Entertainment

Below is a list of confirmed entertainment.  As we continue to add to the schedule, we will update the page.  The time schedule has not yet been published.

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Love Jones

 

Formed in Louisville, KY before moving to Los Angeles in 1992, Love Jones fit into the so-called "cocktail nation" of the early '90s. In some ways a reaction to the grunge/alternative wave that swept through America in 1992, the members of the cocktail nation celebrated the aesthetics and music of the '50s and early '60s -- the lounge jazz, crooning pop, and martinis. Love Jones played any sort of pop music that could fit that label -- pop, blues, R&B, bossa nova, doo wop. 

Former Squirrel Bait and Lemonheads drummer Ben Daughtrey and bassist Barry Thomas formed the group in the spring of 1990; soon afterward, the duo added singer/guitarist Chris Hawpe, drummer Stuart Johnson, and singer Jonathan Palmer, with Daughtrey playing various percussion instruments and singing. After playing for a year in Louisville, KY, the group moved out to Hollywood where they eventually received a contract with Zoo Entertainment. Love Jones released its first record, Here's to the Losers, in late 1993. (Story courtesy of Barry Thomas, photo courtesy of www.lovejones.info)

www.lovejones.info

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Tift Merritt

Like that “overnight success” story about the singer who suddenly made it big — after ten years of toiling in clubs — one journalist recently wrote, “Tift Merritt seemingly came out of nowhere in 2002. . .”

Merritt has indeed been playing small clubs in North Carolina and learning her craft, though not quite for a decade. But one reason that writer likely made such a pronouncement is because unlike most “new” artists, Tift Merritt comes to us a fully-formed creative force; she demonstrates songwriting skill on par with much older, more seasoned artists, and possesses a mature and expressive voice. It helps, too, that her Lost Highway debut, Bramble Rose, is astonishingly good.

Comparisons to Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris have already been drawn, though unlike those two influential interpreters, the 27-year-old Merritt sings her own songs. In fact, she wrote every cut on the rootsy Bramble Rose, and counts Eudora Welty as much of an influence as Bob Dylan.

Though she grew up wanting to be a writer, Merritt’s father’s influence as a “Saturday musician” planted a seed. On the weekends, he’d play Otis Redding on guitar or piano and enlist his daughter to sing with him. Then they’d drive around and listen to Dolly Parton.

Merritt studied literature at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and won awards for her short stories. After trading prose for music, Merritt again gained honors by winning the 2000 Chris Austin songwriting contest at North Carolina’s MerleFest. acoustic music festival.

“That really changed things for me,” she says. Merritt met several Nashville songwriters and industry types, including Frank Callari, who became her manager and ultimately got her the record deal. In 2001, Merritt and her band went to L.A.’s Sound Factory with producer Ethan Johns to record Bramble Rose. “It was like camp,” she says with a laugh.

Tift Merritt revels in the label’s confidence of letting her do her record her way. “I just think it’s remarkable that they gave me the same [respect] they’ve given their other great artists, because I am just proving myself.”With Tift Merritt, the proof is in Bramble Rose. (Story  from http://www.bmi.com/musicworld/entry/233329, photo courtesy of http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Merritt,_Tift/gallery/Tift-Merritt-rt04)

www.tiftmerritt.com

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John Gage

John Gage is an established folk singer/songwriter who has made a career of entertaining audiences with his resonant tenor voice and flat-picking guitar. His music is solid listening. It draws on the alchemy of ancient balladeers and poets, transporting listeners inwardly for reflection and intimacy with others in the room. John performs on arts and festival stages throughout Kentucky and the region, and in churches, libraries, schools, or anyplace where there might be a potential audience just wanting to sing along. John has extensive experience planning collaboratively with classroom teachers for arts education programs and participating in curriculum planning. In addition, he conducts interactive workshops and motivational speeches throughout the southeast region in an effort to help educators and parents understand how personal involvement with music and other performing arts contribute to improved academic learning and overall personal well being. In addition, John is a veteran stage emcee at major festivals across Kentucky, and is host and emcee of Kentucky Homefront, a radio show that preserves Kentucky’s cultural heritage through storytelling and traditional music. John is available for booking through the Kentucky Theater Project. (Story from http://www.kytheater.org/johnbio.html, Photo for http://www.gagetunes.com)


www.gagetunes.com

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Brigid Kaelin

Brigid Kaelin has played accordion/piano/musical saw/ and sung with acts ranging fromElvis Costello and the Imposters, #1-charting rock bandsSeven Mary Three and Days of the New, saxophone legend Maceo Parker, Sun Records producer/engineer Cowboy Jack Clement, Johnny Cash's drummer W.S. "Fluke" Holland, Nashville's famed MuzikMafia, the Nashville Star House Band, Louisville rocker Tim Krekel, LA/Louisville favoriteLove Jones and many others. She tours regularly as piano player for indie-rock legend Peter Searcy.

But Brigid Kaelin is more than just a sideman. She made the front page of The Tennessean on her very first day in Nashville, and has since been making news whereever she sings.
Recently voted #33 in WFPK’s Greatest Artists of All Time Countdown (Brigid’s idol, John Prine, was #34, Bob Dylan #29, and Elvis Costello #9), Brigid Kaelin puts on live show unlike anyone else. Part vaudeville, part rock, Kaelin writes killer songs and knows how to entertain. Her new record, West 28th Streetl, is part vaudeville, part blues, part pop and all Americana, Brigid's sense of humor and zest for life shine through her live show, as she has been called "the Bette Midler of alt-country," and her skills on the piano, accordion, guitar, and various other "instruments" never undermine her "clever, thoughtful songwriting." Story from http://www.brigidkaelin.com/, Photo from www.consuminglouisville.com/music/)

 

www.brigidkaelin.com

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Peter Searcy

Best known as the frontman of cult favorite teen punk combo Squirrel Bait, singer/songwriter Peter Searcy was born and raised in Louisville, KY, where as a child he studied cello and violin. Profoundly influenced by the music of Hüsker Dü and Minor Threat, in 1984 he co-founded Squirrel Bait with guitarists David Grubbs and Brian McMahan, bassist Clark Johnson, and drummer Britt Walford; despite an average age of 15, the group soon landed a contract with indie label Homestead, issuing their self-titled 1985 debut EP to much critical acclaim. Distinguished by Searcy's raw, Paul Westerberg-like wail, Squirrel Bait issued only one proper LP (1987's Skag Heaven) before disintegrating, but their influence proved enormous: not only did the band's thrash-pop approach anticipate the rise of grunge by a half-decade, but its members all went on to play key roles in independent circles -- McMahan and Walford teamed in the groundbreaking Slint, while Grubbs and Johnson reunited in Bastro (with the former subsequently founding Gastr del Sol).

Searcy, meanwhile, formed Big Wheel, which issued its debut, East End, in 1989; after two more albums, 1992's Holiday Manor and 1993's Slowtown, the group dissolved, and when his next project, Starbilly, fell apart after just one LP (1995's Master Vibrator), he relocated to Atlanta and took a job waiting tables while playing the occasional live date. Searcy's solo debut, Could You Please and Thank You, followed on Time Bomb in early 2000. 2004's Couch Songs was a more labored affair, recorded back in Louisville (with Butch Walker), and was his only album during his brief stint on Initial.

Looking to snatch back some of his early rock gusto and sincerity, Searcy got a real band together and started work on his next batch of songs during 2006. His resulting 2007 effort Spark was recorded (largely) live in the studio, with the prior year's worth of full-band rehearsals providing the core of what would be his biggest return to the workman-like rock ethic of his first recordings.  (Story from Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide http://music.aol.com/artist/peter-searcy/biography/1102047, Photo from http://www.petersearcy.net/gallery/index.html)

www.petersearcy.net

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Danny Flanigan and the Rain Chorus

Danny Flanigan is a 34 year-old singer/songwriter from Louisville. He's married and has a 6 year-old boy. Danny teaches guitar during the day and plays throughout the Midwest region at night. He mainly plays in clubs, but you can occassionally catch him performing in a few bookstores or coffee shops, too. Danny does every now-and-then play solo/acoustic, but he prefers to perform with his band. His band consists of drums, bass, lead guitar, mandolin, and a female vocalist -- the folks in the band are gifted players and are his best friends.

Danny has recorded five albums to date, the newest being "Vernon's Mud & Other Favorites". You can hear his music on the radio on 91.9 WFPK (in Louisville) and on 92.3 WTTS (in Bloomington/Indianapolis). Danny Flanigan has opened for Bob Dylan, Shawn Colvin, Patti Griffin, and The Bodeans, just to name a few. All of his songs are true stories and so far he has written 113 of them. (Story from http://www.ket.org, Photo from http://www.dannyflanigan.com/home.html)

www.dannyflanigan.com

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Shannon Lawson

Blending country and bluegrass with healthy side portions of blues and rock & roll, singer/songwriter Shannon Lawson was born in Taylorsville, KY, in 1973. Lawson's family was full of amateur musicians who had frequent picking sessions at home, and he first began trying his hand at his uncle's guitar at age four; three years later, he got a nylon-string acoustic of his own.

In high school, Lawson formed a rock band, but along with a slew of hard rock covers, he threw in twangier numbers by John Anderson or the Eagles to the setlists. After graduating from high school, Lawson relocated to Louisville to attend college and in his freshman year, he scored a gig with a local blues act (all of whom were African-American, except for Lawson), first playing lead guitar and then adding lead vocals to his resumé. After a couple years, Lawson left the band and began playing Louisville's coffehouses as a solo acoustic act; before long, he hooked up with a bluegrass band called the Galoots and they soon developed a passionate local following for their high-energy mixture of acoustic country and blues. The Galoots released two successful self-distributed albums, and the group obtained a manager, Mandy Snider, who developed a particular interest in Lawson; the two fell in love and would eventually marry.

While in the Galoots, Lawson began writing songs for the group, and his tunes won him a deal with a Nashville publishing house, though his move to MusicCity also forced Lawson to leave the band. After hearing Lawson sing on one of his publishing demos, an A&R man from MCA Records' Nashville office became curious and after a showcase solo gig in Nashville, Lawson scored a major-label deal in 2001. His debut solo album, Chase the Sun, was released in the spring of the following year. (Story and picture from:  Mark Deming, All Music Guide -http://music.aol.com/artist/shannon-lawson)


http://music.aol.com/artist/shannon-lawson

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Leigh Ann Yost

Her songs can't escape her existence: loves gained, lost, lives lived and roads crossed. Her less-is-more approach to songwriting results in a perfect marriage between melodies, catchy hooks, and memorable lyrics. 

Tired of just singing, Leigh Ann picked up a guitar at the ripe age of 30 and began writing. After a stellar first performance at the KY Theater in March of 2006, she exploded into the local music scene, and in just over one year, she has made quite the impact, often participating in the planning and organization of concert benefits for charities. Musicians seek performances with Leigh Ann in order to draw a larger audience. She is well received in a multitude of settings, from the SpeedArt Museum to the historic KY Theater to coffee shops and bars.  Leigh Ann is a music staple on Louisville's Public Radio,91.9 WFPK radio Louisville. (Story  from http://artistdirectory.ky.gov/performingarts/LeighAnnYost.htm, Picture from http://leighannyost.com)


http://leighannyost.net

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Louisville School Of Rock

Two local music enthusiasts had a vision for aninnovative rock school, and partnered with Willis Music who has been a leader in the music industry for over108 years.  Becoming a musician, vocalist or songwriteris one of the most exciting and personally rewardingthings an individual can do.  At the Louisville Schoolof Rock, you can experience music from start tofinish, with instruction, rehearsal, live performance,all the way through recording your own CD or DVDin our recording studio.

The Creative Kids program allows your child to experience the fun and excitement of performing like their favorite Disneyartists. They will learn to perform songs by artists such as Hilary Duff, Jesse McCartney, Aly & AJ, andsongs featured in High School Musicals. In addition, Creative Kids will have opportunities to perform "live" in the community. We make sure your child has a great time while our professional instructors develop each student's talent. (Story from: http://www.urock2.com/index2.html. Picture from: http://www.lsornews.com/)

Featuring LouisvilleSchool of Rock  and RAGNAROK From Russia with Fun


www.urock2.com

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The Ladybirds

The Ladybirds recorded their new full-length Whiskey and Wine in mono, which isn’t out of step given the band’s rockabilly/old-school punk leanings. Whether they’re adding new spins to Phil Spector and Chuck Berry (“Problem Child”), reinventing a bad-girl anthem (the MC5’s “Teenage Lust”) or coming up with their own combination of the two (“Magic Fingers”), this local act looks to the past with fresh eyes.

Now they’ve got Anthony Fossaluzza on a big Hammond organ pushed through a Leslie speaker, which adds to their onstage versatility. But any time they summon pure rock spark, like when the guitar and Teeple’s voice charge in on competing gallops through “(I’m Gonna) Spin Those Reels,” the Ladybirds make for the most danceable sound around. Now they’ve finally got the proof on disc.  Influenced by :The Shangri-Las, MC5, The Beach Boys, Chuck Berry, Wanda Jackson, The Sonics, Hank Williams, Phil Spector, Little Richard, Flying Burrito Bros, The Real Kids. Listen to them at WWW.LADYBIRDSROCK.COM. (Story & picture from: http://www.leoweekly.com/?q=node/3652)

www.ladybirdsrock.com

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Fixx Salon

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=166238154

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