LEO Weekly, February 14, 2024

Winter A&E Issue

Great Meadows Grantees + Soulful Derbytown

F E B R U A R Y 1 4 - 2 7, 2 0 2 4 | V O L 3 3 I S S U E 4 4 | F R E E

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EDITORIAL Editor in Chief - Erica Rucker Digital Media Editor Sydney Catinna Culture Writer - Aria Baci Contributing Arts Editor Jo Anne Triplett

CREATIVE SERVICES Creative Director - Haimanti Germain Art Director - Evan Sult Graphic Designer - Aspen Smit BUSINESS MANAGER Elizabeth Knapp

ON THE COVER:

DIRECTOR OF SALES Marsha Blacker

“The Lovers” from Guided Hand Tarot Illustration: Irene Mudd/guidedhandstudio.com

EDITOR’S NOTE

6

NEWS & ANALYSIS

9

FEATURE

12

• •

CONTRIBUTORS Robin Garr, Jeff Polk, Tracy Heightchew, Dan Savage, Christina Estrada, Marc Murphy, Rob Brezsny, Michael Jones, Madi Stoutt, Dan Canon, Zachary Roth (States Newsroom), T. E. Lyons

Sounds of Derbytown Great Meadows Grant Recipients

STAFF PICKS

27

MUSIC

29

FOOD & DRINK

32

ARTS & CULTURE

34

ETC

39

Chief Executive Officer Chris Keating Vice President of Digital Services Stacy Volhein Digital Operations Coordinator Elizabeth Knapp Director of Operations Emily Fear Chief Financial Officer Guillermo Rodriguez

LEO Weekly is published weekly by LEO Weekly LLC. Copyright LEO Weekly LLC. All rights reserved. The opinions expressed herein are exclusively those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Publisher. LEO Weekly is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without the express permission of LEO Weekly LLC. LEO Weekly may be distributed only by authorized independent contractors or authorized distributors. Louisville Eccentric Observer (LEO) is a trademark of LEO Weekly LLC.

MARC MURPHY

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EDITOR’S NOTE

WE’RE BAAAACK!

BY ERICA RUCKER

Erica Rucker is LEO Weekly’s editor-in-chief. In addition to her work at LEO, she is a haphazard writer, photographer, tarot card reader, and fair-to-middling purveyor of motherhood. Her earliest memories are of telling stories to her family and promising that the next would be shorter than the first. They never were.

6 | LEO WEEKLY FEBRUARY 14-27, 2024

It was a weird moment when our media group CEO Chris Keating suggested that we take a break to regroup and rebrand. When you hear words like that you begin to think the worst, especially in the media with a paper that’s spent a lot of years struggling while still trying to bring news and events to our community. There was a lot of frustration and tears in the last year trying to help LEO survive, because for us, it matters and we definitely think it matters to you, Louisville.

Back in the late summer, I wrote a long proposal and hoped that we’d go in that direction instead of being made something that we very much are not.

With that idea in mind, and being asked to slow down when we were already crawling, was a scary, scary prospect. Thankfully the proposal, and what Chris had in mind were very much in sync.

We decided as a team to trust the vision — which isn’t fully realized yet, but visible — and to take a step back, make some tough decisions, and look toward the LEO that could be. We know there is life in this paper and in our community to protect one of its greatest assets and institutions.

Now, we’re all seeing the benefits of that trust and the vision of our team. Y’all, it really has been a labor of love, full of real blood, sweat, and tears.

Bottom line, we love LEO and our media group sees that there is potential for the paper, and for Louisville.

Thank whatever deity you believe in.

Our relaunch has been happening in stages. We got a new logo, designed by our production team in Detroit. With the launch of the new logo we discovered that a local rapper, also named Leo,

shared our love for the same simple clean font.

It was the weirdest of coincidences but one that gave both of our new logos some pretty hilarious attention.

We’ve launched a new web experience.

Certainly, new websites come with kinks and minor issues, so when you see something, let us know so that we can smooth out the wrinkles. Regardless, what we’re getting with the new site is improved graphics, load time, and a really clean space to present the work of our new team which includes, a lot of freelancers, the same grumpy Editor-In-Chief — me — and (so far) our Digital Media Editor (and data dynamo) Sydney Catinna and AE/Culture Writer Aria Baci, who will be exploring so much of the local landscape with a finely tuned lens to unseen and underseen stories. We are in the process of interviewing and finding a news writer to shine a spotlight on important local issues like government, policing and housing. The news writer will give LEO the final piece of a basic foundation upon which we intend continuing to rebuild our house.

With our new print edition in your hands, you’ll notice that the new logo also comes on the cover of a fully redesigned book. Sexy, ain’t it?

There is more to come with our regular events, new events and other initiatives to grow your LEO Weekly into the paper our community deserves and needs.

You’ve hung with us this long, Louisville. Keep us in your hearts, visit the new site, grab the new paper (oh wait, you’re already holding it!), and get ready for some good times ahead.

FEBRUARY 14-27, 2024 LEO WEEKLY | 7

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THE MIDWESTERNIST

ONE PRISONER

BY DAN CANON

Dan Canon Photo: Dan Canon

“That is the island of Imrali. There is noth-

ing but a prison on that island. They only are having one prisoner there. You know we don’t have terrorism here? They caught the only terrorist and put him there. All by himself.

Now everyone is safe.”

That’s the story we got from our tour guide in Turkey. One need not be trained in ferreting out propagandistic bullshit to recognize that something about it doesn’t ring true. Tour groups don’t attract a lot of critical thinkers, or at least not many who are so impolite as to not keep our mouths shut when we hear something outlandish. So perhaps it was social graces that kept me from cross-examining our poor guide. Or perhaps it just wasn’t shocking enough to ask about.

Curiosity eventually got the better of me, so I looked it up. There was in fact a lone prisoner on the island of Imrali. He still lives, though not

in total isolation. His name is Abdullah Öcalan.

Whether or not he is a terrorist is, uhm, debatable in the way that the legacy of Che Guevara, Yasser Arafat, or even Ataturk is debatable. Öcalan was at one time a leader of Kurdish militants, and became what we might call an anarchist, in the sense that he believes that the state is inherently oppressive and should be abolished. He was tried and convicted of treason in 1999. The reader’s attention span and my own capacity to retain information prevent further discussion of Öcalan’s life and times, but if you’re looking for more reading on a truly fascinating character, it’s out there. Öcalan was sentenced to death, but when

Turkey abolished the death penalty in 2002, the sentence was commuted to solitary confinement. Very solitary. So solitary, in fact, that he was the only prisoner on the island of Imrali for ten years. In 2009, Öcalan’s captors moved other prisoners to Imrali, initially allowing them to spend ten hours a week together. They also gave Öcalan a TV. These changes apparently resulted from pressure by the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

For most of our history, that sort of treatment wouldn’t have been tolerated in the U.S., either (at least not out in the open). Longterm isolation of prisoners, though technically allowed since the 1790s, was a tactic rarely used before the late twentieth century, mostly because the courts and the general public perceived it for what it was: an inconceivably inhumane practice. As far back as 1890, the Supreme Court overturned a prisoner’s death sentence because his long-term solitary confinement was considered unconstitutionally cruel.

Solitary as we know it continued to be widely condemned until around the 1970s, when the drug wars, and a resulting wave of prisoner litigation, gave the courts opportunity to visit the issue over and over. At first, courts continued to decry solitary confinement, if not in very strong terms. As late as 1978, the Supreme Court held that even short-term solitary confinement “serve[d] no rehabilitative purpose.”

But something extraordinary happened in the wake of the mass incarceration crisis following the drug wars: prison officials simply ignored public outcry—and the courts. There were so many prisoners to manage, so many bodies to warehouse, that putting even a substantial number of people in solitary for months at a time didn’t catch attention like it used to. The problem was just too big to control, even from the hallowed halls of the high court. When violent revolts (inevitable in the overcrowded prisons of the post-Nixon era) became a bigger story than prisoner treatment, public sympathy for incarcerated people waned. Incarcerated people could be held in total isolation for months, even years, without engendering the ire of the public. Prison administrators didn’t much care what the courts had to say about it; they just kept on putting people in boxes and daring anyone to stop them. And so over time, the courts bowed to systemic pressures and upheld even the most monstrous examples of solitary confinement.

Today, it is a common practice of many facilities to keep people locked up alone for twenty-three hours a day, often with no human contact, no reading material, no natural light, and barely any amenities. We take this kind of punishment, considered outrageous 200 years ago, as a standard, even necessary, side effect of the carceral state, justified by even

the slightest perceived infraction. Incarcerated people have been put in solitary for failing to make their beds properly, for mouthing off to guards, and, as seen in at least one New York case, for eating the wrong parts of an apple.

Judges and juries don’t decide to put someone in solitary; that decision is usually left to the discretion of ordinary prison guards. Solitary affects everyone, from the tall to the small— misdemeanor offenders can get it just as often as people convicted of felonies—and in any institution. As we have come to discover more and more over the years, the effects of solitary on any person’s psyche are profound. Even a month without human contact can result in serious long-term harm, and it is not unusual for incarcerated people to spend years—even decades—in near-total isolation.

In contrast, Öcalan was probably never completely cut off from humankind. During his first ten years on Imrali, there were around 1,000 Turkish military personnel on the island.

He was at least in regular communication with his lawyers, and was able to make regular public statements through them. Öcalan also lucked out by being in an EU member state, and not just because of the commutation of his death sentence. Here, there is no “Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment,” or anything like it, that might investigate and interview incarcerated people about their living conditions. Post 2009, his access to the outside world seems exponentially better than Americans in “Special Housing Units.” And a TV? That’s positively posh.

Still, 10 years of solitary? That’s enough to make the average human brain into oatmeal.

And yet, a mere decade of torture is no big deal

by American standards. Thomas Silverstein did 36 years of solitary in federal prison. Albert Woodfox, one of the “Angola Three,” spent an unthinkable 43 years in a Louisiana isolation cell. And Kalief Browder — a child — spent more than a year in solitary in an adult jail despite never having been convicted of any crime. Remember, these are American citizens we’re talking about. We don’t really know what the ceiling is for foreign “combatants” kept in storage containers by the U.S., here or overseas. Dozens of prisoners whose names you’ll never hear will die on our watch every year having done far more than a decade of solitary. Öcalan got off comparatively easy. Hell, had he been convicted in America, where we’ve managed to retain the death penalty more than 20 years after Turkey abolished it, he might be dead already.

In sum, I am more or less unbothered by Abdullah Öcalan’s extensive isolation. I am somewhat bothered, however, by the fact that I am unbothered by it. What might it say about American’s criminal legal system — or those of us who participate in it — when we can compare it to ten years of solitary confinement on a Turkish island prison and say “eh, that doesn’t sound so bad?”

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NEWS & ANALYSIS Will Americans stand up for democracy?

Photo: Adobe Stock

10 | LEO WEEKLY FEBRUARY 14-27, 2024

ARE AMERICANS REALLY COMMITTED TO DEMOCRACY IN THE 2024 ELECTION?

BY ZACHARY ROTH A growing share of Americans appears willing, in our ultra-polarized times, to put partisan or ideological loyalties ahead of democracy, a review of polls, focus groups and other analyses shows.

With former President Donald Trump having all but wrapped up the GOP presidential nomination, one issue looks set to be at the center of the general election campaign: the threat to democracy.

In a major campaign speech in Pennsylvania in January, President Joe Biden detailed Trump’s lies about the 2020 election, his efforts to use violence to hold on to power, and his promises of “revenge” and “retribution” against political enemies.

“Trump’s assault on democracy isn’t just part of his past,” Biden declared. “It’s what he’s promising for the future.”

To combat the charge, Team Trump has sought to muddy the waters by claiming, without evidence, that in fact it’s the president who threatens democracy. Trump says the criminal indictments in four cases brought against him are the proof — though there’s no evidence that Biden influenced prosecutors in any of them.

Trump also points to a case pending before the Supreme Court, in which Biden also has no involvement, that would rule Trump ineligible for the ballot.

“They’ve weaponized government, and he’s saying I’m a threat to democracy,” Trump said at an Iowa rally last month, accusing Biden of “pathetic fearmongering.”

All of which brings up a question: How do ordinary Americans regard democracy? Some people might assume that, though voters are deeply divided over just about everything, there is agreement on democracy as the way to resolve differences.

And yet, nearly half the electorate say they plan to vote for a candidate who already has gravely undermined democracy, and promises to do so again if reelected. Does that suggest Americans’ commitment to democracy — not just to holding elections, but to the norms that undergird liberal democracy, like the rule of law and an impartial justice system — isn’t as ironclad as we’d like to think?

Recently, a trove of information has emerged to shed light on the question. A series of polls, surveys, focus groups, and other analyses — many released since the start of the year — has aimed to gauge Americans’ views on democracy: how important it is, how well it’s working, and whether there are times when democratic values should be jettisoned.

The findings are varied and not easy to summarize, but a few themes stand out: Dissatisfaction with how democracy is

performing is sky-high across the political spectrum. Large majorities say democracy is at risk. And, perhaps most importantly: A growing share of Americans appears willing, in our ultra-polarized times, to put partisan or ideological loyalties ahead of democracy.

“When you are living in a more polarized time, it is going to be more likely that people are going to find excuses for their principles to be pushed to the side, because in that moment their political identity is more important than almost any other identity,” said Joe Goldman, the president of the Democracy Fund, a pro-democracy advocacy organization, and a co-author of a long-term study released this month by the group on Americans’ views of democracy.

That’s a highly dangerous situation, democracy advocates say. A clear and cross-partisan pro-democracy consensus among the public could act as a crucial bulwark against the kind of authoritarian steps that Trump has said he’ll take if re-elected — and could make it harder for him to win in the first place. Without that consensus, the threat to democracy will continue to grow.

Questioning of democracy

Going back to the founding, there’s been a strain of thinking that distrusted democracy as a system that can lead to mob rule and tyranny.

“It’s pretty clear that our founders hated democracy,” said Michael Schudson, a professor at Columbia Journalism School, who has studied the history of American civic life. “They were trying to get away from it. Democracy was a form of government from the past that led to, essentially, anarchy.”

Even today, many leading conservatives insist on calling the U.S. not a democracy but a republic.

“By the way, the United States is not a democracy,” Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., now the House speaker, said in a 2019 church sermon. “Do you know what a democracy is?

Two wolves and a sheep deciding what’s for dinner. You don’t want to be in a democracy.

Majority rule: not always a good thing.”

But there’s no question that recent years have seen a rise in the number of Americans who say democracy isn’t working well — or even who question it as a system and express support for alternatives.

A Jan. 10 analysis by the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, which summarized results from seven high-quality recent polls, found broad agreement that “American democracy is not working.”

One typical poll included in the UVA

analysis, released this month by Gallup, found just 28% of respondents, a new low, said they were satisfied with how democracy is functioning.

An overwhelming number of respondents to a PRRI survey from last year — 84% of Democrats, 77% of Republicans, and 73% of independents — said that U.S. democracy is at risk. And 2 out of 3 respondents to a Jan. 31 Quinnipiac poll said U.S. democracy is in danger of collapse.

Challenges for Democrats

A set of focus group conversations with mostly undecided voters in Georgia, Wisconsin and Nevada, conducted Jan. 24 by the progressive polling firm Navigator Research and viewed

by States Newsroom, found similar views. But the focus groups also underscored the challenges that Democrats might have in convincing voters that Trump is to blame for democracy’s troubles.

Participants almost universally said, when asked, that U.S. democracy is not working well.

One Nevada man described it as a corpse, an assessment that many other participants appeared to agree with.

But asked why, almost no one pointed to Trump and his lies about the 2020 election, his role in the violence of Jan. 6, or his promises to govern as an authoritarian. Many participants, instead, talked about feeling that their vote doesn’t matter because politicians on both sides ignore the views of regular people — concerns that existed long before the tumult of the Trump era.

“It’s self-interest on both sides,” said a Georgia woman. “From the lobbyists, from the politicians, to make it the way they want instead of the way we want.”

“Both sides are trying to say (democracy is under attack), but they’re trying to just point at the other side and make everyone believe it’s the other side,” said a Wisconsin man. “I tend to think it’s more about the entities that are in power just wanting to remain in power.

And that’s the best way to do that, is to make sure that we think it is under attack, but from the other side.”

The Stony Brook University political scientist Stanley Feldman summed up the challenge in an interview with the New York Times.

“Voting to protect democracy isn’t as straightforward as it may seem. Democracy is an abstraction to many voters,” said Feldman.

“To many Republicans, bringing criminal charges against Trump at this point looks like the Biden administration is trying to subvert democracy by getting rid of a candidate who can win in November.”

“I tend to think it’s more about the entities that are in power just wanting to remain in power.

And that’s the best way to do that, is to make sure that we think it is under attack, but from the other side.”

‘Preserving democracy’ still seems urgent

Still, at least in the abstract, people appear to value democracy and to see preserving it as important.

When the Quinnipiac poll asked people to choose which of 10 issues was the most urgent, the top choice, at 24%, was “preserving democracy”. Over 80 percent of participants in the Democracy Fund study, who were surveyed at different times from 2017 to 2022, said democracy is a fairly or very good political system. And only 8 percent were found to be “consistently authoritarian” in their responses.

“The results show that support for foundational principles of liberal democracy are discouragingly soft and inconsistent. There is a significant segment of the population that may be willing to embrace or accept the cause of authoritarian figures if and when it is in their partisan and political interests.”- Democracy Fund survey But when Democracy Fund asked a series of questions aimed at gauging support for key tenets of liberal democracy — including about authoritarian rule, about using violence to advance political goals, and about accepting election results — only 27% always gave the pro-democracy answer.

Perhaps even more troubling, this willingness to deprioritize democracy corresponded closely to partisan interests. For instance, in

September 2020, 81% of Republicans said it would be important for the loser of that year’s election to acknowledge the winner. In November — the month when the election was called for Biden, and Trump refused to concede defeat — that figure was 31%.

“The results show that support for foundational principles of liberal democracy are discouragingly soft and inconsistent,” the study’s authors conclude, adding: “There is a significant segment of the population that may be willing to embrace or accept the cause of authoritarian figures if and when it is in their partisan and political interests.”

Plenty of other polling evidence points toward the same conclusion. A CNN poll from October found that 67% of likely Republican primary voters in South Carolina said Trump’s efforts to overturn the election, if true, are not relevant to his fitness for the presidency.

An AP/NORC poll released in December found that 87% of Democrats said a Trump win in 2024 would damage democracy, while 82% of Republicans said the same thing about a Biden win.

And a University of Virginia poll released in October found that 41% of Biden supporters and 38% of Trump supporters said the other side is so extreme that it’s OK to use violence to stop them. The same poll found that 31% of Trump supporters and 24% of Biden supporters thought the U.S. should explore

non-democratic forms of government.

“Support for various aspects of liberal democracy has always been spongier than we’d like to think,” said Lee Drutman, a senior fellow at the New America think tank and a co-author of the Democracy Fund report. “But what’s distinct to this moment is that one party has elevated leaders that show no restraint and no respect for these foundational aspects of liberal democracy.” “(So) you have people who are willing to tolerate tremendous incursions on the foundations of democracy as long as it’s their side that’s doing it,” Drutman continued, “and you have a party with leaders who are willing to take advantage.”

How to reduce polarization

There are some reasons for hope. Last June, a Stanford University project convened a nationally representative sample of 600 registered voters of all political stripes for lengthy deliberative conversations, in groups of 10, on issues affecting U.S. democracy, including voter access, election administration, and campaign finance.

The organizers consistently found that the conversations led participants to become less polarized across partisan lines in their opinions, with Republicans moving towards Democrats and vice versa.

For instance, only 30% of Republicans started

out supporting the idea of letting people register to vote online. But after the conversations, a majority joined most Democrats in backing the idea.

Conversely, only 44% of Democrats started out liking the idea of requiring audits of a random sample of ballots to ensure that votes are counted accurately. After the conversations, 58% joined most Republicans in support.

“The norms that make democracy work do matter to people, and the idea that democracy might come to an end is such an awesome threat that people haven’t really thought about it.” – James Fishkin, political scientist.

Views even on seemingly more controversial ideas like having nonpartisan officials, not partisan lawmakers, draw district lines, or restoring voting rights to ex-felons, changed dramatically, especially among Republicans, said James Fishkin, a Stanford political scientist who helped organize the conversations.

Fishkin said the results suggest to him that once the campaign focuses more squarely on the threat to democracy, voters will start to grasp the need to protect it.

“The norms that make democracy work do matter to people, and the idea that democracy might come to an end is such an awesome threat that people haven’t really thought about it,” said Fishkin. ‘They’re thinking about inflation and the so-called crisis at the border, they’re not thinking about the end of democracy as we know it. I think once the public focuses on it, you may well get a different answer.”

But to Drutman, the threat will persist as long as the nation remains hyper-polarized, with one party willing to trample democratic norms.

“One argument is that there is an antiMAGA majority out there of people who are committed enough to democracy that some small sliver of the electorate will continue to elect Democrats,” Drutman said. “But democracy can’t fundamentally depend on one party winning forever.”

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LOUISVILLE GET S IT S SOUL MUSIC MEMORIALIzEd IN SOUNdS Of

By MICHAEL L. JONES

C The Messengers of Christ, Photo: courtesy of Wilma Clayborn

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arol Butler, cofounder of Butler Books, is fond of saying that books are born when they are ready. “The Soulful Sounds of Derbytown,” Butler Books’ latest release, had a particularly long gestation period. When this history of African American music in Louisville is released on March 2, it will be nearly a decade since the project was first conceived.

I am one of six co-authors of the new book, and I served as its executive editor. “The Soulful Sounds of Derbytown” explores the legacies of Black musicians and entertainers

Derbytown

in Louisville through hundreds of biographical sketches, historical essays, information on music venues and promoters, and historical and contemporary photographs that document a wide range of genres, including gospel, jug band, blues, jazz, R&B, hip-hop, rock, and classical and theatrical music.

I don’t know if I or my collaborators — Ken Clay, Wilma Westfield Clayborn, Keith Clements, Gary Falk, and Ron Lewis — would have pursued this venture if we’d known how time consuming it would become.

This project began as a photo exhibition

held at the Kentucky African American Heritage Center (KAAHC) in February 2014. Ken Clay, the founder of the nonprofit Legacies Unlimited Inc., is a well-known local music promoter. Not only did he launch the Midnite Ramble concert series at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, but he helped to organize the city’s annual World Fest concert for many years.

Clay, a coauthor of the book “Two Centuries of Black Louisville,” has hosts the two-day festival “Celebrating the Legacy of Black Louisville” at KAAHC each year. In 2014,

he decided to put together a photo exhibition focused on the legacy of Black musicians and entertainers in the River City. Ken assembled a dream team of people who had spent their lives immersed in the local music scene to collect photos and information from the local musicians they knew.

The group included Clements, a former blues columnist for “Louisville Music News” and board member of the Kentuckiana Blues Society; Lewis, a longtime R&B musician and owner of Mr. Wonderful Productions; and Falk, a longtime jazz musician and the owner of the recording studio Falk Audio.

The University of Louisville Photo Archive and Special Collections also contributed to the exhibition.

I was asked to join the group because I spent more than a decade writing about the Louisville music scene for LEO in the ‘90s and early ‘00s. I am also the author of “Louisville Jug Music: From Earl McDonald to the National Jubilee,” which actually began as a LEO article.

The photos were laid out along the walls in the main hall of the heritage center. It was a timeline of Black music in Louisville from Cato Watts, a slave fiddler who was among the city’s first settlers, to the contemporary vocal group Linkin’ Bridge. When local philanthropist Christy Lee Brown saw all that history assembled in one place, she suggested it should be a book. It would be 2016 before we started having regular meetings that would lead to “The Soulful Sounds of Derbytown.”

When it came down to write the book, Clay asked Wilma Clayborn, a longtime choir leader and the owner of the city’s first Gospel record store, to join the group of authors.

He also reached out to Christopher Doane, who was then the dean of the University of Louisville’s School of Music, and asked if he and UofL could assist us with the project.

Doane recommended Samantha Holman, who was then a graduate student at UofL’s School of Music, to help our team organize material as we collected it.

At the time, we did not realize how ambitious an assignment we were giving ourselves.

We spent eight years conducting interviews and searching archives and attics. We also spent countless hours tracking down dates, spellings of names, and legal names to go with professional monikers like “Eggeye,” “Eggie,” and “Church.” This work continued through a global pandemic, several surgeries for group members, and other major life events.

Despite all that time and effort, we know we’ve missed some people. The depth of talent produced by the River City was deeper than even we had imagined when we started this project. We were still adding new biographies and photos almost to the moment we handed the files off to the printer.

“The Soulful Sounds of Derbytown” will finally greet the world on March 2 at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts at 7 p.m. The book launch will be accompanied by a concert featuring the Jerry Tolson Quartet, Marjorie Marshall, Mark “Big Poppa” Stampley, the Walnut Street Blues Band, Toni

Green, Tyrone Cotton, Tanita Gaines, Sheryl Rouse, Christopher “Chris Flow” Forehand, the Imani Dance Company, Jerry Newby, Christine Booker, Archie Dale and the Tones of Joy, Jason Clayborn, and In God’s presence.

The authors will be available to sign books after the show. Tickets to the event start at $49.

I and my fellow authors are excited to share our work with other Louisvillians. But until then, here a couple of excerpts from the book so you can see what we’ve been doing all these years.

T HE GOSPEL ERA IN LOUISVILLE This study of African American music in Louisville Kentucky, begins with a discussion of religious music because the Black church is the foundation of African American culture.

The church played a role in the retention of African musical characteristics like group singing, syncopation, and polyrhythms because it provided the initial music training for generations of African American musicians.

Gospel music is the sound most identified with the Black church today, but the genre

didn’t begin until the 1930s. Below is an excerpt from the Gospel section of “The Soulful Sounds of Derbytown” that deals with the embrace of the sound by community choirs in Louisville.

William J. Simmons, president of the Kentucky Normal and Theological Institute (now Simmons College of Kentucky) in Louisville, founded the American National Baptist Convention (ANBC) in 1881. It was one of several organizations formed during the period to unite Black Baptist churches.

The ANBC merged with two similar organizations in 1886 to form the National Baptist Convention, USA. The Nashville-based organization is still the largest federation of African American Baptist churches in America.

In 1921, the Sunday School Publishing Board of the National Baptist Convention published the first hymnal to carry the word “gospel” in its title. “Gospel Pearls” was an anthology of the most popular songs being sung in Black churches across the nation.

It included traditional Protestant hymns, some spirituals, and contemporary songs by African American composers like popular Methodist songwriter Charles Tindley and Lucie Campbell (“The Lord Is My Shepherd”).

However, no actual gospel songs were in the Gospel Pearls until the third edition of the

The family of Rev. Charles Bell Smiley, founder of Hill Street Baptist Church.

Photo: Courtesy of Claudia Geurin Smiley

MONTH XX-XX, 2024 LEO WEEKLY | 2 FEBRUARY 14-27, 2024 LEO WEEKLY | 13

“

WHEN MARY ANN F INISHEd, RAY LOOKEd SuRpRISEd “ ANd SAId, COME HERE, LIT T LE SIST ER. I LIKEd ” T HAT. I LIKEd IT A LOT. T HERE WAS ELEC T RICIT Y IN T HE AIR, SO MARY ANN ST AYEd uNT IL T HE ENd OF T HE SHOW, SENSING A CHEMIST RY bET WEEN ” T HEM.

Author photo (in Kentucky African American Heritage Center): Back row from left: Keith Clements, Michael L. Jones, and Gary Falk. Front row: Ron Lewis, Ken Clay, and Wilma Clayborn.

Photo: Brian Bohannon

14 | LEO WEEKLY FEBRUARY 14-27, 2024

hymnal. Later editions included, among other gospel songs, “If I Don’t Get There,” by Thomas A. Dorsey, a former bluesman who is considered the “Father of Gospel Music.”

“Gospel Pearls” was compiled by a 10-member committee of nationally renowned singers, evangelists, and researchers under the direction of Willa A. Townsend, whose composition, “Wade in the Water,” was among the songs included in the hymnal.

Also, on the selection committee were Campbell, John W. Work II, and John H. Smiley, an evangelist and celebrated revival singer from Louisville.

Smiley was the oldest son of Charles Bell Smiley, founder of Hill Street Baptist Church.

He started out singing in a family sextet, but soon became a solo artist and evangelist traveling the country with his pianist wife, Montra.

According to his 1937 Courier-Journal obituary, John “conducted both white and Negro revival services throughout the country and sang several times before the Southern Baptist Convention.” Many of the songs in “Gospel Pearls” were part of his repertoire.

“Gospel Pearls” became the standard hymnal for Baptist churches around the nation. Eileen Southern called it the most influential African American religious songbook since Richard Allen, founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, released “A Collection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs from Various Authors” in 1801.

Despite Smiley’s connection to the compiling of this seminal hymnal, it would be several years before gospel music itself was embraced by the city of Louisville.

After abandoning secular music for the church, Thomas Dorsey founded the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses (NCGCC) in 1932 to inspire choirs and other songwriters to embrace gospel music, which he said merged the good news (the gospel) with bad news (the blues). The Louisville Gospel Choral Union (LGCU), formed by Jasper Shamell and Mildred Goodnight in 1941, was the first NCGCC chapter in the River City. Sonocia Harris, a member of the Harris family singing group, became the choral union’s president in 1948 and held the title for the next 41 years. She helped cultivate generations of gospel singers, musicians, songwriters, and choir directors. Among the notable artists to come out of the LGCU during her tenure were the Gospel Descendants; Keith Hunter and the Witnesses for Christ Choir; Carl Smith, organizer of the University of Louisville Black Diamond Choir; and Henrietta Ruffian, the first singer to perform gospel music at the WHAS Crusade for Children.

Because of its proximity to Chicago, where Dorsey was music director at Pilgrim Baptist Church, Louisville retained close ties to the NCGCC. Dorsey or Sallie Martin, a founding member of the NCGCC, visited the River City annually, and the city hosted the NCGCC national convention on several occasions.

Louise Harper, a gospel singer from Louisville with a voice so sweet that Dorsey himself dubbed her the “Songbird of the South,” served as one of the assistants in the NCGCC’s Soloist Bureau. Louisville would eventually be home to three more NCGCC chapters — the

Utopia Choral Union, the Louisville Gospel Singers Union, and the Metropolitan Gospel Music Connection.

The Louisville gospel scene was in the national spotlight in 1949 when Gladys Watts became a three-time winner of a nationally televised singing competition, the Ted Mack Original Amateur Hour. Watts was a blind soprano who graduated from the Kentucky School for the Blind. She sang hymns and spirituals like “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” on the Mack show. Her television fame led to a successful career touring churches and revival meetings all over the country.

LGCU member Lucille Jones led one of the first small groups to break out of Louisville.

Beginning with 1966’s “The Sensational Sounds of the Traveling Notes,” Lucille Jones and the Traveling Notes recorded several albums for Nashboro, a Nashville-based gospel record label. The group also became a launching pad for several celebrated gospel performers. The most notable veterans of the group were Grammy-winner Alphonso “The Bishop” Hobbs and Mae Newton, who toured with Shirley Caesar.

In the 1950s and ‘60s, Cable Baptist Church hosted impromptu performances from local gospel singers and musicians after its Sunday night service. This event packed the church and inspired other churches to embrace gospel music. Among the first were Stoner Memorial Methodist Church, Greater St. James Methodist Church, Greater Salem Baptist Church, King Solomon Baptist Church, Mount Zion Baptist Church— which were all downtown—and Greater Faith Baptist Church, Star Hope Baptist Church, and Forest Baptist Church in the Newburg neighborhood.

MARY ANN F ISCHER MEET ING RAY CHARLES AT F ORT KNOX Mary Ann Fischer was a blues singer who was born in Henderson, Kentucky. After her father’s death she was sent to the Kentucky Home Society for Colored Children in Louisville. Fischer started singing in local clubs, but she was later discovered by Ray Charles. She toured the world as a featured singer with him. The following is a description of the night Fischer and Charles met.

A friend of Mary Ann, Ms. Connie, used to take busloads of people to Fort Knox to hear the US Army Band. One night, Mary Ann went out and sat in with the band and was hired as their vocalist. She enjoyed working at the NCO club because she got good money for playing to an appreciative audience. The soldiers loved her and gave her the nickname, “Little Sister.” She would take her microphone and walk out into the crowd singing to the soldiers. She gave them great relief after their hard work on the base. Sometimes she

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would tease them and sit on their laps. After she performed, she would return home to Louisville on the bus or get a ride back with a band member.

Early in 1955, Mary Ann was going out to Fort Knox to pick up her monthly paycheck.

She was riding on the bus with Ms. Connie who kept talking about how they should hang around and catch Ray Charles’s show.

Mary Ann wasn’t very excited about it at first because it was her day off, and she wanted to go back to Louisville. They ended up staying, and she was so glad she did. That evening was about to change her life forever.

When Ray was about to perform, the soldiers started yelling for him to let Mary Ann sing. Then they started chanting, “Let Little Sister sing, Ray,” and he became hesitant. After the crowd wouldn’t give up, he finally said in an irritated voice, “Aw, come on, Little Sister. Damn!” The audience applauded.

Mary Ann went up to the microphone and looked at Don Wilkerson, Ray’s tenor saxophone player, and asked him if he knew, “I Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good.” He said they had a beautiful arrangement in the key of G, which was her key. The band got it hot, and she did too. When Mary Ann finished, Ray looked surprised and said, “Come here, Little Sister. I liked that. I liked it a lot.” There was electricity in the air, so Mary Ann stayed until the end of the show, sensing a chemistry between them.

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Later that evening, Mary Ann went back to Louisville with Ray and the band. She felt like a movie queen when they rolled out the red carpet at the Top Hat when they saw them arrive together. The most memorable part of the night was when they had a quiet moment together. He said, “I’m leaving town tomorrow, but I’ll be back in May, and I want you to be ready to go on the road with me.” Mary Ann’s heart jumped, and she felt lightheaded in the cab on her way back home.

When she told her friends what Ray had promised, they were skeptical, sometimes saying, “You can’t believe everything people tell you. I wouldn’t hold your breath for Ray to come back for you.” After a while, she stopped telling people, because their responses made her angry, but she really believed he was coming back to get her. She kept herself busy and continued to keep Ray in the back of her mind.

During that time, when Dave Morgan and his wife were visiting in Chicago, they saw Ray at a concert. After the show, Dave asked Ray if he remembered Mary Ann. His face lit up and said, “Tell that Black girl in Louisville that I’ll be back for her, and I’ve written a song, ‘Mary Ann,’ about her.” Mary was delighted when she heard the news.

Photo of the book: Provided by Michael L. Jones

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ANNOUNCING THE GREAT MEADOWS ROUND 23 ARTIST PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT GRANT RECIPIENTS BY THE GREAT MEADOWS Artist Professional Development grant is aimed at bettering the careers of Kentucky artists. The grant encourages artists’ growth by expanding access to skill building and connection opportunities, and by helping artists reach beyond

ERICA RUCKER

the limits of their state and even their nation, binding them with a greater arts world. The next grant cycle applications closed on Sunday, Feb. 11. For information about future grant cycles visit: Notes for Applicants on the Great Meadows Foundation website.

2023 GRANTEES Josh Azzarella Age: 45 Pronouns: He/Him/His

understanding of the shaping of history and perception of reality.

This will be achieved by integrating emerging technologies and fostering collaborations with scholars and artists across various disciplines.

What is your art medium and how did you decide to pursue art as a career?

What would you like to see happen in Louisville for local arts and artists?

My practice is multidisciplinary, encompassing still images, video, and objects that critically engage with significant cultural events.

My research is rooted in altering or removing the punctual event in these moments to explore the power of authorship in collective memory. This approach encompasses popular historiography and the indexical document, where I seek to interrupt, displace, or interfere with the moments that make up our personal and shared histories. I’ve pursued this path due to my interest in how collective memories are formed, altered, and understood in the context of visual culture. My early practice was formalist black and white photography, heavily influenced by the works of artists like Baltz, Frank, and Eggleston. Over time, my practice evolved to incorporate a broader range of media, allowing for a more expansive exploration of these themes. The decision to pursue this path was a progression from my deepening engagement with these concepts and the desire to contribute to the larger postmodern conversation about reality and memory.

I would like to see Louisville’s local arts scene become a vibrant hub for innovative and interdisciplinary art practices. This would involve creating more platforms for diverse artistic voices, particularly those that challenge conventional narratives and encourage critical discourse on contemporary issues. Furthermore, fostering stronger networks and collaborative opportunities between artists, cultural institutions, and the community is crucial. This could be achieved through artist residencies, workshops, and public art projects that engage with the community and reflect its diverse experiences and histories. Investment in arts education and outreach programs is also essential, ensuring that the arts are accessible to all and that emerging artists have the resources and mentorship they need to develop their practices. Ultimately, I envision a Louisville arts scene that is recognized for its dynamic, inclusive, and thought-provoking contributions to the wider art world, one that nurtures local talent while also attracting national and international attention.

You were awarded an Artist Development Grant, what are your plans for the grant?

Traveling to New York to see the Ed Ruscha “Now Then” exhibition at MoMA, Spike Lee “Creative Sources” at the Brooklyn Museum, and “Manet / Degas” at the Metropolitan Museum.

Where would you like to see your art in five years?

Ideally, my work will increasingly contribute to a nuanced

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Why does art matter to you?

Art matters because it represents a fundamental aspect of human expression and legacy, enduring through the rise and fall of civilizations. It’s a testament to the cultural, intellectual, and emotional landscapes of societies. When a society falls, the remnants of its art, along with its technology and science, become the foundations upon which new societies build and understand the past. This perspective shapes my view of art

not just as a medium for personal or contemporary expression, but as a crucial component of our collective historical record.

Art captures the essence of a society’s identity, its aspirations, and its challenges. It’s a mirror reflecting the complexities of human experience across time. In my practice, I am acutely aware of this enduring quality of art. My work aims to interrogate and recontextualize historical and cultural imagery, understanding that today’s artistic contributions will inform future perceptions of our current era. Art, in this sense, is both a record of the past and a message to the future, holding within it the potential to influence and inspire long after our own time has passed.

Bret Berry

Age: 40 Pronouns: They/Them What is your art medium and how did you decide to pursue art as a career?

Interdisciplinary/mixed media, currently focused on sound, sculpture, and digital image-making. After a variety of attempts at more conventional livelihoods, I concluded that a life focused on creative pursuits is the only satisfactory thing.

It’s what I would come closest to calling my “destiny.”

You were awarded an Artist Development Grant, what are your plans for the grant?

I am participating in a month-long residency/ retreat at Arteles Creative Center in Finland and attending the CTM Festival for experimental music and sound art in Berlin, Germany.

Where would you like to see your art in five years?

Experimenting and uncovering new territory through my creative practice is a lifelong commitment. Five-year goals include greater interdisciplinarity, larger-scale works, and more opportunities for residencies, exhibitions, and commissions.

What would you like to see happen in Louisville for local arts and artists?

More diversity, equity, inclusion, and visibility. More art education. More funding for new and emerging artists. More artists playing crucial roles in cultural, social, and political institutions.

Why does art matter to you?

Art is the semiotic cosmos we dwell in and draw from to signify the vast swath of experience for which conventional language cannot account. It’s the illogical grammar of the heart and intuition. I virtually have no choice but to make things. It’s a healthy, joyous compulsion. The creative impulse is an important human attribute that is, in essence, simply the habit of making stuff. It includes the capital-A-Arts, of course; but it’s truly any act grounded in the drive to experience and share awe through the significant production of a thing. What perhaps elevates Art somewhat above this basic feature of the psychophysical organism is its potency, progressiveness, and capacity to enjoin us toward self-education and reflexivity.

Sinclaire Dorsey

Age: 24 Pronouns: She/Her

What is your art medium and how did you decide to pursue art as a career?

My medium of focus is functional ceramics fired in wood kilns. I’ve always been drawn to the arts throughout my life.

I decided to pursue it as a career by enrolling at Morehead State University, where I obtained my Bachelor of Fine Arts.

You were awarded an Artist Development Grant, what are your plans for the grant?

With the Artist Development Grant, I will travel to the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) annual conference. During the week-long conference, I will attend educational panels, engage in group discussions, visit many gallery exhibitions across the city, and network with leading professionals in the ceramic arts.

Casey Dressel

Age: 43 Pronouns: She/Her

What is your art medium and how did you decide to pursue art as a career?

My artistic mediums are painting, installation, and craft based mediums.

You were awarded an Artist Development Grant, what are your plans for the grant?

I plan to see the Venice Biennale and the exhibitions occurring within Venice during the Biennale with the Artist Development Grant.

Where would you like to see your art in five years?

I aspire to have my ceramic work showcased in galleries nationwide and integrated into the public’s daily lives while growing its conceptual integrity.

I would like to continue to develop and explore new ways of thinking and modes of working in my artistic practice.

What would you like to see happen in Louisville for local arts and artists?

What would you like to see happen in Louisville for local arts and artists?

I would like to see more affordable and accessible resources and educational opportunities for those starting their journey in the arts.

I would like to see the Louisville art community continue to grow, new artistic venues and platforms emerge here, and the arts community come together to showcase and elevate the artistic conversation and expression to create an even more vibrant art scene here in Louisville.

Why does art matter to you?

Art holds a special place in my heart. Every person has an innate creativity, and the arts, no matter the form, are a way to express that creativity. Artistic expression allows us to share our unique human experiences, fostering a sense of community and belonging. Ultimately, art improves our quality of life and enriches our human experience.

Where would you like to see your art in five years?

Why does art matter to you?

Art is important to me personally because I enjoy the creative process and making art, it is a process that helps me grow as a person, and I believe that artistic expression is one of the most important elements of our society.

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Forest Kelley

Age: 43 Pronouns: He/Him/His

What is your art medium and how did you decide to pursue art as a career?

As an artist, I have navigated parallel paths in visual art and experimental music. Over the years, these distinct creative approaches have converged, resulting in a practice that increasingly integrates narrative-driven visual art with experiential and time-based sound. I decided to pursue a career as an artist simply because I wanted creativity to be central to my life.

You were awarded an Artist Development Grant, what are your plans for the grant?

I will travel to Berlin, which is a hub for innovative sound and installation art. As my practice moves increasingly toward interdisciplinary and innovative approaches in these fields, the city holds immense significance for me. Berlin has played an outsized role in the development and contemporary interpretation of cultural forms whose roots began in the United States, from experimental music, to conceptual and minimalist art, to Detroit Techno. It is specifically the dual relationship to sound and visual art that holds so much potential for me as an artist. I plan to meet with artists and institutions making unique contributions to sound and visual art in order to find inspiration for my own work and teaching.

Where would you like to see your art in five years?

I hope that my art in five years is unimaginable now.

What would you like to see happen in Louisville for local arts and artists?

I’m interested in alternative and artist-run art spaces. I would love to see an expansion of energy and support for these types of creative sites and communities. This would help to make art more accessible as well as allow it to reflect and grow the creative ideas and culture of the region. For me, art and creativity are central to a life filled with joy and discovery. It is a way of seeing and experiencing the world with curiosity and openness.

Casey Kirk

Age: 46 Pronouns: She/Her/Hers What is your art medium and how did you decide to pursue art as a career?

I enjoy a variety of art forms and currently favor found object collage. I have always been a collector of remnants. Pieces of things are exciting to me because they offer their own history that I can transform into a new present. Transforming spaces, small and large, drives my practice. I would find things on the street when I was five and beg my mom to let me take them home. I would use stolen school supplies from her classroom to paint or glue them together and take a wagon around to my neighbors to try to earn a nickel each. Making things is my way to connect to other people and art will always be the center of my life. I’m also pragmatic and chose teaching art as a way to keep me creating while also earning a steady paycheck. I wish I had been a little riskier in my youth to see how far I could have pushed myself as a full time artist. I do feel like I’m now more able to tackle interesting projects because I have experience in printmaking, collage, painting, ceramics, sculpture, drawing and fiber arts through my teaching pursuits.

You were awarded an Artist Development Grant, what are your plans for the grant?

I am taking a trip to California and Nevada to see some amazing museums. I’m excited about getting to explore the Getty Center and seeing Van Gogh’s Irises in person. I will be able to stand where he stood when painting and imagine him applying paint to canvas. Experiencing art in person feels like engaging in a timeless dialogue with the artist, a connection through time. I will also see the Los Angeles County Museum of ARt’s collection of contemporary jewelry. I’ve looked at the pieces online for years, and can’t wait to see them up close. I look forward to walking through each museum to discover

new pieces and projects. The highlight of my trip will be traveling to Las Vegas to see Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart. It is my dream to be part of a collaborative effort to transform a large scale space into something of wonder. I’m hoping that being in that immersive space will help me gain new insight and inspiration for my own work. I also plan on visiting an artist collective while I am in Nevada to meet artists and see their studios.

Where would you like to see your art in five years?

I have been participating in my gallery shows across Kentucky and will continue to seek out opportunities to share my work. My hope is to be working on a large installation within five years and partner with other Kentucky artists to create a space where time stops and everyone can feel the moment.

I’ve visited all of the museums in Louisville and have been known to yell “We’ve got a Monet in Kentucky!” when walking with friends. The Speed is awesome and so is KMAC. Their collections and exhibitions are well curated and always exciting to explore. I would love to see KMAC expand like Cincinnati’s CAC so that there is even more space for exhibitions and an expanded educational center. Having a space like the CAC’s UnMuseum would be incredible so that all people can find new ways to interact with Contemporary art. The National Art Education Association conference will be held in Louisville next year and that will draw thousands of artists from around the country and globe to our neck of the woods.

I hope that they will see a thriving and growing art scene that makes them want to come back for more.

What would you like to see happen in Louisville for local arts and artists?

Art is a reflection of culture and history. It captures the spirit of different eras, allowing us to connect with the past. Art inspires creativity, imagination, and encourages innovative thinking. These are skills that will be brought to the forefront in our changing world culture. I use art as a vehicle for communication and connection and for personal well-being.

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artist three years ago and it’s been the best decision of my life.

You were awarded an Artist Development Grant, what are your plans for the grant?

With the Great Meadows Artist Development Grant I will be taking a tour of Scotland and finishing my trip with a jump over to Copenhagen. I will travel for 20 days and go to multiple print shops, art galleries, and art museums in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Inverness, and Edinburgh. In Aberdeen I will network with Nuno Sacramento at Peacock Studios where I’ll be in contact with working artists and get the inside scoop on smaller contemporary art galleries to visit. I have also been in contact with Katharina Hill, an artist who lived and worked in Denmark who suggested I look into RFSU, an organization that works to promote sexual health, which is a focus in my art. While in Copenhagen I will absolutely be going to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art as well to see work from artists that inspire me such as Giacometti, Warhol, Lichtenstein, Hockney and Jorn.

Where would you like to see your art in five years?

In five years I’d like to see more interdisciplinary work. I’d like to push my print techniques and find ways to be innovative and make art that leaves an impact. I think it would be cool to make pieces that had people wondering how I made it and while investigating that asking why make it at all. I’ve been intimidated to make large scale artwork and I’d like to see that change. I want to make art for art’s sake and not get caught up in the cost of materials. I’d like to participate in more group and solo exhibitions and see my art travel beyond Louisville.

Katie Knudsen

Age: 36 Pronouns: She/Her

What is your art medium and how did you decide to pursue art as a career?

My art medium is mostly printmaking and I love to draw and paint. Art has always been a source of joy for me, for as long as I can remember, but when thinking about it as a career it was never a clear path. I worked in food and beverage for seventeen years while continuing to create in hopes something would pop off, then COVID popped off. I had already been contemplating my future in hospitality as a practical career and the shut down made me look at my quality of life. I love food and beverage but it isn’t my passion like art is and that is when the scale tipped in favor of joy, a sense of fulfillment, and higher quality of life. I took the leap and became a full time

Lori Larusso

Age: 43 Pronouns: She/Her

What is your art medium and how did you decide to pursue art as a career?

I make paintings and installations. I’ve had various different jobs over the years, and always made artwork as well.

You were awarded an Artist Development Grant, what are your plans for the grant?

I plan to visit the 60th Venice Biennale.

What would you like to see happen in Louisville for local arts and artists?

Unrestricted funds for artists, as well as healthcare, childcare, and eldercare for all humans.

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What would you like to see happen in Louisville for local arts and artists?

In Louisville I’d like to see more shared resources in the way of cooperatives for art making, group critiques, and art exhibition space (to name a few). Let’s bring back trade work to learn new skills! I’d like to see artists working together to provide education to the youth about art, its history, techniques, and career options. I’d like to see artists lifting each other up, and working in tandem to support one another.

Why does art matter to you?

Art brings me so much joy and fulfillment, I wouldn’t feel like myself without it. To me, art is the universal language — the mother tongue, it knows no boundaries and crosses all cultures. It has the ability to connect people and challenges them to think critically. It will last beyond my life and forever be in history as an example of what life was like, from the mundane to the magnificent.

Sara Olshansky

Age: 28 Pronouns: She/Her

What is your art medium and how did you decide to pursue art as a career?

2D media, drawing and painting. I think “decide” may be the wrong word to describe my path towards the arts. I often feel that I couldn’t do anything else if I wanted to.

I’ve been drawn to visual arts since I was a child. Maybe many artists feel the same.

You were awarded an Artist Development Grant, what are your plans for the grant?

I will attend the Venice Biennale in May for the first time.

After a week in Venice, I will travel to Florence and Rome to view the art institutions there as a way to contextualize the contemporary art at the Biennale. It will be my first time in Italy.

What would you like to see happen in Louisville for local arts and artists?

I think the city would greatly benefit from exhibitions spaces, especially non-commercial, DIY galleries, collectives, or pop-ups. It would be exciting to see artist-run programming or curation that highlights the breadth of artistic practices in Louisville, from the underrepresented to the experimental in conversation with those who have established themselves at Louisville institutions already.

Spaces like Houseguest in the South End, Carbon Copy, or Snide Hotel—while Houseguest is open still the ladder two both have closed but had lasting impact while open, are good examples of galleries already doing this kind of work. There is quite a vibrant community here given its size; however, the closures have left a gap waiting to be filled.

Why does art matter to you?

Art matters to me for many reasons. It’s hard to summarize. To put it simply, art has always been a part of my life—a necessity in many ways. From a universal perspective, art indicates the shifts, attitudes, and innovations in cultural production, which can provide a reflection of what is happening at the moment the work is made—a tool for understanding today and a historical resource for posterity. In its most basic form, it is interesting and enjoyable to be around.

Josie Love Roebuck Age: 28 Pronouns: She/Her

What is your art medium and how did you decide to pursue art as a career?

I am an interdisciplinary artist that utilizes screen printing, painting, yarn, crochet, vintage patches, soft pastel, charcoal, fabric, and so forth, within my tapestry-like-quilts, wood cutouts, and plushy sculptures. My life has always been centered around making art and I was also a college athlete, which made it difficult for me to see art as a career.

It wasn’t until my junior year of college, that I witnessed the power that art holds, which pushed me to pursue art fully.

You were awarded an Artist Development Grant, what are your plans for the grant?

I will be attending the Vermont Studio Residency from Jan. 7 — Jan. 18. My plan for my upcoming residency is to create work for two of my upcoming solo shows (Summer and Fall).

Specifically, focusing on a new body of work entitled, The Poetics of Trauma. This series is geared towards breathing life and healing into the hardships that women face, while providing a platform so that their stories can be heard.

Where would you like to see your art in five years?

Within 5 years or less, I would like to see my art acquired by a museum and have a solo show. In addition to that, I just want to be self-sufficient as a full-time artist.

What would you like to see happen in Louisville for local arts and artists?

I am based in Newport, Kentucky, and I haven’t been a part of the Louisville art community.

Why does art matter to you?

There are a lot of things that make art important to me, one of the top things is the connection and knowledge gained from my audience. Through sharing my own challenges and triumphs, as well as others who have shared their story with me, it allows people to get a glimpse of what life is like for others and what life can be for themselves.

Yvonne Petkus Pronouns: She/Her

What is your art medium and how did you decide to pursue art as a career?

Painting is the primary medium I use, and I work from that lens, though have also pushed into multiple-planed painting installations and incorporate printmaking into my work at times too. My career is based on seeing art-making as a means to ask questions and further thought, and I work to do this through my own practice, through teaching, and in working with other artists in several capacities. I have been fortunate to know this was the right path since just before my first year of college and found early on that painting was where I was able to ask my best, most difficult, questions.

You were awarded an Artist Development Grant, what are your plans for the grant?

I have just begun a sabbatical from teaching that will include one month at an artist residency program just outside of Florence, Italy, followed by Great Meadows Foundation grant-supported time exploring work at the Venice Biennale in Venice, then a presentation and time in Bosnia and Herzegovina. My sabbatical and residency title is “Processing Memory, Processing Place: Traces, Forces, Actions” and comes as an extension of my current studio work, the mediation of imagery through a physical processing that results in states of fragmentation, veiling, and distortion. My aim, with the support of the Great Meadows Foundation, is to dig deeply while exploring new inputs and continued connections both in Italy and in Bosnia.

Where would you like to see your art in five years?

My ongoing practice includes the questioning and pushing of visual language while staying responsive to the surrounding world – something that will continue within each next body of work, segment of time, and larger societal happenings. While I use imagery within my work and find that it

provides me with anchors and cues, what I actually paint are the moment-to-moment negotiations, the pressure points, that have emerged in our current times. In a recent exploration of cases for a new sublime in contemporary painting (for a talk in Richmond, Virginia this past fall), I found that the term “weight” has supplanted the word “sublime” for what I (and other contemporary painters) propose through the work. Here it is no longer the Sublime of the past, not the larger-large or terrible awesome, but rather a “weight”, found incrementally through a million small-largenesses, used as pressure points for a similar question of our relationship to what now terrifies, to what now awes. In the last five years the pandemic has added to this, as have all the things, the little-big things and big-big things that add up – that affect, distort, inform. So my goal is to make work whose structure leads and informs but also that stays open enough to be able to incorporate that which comes up, as both expected and unexpected, over the next five years as well.

What would you like to see happen in Louisville for local arts and artists?

As a studio artist and educator based in western Kentucky, Louisville has been a great resource and site of opportunity for me and for my students. I would like to see that connection of cities and other locations across Kentucky continue to build, something the Great Meadows Foundation has been a key player in fostering.

Why does art matter to you?

The importance of artistic processing and artistic production is evident throughout history, as a way and means to understand, connect, and possibly move forward as a society. While the stakes are high, the way in is very human, achieved one mark at a time. And the making of artwork can be a humbling act, one needing a combination of extreme conviction as well as healthy doubt. That potential, however, to take on and find form for the most difficult and meaningful issues that we face and that we carry together, is why artwork matters to me.

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“I have always felt that people come to art for different reasons. For me, I always felt it was because I James Robert hope to return to this work methodology soon.

What would you like to see happen in Louisville was so bad at Southard “Rob” for local arts and artists?

Age: 40 As a Louisville transplant to Lexington, I have everything Pronouns: He/Him/His been eager to find ways to connect the triangle. By triangle, I mean Northern KY, Louisville else.” What is your art medium and how did you and Lexington. You can often find me driving decide to pursue art as a career?

Digital photography is the medium where the vast majority of my work is produced. I was a young student at UofL working in the dark room when they offered their first digital photo course.

Since then I’ve been hooked. The capability to build anything from whatever materials you can photograph or scan, is dazzling. I’ve stuck with it till this very day and that is exactly what I teach at UK to our School of Art & Visual Studies students.

You were awarded an Artist Development Grant, what are your plans for the grant?

I’ll be visiting Brazil for the first time to tour around the States of Parana and the State of Sao Paulo to meet with artists, curators and start a new series about labor in this corner of South America. I was offered a residency at Kaaysá, located in Boiçucanga beach, São Sebastião, 100 miles from São Paulo city. I plan to arrive there for a month of working with other artists from all over South America and the world while also photographing the fishermen and craftsmen of the coastal region. Soon after, I’ll be going to São Paulo and Curitiba to meet with curators and artists to see how like minded artists live and work there. I’ll also be working with laborers in the region to expand this research into the life and work of southern brazilians.

Where would you like to see your art in five years?

Not listed with comments:

Josh McFadden 24 | LEO WEEKLY FEBRUARY 14-27, 2024

When I first started photography, I was creating work that examined my own personal history and concerns. For the past 10 years I have turned my lens outward and used my studio practice to help other communities and individuals portray their own hopes, history and fears. It has been very exhilarating to travel and learn from people all around the world. Though, I do miss the challenging exercise that is self reflection through their own studio practice. It can be thought provoking and even heartbreaking at times, but I have felt that some of my strongest work from my past came from this practice of making yourself completely vulnerable to your audience. I

a few Lexingtonian artists to Louisville for an exhibition or coaxing Louisvillians or Northern Kentuckians to events in Lexington. I don’t see Kentucky as a region hosting just pockets of art colonies, but a state that flows from end to end with creatives networking and executing projects. Many artists I work with here in Lexington are from the other two corners of the Triangle, while many artists I know in Louisville attended UK and are always looking for opportunities to come back. My biggest goal is to step back and see an art community where we all benefit from the vibrant art scenes in all three cities in the triangle.

Why does art matter to you?

I have always felt that people come to art for different reasons. For me, I always felt it was because I was so bad at everything else. I was always behind my classmates in Math, Language Arts, Sciences... Hell everything, except the Arts. I loved playing music and drawing all day long as a kid and when someone complimented my work, I was experiencing something I wasn’t familiar with in most classrooms. A complement. Years later, I now see it is a combination of things. I use visual art to address issues that I don’t know how to digest. Issues that are too painful or confusing to understand from just dealing with them as a normal citizen. I feel my family knew this long before I did, as they completely supported any art project dealing with family disasters, such as when I did documented the slow passing of my father. Or the colleague work I did when we had to clear my parents house out of all my late father’s papers and photographs he accumulated. They understand that this was how Rob digested, and hopefully, coped with these losses. The feeling of having no direction of where to go next, was helped by examining it through the camera lens. Since then, I have tried to use this same work methodology to help others better understand their own concerns, fears and hopes. I guess I am starting to look more like an overly nostalgic ethnographer who happens to use a camera and digital editing to exhibit these subjects.

FEBRUARY 14-27, 2024 LEO WEEKLY | 25

EAT, DRINK AND SEE INDIA AT THE SPEED IN THIS WEEK’S STAFF PICKS Speed welcomes India exhibit + Gravy Pours + A benefit for a local hero

FRIDAY, FEB. 16-MAY 12

‘India: South Asian Paintings from the San Diego Museum of Art’ Speed Art Museum | 2035 S. Third St. speedmuseum.org | Prices vary

THROUGH MARCH 31

FRIDAY, FEB. 16

‘LOVE’ garner narrative contemporary fine art 642 E. Market St.| garnernarrative.com | Free

Words More Powerful by the Handful Louisville Free Public Library | 301 York St. lfpl.org | Free | 7 p.m.

The San Diego Museum of Art has one of the best collections of Indian paintings in America and Europe. Lucky for us, we don’t have to travel to California to see them. The art is coming to Louisville, giving the Speed a chance to focus on South Asian paintings for the first time. The exhibition will cover over four centuries of history and culture; the museum is also planning related programming and cinema screenings to supplement the art.

—Jo Anne Triplett

Valentine’s Day may be a commercial invention, but darn if it isn’t a feel-good success.

We just love to love. So, an exhibition of lovethemed art is timely in the middle of February.

Gallery artists Stephen Dorsett, Joyce Garner and Aleksandra Stone create in various media their different ideas about love. “As a longtime fan of [Valentine’s Day] despite everything,” said Angie Garner, director of garner narrative, “I wanted to bring together a show that takes up for love without denying the terrors of the territory.”

—Jo Anne Triplett

“To catch a glimpse of him, even from a distance.” Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper.

“XOXO Judy”

by Aleksandra Stone. Mixed media.

Peabody award-winning journalist and author Michele Norris has long understood that concision represents a challenge that can reveal much about the speaker—and cut away distractions that make a haze of realizations, or that can delay important actions. Last decade Norris came upon the idea of asking people to share a half-dozen words about their identify. The results have since become a fascinating, ongoing gauge of a diverse and oft-troubled America (with, as summed up by one person’s response, “Beautiful differences made ugly by fear”). Now an annotated compilation of this very personal, self-selected survey has been released as “Our Hidden Conversations: What Americans Really Think About Race and Identity.” Norris will discuss at the Library’s Main Branch. Reservation requested.

—T.E. Lyons

FRIDAY, FEB. 16

SATURDAY, FEB. 17

SUNDAY, FEB. 18

After Hours at Speed Speed Art Museum | 2035 S. 3rd St. speedmuseum.org | $20 | 5-10 p.m.

The Gravy Cup Mellwood Art Center | 1860 Mellwood Ave. gravycup.com | Prices vary | 9-12 p.m.

The Global Cello: Diaspora Voices Ogle Center | 4201 Grant Line Rd., New Albany Search Facebook | Free | 3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Celebrate the opening of Tour of India: South Asian Paintings with a tour by the curators and a Bollywood-style silent disco.

—Sydney Catinna

Chow down on creations from local chefs at the world’s largest biscuits and gravy competition and vote on your favorite. All proceeds benefit Boys & Girls Haven —Sydney Catinna

Jon Silpayamanant (cellist and founder/artistic director of Saw Peep Intercultural Ensemble) is hosting an event to explore the cello throughout the diaspora. Silpayamanant invites composers to explore styles and traditions of their homelands through music. Hear music by Ezra Escobar, Reena Esmail, May Kouyoumdjian, Siti binti Saad, Nathalie Joachim, Kian Soltani, and Jon Silpayamanant.

—Erica Rucker

26 | LEO WEEKLY FEBRUARY 14-27, 2024

FEBRUARY 14-27, 2024 LEO WEEKLY | 27

STAFF PICKS CONT’D

SUNDAY, FEB. 18

A Concert To Benefit John Gage Headliners Music Hall | 1386 Lexington Rd. Search Facebook | $12 in adv./$15 day of show 5 p.m.

With a stellar lineup including: The Get Down, The Divine Five, the Bibelhauser Brothers, John Gage & Will Gage, Phillip Cherry & Tyrone Cotton, and more. This event will benefit Gage to help with recent medical expenses. On lineup alone this is certainly a show not to miss.

—Erica Rucker

THROUGH FEB. 26

FRIDAY, FEB. 23

‘Tiny Art, Big Heart’ Revelry Boutique + Gallery | 742 E. Market St. revelrygallery.com | Free

Coats and Goats: Bock Fest Pre-Party Copper & Kings | 1121 E Washington St. copperandkings.com | No cover | 5-8 p.m.

Love, with its accompanying art, is in the air. Revelry is celebrating its third annual Valentine’s Day show “Tiny Art, Big Heart” with work by over 100 local artists. The pieces, made from a variety of media, are $50 or less. The show is buy and take it with you, so you don’t have to bring your beloved to the gallery to stare at your gift on the wall.

After all, Revelry knows you had better have something to present on Feb. 14 if you want a smooth relationship.

—Jo Anne Triplett

Pet goats from Sunny Acres farm while enjoying complimentary snacks, exclusive swag, a BYO cocktail station, local vendors, and live music by Drew Crawley.

—Sydney Catinna

“Ali’s Arrows” Aimee McDonald. Mixed media.

THROUGH SATURDAY, MAR. 2

SATURDAY, MAR. 2

Whirling Tiger Valentine’s Pop-Up Bar Whirling Tiger | 1335 Story Ave whirlingtiger.com | No cover

Romeo & Juliet Whitney Hall | 501 W Main St. louisvilleballet.org | $40+ | 8 p.m.

For valentines, palentines, galentines or simply good times, enter the land of love at The Whirling Tiger’s holiday pop-up bar featuring regular live music and cocktails.

The classic tale of star-crossed lovers hits the stage. The last show will serve as 18-year Louisville Ballet veteran Natalia Ashikhmina’s farewell performance.

—Sydney Catinna

—Sydney Catinna

28 | LEO WEEKLY FEBRUARY 14-27, 2024

SATURDAY, MAR. 2

Pasta Night Pop-Up by Counter Service Canary Club | 1247 S Shelby St. canaryclub.us | Prices vary | 6-10 p.m.

Slurp noodles and sip natural wines in Shelby Park with this pop-up dinner series every Saturday in February.

—Sydney Catinna

MUSIC

BRINGING IT ‘BLACK’ IN LOUISVILLE Check out these Local Black Music Artists And Events

BY MADI STOUTT

Louisville has been known for its brilliant music scene for many years. So it isn’t news to us in the ‘Ville that talent and our town go hand-in-hand. For February, Black History Month, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite local Black musicians and events so that you can experience local music while also supporting Black arts and artists. You can listen to music by all the artists on Spotify.

KIANA & THE SUN KINGS

Kiana & The Sun Kings blends the timeless allure of R&B and the charm of jazz in an undeniably modern way, creating a sound that is ridiculously swanky and smooth, yet fun and catchy. Lead vocalist Kiana Del’s voice dances with the jazz instrumentals, creating a rich musical tapestry. It’s the sort of music that would be just as at home in a fancy lounge, or while you dustbust around your house. Their newest EP ‘Monarch’ is a must-listen for anyone craving a rich R&B sound experience!

HORACE GAITHER

DAVE.WILL.CHRIS.

THE JESSE LEES

Dave William Christopher, known musically as dave.will.chris., is a rapper who weaves together beautiful dreamy music with deep lyrics exploring mental health and self-discovery. His performances are intimate, even when in larger venues such as Headliner’s Music Hall. If you want to experience that for yourself, he will be performing February 17 at Portal.

ZANIAH

Zaniah is an R&B artist who captures listeners with her angelic voice and irresistibly catchy tunes. In her standout track ‘Coffee Bean’ she blends her soulful voice with infectious melodies, resulting in a song that will stick with you. Her style and lyrics are perfect for SZA fans looking for a new favorite artist, or anyone else looking for lyrically powerful songs offering a beautiful perspective on life, love, and relationships.

Horace Gaither might be a familiar name if you were one of the hundreds of attendees of No Comply 2023, Louisville’s premiere DIY music fest. If you aren’t familiar, though, you should be! His lyrical prowess is maybe unparalleled in Louisville’s rap scene. He delivers rapid-fire bars that delve into deep experiences that will likely resonate with any listener. His newest single ‘Sox n Boxers’ is out on all streaming platforms now.

The Jesse Lees is a group perfect for any psychedelic soul fan, though they expand across multiple genres, with songs like ‘Blue’ that will hit the spot for rock fans as well.

No matter what style they use, their songs are catchy and you will have to fight yourself not to sing along with vocalist Otis Junior’s soulful vocals. You can see them for free on February 24th at The Chapel of St. Philip Neri.

MIDWEST POSTAL SERVICE

Midwest Postal Service is a lofi hip-hop duo, featuring interesting and unique vocal effects that demand you keep listening. Some songs, such as ‘last love’ feature raw vocals with a melancholy aura to them.

Midwest Postal Service is the type of music that feels right to listen to on a rainy day.

They will also be performing on February 24th at The Chapel of St. Philip Neri.

LOOKING FOR MUSIC EVENTS CELEBRATING BLACK ARTISTS THIS MONTH? FRIDAY, FEB. 23 Black Queer Power Hour presents: “Blackout”Portal 1535 Lytle St. $10 presale / $20 doors | all ages | 9 p.m. - close Blackout is an evening dedicated to Black trans imagination in music. Black Queer Power Hour aims to celebrate how music is a tool of togetherness and collective survival for Black queer trans people. Blackout will feature a performance by Nise the Nympth and DJ sets by D.nasti and Mdnght.hr. No-to-low-cost tickets are available for Black trans individuals.

SATURDAY, FEB. 24 “Black to the Future III”The Chapel of St. Philip Neri 236 Woodbine St. No cover | All ages | 6 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Black to the Future III is a celebration of Black creatives and Black-owned businesses. It will feature performances by Producing a Kinder Generation, The Jesse Lees, Nise the Nymph, Midwest Postal Service, and DJ Always, and feature local artists and vendors.

left: Zaniah right: dave.will.chris

FEBRUARY 14-27, 2024 LEO WEEKLY | 29

MUSIC

LISTEN LOCAL: NEW LOUISVILLE MUSIC LEO now has playlists for Listen Local. Search Spotify for LEO Weekly.

BY JEFF POLK

Greg Tripure

Hannan

Letters of Acceptance

Stranger in This World

Last Disguise

Shadow Problems 3

Even if you don’t recognize the name right away, chances are you’re familiar with Greg Tripure. Having spent 20 years recording and touring as the rhythm guitarist and backup singer for Sub-Urban Situation, and sharing the stage with the likes of Robert Randolph, Houndmouth, Devon Allman, Sister Hazel, Perpetual Groove, The Phunk Junkeez, Ana Popovic, Nappy Roots, and The Villebillies, among many others, Tripure brings a wealth of experience to his debut solo album, Stranger to This World. Of the 12 songs on the album, only four were available for preview for this review. Lead single “Be” would sound right at home amongst the tracks on Neil Young’s Harvest. And then there’s the funky backbeat of the folky “Picking Up the Pieces of You,” and the slower, bluesy Americana tracks “Waiting for the Leaves” and “Don’t Go Too Far.” Stranger in This World is a heartfelt musical journey that draws on a rich tapestry of genres such as folk, R&B, Americana, roots rock, and blues, and showcases Tripure’s versatility as a singer, songwriter, and guitarist.

Recorded at 4:10 Studios in Corydon, In., with former Carrollton bassist and backing vocalist Jordan Bailey, Stranger in This World exudes authenticity and warmth, firmly establishing Greg Tripure as a solo artist with a distinctive voice and an album that resonates with sincerity and soul.

Listening to Last Disguise by Louisville’s Hannan makes you realize how bad we, as a record-buying public, fucked up by letting the music industry, as we knew it, die off; because this is multi-platinum album selling, sold out arena, major festival headlining, worldwide stardom-level material right here! Produced by Chet Roberts (Three Doors Down), Last Disguise is everything great about modern rock music. Every one of the 11 tracks on this album is absolutely filled with huge hooks that pull you in and hold you there, then stay with you long afterwards. Hannan is one of those rare bands that click on every level. The musicianship, the songwriting, everything here is just flat out astounding. This is the perfect mix of hard rock, modern rock, and alt-rock, all wrapped up in one big groove-oriented, riffdriven package. And the production here — slick and highly-polished — is absolutely top-notch. This album could be released by a major label as is, no tweaks necessary. Even the cd packaging, with its full color artwork, double-sided tray card, and eight-page booklet, is major label-level professional. There is a lot of time, heart, passion, energy and obviously money that went into making this album, and it pays off in spades. Every one of these songs is radio ready, and there is an audience of millions out there that will be chomping at the bit for them. I just hope fate, luck, and good fortune make these guys the superstars they deserve to be.

Well, that didn’t take long! Just three months after releasing the Shadow Problems 2 EP, Lexington/Louisville hybrid quartet Letters of Acceptance wrap up their year-long Shadow Problems trilogy with the third and quite possibly best installment of the series.

For those unfamiliar, LoA is one of the best indie power pop bands out there — KY or otherwise. Their knack for writing catchy, hook-filled song after song is uncanny. For proof, pick any of the 15 tracks from the Shadow Problems trilogy; doesn’t matter which one, they’re all great. This is Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Cars, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Elvis Costello, and My Morning Jacket all rolled into one band. They have an amazing way of taking the essence of classic rock and mixing it with pop sensibilities.

And, I’ve said this before but I’m saying it again, every note and harmony feels meticulously thought out, yet are played in such an easy-going, carefree kind of way that you lose yourself in the music and stop paying attention to how extremely well-crafted these songs are. “Weight in Pretending” is my new favorite of their songs, and I can already tell you, even this far out, will be in my top picks for best songs of 2024. The band has recently released all three Shadow Problems EPs as one 15-song CD, and nine tracks selected from all three EPs on vinyl, which you can buy directly from the band, and I highly suggest you do.

instagram.com/gregtripure

30 | LEO WEEKLY FEBRUARY 14-27, 2024

hannanmusic.us

lettersofacceptance.org

Monkeys of a Bygone Era

The Response

Routine Caffeine

The Bluest Jay

Ran Thru By The Response

“In The End Now”

OK, so right off the bat we have a great band name. Perhaps it’s an inside joke or a line from something that I’m unfamiliar with, but it’s certainly a name you’re not likely to confuse with another band. But the great thing here is that the music is every bit as unique as the name. If you ever wondered what Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars might sound like in modern times, Lexington’s Monkeys of a Bygone Era is your answer. Taking that classic glam-era Bowie sound as its base, then expanding on it with modern day technology and incorporating a range of other musical influences make The Bluest Jay one of the most unique, interesting, and downright bizarre listening experiences you’ll ever enjoy! Not only does vocalist/ guitarist/songwriter Jason Zavala wear the Bowie influence on his sleeve, but his vocals are a dead-wringer for the Starman as well.

Dig a little deeper and you’ll find elements of the Talking Heads, Pavement, Violent Femmes, PJ Harvey, Kid A/Amnesiac-era Radiohead, maybe even a little Frank Zappa here. Stealing a line from their bio, “Monkeys of a Bygone Era create catchy, Bowie-esque songs that include a combination of rock ‘n’ roll drama, falsetto, and sometimes electric kazoo,” sums this up perfectly. Monkeys of a Bygone Era is truly an original and different musical experience. Do yourself a favor and check out the exceedingly cool looking music video for the track “Hall.”

No cutesy image, no emo lyrics, and no pretentiousness here, just raw, stripped-down, barebones, unapologetic old-school punk rock with a “fuck you” attitude and a wicked sense of humor — even if it occasionally comes at the expense of themselves. Featuring former members of Reagan Youth, (yes, that Reagan Youth), The Vagrants, Ants in an Argument, The Sickies, The Shanks, The Ladykillers, and a current member of The JimHärralson, these guys are grizzled veterans of the Louisville punk rock scene and beyond. Their sound is in the vein of The Ramones, Sloppy Seconds, Nine Pound Hammer, Dwarves, New Bomb Turks, and The Queers’ early material, but with its roots in early Rolling Stones, MC5 and The Stooges. From Donnie Vagrant’s brash and unrefined vocals barking out NSFW lyrics to Sean Magnum’s proto-punk style backing vocals and aggressive guitar work to the furious drumming of Trey Meihaus and the smooth flow of fill-in bassist Alien J (Plague IX), everything comes through clear yet unpolished courtesy of Shitfire guitarist Cadillac Young’s production at his Church of Wax studio. With five songs and clocking in at just over 11 minutes total, Ran Thru By The Response is relentlessly energetic, fun, catchy old-school punk-fucking-rock that kicks you in your ass and pushes you into the pit. And cheers to the excellent cover art of band mascot Randy the squirrel flying high

by Rick Gideons of Fifty11 Media. Obviously this is highly recommended!

It’s easy to see why Routine Caffeine is so beloved here in their hometown; their music is mesmerizingly beautiful, and I honestly can’t say anyone does dream pop better, local or otherwise. Following “No, I,” which was released in June of last year, “In The End Now” is the second and latest single from their upcoming EP, and is a dreamy, flowing, melancholic tune that paints a big, rich, lush soundscape that pulls the listener in and takes them along for the ride. Katie Kelley’s sweet yet haunting and enchanting vocals take center stage while her smooth, soft guitar melody paired with Madison Case’s controlled walking bass lines and Emma Treganowan’s subdued jazzy drum beats create the perfect atmosphere around them, building up to an amazing crescendo at the bridge at the three-minute mark that really drives the song home. Lyrically deep and emotional, Kelley describes it: “This song is about telling someone how you feel, even if you know that might result in the end of the relationship. I’ve learned it’s not easier to be quiet and let things go on the way they are when something needs to change, it’s better to talk.” “In The End Now” was largely recorded by Anne Gauthier at La La Land Studios, and Gauthier absolutely shines at bringing out the magic in the instruments and vocals here; giving them all rich, warm, expansive tones that seem to fill the room.

If this is any indication of the rest of the forthcoming EP, it’s going to be amazing!

theresponsekyhc.bandcamp.com

linktr.ee/routine_caffeine

monkeysofabygoneera.com

FEBRUARY 14-27, 2024 LEO WEEKLY | 31

FOOD & DRINK

FOUR PEGS SCORES WITH SMOKY WINGS, RIBS, AND… JACKFRUIT?!

Left: Who knew that barbecued fruit could taste so good?

In skilled hands, smoked and dry-rubbed and deliciously sauced, this stringy tropical fruit turns into a dead ringer for pulled pork. Try it if you don’t believe me.

Right: Hot off the smoker, dry-rubbed and cooked to perfection, juicy and firm but not falling off the bone (in other words, overcooked), Four Pegs’ smoked baby back ribs are as good as it gets.

Photos by Robin Garr

32 | LEO WEEKLY FEBRUARY 14-27, 2024

BY ROBIN GARR

talking about the barbecue at Four Pegs in Germantown.

• You’ve got those hefty, flavorful wings that come in a squadron of memorable flavors.

• You’ve got those firm, flavorful, impeccably sauced baby back ribs.

• And you’ve got that tender, mouth-watering pulled jackfruit.

What?

Who knew that barbecued fruit could taste so good? In skilled hands, smoked and dry-rubbed and deliciously sauced, this stringy tropical fruit turns into a dead ringer for pulled pork.

Not only that, jackfruit is good for you. “Fruit as a meat substitute? Yep, when it’s jackfruit,”

the food menu, which apparently exists only online. Fine with me!

The menu is divided functionally among a half-dozen starters, eight varieties of wings with sundry toppings, a trio of mains and nine “sammies,” plus five macaroni and cheese bowls and a long list of sides. Just about everything is priced in the lower to middle teens, save for a massive $25 smokehouse sampler; baby back ribs are sold by the bone for a bargain $2.50 per. Bet you can’t eat just one!

A barbecue-centric brunch menu with 15 items in the same price range is available Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Everything we tried during our visit was uniformly very good, with not a single misstep or off note.

intone the gurus at The Cleveland Clinic. “So, is jackfruit good for you? Yes! Jackfruit benefits include being heart-healthy, fighting inflammation and promoting wound healing.”

More about this shortly, but first, let’s take a look at the mood and the menu. The mood is classic Germantown/Schnitzelburg blue-collar bar: A dark, crowded room with an impressive bar that looks as if it could be a century old or more. The rest of the room is packed with small black tables and wood-and-metal chairs, all of them likely to rock gently on the uneven floor.

Tables are set with cardboard containers holding extra forks and a stack of paper napkins ready to take on rib drippings. A two-page drinks menu lists cocktails and an extensive list of about 80 bourbons and a dozen ryes, all offered in 2-ounce pours or flights.

QR codes afford quick smartphone access to a vast array of mostly American craft beers and

We started with one of the most offbeat yet seductively delicious salads I’ve ever enjoyed, the Pegs pickle and brussels sprout slaw ($4). We also summoned a whole pound of dry-rubbed, hickory-smoked chicken wings ($13.50) as a starter because why not.

Don’t yawn when you hear “slaw,” as this creation is different from any slaw you’ve tried before. Tangy pickles, sweet carrots, red cabbage, onion, and brussels sprouts are all cut into fine julienne and dressed with a tangy, creamy dressing to make a salad that’s crunchy, tart and sweet and earthy and so, so delicious.

A pound of hickory-smoked wings makes a generous portion, five overize, meaty drummies and four similarly hefty flats. They had been coated in a spicy dry rub and smoked without any frills, just light smoke and juicy chicken within a crispy skin scorched black here and there. Tart, hot-sweet and smoky

It’s easy to run out of superlatives when we’re

Four Pegs Smokehouse & Bar

1053 Goss Ave. 634-1447 fourpegs.net

facebook.com/fourpegssmokehouse instagram.com/four_pegs

barbecue sauce came in a small tub alongside.

It was tasty but not really needed to improve the excellent wings.

Slow-smoked baby back ribs ($2.50 per bone) were cooked to perfection, juicy and firm, not falling off the bone, which serious pitmasters will tell you is not an advantage but a signal of overcooking. They had been carved uniformly into thick slices, thickly coated with spicy dry rub and slathered with smoky sweet-hot chipotle-laced sauce. The meat was deeply smoked, edged with a thin layer of fat cloaked in that crisp spicy crust.

We had to leave room for a barbecued jackfruit sandwich with pickled onion ($16), and I’m glad we did. Meaty chunks of the fruit, dry-rubbed, grill-seared and smoked and pulled like barbecued pork and slathered with sauce, could have passed for the real thing in texture and flavor. With a mix of house-pickled julienne red peppers and onions on top, overflowing a high-quality grilled bun, it was a memorable barbecue sandwich without a bit of meat in sight.

A couple of sides kept up the pace of excellence. White cheddar mac ($6) was a stovetop version, rich and tempting with a whiff of smoke over what looked like short cavatappi corkscrew pasta swimming in rich cheesy cream and topped with grated Parmesan.

A small bowl of local fresh collard greens ($6) was done just right, too. Long-simmered bits were studded with crusty shreds of smoked pork and came swimming in a hot and vinegary sauce.

A large and filling meal for two came to $47.17, and our server Sarah’s careful, friendly service earned a $15 tip.

Noise Level: This popular restaurant’s small space is often crowded, with a happy noise to match, so you may have to speak up when it gets loud. Still, sound readings stayed in the save zone at a 67.9dB average and 73.6dB peak during my test.

Accessibility: Two tall steps at the front door and a shorter step at a side door pose barriers to independent access by wheelchair users.

FEBRUARY 14-27, 2024 LEO WEEKLY | 33

ARTS & CULTURE

VA VA VIXENS CELEBRATE 15 YEARS AS LOUISVILLE’S PREMIERE BURLESQUE GROUP Va Va Vixens Burlesque Turns 15

BY DAN CANON

Vava Vixens celebrate 15 successful years Photo: Kevin Spalding

“I feel like we are the elders.”

So says Lany Stardust, host of the “Va Va Vixens: Anniversary of Love” show. The truth of this statement stings a bit. I remember the first days of the Vixens, back when it was a ragtag group of exhibitionists performing at the Alley Theater in the old Butchertown location. It doesn’t seem like that was 15 years ago. A lot has changed since then. That’s two

pyramid, and a Nutcracker pas de deux. I am told that I missed a lot, including a number involving a leaf blower and multiple incarnations of 90s model Fabio. It would be a mistake to confuse this with the “burlesque” that you can now see in Louisville on any given night. This is chaos, but regimented.

Think Benny Hill meets…I don’t know, an oversexed Muppet Show? The set changes are

marriages and three kids for me, a pandemic and three presidents for the country, and, what, 20 or 30 police chiefs for the city?

The Alley is gone, but the Vixens live on.

Stardust, who has been with the troupe since the very first “Va Va Valentine,” explains that the Vixens have continued to evolve during that time, and now “put on a full, brilliant variety show, not just burlesque.”

And folks, it is not just burlesque.

They let me crash a dress rehearsal, for which I arrived late. During the time I was there, I saw pole twirling, people hanging from the ceiling, a piece that started with the dancers in togas and ended with them wearing Christmas lights, Whitesnake karaoke with a face-melting guitar solo, a human

tight, the choreography is well-rehearsed, the costumes are decadent, the props are in the right place, and so on. These are the elders.

Of course, if exposed flesh is the draw for you, you’re unlikely to be disappointed — no matter what you’re into. That’s the point, after all. Not just of the Vixens, but of the whole concept of their home base, Art Sanctuary. Lisa Frye, the artistic director of the Vixens, explains that before founding Art Sanctuary, “people asked, ‘well, if you could do anything with your life, what would it be?’ And I would start describing this place, but I didn’t know what the words were for it yet, but they would ask ‘who’s it for?’ And I would say, everybody. It’s for anybody, everybody. Anyone who wants to experience this

34 | LEO WEEKLY FEBRUARY 14-27, 2024

kind of creative energy — that’s who it’s for, and it manifests itself in so many different ways.” Over the past 20 years, that’s what Art Sanctuary has tried to build: true variety.

“It helps so much to have artists of all different genres of being around because they all influence each other,” says Frye.

“Musicians can influence the visual artists just as much as the fashion designer or burlesque dancer or any of that. So we are creating a place where all of those types of artists can be in one spot and make magic together.”

If you ask the performers, old and new, the venture has been a success. Beatrix B. Naughty, an original Vixen who still performs with the troupe, says “ I connect with these people on a really deep level. I get to explore my own creativity with them.

We grow together. It’s a really tight family.

I think it’s representative of the creative culture in Louisville, what makes us weird and cool and artistic.” The Delightful Miss Coco and Slim Jim Dandee, aerialists who are relatively new to the Vixens and who look like they were sculpted from a slab of lean protein, say their eclectic performance needs are satiated here. “I’ve never done anything like this in my life,” says Dandee.

Song, dance, performance, theatre of any sort, and…man, they just form you into — ” Coco breaks in: “They put him to work.”

But the mission of Art Sanctuary, and the Vixens, goes beyond artistic syncretism.

Salem Vytch-Tryells, a bona fide Kentucky superstar who describes herself as “the first trans drag queen on cast,” explains: “It’s almost unbelievable that I’ve had so much support. I’m not trying to make anybody cry or anything, but it’s just…I can’t believe that I am part of something.”

That’s what Frye sees as her legacy. “When people come into the space, I just want them to feel safe, and to feel embraced by their community. That’s always been the main objective, and when they come to me and say, ‘this is the best thing, I feel like this is the most safe I’ve ever been, this is the most comfortable I’ve ever been with other people’ – that is everything. This is our sanctuary.”

“Va Va Valentine: Anniversary of Love” runs 2/2 to 2/17. Doors at 7:00 p.m., show at 8:00. All performances are at Art Sanctuary, 1433 S Shelby St, Louisville, KY 40217.

BOOKS

KENTUCKY NOVELISTS DELIVERING THE GOODS…

BY T.E. LYONS …and then some. Are you ready to accept some extremes? Here are two significant contributors to the Ohio Valley’s literary scene today. These women writers are stretching well beyond reality with their respective new novels. An intention found in both seems to be overwhelming the reader — not with epics, but within modestly scoped entertainments. These are genre works that might break through — but they’re certainly not aimed at a literary mainstream.

Gwenda Bond’s published output, and her active participation in literary initiatives and nonprofits (e.g., cofounding the Lexington Writer’s Room), have bounced around in very entrancing style. Her brand new novel “The Frame-Up” (Del Rey; 352 pgs., $18) bounces around all by itself: the cavalcade of short chapters is full to bursting. Everything from dialogue exchanges tensed by power plays, to fascinating facts about world-class painting and its remora-like underworld of forgeries.

This is an art-heist thriller with a modicum of supernatural/paranormal elements—written with characterization and prose such as found in the more literate of modern genre romances.

There are inner and outer circles of outlaw heroes, villains, and — because this is a caper — the marks, who may turn out to be not such obvious dupes by the time all of the plot twists play out. And flirtations are threatening to catch fire in more than one direction.

Naturally the potential mates are not all “on the same team.”

The author gives us complex “family-building” (consider it a parallel to fantasy writers’ world-building) that sets up a deft-butgradual playout of a theme about rebuilding long-sullied relationships. That, plus clever use of the art appreciation/marketing/security matters, are the most admirably accomplished facets of this rough gem. Bond will be in conversation with Erin Keane at Carmichael’s (2720 Frankfort; www.carmichaelsbookstore.com) Monday, February 19 at 7 p.m.

You don’t need to check an events calendar to find Jenny Keifer — she’s owner of Butcher Cabin Books (990 Barret; www.horrorbookstore.com). And now she has her debut novel to place on her store shelves.

“This Wretched Valley” (Quirk Books; 304 pgs., $18.99) has some time skips, mostly owing to framing devices — but the heart of this tale is a tightly focused roller coaster that more-or-less continually accelerates, driving

the central characters toward and then into a mysterious hell.

Does this not seem like the stuff of hundreds of pages — especially when the main setting is not terribly far off a rural Kentucky highway? Much of Kiefer’s achievement is in how she fashions a mundane wayside that can also be the portal of cosmic catastrophes.

It’s a concept capable of bewildering, and of bringing both awe and fright, when handled by visionaries (say, William Blake). But also consider how it’s handled by hands unknown, as in the real-life Dyatlov Pass Incident).

After the non-spoiler introduction that there are no known survivors of a

quasi-academic expedition to find undiscovered landscape features, deliberate expository chapters assemble the souls who’ll be taking their tents and ropes and cell phones into the wild. Soon the ambitious semi-pro climber is reaching new heights — but repercussions of insufficient planning and (maybe) pure happenstance leave her and her supportive companion dangling a paltry few feet from safety. From there, it isn’t long before someone has a concussion — and yet they’re not the only one unsure of what they’re seeing or hearing, or whom they can trust.

Many exquisitely squirm-inducing turns follow. Note, though, that there’s also a steady (occasionally gushing) stream of gory moments. This unrelenting tale is singleminded — but hardly simple-minded.

On Left: Author of ‘The Frame Up,’ Gwenda Bond Photo: Kevin Nance On right: Author of ’ This Wretched Valley,’ Jenny Kiefer Photo: Mary Slinger

FEBRUARY 14-27, 2024 LEO WEEKLY | 35

TRACY LIKES THIS ONE

SHORT FILM ON A BIG SCREEN

February 16-18 & 21-25 & 28 Speed Art Museum, 2035 South Third Street

BY TRACY HEIGHTCHEW

From top left, Clockwise: “Letter to a Pig,” directed by Tal Kantor and Amit R Gicelter; “Ninetyfive Senses,” directed

by Jerusha Hess and Jared Hess; “Pachyderme,” directed

by Stéphanie Clément; “War is Over!,” Inspired by the music of John and Yoko, directed by Dave Muller and Brad Booker.

Copyright @2004 ShortsTV

2024 Oscar Nominated Shorts

For the last 19 years ShortsTV and Magnolia Pictures have gathered the Academy Awardnominated short films for theatrical distribution. In a world inundated with short form video, it is a rare opportunity to sit down with a room full of strangers to be immersed in the sound design and blown up images of what are often small, intimate films.

These programs are divided into animated, live action, and documentary shorts. The

girl on a journey of her own in the powerful “Letter to a Pig,” which combines drawing, photography, video, painting, and animation to great effect. The French film “Pachyderme’’ casts an eerie, foreboding atmosphere over childhood memories of spending summers in a dangerous place. Inspired by John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s song “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” follows two soldiers who play chess by pigeon mail even as they live as enemies

strongest category this year, and most any year, are the Animated Shorts. The two other categories often echo the larger overall Oscars by sticking to safer, straight-forward films, but the animated shorts contain a wide range of creative styles, methods, and ideas.

From the brothers who brought us “Napoleon Dynamite” and “Nacho Libre,” comes “Ninety Five Senses” in which an old man facing death recalls his life story through sense memory.

Another old man tells the story of how he fled from Nazis and, in turn, sending a young

in a war zone. The most unique and exciting film to come out of all the Oscar nominated films is “Our Uniform ‘’ from Iran. Filmmaker Yegane Moghaddam projects animation onto real fabric to tell the story of her culture’s relationship with clothes. It is an instant animated classic and hard to forget, as are all these nominees.

The nominees for live action shorts are especially weak this year, though the favorite to win is a masterful work. In “The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar,” Wes Anderson’s usual

36 | LEO WEEKLY FEBRUARY 14-27, 2024

$12 | $8 Speed and Louisville Film Society members www.speedmuseum.org/cinema

panache and whimsy serves Roald Dahl well, and the film begs to be seen on the big screen, delivered from its Netflix purgatory. The other strong film in this category, “Invincible,” a personal film about 48 hours in a troubled boy’s life, owes its look and style to films like “Beach Rats” and “Aftersun,” and is equally heartbreaking. The Danish film “Knight of Fortune” is a quirky dramedy set in a morgue that looks at shared grief. While the two remaining films in the program have star power, they play like clunky, focus-group student films more than artistic achievements. “After” follows a man whose entire life is changed after a tragic event, and while David Oyelowo’s acting is excellent, the film itself feels unfinished, even by short film standards. “Red, White, and Blue” is the story of a single mom living paycheck to paycheck who is seeking an abortion. While dramatizing the details of this struggle in today’s political world is a welcome and important statement, the film itself does not live up to its artistic potential and squanders the always reliable Brittany Snow.

If the animated shorts are on the high end of the quality scale, and the live action mostly living towards the low-end, the Documentary Shorts come somewhere in the middle. The stars of all these films are worthy subjects, from the dedicated instrument repair workers in “The Last Repair Shop” to the delightful grandmas in “Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó,” the most imaginative and playful nominee in this program. Current topics are spelled out in “The ABCs of Book Banning,” and “Island in Between” has filmmaker Leo Chiang contemplating his relationship with Taiwan, China, and the U.S., while a look back at local history in “The Barber of Little Rock” shows the power of an embedded film team.

In 2014, there were 5856 voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, this year there are 9799, making it a record year. But it’s a handful of folks from the industry, pulled from a branch of about 880 people, who determine what short films end up getting this sort of theatrical play outside of film festivals. And while the Oscars continue to be a big, dumb, self-congratulatory popularity contest, at least we get to see short films taken out of the film fest closet and treated like a headlining event for a couple of weeks. This writer hopes that short films about clothes, a gambler, and a couple of fun grandmas take home the statue.

’ROUND THE FIRE

TRIP THROUGH YOUR WIRES

BY CHRISTINA ESTRADA Ahhhhh, the season of love is upon us and

Christina Estrada is a lifelong seeker of light in the darkness wearing a variety of hats, including, but not limited to: student/teacher, survivor/healer, mother/child, therapist/client, introverted extrovert. At present, a disabled wife and mother with stories and thoughts from five decades of life and 30 years of social work.

once again, we’re forced to look at what it means to love and be in love. Are we still searching for that soulmate? Do we think we have found them? What does it take to keep love alive and kicking? Is it our “idea” of love that we truly desire?

If you find yourself in a place where you think you want to venture on this treacherous journey called love, I encourage you to put it to the test. Take a road trip together.

As I reflect on the past 16 years with my husband, the first road trip we took together was quite revealing. I wanted approval from my bestie, Kim, so we decided to drive to her new home in North Carolina for Thanksgiving. We had limited time and funds, so the trip was full of challenges and anxiety for us both.

Daniel and I had been living together for almost a year and set out for an early start for the 10-hour drive. It was dark with that drizzly, grey mix that Kentucky brings in the changeover to the winter season. We had packed, slept well, and got the car ready in advance for the journey.

We were excited and were in love enough to be a bit giddy, even at 5 a.m. We got ready to pull out of the parking spot and realized something was wrong. About 100 feet into the drive, we had to stop and investigate.

A flat tire.

We attempted to change it but there was no good light and I was stopped on a slope. An irritated spat began between us, both cold, damp and without coffee. Each blamed the other in a shared anxiety mixed with frustration — a common theme in our marriage for many years.

The tire was finally secure enough to move and we rolled slowly to the Walmart near our apartment in Fern Creek awaiting the tire center to open. We found coffee, then discovered that Walmart didn’t have the tire we needed but did have one about forty minutes away.

Driving on a spare at high speed is not for the faint of heart, and I was behind the wheel because there was no way I could trust anyone to drive me, possibly to my death, but me. We made it to the other Walmart with asses clenched, and a white-knuckled hold on the steering wheel all the way there.

We forked out the money for a new tire — money we didn’t have — and finally were on our way to see Kim, back to feeling the elusive hopefulness.

We took turns driving and attempted to settle on the road music. Daniel is ten

years younger than me and our musical tastes vary greatly. Songs that help Daniel focus and relax simply stress me out, and my music makes him sleepy. We still work to find the balance in our road music but this trip The Pixies came through for us.

We were running late and feeling drowsy.

Neither of us could trust the other driving in such a state so we called Kim about the delay and stopped at a rest area for a nap. We parked at the end of the lot away from other cars for peace and privacy. I laid my seat all the way down to sleep. Daniel reclined, just enough, but could still be seen through the window.

I fought intrusive thoughts of being murdered or robbed at gunpoint, and fell asleep only to be awakened abruptly.

Daniel cursed as he sat his chair up to address a person in a car who pulled up directly beside us. This is when I realized my husband is quite the “Bear.”

I sprung my seat up in my instinctive fight mode and saw the disappointment of the man alone in the car beside us. This hook-up was not happening.

We started the car and continued our not-so-smooth journey. I’d given up and allowed Daniel to smoke in the car a few times to make up some time and despite the harbingers of doubt that we would ever get there, or if we should be together in the first place, we continued.

Tensions remained high.

In North Carolina, we got two days of relaxation and joy with my old friend and tested the waters of our union with one of my closest friends as a witness, someone who understood my full neuroses.

We slept on an air mattress which fully deflated under our weight on the morning we were to leave… so sleep was rough, and bodies were sore, but hearts were satiated by the time we shared.

As we left, we felt the ghost of our previous driving trauma but we were determined to get home quickly. About the time we made it to Ashland, we found ourselves stuck in traffic and resigned ourselves to the fact that a smooth run was not in the cards.

Daniel lit a cigarette, and I put my face in my shirt to not smell it. We were stuck behind a car with the entire back window covered by a Jesus sticker. Jesus was staring at us with arms open and extended in our direction for two hours.

We finally made it home, exhausted and unprepared for our coming workdays and routines ahead of us, but we committed.

This was our beginning.

“I fought intrusive thoughts of being murdered or robbed at gunpoint, and fell asleep only to be awakened abruptly.

Daniel cursed as he sat his chair up to address a person in a car who pulled up directly beside us.

This is when I realized my husband is quite the “Bear.”

FEBRUARY 14-27, 2024 LEO WEEKLY | 37

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ETC…

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY Week of February 15 ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Some stories don’t have a distinct and orderly beginning, middle, and end. At any one point, it may be hard to know where you are. Other tales have a clear beginning, middle, and end, but the parts occur out of order; maybe the middle happens first, then the end, followed by the beginning. Every other variation is possible, too. And then there’s the fact that the beginning of a new story is implied at the end of many stories, even stories with fuzzy plots and ambiguous endings. Keep these ruminations in mind during the coming weeks, Aries. You will be in a phase when it’s essential to know what story you are living in and where you are located in the plot’s unfoldment.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): As I meditate on your destiny in the near future, I sense you will summon extra courage, perhaps even fearless and heroic energy. I wonder if you will save a drowning person, or rescue a child from a burning building, or administer successful CPR to a stranger who has collapsed on the street. Although I suspect your adventures will be less dramatic than those, they may still be epic. Maybe you will audaciously expose corruption and deceit, or persuade a friend to not commit self-harm, or speak bold thoughts you haven’t had the daring to utter before.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Lately, you have been learning more than you thought possible. You have surpassed and transcended previous limits in your understanding of how the world works. Congratulations! I believe the numerous awakenings stem from your willingness to wander freely into the edgy frontier—and then stay there to gather in all the surprising discoveries and revelations flowing your way. I will love it if you continue your pilgrimage out there beyond the borders for a while longer.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): As I study the

freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com BrezsnyAstrology@gmail.com

astrological omens for the coming weeks, I suspect you will feel more at home in a situation that has previously felt unnerving or alien. Or you will expedite the arrival of the future by connecting more deeply with your roots. Or you will cultivate more peace and serenity by exploring exotic places. To be honest, though, the planetary configurations are half-mystifying me; I’m offering my best guesses. You may assemble a strong foundation for an experimental fantasy. Or

perhaps you will engage in imaginary travel, enabling you to wander widely without leaving your sanctuary. Or all of the above.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Of your hundreds

of wishes and yearnings, Leo, which is the highest on your priority list? And which are the next two? What are the sweet, rich, inspiring experiences you want more than anything else in life? I invite you to compile a tally of your top three longings. Write them on a piece of paper. Draw or paste an evocative symbol next to each one. Then place this holy document in a prominent spot that you will see regularly. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you are in a phase when focusing and intensifying your intentions will bring big rewards.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Actor and trav-

el writer Andrew McCarthy hiked across Spain along the famous pilgrimage route, Camino de Santiago. On the way, he felt so brave and strong that at one point he paradoxically had a sobbing breakdown. He realized how fear had always dominated his life. With this chronic agitation absent for the first time ever, he felt free to be his genuine self. “I started to feel more comfortable in the world and consequently in my own skin,” he testified, concluding, “I think travel obliterates fear.” I recommend applying his prescription to yourself in the coming months, Virgo—in whatever ways your intuition tells you are right. Cosmic forces will be aligned with you.

voraciousness. You may be surprised at the deeper liberations it triggers.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Dear

Wise Gambler: You rank high in your spacious intelligence, intuitive logic, and robust fantasy life. There’s only one factor that may diminish your ability to discern the difference between wise and unwise gambles.

That’s your tendency to get so excited by big, expansive ideas that you neglect to account for messy, inconvenient details. And it’s especially important not to dismiss or underplay those details in the coming weeks. If you include them in your assessments, you will indeed be the shrewdest of wise gamblers.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn golfer Tiger Woods is one of the alltime greats. He holds numerous records and has won scores of tournaments. On 20 occasions, he has accomplished the most difficult feat: hitting a hole-in-one. But the weird fact is that there were two decades (1998–2018) between his 19th and 20th holes-in-one. I suspect your own fallow time came in 2023, Capricorn. By now, you should be back in the hole-in-one groove, metaphorically speaking. And the coming months may bring a series of such crowning strokes.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Poet Anna

world, there are four partnership styles. In the parasitic variety, one living thing damages another while exploiting it. In the commensal mode, there is exploitation by one partner, but no harm occurs. In the epizoic model, one creature serves as a vehicle for the other but gets nothing in return. The fourth kind of partnership is symbiotic.

It’s beneficial to both parties. I bring these thoughts to your attention, Libra, because the coming weeks will be an excellent time to take an inventory of your alliances and affiliations—and begin to de-emphasize, even phase out, all but the symbiotic ones.

Akhmatova (1889–1966) lived till age 76, but her destiny was a rough ride. Her native country, the authoritarian Soviet Union, censored her work and imprisoned her friends and family. In one of her poems, she wrote, “If I can’t have love, if I can’t find peace, give me a bitter glory.” She got the latter wish. She came close to winning a Nobel Prize and is now renowned as a great poet and heroic symbol of principled resistance to tyranny. Dear Aquarius, I predict that your life in the coming months will be very different from Akhmatova’s. I expect you will enjoy more peace and love than you’ve had in a long time. Glory will stream your way, too, but it will be graceful, never bitter.

The effects will be heightened if you express principled resistance to tyranny.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Piscean

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In the natural

author Dan Savage says, “I wish I could let myself eat and eat and eat.” He imagines what it would be like if he didn’t “have to monitor the foods I put in my mouth or go to the gym anymore.” He feels envious of those who have no inhibitions about being gluttonous. In alignment with astrological aspects, I authorize Savage and all Scorpios to temporarily set aside such inhibitions.

Take a brief break. Experiment with what it feels like to free yourself to ingest big helpings of food and drink—as well as metaphorical kinds of nourishment like love and sex and sensations and entertainment. Just for now, allow yourself to play around with

perfumer Sophia Grojsman says, “Our lives are quiet. We like to be disturbed by delight.” To that end, she has created over 30 best-selling fragrances, including Eternity Purple Orchid, Désir Coulant (Flowing Desire), Spellbound, Volupté (Pleasure), and Jelisaveta (“God is abundance”). I bring this up, Pisces, because I believe it’s now essential for you to be disturbed by delight—as well as to disturb others with delight. Please do what’s necessary to become a potent magnet for marvelous interruptions, sublime interventions, and blissful intrusions.

And make yourself into a provider of those healing subversions, too.

FEBRUARY 14-27, 2024 LEO WEEKLY | 39

EXTENSION ASSISTANT for Horticulture Jefferson County RE43853 Deadline: February 28, 2024 Apply Online at: https://ukjobs.uky.edu/ postings/511113 For assistance call: 502-569-2344

The University of Kentucky is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The address of the Equal Opportunity Office is Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Kentucky, Room S-105, Agriculture Science Building North, Lexington, Kentucky 40546.

40 | LEO WEEKLY FEBRUARY 14-27, 2024

SAVAGE LOVE

SMASH BUTTON

BY DAN SAVAGE

Hey Dan: My heart is breaking and it’s my own fault. I started cheating on my husband of 29 years, casually at first — making out, getting groped, no penetrative sex — and then I met a man and we just clicked. I caught feelings and we started to have an intense, kinky, and very sexual and emotional relationship.

I love my husband. We are extremely compatible in so many ways, except this one: I am kinky and poly whereas he is vanilla and monogamous. Even though I haven’t disclosed my cheating to him, we have been talking about my desire to be non-monogamous. He knows I’m kinkier than he is, although I can’t disclose how I came to know I need BDSM in my life. I have also discovered that I am bisexual, but not biromantic.

Because of this, my husband has moved on monogamy and agreed to be a little monogamish: he consents to me exploring sexual encounters with women, primarily because he guiltily admits that he finds it a non-threatening turn-on since I am not romantically attracted to women.

I have presented to my husband that I WANT to be non-monogamous and that I am capable of polyamory. He hasn’t consented.

Even though he says he doesn’t want to say no or hold me back from exploring my sexuality, he says if I were to issue an ultimatum, we would get divorced. So, this is basically his ultimatum. Meanwhile, my lover and I have recognized that the struggles in our relationship stem from the fact that I am cheating on my husband. It raises doubts for my lover about whether I am deceiving him, since I am obviously capable of deceit. I hate this. When I ask him what he wants, my lover says he wants me not to hate myself so much. And so, we have decided to “pause” our affair until I can figure out how to get right with my husband and be able to be ethnically non-monogamous.

Adding to my heartbreak: I NEED both these relationships. My husband can only flex so far in the kink direction. He cannot be the dominant partner I need. I’ve told him this, more or less. And he takes it as saying that without that he is nothing, which is not true. He is almost everything, but he can’t stand being not “enough.” He is afraid that I will resent him if he doesn’t agree to non-monogamy. Which I don’t. But if we divorce so I can feel fulfilled, that will destroy him. I don’t think he believes I would choose non-monogamy or kink over him. And I really don’t want

to leave him or lose my lover. I cannot choose between them. I need them both. My heart is BREAKING. Help.

—Brokenhearted And Seeking Insightful Counsel I’m sorry about your heart but I can’t with your problem.

The mail this week — the mail for weeks — has been nothing but letters from long-married straight people thinking about cheating or already cheating or desperately trying to renegotiate monogamous commitments they made decades ago or desperately pretending that’s what they’re doing, e.g., they’re going through the motions of discussing ethical non-monogamy in the hopes of legitimizing the non-ethical non-monogamy they’re already practicing.

I don’t mean to come across as unsympathetic, BASIC, but you’ve been smashing your pussy down on the self-destruct button for a while now. You didn’t get the answer you wanted from your husband — permission to fuck other men — and instead of countering his ultimatum (“No fucking around with other men or it’s over”) with an ultimatum of your own (“Permission to fuck around with other men or it’s over”), you went out and started fucking around with other men. You may not have been consciously aware that you were smashing your pussy down on the self-destruct button, but you either knew or should have known you were setting something in motion that would blow up your marriage.

This is all going to come out. Your husband is going to find out about your lover and then you’re going to find out whether your husband’s threat to divorce was serious.

Threatening to divorce someone you love is easy, actually divorcing someone you love is hard. And divorce is a long, drawn-out process and your husband will have time to reconsider his decision before it’s final.

But only the truth can free you from the miserable corner you’ve painted yourself into.

And while it’s going to be unpleasant, telling the truth — the messy, painful truth — is the only way you out. Sometimes married people smash their hands/mouths/pussies/dicks down on the self-destruct button and wind up destroying their marriages. Sometimes that’s what they want. But sometimes the marriage survives the explosion and something new and beautiful is built on the rubble. Maybe you’ll be one of the lucky ones. But there’s only one way to find out.

Alright, I dug through the mail and looking for questions that aren’t about cheating or negotiating non-monogamy or embracing tolyamory and managed to find a few…

Hey Dan: I am invited to a (gay) sex party.

When invited for dinner you bring a bottle of wine, but what is the proper etiquette for a sex party? Come showered and douched, I guess.

What else? Do I bring something for the host?

—Newby At Sex Party

A host gift is a thoughtful idea, NASP, but slipping your host a little cash — paper towels are way more expensive than they used to be — may be a better idea.

“I usually ask for a £5 tip to cover the costs of food, soft drinks, and hard drinks I provide at the parties I run,” said Ali Bushell, author of the Sex Party Handbook. “Even if the host of NASP’s first sex party doesn’t ask for money, being willing to tip the host $10 or so is always appreciated. It’s especially appreciated when the guest acknowledges the time and effort that went into making the event happen and mentions that they’re grateful.” While Bushell makes alcohol available at the parties he hosts at his home in London, not all sex party hosts serve booze. “Bringing alcohol isn’t a terrible idea,” said Bushell, “but NASP needs to bear in mind some people might prefer the party to be dry. So, if he’s thinking of bringing a six pack of beer or bottle of wine to share, best to check with the host about whether that would be welcome.”

And big ups to arriving very recently douched and very freshly showered. Also: don’t wear cologne, put your phone away, be polite when you decline to play with someone, be just as polite to someone who declines to play with you, get on PrEP (prevents HIV infection), look into DoxyPEP (offers some protection against other sexually transmitted infections), and maybe consider using condoms (they offer excellent protection against HIV and other STIs).

Ali Bushell’s Sex Party Handbook is available on Amazon. When he’s not hosing sex parties, Bushell hosts the The Healers Guild, a podcast for people seeking or offering healing.

Hey Dan: I have a lover and we are long-distance. I’d like to spend the limited time we have in person doing physical activities — getting intimate — but he takes a long time to warm up and needs to spend a lot of time talking first. If we had all the time in the world, that wouldn’t be a problem, but we usually only see each other on business trips that take us to each other’s cities. Can we cut to the chase without shortchanging his need to reconnect emotionally first?

—Down To Business

You can’t.

Hey Dan: I’m a 28-year-old woman in Australia.

I am talking to a very hot dominant man in his forties that I met on reddit who’s in my area.

He gives me extremely explicit tasks that he wants photos of constantly including writing his initials on me each day. I have verified his ID — I know his real name and he is who he says he is — but other than the fact that he’s married and very private about his life, I don’t know much about him. I’m enjoying having a regular (constant!) D/s dynamic in my life but I’m worried these photos would ruin me if they got out. But I’m enjoying our online play so much I’ve stopped talking to people on dating apps because his play is more fun for me. It’s

“You may not have been consciously aware that you were smashing your pussy down on the selfdestruct button, but you either knew or should have known you were setting something in motion that would blow up your marriage.” hard to find hot kinky people that are normal/ hot IRL in my area. Advice please?

—Personal Images Complicate Situation The risk you’re running — losing control of your photos — is not some ancillary risk that you can mitigate or eliminate while still enjoying this connection. Your entire relationship with this man consists of taking the pictures he orders you to and then sending them to him. You want this sexy dominant man to have power over you — you’re turned on by the thought of him having power over you — and these photos are the power he has over you. You aren’t sending these photos to get the sex, PICS, the sending of the photos is the sex.

Now, sex is never risk-free — there’s no such things as entirely safe sex — but sane people do what they can to mitigate risks. Gay men take PrEP so they can enjoy PIB without having to worry about the risk of contracting HIV; straight women use birth control so they can enjoy PIV without having to worry about the risk of contracting feti. But the only way to eliminate the risk here is for you to stop sending these photos — to abstain from sending more photos — but that also eliminates everything that’s pleasurable about this connection.

That said, PICS, the fact that know this man’s name — and that you know he’s married — does provide you with some protection. If this man were to post your photos online because you wanted to end the relationship, you have legal recourse — revenge porn is a crime in Australia — and so the risks here are shared and that will hopefully motivate him to keep your photos on a secure and un-hackable server and not to do anything stupid or vindictive when you move on to a hot Dom you can see IRL. Got problems? Everyone does! Send your question to mailbox@savage.love!

Podcasts, columns and more at Savage.Love

FEBRUARY 14-27, 2024 LEO WEEKLY | 41

42 | LEO WEEKLY FEBRUARY 14-27, 2024

NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE CROSSWORD PUZZLE

HAMMER TIME

BY NATHAN HASEGAWA Puzzles Edited by Will Shortz

Nathan Hasegawa, of Oakland, Calif., is a junior at Harvey Mudd College majoring in mathematics. This is his second crossword for The Times. His first was in 2021, during his senior year in high school, when every student had to pursue a yearlong project and Nathan’s was to get a crossword published here. This follow-up, which has a multifaceted theme, was two years in the making (on and off).

— W.S.

ACROSS

1 Toy on a racetrack 8 Soccer star who has won a record eight Ballon d’Or awards

45 Medical procedure, for short

86 Knuckle-headed act?

46 Overabundance

87 Biblical man who lost his birthright

47 Vodka drink, informally

88 2017 musical retelling of the stories of Henry VIII’s wives

49 Tremble 52 Contaminating trace 53 Chemical-solution strength

13 Like ‘‘t,’’ ‘‘k’’ and ‘‘p,’’ in phonetics

54 ‘‘Yeshiva boy’’ played by Barbra Streisand

20 What Hemingway claimed he did to the ending of ‘‘A Farewell to Arms’’ 39 times

55 Author who penned the line ‘‘Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart’’

21 Dartmouth and Penn, e.g.

89 Symbol for torque, in physics

50 Finish line for the first stage of the first Tour de France 51 Giant name in Giants history 52 Cinemax competitor 57 It’s facedown on a poker table

91 Many a viral post

58 Negroni spirit

92 Point of no return?

59 [I’m SO mad!]

95 Ace

60 Cotton fabric often used in bandages

98 Coast 101 Ellipsis element

63 Hosp. areas

104 Aviator’s maneuver in a crosswind landing

65 Gondola propeller

22 Fled

56 Climate issue addressed in the Montreal Protocol

23 Mnemonic start

58 Approach something with gusto

108 Proportional

67 Honey

24 Actor Leary

60 What’s the matter?

109 ‘‘The Last Supper,’’ for one

69 Verb sometimes abbreviated to its central letter

25 Flowerlike sea creature

61 Sunder

111 Spot on an afternoon schedule?

71 Prefix with tourist or hotel

26 Massive victory . . . or a high score in 113-Across?

62 Shapes of many carrot slices

112 Doofuses

72 Series finale

64 Currency worth a little more than dollars

113 Game represented visually in this puzzle

73 Counterfactual starters, in logic

66 Spreadsheet command

116 Talks like Tom Waits

74 Karachi-based carrier

67 Spot for a loft

117 Justice Kagan

75 Certain urban nightlife

68 Muesli bit

118 Try for a seat in the Capitol

76 Military hiding spot

70 Make a pile, perhaps

119 Fifth-century pope dubbed ‘‘the Great’’

77 Place that’s cramped and squalid

72 Rentable transportation options

120 Constant nuisance

79 Something a presidential candidate often wins

76 Fracas

121 Like some postage and parking spaces

80 Gray, say

78 Music’s Little ____

122 Fish whose juveniles can climb walls

81 Part of a hoop

29 Really enjoys oneself 31 Doofuses 34 Wetland 35 Objections 36 Be part of an uprising 37 Lowercase letter that resembles an ‘‘n’’ 39 Las Vegas resort with a music-inspired name 41 But

83 Used TurboTax, say

42 Resort amenity

84 Journalist’s accessory

82 It may be repeated after ‘‘fiddle’’ DOWN

84 Oregon-based athletic brand

1 Many prom attendees: Abbr.

85 Podium

2 Niihau neckwear

88 Items in a hardware store bin

3 Symbol of wisdom

90 Acting as one

4 Lock

93 Capital in the Himalayas

5 Mountebank

94 Company originally known as Control Video Corp.

6 ‘‘Nice work, little fella!’’

96 Shelley’s ‘‘____ to the West Wind’’

7 Dreamy state

97 Converges on

8 Skirts that go below the knee 9 Giant slalom at the Olympics, e.g.

10 Choir director’s command 11 Tremor

98 Source of a sleeper hit, perhaps 99 ____ Holmes, Netflix character played by Millie Bobby Brown 100 Pitkin County ski town

12 Put out

101 Old Venetian money

13 Make perfect, maybe

102 Give a keynote, say

14 Frustrating highway driver

103 Performer with lions

15 Short tennis session 16 Gregor ____, Franz Kafka character 17 ____ Jima

105 Cotton fabric often used in hosiery 106 Urge 107 Some dinero

18 Small band transport 19 Image at the top of the pyramid on the back of a dollar bill

109 Part of a lion 110 Ear piece

27 ‘‘____ la vista, baby!’’

114 Bottom line?

28 Insertion mark

115 Container component

29 Put on a pedestal, say 30 Jennifer of ‘‘The Morning Show’’

Last week’s answers

32 ‘‘White Noise’’ author Don 33 What a shock!

34 11,111 vis-à-vis 123,454,321 38 Swear (to) 40 Tweak, say 42 Ejects forcefully 43 Primitive camera feature 44 Like a winner of a mountain marathon, in two senses 46 First name of Julius Caesar 48 Unrefined mined find

FEBRUARY 14-27, 2024 LEO WEEKLY | 43