LEO Weekly, February 28, 2024

F EBRUA RY 28-MA RC H 12, 2024 | VO L 33, ISS U E 45 | FREE

Everyone’s a

BABE Babe Boutique Takes Off + “Safer Kentucky Act” Is Ineffective

See our

big

P M A C DE GUinIside!

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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

Lambsey Reeves, owner of Babe. Boutique Photo provided by Reeves

EDITOR’S NOTE

5

VIEWS

7

NEWS & ANALYSIS

8

FEATURE

10

•

Babe. Boutique

STAFF PICKS

13

MUSIC

17

FOOD & DRINK

20

ARTS & CULTURE

22

ETC

28

CONTRIBUTORS Robin Garr, Jeff Polk, Tracy Heightchew, Dan Savage, Marc Murphy, Rob Brezsny, Dan Canon, Chris Mattingly, Liam Niemeyer (Kentucky Lantern), Kyle Ellison

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

TO ERR IS HUMAN, OR IS IT AI, OR IS IT HUMANS USING AI?

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.

Recently, with the availability of AI as a tool for illustration, some of our writers have submitted articles using AI created artwork.

We don’t mind it and here’s why.

For a community news outlet that runs daily but only prints every two weeks, it makes sense — sometimes.

I think it’s important that we realize how the day-to-day of a newspaper happens. Most days, we have a plan of things to write for the website (immediate things), and then weekly items from one of our underpaid freelancers.

Now, as you all have witnessed, LEO has gone through some sprucing up and that hasn’t come without a price tag and cuts in other places — one of those being our freelance budget. With that time and frequency of our output in mind, it isn’t conducive for us to ask a local artist to illustrate something like a weekly food article. We try to save our asks for covers or other major pieces of the paper. And, we know that our creative community will support us but we don’t want to overstay our welcome, and ask too much. There’s a balance.

I know that many will still have big feelings about this and want to disagree, and argue their side. Plus it’s easy to shout about it in the comment section. We do appreciate the feedback and especially when it comes with reason and compassion. We are happy that our creative community is passionate about keeping LEO in original art.

However, sometimes there is no time, and how many asks is too many? Facts is facts.

Funny enough, one of the comments disliked the AI art but also that there were human proofreading errors. We really liked that one for its cognitive dissonance. Damn the human hands for making a mistake... how dare you let the computer create an adequate

representation of moldy steak.

I am an artist in addition to my work at LEO and as much as I love to share my work with the community, if I were being asked repeatedly to give, give, give, there would be a hard limit. Art isn’t just an altruistic pursuit, it is also a pursuit of commerce and self-sustenance.

If a corporation, no matter how loved, asks you for your free labor, how willing are you to offer it?

So think of AI as a tool that the writer has taken the time to create a prompt for that then gives the output they desire. It isn’t completely unskilled.

AI is developing, and we all have particular fears and reservations about its use. For us, AI learning to write articles could have meant the end of our jobs. We believed that for a while but AI is faulty and best used for minor tasks like creating an image of a moldy steak.

The aim here isn’t to defend AI or to make our choice seem superior, but to put this in perspective. We’re not going to beg our local arts community endlessly for free labor. Period. That goes against our ethics more than creating the occasional AI image as an illustration. Labor should be paid and supported and we’re doing well that our freelancers keep writing for the tiny bit they are given.

If a LEO filled with the hands of local illustrators, writers, and creatives is what you want… that means more dollars. We want that, too. Really. Here’s how we get it: buy ads, come to the events, visit our other advertisers, and support through your sponsorship, memberships (possible in the future).

AI is simply a tool and we’re going to use all tools available to us to continue to bring you LEO.

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VIEWS

HB5, “SAFER KENTUCKY ACT” IS A COSTLY MEASURE FOR KENTUCKY’S ALREADY BROKEN PRISON SYSTEM

BY KYLE ELLISON W/ SYDNEY CATINNA

Our legislature has returned to the criminal

felony-sentenced state prisoners are housed in county jails that were designed for shortterm confinement.

In 1980, we had 4,000 people in our state prisons. This doubled in the 1980’s and almost doubled again in the 1990’s. By 2017, Kentucky’s prison population reached 25,000, an increase of 800% over 1970. Kentucky Department of Corrections also built five new prisons, sent thousands of state prisoners to county jails, and contracted with a private prison corporation to keep up with demand.

Fifty-nine bills that increased sentence length were passed between 2011 and 2021.

The average sentence here is now 14 years.

Additionally, Kentucky has 63,000 people on probation or parole.

The Prison System’s Problematic History

A Path Forward

justice fork in the road with signs reading “Crisis” and “Management” and is choosing to take the well-worn road to “Crisis.”

Recently, the House passed Republican House Bill (HB) 5, a collection of policies aimed at public safety. These bills increase already harsh criminal penalties, including those targeting unhoused Kentuckians.

Instead of achieving the desired results, this legislation is yet another case of pandering politicians enacting short-term thinking.

HB5 neglects the root causes of crime and focuses on increased spending on incarceration. Historically proven to be counterproductive, this will only further tax the already costly and overburdened jail system.

Stock Photo of Incacerated Person Adobe

Today, Kentucky locks up a higher percentage of its citizens than all but six states. Many jails are dangerously overcrowded and lack the treatment programs available in state prisons. With Kentucky’s legislature increasing the severity of criminal sentencing and limiting the options available to judges since the mid-1970s, a look at the past few decades of legislation shows how we got here. Over the past 45 years, sentencing has become more severe and Kentucky’s prisons have not been able to keep pace, evidenced by the number of county jails now serving as state prisons. From 2000 to 2012 county jail capacity increased from 10,000 to 20,000 beds. Four of every ten

Our legislators are ignoring the elephant in the room and pandering for votes with “toughon-crime” laws like the “Safer Kentucky Act.” This is especially harmful when the cost of incarceration is sure to rise even without HB5.

Kentucky’s prison population is aging. Over the past 12 years, our percentage of incarcerated people over 45 years old has grown by 30%. Incarcerating older people costs more.

Kentucky is building 2 new state prisons. One is designed for assisted living and the other is for people with chronic medical needs.

Kentucky State Reformatory, at LaGrange, is currently being used for high-need medical people but it is scheduled for demolition, caused in part by the inability to recruit

adequate staff. Kentucky State Penitentiary at Eddyville is operating at half capacity due to a lack of staff.

Cycles of spending more on incarceration have not solved our problems. If these measures were effective, surely we’d have achieved the desired results after the past few decades of legislation.

HB5 is being sold to the taxpayer without a price tag. Increased costs per prisoner are listed in the required “Corrections Impact Statement” but there is no projected total cost. Talking about taxpayer’s costs does not get votes.

In 1970, the Kentucky Department of Corrections annual budget was $7 million.

This has grown to $715 million today. Another $400 million per year is spent to house 20,000 people in our 74 county jails. Staff shortage in prisons and jails threatens public safety.

West Virginia and other states have used the National Guard for prison staff. Fayette County Jail considered using the National Guard During the pandemic. Recruiting adequate staff is an ongoing problem for Louisville’s Metro jail.

Taxpayers are not served by short-term thinking or feel-good legislation like HB5.

Inhumane prison and jail conditions guarantee high recidivism and are dangerous for public safety and the safety of those who live and work in them. Instead, we should look towards long-term solutions such as funding community mental health initiatives and addressing the root cause of each issue.

There is unequivocal evidence to suggest that poverty is a cause of incarceration. From 1940 to 1970 Kentucky’s prison population fell more than 25%, from 4000 to less than 3000.

This was a period when the wealth gap grew smaller (especially if you were white). In 2021, 433,000 of Kentucky’s children lived below 200% of the federal poverty line.

Action addressing medical care, food security, education, and housing will prove more effective in the long term. Louisville’s Metro jail admits about 97 people on Home Incarceration (ankle bracelet) each month because they have no home. The current cost per day at Metro Jail is over $150. It would be cheaper to build housing for the homeless.

Prevention and community treatment would be cheaper in the long run. Our legislature needs to consider long-term plans for public safety —a whole lot sooner than the next election.

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NEWS & ANALYSIS

HOUSE GOP APPROVES BILL LOOSENING KENTUCKY CHILD LABOR LAW Some Republicans join Democrats in voting against the measure BY: LIAM NIEMEYER This story is by the Kentucky Lantern, which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. More of Kentucky Lantern’s work can be found at kentuckylantern.com. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

— Republicans in the GOP-dominated Kentucky House of Representatives approved Thursday legislation allowing some teenagers to work longer and later hours over strong opposition from their Democratic colleagues.

FRANKFORT

Rep. Phillip Pratt, R-Georgetown, speaks on his bill that would loosen state child labor law.

Courtesy Kentucky LRC

House Bill 255, sponsored by Rep. Phillip Pratt, R-Georgetown, repeals Kentucky’s existing child labor laws and aligns them with federal laws, which are less restrictive for minors aged 16 and 17.

Kentucky law currently limits the number of hours that 16- and 17-year-olds can work on a school day to six. The limit increases to eight hours on a non-school day and up to 30 hours total during a school week, unless they receive parental permission to work more and maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average.

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Federal law doesn’t have any daily or weekly hour work limits for ages 16 and 17.

The bill ignited strong pushback from Democrats, and a sizable number of Republicans joined Democrats in voting ‘no’ on HB 255 including Majority Whip Jason Nemes, R-Louisville. The bill passed 60-36.

The bill now goes to the Kentucky Senate for its consideration.

Pratt, who owns a landscaping and lawn care company, said on the House floor having more teenagers entering the workforce was “not just an educational or social issue but an economic imperative.”

“Our current statutes and regulations unnecessarily restrict the number of hours needed to work, often preventing them from seeking an opportunity to help them pay for college, learn new skills and prepare for the future,” Pratt said.

An analysis of the bill by the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, a progressive think tank, also found the legislation could allow some minors under the age of 16 to work in more hazardous occupations currently prohibited by state and federal law, such as using power-driven mowers and cutters, catching poultry to prepare for transport, communications and public utilities and more. Pratt, in responding to a question from a Democrat, said that the state can’t “trump” federal law.

Several Democrats lambasted the bill as opening the door to exploitation of children, particularly low-income children, migrants and minors working to support their families’ livelihoods. Rep. Sarah Stalker, D-Louisville, attacked the bill as putting the state into “very dangerous waters” for “our most vulnerable children.”

Stalker said she’s heard from Kentucky principals about children not showing up to school because of choosing to work instead, making it hard to get those children back to school.

“What does that say about our state? If we can’t even get people to finish high school,” Stalker said. “Vulnerable students with already challenging circumstances cannot afford to have to choose between their education and their ability to get a job without having (their) safety compromised.”

A couple of Democrats questioned Pratt about whether he reached out to the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet about the bill. He said he did not, but that the cabinet reached out to him to request changes to the bill ahead of the House floor vote.

He said the cabinet sent the request to him Thursday with too little time to be added as a floor amendment to the bill ahead of the vote, but added that the changes were “unacceptable” to him anyway.

“If they want to gut my bill, and that’s basically what they did, my answer would be ‘no,’” Pratt said.

Jill Midkiff, a spokesperson for the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet, in a statement did not directly answer a question about what changes to the bill the cabinet had requested. But she said “workplace protections are particularly vital to safeguard our youngest workers.”

“HB 255 presents numerous safety concerns, removing several guardrails on what is already outlined in law as safe work activities for youth, allowing them to participate in hazardous work duties,” Midkiff said. “This presents a risk to the safety, and possible exploitation, of children in the workplace. These issues need to be thoroughly addressed to ensure our commonwealth upholds the fair labor standards we value, especially for our employed youth.”

Some Republicans pushed back against the Democrats’ criticism, with Republican Rep. Matthew Koch, R-Paris, saying some of the debate made it seem like “we were getting ready to put 12-year-olds working 80 to 100 hours a week down in the coal mines.”

“Let them 16-17 year olds get out there and do this. They can manage this. We don’t give them enough credit of what they’re capable of doing,” Koch said.

Nemes, the Republican majority whip, said he had voted against the bill because he wants to limit the amount of time 16 and 17 year olds can work to 30 hours and to prohibit those teenagers from working later than 10:30 p.m. on a school night.

Without those limits, he said, the concerns Democrats raised “may be relevant.”

He said Pratt had committed to adding those limits into the bill. The Kentucky Senate would have to add such changes to the bill, which would then have to be confirmed by the House.

“I think it’s a good bill. I just want to have that extra protection to make sure that students aren’t working after 10:30 at night on a school night,” Nemes said.

This story has been updated with a statement from the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet.

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Everyone is a

BABE

It’s an experience any woman is familiar with.

The work of trying to squeeze into a too-small pair of jeans in an even smaller dressing room. Harsh lighting, an almost offensive number of mirrors casting your reflection back from every angle.

Dressing rooms are either abandoned to the point of disarray or guarded by a too-eager sales associate.

Not to mention, the defeat and frustration when you can’t find anything that fits.

It’s enough to make anyone give up on in-person shopping completely, especially women who might not neatly fit into any of the standard U.S. sizes.

That’s where BABE Boutique comes in.

Tucked away on a corner of Payne Street in the heart of historic Clifton is one of Louisville’s newest local gems — a mid and plus-sized women’s clothing store owned by Lambsey Reeves. A clothing business that’s building community by offering clothing and

she said.

Reeves would often get a resounding, and sometimes emotional, yes.

With a need like this, it makes you begin to question why standard sizes are, indeed, the standard.

Before BABE’s presence at Logan Street Market, Reeves hosted pop-up shops which led to an engaged Instagram following. ”I would run into people who asked me when is BABE coming back?” she said. “I was like, ‘wow this is a huge demand.’”

The cozy dimly lit brick-and-mortar loca-

a comfortable space for women. A place with room to allow women to be themselves and not go through obstacles with finding the right clothing.

However, BABE didn’t start with mid and plus-sized clothing. What started as a Logan Street Market stall with standard offerings has become something deeper for her.

“As I would sit there every day, I would notice all these mid and plus-sized women walking by,” Reeves said. “They would look and just walk by, and they were thinking ‘oh there’s nothing in there for me.’”

It’s no secret that across the country, plussized clothing is harder to come by. Even larger retail chains that do offer plus-sizes don’t carry them in-house, turning online shopping from an option into a necessity.

Reeves, who identifies as mid-sized, understands the feeling of not being able to find everyday clothing that’s comfortable for her body type.

Driven by her strong desire to empower women, Lambey was called to create the type of inclusive space she herself longed for. The kind where women with mid and plus sized bodies can feel comfortable and supported.

“I talked to women who would pass by, and I would ask them if plus-sized clothing would be something that they were interested in,”

tion of BABE has only been open for two months, however, Reeves says that she’s built a blossoming community in that short amount of time.

“The response to this store has been incredible,” Reeves said. “Women are thanking me all the time for existing.

“I’ve had women cry simply because this is something that they are not accustomed to.” Reeves said it has been very rewarding to make others feel good about what they can wear.

The style of clothing at BABE is not well-defined, yet it is easy to find essential clothing, and jazzier options as well. BABE offers sizes ranging from L to 5X. Along with clothing, you can also find tea sets and accessories.

Intoxicating candles set the mood as you pick out what is truly comfortable for you in the store. Reeves has been promoting the store through her Instagram where you can see her wearing some of the clothing. She believes it is important to see the clothing on someone and might help customers who are considering a visit to BABE. “I want to offer cute, classy, and trendy clothing options” Reeves expressed. “I think I will probably get into more office and professional wear because I know people are interested in that.

“I want to offer women the opportunity to feel comfortable dressing up or wearing loud prints and dressing more fashion-forward than they have been allowed to in the past.”

Body positivity is important at BABE. One of their core values is offering a space where women can try on clothing in a safe and stress-free environment. It is a value that Reeves lives by through her business and one that she has pushed for all her life.

“My grandma was a runway model, and she was always psycho about my weight,” Reeves said. “Women are always inundated with negativity and feelings of we are not good enough, so we have no option.”

Reeves remembers when the body positivity movement took off and credits that for the reason more big box stores now carry plus-size clothing compared to when she was growing up in the ‘80s.

“I think everyone deserves to be treated well and have something cool and nice that will

would joke about boyfriends and girlfriends calling each other “babe.” It was something catchy that she would say to her friends.

Everyone is a babe.

“I came across a necklace that said ‘babe’ on it, and then I wrote out a logo. It’s just like you’re a babe, everyone is a babe.”

Reeves said it can also stand as an acronym for boutique and beauty experience. She plans to start offering makeup lessons and applications in the store’s front room soon.

Looking ahead, Reeves envisions BABE. as a place of empowerment for women in Louisville, but she also hopes that her store can serve as a testament to the need for greater representation in the fashion industry. All women need more stores like BABE. not only in Louisville but across the country.

“The average [American] woman wears mid and plus-sized clothing so this is a huge market that the city and country should be serving. Mid and plus-sized women want to

BABE. Boutique

wear what everyone else is wearing. We just want it in our size. That should not be an issue but our society has made it an issue.”

Reeves says that one of her future goals for the store is to start having her clothing line branded under the BABE label to give Louisville women more options for all occasions. Including the Kentucky Derby!

“I just found an incredible line of Derby dresses that go up to a size 5X,” Reeves said excitedly. She plans to collaborate with local hat makers to turn the store into a one-stop shop for mid and plus-sized gals looking for the perfect race day wardrobe.

As far as the future goes for BABE Boutique, Reeves has many goals. She’ll be bringing events like the Sofar Sounds Concert series to the store at the end of February. Intending to connect musicians and audiences, Sofar, is a perfect partnership.

Reeves, ambitious and determined, is currently exploring the idea of opening a second BABE location which she hopes will be in downtown New Albany. She plans to hire more staff to dedicate her own time to designing the upcoming clothing label along with the rest of the behind-the-scenes work of running a small business.

At BABE Boutique, everyone is a babe. No matter their size.

A new local boutique is redefining the in-person

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2201 Payne Street, Louisville Kentucky Wednesday-Sunday Hours: Wednesday-Friday 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday noon-5 p.m.

make you feel comfortable, your body is not your entire identity but you should be able to dress how you want to dress.”

Reeves believes that since opening BABE, her self-esteem has improved. She no longer worries about society’s expectations around a woman’s size and hopes that others experience that same sense of freedom when shopping in her boutique.

“Working here and following plus-sized influencers, I no longer have body image issues. I’m 38 years old so it’s pretty remarkable to see this working. If I can be a part of helping other women somewhere on a subconscious level not hate themselves, or think ‘I’m not good enough’ then I feel like it’s a contribution and not just a shop owner.”

What’s in a name?

Why did Reeves choose the name, BABE? She said it came after she and her friends

B Y C H R I S M A T T I N G LY

retail experience for mid- and plus-sized women

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EAT, DRINK AND SEE IN THIS WEEK’S STAFF PICKS

Thursday – Sunday Feb. 29, Mar. 2 & 3

The Prom Trager Family Jewish Community Center | 3600 Dutchman’s Lane | jewishlouisville.org | $25/$35 | 7:30 p.m., 2 p.m. on Mar. 3.

Four Broadway stars have dimming lights and are looking for a new place to shine. When they learn of trouble with a small-town Indiana, they decide it’s time to take their light and shine it on the issue — of course bringing attention to themselves as well. The parents of the town want the prom for all the straight kids and one girl wants to bring her girlfriend. Something has to give.

—Erica Rucker

FRIDAY, MARCH 1-2

Southern Crossings Pottery Festival Ten20 Craft Brewery | 1020 E. Washington St. | SXPF.org | Prices vary Southern Crossings Pottery Festival (SXPF) is an annual sale that lets visitors see the latest in contemporary ceramics. It will host 12 local and national artists this year. First Pick Friday is on March 1 from 5-7 p.m. It gives the ticket holder first access to the ceramics ($10 if the ticket is purchased online prior to the event and $20 at the door). It includes a signature Ten20 Brew along with hors d’oeuvres, cash bar and live entertainment by JK Mabry and Dane Rodriguez. From 7-9 p.m., admission is free. On Saturday, March 2, SXPF is open from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. with free admission. In addition, there will be an artist panel from 10-11 a.m. The Empty Bowls Fundraiser is on both days.

—Jo Anne Triplett

Friday, Mar. 8

THROUGH MARCH 3

Paranormal Investigation The New Albany Sugar Shoppe | 128 E. Main St., New Albany | Search Facebook | $53.50

‘Sawyer’ By Dan Gunn KMAC Contemporary Art Museum | 715 W. Main St. | kmacmuseum.org | Prices vary

A murder from 1820 in the home of the new Sugar Shoppe? Yes, and a serial killer was to blame. Come join the investigation to see if these horrific events have left portals to other worlds open and if those involved still seek a resolution. Presented by The New Albany Sugar Shoppe and The New Albany Wicked Walk, this collaboration will mark the first ever public paranormal investigation. Space is limited.

—Erica Rucker

Dan Gunn named this show “sawyer” because that’s what he is (sawyer means a person who saws wood, aka a woodworker). While he has extended his art practice to include other media, he remains at heart a sawyer. His wall sculptures mimic draped textiles; the carved reliefs, designed with a Midwestern sensibility, are pastoral and detailed. This is his first solo museum exhibition.

—Jo Anne Triplett

SATURDAY, MARCH 9-10

“Wetland Scenery” by Dan Gunn. Acrylic, light stable metalized acid dye, polyurethane on birch plywood and poplar with nylon cord

Saturday, March 2

The Kentucky Crafted Market Kentucky Horse Park, Alltech Arena | 4089 Iron Works Pike, Lexington | artscouncil.ky.gov | Free This is one of the best ways to learn what Kentucky has to offer in the way of craft and visual art. Ceramics, metal jewelry and watercolor paintings are just some of the media available from the over 100 juried artists.

There will also be local food, books and music to round out the weekend of all things Kentucky. The market is open on Saturday, March 9 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and on Sunday, March 10 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

—Jo Anne Triplett

Ohlm with Stone Holler, Midnight Lounge Crew, and Tin Zelkova Headliners Music Hall | 1386 Lexington Rd. | headlinerslouisville.com | $10 adv./$15 day of show | 8 p.m. | All ages Terry Harper Presents has a hell of a night for local music lined up! You’re getting the absolutely mind-blowing instrumental progressive metal of Ohlm, the heavy groove-oriented hard rock of Stone Holler, the bluesy rock of Midnight Lounge Crew, and the modern rock with a classic rock essence of Tin Zelkova. This is certainly a show not to be missed.

—Jeff Polk

Ring by Mark Needham. Metal.

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STAFF PICKS CONT’D

Saturday, March 9

Shitfire with Big Girl, Tetchy, and Turbo Nut Zanzabar | 2100 South Preston | zanzabarlouisville.com | $15 | 8 p.m. | 21 and over Fresh off a week-long tour, Louisville’s self-described “Trash Thrash” punkers Shitfire come home to do two big gigs: one for the kids (all ages) on Friday March 8th at 816 E. Broadway, then one for the kids-at-heart the next night at Zanzabar. Joining them for the Zanzabar show are two indie rock bands out of New York City: Big Girl and Tetchy, and rounding out the bill are Louisville favorites Turbo Nut. —Jeff Polk

SATURDAY, MARCH 9

Saturday, March 9

SATURDAY, MARCH 2

After four years of writing and recording, Ryan Lane brings his indie pop project Quiet Confidence to life with the release of his debut full-length record, (read the review in the Listen Local column). Everyone attending will receive a free limited edition Quiet Confidence koozie “to keep your PBR cold,” as Lane puts it. Also on the bill are Casey Powell (indie psychedelic rock), Yellow Cellophane (indie soft rock), and Half Nelson (indie punk rock).

—Jeff Polk

See the four-piece string band based out of Louisville perform at Zanzabar. Honest songwriting, vocal harmonies, and contemporary instrumentation are just a few of the things this award-winning Bluegrass group brings to the stage. Plus, start the evening with the high-energy vibes of the Bibelhauser Brothers, twins from Kentucky who combine vocals to produce a countryblues-soul melange.

— Sydney Catinna

Quiet Confidence album release show Mag Bar | 1398 S. 2nd St. | magbarlouisville. com | $10 | 8 p.m. | 21 and over

FRIDAY, MARCH 1

Mama Said String Band Zanzabar | 2100 S. Preston St. | zanzabarlouisville.com | $12 | 8 p.m.

FRIDAY, MARCH 1

St. Patrick’s Day Parade Downtown-Highlands | aohlouisville.com/ st-patricks-parade | Free | 3 p.m.

Out There is What’s Left Cressman Center for Visual Arts | 100 E. Main St. | cressman-center.com | free | 5 p.m.

Girl Crush ArtPortal | 1512 Portland Ave. | portal-louisville.com | free | 6 p.m.

The 51st annual parade hosted by the Ancient Order of Hibernians begins in downtown Louisville and finishes in the Highlands, with thousands of people lining the route and celebrating the Irish spirit. If you’re looking for the best spot to watch, head to Baxter Ave. so you can hit up the nearest Irish pub when the last vehicle pulls away.

— Sydney Catinna

The reception for the new exhibition at the Cressman Center for Visual Arts, the downtown gallery space for the University of Louisville’s Hite Institute of Art and Design is Friday.

Featuring the work of contemporary landscape painters Alice Stone Collins (Atlanta), Jamaal Peterman (New York), and Mark BradleyShoup (Chattanooga), who each consider how we occupy social spaces and how the places we call home unconsciously map who we become.

—Aria Baci

Start Women’s History Month with a dizzying array of drawing, painting, assemblage and other work by women artists based in Louisville. Guest curators Kris Thompson and Cindy Norton present more than 40 artists, including Mary Carothers, Linda Erzinger, Leticia Quensenberry, and Suyun Son. —Aria Baci

Alice Stone Collins, House of Smoke I, 2021, gouache and paper cut and collaged, 24” x 20”

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Shadia Nilforush, Untitled, 2023, collage, 19” x 13”

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The Flaming Lips Return to Louisville And Tickets Are On Sale This Friday

MUSIC

LOUISVILLE CONCERT ROUNDUP: ‘80S EDITION Do you realize tickets went on sale Friday, Feb. 23?

Cue the confetti. Iroquois Amphitheater is

kicking off its summer concert announcements with the return of The Flaming Lips.

The psychedelic rock band will bring their Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots 20th Anniversary Tour to Louisville on June 28.

First released in 2002, the band will be performing their 10th studio album in full on a new run of 2024 US tour dates. After all, why reinvent the giant plastic ball when you can revisit the hit record with all-new visual spectacles?

Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots kicks off on April 20th with a previously announced show in Jacksonville, Florida. The tour will continue with stops in Charleston, Birmingham, Indianapolis, and more.

The Flaming Lips play at Iroquois Amphitheater on Saturday, June 28 at 8 p.m.

Tickets go on sale Friday, Feb. 23 at 10 a.m.

—Sydney Catinna

The 2024 Louder Than Life Lineup Is Here We’re amped for the return of Slayer alongside Mötley Crüe, Slipknot, Korn, and more.

The full lineup for the Year 10 Edition of Louder

Than Life is here. The largest rock festival in North America will return to Louisville September 26–29.

Thrash metal trailblazers Slayer will take the stage for the first time in four years. Headlining performances by Mötley Crüe, Slipknot, and Korn, and supporting performances by Disturbed, Judas Priest, Evanescence, The Offspring, Staind, and others will shred across the four-day festival at the Highland Festival Grounds at Kentucky Exposition Center.

The full lineup for Louder Than Life 2024 is: Slayer, Mötley Crüe, Slipknot, Korn, Disturbed, Judas Priest, Five Finger Death Punch, Evanescence, Falling in Reverse, Breaking Benjamin, The Offspring, Staind, Till Lindemann, In This Moment, Chevelle, Dropkick Murphys, Halestorm, Gojira, Sum 41, Seether, Tom Morello, Anthrax, Mastodon, Architects, Skillet, Clutch, Highly Suspect, Lorna Shore, Body Count, Spiritbox, Grandson, Nothing More, Sevendust, Jinjer, Poppy, Badflower, Starset, Sleeping With Sirens, Filter, Eagles of Death Metal, Juliette Lewis and the Licks, Marky Ramone Plays the Ramones Classics, Black Stone Cherry, PUP, Three 6 Mafia, P.O.D., Fozzy, Fugitive, Saosin, L.S. Dunes, Biohazard, Polaris, From Ashes To New, LIT, Show Me The Body, Joey Valence &

Brae, Set It Off, Drug Church, Militarie Gun, The Armed, Narrow Head, Brutus, Bob Vylan, Fit For A King, The Warning, Whitechapel, Better Lovers, New Years Day, Health, GEL, Lilith Czar, Tim Montana, Point North, Holding Absence, Holy Fawn, Drowning Pool, Helmet, Saliva, Alien Ant Farm, Nonpoint, Finger Eleven, Powerman 5000, Local H, ORGY, Taproot, Tantric, Sponge, Trapt, Red, Adema, D.R.U.G.S., Ho99o9, The Chisel, Slothrust, High Vis, Soul Glo, Winona Fighter, Des Rocs, Veil of Maya, Oxymorrons, HED PE, Ill Niño, Damnage, Citizen Soldier, Alien Weaponry, CKY, Dead Poet Society, Kneecap, Teen Mortgage, Touché Amoré, Jeris Johnson, Jager Bonham, The Funeral Portrait, Nerv, Any Given Sin, Like A Storm, Deadlands, Mike’s Dead, Reach NYC, Self Deception, Lø Spirit, Jigsaw Youth, Royale Lynn, Descartes A Kant, Lowlives, Blame My Youth, Caskets, Silly Goose, Gozu, Black Map, Hemorage, Budderside, and Project MishraM. And did we mention Slayer? SLAYER. Additional experiences at the festival will include Kroger’s Big Bourbon Bar, Headbangers Hall, The Music Experience, Jack Daniel’s, Pegasus Distilled Experiences, Jim Beam’s Heavy Tiki, Blackened’s Whiskey

Bar, the Highland Grounds Wine Garden, and others to be announced.

General admission and VIP passes are on sale now at the louderthanlifefestival.com —Aria Baci

The Stadium Rock Of The ‘80s Takes Over Louisville’s Lynn Family Stadium Great White, Slaughter, Aldo Nova, Vixen, and more will perform for this 80s throwback event

Forget being “Once Bitten, Twice Shy”…

Break out the Aquanet, Spandex and fingerless gloves because on Saturday, Aug. 3, Lynn Family Stadium is taking the city of Louisville back to the days of hair metal with the Stadium Rock ‘80s concert featuring ‘80s metal acts: Great White, Slaughter, Aldo Nova, Vixen, Enuff Z’Nuff, Pretty Boy Floyd and Nova Rex. You’ll be “Living on the Edge of a Broken Heart” if you miss this show.

The Stadium Rock ‘80s event will also see the stadium’s fan zone

converted into an ‘80s flashback experience with a vendor village, photo ops, props from popular movies, memorabilia, and more. Expect Rubik’s Cubes, DeLoreans, Ghostbusters, and of course, an ‘80s dance party. Tickets are on sale now. For sure it isn’t just a “Fantasy,” this show is happening.

Extra Credit for you if you still have your fringed leather jackets. Bonus points if you’ve seen the movie “Maid to Order” where Great White has a cameo.

Gates open for the show at 11 a.m. and the show starts at noon.

Here is the schedule: Noon – Nova Rex 1:30 p.m. Pretty Boy Floyd 3 p.m. – Enuff Z’Nuff 4:30 p.m. – Vixen 6 p.m. – Aldo Nova 8 p.m. – Slaughter 10 p.m. – Great White —Erica Rucker

Flaming lips Courtesy of John J. Miller/Flaming Lips Instagram

FEBRUARY 28-MARCH 12, 2024 LEO WEEKLY | 17

MUSIC

LISTEN LOCAL: NEW LOUISVILLE LEO now has playlists for Listen Local! Search Spotify for LEO Weekly and have a listen!

MUSIC BY JEFF POLK

Dewey Kincade and the Navigators

Musick Harris

Peter Wesley

A Part of My Life - EP

“Mixed Feelings”- single

Dewey Kincade has been through a lot: numerous bands and Navigators lineups, national tours, defunct record labels, moves from Louisville to New York and back to Louisville, cancer, fatherhood, and who knows what else.

But through it all — going back to the late ‘80s — Dewey has never stopped making music. Still, it was rather surprising to see that not only a new Navigators album had been released, but Kincade was resurrecting the band after 15 years with an all-new, all-star Louisville lineup. While Standing on a Rock is not technically a new record — Kincade having recorded it with an older lineup of The Navigators back in the late 2000’s — it remained unreleased up until recently when Kincade brought in Grammynominated producer Andrew McKenna Lee to mix it. And thankfully he did because this is arguably his best work yet! Kincade and the band are absolutely on fire here!

Standout tracks like the bluesy classic country of “Why,” the poppy upbeat indie rock vibe of the title track, the old-time spiritual feel of “I Crossed the Water,” the slower ‘90s rock groove of “Get Out of Touch,” and the bluesy Black Crows feel of album closer “Roll, Baby Roll” make this quite possibly the best roots rock/Americana album to come out in at least the last decade. Standing on a Rock is 10 tracks of essential music you need to hear! Americana artists take note, your new gold standard has arrived.

Now I’m not saying Louisville-native Musick Harris’ five-song EP A Part of My Life should come with a warning label, but “Warning: may cause pregnancy” would certainly be a fitting one if it did. This is old-school R&B; sultry, sexy, romantic, seductive, and rhythmically sensual. These are the kind of bedroom-ready slow-jams that made everyone fall in love with Usher, R. Kelly, Ginuwine, and Ne-Yo back in the day. The kind of libido-supercharging music that, if played in the presence of someone else’s significant other, ends in a great night for you but causes some major issues in their relationship. What I admire most about this is that Harris actually has the chops to pull it off. His voice is velvety-smooth and limber, flowing seemingly effortlessly through every note, breaking into a stunning Usher-esque falsetto to hit the highs, and peppering it with a charismatic hip-hop swagger when necessary. Self-described as a “five chapter musical account of [Musick’s] past, present and future experiences with love,” A Part of My Life showcases Harris’ gift for storytelling; using each song to masterfully pull the listener into the story and carry them through to the end. All five songs also have a music video to accompany them; further helping bring the listener into his story.

A Part of My Life is a captivating journey into the realms of love, passion, and desire that proves Musick Harris is a name to be remembered.

“I know I need healing because I got two feelings; defeated/conceited” raps Louisville artist Peter Wesley in the refrain of his latest single “Mixed Feelings.” “The overall concept is the idea of juggling different emotions. Rap is competitive, but I don’t always feel my best. I’m very critical of myself, but I still know I’m better than you,” said Wesley of the song. The cockiness, along with his signature constant flow and obscure wrestling references, is just part of his style. And he has every reason to be cocky, the man is undeniably talented.

Eminem comparisons are inevitable due to his speed of his flow and skills behind the mic. At the same time he also comes across as very likable and relatable; many of his rhymes dealing with deep introspection and his personal struggles. Like his love of professional wrestling, Wesley wears his vulnerabilities on his sleeve, unafraid and unashamed to show you who he truly is and to do his own thing his own way rather than follow the crowd. And impressively, he’s able to do it all without cursing, (for the most part). “Mixed Feelings” is engaging, candid and honest. This wasn’t someone just writing down words that rhyme to fit a theme. You can tell Wesley means every word he says and he delivers them with complete conviction. This is a man on top of his game.

deweykincade.com

musickharris.com

Standing on a Rock - album

18 | LEO WEEKLY FEBRUARY 28-MARCH 12, 2024

linktr.ee/peterwesley

Quiet Confidence

Shadowtime

Slang Words

Quiet Confidence - album

Volume 01 - EP

Slang Words - EP

Four years after singer-songwriter-multi-]-instrumentalist and Louisville native Ryan Lane began writing songs and recording demos during the pandemic in an attempt to stay sane while serving as a frontline worker, and one year after a successful Kickstarter campaign, Quiet Confidence’s debut full-length album is finally set to be released on March 9. Is it worth the wait? That answer is a resounding yes! Starting with the incredible opening track “What Do You Say?,” which builds up to an amazing, explosive crescendo, this album doesn’t let up beginning to end. 10 tracks total, including the four previously-released singles; take your pick, all of them are potential hits. Lane is able to hit a sweet spot between indie pop, alt-rock, and early-2000s emo, fully envelope the best qualities of those genres and bring them out into extremely catchy, hook-laden, powerful original tunes that are impossible to ignore; drawing comparisons to The Chainsmokers, Illenium, Ed Sheeran, Imagine Dragons, Twenty One Pilots, and early Coldplay. And the production here is impeccable: all instruments and especially Lane’s voice coming through crisp, clear, and melding together perfectly. Make no mistake, this is as solid of an album as they come.

Quiet Confidence is a multi-million dollar check just waiting to be cashed!

Catch Quiet Confidence live at the album release show on Saturday, March 9 at Mag Bar with Casey Powell, Yellow Cellophane, and Half Nelson. Show starts at 8:00 pm, $10 at the door.

Bradley Coomes is a man of many faces, musically speaking. The former bassist for Louisville indie rock/power pop greats The Pine Club, (among several other bands), has done everything from the aforementioned to dream pop to noise, most recently releasing some amazing solo instrumental psychedelic shoegaze material. So one would be right to be caught off-guard by Coomes doing a straightforward, no-frills rock album; yet that is exactly what he’s done with his latest project Shadowtime. A collaboration with Kimberly Kornmeier of darkwave/synth pop band Bow Ever Down, Shadowtime pairs Kornmeier’s lyrics and vocals with Coomes instrumentation and production. The interesting thing to note here is that Coomes and Kornmeier have never met in person, (Kornmeier resides in Topsham, Maine), yet through the power of the internet were able to work together to bring Shadowtime to life. The result is a sound rooted in late ‘80s/ early ‘90s alternative and indie rock that draws influences from the likes of Velvet Underground, Big Star, the Smiths, (early) REM, and others.

Kornmeier delivers a strong, earnest yet vulnerable and heartfelt vocal performance reminiscent of early Pat Benatar, while Coomes provides a solid instrumental backbone to drive it all home.

The recording and production, done at Coomes’ own Laundry Room Studios and Records, give the seven songs on this EP a stripped-down, raw, yet bright and expansive sound. Fans of the aforementioned bands and ‘80s/’90s alternative and indie rock in general would do right to check Shadowtime out ASAP.

Louisville’s Slang Words is one of those bands that everyone is going to hear differently. You get 10 people in a room together to listen to this and you’ll get 10 different answers to what style of music they think this is, what bands/ artists they remind them of, and what they think the lyrics mean. Slang Words’ sound is paradoxical: familiar yet completely original— experimental yet straightforward — energetic yet melancholic. They are somehow able to weave indie rock, garage rock, shoegaze, alternative, power pop, new wave, and post-punk together for a truly unique sound. How they are able to walk the fine line between all these genres simultaneously and seemingly so effortlessly is well beyond my comprehension, but damned if they’re not doing just that. I’m picking up everything from the Talking Heads, Slowdive, and The Posies to The Kinks, Jeff Buckley, and Frank Zappa here, and everything in-between.

The songs are catchy, well-written and wellplayed, if not occasionally odd. The paradox continues with the production, which is both raw yet highly polished. There is definitely a garage rock, live feel to the recording, yet the guitars, drums, synths and vocals all come through crystal clear with a warm, expansive sound due to band members Aaron Schexneider and Thomas Coomes’s in-house (literally) recording and production studios, which they’ve dubbed Slang Recordings. This is a stellar debut from one of Louisville’s most unique and intriguing new bands.

https://linktr.ee/quiet.confidence

bradleycoomes.bandzoogle.com

linktr.ee/slangrecordings

FEBRUARY 28-MARCH 12, 2024 LEO WEEKLY | 19

FOOD & DRINK

BORN2BAGEL AND LOX AND BIALYS, OH MY!

BY ROBIN GARR Here’s a good way to start a noisy debate

among Louisville food lovers: Ask for opinions on where to get the best bagel in town.

Want to kick it up another notch? Ask you can even get a bialy hereabouts.

What’s a bialy? See what I mean? A lot of us have so little exposure to this rarely seen cousin to the bagel that we’re not even sure what it is.

More about that shortly. First, though,

Left: Far too big to pick up and eat out of hand, Born2Bagel’s lox and cream cheese sandwich on onion bagel with capers rewards the knife-and-fork approach.

Right: Call them potato pancakes or call them latkes.

Either way you’ll get a golden brown and delicious ball of steaming fried goodness, with your choice of sour cream or applesauce on the side.

Robin Garr

let’s put our hands together and welcome our town’s latest bagel shop: Born2Bagel, which opened last autumn in a Middletown shopping-strip storefront at the corner of Shelbyville Road and Blankenbaker Parkway.

The eatery’s claim to authenticity comes naturally through owner Bruce Rosenblatt, who told Food & Dining magazine that he grew up in Long Island enjoying bagels and lox and all the schmears every Saturday, and grew into a career in corporate restaurant management.

20 | LEO WEEKLY FEBRUARY 28-MARCH 12, 2024

After he and his wife Jennifer moved to Louisville in 2014, he said they found the region lacking in “a true New York bagel experience.” That crave and his business experience, marked a straight line to Born2Bagel’s opening at the end of last September.

Declaring its products “authentic New York-style bagels,” the company’s website expresses its dedication to authenticity as “the cornerstone of our business. We hand-

craft our bagels using traditional New Yorkstyle techniques, creating that perfect balance of a crisp exterior and a soft, chewy interior.”

The restaurant, its menus and decor and the look of the website are all bright and professional, in striking colors of gold, black, and white. This gives the place the professional look of a corporate chain, but credit that to the Rosenblatts’ business experience, not bean counters at a distant corporate headquarters.

The space, which formerly housed a

quick-service Chinese restaurant, is full of counter space and a few tables for dining in, with bagel production apparently taking place out of sight.

The menu focuses on bagels, of course, including 16 styles of bagel ($2.29 each a la carte, $12.99 for six, and $23.99 for 13, a baker’s dozen) and seven flavors of cream cheese, adding $1.90 as a generous schmear. Oversize bagel-based breakfasts with meat and potato pancakes are $11.99 and $13.99, and a variety of lunch sandwiches on bagel are $10.79). Strong, delicious coffee (from Louisville’s Fante’s Coffee, according to a Facebook post) comes in your choice of medium Mexican roast or strong Colombian roast and can be yours for $3.16 small, and $4.49 for large.

We went with bagel-shop classics for a hearty Saturday brunch, and started with an oversize open-face Bruce’s Bagel, a $14.29 nova lox- or whitefish-topped treat so huge that it would be difficult or impossible to eat out of hand.

A large, fat, split poppyseed bagel stretched across a lightweight paper plate, thickly spread with cream cheese and draped with several thick slices of creamy, smooth lox.

Atop that perched thick slices of firm, red

Born2Bagel

231 Blankenbaker Pkwy 384-0619 born2bagel.com Facebook: bit.ly/Born2Bagel instagram.com/born_2_bagel tiktok.com/@born2bagel

winter tomato, sliced red onion, and four or five thick diagonal slices of crisp cucumber, a grind of black pepper, and, available upon request, a scattering of salty capers.

It took a while to disassemble and eat it all with knife and fork, but it was well worth the effort. All the ingredients were fresh and tasty, and they made a wonderfully satisfying meal.

Even that large bagel was a bit lost amid all those culinary riches, but a simpler classic—an onion bagel generously spread with plain cream cheese ($4.19) — showed off the quality of Born2Bagel’s wares with less flavor competition. As a proper New York bagel should be, it boasted a firm, browned crust, crisp to the bite, with a lighter but still chewy interior.

Listed as potato pancakes rather than latkes ($3 as a side with a bagel sandwich), Born2Bagel’s rendition was perfect. Two good-size rounds of sizzling, onion-scented shredded potatoes within a crunchy, crispy dark brown fried interior went down fast, with tangy sour cream (or optional applesauce) alongside.

So what’s a bialy, anyway? I didn’t see them on the menu, but they’re usually available along with bagels for the same $2.29 price.

It’s a similar bread in the Jewish tradition, but made with a dent in the middle to hold toppings rather than the bagel’s traditional hole. It’s cooked without the pre-boil that’s customary for traditional bagels. The result is similar to a bagel but with a softer crust and perhaps even more chewy.

“It’s like an English muffin married a bagel with onion bits baked inside and on top,” according to a December 23 post on Born2Bagel’s Facebook page. “Oh, so good!”

Our meal for two came to $26.12 plus a $6.53 tip. An additional takeout order of a plain and a chocolate-chip bagel and a bialy was $7.28.

Noise Level: The small shop can get noisy

when it’s crowded, with customers at the counter crowding the row of tables along the opposite wall. Conversation is possible at an average 67.0dB sound level, but less so during occasional peaks at a thunderous 87,0db.

Accessibility: The restaurant space appears

accessible to wheelchair users, but the entrance door is heavy, and the nearest curb ramp is several shops away from the entrance.

FEBRUARY 28-MARCH 12, 2024 LEO WEEKLY | 21

ARTS & CULTURE

WHAT TO SEE: LOUISVILLE GALLERY SHOW ROUNDUP

BY JO ANNE TRIPLETT “SILENCE IN A MOMENT IS IMAGINATION”

“THE CAPACITY OF THE HEART IS INFINITE”

Through March 17

March 2-31

Art featuring water.

Solo exhibition by Donna R. Charging.

Capacity Contemporary Exchange 641 W. Main St. Hours: Wednesdays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Fridays, 12-8 p.m.; SaturdaysSundays, 12-4 p.m.

“THIS WE BELIEVE”

capacitycontemporary.com

New works by Scott Shuffitt in his first solo show in 13 years. The reception is Saturday, March 2 from 6-8 p.m.

Grady Goods, 620 Baxter Ave. Hours: Wednesdays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sundays 12-5 p.m.

A gallery roundup of art shows to see in

Louisville this month. Note: This list is a selection of current exhibitions.

“H2O” Through August

Through December Art that considers the costs and consequences of allegiance.

21c Louisville 700 W. Main St. Hours: MondaysSundays, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.

21cmuseumhotels.com

“REDEFINING FORM” Feb. 29-April 5 Art by the collective of women sculptors named after Enid Yandell (1869-1934). The reception and artist talk is Thursday, Feb. 29 from 5-7 p.m.

Anne Wright Wilson Fine Arts Gallery, Georgetown College 400 E. College St., Georgetown, Kentucky Hours: MondaysFridays, 12-4:30 p.m. georgetowncollege.edu

“MADE YOU A MIXTAPE” Through March 17 A group art show dedicated to the music we love.

Aurora Gallery & Boutique 1264 S. Shelby St. Hours: Thursdays-Saturdays, noon-8 p.m.; Sundays, 12-7 p.m.

gradygoods.com

“I AM WOMAN” March 1-31 Group show celebrating regional female artists. The opening reception is Saturday, March 2 from 2-4 p.m.

Chestnuts and Pearls 157 E. Main St., New Albany, Indiana Hours: Thursdays-Fridays, 12-4 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sundays, 12-4 p.m.

Barry Motes is showing in the Louisville City Hall in March.

Two solo shows by Art Orr and Carol Brenner Tobe.

Bourne-Schweitzer Gallery 137 E. Main St., New Albany, Indiana Hours: Thursdays-Fridays, noon-5 p.m.; Saturdays, 1-3 p.m.

Courtesy of Barry Motes

bourne-schweitzergallery.com

22 | LEO WEEKLY FEBRUARY 28-MARCH 12, 2024

Rock n’ roll photos by Dave Cronen.

Julius Friedman Gallery, Photographic Archives, University of Louisville 2215 S. Third. St., Ekstrom Library Hours: Mondays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. louisville.edu/archives

“INTENTIONALLY INTIMATE: THE CHOICE TO WORK SMALL” Through March 16 Smaller works of art by Nancy Currier, Kay Polson Grubola, Rachel Singel, Wendi Smith and Caroline Waite.

Floyd County Library Cultural Arts Center (formerly the Carnegie Center for Art & History) 201 E. Spring St., New Albany, Indiana Hours: Mondays-Thursdays, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. carnegiecenter.org

“LOVE” Through March 29

Through March 29

chestnutsandpearls.com

auroragallerylouisville.com

“RECENT WORKS”

“WHAT YOU SAY?”

“COMPLIMENTARY” Through March 30 Group show featuring how the gallery artists’ works complement one another.

Kentucky Fine Art Gallery 2400-C Lime Kiln Lane Hours: Tuesdays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. kentuckyfineartgallery.com

“PORTRAITS” Through March 2 Group portrait exhibition.

Kleinhelter Gallery 701 E. 8th St., New Albany, Indiana Hours: ThursdaysSaturdays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

Through March 31 Love-themed art by Stephen Dorsett, Joyce Garner and Aleksandra Stone. garner narrative contemporary fine art 642 E. Market St. Hours: Wednesdays-Sundays, 1-6 p.m. garnernarrative.com

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“SAWYER” Through March 3 Solo exhibition by Dan Gunn.

GOLD KEY AND AMERICAN VISIONS NOMINEES EXHIBITION Through March 3 Show of Scholastic Art Award nominees from regional public schools.

KMAC Museum 715 W. Main St. Hours: Wednesdays-Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. kmacmuseum.org

“TRANSFORMATION” Through March 21 Paintings by former JCTC teacher Ann Hemdahl-Owen.

Krantz Art Gallery, Jefferson Community and Technical College 116 Chestnut Hall, 109 E. Broadway Hours: Mondays-Thursdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Fridays 9 a.m.-12 p.m. kctcs.edu

“2024 ART IN CITY HALL” Through January 2025 Group show with art by five artists: Brian Bailey, Adam Barmore, Uhma Janus, Humberto Lahera and Barry Motes.

Louisville City Hall 601 W. Jefferson St. Hours: Mondays-Fridays 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Prospect, Kentucky Hours: Mondays, 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.; Tuesdays-Thursdays, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Fridays, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. prospectky.us

“KUHLMAN, HALBLEIB, HOWER” March 1-31 Three person show with Stephen Kuhlman, Tom Halbleib and Bob Hower. The reception is Friday, March 1 from 6-9 p.m. with the artists panel discussion on Sunday, March 24 at 2-3 p.m.

PYRO Gallery 1006 E. Washington St. Hours: Fridays-Saturdays, noon-6 p.m.; Sundays 1-4 p.m.

Tuesdays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. revelrygallery.com

“INDIA: SOUTH ASIAN PAINTINGS FROM THE SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF ART” Through May 12 First major exhibition of South Asian art the Speed Art Museum has displayed.

Speed Art Museum 2035 S. Third St. Hours: Fridays, 1-8 p.m.; Saturdays-Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. speedmuseum.org

pyrogallery.com

“THE BLAZING-WORLD” “TIGRAY’S RESILIENCE & HOPE”

March 1-April 1 Featuring work by 13 artists in the Tigray Art Collective. The reception is Friday, March 1 from 6-9 p.m.

Revelry Boutique + Gallery, 742 E. Market St. Hours: Mondays, 11 a.m-5 p.m.;

Through March 16 Solo show by Megan Bickel.

WheelHouse Art 2650 Frankfort Ave. Hours: Tuesdays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. wheelhouse.art

louisvilleky.gov

“PILLOW FIGHT” March 1-30 Paintings and drawings by Andy Llanes Bultó.

Moremen Gallery, 710 W. Main St., Suite 201.

Hours: Thursdays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. moremengallery.com

“LOOKY/HEAR” Through April 12 Show featuring work spanning Tad DeSanto’s career.

Outsider Art Museum and Gallery 2510 Portland Ave. Hours: Thursdays-Saturdays, noon-6 p.m. outsiderartky.com

“ART IN CITY HALL PROSPECT” Through March 8 Group show with art by 11 artists. First of a series of art shows in Prospect City Hall.

Prospect City Hall 9200 US Highway 42,

FEBRUARY 28-MARCH 12, 2024 LEO WEEKLY | 23

SECTION TKTK

THE SPEED MUSEUM WELCOMES RARE COLLECTION OF RESPLENDENT THRONES, COURTLY LOVE, AND ELEPHANTS

BY ARIA BACI

“India: South Asian Painting from the San Diego Museum of Art” Opened Friday, Feb. 16 at the Speed Art Museum.

From Left (Clockwise): Detail of “Purkhu, To Catch a glimpse of him, even from a distance.” Himachal Pradesh, Kangra, ca. 1790. Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper; 11 5/32 x 13 3/8 in. (28.3 x 34 cm).

Detail of “Ganesh Puja.” Himachal Pradesh, Mandi, ca.

1835. Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper; 8 29/32 x 11 11/16 in. (22.6 x 29.7 cm).

Detail of “Madan Murat, the elephant of Sagram Singh II.” Rajasthan, Udaipur, Mewar, 1725. Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper; 11 7/8 x 18 15/16 in. (30.2 x 48.1 cm).

Courtesy of Speed Art Museum

“India: South Asian Paintings from the San Diego Museum of Art,” curated as a pair of thematic expositions, represents one of the most extensive collections of South Asian paintings in the world outside of present-day Pakistan and India. It also represents the first exhibition of South Asian art in the 97-year history of the Speed Art Museum.

Marigold fibers hang from the entryways to the special exhibition galleries on the third floor of the north building, welcoming viewers into galleries decorated in colors and

24 | LEO WEEKLY FEBRUARY 28-MARCH 12, 2024

visual motifs insured by the art itself. Maps are provided as a way to establish context, not only for the historical times, but also for the geographic locations in which these works were created. It is an intricately plotted and vibrant journey.

Exquisitely detailed portraits and manuscript illuminations offer a dynamic overview of South Asia across four centuries. Many of the works are small in scale yet their hues are so saturated, it is a challenge not to become mesmerized.

Some of the works were created with techniques as subtle and complex as nim-qalam (half pen), in which monochromatic tones are highlighted in gold, while others were created using the tracing method called pouncing, in which artists poked holes into one image and created another image by sprinkling charcoal over the holes in the original.

Exploring Courtly Life And The Role Of The Elephant

Curated by Dr. Ladan Akbarnia from the San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA) in partnership with venue curators Kim Spence and Erika Holmquist-Wall from the Speed Art Museum, the exhibit is presented in two parts.

The first part is “The Throne, The Chase, and The Heart,” introducing viewers to Indian rulers and courtiers by way of 50 intricate portraits of courtly life. Many of these works were originally created for albums intended for close viewing, while others were created on a larger scale.

This part of the exhibit presents the culture of Islamic and other courts in India between

the 16th and the 19th centuries with representations of Hindu, Persian, and Islamic artistic traditions. It is divided into three sections: “The Throne,” which explores images of power and authority, “The Chase” which illustrates royal hunts, and “The Heart,” which recounts the experience of courtly love.

The second of the exhibit is “Elephant in the Room,” using an English-language idiom as shorthand for its survey of the venerated role of the elephant in South Asian folklore and literary traditions. It presents its subject in four sections: the highly narrative “Elephants in Indian Literature,” the startlingly visceral “Elephants in Action,” the stately “Powerful Processions,” and the tender “Portraits and Preservation.”

A Rare Opportunity to Experience The Binney Collection

This exhibit was curated from a selection of between 1400 and 1500 works bequeathed to the SDMA in 1989 by an American collector named Edwin Binney III (1925–1986). An heir to the Crayola fortune, and a scholar who taught French at Harvard University for six years, Binney had a particular passion for Indian and South Asian painting.

A resident of San Diego and a trustee of the SDMA, Binney even had his own office in the basement of the museum’s library. He brought together his academic background with his love of collecting by cultivating an encyclopedic collection that included all the major schools of Indian painting. After his passing, his estate left a sizable portion of his

collection to the museum.

Akbarnia says that since the museum acquired these pieces in 1990, they have had “this treasure trove, a really large and impressive selection of Indian painting and South Asian painting.”

“But not everybody gets to see them. And why is that? They’re light sensitive. They can’t all be shown. They can’t be shown long-term.”

Every six months, the SDMA rotates a selection of 15–20 paintings from their permanent collection. “So there’s a space there for the mini collection to always be seen. But they have to be different paintings. And then there’s all these other paintings that still go unseen.”

“Treasure trove” is an accurate way to describe not only this exhibit, but also, the rarity of the opportunity to view this work in person.

Mitigating The Risk of Losing South Asian Art Collection

Roxana Velásquez, Executive Director of the SDMA “advocated for its touring to places so that other people who weren’t in San Diego could also enjoy them.” Touring pieces from this collection provides the unequivocal benefit of scholars being able to examine these works, and museum-goers being able to appreciate them in person.

“But,” Akbarnia says, “the downside of it is that every time you expose a light sensitive work on paper, you have to let it rest for

several years so that you can prevent its being faded into oblivion.”

Light can cause irreversible damage to works of art on paper as well as to textiles.

The relatively low light in the galleries at the Speed Art Museum is highly intentional: it will protect these works—which range in age from at least 200 years old to more than 500 years old—from damage like color fading and embrittlement.

“I feel that my job as a curator is to try to ensure that this lasts as long as possible so that more generations can see it beyond ours.”

Akbarnia’s Curatorial Passion For South Asian Art

In describing the nascence of this exhibition, Akbarnia says the first exhibit was conceived

by Dr. Sabiha Al Khemir, an internationally recognized authority on Islamic art, before Akbarnia arrived at the SDMA. The concept was there, but it had not been developed into a fully realized exhibition, much less a touring exhibition. Akbarnia had been working on her own exhibition of works curated from the Binney collection, and the theme was elephants. These curatorial efforts resulted in the pair of exhibitions opening today.

“There’s so many elephants in Indian painting, which tells us something also about their value in Indian oral traditions and culture.

So bringing these together to travel—first to Madrid and now to Louisville—was an effort

to show the collection.”

Akbarnia began her role as Curator of South Asian and Islamic Art at the SDMA in 2019. She had previously been the Curator and Assistant Keeper of Islamic Collections at the British Museum, and before that, Hagop Kevorkian Associate Curator of Islamic Art at the Brooklyn Museum.

Her knowledge of the Binney collection is as ornately detailed as the pieces themselves.

The sublimity of these works is evident in the her passion for the art, as well as in the Speed Art Museum’s presentation of this luminous exhibition.

Top: Detail of “Two lovers sharing a drink.” Rajasthan, Jaipur, ca. 1780. Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper; 8 21/32 x 7 9/32 in. (22 x 18.5 cm).

Detail of “Scenes from the courtly hunt (Layli visits Majnun in the wilderness).” Deccan, Telangana, Hyderabad, ca. 1770. Ink and opaque watercolor on paper; 13 5/8 x 9 1/2 in. (34.6 x 24.1 cm).

Courtesy of Speed Art Museum

FEBRUARY 28-MARCH 12, 2024 LEO WEEKLY | 25

26 | LEO WEEKLY FEBRUARY 28-MARCH 12, 2024

TRACY LIKES THIS ONE

KENTUCKY ON FILM: RED RIGHT HAND

Red Right Hand

Playing Xscape Theatres Blankenbaker 16 & Baxter Ave. Theatre

BY TRACY HEIGHTCHEW

Orlando Bloom (r) in RED RIGHT HAND, a Magnolia Pictures release. © Red Right Hand Productions LLC, Steve Squall.

Andie MacDowell (l) in RED RIGHT HAND, a Magnolia Pictures release. © Red Right Hand Productions LLC, Steve Squall.

Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

Seeing Kentucky onscreen is usually a

fraught experience for Kentuckians themselves. Do the filmmakers think Kentucky and Appalachia are interchangeable terms? How are the accents handled? Do they know gay people live here? Refugees? Thanks to generous tax credits, more and more films are being shot here in Louisville and around the state, meaning there are more opportunities to get

especially obvious because this film is blessed with two great actors who rescue their underwritten roles seemingly without effort. Garret Dillahunt (“Deadwood,” Winter’s Bone) is a preacher in recovery from booze and crime, all bald head and knowing eyes, wanders onscreen for 10 minutes and steals every scene.

Scott Haze, the fearless actor who was amazing in the adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s

bedraggled Mel Gibson.

What Red Right Hand pulls off very well is creating an authentic Kentucky setting by, well, setting it in Kentucky. Home of Wendell Berry (not to mention a long line of Heightchews), Henry County is a rural spot without a Wal-Mart, relatively untouched by development though it’s only 40 minutes from Louisville up I-71. The filmmakers leaned

the recipe right, to see a little bit of our real world on screen. As the crime vehicle Red Right Hand hits theaters this week, my eye is especially narrowed because it was shot in the rural place where I grew up – Henry County.

Starring Orlando Bloom (the star of another Kentucky based film Elizabethtown) as Cash, a reformed and now sober criminal who is mourning the loss of his sister while keeping an eye on her husband and daughter.

Under threat of losing the family farm, he is pulled back into the rotten fold of the local crime syndicate, led by a vicious town baddie named Big Cat, played by Andie MacDowell.

The Groundhog Day actress hails from South Carolina, so her accent goes down better than most, but alas, MacDowell is no Margo Martindale, Justified’s scheming Queenpin.

Rather she is forcing an attitude to fit the script, not bringing a character to life, which is a shame, because Cat is a top-notch vicious, mean character. Sadly, Orlando Bloom is doing the same, and his brooding manner and macho declarations fall flat, though I appreciated that his scruff doesn’t look manicured. The script can be blamed for this, not delivering great lines for anyone, but the shortcomings are

Child of God, plays Cash’s drunk brother-inlaw, managing to bring some gravitas to his suffering. Both of these actors raise above the cliches that built them.

Red Right Hand is a film that is an example of the collapse between television and cinema, showing an awareness of hit shows like “Yellowstone,” while also proudly calling back B-movie classics of the ’70s and ’80s.

This is not an original story. It hits all the beats you would expect from a one-man army story, going back to Billy Jack and Shane. In many ways Red Right Hand is an old-fashioned crime thriller — gritty and, at times, nasty and bloody. The violence is sporadic and extreme, with scenes that made me squirm.

A shame it doesn’t have more fun with the premise, or lean harder into the violence and venture into Dragged Across Concrete territory.

It’s a solemn, overlong film, with almost no humor besides some stock characters whose wickedness is supposed to be funny, which is especially mind boggling because it is directed by the Nelms brothers. This dynamic duo brought the world Fatman in which Walton Goggins is hired by an evil rich kid to assassinate Santa Claus, played by a bitter and

into the ordinary surroundings of small town and rural life to create a lived in community on screen. I appreciate the care they took to show the unkempt, yet functional working farms, with disintegrating, unused silos, and barely there fences and dirt lanes. And yet, they took full advantage of the newly renovated courthouse in New Castle to create a stately town, and a new build McMansion to represent Cat’s status and corruption. I recognized the restaurant and storefronts. And I spent a lot of my childhood in farmhouses just like the one that this family lives in. There’s even a shootout at a lone trailer dropped in the middle of a field, surrounded by broken down cars that is as natural a landscape from my past as the trees and creeks.

But, characters claim to have “lost people to the hills,” referencing Appalachia without even a mound in sight, not even in the aerial shots. That’s a rookie move, a line pinched from Justified. It’s best not to listen to Red Right Hand, just look at it. It looks right, and for that I am grateful.

For a recent film that got Kentucky right on both levels, check out “The Starling Girl” on Hulu.

FEBRUARY 28-MARCH 12, 2024 LEO WEEKLY | 27

ETC.

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY Week of February 29 ROB BREZSNY

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

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In my astrologi-

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): If you don’t recognize

the face in the mirror right now, that’s a good thing. If you feel unfamiliar feelings rising up in you or find yourself entertaining unusual longings, those are also good things. The voice of reason may say you should be worried about such phenomena. But as the voice of mischievous sagacity, I urge you to be curious and receptive. You are being invited to explore fertile possibilities that have previously been unavailable or off-limits. Fate is offering you the chance to discover more about your future potentials. At least for now, power can come from being unpredictable and investigating taboos.

myths and legends of many cultures postulate the existence of spirits who are mischievous but not malevolent. They play harmless pranks. Their main purpose may be to remind us that another world, a less material realm, overlaps with ours. And sometimes, the intention of these ethereal tricksters seems to be downright benevolent. They nudge us out of our staid rhythms, mystifying us with freaky phenomena that suggest reality is not as solid and predictable as we might imagine. I suspect you may soon have encounters with some of these characters: friendly poltergeists, fairies, ghosts, sprites, or elves. My sense is that they will bring you odd but genuine blessings.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Many of you

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I invite you to

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Some

cal estimation, the coming weeks will be an ideal time for you to declare amnesty, negotiate truces, and shed long-simmering resentments. Other recommended activities: Find ways to joke about embarrassing memories, break a bad habit just because it’s fun to do so, and throw away outdated stuff you no longer need. Just do the best you can as you carry out these challenging assignments; you don’t have to be perfect. For inspiration, read these wise words from poet David Whyte: “When you forgive others, they may not notice, but you will heal. Forgiveness is not something we do for others; it is a gift to ourselves.”

Tauruses have a robust capacity for doing diligent, effective work. Many of you also have a robust capacity for pursuing sensual delights and cultivating healing beauty. When your mental health is functioning at peak levels, these two drives to enjoy life are complementary; they don’t get in each other’s way. If you ever fall out of your healthy rhythm, these two drives may conflict. My wish for you in the coming months is that they will be in synergistic harmony, humming along with grace.

That’s also my prediction: I foresee you will do just that.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Many people choose wealthy entertainers and celebrity athletes for their heroes. It doesn’t bother me if they do. Why should it? But the superstars who provoke my adoration are more likely to be artists and activists.

Author Rebecca Solnit is one. Potawatomi biologist and author Robin Wall Kimmerer.

The four musicians in the Ukrainian band DahkaBrakha. Poet Rita Dove and novelist Haruki Murakami. My capacity to be inspired by these maestros seems inexhaustible. What about you, Gemini? Who are the heroes who move you and shake you in all the best ways? Now is a time to be extra proactive in learning from your heroes—and rounding up new heroes to be influenced by.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Your homework

freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com BrezsnyAstrology@gmail.com

inspiration, here’s poet Rainer Maria Rilke: “For one human being to love another human being: that is perhaps the most difficult task entrusted to us, the ultimate task, the final test and proof, the work for which all other work is merely preparation.” (Translation by Stephen Mitchell.)

assignment is to work on coordinating two issues that are key to your life’s purpose. The first of these issues is your fervent longing to make your distinctive mark on this crazy, chaotic world. The second issue is your need to cultivate sweet privacy and protective selfcare. These themes may sometimes seem to be opposed. But with even just a little ingenious effort, you can get them to weave together beautifully. Now is a good time to cultivate this healing magic.

28 | LEO WEEKLY FEBRUARY 28-MARCH 12, 2024

study the fine art of sacred intimacy in the coming weeks. Life’s rhythms will redound in your favor as you enjoy playing tenderly and freely with the special people you care for. To aid you in your efforts, here are three questions to ponder. 1. What aspects of togetherness might flourish if you approach them with less solemnity and more fun? 2. Could you give more of yourself to your relationships in ways that are purely enjoyable, not done mostly out of duty? 3. Would you be willing to explore the possibility that the two of you could educate and ripen each other’s dark sides?

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Creativity teacher

Roger von Oech tells how bandleader Count Basie asked a club owner to fix his piano. It was always out of tune. A few weeks later, the owner called Basie to say everything was good.

But when Basie arrived to play, the piano still had sour notes. “I thought you said you fixed it!” Basie complained. The owner said, “I did.

I painted it.” The moral of the story for the rest of us, concludes von Oech, is that we’ve got to solve the right problems. I want you Libras to do that in the coming weeks. Make sure you identify what really needs changing, not some distracting minor glitch.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Most of us have received an inadequate or downright poor education about love and intimate togetherness. Given how much misinformation and trivializing propaganda we have absorbed, it’s amazing any of us have figured out how to create healthy, vigorous relationships. That’s the bad news, Scorpio. The good news is that you are cruising through a sustained phase of your astrological cycle when you’re far more likely than usual to acquire vibrant teachings about this essential part of your life. I urge you to draw up a plan for how to take maximum advantage of the cosmic opportunity. For

studies suggest that less than half of us have best friends. Men are even less likely to have beloved buddies than the other genders do.

If you are one of these people, the coming weeks and months will be an excellent time to remedy the deficiency. Your ability to attract and bond with interesting allies will be higher than usual. If you do have best friends, I suggest you intensify your appreciation for and devotion to them. You need and deserve companions who respect you deeply, know you intimately, and listen well. But you’ve got to remember that relationships like these require deep thought, hard work, and honest expressions of feelings!

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Among all the zodiac signs, you Aquarians are among the best at enjoying a bird’s-eye perspective on the world. Soaring high above the mad chatter and clatter is your birthright and specialty. I love that about you, which is why I hardly ever shout up in your direction, “Get your ass back down to earth!”

However, I now suspect you are overdue to spend some quality time here on the ground level. At least temporarily, I advise you to trade the bird’s-eye view for a worm’s-eye view. Don’t fret. It’s only for a short time.

You’ll be aloft again soon.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In old Hawaii, the

people loved their deities but also demanded productive results. If a god stopped providing worshipers with what they wanted, they might dismiss him and adopt a replacement.

I love that! And I invite you to experiment with a similar approach in the coming weeks.

Are your divine helpers doing a good job? Are they supplying you with steady streams of inspiration, love, and fulfillment? If not, fire them and scout around for substitutes. If they are performing well, pour out your soul in gratitude.

BY DAN SAVAGE

men out. But in my experience — ahem — it’s almost always the person who insists on monogamy who cheats first. Not always, but almost always. So, in addition to wondering how you’ll react if and/or when your future boyfriend cheats or wants to open the relationship, spend some time thinking through how you’ll handle things if and/or when you wanna open the relationship.

Hey Dan: Best advice on dating without resorting to apps?

Hey Dan: My partner and I used to be hot and heavy, but now we’re in a sexless phase, and I’d like to get back to how we used to be. Any tips?

SAVAGE LOVE

QUICKIES

Go places, do shit, meet people, fuck ‘em.

Hey Dan: I’m about to visit a gay nudist resort for the first time (although I’ve been to heterosexual nudist resorts in the past). I’ve been bi all my life and am now in my 70s. What should I expect?

Dick if you’re lucky, crabs if you’re not.

Hey Dan: I’m a heterosexual woman and I don’t like to kiss a guy after he’s gone down on me. Is there something wrong with me? Do most women not mind?

There are places on own bodies we can’t reach with our tongues. For some of us, making out with someone who just went down on us — someone who just ate our pussy or our ass or sucked our dick — presents us with an opportunity to taste those parts of bodies we would never get to taste otherwise. But opportunity ≠ obligation. If you don’t want to taste your own pussy or your own ass or your own cock, you don’t have to. Sending someone off to wash their face in the middle of sex would indeed be weird, but wiping someone’s face with the t-shirt you were wearing before you started fucking around can be kinda hot.

Hey Dan: Once you get tolyamory into everyday use, would you please craft a single gender-neutral word that could replace “sir” and “ma’am”?

I’m non-binary and every customer service interaction makes me bristle because the employee — who is just being polite — always misgenders me. Can we have one word for all people instead of trying to discern gender in every interaction?

My commie friends think comrade would work: “Your call is very important to us, comrade! Please remain on the line, comrade!

Someone will be with you shortly, comrade!”

But I think “homo” is a stronger choice. Not “homo” short for homosexual, but “homo” short for homo sapiens: “Welcome to Chili’s, homo. I’ll be your server, homo. What would you like, homo?”)

Hey Dan: I just come out as gay. I’ve always wanted an exclusive relationship, but I don’t think most gay guys are into that. I have accepted that pretty much any future boyfriend will either cheat on me or I will have to agree to an open relationship at some point because that’s what all gay couples do. I’m just looking for advice.

There are gay men out there who want exclusive relationships and you should seek those

This isn’t a problem you can solve unless your partner wants to solve it. So, talk to your partner, tell them you miss the great sex you used to have together, and ask them if they wanna work on reconnecting. Now, there’s a chance your partner won’t wanna solve this problem — they might not regard being sexless as a problem — but they’ll tell you they wanna work on it because that’s what you wanna hear.

Now, sometimes a person tells their partner what they wanna hear because they don’t wanna hurt their feelings or because they’re not ready to have a conversation about the kind of reasonable accommodations that make sexless relationships work, e.g., permission to discreetly get sexual needs met elsewhere.

Hey Dan: On the one hand, my partner says he loves me, and that should make me feel secure. On the other hand, he’s resistant to phone calls. He has a zillion reasons why he doesn’t like talking on the phone, but they don’t add up. How do I get him to like doing phone calls? And phone sex?

I have the same problem with my boyfriend — only it’s texting he hates, not phone calls.

If anyone out there has managed to convert a texter into a caller or vice-versa, drop your advice on in the comments, please.

Hey Dan: Best places to find straight feminist sex stories to get me revved up?

Have you checked out Dipsea? They advertise on the Lovecast — full disclosure — but they have tons of great feminist erotica and other hot content. And while there’s no shortage of porn and erotica out there for men, gay and otherwise, there’s nothing like Dipsea for us and I’m actually kind of jealous.

Hey Dan: What do you do when your boyfriend’s dick often smells/tastes like urine and that is not a turn-on for you?

Here’s what you do: You tell your boyfriend his dick stinks and that he’s gonna need to do a better job keeping it clean if he wants you to keep putting it in your mouth. If Paris is worth a mass, as the King of France once said, a blowjob is worth a bath.

Hey Dan: Is hiring a surrogate to have a baby unethical? I have two kids and can’t physically carry again.

The Pope thinks surrogacy is unethical — so

whatever you decide to do, don’t hire that elderly celibate to carry your next baby for you.

Hey Dan: Why don’t we have better words to describe the complexity of our relationships?

I did my part with monogamish and tolyamorous… and the anime avatar kids on Tumblr came up demisexual and pansexual and skoliosexual and androphilic and gynephilic and polyamory and polyfidelity and heteronormativity and homonormativity and repronormativity and on and on. There are so many words to describe our relationships these days — including our relationships with ourselves — that I can barely keep up. But before you assumed some relationship type or dynamic doesn’t already have a name, spend a little time scrolling through Ace Dad’s Instagram feed — because, man, they have a word for everything.

Hey Dan: Is there a word for the man who you are the mistress of?

Okay, I spent an hour scrolling through Ace Dad’s Instagram feed and I didn’t find the word you’re looking for. For all I know the word is out there somewhere — a word for a married male affair partner — but I wasn’t able to find it. If someone else wants to take a look and/or make a suggestion, the comment thread is open.

Hey Dan: New to BDSM play. How best to recover from the physical aftereffects?

When kinksters talk about “aftercare,” they’re usually referring to emotional aftercare — some cuddles, some reassurance. But if you’re into physically challenging BDSM (impact play, TT, CBT, punishing bondage), the body need aftercare too: some ibuprofen, a hot bath, a nice massage.

Hey Dan: How do I convince my husband to allow my BF to sleep with us in our bedroom?

Your husband is fine with you having a boyfriend but wants your bedroom to remain — at least for now — sacred to you as couple. I don’t think that’s an unreasonable request on his part. A boyfriend is a big ask, our bedroom is just for us is small one.

Hey Dan: Anal sex with a condom and then oral sex with the condom off right after — is that safe?

It’s safer than a salad bar.

Therapy, STI testing, and support groups are all good and necessary suggestions — but not every suggestion has to be practical. If your sister is getting help, got tested, and has some people to talk to who’ve gone through what she’s going through, what she probably needs now are some distractions. So, suggest some shows to binge (Couple to Throuple, True Detective), some things to read (The Palace by Gareth Russell, The Other Significant Others by Rhaina Cohen), and some places to go (cool new restaurants, secluded cabins) that will take your sister’s mind off her troubles.

Hey Dan: There’s a man at my gym who wears a cock cage. I can just see it through his shorts. I am also caged. Can I tell him I noticed his cage and let him know I’m also locked or would that be too weird?

“Might be weird,” said a friend who sometimes wears a cock cage to the gym. “Basically, ‘being locked’ and ‘wanting people to know you’re locked’ are sometimes correlated — but not always. So, while it may be fun to have a new caged buddy, there is a risk saying something will come off as, ‘Hey, stranger! I’m looking at your dick while you work out!’ Which may be unwelcome, as not everyone wants that kind of attention at the gym.”

But if you see him in a bar some night and the vibe is dirty and flirty, well, you have the perfect opening line: “I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours.”

Hey Dan: I have a semi partner, or a quasi-partner. I don’t really know what to call him, as he resists labels as well as conversations about defining our relationship. We’ve been seeing each other for a year. Is it too much to ask that we can talk about what we are to each other? He says he loves me, and I believe him. I love him, too. But I need some clarity.

Clarity is not too much to ask — so ask away.

Hey Dan: Is it passive-aggressive to save the phone number of your FWB’s BF as “Dave Rick’s Boyfriend”?

Seeing as “Dave” and “Rick” are both such common names, saving a few context clues along with those names is a good idea. The more detailed and explicit those saved context clues are, the less likely you are to send a dick pick to a relative with the same first name.

Hey Dan: How about hosting Savage Love Live at a time an elementary school teacher — and Magnum Sub — could actually attend?

Hey Dan: Did you buy the mug?

I did.

Hey Dan: My sister’s world was torn apart this week when her husband of fifteen years was arrested for having an affair with a 17-year-old student of his. They are now separating and who knows if my brother-in-law is going to jail. I want to provide support, but I am out of ideas. I have suggested therapy, STI testing, and finding a support group. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

We will try to schedule a special late-night Savage Love Live soon!

Read the full column at LeoWeekly.com Got problems? Yes, you do. Send your question to mailbox@savage.love!

Podcasts, columns and more at Savage.Love

FEBRUARY 28-MARCH 12, 2024 LEO WEEKLY | 29

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EXTENSION COMMUNITY GARDENS MANAGER Jefferson County DU11755 Deadline: March 4, 2024

University of Louisville Physicians (ULP) is seeking Physicians for its facilities in Louisville KY who will provide general neurology and stroke services to inpatients and outpatients. Req‚Äôd, a M.D. (or equivalent), completed a residency in Neurology, & possess a license to practice medicine in the State of Kentucky. Travel req’d among assigned worksites within the Louisville, KY area. To apply, email CV to melissa.ohara@uoflhealth.org. REF: Neurologist and Vascular Neurologist.

30 | LEO WEEKLY FEBRUARY 28-MARCH 12, 2024

Apply Online at: https://ukjobs.uky.edu/ postings/511804 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.

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 ____ Pérignon 4 Result of a sand save, in golf

7 Letter-shaped groove used in framing

12 Subway stop: Abbr.

15 Chicago Booth offering, in brief 18 Computer text standard 20 ‘‘If all goes well . . . ’’ 21 Shook a leg

39 Place for poissons 41 IV placers 42 Support staff: Abbr.

47 Hostile party 48 Blue ____ (symbol of Delaware) 51 ‘‘The Terrible’’ czar 53 Mirror 55 Sad response to ‘‘How was the game?’’

57 Feel discontented 58 Having knobby bumps 59 Heretofore, poetically 60 Metal receptacle by a fireplace

23 Traditional Indonesian percussion

61 College student’s earnings

24 Baseball manager who once

63 Table scraps

orchestra

instructed his team to ‘‘pair up in threes’’

62 Student’s do-over 65 Absinthe flavoring

25 It may be a lot outside the city

66 1974 C.I.A. spoof

26 180s

67 Brand name on a Go-Gurt box

27 It helps you get the picture

70 Hovers menacingly

30 Sportscaster Hershiser

71 Like a tuxedo bib

31 Annual Pebble Beach event

75 Athlete Arthur

33 ‘‘That is hilarious!’’

76 Alley ____

34 Cite

78 Leaves on the shelf?

35 Food-pyramid group

79 Sportage automaker

37 Orange-juice specification

80 Language with 44 consonant

symbols

81 ‘‘____ knows?’’

82 Back in the day 83 Suffix with east or west 84 Rubik with a cube 86 Fertility-clinic donations 87 Ohio home to Cedar Point, the ‘‘Roller Coaster Capital of the World’’

89 Airline to Oslo 90 Guys in commercials 92 Steering implement 93 Burdensome amount 95 Giant Mel 96 Shelley’s ‘‘____ Skylark’’ 97 Leave one’s mark, in a way 99 Spot 100 One with two years to go, informally

102 270° from sur 105 Hide ____ hair 106 Prepare to skate 108 Soldier’s helmet, in old slang

110 Place to find a crook 111 Downhearted 113 After-school helper 115 Blanket 117 Lab dropper 118 Character with character 119 Welcome policy at a bar 120 Bagel topper 121 Anthony of ‘‘In the Heights’’ and ‘‘Hamilton’’

122 Seventh heaven

by the black squares in the middle of the grid

38 Something that’s big with the current generation?

39 Actress Sorvino 40 Some nights of celebration 42 Ethically indifferent 43 Tangential remarks 44 When the original Big Five ruled Hollywood

45 Magical objects 46 Union members 49 Those, in Spanish 50 Cereal-box abbr.

52 Designer Miller 53 Relative of Ltd. 54 Hosp. areas 56 Unleashes upon 64 Bygone tape dispenser 66 Failed device meant to communicate with the dead

67 Swerves at sea 68 Org. that sets worker exposure limits 69 Object in the classic painting ‘‘His Master’s Voice’’

72 With [circled letters reading clockwise], American icon born 2/11/1847

73 Common spot for a wasp nest 74 Primatologist Fossey 77 You can trip on it in the desert

79 Didn’t stop 82 Sharer’s possessive 85 Late harvest mo.

88 Novelist Brown 91 Tilling tool 94 Without gender, in Latin

DOWN

1 Unearthed 2 ____ personality 3 Duplicating machine 4 Primary person, informally 5 Primary person?

6 Acclaims 7 Bone attached to the patellar tendon 8 Unit of stamps 9 Poet Federico García ____ 10 Talk show host nominated for an Academy Award

11 Whisper from Don Juan 12 Lacking 13 Sashimi choice 14 Verb in some tautologies 15 The ‘‘thing’’ in ‘‘Is this thing on?’’

16 Che Guevara wore one 17 ‘‘Easy on Me’’ singer 19 Activist Chavez 22 Director Walsh of old Hollywood 28 Bygone tape type 29 Seeming eternity 32 Italian dipping sauce 34 Netflix series starring

95 Egyptian god of death and rebirth

97 Barbershop sounds 98 Kind of bond 99 Seasonal inflatable 101 Chaos 103 Tastes 104 Board of a cosmetics company?

106 Bard’s instrument 107 Cougar 108 Hideki ____, W.W. II prime minister

109 P.I.s, e.g.

112 Gender abbr.

Last week’s answers

the Fab Five

36 Legacy of 72-Down, seven of

which appear among this puzzle’s answers and one more suggested

FEBRUARY 28-MARCH 12, 2024 LEO WEEKLY | 31