Intricate splatter folk prophets The Books, whom rarely tour these days and assemble a mindblowing A/V show that’s essentially a live art installation, are coming to Lexington on Monday, September 21st. First… holy shit, right? Better yet, a portion of the proceeds from the show will go toward renovating the architecturally significant Miller House. And The Books will be playing at The Miller House as well, so expect a very intimate vibe.
I have two tickets to giveaway. You probably want these said tickets. Here’s how to enter:
You may either leave a comment below or shoot a message to kb [at] thedecibeltolls (dot) com telling me about your favorite book (see what I did there?!). The first person to name a title I have on my bookshelf claims the tickets. You must live in the area (i.e. reasonably be able to drive to Lexington the day of the show) to be eligible.
I will name the winner by Monday, September 7 via email, so if you comment, leave a valid address. Finally, if you’re going (and you should), please click the “map that shizz” link below to find out where it is if you haven’t been there. It took some digging because Google Maps and Mapquest have the Miller House’s address incorrectly listed.
The Books with TBA
Monday, September 21
Doors @ 7 p.m. / $15 (available at the door or by reservation – griffin@bullhornwill.com)
The Miller House
832 Lockmere Place, Lexington (map that shizz)
Sponsored by WRFL and Bullhorn Will
The Dame Music Hall, the Lexington venue that housed many amazing acts and was my employer/second home for years, will take a final bow on August 23. It doesn’t surprise me. Since the entertainment block downtown was leveled for a development yet to be built (thanks Mayor n00berry) and the venue was relocated, it seemed from talking to the employees, various musicians, patrons, and Nick himself, that the vibe there categorically changed. Moreover, with the new Buster’s opening a 1,000+ capacity hall that can host 18 and up shows (something we never were able to figure out how to do per liquor licensing), in addition to the vast array of all ages shows at Al’s Bar, The Dame, which was the only game in town for the middle part of the decade, just could not compete. Lexington might not be big enough to host three big music venues with nightly live entertainment. I’m mega sad to see it go – I certainly had many warm memories there. At least it goes out while still on top. Gonna miss you, lady Dame.
Including an MP3 below from the group who played my favorite show there, as a final salute.
…or Malachai Destiny, or Malach, or the 13th Century Boi. He answers to a multitude of monikers. Malachai is a Kentucky-based filmmaker who has built a rather heavy mystique around himself – everything from cultivating various personas to creating his own lexicon in his film dialogue and music. He’s sorta like Tolkien in that sense I suppose.
Malachai, academically speaking, creates unusual, rad, tongue-firmly-in-cheek abstract short form narratives. The actors come from a music and art talent pool known as the Manforest. Malach would never divulge to me what exactly a Manforest is, and perhaps I don’t really want to know. Malachai describes himself in his own words:
The Quest series is somewhere between art film, surrealistic humor, and a delightful coming of age piece about broship and finding yourself. Get lifted, mang:
Malachai is on MySpazz here. If you wish to speak to him directly, though, you must contact Shooting Star Talents of Beijing. You can see some of his other work at Viemo.
Yes, Bonnie Prince Billy’s latest releases, Beware and his Among the Gold collaboration with Chyenne Mize, are excellent. But Bachelorette’s My Electric Family (The Deicbel Tolls review) is next level shit. This is your heads-up to arrive early to the show tonight at The Red Mile in Lexington. Doors are at 9 p.m. Get there at exactly that time, render your $12, and have Annabelle Alpers destroy your brain for 45 minutes (show info).
Congrats to Alex for gripping the tickets in last week’s giveaway. Enjoy this video of “Intergalactic Solitude” from Isolation Loops in Brooklyn. Yay for mushrooms.
And man… I. Just. Can’t. Stop. Listening. To. “Instructions For Insomniacs.” Good gawd, ya’ll. Enjoy this too.
This entry is categorized under “Noise Consultations” because that’s where all the feature-based writing tends to end up. But the story of Steverino – who he is, how I met him, and how it is that this guy actually exists, probably deserves its own category. Nevertheless, I’d like to introduce you to Steve Hayes, who performs under the name “Steverino.” As foreshadowing to this story, it might be relevant to add that I made the graphic above from a picture Steve uses as the background on his website. The file is called “steverino4u.jpg,” for what it’s worth. This tale of indescribable weirdness is 100% true.
Steverino is a stalwart gentlemen, roughly Roman in proportion, and in his plainclothes motif is conventional in fashion and appearance. He’s probably in his 50s, if I had to guess, with sandy and graying hair, spotted wrinkles and crevasses in his face. His casual wear generally consists of Hawaiian shirts and cargo shorts. Just a dude, ya know. I later found out he’s in some faction of the military. He has a flat tenor of a voice, sounding like a corn-fed laggard Midwestern boy, a product of growing up in parts of the country not intimately touched by the latest diffusion of innovations (or I have to assume). This explains a certain naivety or obliviousness that borders the pencil-thin line between endearing and obnoxious.
I first encountered Steverino in 2006. At the time, I was the promoter for The Dame in Lexington, Ky, a music venue that specialized in hosting indie rock, punk, alt country, and some hip-hop shows. On Monday nights, unless we had a national act coming in, The Dame would usually host an open mic night as a means to assuage the need to have some sort of music on a slower weeknight. Lots of white dudes playing shitty blues and acoustic covers was the usual fare.
The pervasive mood of stagnation and apathy was shattered one spring evening when Steverino came in to perform – and nothing was the same. This is not hyperbole – skies parted, food tasted differently, et al. Continue reading ‘The Passion of Steverino Hayes’
As people who know me personally are aware, the music venue where I worked (booking and promoting) for 2.5 years was torn down in my old stomping ground of Lexington, Ky. It feels like a death in the family. Not only did I basically live there for that period of time (I had groceries in our office, I often slept there), but it was such a critical stepping stone in my life that offered connections, experience, and memories during such a vital, transitional phase in my life. It was called The Dame, and it was laid to rest on August 19. The club’s manager, Nick, has been trying to relocate the business, but the prospects are looking dismal.
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