Louisville Bandstand

Would you please indulge me for a minute while I scream? Thanks.

FPK YOU SO ROCK!!!

There. All better.

Now. Can I get an AMEN? I mean, really!

Really? FREE CONCERTS? EVERY MONTH?

Cutting edge music? REALLY?

OK, so the last Waterfront Wednesday [May 25th] was FABulous! The weather threatened, but arrived late enough that the show went on and everybody was safe!

Because of my “learning differences”, it took me a little while to find the new place, the Big Four Lawn.  But, it turned out to be a great venue. Lots more space and easier to navigate. The big curvy bridge looks like an art piece, so that was cool.

The lineup for this show was killer! Flat out to-die-for!

First out, Harper Blynn. You should know them. FPK plays them. If you don’t, you will. I always turn up the volume when they play  “Start All Over” from the self-titled EP. It’s a great song with beautifully rich harmonies. Keep your eyes [and ears] on this Brooklyn-based band. You heard ‘em here, folks.

And then there was Cabin! Hometown kids! YEAH! I must admit, at show time, I was a Cabin newbie. And after the show, a BIG Cabin fan! Not only does local music rest in that itty-bitty soft spot in my heart, but these guys are also REALLY good! They’ve been compared to Coldplay and U2 – both personal faves. That is some heavy-duty kick ass company. I love the song “I was Here” from the album  Among the Rectangles and Changeable Parts. But the entire CD is super. Two words:  buy it.

And now… May I present, Over the Rhine[OtR]? If you don’t know by now, I am an OtR junkie. And this was just the fix I needed. [Yes, I said it.]

It amazes me how the live show reproduces the beauty of the studio version. The purity is what comes through. It’s authentic. Not a glam job made up, beyond recognition, for the prom. It sounds the same any way you hear it. Consistent. It’s music you can count on to entertain and move you.

As you come to know all the songs on one album, and they become friends, it’s sometimes hard to start looking at another song list. Sorta like you’re leaving one for another. But once you learn the new songs, for instance on The Long Surrender [OtR's newest offering], you realize you’re just adding to the circle of friends. And you welcome them. With open arms.

This is one HELLUVA [love writing that] CD.  Produced by the hip/cool/mega-talented Joe Henry in his California studio, this piece of gorgeouness is a marker in OtR’s much-deserved ascent into a heavenly hall of fame of Americana. Rubbin’ elbows with Mr. Henry and the players he assembled for the album, including, none other than Lucinda Williams [HELLO!] tell you something about the quality of their talent.

Most of the songs they played last week were off this new CD, but they threw in a little “Trouble” from The Trumpet Child, a thing of beauty as well. It was a shortened show, due to the weather, but it was a joy, nonetheless.  The band looked like they were having a blast, too.  As individual members took the spotlight for a solo, you could see their bandmates enjoying it as much as the audience.

Thanks, again to FPK for making this possible for all of us.  Amen.

One Monday morning, almost a year ago [May 17, 2010], Over the Rhine [OtR], the husband&wife-led band from Cincinnati, walked into the California production studio of multi-talented Joe Henry.  They had arrived to undertake the creation of a new album. Little did they realize, at the time, they would be falling into “a week of a lifetime”, as Linford described it the other day during our interview.

Linford Detweiler, the husband part of OtR, told me the other day the team Joe Henry had assembled for the session, including  Jay Bellerose/drums; David Piltch/bass; Greg Leisz/pedal steel & strings; Keefus Ciancia/keyboards;  Patrick Warren/pump organ; Levon Henry/tenor sax; James Gilstrap/vocals; Niki Harris/vocals; Jean McClain/vocals; Lucinda Williams/vocals, became like a “great dance partner”, knowing the next right move to make – the dip and spin of it all. Understanding that the entire album was “choreographed” in a single work week – that’s right, Monday to Friday- is truly incredible. And, even more than that, all LIVE!

When the album, titled The Long Surrender, opens, we hear Karin Berquist’s, the wife part of OtR,  admonitions in “The Laugh of Recognition”, her beautiful throat-full pleas for us to settle down and carry on. Her sincere encouragement to hold our heads up high as we start over touches a universal nerve for everyone who has had to reinvent themselves due to  bumps in the road.

The themes that run throughout the album are life-spanning. But, we’re not getting a boudoir glimpse.  Instead, it’s more a reflection of some private journey – where we’ve been, or what may be around the corner. You can see the bored teenage boys in “Rave On”, grow up and into to the Elvis-inspired hunks of burnin’ love in the sultry “The King Knows How”. Then as long-attached partners, spoken memories try to keep a relationship afloat in “Infamous Love Song”. The shaded humor in caring for an Aged P[arent] in “Only God Can Save Us Now” will resonate with many listeners, as Karin hints at her own impending decline. This is quite literally a “recording of a lifetime”.

Mr. Joe Henry must have been a matchmaker/shadchen, in a former life, as witnessed in his pairing of Karin and Lucinda Williams in “Undamned”.  Linford said there wasn’t a dry eye in the studio when they finished singing together. Verklempt, indeed.

Most of the songs are Karin and Linford’s, together or individually. Two songs were collaborations with Joe and one was written by Kim Taylor.  Ms. Taylor’s “Days Like This” is a personal favorite and Karin’s voice makes it a prayer of gratitude.

As you imagine a couple becomes one on the dance floor, so, too do the words and notes in these songs. It is hard to separate them, both leaning into the other to become one. But the words are so strong and eloquent, so able to be stand-alone poetry,  prose,  love letters. Then, there’s the music. An equal partner, no doubt.

Over the Rhine will grace the banks of the Ohio with its music tomorrow for WFPK’s next Waterfront Wednesday.  It will be located on the waterfront near the Big Four Bridges. You’ll hear something beautiful. And that will be Over the Rhine, overlooking the Ohio.

You will rave on…

OK! I lied! So, sue me! I told myself I wouldn’t get into the venue aspect of the local music scene. But, today, I must.

It’s a sad time for many of us…

Tonight is the LAST open mic at The Back Door in Mid-City Mall. For the past three and half years (or so),  owner John Dant has given floor and air space for Dave Benson to host the world famous Back Door Open Mic Night. And tonight, it ends.

But, as it ends, it is the place of so many beginnings.

It’s been a warm, friendly, safe place for blossoming musicians to find their voice. Dave and the patrons embrace you. Like family. Whatever you do. However you sound. You have a place. They will listen and clap.

It’s also been a place for music veterans to stretch. Try out that new song. Change up an oldie. Pick with your buddies, just for fun. Not a gig. No pressure to to be “on”.  Just us.

I came to The Back Door open mic less than a year ago. And I cannot express the personal joy I’ve found there. And I know I’m not alone.

So, if you’ve been to The world famous Back Door’s open mic night, it’s time to give back. Just a little. Please stop in tonight, if you can, sing a song, sit and listen, and raise your glass.

And, thank John and  Dave.

Hope to see ya’ll next fall.

And, please, tip your bartenders!