Lets Talk (Local) Rock and Roll Bands and Venues

All,

In our never ending quest to become familiar with all things "Louisville" (before we make our move out that way) my lovely bride and I are curious to hear what any of you can tell us about the LOCAL rock and roll music scene. Please bear in mind that we are in our (eh-hmmmm) late 40's, so our idea of rock music may not fit the current under 30 definition...Put another way we don't do hip-hop and EMO makes me want to cut my wrists. Rather we are looking for the names of a few TALENTED "classic" rock (70's, 80's) style bands who play the local bar circuit. Anyone know of any Geezer rock bands who draw a good crowd on a Fri/Sat night ? Your input is MUCH appreciated.

Thank You,

(The following was a post I made on another forum when asked about music in Louisville)

Kentucky has a rich, rich heritage of roots and country music and, of course, this is the Bluegrass State. Here inside the city of Louisville, things stay rich and turn even more interesting. We have always been a gateway, crossroads town: from the Falls of the Ohio here that made riverboats up from the Mississippi stop, portage and commingle - to the major UPS hub that brings in goods - and business - from all over the country. Something about that liminal status infects and informs our sense of music. Genres bend and collide, textures and patterns shift. The Villebillies are a rap band that uses a banjo... My Morning Jacket shifts from Southern Rock to sounding like King Crimson or the Beach Boys... Will Oldham is pegged 'alt country' but he records with acts like Bjork or Tortoise... Lucky Pineapple sounds like a beautiful disaster in a music shop: guitars, congas, trumpet, accordian...

If you go to Ear-Xtacy, our major 'record' shop, you'll find a bank of cd bins that goes on about 15 feet that has music by local bands - and that doesn't include 'national' acts like Oldham (Bonnie Prince Billy) or My Morning Jacket or VHS or Beta or Freakwater or Nappy Roots (part Louisville, part Bowling Green KY). Actually the fact that we have a 'major,' viable, lively music store is an indication of how important music is here. Many of the clerks are in bands (most notably Jason Noble of Shipping News and Rachel's) and musicians and fans hang out at the store till 10 at night. In most cities around the country, downloading has killed or wounded the old record shop, but here, people want to taste music and talk about it, or just be around it. I know I do. (and EarX frequently has bands play free concerts right in the shop)

Back in the 90's Playboy called Louisville the next big place in music - like Seattle or Athens or Minneapolis. At the time the band Slint (and Squirrel Bait) spawned a school of bands that came to be pegged 'post-rock': June of '44, Rodan, King Kong, Shipping News... and, when the movement communicated with Chicago, bands like Sea and Cake and Tortoise and The For Carnation. Like the Louisville music scene itself as I have described it, post-rock is characterized by constantly changing textures and tempos, by surprising shifts of light and dark, loudness and softness.
Producer Steve Albini remarked that there must be something in the water that gives Louisville its musical intelligence and originality.

Any given night you can find good music playing here. The Jazz Factory has great local and national acts playing all the time. There is a fine jazz education scene here. Check out the band Paradigm.

Air Devil Inn and the Rudyard Kipling often have country acts. Every year ADI hosts a Townes Van Zandt tribute. One great local band to look for is Tim Krekle.

Check out the great blues voice of Tyrone Cotton.

The Louisville Orchestra has a long tradition of supporting (they used to record them regularly) contemporary composers. We have an active opera company.

I haven't mentioned 'national' acts. I obviously love all kinds of music, but indie stuff is my favorite, so I frequently go to Headliners and the 930 Art Center (Yo La Tengo just played there)... Louisville does a good job getting better, but not great (Cincy and Indy drain us a bit) - of getting big acts in. We did get Arcade Fire at the Riverfront, and it was a tremendous concert...


I could go on and on... I haven't mentioned the major national acts that come through town on a regular basis. Check out the sidebar links under "Local Talent" on backseatsandbar.com. Louisville rocks.

Some excellent local music (and other things) sites:

http://backseatsandbar.wordpress.com/



http://www.louisvillemusicnews.net/webm ... B_CAT_ID=3

http://www.louisvillemusic.com/lmn/lmhdr.php?thisid=2

http://www.consuminglouisville.com/2007 ... others.php

OK this isn't exactly what you were asking about, however I would be ignoring my heritage if I didn't mention that Louisville is the birthplace of JUG BAND MUSIC!

What is jug band music? "Actually, it isn't only jazz, but also blues, ragtime, swing, and original music combined in a strange concoction called jug band music. Jug bands flourished in towns along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers in the 1920's and 30's. Much as New Orleans spawned Dixieland Jazz, Louisville, home of the Juggernaut Jug Band was the birthplace of jug music."

At the turn of the century, African American musicians in Louisville walked the streets playing tunes on "found" or homemade instruments like empty liquor jugs ("the poor man’s tuba"), kazoos and washboards. They started a craze, "jug music," which swept up and down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, infiltrating black music in the major river cities. Before the sound peaked in the the early 1930s, Louisville artists like Clifford Hayes ("Atlantic Stomp"), Earl McDonald's Original Louisville Jug Band ("She's In The Graveyard Now") and Sarah Martin ("Sugar Blues") recorded many tunes, both together and separately, some of which became quite popular.

Someone attending the 1926 Derby could have heard sets by the Louisville Jug Band (minus Hayes), Whistler’s Jug Band, the Henry Smith Jug Band, Mike Perkin’s Jug Band, the Faust Brothers Jug Band, the Jess Ferguson Jug Band, the Mud Gutters Jug Band and the Clifford Hayes Orchestra. And those were just the popular groups at the time. There other musicians plied their trade along the downtown streets.

The jug music craze peaked in during the 1920s, and like the blues, its commercial fortunes were deeply affected by the Depression. However, in the late ‘20s and early ‘30s, Louisvillians, at least, could enjoy jug music on the radio. WHAS had a show featuring the Ballard Chefs, a jug band led by fiddler Henry Miles, sponsored by the Ballard Flour Company.


The Juggernaut Jug Band, still a popular local group, began playing the music in the 1960s, during the folk revival. Miles, who died in 1980, often sat in with the band. Gil Fish, the leader of the Juggernauts, described Miles as a mentor and a connection to the original Louisville jug scene.

(Taken from a LEO article by Michael Jones)

So that's a little bit of the history of jug band music and Louisville. My dad is Mr. Fish in the Juggernaut Jug Band, and as far as we can tell they are the only full time touring jug band that's out there. They play in town about once a month at Clifton's Pizza on Frankfort Avenue and are on the road the rest of the time.

Also, there is a National Jug Band Jubilee in Louisville - 2008 will be our 3rd annual!

So there is a little bit of Louisville music history for ya! Welcome!

Dallas Alice
good ols fashioned rock from the ville'

The Big Rock Show is a well versed local outfit that plays Classic Rock and plays it well....They are on the Loud side but I've always enjoyed thier shows.

http://www.bigrockshow.com/cover.htm

...just go to Air Devil's Inn.

you're bound to find your ears happy.

"A few TALENTED "classic" rock (70's, 80's) style bands who play the local bar circuit"

My two cents...........

(Click on the links for a preview)

Bodeco
http://www.last.fm/music/Bodeco

Tyrone Cotton
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HBQWB8OP1o

Tim Krekel
http://www.timkrekel.com/samples/SAMPLEHT01.mp3

Johnny Berry & The Outliers
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu ... d=56485544

Merry Pranksters
http://pranksters.momenlivre.com/music.php

Steve Cooley Bluegrass Band/Hog Operation
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu ... d=64800221

Big Rock Show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRtNA6jRDYE

Sorry. I don't know how to make the links smaller.

Hard pressed to include Johnny Berry (country) and Steve Cooley (bluegrass) in "classic rock"

Merry Pranksters!! I was working at Jockamo's back when they started playing there. I tried to work Sundays so I could hear them.


MissChele

Hard pressed to include Johnny Berry (country) and Steve Cooley (bluegrass) in "classic rock"

Sorry to stray outside the lines. I'm not good with black & white. I guess the groups I listed were more in an effort to show some of the really good, local artists that are worth a listen.

I also included the links so that Steve P could check 'em out and decide which ones he and his spouse like - be it classic rock, roots rock, americana, psychobilly, alt-country, bluegrass or other. Besides, I saw My Morning Jacket, VHS or Beta, Freakwater and Nappy Roots mentioned in previous posts. Why you hatin' on me?

Leann,

Thank you...MOF, thanks to all of you who have provided us a bit of insite into the local music scene. We're looking forward to having a little "taste" when we get out there in March. <sigh> I figures that several of the bands we enjoy will be coming through L'vlle the in the weeks before and after we make our visit (Drive By Truckers, Jackson Browne, Allison Kraus, etc)...Oh well, we'll catch them next time.

Thanks again

SP/BP

"A few TALENTED "classic" rock (70's, 80's) style bands who play the local bar circuit"

My two cents...........

(Click on the links for a preview)

Sorry. I don't know how to make the links smaller.

Leann,
Thank you for taking the time to reply. All of you have certainly given us a "leg up" when it comes to learning more about the local entertainment scene. We appreciate it.

We're particularly interested in seeing "The Big Rock Show"...from their video they appear to be a l'ville version of ZZ-top...sans fuzzy guitars.

Thanks again to all who replied.

Steve P

"A few TALENTED "classic" rock (70's, 80's) style bands who play the local bar circuit"

Sorry. I don't know how to make the links smaller.