Erin Keane on KLL Thursday, April 24th

Poet and WFPL arts reporter Erin Keane will be on Keep Louisville Literary with host John Beechem from 1:00-2:00 P.M. on Thursday, April 24th (the archive will be posted on Mixcloud). Erin Keane’s new poetry collection is “Demolition of the Promised Land”, and fans of the Boss (a.k.a. Bruce Springsteen) will be happy to learn that the multi-platinum selling artist is an inspiration for Keane and her poems. A New Jersey native, Keane has said that Bruce acts as an “every-man” within her work, and sometimes substitutes as a father-figure for the poet herself.

Erin Keane’s poetry is often humorous and down to earth. She includes rich imagery to describe such mundane tasks as grocery shopping, and also includes a poem about a monster that haunts the Pine Barrens, a new take on an old urban legend. To hear Erin read some of her poems and learn more about how she writes them, make sure to tune into ARTxFM or catch us on Mixcloud!

Have you gone Homegrown?

I haven’t yet figured out how to be at two places at the same time, and often, with all the creative happenings of Louisville, we have to choose. Last night was the inaugural Spalding MFA reading series at the Local Speed. I’m sure it was wonderful and filled with masterfully refined collections words. I’m sure it was quiet as a church with perfectly lined rows of chairs. I’m sure that inspiring poetic morsels of truth fell on receptive and eager ears. There is no doubt that the recipients of MFA degree’s from Spalding University are Keeping Louisville Literary.  For all of those reasons, I wish I could be in two places at once. 

Instead, I attended the ‘Homegrown Art, Music, and Spoken word’ hosted and curated by Bobbi Buchanan (also holds a MFA from Spalding) and Austin Whitely. They are keeping Louisville Literary in a different way. I arrived at 6pm with full intentions of signing up for the open mic and was met with a packed coffee house. Friday night–coffee house–packed.

Chairs were brought in from outside, I waited in line for coffee that was 15 people deep, the baristas made smoothies in between sets, people played music in the parking lot due to a full open mic list.

Every age bracket was represented, every generation alive.  I ordered my coffee and sat on the floor close to the stage area. The event is broken into 3 rounds: A song or poem by one of the hosts, 2-3 open mic participants, and then a featured performer. Entire families were there. A girl showed her visual art and explained why it was important to her.  The next performer was her father who played Ukelele and sang. A college student expressed his frustrations with media and encouraged people to turn off the television. A woman, there with three children, shared an uplifting parable coupled with a poem. Ron Whitehead performed a piece about all the influential talent that grows its roots right here in Louisville, KY.

In between rounds, Austin Whitley played original music with crunchy vocal chorus’, if I closed my eyes, I would swear I was sitting 5ft from Kurt Cobain, and smooth leading solos that showed the agility of a seasoned musician.  A Girl named Earl played dulcimer, washboard, and did spoken word (not at the same time.)  

The featured artists were Kevin DeVore and Jinn Bugg. Kevin played banjo and kazoo in a delightful bluegrass mixture of texture. Jinn Bugg had her art for sale and spoke about the cross germination of poetry and photography. The importance of perspective. [Keep Louisville Literary hopes to have Jinn on the radio hour with her 9 page essay on the subject in June.] 

 

Sometimes you have to choose. I may have missed the Spalding MFA reading series and it’s collective refinement, but what I witnessed was generations of budding artists witnessing the power of self expression. Teens, and children, grandmas, and families sharing truth about themselves and gaining lessons on how to refine ways to express themselves. Perspective. 

They’re on to something special in Bullit country. Keep it real, Austin and Bobbi. 

Thursday [4.17.14] on artxFM.com: David Grubbs discusses “Records Ruin the Landscape” with Keep Louisville Literary

David Grubbs, an integral member of the Louisville music scene for decades with bands:Squirrel Bait Youth, Bastro, and Gastr Del Sol, went on to study music to the dissertation level and has since churned out a book integral to the music scene at large. 

“Records Ruin Landscapes” explores the life and death effects that the process of recording has on music.  From Cagean chance music, indeterminacy to popular forms, what does it mean to capture a single occurrence of a moment in time?  What affect does owning a hard copy have on how we listen and experience music?  What is gained and what is lost?  John Cage, from whom the title of the book is derived, hated the concept of recording, and felt it countered the entire purpose and philosophy of chance, indeterminacy, and the I-ching  from which the main body of his work was based.  Cage wasn’t alone, most avant-garde composers of the 60s and free-improv jazz musicians felt the same way: 

 an individual performance was unique and practically sacred — in free improvisation there is no “composition,” not even a loosely scored one — but preserving a live gig on tape permanently was tantamount to trapping a butterfly under glass, or worse. In Bailey’s words: “The point of a record is that you can play it again[…] It’ll all eventually become mood music, right?”

https://lareviewofbooks.org/review/performance-anxiety/

 

 

Experimental music is alive and well in Louisville and many musicians and composers today take pre-recorded material and manipulate them in real time.  It seems that recording, after becoming so stylized in itself, is now coming full circle. One of my questions for David Grubbs tomorrow: Where do we go from here? 

 

Tune in to artxfm.com at 1pm EST to hear excerpts from the book, Q&A with Grubbs, and local experimental tracks.

David Grubbs will then be at Dreamland tomorrow evening to have an open discussion with Tim Barnes and play a solo set.  Tickets are avail: 

Thursday, April 17th
at DREAMLAND
7 PM Doors
$10 General Admission; Advance Online Tickets available here:http://www.ticketfly.com/event/530791-records-ruin-landscape-louisville/.
$35 VIP Admission (includes autographed copy of Records Ruin the Landscape plus reserved seating); Advance Online VIP Tickets available here: http://www.ticketfly.com/event/530793-records-ruin-landscape-louisville/. 

http://dreamlandislouisville.org

 

Also Happening in Literary Louisville this week:

  Jeffersonville Township Public Library will be hosting an Author Fair on Thursday, April 17th from 3-7 p.m. to celebrate National Library Week. 35 authors will be in attendance selling/signing their work and undoubtedly fielding any intelligent questions. Those authors attending include New York Times best selling authors Karen Robards, Alanna Nash and Nancy Jensen, as well as several celebrated local authors, including Barry Bernson, John Boel, David Domine, Bob Hill, Fred Minnick, Susan Reigler, and Dale Moss. Help make this event a success by spreading the word and making an effort to attend.J

• Friday at 6:00pm – 8:00pm 2 days from now · 69°F / 44°F Partly Cloudy

• Cedar Grove Coffee House 142 Buffalo Run Rd (Cedar Grove Village), Shepherdsville, Kentucky 40165

Come celebrate all things LOCAL. All ORIGINAL. All FREE. $25 Cash Giveaway

DOUBLE FEATURE!
**Music by Kevin DeVore**
**Art/Photography by Jinn Fuller Renfro**.

Music – Stories – Poems
Bring yours and get in on the act for a chance to win $25 cash!
Open Mic Signups: 6 p.m.

Tobacco Magazine on Keep Louisville Literary on 4/10/2014

Keep Louisville Literary welcomes Tobacco Magazine to the ARTxFM studios on April 10th at 1:00 P.M. Editor-in-Chief David Williams will be on to speak about what it’s like to make a ‘zine in the 21st century, the challenges and rewards of on-line and print publishing, and also share some spoken-word readings of prose and poetry that have been published by Tobacco so far. We’ll also get a chance to listen to some local Louisville bands whose records David and others have reviewed.

And speaking of music and poetry, poet Pablo Miguel Martinez and poet and guitarist Misha Feigin will be at Decca at 8:00 P.M. tonight for Subterranean Phrases. Enjoy an evening of poetry and song as part of Louisville’s best underground reading series. Always free, always fun. There’s an open-mic too. Come on out and enjoy the show!

Thursday [4.3.14] on ArtFM: Pablo Miguel Martinez and the music of Misha Feigin

Pablo Miguel Martínez’s collection of poems, Brazos, Carry Me (Kórima Press), received the 2013 PEN Southwest Book Award for Poetry. His poems have appeared in Americas Review, Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review, Comstock Review, Harpur Palate, Gay and Lesbian Review, Inkwell, New Millennium Writings, North American Review,Pilgrimage and the San Antonio Express-News, among other publications. His poetry has been anthologized in This Assignment Is So Gay, Best Gay Poetry 2008, Poetic Voices without Borders 2, and Queer Codex: Chile Love. He has been a recipient of the Robert L.B. Tobin Award for Artistic Excellence, the Oscar Wilde Award, and the Chicano/Latino Literary Prize. His literary work has received support from the Alfredo Cisneros Del Moral Foundation and the Artist Foundation of San Antonio. In addition to being a Co-Founder of CantoMundo, a national retreat-workshop for Latina/o poets, he has participated in Sandra Cisneros’ Macondo Writers’ Workshop. He has an MFA in Creative Writing from Texas State University.  He currently teaches and University of Louisville and will be the featured writer for April’s Subterranean Phrases along with poet and experimental classical guitarist, Misha Feigin. 

 

Check out this fantastic Flash fiction piece by Pablo M. Martinez found on San Antonino Current 

http://blogs.sacurrent.com/streetview/where-theres-smoke-by-pablo-miguel-martinez/

 

“Where There’s Smoke” by Pablo Miguel Martínez 

I once dated a handsome Irish guy named Frank. He was a fireman. One night, over dinner at a cramped restaurant on West Sixteenth, Frank shared this: most heart attacks occur in the bathroom. More specifically, he said, on the toilet or in the shower. “I’ve found many victims that way.” Frank smiled then chewed his meatloaf sandwich. He never dipped into the natural gravy, ordered on the side.

This consumed me: we sure risk a lot when we strain to expel or cleanse. Later that night, as we waited for the subway, Frank explained something else. He had to move on. A shower of confettied information burst in my head. It created an embarrassing mess. A monotone voice crackled on the platform speakers. It announced that the uptown No. 3 was running late.

 

Tune in Thursday to artxfm.com at 1pm to hear live readings from Pablo as we discuss his debut collection out by Korima Press: “Brazos Carry Me”  http://korimapress.com/brazos-carry-me/4572996838 

 

Misha Feigin was born and raised in Moscow and is known as one of Russia’s premiere guitarists.  When he immigrated to the US in 1990, he left behind an established position in the Moscow arts scene highlighted by his four albums on the Melodia label, features on major radio and television shows, and national and international tours.  He began recording free improvised music in 1986 in Moscow with Auction’s Dimitry Matkovsky.  He also performed with the Russian pop-folk star Janna Bichevskaya.

He began recording free improvised music in 1986 in Moscow with Auction’s Dimitry Matkovsky.  He also performed with the Russian pop-folk star Janna Bichevskaya.

Misha perfromed free improvised music at the Vancouver Jazz Festival, at the Birmigham Improv. Festival, and in New York at the Knitting Factory and Tonic, where he also played with Elliot Sharp, Eugene Chadbourne and Ami Denio.  Other performances have included John Russell, LaDonna Smith, Davey Williams, Craig Hultgren, Toshi Makihara, Peter Kowalt, Leonid Soybelman, Sergei Letov.

Misha played in concerts in 47 US States, Canada, Israel, England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.
Russian and English are heard throughout Misha’s dynamic performances, which incorporate original poetry and spontaneous storytelling.  He plays classical and acoustic guitars, balalaika, keyboards, harmonica.  Misha’s music is a blend of various ethnic idioms and musical styles.  His five US releases are “Only One Road”, “Only Once”, and “Dreams” with original folk music in Russian and English on Dreaming People Records, and “Spontaneous Folks’ Music” and “June in Moscow” with free improvised music on Spontaneous Folks’ Records.  [bio from his website: http://www.mishafeigin.com/lang_sel.html]

Misha is also releasing his fourth book of poems “Cloud Letters” and will read and opening set at Subterranean Phrases on April 9th before improvising with Pablo M. Martinez.  

 

 

It’s a GONZO week!  Our ‘Readings in the Wild’ segment will be pulled from one of the spoken word performances from gonzofest.