Louisville and the surrounding area considers itself a regionally and culturally ambiguous area. There’s probably truth to that. This mindset definitely yields some undeniably unique artists and groovy tunes that will rip open your mind with good vibes. It’s about time to highlight some of the music in the area that brings engaging cosmic riffage with a hint of colloquial charm. This is the first in an ongoing series of features. Here’s the first taste…

I’ve been meaning to write about Tiny Fights forever – at least since they debuted on the shortlived podcast back in May. This Louisville/Lexington collective straddles the median between driving motorik krautrock and crushed-lo fi freak folk bruisin’. These guys are next level. They fly on tattered and gnarly magic carpets, chiefing on the doom fire. Sonic warriors in every respect. I’m excited at the prospect of collaborating with Adam from Tiny Fights sometime in the near future (czech yo’ email, homes). “What’s Mine” is the club banger for the Sirens of Titan. Keep up with live shows on their MySpazz. (photo credit to Matty J @ Picasso)

Tiny Fights – What’s Mine
Tiny Fights – Passing Music For Trees

Idiot Glee was mentioned earlier this week, as he’s playing our show on Friday. I felt it was totally unfair to simply describe his music as “Brian Wilson incarnate,” because it’s so much more than that. Sure, James Friley belts out the distant harmonies coming from 50 fathoms under the sea as Wilson did (and Panda Bear and City Center currently do). But the unpolished cadence and hypnotic loops are what really makes Idiot Glee distinct, keeping the sun-bleached psychedelia slightly askew at all times. Friley slays all the chillbrocore artists (i.e. Neon Indian) that the blogosphere’s currently chubbin’ for. This shit is solid, and I can’t wait to hear the full length. And James… keep the production dusty and warm. Shrouds of mystery are what’s happenin’. Hear more on his MySpazz. (photo credit to James’ FaCeBoOk lolz, as captured by Jamie Lazich)

Idiot Glee – It

I’ve already discussed these groups in depth, but it’s worth noting again that Invaders and Phantom Family Halo are still the some of the best of Louisville. They are the monsters of folk. To the max. The Halo is touring with Russian Circles this fall, and are probably coming near you (if you’re a Yank). Go see about them. Invaders continues to come correct on the hashish sludge garage pop. They make Times New Viking look bushleague (and I like TNV a lot, no disrespect). And how fucking convenient… you can see both bands at Al’s Bar in Lexington on November 19. Epic. Both respective groups’ albums are available on heavy vinyl from local label Karate Body.

Phantom Family Halo – These Flowers Never Die
Invaders – Sinking Ship

Speaking of Phantom Family Halo, Softcheque is opening their album release show at Lisa’s Oak Street Lounge on November 25 (Turkey Day Eve). They exist hard in positive chillspace, cultivating a sort of live, art-damaged trip-hop teeming with good vibes. Think of them as Blues Control with pretty vocals, or a more sparse Broadcast/older Stereolab. Czech it, and if you’re in the area, RSVP to the event. I’ll be there style:

Pax Titania is like Silver Apples in the sense that PT’s Christopher Cpreck keeps the wrecked retro-futuristic electronic vibe thick by way of nothing more than homemade electrical equipment. See?

That’s DIY, son. It’s true beauty in dissonance. Pax Titania builds just enough tremolo-saturated structure to make shag music, yet just enough sonic distraction to appease the most post of post post rock talismen. No MP3s right now, but you can head over to his MySpaceTimeContinuum for a sample. “Terminal Implant” is a cut and a half.

Perhaps now would be a good juncture to share with you all that my own bedroom recording project, Meridian Signals, is now on Amie Street and Band Camp, which I greatly enjoy over MySpazz. Go see ’bout it (self-promotion lol). Just did a cover of Status Quo’s “Pictures of Matchstick Men” that Nathaniel at IGIF described as the fuzziest thing ever. It made mommy tear up.

Alright, until next time…

Oh, and if you’re in the area and feel you fit the description of… what did I call it? “Engaging cosmic riffage with a hint of colloquial charm,” I think. Yeah, so if that’s you, feel free to shoot me a submission at kb@thedecibeltolls.com. No Grizzly Bear weenie shit, though.

Local Anesthesia is a new regular feature that focuses on music and issues concerning Louisville.

As reported a couple of days ago, I honestly feel a little sore about the Black Angels not coming to Headliners. In part from the sobering, sinking feeling of not being able to see a band of this caliber at a good venue five minutes from my apartment, but mostly on ethos. This recent turn catalyzed a need for me to share some observations as both a local and an outsider – a recent transplant to Louisville who has been in the music business and truly fell in love with this city. And someone who’s recently adopted what could be considered in this town as a reasonably controversial opinion.

It’s worth noting that I have no vested interest or involvement in any of the parties mentioned, and have no empirical evidence to present, as it were. I simply am offering observations as a townie, and inferences/insight as a music promoter. But I think what I have to say is fair.

First, it’s unequivocal that Louisville gets passed over for awesome shows. A lot.

There’s a few reasons I can entertain. Louisville is not located on a major east-west corridor. When managers route a cross-country tour, they tend to build a logical itinerary along either I-80 to the north or I-40 to the south, neither of which is close to Louisville. Looking at a map, you can see how this is the most utilitarian and economical approach to tour the nation. In addition, seemingly more notable music scenes like Nashville, or college towns like Bloomington always present a reliable gig for someone booking from behind a desk. This, too, is understandable – booking colleges are a guaranteed revenue stream (student activities committees are required to spend their budget, or else they lose it) and guaranteed audience (college kids have the leisure time to attend shows), and a place like Nashville is a legendary “music city.”

However, Louisville’s music scene is certainly nothing to guffaw at. The city has played host to some amazing live shows and festivals, including acting as the flagship American city for Terrastock 7. But a massive void still remains in this city’s live music calendar, namely a deficit in diversity. Having lived here for almost a year, I feel safe in identifying another obstacle not related to any of the aforementioned, but rather, a well-known but culturally static and non-innovative entity that pulls a lot of water in Louisville and does little to further the city’s music locally or nationally. Surprisingly, I’m not talking about a conglomerate like LiveNation or Clear Channel, but our own WFPK (though some of the discussion later may parallel the criticisms toward the aforementioned corporations).

For our of town readers, WFPK, also known as “Radio Louisville,” is a large and popular listener-supported, NPR-affiliated radio station that plays a lot of what I would consider coffeehouse rock – mostly folk, alt country, and what I sorta mockingly describe as “candid, demure, sophisticated” singer-songwriters. Stuff you’d hear inside Starbucks. FPK doesn’t exactly sound like the most nefarious, formidable presence. I mean, I’m not even sure if the station, a member of the multi-station Louisville Public Media, is a 501(c)3 or not, but it certainly is not an organization that rakes in the dough by any stretch of the imagination.

Regardless, the problem with WFPK is not its business practices, but its influence. The issue, as I see it, arises from a music community, our music community, wherein promoters, publicists, talent buyers, and venues are, unwittingly or otherwise, overwhelming friendly to WFPK, creating a sort of ideological monopolization of live music in Louisville.

As far as events outside Derby, Fourth Street Live’s decidedly shitty concert series, or any of the big arena tours that roll through Freedom Hall, WFPK owns this town. That is to say, WPFK is often the presenter, promoter, and/or sponsor of a wide range of concerts and events. On the surface, this sounds like simply a symbiotic relationship between media and publicists. The problem develops when, to cite some legalese, a marketplace of ideas in the Louisville music community no longer exists.

WFPK has a remarkable presence over music in this town, and in the case, “wide range” really means vast majority. Open up any given issue of LEO Weekly or Velocity and look at the ads for shows and events. You’ll see the red and black logo everywhere, indicating that the station is, on some level, involved in almost everything. Go to a show at Louisville’s most visible venue, Headliners, and behold the spotlight illuminating the curtain – a giant two-story WFPK logo that says “hey, tonight’s event is probably brought to you by us.” Visit the city’s largest independent concert promoter, Production Simple (who have hosted some phenomenal shows in the past), and notice how many listings are preceded with “WFPK 91.9 Presents.” Compare that and other venue’s concert calendars with WFPK’s playlists. Compare the lineup of the city’s largest music festival, Forecastle Fest, with WFPK’s playlists. Patterns emerge. The station is involved in a lot, and seems more or less the go-to guys for show promotion.

Here is where the notion of helping vs. hindering music really comes into play, and why I side with the latter. While it is ultimately a nice gesture that this organization assists to promote events and book shows, some of which are free (such as Waterfront Wednesdays), and while some artists have certainly been helped by WFPK, on a macro level WFPK’s influence, I believe, hinders music progression in Louisville. Because WFPK has a power over those involved in making live music happen in Louisville, they probably also have a say. This would not be an issue if WFPK featured diversified programming. Unfortunately, they don’t. This means that only certain music is really championed here in town – obviously, music that WFPK would play.

To elaborate further, when an organization like WFPK becomes a powerful entity that has its finger on a vast array of citywide events, the station’s namesake becomes a commodity – a trusted brand identity that makes your job as, say, a club promoter easier. You’re immediately reaching thousands of potential attendees with spots on FPK’s drive time, and it sure beats stapling fliers on poles for hours. But this relationship only exists when a show is relevant to WFPK’s programming. So maybe you tow the line. Maybe it’s better that you book the Rhett Miller show over something more challenging, sell out the room, make a killing in bar sales, and have WFPK rally the troops with its airwaves. Everyone takes a cut, everyone’s happy, and not a sweat broke. Easy sleazy. I am not citing a specific example here, I’m merely illustrating how a talent buyer or promoter could pander a bit to WFPK. All things considered (no pun intended), it would be an easy trap to fall in to.

Of course, like promoters, WFPK also has people that make their lives easier. As with any sustainable business, WFPK has a duty to appeal to its core audience. Without getting into a debate on agenda setting theory, WFPK’s bread and butter undoubtedly comes from professionals holding down $50K/year jobs that can afford to donate $100 here and there and receive a sweet tote bag for their gift. Ah, the oft fabled power struggle. As Stephen Levitt beautifully summarized in Freakonomics (and I’m paraphrasing here): morality is the way the world should work; economics is the way it actually does. But hey, I understand that. It’s not scruffy dudes like me, who get stoked on Spacemen 3 spazz outs and completely insane freak folk, that throw cash to the station, nor is it any given member of my mid-20s demographic who tend to rarely listen to the radio. I respect this balancing act and sympathize with the notion that you don’t shit where you eat. So it follows that the music that appeals to this target market gets priority, to some extent, in the programming. To that end, it makes logical sense why WFPK is never adventurous with their playlists or events, despite the fact that they’re in a position where they could try to be progressive in some aspects considering their established name in the community.

Concerning WFPK’s programming, some of the music they play is not intrinsically bad, per se. But they play a lot of bland stuff (known to this blog as “borecore”), and it’s all in the vein of what is known in industry jargon as the AAA format, or “adult album alternative.” You hear some good songwriters on WFPK, but nothing new or too outside the box. You hear the new Son Volt, the new Decemberists, some old Decemberists, maybe a cut off Thom Yorke’s solo record if someone’s feeling saucy. Not exactly an edgy playlist. I’m sure at least one person on the staff is describing Wilco (The Album) as “visionary” as we speak. It’s worth mentioning that you also hear a lot of shit, too. In the afternoons, WFPK features a “Guilty Pleasure of the Day.” Often, the guilty pleasure is actually a better song than a third of their programming. That’s probably an issue on multiple levels.

WFPK switched to its current format in 1996, and interestingly enough, a lot of the songs aired come from new albums by artists that were around during that time. Even when WFPK plays a “new” artist, it’s usually someone poorly knocking-off something done decades ago, such as Vampire Weekend. The station seems to be in some sort of metaphysical realm where time is slowed.

I’m not the only one who feels this way. The Courier-Journal’s Peter Berkowitz published an article last year about WFPK just not being as good as it used to be. The second and last paragraphs really encapsulate the crux of the issue:

Billy Petot, a 30-year-old insurance agent and part-time musician, is less diplomatic. [Editor's Note: Petot is also a fellow WRFL alum and member of excellent local group Whistle Peak]

“WFPK is too white, and often times too stale,” he said. “A lot of the music lacks flavor. I don’t feel like the station introduces us to anything or promotes something that hasn’t already been tested. It’s like Hillary Clinton waiting for the poll numbers to decide her stance on an issue.”

Long viewed as the city’s most adventurous radio station, the WFPK that you now get depends on when you tune in. Dial up 91.9-FM and you might get to sample what the early adopters are listening to. Or you may get the soundtrack to “Grey’s Anatomy” — or worse, “Closing Time” by Semisonic. All within the same set.

“I feel like WFPK only introduces me to new music from old artists,” Petot said. “If Louisville is the cultural center it claims to be, why don’t we encourage that culture by introducing folks to new art that is starving for promotion?”

I also feel like WFPK is a little out of touch. Another poignant illustration concerns one of the website’s Question of the Week features last month. Program Director Stacy Owen wrote: “Locally there’s backseatsandbar, myoldkentuckyblog and WFPK’s Weekly Feed. What other music blogs are your favorites for finding the latest news and mp3s?” A couple of the regularly-updated Louisville blogs were omitted (including this one, but I’m not bitter… I do cuss on this blog and half of what I post would horrify Friends of WFPK) while one that was cited that is not even a local blog (My Old Kentucky Blog is based in Indianapolis and discusses Brooklyn a lot more than Louisville), and one was their own, The Feed, which is updated once a week and usually features whatever songs were slammin’ on Hype Machine last month. Last week’s installment included a new song from a struggling up-and-coming new rock and roll band called The Pearl Jams. Nice.

The C-J article mentioned above also discussed a little bit of WFPK’s history, and its original program director Dan Reed, who is responsible for establishing the AAA format and now runs Philadelphia’s WXPN, home to the wildly-influential World Cafe on NPR. Evidently at some point before my time, WFPK was edgy. It certainly isn’t anymore. Here are a couple of very telling quotes from within the station:

At the door to the music library, we run into afternoon DJ Marion Dries.

“Stacy, did I hear that Moby has a new CD out?”

On this day, Moby’s latest CD has been out for two weeks. Owen dryly acknowledges this to Dries, and the tour moves on.

And…

Still, new music can be a struggle for 55-year-old Meyer, an unabashed fan of Hendrix, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Bob Seger and graying Louisville singer-songwriter Tim Krekel. When the male singer Cass McCombs was heading towards town last fall, it took Meyer a few days to stop referring to “her new album.”

Ay carumba. An organization that wields a lot of power in this town and influences so many facets of our music scene should really be a little more ahead of the curve than this.

So if an organization like WFPK has its finger in many pies and features a playlist of very limited scope and ample staleness, then it follows that the safest shows to book, shows that have WFPK’s unfettering support, will have to fall in line with this paradigm. This leads to total stagnation in the live music scene.

The local concert calendar has been indisputably saturated by a lot of watered-down, totally unexciting, Nissan commercial-ready jive, and I have no doubt, based on my observations outlined above, that WFPK is partly responsible for this. However, I believe there is a quick, preliminary remedy to not only help the station’s programming grow and its influence to diversify, but to also give the local scene a boost. How about – start spinning what’s really going on in Louisville? Not local musicians who sound like what’s popular nationally, but musicians who are doing very distinct, original music in town. Why aren’t R Keenan Lawler, Invaders, Phantom Family Halo, Shedding, any of these guys that are doing something unquestionably more interesting, and most importantly adventurous, getting the same support from WFPK that, like, Ingrid “Old Navy” Michaelson is getting? They need exposure, and WFPK is certainly big enough to really make an impact. WXRT in Chicago, while also an AAA format station and not the coolest kid on the block, still had the balls to play Pelican on their local show. Doesn’t Louisville deserve the same service? This is the first step to moving things forward.

As stated earlier, it’s completely reasonable that FPK is aiming for a specific target market and demographic, as any good business would. But who’s reaching the other market of young music fans? Who’s reaching the small yet loyal demographic that thinks Phoenix, and certainly stuff like Josh Ritter, is kinda lame? Where’s our response?

Now for the inspiration for this post. Last week, I posted some news about a festival Lexington’s WRFL is hosting. The station has confirmed appearances by some legendary, truly genre-bending artists that I will not mention right now. As I’ve discussed in various entries, I lived in Lexington and booked shows at The Dame Music Hall. I can tell you unabashedly that Lexington is rather puritan community that’s not friendly toward art. It’s a place where a 35 year old, annual masquerade ball for charity, The Beaux Arts Ball, can be shut down by police because it’s late and all the freaks are bumming out Lexington’s bourgeoise. It’s a place where the police would surreptitiously video The Dame’s patio looking for excuses to come in and harass patrons – particularly on evenings when we had a punk or hip-hop group performing. It’s a place that’s home to the University of Kentucky, a strictly dry campus… except for tailgating parties during a UK football game. It’s a place where the city government has a fervent debate concerning whether it would be appropriate to build sidewalks along busy roads considering some people’s immaculately manicured front lawns might be at stake. It’s a place that boasted an organically grown, blossoming entertainment district that was completely leveled to make way for a high-rise hotel and condo development that remains, to this day, a hole in the ground. It’s a place that is hostile to unique expression and interests outside of horses and basketball. It’s a quaint picturesque college town that wants no boats rocked.

Louisville is none of the above. Louisville is a cosmopolitan town that prides itself on being regionally ambiguous and distinctly unique. It’s a place where the city government is greatly supportive toward local business. It’s a place that spawned the movement “Keep Louisville Weird,” and has fan clubs called “Possibility City” and “Why Louisville Loves You.” It’s a place that’s attractive to the creative class – to artists and thinkers and people interested to doing things a little differently. The city’s funky aesthetics – a jaunt up Bardstown Road, a barhop through Germantown, a sunny afternoon stroll down historic 4th Street in Old Louisville, or a nighttime gander at the city’s magnificent skylight whilst driving south across the Rogers Bridge, whose cantilevered trusses are basked in warm purple floodlights – will all demonstrate that pretty quickly. You can cut the potential here with a knife. But where’s the music scene that will put us on the map?

We know that there’s an audience for important, forward-thinking, internationally-revered music. Look at some of our hometown heroes: Slint? Squirrel Bait? June of 44? Rodan? The For Carnation? Sapat? Tara Jane O Neil? Crain? Hello, McFly?!?! According to this interview Backseat Sandbar did with the festival organizers for last year’s Terrastock, this name dropping is what got Louisville the festival. So what is the current stifling factor? Is it pursuit of the aforementioned easy way out on the part of our music promoters? Is Louisville just not interested in its rich history of boundary-pushing indie, punk, and psych?

Doubt it.

Is it lack of a tightly packed music scene like WRFL can provide to Lexington?

Hmmm, possibly. This is my call to action…

Louisville has a strong music scene, and a lot of folks like the Backseat Sandbar guys, Joel Hunt, the Sapat boys, Ken at Transpanther, Sean from Buzzgrinder, Matthew at Derby City Espresso, and a few others are working to bring great acts through and pair them with relevant and deserving local artists. And there are some really great artists in town. Read my review of Invaders’ newest for a taste. It’s time to band together to get some things moving. It’s time to reach a demographic that, outside of Terrastock and the awesome annual Good Folk Fest, has been under-served. I will be publishing ideas I have for the city in later posts, and I welcome dialogue from others in the music community. I want to network and help build the type of community that WRFL has built in Lexington, wherein people cross-pollinate their music projects, are dedicated to attending and participating in live shows, and maintain a compact, explosive scene. Sure, Louisville does have a music community, but it needs to be tighter, more succinct, and more proactive. I want to help light a fire. Care to join? My buddy Sean at Buzzgrinder has outlined some great ideas in this guest column on Consuming Louisville. There’s a great start. It’s time for the rest of us to respond to complacency. WFPK doesn’t have to be the lone ranger in town, ya know?

Despite the lengthy prose, this entry is not meant to serve as an indictment on WFPK or anyone in Louisville. I love this city and its people. This article means only to demonstrate that we should have different movements in our live music scene, and now is as good of time as any.

While The Decibel Tolls tends to be immature and vulgar, I do enjoy good, thoughtful discourse. Feel free to comment with your thoughts! So… enough with the bellyachin’ – on to more positive topics. But before I go, here’s a great song about bellyachin’. It’s called “Boo Hoo,” which is probably how the vast majority of this article comes across. And a Bark Psychosis song, because it felt right.

MP3 :::
Marvin Rainwater – Boo Hoo
Bark Psychosis – All Different Things

My blog bro Sean at Buzzgrinder wanted me to pass along the message that his site, one of the oldest music blogs/online zines still in existence, will be celebrating eight years of hate. The Buzzgrinder 8th Birthday Bash is happening next Friday, and you get three acts for a five bucks, which according to my arithmetic, gives you a wicked performance for a mere $1.67 per!

The show features rowdy Tennessee bar swagger collective J Roddy Walston and the Business, Cincinnati’s The Seedy Seeds, and my pick, Wax Fang’s Scott Carney. Support your local music blogger, ya’llz!

Buzzgrinder’s 8th Birthday Bash
Friday, July 31
The Rudyard Kipling, Louisville (map that shizz)
Doors 9 p.m., $5

MP3 :::
Wax Fang – Cannibal Summer

Seeing as it’s June and the weather is getting hot, now is as good of time as any to present our woefully incomplete yet highly selective summer fun guide. I’m still pretty sore that I missed the amazing lineup at Terrastock last year, held here in Louisville (I was living in Chicago at the time), and unfortunately, they’re not doing it this year. However, there are a number of cool festivals in and around the area to take part in. In no particular order, here are a few that should particularly appeal to readers of this blog: 

Flyover Film Festival – 6.12 through 6.14 – Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts – Louisville, KY

This is the first annual Flyover Film Festival, and it looks to be a cool thing. It’s time the city began celebrating its filmmakers, and that’s exact what Flyover aims to do. All films shown are connected to the city, either by current or former residents. I’m not a huge film buff myself, so I don’t recognize many of the titles, but the synopses on the festival’s website look like Flyover is going to showcase some powerful, challenging movies. (Website)

Lebowski Fest 8 – 7.10 and 7.11 – Executive Lanes – Louisville, KY

This year marks Lebowski Fest’s Speed of Sound Tour, with the festivities making rounds through 15 cities. As many of you may know, Lebowski Fest originated in Louisville, and this is the eighth year (mark it 8, dude!) running. As an aside, the Lebowski Festival founders have a cool store to visit when you’re in town called WHY Louisville (see the Local Action links), with the absolute coolest, non-corny city souvenirs you can find. (Website)

Forecastle Festival – 7.10 through 7.12 - Riverfront Belvedere – Louisville, KY

Louisville’s Forecastle Festival is an affordable, activism-conscience, well assembled summer music festival, held on the Belvedere to give patrons a beautiful view of the Ohio River and Louisville skyline whilst enjoying a huge slew of artists. Unfortunately for me, I’m not super pumped about this year’s line-up, but Forecastle has delivered excellent artists in the past couple of years, including Tortoise, GZA, Band of Horses, Cheer Accident, Dr. Dog, Deltron, and more. If you do like the artists on this year’s bill, I can say that Forecastle is worth every penny. (Website)

Pitchfork Music Festival – 7.17 through 7.19 – Union Park - Chicago, IL

As easy as it is to make fun of Pitchfork and its hype machine, it’s really worth noting that they put on a hell of a music festival. I’ve been multiple times, and I’m always impressed by the little things – variety of meals under $5, bottled water for a dollar, lots of 312 and Goose Island on tap, clean facilities, two alternating big stages and a side stage so you never miss any of the action, the huge record and craft fair – it’s the perfect size and the perfect price. If you’re ballin’ on a budget this summer and want to attend at least one festival, Pitchfork is your best bet. Here’s some of my coverage from last year’s festival here and here. (Website)

Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival – 6.11 through 6.14 – Big Fuckin’ Farm  – Manchester, TN

Yaaaaawn. I’ve never been to Bonnaroo. I have no interest in going. Camping in humid-ass Tennessee – in the middle of June, around hundreds of thousands of people on peyote stoked to see MIA? No thanks. Besides, most of the artists I would want to see, I could enjoy for waaaaay less than $200 plus service charge. I’d probably go if I had free tickets, which will happen when The Decibel Tolls blows up. Actually, the main reason I’m mentioning Bonnaroo is because Louisville native Ben Sollee will be playing this year and is planning a bike tour on his way there. Yep, he’s biking from Louisville to Manchester, and playing small cities on the way. While I’m not paricularly a fan of his music, his musicianship and creativity with his weapon of choice, the cello, is bountifully impressive. This, coupled with his innovative bike tour idea; I had give Ben a shout. You can follow him here. (Website)

Lollapalooza – 8.7 through 8.9 – Grant Park – Chicago, IL

Lollapalooza has a better lineup than Bonnaroo, in my opinion, this year. So if you’re going to drop two Bens on a festival, I’d say go to Lolla. Besides, Chicago can handle a larger amount of traffic than Manchester, so you can avoid of hours upon hours in traffic. As a former Chicagoan, heed this advice – find a safe place to park and ride the CTA everywhere. Parking is a bitch, and the Department of Revenue (they, not the police, issue parking citations) are fucking fascists. Otherwise, you should have a great time. Email or Twitter me for recommendations on places to eat or hang out for cheap. (Website)

WFPK 91.9 Presents Waterfront Wednesday – Last Wednesday, April through September – Waterfront Park – Louisville, KY

I can majorly vouch for Waterfront Wednesdays, and not just because it’s free. Held in picturesque Waterfront Park on the Great Harbor Lawn the last Wednesday of every month, Waterfront Wednesday boasts big artists, good sound, a great atmosphere, and lot of cool vendors. I mean, shit, there’s this vendor there called Island Way (or something to that effect) that sells sorbet in the actual fruits they’re flavored after. For example, you can get a Pina Colada sorbet in a hallowed-out pineapple. Totally rules. Photo above by Lana. (Website)

Midpoint Music Festival – 9.24 through 9.26 – Various Venues – Cincinnati, OH

To end the summer, why not take the hour trip up I-71 to czech out Cincinnati’s patron-friendly festival Midpoint. The lineup details are still being revealed, but last year boasted the likes of Robert Pollard, Why?, Sonic Boom, and more. Plus, Scion provides car shuttles to get everyone between venues. Pretty rad. (Webiste)

::: And, of course, various shows I may be attending in the area – also in no particular order…

Bill Callahan – Mercy Lounge – Nashville, TN – 6.9

Bill Callahan, a.k.a. Smog, a.k.a. William Callahan has a smokin’ new jam hive out that will no doubt be awesome live.

Black Moth Super Rainbow – Newport, KY – 6.21

I’ve already talked about Black Moth Super Rainbow way too much on this site. You can ascertain what you expect here. Cincinnati’s Mallory is quite good, too.

Sunn O))) – Southgate House – Newport, KY – 7.12

Smoke machines, dudes in robes, and your demise. Nothing says summer fun like doom drone.

The Jesus Lizard – Exit/In – Nashville, TN – 7.14

David Yow still gots it.

Deerhunter with No Age and Dan Deacon – Southgate House – Newport KY – 8.4

Deerhunter, No Age, and Dan Deacon are doing what’s known as an “in the round” tour. In other words, all the performers collaborate, instead of traditional headliner/support live shows. They’re only doing a handful of dates, so you should be extremely excited that they’re playing Newport at the nation’s most awesome venue, The Southgate House. I’m cool with No Age and Dan Deacon, but I will go anywhere, at any time, for Deerhunter. I can’t wait! Tickets are not yet on sale, but they will go fast, so check the Twitter for more information. I will try to have some tickets to give away on this blog, as well.

Phantom Family Halo, The Black Hollies, and Trophy Wives – Cahoot’s – Louisville, KY – 6.20

One of Louisville’s best. Highly recommended.

Bonnie Prince Billy with Bachelorette – Red Mile – Lexington, KY – 6.13

To be honest I’m actually more excited about Bachelorette than ol’ Willy O. You probably gleaned that from my recent album review.

The Dirty Projectors – Wexner Center – Columbus, OH – 6.21

Man, I saw these guys with maybe 20 other people at an old venue in Lexington called The Ice House. They grow up so fast.

Sword Haven, Psychedelic Horseshit, and Wet Hair – Skylab – Columbus, OH – 6.28

You can’t find a better lineup with better band names.

Bert Jansch and Alasdair Roberts – The Dame – Lexington, KY – 8.12

Saw Roberts open for The Incredible String Band. Dude rips.

Find the most up-to-date and complete concert listings for the area courtesy of Backseat Sandbar.

From Time: “In recent days, Chicago has endured baby tsunamis and threats of tornadoes. Just last week, the authorities pulled a prickly five-foot-long alligator from the Chicago River. In April, police fatally shot a 150-lb. cougar in an alley of a leafy neighborhood in this city’s heart. America’s third-largest city is becoming some kind of remote Amazonian outpost. Now come The Birds.”

Second post in a row featuring a picture of a winged beast.

So I’ve heard over the past few weeks that these Hitchcockesque black-bodied, red-winged birds are swopping down and attacking people, usually about the dome area, and regardless if you’re wearing some headgear or not. It’s some chin-scratching stuff. Well, this morning, I finally saw one screeching down Columbus Avenue in the Loop, which makes sense as it’s only two blocks from the lakeshore (the killer birds’ habitat). I emerge unscathed, thank you for asking.

“Experts say it appears urban red wings are more aggressive than their rural counterparts, partly because the city birds are particularly sensitive to (or fed up with) excessive human encroachment on their turf… local and federal officials have advised citizens confronted head-on by a red wing to simply stare back into its eyes.”

Sounds like good advice to me. I like staring down animals, as well as other humans.

So in honor of our newest form of domestic terrorism, here are some evil jams about evil birds:

MP3 :::
Indian Jewelry – Bird is Broke (Won’t Sing)
Comets on Fire – Jaybird
Lightning Bolt – Birdy

CHIRP, or the Chicago Independent Radio Project, now has a space for its studio and alchemy laboratory. This is most triumphant. We’re now almost ready to start the web broadcast, and with the Local Community Radio Act moving to the House this fall with bipartisan support, it looks like CHIRP will be pretty close to having a terrestrial signal as well, pretty soon. So, the new home of CHIRP is the second floor of The Dank Haus, Chicago’s German-American cultural center. My seven or so years of studying German throughout middle and high school will now pay off handsomely.

Having come of age with many pothead friends, it will be hard for me, at first, to dissociate “dank” with “weed.” This is rather annoying. With that said, I still think it’s very cool that our LP and Internet radio station will be housed in a pretty awesome (and graciously generous) community center.