Review: Adventure 'World of Hurt' LP

Adventure has been a mainstay in Louisville for 2 decades, released 6 full length albums, appeared on countless Louisville Is For Lovers compilations and singles, and has collaborated with local artists including The Cut Family Foundation.



Adventure has put more time in the Louisville scene than most, but has long since been seen as a group with the precarious, yet somewhat coveted, label of a Band's Band; highly regarded by other artists, yet not well known to wider audiences.

I was introduced to Adventure in the mid 2000s by a woman I had a crush on, but she had a crush on someone in Adventure. By the rules of love I had every right to dismiss the band for selfish reasons, but I instead became an instant fan. My jilted heart was no match for their brand of infectious ramble and jangle alt-country roots pop. They sounded as if The Jayhawks and The Replacements got married and moved from Minneapolis to a city equally as fucked up, and I was instantly smitten.



The new album, World of Hurt, still carries the Jayhawk/Replacements jingle jangle, with slightly more worldliness; Kidz In Cagez tackles our current political minefield wrapped in a Sweet/Brian Eno glitter coat. The classic Adventure take on love is still present too; Breaking Up Is Loud! and Better Him Than Me are just as likely to cheer you up after a break up as they are to sadly remind you of those tender times now gone for good.



The album opener, Shoulda Drank, is the perfect late summer jammer we have been missing this year and shows the full tallent Adventure has to offer: musical skills, emotional insight, humor, wit, and ass shaking beats & hooks. Fang and Just Another Place I Can't Go are prime garage rock specimens with just the right amount of southern twang. If previous Adventure releases could gain the affections of Louisville's musicians, World of Hurt could easily be the album to woo everyone else.

World of Hurt is available on Spotify now here and CDs at Guestroom, Better Days, & Underground Sounds on Aug 17th.

Review: Danzig Sings Elvis

Twice in my life I had been faced with 2 difficult questions from music enthusiasts. The first being "Which album do people generally stop listening to the Misfits?" and other, more difficult question, was "How could one man, Glenn Danzig, be at one time the coolest man alive and at another time be the uncoolest?"

The answer to the first question, for most Misfits fans, would be American Psycho, followed by Famous Monsters (with replacement singer Michale Graves). After all the fighting and lawsuits between Danzig and Jerry Only, Danzig still graced us with reissuing early Misfits recordings that are well worth having. When the lawsuits settled and Only and his brother Doyle were given the legal clearance to release new music under the Misfits moniker, Danzig was replaced by singer Michale Graves. Die hard fans would not recognize American Psycho and Famous Monsters as true Misfits albums. It's a hard pill to swallow; Danzig was the heart and soul of the Misfits, and yet Danzig's later offerings lacked the magic that was soaked into the bones of the Misfits.



Sure, the first two Danzig albums have stood the test of time, but later albums could be labeled "For Fans Only." And, as it were, history has also largely changed its mind about American Psycho and Famous Monsters. 'Saturday Night' from Famous Monsters and 'Dig Up Her Bones' from American Psycho are considered by some as Misfits classics.



Could history change its mind about Danzig, after decades public tantrums and an infamous video of Danzig being knocked out cold after schoolyard squabble? On April 24th Danzig released Danzig Sings Elvis. It's no secret Danzig has been a lifelong Elvis fan, garnering him the label "Evil Elvis" and this project is probably way overdue, but might have grabbed more media attention if it came out in the Danzig heyday rather than 30 years after he lost relevance.  It probably would have sounded different too. Danzig's voice is worn away some, and it shows on this album (which was recorded in 2016). No longer could his voice be heard as a mirror of the King himself, as evident on the Elvis-esque Misfits song 'American Nightmare.'



The 14 track, sparsely arranged, album is mostly cheeky, with a humorous tone. 'Baby Let's Play House' is straight up corny. But there is something to be said about Danzig allowing himself to be seen in a more playful light. And some songs on the album are solid and true representations, such as 'Love Me' and 'It Is So Strange.' 'Always On my Mind' 'Pocket Full Of Rainbows' and 'Fever' are surprisingly delightful, and risk bringing new fans to the Danzig catalog.



It is probably safe to say Danzig Sings Elvis should be labeled 'For Fans Only' but for the chance to see Danzig not take himself so seriously, and possibly having fun for the first time in a long time, this 'For Fans Only' album might just help bring back some fans that stopped listening a long time ago.

Review: Drift City 'Mercurial Mirrors' LP

Hot off the heels of their very impressive contribution, Make Believe, from the 2020 Louisville Is For Lovers Valentine's compilation 'Dreaming In Love City' comes the first full length LP by the band Drift City, headed by the elusive J Rivers, titled Mercurial Mirrors.


The solid 8 song LP begins like a fever dream, halfway etherial, halfway ephemeral, as if saddling the ghost of Sparklehorse.

The album's first single, Sailor, sounds as if the ghostly dreampop of David Lynch collided with Johnny Jewel's candy coated synth-pop to create a smoldering Chromatics album at the dark end of the street. J Rivers vocal work evokes a feeling of beautiful agony that resonates throughout the entire LP.


Side B starts with the hopeful, gospel anchored Show Me The Way, before drifting back into twilight with Flock of Birds featuring Louisville legend Chris Rodehoffer's haunting peddle steel, but returns to a more hopeful feeling with So Memory. Unlike side A, which is masterful in its tragic beauty, side B shows the other hand, an uplifting and hopeful -if not a little more country- side to Drift City, like Hope Sandoval wrapped in southern charm.

In all, Mercurial Mirrors is a must for anyone who has kept up with the work of Drift City, or anyone who enjoys their dreampop a little darker and dipped in Kentucky roots.

Review: Batwizard 'Voidfiend' EP

It can be said that all things music comes back around again. Genres like punk and grunge are continually resurrected with a new twist added each time. The Misfits turned campy 50s horror rock into a respectable punk genre that has endured for decades.

In recent years both doom and thrash metal have made leaps outside of the diehard metal circles that hung in from their heyday in the 1980s to again claim their seat in popular culture. With Agent Orange on a nonstop years long tour, and Sleep awakening to commercial success. Body Count never stopped, and is set to release a new album, Carnivore, in March. And then there new players on the scene like Louisville's Total Void and Batwizard.




 Batwizard snatches the most mineable bits of California thrash and doom into their new 4 song EP, Voidfiend, released last week. In 2018 Batwizard released Medustrich in which the 8 songs largely alternated between doom and thrash, while Voidfiend blends the best of both at once, mixing the mystics of Iron Maiden with the earthly anguish of Suicidal Tendencies and more than a dash of good old fashion doom.

BATWIZARD

Review: DJ DS 'Vibes'

On June 10th, Louisville turntablist DJ DS (aka DJ Divine Struggle, aka Derrick Smith) released a full length album of instrumentals titled Vibes. Despite being a mainstay in the Louisville electronic scene, and working with numerous Kr8vN8vs artists including Rmllw2llz and Ralph Blacc, Vibes is his first full length release.  From the first track, Late Night Expedition, the album flows effortlessly from track to track, mixing numerous sounds from the 90s electronic world including the mischievousness of Slick Rick, the noir trip hop of Portishead, and the auditory illusion of DJ Shadow, while creating a sound that is current and all his own; which crescendos on From The Shadows, the 1st single from Vibes.  Dedicated to the memory of his nana, Gladys Warnell, who also shares a writing credit, undoubtedly in the way that the people in our lives shape how we interpret the world, the instrumental album paints a story of family and personal history; as well as personal struggle. In speaking about the construction of the album, DS explained to 37FLOOD "I ran from music out of spite for how music affected my childhood but like all things we are destined for, it called me back in many ways." And we are glad it did.

DJ DS

Review: Mattiel 'Satis Factory' LP

In a time of mass homages to the past, especially with the immensely popular New Classic Soul movement (with solid work by artists like Curtis Harding, Leon Bridges, and Kelly Finnigan), it is no surprise that  we are seeing other genres from the time period emulated. Atlanta's Mattiel (led by Mattiel Brown) is soaked in 1960s Jangle Pop, especially their Self Titled LP on Burger Records from a couple years back.   Borrowing cues from pop greats such as Nancy Sinatra and The Monkees, as well as French Yé-yé Pop sensations like France Gall and Françoise Hardy, Mattiel's forthcoming Satis Factory is even more poppy and energetic, as represented on track Je Ne Me Connais Pas. The band clearly have had a couple years to get comfortable in the Jingle Jangle Pop shoes they first tried on in 2017 and have hit a good stride.

 

 Satis Factory hits the full stride toward the middle of the album fully embracing that California Sunshine pop. Track 6 of the solid 12 song album, Millionaire, borrows from Velvet Underground (as well as Nico,  complete with Nico's half yodel key drop vocals). Track 7, Populonia, is taken straight from Neil Diamond's I'm A Believer.

 Slightly more modern influences can also be heard, such as the CULTS-esque  Keep The Change, and the hooky Delta 72 solos on Berlin Weekend. The mixture of sun shiny 60s pop with revisited late 70s Heartland rock works well for Mattiel, possibly even better than the more straight forward lifts like Millionaire. But even those are worth spinning.

In an age of extreme revisiting and repackaging of past genres, is an album pieced together and noticeably (as well as shamelessly) borrowed from artists of the past really a bad thing?  In this case probably not as Satis Factory certainly is.

Mattiel Brown

Satis Factory will be available on June 14th from ATO Records.

Music Review: Tristen 'Dream Within A Dream' 7"

Nashville's Tristen (born Tristen Gaspadarek, but releases work under her first name only, like Lissie, or Lizzo), known to most as a member of Jenny Lewis' backing band, has been steadily making her own solo work over the last decade and has recently gained broader attention thanks to praise by NPR, Spin Magazine, The A.V. Club, Paste Magazine, and others; including for her collaboration with Lewis on the song 'Glass Jar' from Tristen's 2017 'Sneaker Waves' on the Modern Outsider label.

Her newest release, the 7" single Dream Within A Dream, on the Louisville label This Man Records, will be released on May 10th, with a record release show that night at Odeon.

The title track plays out like a cross section of Lydia Loveless and St. Vincent, with slightly more teeth than her previous offerings; as if Cherry Glazerr relocated from sunny California to the Nashville metropolitan area.

Dream Within A Dream is backed with Red Lava Flows; a reverb soaked dream pop waltz that is more related to her earlier work, as represented on her 2013 album C A V E S, albeit more steeped in sentiment; leaning closer to Angel Olsen than Sharon Van Etten, but absolutely worth picking up for anyone interested in the more glossy side of current pop. 



Tristen plays at Odeon on May 10th with Ted Tyro and Howell Dawdy. More info here.

Review: Clownvis at Trixie's Tiger Room

On Saturday, March 2nd, one of the most bizarrely unique events took place at the Tiger Room in the famous Trixie's Adult Entertainment Complex on Preston Highway along the Greasy Ditch Canal. 

Located in the same building as Trixie's Indulgence (the Erotic Dancing side of the complex) is the Tiger Room, a homage to the now closed Toy Tiger Venue, and oddly an all ages venue. Trixie's hosted the free event staring St. Louis' favorite clown, Clownvis Presley, and local party electronica duo Bus Hus, now celebrating their 20th year.

The 'King of Clubs' hosts 'The King of Clowns'

Oddly unique performance situations is nothing new for Clownvis, who has in the past performed while getting shot out of a cannon, at the funeral for Louisville Zombie Attack, and most recently at the legendary Gathering of the Juggalos; and has an upcoming project with the Insane Clown Posse.

So perhaps the 50+ Clownvis fans who ventured out to Trixie's may have found this particular event a little unorthodox, Clownvis felt right at home, entertaining the audience with his patented mixture of Stand-Up, Elvis Impersonation, Comedy songs, and magic; as well as with skits involving his ever rotating cast of characters; this time including his personal bodyguard Uncle "Huckle" Berry.   

Clownvis and Uncle Berry 

Clownvis dazzled the audience with crowd favorites including the 'Yellow Bandana' trick, Sucking on a Chili Dog, The Fresh Prince In The Ghetto, and Jesus Christ Eating On A Chicken Wing.

 A new addition to the Clownvis set, was several songs played acoustically on guitar for a warm intimate segment of the show, and included the Clownvis original The Cursive Song.

 Finishing the set, as always, with Elvis' famous finale the American Trilogy to massive crowd approval, Clownvis once again reminded Louisville why he is The King of Clowns, no matter the venue or occasion.

 After the show the crowd was invited by the friendly and accommodating staff at Trixie's Indulgence to continue the festivities. And although there wasn't a sighting of Clownvis in Indulgence, many of the guests ventured over to 21+ side of Trixie's for an inviting and fun atmosphere and post show celebration for another unforgettable Clownvis experience.

Signing autographs for the youngest Clownvis fan to ever enter Trixie's

Fearless reporter John King bravely enters Trixie's Gold Room

Review: Worlds Collide (Forecastle 2018 Day Three)

Worlds Collide: The Allure And Reality of Party Cove.

In Saturday's Forecastle 2018 Daily Review we said Forecastle has just about hit the breaking point with technical failures, laxed security, understaffed emergency medical services, and extreme heat.  Without the drop in temperature Sunday at Forecastle 2018 would have surely ended in pure chaos.

It seems our Saturday Review, It's The End Of The World, grabbed the attention of the wider world; skyrocketing to be the 3rd most read article in our 12 year history in under 24 hours. Mostly due to our critical review of the technical aspects of the festival, and namely Party Cove; the section of the park reserved for the younger audience with Ferris Wheels, EDM DJs, Low lighting, and absolutely no Emergency Services.   With so many eyes on Forecastle, and a mountain of news media coverage, we seemed to be the only media source to call attention to the lawlessness of the newly expanded Party Cove. The Courier Journal ran two stories on Saturday about Party Cove, neither of which mentioned the lack of supervision that the rest of the festival received.

We mostly tried to draw attention to the lack of services provided to thousands of kids, but most people expressed disgust in the abhorrent behavior of the Party Cove crowd. Which we agree was shocking at times; Myself and our photographer Marife Bautista where tracked down and bullied by 2 kids who demanded we erase photographs we had taken of them trying to hide their unconscious friend from emergency services.  Marife, who has covered Forecastle for years, even expressed doubts of wanting to return due to the changing nature of Forecastle. And I truly understand, at times I considered the same, but mostly in Saturday's review I wanted to point out the logistical errors by the event organizers that led to these problems. Sure there was some bad apples in Party Cove, perhaps a lot of bad apples, but as former teenagers ourselves we are well aware of how kids are going to act with absolutely no supervision.

Glittertitz Crowd At Party Cove

In Friday's Forecastle Review, It's A Brave New World, I mentioned that I thought the management's decision to expand Party Cove and to move the more family friendly WFPK Port Stage as far as possible from it was probably a good idea. With changing demands, and the Coachella Kids outnumbering the older crowds, it only made sense to adapt. But after many fest goers gawked at the dress and attitudes of the Party Cove crowd, the idea of 2 separate events is starting to make more sense.

Wether this is at all a remote possibility or not  one thing is clear;  Marooning thousands of teens (and also preteens) in the far eastern edge of the park without security, supervision, or even a First Aid station needs to end. One festival goers even remarked that the attitude of the Emergency Services team was akin to a ski resort medical team: slide them down the slope and out the gate as quickly as possible and let it be someone else's problem.

Blood Soaked Shoe Print

Blood Trail across a Walking Bridge

At one point on Sunday I noticed a fresh blood trail at the exit of the park and followed it towards the river, across a walking bridge, up to the VIP tent where a security guard told me something happened in VIP and a visitor had burst an artery and an EMT walked the visitor out of the park; The blood was not cleaned up and remained for the entirety of the day.

Team 37: Marife Bautista & John King

I truly understand the idea as a media outlet to ignore these issues and only focus on the positive aspects of the fest (Our Comrades at Never Nervous even stated this in their Saturday Review), but at the risk of not being invited back, I feel it is necessary to speak up about these issues, especially when it puts our friends and family at risk. 37FLOOD is proud to hold the distinction of being the longest running independent news outlet to continually cover Forecastle, and we look forward to it every year, even though we have never been granted full access like Never Nervous, The Courier Journal, and the other media outlets get. But there are far greater issues here than just not being invited back; and without speaking up and demanding change we risk that our beloved local festival could turn into something unrecognizable, something that no longer represents the values we hold ourselves to.   

Courtney Barnett

Punch Brothers. Photo: Marife Bautista 

But there were other issues at Forecastle 2018 than just deprived indifference; the split festival layout plan also came with musical changes as well. While the eastern edge of the park was reserved for the EDM/MDMA kids, the western edge held mostly AAA/Adult Contemporary acts like Courtney Barnett and The Punch Brothers, and the Mast Stage also mirrored the AAA format during daylight hours with acts like Jason Isbell and Trampled By Turtles leaving only the festival closers, like Arcade Fire, as the real draw.

Jason Isbell

Trampled By Turtles. Photo: Marife Bautista

Arcade Fire. Photo: Marife Bautista

For me having the headliners as tried-and-true acts like Modest Mouse and and Arcade Fire, both of which had their heyday a decade ago, is a mixed feeling. I'd love to see newer acts that also bring a large drawl (like in years past with Run The Jewels) but I also recognize that these older bands have a better shot at appealing to the largest audience.

Arcade Fire Finale

But for me, the most creative aspects of Sunday at Forecastle was the addition of local favorites like Maiden Radio, Teddy Abrams & Matt Myers, White Reaper, and DJ Samosa.

Maiden Radio. Photo: Marife Bautista

Teddy Abrams & Friends. Photo: Marife Bautista

All that said, I have been attending Forecastle since the very first one, and have seen it change immensely; and change I am not opposed to. But since we know Forecastle is willing to change, we just need to speak up so they know what changes its patrons want most.

And that was Sunday at Forecastle 2018!

Arcade Fire

Fire in the Rafters

Punch Brothers in the Crowd

Review: It's A Brave New World (Forecastle 2018 Day 1)

To brag about our little news grinder a little bit; 37FLOOD has the distinction of being the longest running independent media outlet to cover Forecastle, since our inception in 2007, and we have seen it change immensely over the years. And this year has some of the biggest (if not immediately noticeable) changes to date.

4pm at Party Cove

The layout for the last several years has included 3 stages settled on the northern edge of the park, the Boom (northwest), The Mast (due north), and the Port Stage (northeast); with the Ocean stage, nestled under the I-64 Overpass, and Party Cove on the Eastern side of the Park.   When Forecastle first moved to the Great Lawn the eastern edge of the park held a stage exclusively for local artists (called the Bluegrass Catastrophe) but after a few years was replaced by the WFPK Port Stage showcasing 'AAA' format bands to a large outcry from fans of local music and local bands alike.  

After a while the 'Party Cove' was added between the Ocean Stage (primarily reserved for hip hop and electronic acts) and the WFPK Port stage to accommodate the young EDM Coachella Juniors covered in glitter. This seemed like a great idea, a way to entertain the under 20 crowd as well as separate the more Molly oriented behavior from the older and family related crowd. 

Many complained that that Forecastle was going too far into the mainstream 'Festival' Culture and no longer represented the city. This change coincided with AC Entertainment, management company for Bonnaroo, taking over the management reins. It's true Forecastle became a mirror of the other regional fests, with the same headliners as Bonnaroo and an almost complete drop of the 'Art and Activism' moniker it began with. 

But time moves on and Fests in general have changed; the music has taken a back seat to festival culture; many people go to fests now to become engulfed in glitter, wild clothing, and EDM (Electronic Dance Music) as well as MDMA.

5pm: The Great Empty Lawn

At a broiling 92 degrees, a good 5 degrees lower than tomorrow's forecast, Forecastle 2018 got rolling at 2:30pm on Louisville's Great Lawn on Friday July 13th. Despite long lines at the gate for entry, by 5pm the Great Lawn in front of the main stage, called the Mast, was virtually empty. 

By contrast Party Cove was packed despite the oppressive heat.

5pm at Party Cove

This might be why this year Forecastle decided to shrink the WFPK Port stage by 2/3s and move it from the northeast edge of the park to as far away as possible in the southwestern edge of the park, expanding Party Cove by 2/3s. Ocean stage as also been incorporated to Party Cove, with more EDM bands on that stage while sharing more Hip Hop acts on the Party Cove Boat.

Party Cove Stage (Boat).

There was noticeable shock by some long time fest goers at the take over of the EDM crowd and the shrinkage of the WFPK Port stage, but in a complete act of correcting past mistakes the WFPK Port Stage is now 100% Louisville Acts, and curated entirely by Louisville Orchestra Conductor Teddy Abrams.  

Flagship on the Ocean Stage

Ocean Stage crowd for Flagship

Bernie & Hickory Bond at WFPK Port Stage

Louisville Orchestra Conductor Teddy Abrams

Crowd at WFPK Port Stage to see Louisville Leopard Percussionists

 Speaking to 37FLOOD on Friday Abrams said before his Jazz/Funk performance he welcomed the change, mentioning that the smaller stage and addition of picnic tables gave the Port Stage a more family friendly atmosphere. And it seems to be right move, as at 4:30 pm the entire festival grounds were completely empty except Party Cove and the Port Stage to witness the Louisville Leopard Percussionists.

WFPK's Meg Samples introducing the Louisville Leopard Percussionists

Like it or not, it's a changing world, and Festivals are changing, fueled by corporate bottom lines and big money sponsors. The largest crowds on friday were concentrated at the Ocean Stage/Party Cove area on the eastern side of the park, only slightly giving way at 10:30 for Modest Mouse on the Mast Stage, and possibly the most well known act of Friday. The M.O. of larger fests over the last few years has been to stack the deck with a multitude of EDM DJs and groups and topping the night off with older established groups like Flaming Lips, Beck, Jack White, and Modest Mouse, forgoing mid-level newer groups in lieu of cheaper methods of entertainment (EDM for the MDMA crowd).  

Louis The Child EDM Explosion

10 pm: Louis The Child 

Modest Mouse

Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse

While Friday may be the lightest day in terms of well known and traditional pop groups, the crowds at Forecastle 2018 far preferred the party atmosphere exported from Coachella and expanding across the country, and thus it makes sense to reorganize Forecastle accordingly, regardless of older loyal Forecastle goers wishes. 

Saturday promises more traditional attractions like Houndmouth (Main Stage7:45pm), Chris Stapleton (Mast Stage 10pm), Margo Price (Boom Stage 5:30), Jenny Lewis (Boom Stage 7:15), and Hiss Golden Messenger (Boom Stage 4pm), with more creative electronica like the West Louisville Showcase (Port Stage 6:25 ),  James Lindsey & Vane (Party Cove 8pm), and the ghost of Freaknik himself T-Pain (Ocean Stage 9pm) 

And that was Day One!

Read our Day Two Review, It's The End Of The World, here.