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Shopping - It's in the Bag

Paul Dockery — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:17:33 GMT

All You Need Is… Dough. Lots of it.

As could be expected, Amazon has the best price for The Beatles’ new box sets; the mono and stereo sets are bundled together for $409.98. And by now, plenty of folks have chimed in on what their money has gotten them. While it’s long been established that it cannot buy you love, it can buy you – in the case of the stereo version (best price at press time was $199.99 plus shipping) – all 13 Studio remasters of Please Please Me, With The Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night, Help!, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Magical Mystery Tour, Yellow Submarine, Abbey Road, Let it Be and Past Masters. Phew.

A DVD of all 13 mini-documentaries is included in a slick box that Yoko could probably fit into if she really tried.

The mono version ($229.99 at press time) was originally going to be released with a super-exclusive run of only 10,000 copies for deep-end Beatlemaniacs. Here, you get more than you may have ever wanted out of the lads from Liverpool – eleven albums (12 discs total), including Please Please Me, With The Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night, and in the case of the rest – Help!, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Magical Mystery Tour, and The Beatles – the inclusion of each record’s original stereo mix.

Why? Why would anyone want all this? Because The Beatles are the greatest POP band in the history of rock music. The Rolling Stones are the greatest ROCK band in the history of rock music. There’s a difference. But really, it’s for collectors and audio geeks and well, average fans alike who want to experience these cherished songs in a new way. For a lot of us, hearing tiny things like Ringo’s drum throne squeaking or a fret buzz here and there that wasn’t in any of the vinyls, tapes or CDs we’ve listened to all our lives is thrilling in, yes, a pretty geeky sort of way.

Countless words have been written by now about the new box sets. Everyone who’s had a chance to listen has chimed in. I for one can say that for anyone who really knows The Beatles’ catalogue, even the hardest of hardcore fans will delight in the myriad gems found on both new releases. So save up that scratch, and take the long and winding road (or straight shot, if you will) to rediscovering the music of the most influential rock – ahem – pop band in rock history.

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PHOTO CREDIT | APPLE CORPS LTD.

Cinema: New Releases

Chad Benefield — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:11:49 GMT

October 6th

Year One (Sony)

Simply put… The Worst Movie of the Year! And the year’s not even over! Director Harold Ramis’ (Analyze This, Bedazzled, The Ice Harvest) aimless film stars Jack Black and Michael Cera as two guys named Zed and Oh, who are forced out of their primitive tribe and embark on a journey through the early days of man. I have no idea how any studio executive ever agreed to green light this project. Every single joke is a gigantic stink bomb! I mean, the kind of bomb that leveled Japanese cities in the 40s. If you enjoy watching characters hang upside down and urinate into their own mouths or other characters who eat and lick poop to determine the food contents in it, then this is the film for you. But if this is the film for you, maybe you should check yourself into the mental care facility at Shutter Island.

GRADE: F

October 13th

The Proposal (Touchstone)

Sandra Bullock’s highest-grossing movie ever and, for me, that’s gross. Fashioned shamelessly after The Devil Wears Prada, The Proposal too is set in the world of publishing. That world is ruled over by the she-beast Margaret (Bullock), who has to fake an engagement to her lowly assistant, Andrew (Ryan Reynolds), in order to avoid being deported back to Canada. Director Annie Fletcher’s movie could have worked if it had just shrugged some of those pesky romantic comedy devices. Of course, it wouldn’t have made as much money, so who the hell do I think I am? But, too often, The Proposal tries to be something it’s not. In the office, it works laboriously to be The Devil Wears Prada. It’s not even close. In fact, I daresay the devil wears Fashion Bug. When the film moves to Andrew’s parents’ house it tries to churn out laughs like Meet The Parents. It doesn’t. I have heard The Proposal, but I just cannot accept. GRADE: C

October 13th

Drag Me to Hell (Universal)

Spiderman director Sam Raimi is no stranger to horror movies. In fact, with early films like Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2, that’s how he honed his chops. His latest, Drag Me to Hell, which stars Alison Lohman as a cursed young woman on the run from the hounds of Satan, is a loud and in-your-face comedy/thriller. Or, at least it’s supposed to be. Despite some positives (like Christopher Young’s pulse-pounding gothic score, a rousing prologue and a free-for-all séance scene), I don’t know what to make of this. Drag Me to Hell is never as funny as it’s supposed to be which makes me think it’s not a comedy. But it’s never scary enough to sustain my fear and that makes me think it’s not really a thriller. So, I’m stuck in the middle. I guess this is Drag Me to Purgatory. GRADE: C+

October 20th

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Dreamworks)

It doesn’t matter what I say, this movie has already broken the bank. But I have a column and I have a duty to my faithful readers to lay it out. Oh, here goes. This is really stupid. I just don’t get this whole notion of assigning human emotions and voices to ridiculous-looking machines that are basically cross-dressers. The fact that the back-story of this film franchise relies on the belief in two conflicting races of robot known as the Autobots and the Decepticons is even more bizarre to me. It’s like Terminator meets Harry and the Hendersons and it goes on for days! I don’t mean to sound like a Bangle, but this is an “eternal flame” of a film. But, it’s a film that could have worked. The third act of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is an all-out war movie with awesome special effects and gritty battle sequences. It’s the movie Terminator Salvation should have been. If Transformers would knock off all the silliness, it could truly take Terminator’s place as the true “rage against the machine.” GRADE: C

Cinema: In Theaters

Chad Benefield — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:09:22 GMT

October 2nd

Shutter Island (Paramount)

The new film by Martin Scorsese (The Departed, Casino, Cape Fear, Raging Bull) already sports the most intriguing trailer of the year. Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo star as two U.S. marshals, who, in 1954, are sent to a creep-crawly mental institution to investigate the disappearance of a patient. Shutter Island is based on the 2003 book by Dennis Lehane, who wrote Mystic River and Gone, Baby, Gone, two other novels adapted for the big screen. While I thought Mystic River only faked complexity and suspense, Gone, Baby, Gone bubbled over with tension. If Shutter Island is half as good as it looks, I’m there! There’s nothing more entertaining that some crazy people. That’s why I watch reality television, ride the subway in New York, and go to t-ball games.

October 9th

Whip It (Fox Searchlight)

Drew’s got a brand new pair of roller skates! Though she was doing whiskey shooters at the age of four, Drew Barrymore waited until she was in her thirties to try her hand at directing a feature. Her first film is Whip It, which stars Ellen Page (Juno) as a young woman who rebels against her beauty-pageant obsessed mother and joins a roller derby squad. As a professional sport, roller derby is much like wrestling. It’s all about bravado, smack-talking and the show. If Barrymore can capture that tone, Whip It could work. With characters named Malice in Wonderland, Dinah Might, Smashley Simpson, and Bloody Holly, it appears that Drew may be on the right track.

October 9th

Zombieland (Sony)

It was 2004 that the Brits released Shaun of the Dead, the often-times hilarious zombie romp that launched actor/screenwriter Simon Pegg into the limelight. Since 2004, we’ve seen a lot of zombie movies (I Am Legend, 28 Weeks Later) that tried to take the genre back to its original horror movie roots. After all, zombies are supposed to be scary, right? Well, for me, zombies are a whole lot like the vampires and the whole notion of them is just absurd. So, if you are going to use zombies in a movie you should spoof them, much like Robert Rodriguez did in Planet Terror, his contribution to the Grindhouse double feature. In Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer takes the same approach and casts Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland) as an unlikely duo trying to stay alive in a world overrun with the undead!

October 16th

Where The Wild Things Are (Warner Brothers)

When I was in high school I took a mime workshop and our piece de resistance was a white-face rendering of Maurice Sendak’s 1963 masterwork, Where The Wild Things Are. While it’s impossible to top the artistic integrity and the gut-wrenching of our mime interpretation, director Spike Jonze (Adaptation, Being John Malkovich) is giving it a whirl. Along for the ride are Catherine Keener, Mark Ruffalo and relative newcomer Max Records, who plays the young boy who would be king in a land of wild things!

October 23rd

Saw VI (Lionsgate)

Would you like to play a game? Uh… No.

October 28th

This Is It (Sony)

Michael Jackson’s body was still fresh when studio types started warring over hours and hours of raw rehearsal footage from Jackson’s forthcoming London concerts (there were to be 50 and all had sold out). Sony Pictures won the bidding, forked over $60 million dollars and hired choreographer/director Kenny Ortega (High School Musical) to assemble a documentary about Jackson’s last days as the King of Pop. For fans of Michael, who truly believe he is ’gone to soon’, this will be an October treat. I personally will watch This Is It in search of clues and answers. Did anybody see Michael Jackson’s untimely death coming? Most importantly, did he?

Sore Thumbs - You guessed it, Beatles Rock Band (some scary stuff, too)

Dan Woolsey — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:07:09 GMT

Beatlemania Comes To Rock Band

It’s finally happening. After music acts like Mötley Crüe, Aerosmith, 50 Cent, Wu Tang Clan, and Britney Spears have had their own videogames, The Beatles’ first videogame is coming out. Coinciding with the release of the remastered stereo and mono box sets, The Beatles: Rock Band is a godsend for Beatles fans everywhere.

The Beatles’ material has always been very closely guarded and carefully licensed. To see something come out that uses their music and likenesses that isn’t an album re-release is out of the ordinary. Nothing like this has ever existed for Beatles fans and that’s why it’s such a big deal.

It’s been a long time coming, but the technology just didn’t exist before to do The Beatles this kind of justice. The Rock Band games require multi-track recordings for each song so that players can get feedback while they play. If the drummer misses a beat, the drum section of the song needs to reflect that without affecting the other tracks in the song. The development team at Harmonix had to go back to the original master recordings to create the multi-track versions of the songs they needed.

The special edition of the game comes with a replica Höfner bass guitar as well a microphone stand and Ludwig-branded drums. Additional replica instruments, such as the Gretsch Duo-Jet and Rickenbacker 325, are also available separately for a hefty $99. None of these are required to play the game, but Beatle-maniacs may deem them necessary to complete the package. Just so you know, it would cost $450 (yikes!) to get the game and a fully-outfitted Beatles wannabe band… but you can get the game for $60 and play with all of your existing instruments also.

You’ll play everything from The Beatles’ first official gig to their last performance on the roof of Apple Studios, each with an accurate representation of how they looked at the time. On your journey, you’ll even go on a few psychedelic trips with The Fab Four. Don’t be surprised if you spot a certain brightly-hued, underwater vehicle or a walrus along the way. There’s plenty of fascinating new eye candy and rare, unlockable Beatles photos and sound clips to take in. It’s a shame that the player will be focusing on scrolling colored bars and will likely miss out on all of the cool background visuals, but there’s plenty to keep onlookers entertained.

While almost everything in the game is perfect regarding accuracy, it’s not a perfect game. The limits of The Beatles’ licensing restrictions become apparent when you find out that you’ll only be able to play these songs with this game. The usual import and export of Rock Band tracks doesn’t work here. You’ll never play these songs in Rock Band 1 or 2, you won’t be able to get new clothes and customize your performers in-game, and you won’t be playing anything other than Beatles songs. I wouldn’t consider these to be a major flaw; that’s just how the game is presented and it happens to be different than the first two Rock Band games.

But wait… there’s more! One change this title brings is the “overdrive” mode used for extra rockin’ has slyly been renamed “Beatlemania.” Also, while you’re playing guitar, feel free to slam the whammy all you want, but it will have no effect on the song whatsoever. This would change the way the song sounded, and that’s a big no-no according to Apple Corps. The most unfortunate gameplay change for me was the removal of freestyle drum-fill sections. Again, if this wasn’t how The Beatles played the song, don’t think you’re going to do it any differently. I never tired of drum-fills and hated to see them go, but their exclusion makes sense with this presentation… I guess. Finally, one of the coolest additions is the three-part harmonies vocalists can pull off. This essentially enables two more players to join in.

Think of this game as a big expensive box set that you can play along with. If you already have a lot of The Beatles’ albums, skip the recently released remastered collection and give this a shot. You might not feel like you are a Beatle, but you’ll feel that you were at least along for the ride!

If you read Sore Thumbs regularly, you were probably expecting something Halloween-related this month. Well, I hate to disappoint, so here is a quick list of my picks for scary games to play on Halloween:

Dead Space – phenomenal space horror…great visuals, weapons, monsters, and sound. Play it!
Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth – under-appreciated first-person adventure set in Lovecraftian mythos. Wait until you have to escape your hotel room at night…you’ll see what I mean if you play it.
F.E.A.R. 2 –a good shooter that’s freakin’ scary. A lovely mix!
Fatal Frame – creepy Japanese setting where you fight off ghosts with nothing more than your special camera
Condemned: Criminal Origins – track a serial killer through dark and eerie locations while trying not to get bludgeoned by thugs

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PHOTO CREDIT | JETSETNICK.COM, XBOX360MEDIA.COM

Briefs Owensboro

Scribblers & Scribes — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:43:35 GMT

Owensboro Music Center Yard Sale

Saturday October 3rd, Owensboro Music Center will hold their 1st annual Musicians Flea Market and Swap Meet. Owensboro Music will offer a 10' space on property they own adjacent to the store. Vendors must furnish there tables and set up is Free. Table holders are encouraged to bring any and all music related items to the swap meet. That would include guitars, drums, microphones, amplifiers, sound gear, records and CDs too. Even stereo equipment and old radios are welcome. So clean out your basement, garage or closets and bring those items your not using and need to move.
The event will run from 9:00 a.m. ‘til store closing time 5:00 p.m.
            To reserve a booth (spaces limited to 30-35) call OMC at 270-684-2156 or email to Owensboromusic@Yahoo.com You can also reach us thru our Facebook page. Please follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more news about this exciting event.
            Owensboro Music Center will also offer an incentive cash bonus for swappers that purchase items with there earnings from the event.
            This event is part of the Hwy 60 Garage sale being held on that same day.

Road Warriors – While there’s still some gasoline left…

See, you gotta listen to 92.5 WBKR – The Country Station – to learn all the details about this thing, but here’s a quick summary: Teams will drive to a pre-designated checkpoint, where they will receive clues that will lead them on a mysterious journey to yet another checkpoint, where they will get more clues (and so on). Once each team has crossed each of the checkpoints, they’ll cross the finish line; their total mileage will then be logged by certified mile-log-oloists. The team that has a final mile total closest to the actual distance of the course will win. Sounds easy, right? It ain’t.

Teams of two to five are allowed; they must present proof of insurance and of course the driver has to have a license and proof of insurance.

What’s the payoff? A thousand damn dollars, that’s what.

It all happens Saturday, October 24; sponsors include Diamond Lake Resort and Ole South Barbeque. So listen to WBKR for more. Ready, set, go!

Charlene Blay & Second Edition will be performing at Taste of Owensboro.

Taste of Owensboro

How would you like to travel the city and sample the best that local restaurant have to offer – all in one evening? Thanks to the RiverPark Center and over 30 local eateries and beverage vendors, you can “eat you way through Owensboro.” All you can eat, and all you can feast your ears upon are offered, thanks to the efforts of artists such as Charlene Blay & Second Edition, world-renowned pianist Diane Earle and rockin’ out sounds of Randy Lanham & Wildman. Tickets are available at the RiverPark Center box office and by phone at 687-ARTS.

Haunts of Owensboro

Are you a believer in the supernatural? How about ghosts? Lots of people do, and have the memories of things that go bump in the night to remind them. However, there remain skeptics – and Haunts of Owensboro is well-equipped to change said skeptics’ minds.

The regular tour is all-year ‘round, but this month is the perfect time to venture out into the crisp autumn night in search of the paranormal. Each Friday and Saturday night at 8 p.m., starting at 109 E. 2^nd Street, guided tours of creepy places will commence. Each tour lasts approximately two hours, and tips are always appreciated for the good time.

Another, even spookier tour is offered, thanks to the Theatre Workshop of Owensboro. On October 2 & 3, 9, 16 & 16 & 17 and 30^th & 31^st, you can hook up with the TWO an tour the most haunted spot in the Tri-State. Put your man-pants on and join in the fun. Times for the TWO tours are 8 p.m., except Halloween night; the tour on the 31^st begins at 9 p.m. Phone 270-313-5596, visit www.hauntsofowensboro.com or email DavidWolfe@hauntsofowensboro.com for more info.

Fall Family Fun

It’s autumn; the air is fresh and crisp with the occasional aroma of burning leaves in the air. Time to dredge up the fall playlist (Samhain for you punk rockers; Sabbath Bloody Sabbath for you old school metalheads; and uh… I don’t know, what’s appropriate for hip-hoppers? Eric B & Rakim’s always worked for us). With the music picked out, what to do next? How about trucking down to Utica to Trunnell’s Farm Market each weekend for their ongoing Fall Family Fun Fest?

Activities include pumpkin and face painting, hayrides, straw mazes, corn hole and pumpkin toss games and much more. Trunnell’s is a great place to pick up farm-fresh wares for the kitchen too. Check out trunnellsfarmmarket.com or call 270-733-2222 for extra information.

Fight 4 Allyson: Strength through Others

Nick Durcholz — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:38:21 GMT

Inspiring all with her beautiful smile and her cheerful demeanor, Allyson Funk is a bubbly five- year-old girl from Owensboro, who is full of life. When she was born she was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder called Fanconi Anemia (FA), a very illusive and lethal disease. It is a form of aplastic anemia which results in the hindrance of Allyson’s bone marrow from efficiently producing all types of blood cells needed to ensure a fully-functioning circulatory system. Ultimately, it can affect every organ, tissue, and system in the human body. The normal life expectancy of an individual afflicted with this disorder is somewhere between 20 and 30 years of age.

Allyson has reached a daunting pinnacle in her fight with FA. It is now absolutely necessary for her to receive a Bone Marrow Transplant to give her the best shot at overcoming her critical ailment. Her loving and dedicated mother Liz has decided to make semi-permanent residence in Cincinnati. Liz’s goal is to take traveling off the list of stressors for her daughter while she is undergoing radiation treatment and chemotherapy at the city’s children’s hospital to clear out Allyson’s existing bone marrow. New bone marrow has been found for Allyson and while the transplant is in progress she will be given medication to subdue her immune system allowing it to accept the new bone marrow. Allyson has a long and winding road to travel to a full recovery.

In light of the substantial pressure on Allyson and Liz, even the smallest gesture of kindness gives them strength to make it through another day. While Allyson and Liz are eons away from ever admitting defeat, the everyday grind of treatments compounded with other common stresses of life is a taxing combination. More importantly such a procedure incurs an expense so large it is obscene. There will be and have been many efforts to raise money for Allyson’s intricate operation including a concert at Taylor’s or Parrish Avenue in Owensboro, KY on September 26 and also a pre-order of delicious Boston Butts.

Allyson began the chemotherapy and high doses of radiation on September 17^th and her bone marrow transplant took place on the 24^th. She entered hospital isolation immediately following the procedure and remain there for four to six weeks so the medication to suppress her immune system has sufficient time to take effect. She will not be out of the woods until 100 days after the transplant. In this span of time her body could reject the new bone marrow. Even after she exits the hospital she will have to live with strict guidelines limiting her contact with other people because of her weakened immune system. After several months she will be allowed to return to Owensboro but will still have restrictions to prevent her from contracting illnesses from outside sources.

Allyson and her mother Liz both have high hopes for success but any type of help, any type of foothold to help them win this epic battle is greatly appreciated and necessary. To learn more or to join the fight for Allyson go to www.fight4allyson.com.

Kiddos - For the love of Pete, get 'em off their butts

Mr. Mom — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:33:14 GMT

Are we settled back into the school/extracurricular activity/Lord-knows-what-else rigmarole? No? Well, how about getting those rug rats out of the house for some fun in the best weather season of all – autumn. That’s a completely subjective opinion, of course, but it happens to be correct. So “Nyah,” as my little ones might say.

First Annual Native American Relic & Art Show

While certainly not an exclusively children’s related event, this is great for older kids who have an interest in such things. Come and see various tools, relics and other artifacts from the past that represent the rich cultural heritage of the Native American cultures that flourished on this continent and whose techniques live on through reproductions. The Show will be held at the Springs Conference Center on October 3 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cold Stone Creamery will arrive at 11 a.m. to serve their special brand of frozen goodies, too. Come one and all for this fine show, presented by the Western Kentucky Archeological Society.

23rd Annual Farm Festival

The Show Grounds on Karns Grove Road is where to be on October 3 and 4 for the ultimate in antique tractors and farm equipment. Restored and worn out stuff will around for your drooling pleasure, and plenty of things to do will be offered, including contests, races, a flea and craft market, rides for the kids, a power parade each day, a garden tractor pull on Sunday the 4^th and more. To get there, head east out of town on 54, two miles past Philpot to Karns Grove Road and follow the signs. For more information, call 812-649-9242.

Sesame Street Live – “When Elmo Grows Up”

If your toddler is anything like mine, Elmo’s pretty much the greatest thing next to chocolate milk, drawing on the walls, stripping naked and running wild and questioning everything. The furry red three-year-old Muppet will be joined by Sesame Street relative newcomer Abby Cadabby along with Zoe, Rosita and more happy, friendly monsters from the Children’s Television Workshop for three performances of the music-filled “When Elmo Grows Up,” October 20 and 21 – 7 p.m. on October 20 and 21, and with a special morning show on the 21^st at 10:30.

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PHOTO CREDIT | VEE PRODUCTIONS

On the Farm: Juicy Red Apples are All You Really Need

Melissa Kaiser — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:28:48 GMT

October- the time of year when the air becomes crisp and cool and the leaves begin to electrify the landscape. It’s the time of year that makes you want to run and jump into a giant pile of leaves or relax under the shade of a tree and sink your teeth into a delicious juicy peach or apple! On October 17 & 18 you’ll have that opportunity at Reid’s Orchard’s 23^rd annual Apple Festival!

Reid’s Orchard opened its doors in 1873, and has since become an Owensboro favorite destination for fresh fruits, vegetables, and beautiful flowers. Open all year, they sell everything from various kinds of berries to squash to pumpkins to mums, with their apple harvest as their main focus.

The Apple Festival held at Reid’s Orchard has become a local tradition, giving families something to look forward to each year. If you have never been, then you must take the time to enjoy one of the Top 10 Festivals of Kentucky! People young and old will enjoy the “old country fair atmosphere” which draws people in and transports them to a relaxing setting where the only worry is deciding on what delicious item to eat and which beautiful decoration to buy. Over 90 craft booths will feature handmade crafts by local artisans, including jewelry, soaps, quilted items, fall décor, Christmas and Halloween decorations and wreaths, and painted items. Over 20 food booths will tempt your taste buds with everything from corndogs, funnel cakes, bloomin’ onions, pork burgers, grilled corn and rib eye steak sandwiches to Apple Festival specifics including yummy caramel apple sundaes and delicious apple dumplings. If you can’t find something you love at this festival then…..

Food and crafts are not the only things to do at the Apple Festival; there are plenty of exciting activities for every member of the family, including carnival rides, caricature drawings, a rock climbing wall, horse rides and a small petting zoo! The fire department will be there with their fire safety house. They will also have live demonstrations on the art of basket weaving and broom making.

A fee of $4 per child will let your youngster enjoy the New Reidland Play Area, which will feature a corn maze and a soybean maze, corn boxes, a 20ft slide called the “apple slider,” and drainage pipes that you can slide through called “rat racers.” This unique play area is sure to be a hit!

There will also be local country, soft rock, and bluegrass bands playing throughout the weekend.

Local fundraising and charity groups will be on hand to inform and raise money for their causes. Stop by and learn more about groups such as “Fighting for Allison”, “Buckle Up for Megan Miller,” and MADD – Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

This family attentive event only happens once a year, so if you want to have a great time and enjoy the fall, get out and enjoy Reid’s Orchard’s Apple Festival on Saturday, October 17^th from 10 a,m,-6 p.m. and Sunday, October 18^th from 12 p.m.-6 p.m.; $2 per vehicle to park. – And please, leave the pets at home. For more information, please call 270-685-2444 or visit www.reidorchard.com.

Akacia – Representing four decades of rock

Dylan Gibbs — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:25:59 GMT

Want to hear this entire interview?

Download it here.

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Since first hitting the Owensboro scene from north of the Ohio River this past summer, Akacia (pronounced ‘Ah-Kay-Sha’) has the power to make crowds move and groove, thanks to the diverse musical tastes of each of the band’s four members. With Charlie Dicus’ lead vocals and fully rocked-out guitar playing, Mike Blemker’s addition of solid six-stringing and backup vox, Fred Bassett’s grooving, butt-shakin’ bass and the decades-long experience of drummer Joel Doehrmann delivering the goods from the riser.

Akacia’s repertoire includes the old and the new, from classic rock – think Aerosmith, Led Zep, Montrose, ZZ Top, and AC/DC – to newer stuff from the likes of Velvet Revolver, Kings of Leon, Buckcherry, Seether and many, many more. They’ll even toss in a full-on dance/funk number from The Commodores or Wild Cherry with a dose of crunchy rock thrown in for extra flavor.

Charlie (or Chaz, as he’s also known) chatted with us about all things Akacia:

N4U: Let’s talk about how the band got together; what are the origins of Akacia?

Chaz: It was around 2002, and I was invited to play with some guys in Evansville, and that included Mike Blemker, who’s the other guitarist in the band. At that time, we had the name Exosonic; we played a few gigs, changed a few guys over the years… and the current lineup has been around for a little over a year now; Fred was the newest guy in. Him coming into the band has helped out a lot; he comes in with a blues background. He played a lot with Tommy Stillwell & the Hellcats; he’s been around a lot; he’s played some pretty important gigs throughout the world… basically how we got together was by word of mouth, and we all became friends. We’re not just a bunch of musicians who meet for shows; we do get together and hang out and have cookouts.

To kind of name-drop – what are some of the bands Akacia’s members have been a part of in the past?

Our drummer, Joel Doehrmann, back in the early 80s, was with a band called Kikker… he has an article from back then on his basement wall, so he’s been around for a long time. Of course Fred, we talked about that, he’s been with Tommy Stillwell. Mike, he has kind of the same past as I do… I don’t want to say ‘no-name’ bands… I’m originally from Illinois, and I got my start when I was 18, playing in bars. Mike and I had mutual friends along the way, and that’s how we got together.

The songs you guys play – how do you pick ‘em?

When we first got together, we focused more on doing new rock. We thought that that was what we needed to be playing in order to get the gigs. And it almost seemed like we were doing too much new rock… you can never go wrong – as clichéd as it sounds – with playing a little bit of classic rock. With all of our influences, Joel is more of an Album-Oriented drummer. He loves Rush; he loves the bands of the 70s and early 80s. I grew up on classic country and pop music of the 80s, but I turned around and started loving the old school heavy metal; that’s kind of where Mike is too; he’s also a hard hitter with the blues. Fred goes with the flow; especially with his blues past – that’s his forte. Over the years we got away from just doing the new rock; we started adding classic rock. And then we started adding stuff from the middle; it isn’t so much that we’re playing what the people want to hear – that’s a part of it – but when you see us onstage, you’ll see four guys who genuinely like to play what we’re playing.

How about your gear? What are your tools of choice?

I got a Crate Voodoo 120; it doesn’t stand up to a Marshall; it doesn’t stand up to a Mesa Boogie; I’ll be the first to say that. It was very industrial metal-sounding; I got it in 1996 as a graduation gift, and it did the job at the time, and over the years, after learning about tubes and getting a degree in audio production, I’ve had it hard-wired – went through a couple of rounds of different tubes – it has Ruby tubes in it now; I used to use Groove tubes. It has taken a lot of the bite out it and given it more of a growl. Most of the places you play around here, to get a tube amp to sound good, you gotta crank it up, but you can’t do that in some places. So it’s changed the sound overall in a more positive light. I have an Ibanez S470; that was my first guitar. Thanks to Fred, I purchased a Fender Strat Highway 1; that thing plugged into the Crate head is great. I guess you could say it’s like a [Iron] Maiden crunch; it isn’t too overdriven, but it’s just a nice crunch. Occasionally I’ll get the Ibanez out, but it just doesn’t have the beefy-ness like the Strat has.

What’s one of the things you really like about playing in Owensboro?

They have been quite accepting of us, and we are the same of them. They dig the rock & roll. In our eyes, it’s a really fun place. There’s a lot of great places to play in Owensboro; we really enjoy going over there.

And fans of good, solid rock & roll have a number of chances to catch the band in the coming months. Akacia will be at The Boiler Room October 16 & 17, Borderline Cantina in Tell City November 13 & 14, back at the Boiler Room December 4 & 5 and at Milligan’s December 18 & 19. Be sure to check out myspace.com/akacia and akaciarock.com. for more on what the guys are up to.

Tripiodder - Bourbon Blog

Tom Fischer — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:23:11 GMT

“May there be no hell. And if there is, I'll see you there.” As we raise our glasses to this toast, today feels more like Heaven (for bourbon lovers, that is). Jim Beam's great-grandson Fred Noe has invited us to a lunch and bourbon tasting at his home in Bardstown, Kentucky. After adding some flavor by tossing Booker's Bourbon to the ribs beginning to cook on the fire, a Kentucky bluegrass trio breaks into “Ring of Fire.”

"That was my Dad's favorite toast," says Noe. Booker’s was also the signature bourbon of his late father Booker Noe. At nearly 127-proof with between 6 to 8 years of age, it was the first uncut, unfiltered, straight-from-the-barrel bourbons available for retail. Fred Know is the seventh-generation in the family and is the Master Distiller, overseeing the entire bourbon making process. We’ve tasted four Jim Beam Small Batch bourbons tasting the characteristics in each one: Big oak, vanilla, caramel, and roasted notes.

Welcome to the Sonoma Valley just in the backyard of our Tri-State region. This could be even better because the proof is much higher and the company makes the mark of Southern hospitality.

Fred walks us into his house originally owned Jim Beam on a street called Distiller’s Row. If ever a person encapsulated everything that seems right about Americana, Fred Noe is a character as genuine has the bourbon he makes.

NOE: Jim Beam moved his family here around 1900 and a Beam family member has been here ever since.

BB: What exactly is this “Bourbon Q” attending today?

NOE: We roll things together here in Kentucky. We taste a little bourbon and have a little barbeque. Dad did it from the very beginning of bourbon festival. It is one of those traditions we are not going to let die. It’s neat to get our friend and family in here.

Your father Booker had such an influence on the Bourbon industry. How does his spirit live on?

The Booker's Bourbon by far. Dad developed it. He selected the barrels. Every time I make it, I think about Dad. That was his baby and I continue to do it. That is what he liked. I enjoy being the one to carry that tradition on and every bottle that goes out, there is still a little bit of my Dad in it.

Tell us about the Small Batch Collection.

The reason there is four of them, is because there is different flavors for different palettes. If you like your lighter bourbons, you got Basil Hayden’s. If you are a single malt scotch enthusiast, I recommend Knob Creek with more age and wood. Baker's is more like a Cognac. Booker's is for the person that wants experience bourbon the way it used to be. As I've said, the way it was it was meant to be.

With Booker’s, you cut it with water down to the strength you want to drink it. It is one bourbon that you can put on the rocks, and as the rocks melt, the bourbon gets better. Most bourbons get watered down and loose their flavor. As the rocks melt and you swirl it around on the rocks, it opens up. Then you can getcha an even better taste of it.

You have an incredible line of bourbons and a rich heritage. What are you most proud of?

I'm proud that our family has stuck around this business for 213 years. I'm proud to be the 7th generation Beam family to be in the business and member to carry this tradition on. I want to continue to produce the world's finest bourbon and spread it across the world. Someday, when my son gets older and we put him to work, we will be very proud to pass the torch to the 8th generation. I'll be done. I will have made my mark. I can sit back on the front porch and sip me a little some Kentucky Tea, which is Booker’s Bourbon and a lot of water. I will watch the world go by on Distiller’s Row in front of the house.

Thanks for having BourbonBlog.com and Tripodder.com in.

Come back anytime. Door is always open!

Fred Noe tells us that an ever growing door and experience is open to the public who make the roughly two hour and a half hour journey from the Tri-State to visit the Jim Beam’s Distillery in Clermont, Kentucky. We suggest making a stop now at Jim Beam and other distilleries along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. However, a multi-million dollar development project is now underway to create a new Welcome Center complex at Jim Beam called the “Visitor’s Experience.” It is expected to be completed in April 2011.

Visit BourbonBlog.com or Tripodder.com to watch this and other stories. Of course, we only encourage responsible drinking by those who are of legal age. Don’t drink and drive.

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PHOTO CREDIT | BOURBON BLOG

Hallow's Eve: Slaughter on 2nd Street

Dylan Gibbs — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:50:16 GMT

Just in time for Halloween, the guys behind Hallow’s Eve: Slaughter on 2^nd Street, PJ Starks and Rodney Newton took time to tell us about all things Hallows…

What's this movie all about, anyway?
Rodney - Owensboro has an old building that's been converted by its latest owner into a haunted house attraction. Everything seemed to be running smoothly until a group of young folks who were setting up the house for the current season suddenly had a chain of "accidents" that left all but one of them dead, and the one that was left alive... marked. Now the proprietor, having seen the money potential behind the situation, how much money could be made from a "Haunted" haunted house? The proprietor has called in a small group of five young paranormal investigators (strikingly similar to the Scooby Doo gang, by the way) to investigate. Now they, along with the owner and a few others are all locked in the building for the evening to investigate. The question is, who will survive and who will die trying?

Who were the principal people involved in the writing, production, editing, etc., process?
P.J. - Rodney and I came up with the concept and characters, then I spent about 2 weeks writing the script and fleshing it out with dialogue and such. I helmed as Writer/Director and Rodney took on the role of Producer, I also did the cinematography and edited the final cut. Obviously the cast and crew were the most important elements, without them the film would've never been made. Next would be our families, because without their support Hallows Eve would've been a drag to shoot. Ralph Mitchell and Melissa Carter who supplied all the special effects and our location. All the bands who put time and effort to create a kickass soundtrack. In the beginning Hallows Eve started with just Rodney and I, but it ended as a group effort and most definitely a labor of love. Everyone involved provided their time and talents at no cost. We all wanted to be apart of something unique and out of the ordinary, something that was a first of its kind in our community. It was this thought process that motivated us to make sure that the film became a reality. There were many times that it should've died, but through the perseverence of so few we succeeded on so many levels. I'm very gracious to the cast and crew of Hallows Eve.

Let's hear about the party on the 30th; is there a screening of the movie along with the music?
P.J. - Friday, October 30th will be reserved as an opportunity to meet the people behind the scenes and listen to the amazing soundtrack played live. We'll be doing some interviews, probably putting people on the spot and also doing giveaways. This party is literally the culmination of the past 2 years, it'll be a fun night and at the end everyone can take a piece of it home with them.

What's in store for the future of the project? Festivals?
P.J. - For all intents and purposes Hallows Eve is ready for people’s DVD shelves. Aside from a showing and Q&A on the campus of University of Louisville on October 20th we have no more plans to submit to festivals. In all honesty there isn't much more we can do with the project. Our original goal was to expose the incredible talent pool that we have within the community and showcase their abilities. The project garnered tons of attention nationally and overseas, being posted on Italian, German, English & Spanish websites; obtaining an official IMDB page; hitting major horror sites such as Dread Central, Bloody-Disgusting & Arrowinthehead; receiving 12+ positive reviews; being featured on USAToday.com & The HollywoodReporter.com, we were even contacted by Fangoria, Rue-Morgue & GoreZone publications. The icing on the cake was having David Breckman, a Hollywood director so impressed by our project, cast his short film Murder In Kentucky using many of the actors from Hallows Eve, even writing a role specifically for actor Robert Denton. The film has done everything we set out to do and more, mission accomplished!

Are you working on any new screenplays/projects?
P.J. - We are in pre-production on a short film called A Mind Beside Itself, a psychological romance. We knew two things going into this project; A. It had to be something far removed from horror & B. It had to have a new visual style and atmosphere that completely set itself apart from our previous endeavor. The story itself deals with particular subject matter and after some research I wrote the script and then we immediately began sending it to everyone involved, including David Breckman (Writer/Producer/Director of Monk & SNL Fame) who offered to help us out by taking on the role as script doctor. The film, though a short, is larger in scope and the bulk of the shooting will take place in Nashville, TN. Nathan Morris an up and coming singer/songwriter out of Nashville and native of Owensboro will be playing the lead. Our crew this time around has taken a larger and more professional hit as we have Adam Tyler, a professional Steadicam Operator, coming from LA to take on the role of Director of Photography. Joey Schell will be coming from LA as Art Director and Jessica McFarland who resides in London, UK will be composing the score. Aside from that we're in early development on another feature, a situation college comedy called Holy Spirits. Our biggest project is a local film festival we are putting together called the Indie Experience Film Festival or ND-X for short. It's not going to be your typical film festival. Obviously there will be films shown, but the real festival is all about the social networking with likeminded filmmakers. The festival will consist of in depth seminars and workshops with industry professionals as well as high end vendors like Sony or Red that will be in attendance to show off their latest technology and give participants an opportunity to experience it first hand. We want people to come from all around to get the same opportunity we were given, to experience Hollywood in Owensboro. Indie Experience Film Festival Coming 2011!

Anything else you want to chip in about the movie and/or DVD release party?
Rodney - What we set out to do with this project was to inspire people who for hobby or career aspiration want to make movies. We have a passion for Owensboro and its talent and we wanted to incorporate that and showcase the abilities of the people that live and work amongst us, and that being said, that is exactly what happened.
P.J. - The party is free to attend and we invite everyone to come join us on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at FYE in Towne Square Mall. Copies of the film will be on sale for $10. You can also obtain a copy of Hallows Eve: Slaughter on Second Street or learn more than you ever wanted to know about the production process by visiting the official website www.hallowsevemovie.com. I also wanted to thank everyone involved that made all this possible. Before you all we were just 2 guys with a dream, because of you that has changed. I'll see you on the set of Hallows Eve 2.

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PHOTO CREDIT | VERITE PICTURES

From the Balcony - TWO, RPC & U

Melissa Kaiser — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:48:19 GMT

October not only ushers in fall and all the relaxing feelings that come with this beautiful season, but it also showcases the second round of productions in Owensboro’s theatre season. Join Theatre Workshop of Owensboro as they tickle your funny bone in Neil Simon’s Come Blow Your Horn. Broadway at the RiverPark presents an exciting rendition of The Wedding Singer. Also featured at the RiverPark Center, Elmo and the gang will entertain your youngsters during Sesame Street Live! You do not want to miss any of these fabulous productions!

Theatre Workshop of Owensboro presents one of Neil Simon’s first plays, the incredibly funny and entertaining Come Blow Your Horn. Their witty presentation centers around two brothers, who work for their father selling wax fruit. Complete opposites in most aspects of their lives, the brothers’ roles begin to change throughout the course of the play. The good brother and the ladies’ man, love and lust, hilarious and serious moments all combine to make this play stand out! “The show is very funny with tight dialog and snappy jokes”, says director and TWO veteran, Kevin Clark. The cast for this stellar production includes several TWO veterans & new-comers: Adam Pryor, Ben Withrow, Erin Frazier, Casi Clark, Tom Mudd, Karen Carothers, and Karen Glenn. Assistant Director, Pablo Gallastegui, and stage manager, Matt Adkins, will add their talent and skills to the mix as well.

The Wedding Singer

As this season’s theme suggests, Theatre Workshop of Owensboro will become “Your Great Escape” this theatre season as you laugh your way through yet another praiseworthy performance by this stellar group of artists!

Sponsored by Swedish Match, “Come Blow Your Horn” takes the stage on Fridays: October 23^rd, 30^th, and November 6^th at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays: October 24^th, 31^st, and November 7^th also at 7:30 p.m.; and a Sunday matinee performance on November 1^st at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students. Season tickets are still on sale! On October 22^nd, enjoy TWO’s “Dress for Dinner: Opening Night Dinner and Show.” For an extra $10, you will enjoy a delicious dinner followed by a fabulous showing of Come Blow Your Horn. Don’t miss this unique opportunity!

For ticket information and reservations, please call TWO box office at (270) 683-5353, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.

On Monday, October 12 at 7 p.m., the RiverPark Center kicks into high gear when the Broadway smash hit The Wedding Singer sings and dances its way across the stage to all your favorite ‘80s tunes! “This musical comedy will take audiences back to a time when pastel was in, hair was big and the wedding singer was the coolest guy in the room!”

Based on the 1998 hit film of the same name, you’ll find Robbie, the jilted wedding singer, lusting after the beautiful, Julia, a waitress who’s engaged to a pig of a man, Glen. Along with their friends Sammy and Holly, this hilarious story will have you laughing and singing along in no time. Throw in a few new plot twists and several new toe tapping songs, such as “All About the Green” and “It’s Your Wedding Day” and you are sure to experience this show in a whole new way!

As a side note, the actor and actress who portray Robbie and Julia are real life husband and wife, J. Michael Zygo and Jillian Zygo. This unique dynamic only adds to the chemistry and excitement of this entertaining production!

On Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. and Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. join the RiverPark Center and VEE Productions as they present the always adorable and educational Sesame Street Live “When Elmo Grows Up!” All your favorite Muppets will pay a visit, including Elmo, Zoe, Rosita, Bert and several others, including the newest Muppet on Sesame Street, Abby Cadabby. They will all share their hopes and dreams as they answer the question: ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’

Delightful songs such as “Home on the Range,” “Down on the Corner,” “Give a Little Love” and nearly two dozen additional songs, will not only entertain your youngsters, but teach them about patience, acceptance and teamwork. “Like television’s Sesame Street, each Sesame Street Live production features timeless lessons for all ages. Adults will appreciate the high-tech stagecraft, cleverly written scripts, and music they’ll recognize and enjoy sharing with their children.” The kiddos, of course, will just enjoy meeting and singing along with their favorite Sesame Street characters!

Be apart of the 30^th season of Sesame Street Live as they bring to life the story of “When Elmo Grows Up!” Tickets are $11, $14 & $17, with a limited number of $22 Gold Circle seats also available. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit www.riverparkcenter.org or call the RiverPark Center Box Office at 270-687-2787.

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PHOTO CREDIT | Wedding Singer credits: Jam Theatricals; Sesame Street credits: VEE Productions

Ricky Skaggs - Bluegrass Ambassador

Dylan Gibbs — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:44:00 GMT

“The Prodigy.” The man who, according to mega-legend Chet Atkins, “Single handedly saved country music.” An established music legend in his own right, with thirteen number one singles, eight Country Music Association Awards along with twenty-three nominations, four platinum-selling records, seven Grammy Awards; whose name could match up to these stats? Ricky Skaggs, a true son of Kentucky, that’s who.

Born deep in the heart of Bluegrass Country – both figuratively and literally – Skaggs was, as is often said of prodigies, put upon this earth to make music. Born into humble beginnings in the tiny northeastern Kentucky town of Cordell in 1954, Skaggs began playing music at a very early age, after his father gave him a mandolin at the age of five. Before his daddy had the time to teach Ricky how to play, the child had learned the instrument himself, and by the end of 1959, he had performed on stage during a Bill Monroe concert, playing "Ruby, Are You Mad at Your Man?" At seven, Skaggs had even played on television with two of the most famous bluegrass musicians of that or any time, Flatt & Scruggs.

By his teens Skaggs was well established as an accomplished singer and multi-instrumentalist. In 1971 he went pro, when, together with the late country singer Keith Whitley, he was invited to join in the band by none other than bluegrass luminary Ralph Stanley. Before he was twenty years old, Skaggs’ reputation as a fresh, creative and exciting performer was solidified through near-constant tours and live appearances and recordings with masters of the craft such as J.D. Crowe & the New South, including the influential progressive-bluegrass sounds of that band’s 1975 self-titled release, to which he lent his mastery of the mandolin, fiddle, violin, viola and vocals. And he was only twenty-one years old.

The mid- and late-70s saw Skaggs with an outfit of his own, Boone Creek. The progressive sounds of bluegrass evolved into what became termed as “newgrass,” a sound that embodied many of the elements of traditional bluegrass with Western Swing, honky tonk and even jazz, thanks to Skaggs’ admiration of the legendary guitarist, Django Reinhardt. It was during this time that Skaggs teamed up with Emmylou Harris, joining her Hot Band in 1977.

By the 1980s, Skaggs’ resume was already polished. Still in his 20s, Skaggs was charting his own course, and, with musicians like George Straight, brought the rootsy, traditional sounds of country music back from the abyss of the “Urban Cowboy” sensation of the time. In the span of only a year – 1982 to ’83 – Skaggs became a solo star. He scored five straight number one singles – “I Don’t Care,” “Heartbroke,” “Crying My Heart Out Over You,” “I Wouldn’t Change You If I Could” and “Highway 40 Blues.” It was during this time that he ushered into an exclusive club, becoming the youngest member of the Grand Ole Opry.

The 90s saw the emergence of slick, commercial country music; as the brand of country Skaggs had become known for began to diminish in radio play, he soldiered on. Numerous concerts and appearances, new records – including eight consecutive Grammy-nominated albums from his own label, Skaggs Family Records – and a return to his roots – bluegrass music – marked the rest the 90s and the beginning of the 21^st Century.

This year marks Skaggs’ 38^th year of playing music professionally. He has grown from a child prodigy to a megastar to a sort of elder statesman of the roots, Americana, Country and Bluegrass music genre. With a full schedule of events throughout the year, as a solo artist and with his outstanding band, Kentucky Thunder, Skaggs is responsible for maintaining the old ways while remaining visible and appealing to a new generation of fans and musicians. And that’s what brings us here together, to anticipate the show Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder will perform at RiverPark Center on October 10.

The gig is part of a much larger, and wholly Kentucky-born, event: The Alltech Fortnight Festival. Throughout late September and mid-October, and at venues across the Bluegrass State, the Festival offers acts as varied as Jason Aldean and Miranda Lambert in Lexington to Mary Chapin Carpenter in Midway, Kentucky to the Decembrists in L’Ton to our subject at hand, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder in Ashland on October 8 and, of course, here on the 10^th.

Alltech’s Fortnight Festival is designed to involve the entire state in the excitement of music and the annual Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington next year. Horses and bluegrass music – what’s more Kentucky that that?

Tickets for the Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder concert range from $16.50 to $37 and are available at the RiverPark Center box office, by phone at 270-687-ARTS or at www.AlltechFortnightFestival.com, which is where you may also find out more information about the Fest, the World Equestrian Championships and more.

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PHOTO CREDIT | ERICK ANDERSON

Christmas in September

Julie Mehringer — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 11:49:56 GMT

Ok, I know Christmas isn't for a few more months, ok, three more months, but it's never too early to start thinking about Christmas shopping. If you're like me and you have a ginormous family, it can get pretty expensive. Since I'm the "cheap chick" it is my responsibility to help you save money this Christmas season.
Get creative and start making gifts for your family. You have three months to hand craft whatever it is you've always wanted to do but never had the time to make. A friend of mine gave me an idea to make my own throw blanket for family. I mean, who doesn't need a throw blanket? It works for men, women, kids, grandparents, pretty much everyone.
Get a couple of yards of fleece fabric on sale at a fabric store or even Wal-Mart. You'll need two pieces of fleece the same size. They can be the same pattern or color or mix it up. You are in charge of the design.

            Lay them out on the floor on top of each other matching up the ends. Work your way around the blanket cutting two inch slices toward the middle of the blanket an inch apart. When you are done cutting, go back around the blanket and tie the two pieces together into a knot. Once you are done, you'll have a very cool looking fleece blanket for a couple of bucks and maybe a few hours.

            To get the best gift, think about what the recipient would appreciate. If making a blanket doesn't appeal to you, search the internet for other crafty ideas that don't cost a lot. I've seen recipes online for everything from homemade shampoo to candles.

            Maybe they would be more likely to enjoy a picture collage of old photos. You can get cheap poster frames for about ten dollars at craft stores. Be sure not to put tape on old photos since it my ruin them. You may want to splurge on special tape at a craft store to reduce the risk of ruining irreplaceable memories.

            If you don't have old pictures, you can print digital photos using websites like snapfish.com or shutterfly.com. Before you order, search the internet for discount codes. Often times you can get free shipping or a percentage off of your order.

            None of these ideas sound good? Give a gift certificate to your loved one. Not the traditional gift card, but a unique gift certificate made by you. Get out the construction paper or get creative on your computer. Make a certificate for a service you can give them like a free car wash or a free night of baby-sitting. Get creative and be specific to your recipient. The most memorable gifts are usually ones that are unique to the recipient. So use your creativity and thriftiness to make your Christmas gifts this year.

Jeremy Camp

Ashley Sollars — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 10:29:29 GMT

Who’s always the wildest, baddest, rottenest kid in school? You guessed it – the preacher’s kid. The preacher’s kid was always the first to ‘jump off the bridge’ and last to get caught. Sometimes though, the preacher’s kid grows up to spread the Word throughout the land in a way his dad never could.

Born in Lafeyette, IN, in 1978, Jeremy Camp is the son of the pastor of the Calvary Chapel church. His first lessons in both guitar and faith came from his father. After high school, Camp attended a Southern California Bible college and refined both his sound and his style. According to Camp, “I started doing music right out of Bible college full time. I did independent stuff for three years.”

Camp’s life story is one of inspiration and devotion. He knows better than anyone what true sorrow and pain feels like but has held close to his Christian faith and through his music has helped others to muddle through their own difficult times. In October of 2000, Jeremy married his first wife Melissa Lynn Henning-Camp. Within four months, Melissa passed away from ovarian cancer. Instead of anger or reclusion, Camp turned his energies to lyrics that reflected his trials. After her death, Camp wrote “I Still Believe,” a song that reinforced his faith in God – even through the most trying time of his life. Even though Jeremy’s message was so close to his own heart, he calmed the heartache of others by not only listening to their stories but also by providing them with songs that articulated their emotions when their sorrow left them unable to verbalize or internalize their own feelings.

Jeremy explains how his life experiences are felt throughout all his music. “I write exactly how I’m feeling sometimes, and hardships that I’m going through. But I always end up, with choruses like, ‘God, You are good. God, you’re faithful. You know, I know. You understand, You’re right here by my side.’ All these different things. And I just say very personal experiences that I’ve been through.”

"Some people might think I'm being preachy. I'm not angry; I'm not pointing a finger. Really, my heart is breaking. I'm talking about loving people and serving people. I'm telling my story," he clarifies. “I'm pointing that finger at me. If my heart's not breaking for the lost, I won't come across the way I need to. I've given up on making this life my home," he says, adding, "I don't want to put my messy handprints all over this."

In late 2003, Jeremy married Adrienne Liesching, former frontwoman for The Benjamin Gate. With two young daughters, a home in Nashville, sixteen No. 1 songs, five Dove Awards, three ASCAP Songwriter of the Year wins and an American Music Award nomination, Camp’s life is more fairytale than tragedy. "It's so new because I'm in such a different place," he says. "I'm 30 years old now. I've been doing this for a while and so much has happened since it began. At this point, I have a more clear-cut purpose and vision of what I'm meant to do. I'm more purposeful in what I'm sharing. Even my mom told me, 'you just seem more at peace and more settled than you ever have.’”

Hailed as a rocker with a preacher’s heart, Camp still uses his stage to proclaim the message that brought him through dark times. But, with six albums under his belt, Camp continues to grow as an artist.

In 2008, Camp released his newest album Speaking Louder. In the past, Camp’s songs have been a reflection of his own personal struggles but Speaking Louder is geared toward a younger audience. "I see the hurt, the lack of direction, in this new generation," the former youth leader says. "I always had a passion for youth, but this album is really aimed at them. If you stay in the word of God then you’ll get a fresh leading of new things to share. I share my testimony of what God has done, but there’s certain things that when I slip into the Word and let God speak to me through His Word and it’s a fresh thing for me to share. "

Whether you believe in the Christian faith or not, with such moving lyrics and a silvery voice that will pull emotion out of even the most stone-hearted of us, the musical talent of Jeremy camp is undeniable. See Jeremy Camp at The Centre on Saturday, October 3 at 7:00 p.m. Special guests are Natalie Grant and Bebo Norman. Seats are $75, $38, $28, $22 and $15. All tickets are subject to Ticketmaster Fees, Handling Charges and Facility Fees. Groups of 10 or more may call The Centre Box Office at 812-435-5770 ext. 211 to receive $2 off per ticket.

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PHOTO CREDIT | www.jeremycamp.com

Sore Thumbs

Dan Woolsey — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:55:45 GMT

Labor Day Special – 5 Labor-Reducing Cheats

Labor Day’s meaning has changed throughout its existence, but ultimately it equals a day off. What you do with the day is up to you, but I recommend staying away from anything that may be strenuous or considered “work.” Please don’t do yard work, workout, or get to work on anything. Going through some of the games in your backlog seems like a much better idea.

To keep in the spirit of the day and to make things easier on yourself, you may want to use a game cheat here and there. Guess what, you lazy bum? I’ve got a few cheats I want to talk about. Cheats can make the impossible seem possible or simply change the way you play. Just remember to cheat safely…cheating can disable achievements on the Xbox 360 or Trophies on the PS3. Consider yourself warned!

“Super Jump” from Mega Man 3 - NES

I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with Mega Man games (except for the Battle Network series; there’s no love there). I love their simplicity, but hate how hard they are. Luckily there exists a cheat for Mega Man 3, which is as helpful as it is easy to pull off. To jump almost three times your normal hop, simply push “right” on the second controller’s d-pad while you jump. That’s it! The only problem is, you’ll have to find somebody willing to keep this held for you. If that doesn’t work out, you could always be like me and put a chair leg on the controller!

“The Konami Code” – NES to current

If “up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start” doesn’t mean anything to you, then you may want to check your nerd credentials. This now-legendary code first appeared in the 1986 game Gradius for the NES, but was made popular by Contra for the same system. You’ll definitely need the 30 lives this gives you in Contra!

Konami still uses this code in current generation games, with varying effects. Non-Konami games and even websites are affected by the code. Facebook supposedly works with it and ESPN.com would unleash pretty unicorns if the code was input (this has since been removed). The truly devoted (or something like that) can even get a t-shirt with the code printed on it!

“Flying Cars” from Grand Theft Auto series – PS2, Xbox, PC

In case you ever run out of things to do in a Grand Theft Auto game, the developers have hidden even more insanity to be unlocked. You can get more health, weapons, and vehicles using cheats, but that’s to be expected. To change things up a bit more, try the cheat that slows down gameplay (the sound also slows down…hearing the slow screams of pedestrians is hilarious).

For the ultimate in city exploration, you’ll need to enable flying cars. While they’re pretty hard to control, you might just get used to it. Even if you don’t, it’ll still be very entertaining. See how high you can get and then bail out! Oh, before you get too excited, please know that Grand Theft Auto IV doesn’t have any of these mind-altering cheats.

“Road Rage” from Saints Row – Xbox 360, PS3

Saints Row is what all of the cool kids played while waiting for Grand Theft Auto IV to come out, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good game. While it borrowed heavily from the GTA games, it brought new ideas to the table as well. The story in Saints Row never grabbed me, but the nice graphics and wonderful explosions did.

I spent most of my time in Saints Row trying not to get killed by psycho-vehicles in a mode I dubbed “Road Rage”. While not really a cheat, putting in the right code caused all of the town’s residents to suddenly hate your stinking guts. Drivers would relentlessly chase you down in their reckless attempts to end your life, usually ending their own. You could simply pick a slightly elevated spot and watch the carnage unfold. There was a park I liked to seek refuge in and watch drivers kamikaze into a low wall as they pursued me. Eventually cars would pile up in the streets all around you, leaving you no choice but to blow them up to make way for new victims. If you were feeling lucky enough you could try to cross the street!

“Non-firing Enemies” from Galaga – early arcade units

Remember Galaga? Remember arcades? A wise man recently informed me of a cheat for the Galaga arcade game that would cause the enemies to stop shooting at you. Just destroy the first wave of enemy ships, except for the bee-like ones and avoid their fire for about 15 minutes. Once they stop shooting, get rid of ‘em and enjoy annihilating the rest of the pacifist ships that will come your way.

Unfortunately this bug was fixed in later versions of the arcade units, so I guess it’s too late to try it now. That’s too bad because I would have loved to convince unknowing onlookers that I made the enemies surrender in fear!

Send queries, questions, answers and acclaim to Dan at sorethumbs.news4u@gmail.com.

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PHOTO CREDIT | Mega Man 3 – www.theoldcomputer.com, Konami Code – www.mikedinthehead.wordpress.com, Grand Theft Auto – www.news.softpedia.com, Saints Row – www.scrawlfx.com, Galaga – www.roger.trideja.com

It's In the Bag

Ashley Sollars — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:42:45 GMT

Notie Notes

Available at walmart.com

This pen is the newest necessity that every college student should have. The Livescribe Pulse™ Smartpen will record audio from class lectures and sync it up to whatever handwritten notes are taken. A USB connector transfers all data to your computer where it can be transformed into movies or other study tools. Beats flash cards!

$148.88

The Juice

Available at amazon.com

No more “my phone died” excuses. The Duracell Rechargable Instant USB Charger can be taken on the go and used to juice up Blackberry's, iPods and other devices for longer battery life.

$29.99

Hangin’ Out

Available at containerstore.com

This portable clothesline can hang out in any dorm room or bedroom. Students can get creative and hang their art work or photos on the line for a decorative touch or just air out wet socks.

$9.99 for the line, $3.19 for hooks

Wired Up

Available at spoonsisters.com

No more tripping over plugged in cell phones. The Driinn Mobile Device Charging Holder helps keep cords tucked away while keeping cell phones close to the ground to prevent falls from nightstands, desks and other furniture.

$10

Chill Out

Available at PBTeen.com

This is your RedBull connection! Stock up your “cool” fridge with everything you need for study breaks or just hanging out with friends. Post pics and notes all around.

$199

Briefs!

Dylan Gibbs — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:28:57 GMT

“Jammin’ for Joey”

Thanks to the efforts of a ton of fantastic people, cancer patient, husband and father of two young children, Joey Fischer, will get a benefit concert in his honor at the Daviess County Fairgrounds on Saturday, September 12.

An entire day of fun is planned, with live entertainment, dinner, an auction and raffle, cornhole tournament and more. Bands like Dirt Fashion, Allyd, Clearly Confused and The DJs will be on hand to do the “Jammin’ for Joey.” Get there early to enjoy the day – kids are welcomed too; plenty of activities will be going on throughout the event – which kicks off at 2 p.m.

Dinner begins at 5 p.m.; the auction at 7 p.m. You can get your eat on for only $5, and any and all contributions to the worthy cause are totally welcome.

Mustang Roundup

Dig it, man – look right over there! There, to the left! Everything you need to know about the Mustang Roundup at Champion Ford on Saturday, September 26 is right there… this is the chance to see some awesome classics of American car making.

Ever been in a music video?

Well, on Saturday, September 5 at Frankie’s, you may well be. Nashville-based musician Scott Lindsey will bring his suitcase full of bluesy, rocking, folksy, trad-country stuff there to film the live music scenes for an upcoming video. How awesome is that? You can go hear some great live music with friends and a cold one or three, and maybe even be captured on camera, get noticed by a high-powered talent agent, be offered millions for a modeling/acting contract, star in a slew of movies (some great, some fine, and some Godawful), marry another incredibly gorgeous Hollywood star, move to France, adopt half the children in Africa, battle weird rumors about your health, appear on red carpets across the globe and be honored late in life with one of those sappy “Lifetime Achievement” awards at the Oscars in 2050. Or not.

RULES TO THRIVE BY:

1) For the love of all things lovable: The characters on screen at the movies cannot hear you. Why this bears repeating to an audience of adults is incomprehensible but sadly, necessary.

2) If you update your Facebook status more than eight times a day, no one loves you more than you love yourself and that probably will never change.

Buzz Osborne

Dylan Gibbs — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:22:52 GMT

King Buzzo on… everything

Listen to the interview here

When the opportunity came along to talk to Buzz Osborne, founding member of the seminal band The Melvins, I had a geek-out. After all, it’s not every day that you get to talk directly to someone who’s given not only you, but millions of others, the inspiration to get down in the sludge with a guitar, live life on your own uncompromising terms, and be goofy because you simply have to.

So I called him up to talk about The Melvins’ new tour and album (a bizarre collection of remixes called Chicken Switch); things went weird right from the get-go. And I couldn’t have been happier with the results.

Buzz Osborne (pictured top right) weighs in on, well, everything.

N4U: Hey, is this Buzz?

BO: Yeah. Who’s this?

Dylan Gibbs with News 4U magazine in Indiana.

Indiana? Never heard of it. Is that some place down south?

Racecars? Basketball? Corn?

Doesn’t ring any bells. Is that one of the 50 states?

It is a state, not a commonwealth. Sort of boot-shaped.

You’re thinking of Italy, aren’t you?

They do both start with “I,” however our history doesn’t go back as far; we don’t have such a rich array of architectural treasures.

Your written history doesn’t go back that far. We can write our own history.

We can start from scratch, which wouldn’t be a bad idea…

Is that where Woody Hayes was a coach?

No. We had Lou Holtz at Notre Dame and Bobby Knight at IU.

I don’t know nothin’ about college sports. I only know Woody Hayes ‘cuz he punched that kid in the throat.

So what do you want to talk about?

What do I want to talk about?

Yeah. I have a bunch of questions, but I thought I’d see what was on your mind this morning.

Well, we have a new record coming out; that’s probably the most important thing. It’s a good one. It’s really weird. It’s strange; I’ve already seen one bad review. One review said that it was an ‘unnecessary’ record, which I find really interesting, because that raises the question that there are necessary records… that basically we’re a heavy rock band and that’s all we should do.

Apparently the Jonas Brothers are really necessary right now.

Never heard ‘em. But they’re popular, so we wanna do a collaboration.

So… what’s your first music-related memory?

I don’t know. Probably singing in grade school or something. There was a song called “Thunder Road” about moonshining when I was a kid. Robert Mitchum did a movie called Thunder Road. My parents liked Clearance Creedwater and stuff like that.

That sort of segues to something I read about you: Is it true you started out playing covers of The Who and Hendrix?

No. We’re going to get around to playing Who and Hendrix covers.

So that’s total bullsh*t. I did read it online.

Surprisingly enough… from the Internet, you know. The thing is, I love the Internet. I think it’s great. But I also don’t spend any time correcting it. I just let it have a life of its own.

That’s really cool; a lot people get uptight about that kind of stuff.

A lot of people get really uptight about everything. What you should do, is drink more coffee, and get more exercise.

Speaking of which, there’s kids at your shows who weren’t even born when you first started out. What kind of advice would you give them?

I stopped giving advice to kids a long time ago, because they don’t listen. They go on their own journey; I believe people dig their own graves. I haven’t had one single kid ever listen to one single thing I ever said.

I have to challenge that a bit; you’re a big influence to a lot of guitar players, whether you like it or not.

I don’t mind it at all. I like my influence on music; I’m very happy about that.

Let’s talk about Chicken Switch. How did you collect together such a weird and wonderful group of musicians and DJs for the project?

We wanted to do something really strange, and we knew those people would be up for the job. A friend of ours from Atlanta named Jesse helped us do it, and it was all good.

So you gave them free reign and said, ‘here’s the stuff, go for it?’

I believe in artistic freedom. I made no suggestions whatsoever. I don’t believe in that kind of thing. If you hire somebody to do something… if you hire somebody to paint a picture of your wife, you’re not going to stand over his shoulder and tell him how to paint it. You might as well do it yourself. I trust their vision. I’ve already made these records; I’ll let them do something else with them, even if it means gutting them and tearing them apart.

You’re with Ipecac Recordings, which does everything great; what’s it like with them, opposed to say, working with Atlantic Records when you guys were with them?

It’s always interesting to me, because people have asked this a million times. I say, ‘we did three albums with Atlantic; when you listen to those records, do you really hear record company meddling of any sort?’

No.

None. I would say Ipecac’s doing no more meddling or less meddling than Atlantic did. Atlantic let us do whatever we wanted.

Do you think that if you were with Atlantic or Sony or whoever today, you’d have that same sort of freedom?

I wouldn’t be on ‘em if I didn’t. No one is going to dictate to me what to do. Ever. Certainly not musically. They can shove it up their ass. I’m not taking orders from somebody. There’s plenty of bands out there that are willing to be led around by the nose. People shouldn’t think that we’d be one of those bands.

It’d be nice if more musicians were able to throw caution to the wind and do what they want.

They are able to. It’s not that they can’t; it’s that they won’t.

Why won’t they? Is it for money? For lack of guts?

They want to be big stars… great. I have no problem with that.

I saw an interview with you and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame came up in the conversation – you said something to the effect that fame was the worst part about the business.

Yeah. Fame gives me nothing. Fame does nothing for me.

So is it baggage, like it’s annoying when people come up to you and…

That’s not a problem; that’s fine. I just mean… ‘ooh, I wanna be famous.’ So what? Charles Manson’s famous – what did it do for him? I’m very appreciative of the people who come to our shows; I’m always nice to them unless they’re assh*les. But I’ll never ever ever fault someone for being a fan of ours or wanting to talk to talk to me. But fame in and of itself is worthless. What counts is what you have done. I’m striving to be a good musician, and hopefully people’ll like it. Grandma probably doesn’t know who I am…

There’s probably some groovy grandmas out there rockin’ Stoner Witch as we speak.

We won’t hold our breath.

I have to ask about Nirvana and Kurt Cobain; there are so many bad biographies out there. Since you knew him so well, what’s something that no one else knows about him?

Nobody knows where his ashes ended up. Knowing Courtney Love, they probably ended up in the Hoover, you know?

(Laughing uncontrollably) That’s incredibly awesome. There’s just so much drivel that’s been written and said about him.

Tragic story. There was no happy outcome. None. There’s no good side to it. None. Nothing, you know. It’s horrible. And I’ll never get over it.

Any new songs or shows planned with Fantomas?

Who knows? It’s all up to Mike [Patton]. He’s in Faith No More world right now, so…

But the phone could ring at any moment?

I’m not gonna hold my breath.

From here, the interview dovetailed into a discussion on parenting, the movie ratings system, the government, censorship, personal responsibility, babysitting, The Exorcist, and boring people.

The Melvins will be near-ish on September 6 in Knoxville, September 21 in Indianapolis, September 25 at Pop’s near St. Louis and September 28 at Expo Five in Louisville. Their new album, Chicken Switch, comes out September 29. The 15-track CD is different from most remixes; each artist on the album was given a full album of Melvins material to work from; each of the song titles were chosen by the remixer.

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PHOTO CREDIT | IPECAC RECORDINGS

Summer Music Fest IV

Nick Durcholz — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:09:56 GMT

By this time, summer as we know it and love it in a classic sense has come to a bittersweet close. Backyard barbeques dwindle into an aromatic smoke of a memory, swim gear may be worn one more time then shelved and forgotten, and the ice cream truck’s bell is audible fewer and fewer times. However, all is far from quiet on the music festival front. To label these September music festivals “summer” is debatable but to say great music won’t be heard is a total misconception. Really, September is fully stocked with a variety and intensity of bands and musicians which surpasses or photo finishes with the most eventful of the standard summer months. The distance of these events are in a much closer proximity to the Evansville and tri-state area (except for one.) As a result, they are much friendlier on the gas tank and the wallet in general. This is a much welcomed highlight in comparison to last month with the music festival in Maine (what a hike.) Here is what September is getting down with.

The Land of Lincoln boasts a festival specifically tailored for all those artsy folk out there. One will find most of these bands and performers are fairly obscure but present a unique scene and opportunity to hear and see some great music and laid back performances. The 2009 Pygmalion Music Festival in Champaign-Urbana, IL is hosted by the Krannert Center for Performing Arts on the quaint and rustic campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana/ Champaign. Due to the atmosphere and location this festival easily snags the award for “Best College Town Festival” and also the award for “Best Chance to Find a Keg in the General Area.” So grab a fedora and prepare to vibe out September 16^th-19^th with headliners Iron & Wine, Lucero, RJD2, and Ra Ra Riot. For more information visit 2009.pygmalionmusicfestival.com.

Iron & Wine

Now for the music festival containing such an obscene amount of talent, originality, and energy every single musician cringes and cowers (literally) at the mention of it. American Idol Tour. This is tour inspired by the spell-binding show which has single-handedly swept the hordes of musical sheep in our beautiful nation and completely captured their simple, benign musical imaginations. To such a powerful and lasting some credit must be given. This show has opened the doors to every day Joes and Janes and put them on the fast track to a record deal. This is truly fantastic but couldn’t these musicians made it on their own as well? Anyways, this event takes the prestigious award of “Best Festival to Take your Musically Challenged Mother or Father To” and features show favorites such as Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta, and Anoop Desai. The tour will make a stop in Indianapolis on the 5^th at the Conseco Fieldhouse. For more info visit www.americanidol.com/news/view/pid/1632.

Adam Lambert

Get down to the musical roots of the United States with the Lewis and Clark Music Festival on the Illinois side of the Mississippi in the St. Louis area in the town of Hartford. The festival is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 12^th and features instruments brought to our shores from other countries when our country was young. Musicians playing flutes, dulcimers, and fiddles will fill the air with traditional tunes whose origins are French, Spanish, and Native American. The event will be hosted at the Lewis and Clark Historical Site off New Hoag Road and IL-3. Admission is free and performances will be held indoors and outdoors. This event walks away with the “Learn While you Listen” award and the Best Festival for the Culturally-Minded” award. For more information call 618-251-5811.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Be advised the Monolith Music Festival is not exactly a stones throw away but it is hosted by one of the most beautiful outdoor venues in the country. In the small town of Morrison, CO lies a venue fit for the gods and partially hewn from layered, burnt sienna rock native which gives color to the southwest. Most artists dream of playing at this venue and rest-assured the Monolith Music festival has one hell of a line-up. The Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, The Mars Volta, Ok Go, and Method Man & Redman are fully charged to deliver a show of immense energy and talent. This event seizes the “Best in West Coast Taste” award and the “Most Eye-Popping Locale” award. The event takes place on Sept. 12^th and 13^th. Single day tickets are available starting at $52 up to $65 the day of the show. Two-day passes are available starting at $95 up to $110. In this case, every inch of the 1,000+ mile trip is worth it. For more information go to www.monolithfestival.com.

October Tease

Three words which carry a ton of meaning to a musician and most music fans is “Austin City Limits.” This music festival behemoth boasts 130 bands including Pearl Jam, Beastie Boys, and Dave Matthew’s Band. Ziker Park in Austin, TX will play host to eight stages and three days of music and more October 2^nd-4^th. For more info visit www.aclfestival.com.

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PHOTO CREDIT | LARS BORGES, OUTANDABOUT.COM, COVERALIA.COM