What kind of music scene in Lousville? (Louisville, Bowling Green: job, home)

[bishard2]

Hi- We were wondering what kind of music scene is prevelent in Louisville? Is there good blues to be found? What about country swing...such as asleep at the wheel- Thanks

[censusdata]

Kinda varies. The Jazz Factory is pretty cool.

WFPK 91.9 plays a lot of local artists, as does 93.1 The Fox on Sunday evening

Here are some helpful websites
The Jazz Factory, Louisville's Premier Night Club
ear X-tacy
Louisville*Mojo:*Louisville*music
Louisville Music. Local Bands and Music.

[stx12499]

Consuming Louisville

Search this website. I mean up and down. Louisville is weird. Louisville is big city, and Louisville is small town. I love this place. See why others think so and look at the links to the music gurus on there.

One of their many cool links:

Backseat Sandbar

[louroclou]

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.

[bishard2]

Thanks so much for your replys! Can't wait to check it all out...