BARS AND CLUBS

Jazz Floyd with 9volt-

Revolt at Headliners

Louisville ROCK CITY

Gritty and genteel, “Looieville” or “Louavul” is a

beautiful enigma. How else to explain the home

of both Muhammad Ali and Colonel Sanders? The

city’s music scene is equally weird, as a wobbly

line runs from the ’70s sons in absurdist pop band

NRBQ, on through Slint’s arty alienation, and

down to My Morning Jacket, whose frontman,

Jim James, knows well the city’s charms. “When I’m here, I

feel like I’m in a special forest,” he says. “It’s so full of spirits.”

Headliners Music Hall
1386 LEXINGTON RD., 502-584-8088
In a former whiskey distillery, Headliners has hosted some of the city’s
best shows in recent years, including sets by Spoon, Vampire Weekend,
and the Hold Steady, whose classic sounds feel appropriate amid the
exposed-brick walls and faded murals. If the crowd on the main floor
gets too intense, nab a spot on one of the balcony’s comfy couches.

LOCAL HEROES

Jim James wants your hat.

My Morning Jacket’s
Louisville roots run
deep. The festival faves
have tapped locals
like the glammy Wax
Fang and folk-inflected
Follow the Train as
support bands, and
Jim James has
recorded with home-
town dance rockers
VHS or Beta. “Them
boys make us all
proud,” says James of
the aforementioned
acts. A regular presence
at local benefit gigs, James
makes us feel the same way.

The Listening Room
930 MARY ST., 502-635-2554
Though it’s part of a church
complex, this venue doesn’t do
Christian rock. Instead the owners
open the stage to freak folk, power
pop, and hometown envelope-pushers
such as Lucky Pineapple and Ultra
Pulverize. You can also catch visiting
acts like Grizzly Bear and Yo La Tengo.

Mag Bar

1398 S. SECOND ST., 502-637-9052

Neck-tattooed bikers, drag queen
divas, and, well, everyone else come
here for the jukebox, curated as it is
by bartenders with an ear for sounds
ranging from Sinatra to Wu-Tang Clan.
Those bartenders also have a heavy
pour, which makes the Mag a favorite
postshow stop for touring bands.

Music lover and grad student Erica Rucker was sick of Louisville’s propensity for overhyped and underorganized festivals. So she cajoled the founders of traveling psych-rock festival Terrastock to land in Louisville last June. After finding venues, hiring support staff, printing tickets, and seeing shows, she slept. She awoke to the first festival her city was sad to see go.

With public-radio playlists a muddle
of bland singer-songwriters, Woody
Chancy brings a welcome dash
of oddball to local station WFPK.
Every Friday and Saturday, Woody’s
Roadhouse is a midnight-to- 6 A.M.
explosion of R&B, boogie-woogie,
and blues. Chancy often takes the
shift preceding his show, making for
marathon nine-hour stints on the air.

The Rudyard Kipling 422 W. OAK ST., 502-636-1311

This homey tavern offers everything
from hard rock to poetry readings.
It also offers a Louisville delicacy
called burgoo, a spicy meat stew.
Between spoonfuls, listen to
co-owner Ken Pyle wax nostalgic
about the musicians who started
out here, including Jim James, who
occasionally pops in for a solo show.

The Nachbar
969 CHARLES ST., 502-637-4377
This funky corner bar in the working-
class Germantown nabe has always
been popular among the folks who’ve
lived here for generations. Now,
thanks to husband-and-wife owners
Heather Burks and James Gunnoe’s
refurbishment, the artists drawn to
the neighborhood’s low rents and tidy,
tree-lined streets hang out here, too.

Indie record store Ear X-tacy is a haven for the city’s music lovers. Musicians, too. Owner John Timmons has employed many band members in need of cash, including Sebadoh’s Jason Loewenstein. The shop is also famous for its in-stores, having hosted Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age.

Music teacher Diane Downs was cleaning out a school closet when she found some abandoned instruments and got an idea. Downs put the dusty congas and bongos in the hands of students, and the Louisville Leopard Percussionists were born. The band of middle-school kids rocks everything from Monk to Santana and even opened a show for My Morning Jacket. “It was beyond amazing,” remembers James.

KNOW
YOUR
HISTORY

From a storefront in the
bohemian Highlands
hood, Guitar Emporium
has supplied vintage
axes to Keith Richards,
Bob Dylan, the Edge, and
other rock gods. Owner
Jimmy Brown will sell
to anyone—if he or she
promises to take care
of the instrument—but
you better bring your
credit card: Collectors
have paid Brown as
much as $150,000 for
a single guitar.

CLOCK WISE FROM LEF T: AU TUMN DE WILDE; GAR Y QUICK; MICKIE WINTERS