elected officers, head on over to www.YPAL.org.

Having attended several YPAL functions since its inception, this was the first time that it seemed very loose and casual. The focus was actually more on the entertainment than a sponsor, set agenda of speakers, etc. that usually come with professional boards. 102.3 The Max’s Aaron Miller emceed the event and brought with him some interesting crowd participation routines, including a ‘crack-berry contest,’ where everyone had to be the first to email in answer to a trivia question. Wouldn’t you know it? Mine did not work and I had the answer immediately.

YPAL does have a more interesting approach to gaining members than what has previously been done. Some music folks need to be a part of this organization, given the number of bands and other Louisville music community folks that are working at a national level. There are plenty of people in YPAL interested in what we have going on right now, thus they hired Jefferson TARC Bus for their largest party.

So I say to all you Louisville music industry dudes and dudettes, log onto www.YPAL.org, send some emails to various board members and ask them the questions that you want answers to and how Louisville’s music community can be a part of their organization.

I can be your voice if you need one, so maybe you just email me: scuttlebuttpress@yahoo.com

Make sure you pick up the current June 08′ issue of Louisville Music News and read my review of “Evil Urges,” which debuted on The Billboard Album Charts at #9.

Wanna catch Louisville’s premiere band on the road? Here is My Morning Jacket’s entire summer tour schedule:

6/13 - Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo Festival
6/16 - Toronto, ON - Kool Haus
6/17 - Montreal, QC - Le National
6/20 - New York City, NY - Radio City Music Hall

6/25 - Sheffield, UK - Leadmill
6/26 - Bristol, UK - Academy
6/27 - Manchester, UK - Academy
6/29 - Glastonbury, UK - Glastonbury Festival
7/1 - Hamburg, Germany - Gruenspan
7/2 - Cologne, Germany - Luxor
7/4 - Werchter, Belgium - Werchter Festival
7/6 - Kent, UK - The Hop Farm Festival
7/8 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands - Melkweg (The Max)
7/9 - Paris, France -Le Trabendo
7/11 - Nottingham, UK - Rescue Rooms
7/12 - Kildare, UK - Oxegen Festival
7/13 - Glasgow, UK - T In The Park Festival
7/15 - London, UK - The Forum
7/19 - Benicassim, Spain - Benicassim Festival

7/26 - Whistler, BC - Pemberton Festival
8/16 Louisville, KY - The Great Lawn @ Waterfront Park
8/18 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater
8/19 - Council Bluffs, IA - Stir Cove
8/23 - Dallas, TX - Palladium Ballroom
8/24 - Austin, TX - Stubb’s
8/27 - Atlanta, GA - Fox Theater
8/29 - Miami, FL - The Fillmore Miami Beach
8/30 - Orlando, FL - House of Blues
8/31 - Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues
9/2 - Charlottesville, VA - Charlottesville Pavilion
9/3 - Washington, DC - Constitution Hall
9/5 - Philadelphia, PA - Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing
9/6 - Boston, MA - Bank of America Pavilion
9/19 - Berkeley, CA - Greek Theatre
9/21 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre
9/23 - Phoenix, AZ - Marquee Theatre
9/24 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
9/25 - San Diego, CA - SDSU Open Air Theatre
9/27 - Portland, OR - McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheater
9/28 - Seattle, WA - McCaw Hall
10/2 - Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum Theatre
10/3 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theater
10/4 - Detroit, MI - The Fillmore
10/9 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre
10/10 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre

My Morning Jacket recently performed as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live on NBC this past Saturday May 10th. They performed a few songs off their upcoming new album, “Evil Urges.” You can check out the performance of their title track here.

ash_ent@yahoo.com

“Evil Urges” is one of the most astounding albums I’ve heard in a while – a long while. It’s almost immediately evident that My Morning Jacket was not subjected to a rushed recording process where the record labels only interest is to just ‘get something out’ for the sake of making a quick buck. No, no, no. The reason for this is because My Morning Jacket really dove off the deep end with this album when comparing to their previous releases.

“Evil Urges” takes My Morning Jacket fans on a musical voyage through a few ‘untouched’ genres as compared to previous releases. Nonetheless it is impossible to imagine that they could have produced such a masterful fusion of new sounds ‘if’ they were being rushed by their label to just “get it out.” Evil Urges is a fresh change, and one that testifies to My Morning Jacket’s ability to tear down the walls between genres and just write songs in whatever style that flows through their minds.

My Morning Jacket retreated to the mountain tops of Denver, Colorado to record Evil Urges. This retreat translated into an album with heavy doses of soul, funk and psychedelic-disco variations of alternative rock. There is also some instances of alt-country, that is nicely polished with Jim James’ signature tenor vocals that serves as the basis for the soul influence on most of the tracks.

Hands down, one of the most appealing songs on this album is “Highly Suspicious,” a sultry, funky tune with an infectious chorus which should net them lots of airplay on stations other then public radio.

The title track, “Evil Urges” is another song that should push this album toward success. It really sets the rest of the album up well, with the suggestive message that “Evil Urges” are just “part of the human race.” The underlying hints of soul is instantaneously recognizable in James’ vocals, and is mixed with a lot of Pink Floyd-style’ psychedelia.

Another excellent track, although it may not get much airplay is “Touch Me I’m Going To Scream, Part 2.” Just lock yourself in a bedroom with your significant other to learn why this song is so good.

One other song that really stood out was “I’m Amazed,” which MMJ recently performed on Saturday Night Live.

The question of who is the next big act to come out of Louisville has been answered: My Morning Jacket.

I could go on and on about the rest of the album, but then who really wants to read the rest of that? Just go buy the damn album and thank me later. Ear X-tacy will have it as soon as it released on June 10, so make sure you buy it there. (Never mind everywhere else.)

Also don’t forget that My Morning Jacket will be playing live on Louisville’s Waterfront Park on Saturday August 16th, 2008.

Meanwhile, enjoy the album as much as I have !

scuttlebuttpress@yahoo.com

Photo by Jason Ashcraft

The Goo Goo Dolls are going down as one of the greatest sappy arena rock balladeers of all time. The “sappy” comment is no insult: that’s what these guys have made their way on. It’s just another one of those “it is what it is” concepts. Goo Goo Dolls invested their musical creativity (or possibly genius) into the ‘having the blues’ industry and came out rock stars by literally winning over the hearts and tears of millions of people worldwide, most of whom have had a case of the blues at some point in their lives.

It often happens at concerts that there are a few groups who aren’t really paying attention to the musicians. Not at the Goo Goo Dolls show at 4^th Street Live, though! Everyone was totally engaged with vocalist John Rzeznik’s every move. I asked someone standing next to me how many songs they had played upon arriving and they told me to “shut-up” until the song was over. Now that’s engagement. I didn’t even get offended. They were right. You don’t get to see this level of talent every day around Louisville.

The most vivid songs I remember were “Better Days,” “Name” and “Before It’s Too Late.” Apparently, they played these after I was told to “shut-up and just listen,” which I should have been doing anyway. It was amazing to hear the Goo Goo Dolls perform these songs ‘live’ since I’ve listened to on albums for years.

The Goo Goo Dolls have a CD on the shelf of almost everyone’s collection, especially if that collection dates back to the mid 90s, when the band launched itself into the musical mainstream. One such album, “A Boy Named Goo,” was released in 1995 and initially only sold 4,500 copies out of the gate. But, it would eventually surpass 1.6 million in sales, once the hit single “Name” aired on MTV. The album didn’t even occupy space in Wal-Mart or Target, due to its slightly controversial album artwork, but it launched the band into the national spotlight, after they had already released four albums on Metal Blade and Celluloid Records.

In 1998 the Goo Goo Dolls signed a deal with Warner Brothers Records and released “Dizzy Up The Girl” featuring the hit song “Iris.” It almost instantly went platinum and everything after that is history.

Photo by Jason Ashcraft

Johnny Rzeznik, Robby Takac, and Mike Malinin became America’s rock ballad hit-makers in a very short period of time. They have something about them that I can’t quite figure out, but over the years, the Goo Goo Dolls have kept their music and image from being cheesy, even while mining the ‘sappiness’ vein. Other ‘ballad rockers’ have eventually fallen victim to whininess, but not the Goo Goo Dolls

They played most, if not all, of their hit singles under the roof on a rainy night at 4^th Street and those who were there were totally conquered by the Goo Goo Dolls’ stage presence. Few musicians achieve this kind of longevity in their musical careers.

ash_ent@yahoo.com

“I bounce around between the upper Midwest, Kentucky and eastern Canada for work as a consultant and from time to time I do tour management for companies like World music. I have a nice place outside of Shelbyville and rarely expose myself to inner Louisville these days.

I had just picked up my first copy of Louisville Music News yesterday and it was the first time I had read something published in Louisville that didn’t have the stench of mediocrity dripping from each and every page. It reminds me of Max INK (Maximum Ink Music Magazine) in Madison, Wisconsin. Just music, great information and the ads don’t make it look like you have sold your soul to Satan.

When I operate outside of Kentucky and try to put ‘Louisville’ and ‘media’ in the same sentences, people typically think I am joking with them or they ask me what ‘Louisville, Kentucky’ is. Which is really sad because I see potential here, just none of the honest effort. Most of the problem stems from the involvement of things like Insight cable and MetroMojo (franchise owner of Louisvillemojo) in the local media market. So not only is Louisville a top national polluter but it is infested with corrupt media outlets that are strangling the present-ability of this city to the outside world. The Public access cable and Public television/PBS analysts I work with often refer to Louisville as some kind of black hole in the heart of America.

Louisville Mojo

The first thing you have to take into account about Louisville Mojo is that it is a franchise of a large company (metro mojo) that is essentially a pyramid scam. The franchise is sold as this PHP based web group(like many of the ALT-Porn websites use) and investment groups or potential web group owners shop it out for their cities. The catch is that the franchise owner metro mojo demands a hefty fee for operating costs and proliferation. The Madfam.com web group in Madison Wisconsin operates a flash and PHP web group not unlike mojo, with all the same bells and whistles BUT they have better security and media share options for music, video and pictures. Their monthly costs are no more than$500.00 to operate but they get a marketing and advertisement return of about $1200.00.

Louisvillemojo operates (by the admission of their own administrators) for around $5000.00 a month. When I heard this figure I thought they were joking. There are PHP based ALT-porn web groups out there with four times the members as Louisville mojo and their operating costs hardly reach $4500 a month. Keep in mind, that figure includes what they pay porn models for video and pictures which is not in louisvillemojo’s budget. Of course these alt- porn websites require ALL their members to pay a membership fee of anywhere from $7 to $15.00 a month.

Louisville mojo does have a paid membership option called the ‘inner circle’ or ‘hottie’ membership and strangely enough, these sell for $7 a month. Although instead of being able to view pornography, the “inner circle” membership with mojo grants the user, the ability to stalk and harass non-paying members with no worry of being thrown off the site or reprimanded by the administrators. This is probably because of the fact that LouisvilleMojo has run from hand to mouth on their paid memberships from day one.

I myself have been harassed by their ‘inner circle’ members after I made an initial assessment of Louisville mojo to the BBB. The problem became so big that eventually I sought a restraining order against a gentleman who had been harassing my co-workers and clients.

LouisvilleMojo is what is fast becoming known as a bully web group, or a ‘cyberstalker nest,’ a place where the ethical guidelines of internet conduct have melted away. This is because the administrators are in a financial situation that they deem it necessary to sacrifice the ethics of administration to keep paying customers.

Jason Ashcraft’s assessment of Louisvillemojo was just the tip of the iceberg and a very well written piece.

The administrators of Louisvillemojo are drunken trust fund babies who thought they found the golden fleece of investment opportunities but are now strapped with a franchise that is being overcharged on administration through plain and simple ignorance. So their only saving grace is to use the face value as the largest native web group in Louisville to get drunker and lower their standards further rather than doing any real work.

For this and many other reasons, you don’t see a MadisonMojo, LosAngelesMojo, or NewYorkMojo. These cities have all seen this kind of thing before and are wise to it. I’m fairly sure Louisville will be one day as well.

Promotion of your band online

I do web videos with one group in LA called “spotlights and stars”. They use myspace as a standard web group space from their website but they also use these two amazing website called garageband.com and snocap.com. Garage band is an indie group site but it is the one site that more of the large labels monitor for up can coming acts. Especially in regard to traditional rock groups, punk and emo. Snocap is probably one of the best and least known websites for indie groups I have heard of this year. With snocap you can sell downloads of your music online without some huge distribution company eating you alive. Their BBB listing is 100% positive. The website takes a minimal percentage of each download cost and you can pick and choose what you sell. Snocap also has a myspace music player that can be embedded into your myspace page as your preview player. Snocap ALSO has a listing at the bottom of it’s FrontPage for an entire network of other similar websites for networking and promotions in different types of music like Hip-hop,classical and electronic.”

Justin La Plante

Producer
WYCS & CW, Louisville

Multimedia Consultant
NBC, CNN, BET, World Music Inc. and Music Plus, Quebec

Photo by Stephanie Wilson

Hugo Ferreira’s Tantric along with tour mates Framing Hanley, and Fosterchild made a tour pit stop on Friday May 16th at a highlands live music venue. This was Tantric’s first performance in Louisville since Ferreira reorganized the band and added all new members. The new lineup now includes Louisville native Marcus Ratzenboek (electric violin) formerly of the Louisville Orchestra, Erik Leonhardt (bass) formerly of Freak, Joe Pessia (guitar) formerly of Dramagods, and Kevin Miller (drums) formerly of Fuel. Both Leonhardt and Miller also play in Fosterchild too.

I had the chance to sit down with Ferreira and Tantric and chat about the new lineup and their new album, “The End Begins,” which posted as high as 15 in the Billboard charts. Check back here at scuttlebutt again soon for a review of their performance along with some commentary from Ferreira and Tantric.

ash_ent@yahoo.com

Photo by Tanya Anderson

Lava/Atlantic Records recording artist Hot Action Cop played a reunion show at Wicks on Dixie Highway Saturday May 17th. Also sharing the stage that night was Nova Red, Audio At War, and Thomas Medicine.

Hot Action Cop features Louisville natives Tim Flaherty, also currently with Antkythera, and Juan Chavolla of the recently disbanded Never The Man. On vocals is Rob Werthner, from Nashville, who along with Flaherty, are the remaining original members of the band. Chavolla recently joined after the breakup of Never The Man. Officially they are still yet to name a permanent drummer.

Hot Action Cop is currently negotiating a deal that will release them from Atlantic Records which I anticipate will enable them to release a new album on a new label. More to come on that subject as it develops.

I sat down with Hot Action Cop and will have review and some commentary from the band on their recent reunion. That will be out in the July 08′ edition of scuttlebutt. By then they should have something announced as to which label they will sign with. Yet another topic on the ole’ content to do list…….

ash_ent@yahoo.com

Leather Clad. That’s my two word summary of the Shooter Jennings’ show at Headliners on Thursday April 3. The ore’ that Shooter brought and maintained to the stage was that music is his life, and his life is recorded in the songs he sings. If your listening like I did, it’s easy to see how they are bounded into his heart and sewn shut with leather.

Photo by Meredith Hunter

He adorns a .357 long barrel tattooed on the inside of his left foreman. His eyes remained covered with sunglasses throughout the evening, seemingly minimizing your contemplation of whether or not he is under the influence of one or more substances. He is road worn and looks like he needs a bath by most people’s standards, except his. Shooter is a walking Waylon Jr. at heart, carrying on his father’s road hardened, whiskey bent legacy. He is one of the few remaining ‘born’ musicians carrying on his fathers legacy of dirty rock ‘n’ roll mixed with just as much country western as you can tolerate.

Shooter started the night out somewhat mellow like he had just woken up on the tour bus a few minutes prior and had to run out to stage. But, he quickly amplified his performance right after I contemplated my ‘mellow’ theory thought. He went half wild and erupted into this acoustic twang mealy of interesting sounds and country licks. The intensity of the crowd also escalated his performance as they wanted to hear him rock it out. The song Shooter responded with was “This Ole’ Wheel,” a song reflecting on the times of his adolescence when he used listen to his father and Johnny Cash’s music. At times he almost sounded like he was rapping the lyrics, just with a lot of redneck twang. The song eventually migrated to some good ole’ redneck yelling about his army of friends, and how they came from where he’s been, and how they picked the dark house and they’re going to ride to the end.. His ‘old wheel’ is still turning stronger than ever carrying out his family’s pre-written law of music , booze, and a ridiculous amount of miles logged on the road.

Shooter consistently displayed his whiskey saturated soul through the lyrics which were perfectly keyed to the melodic riffs he strummed on his Fender with equal distributions of country, rock, and blues. Even though he sings mainly about drunken road stories and family history rooted in mayhem, you can’t help but to find yourself singing along and at least momentarily relating to his stories. I was so inspired by his stories that I decided to go on a three day drinking binge myself to ensure I wasn’t being hypocritical about the life he was born into. Thus, my pictorial inspiration for writing this review is pictured here.

Photo by Jason Ashcraft

Back to Shooter. Whatever your opinion of him to this point is, he makes it hard to dislike a good ole’ country boy like himself. Even when he dropped his guitar and pulled up a chair to his keyboard, he still kept that rough and road hardened feeling with a touch of more blues than he typically is known for. The crowd reacted in unison to his every move on stage though even as he changed up the pace of the set.

Shooter on multiple occasions hinted at his own ability to match his father’s own vocal styles and kept the audience reminded that he too was a Jennings music rebel. He really carries out Waylon’s musical approach with solid roots in old school country and western, happily mixed with elements of rhythm and blues and undeniable rock ‘n’ roll brass tracks that slightly set him apart from his father. But the sum total of his musical style still equates to good country drinking anthems, which just happens to be a Jennings family specialty.

Photo by Meredith Hunter

Make sure you visit Shooter and the .357’s on their Myspace page. All the necessities are posted there. He gets pretty close to Louisville again on August 23 in Owensboro at the Beir Stube. Road trip anyone?

ash_ent@yahoo.com

The question of whether Myspace or LouisvilleMojo (a.k.a. Mojo) as a promotional resource for musicians has became something to ponder once again. Let me quickly review the undeniable facts with both of the websites, as it pertains to extra promotional exposure for musicians.

With Myspace, musicians have a much larger audience than with Mojo. Almost everyone who has a Mojo account has a Myspace account. Myspace also offers more versatile features that enable musicians to directly connect with fans by streaming audio and video of their music directly from their Myspace homepage. Additionally, Myspace does not allow the overtly sexually explicit audience onto the site with the consistency that LouisvilleMojo does. And for those types of profiles that slip through the security cracks on Myspace, they can be easily filtered out of your mail inbox and/or promotional tags on your profile, by enabling a few security features that is designed to filter for that type of material.

On the other hand, LouisvilleMojo is light years behind with respect to almost all of the Myspace features. Many ‘Mojo-ers’ as commonly referred to, concur that the site’s biggest failure is that its’ administrators allow the seemingly endless population of cheating spouses, transsexuals, underage kids, possible pedophiles and all the other obnoxious freak-a-zoid users of the “hotties” profiles to keep their accounts active. On top of that, there is no structured way to filter these types of profiles from your inbox other then to blacklist them after the fact that they have already annoyed or offended you in some way. Some of these Mojo freak-a-zoids are probably better known on LMPD’s online watch list more they are on LouisvilleMojo’s “hotties” profiles. By the way, I absolutely do not intend to so label everyone who has a LouisvilleMojo “hottie” profile, just the seemingly vast majority of them.

The bottom line seems to be this: As a musician, you get no more extra promotion on LouisvilleMojo than you are already getting by having a Myspace page – multiplied by ten. And whatever you may get from LouisvilleMojo, do you really want to be associated with a website that is best known for intimate encounters than for promoting the “Louisville” music scene? You shouldn’t.

The only thing LouisvilleMojo has done for Louisville musicians is host a few poorly promoted shows to their freak-a-zoid user base. They have demonstrated on a few occasions that they are not even capable of filling Headliners and barely were able to fill half the outfield of the Turners of Louisville’s softball field. The proof is in the pudding here. I attended these events and honestly half-way felt sorry for the great bands that were talked into playing these events. They didn’t deserve that. But, obviously the LouisvilleMojo’s management team, or “Team Mojo” as they are noted on their “hottie” profiles as, are trying to act as if the majority of their users are not just people trying to get drunk and laid versus going to see a good live music gig.

That being said, until LouisvilleMojo cleans up its member base, incorporates some stricter security standards and adds more audio/video capabilities that directly connect musicians to their intended fans, put all of your promotional resources into Myspace and use the extra time you gain to write some new songs. God knows some of you guys need to do that.

Nonetheless, it will better time spent as you musicians continue to try and find meaningful, effective ways to promote your music to your fans. Right now LouisvilleMojo is just not really interested or prepared in partnering with Louisville musicians in a meaningful manner. And Mojo, quit freeloading (as in ’not paying’) off of WildLifeRadio.com’s DJ Fender and his studio. It’s already established that your demographic does n