Ham Breakfast at Kentucky State Fair Turns Political

Posted on September 2, 2013 by theurbanllama
Miss Kentucky Jenna Day, and Angela Osting posed with the grand champion ham following the 50th annual Kentucky Farm Bureau Country Ham Breakfast. Osting, representing the Yum! Brands Foundation, placed the winning bid of $350,000 with proceeds going to charity.

Miss Kentucky Jenna Day, and Angela Osting posed with the grand champion ham following the 50th annual Kentucky Farm Bureau Country Ham Breakfast. Osting, representing the Yum! Brands Foundation, placed the winning bid of $350,000.

The Kentucky State Fair may have concluded a week ago, but the reverberations from the rhetorical stiff-arms thrown over healthcare reform by Governor Steve Beshear and Sen. Mitch McConnell at the Kentucky Farm Bureau’s Country Ham Breakfast continue to be felt around the Bluegrass.

You see Kentucky is an odd duck of sorts. On one hand it’s one of the most conservative states in the union. It voted for Bush senior over Clinton, went for W in record numbers both times, and sided with McCain and Romney over Obama. Its senior senator is Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader and highest-ranking Republican in the country. Kentucky’s junior senator is Rand Paul, who is a Tea Party loyalist and openly critical of the passage of the Voting Rights and Civil Rights Acts.

Five of Kentucky’s six U.S. House members are Republicans as well, making this an extremely red state nationally, but the governor, Steve Beshear, is a two-term Democrat.

He is a conservative Democrat, no doubt, and continues to throw his support behind the right-leaning coal industry in Kentucky even as its profitability decreases, but Beshear doubled down on healthcare reform.

Kentucky ranks near the bottom nationally in terms of healthy states, coming in at 44. It ranks first in cancer deaths and smoking. Obesity, diabetes and heart disease are all a close second.

Like its political makeup, Kentucky also has an ironic twist in the level of care accessible to its needy residents. Louisville is home to Humana, Inc., a Fortune 100 company and leading issuer of health coverage. The research hospitals at the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville are some of the best in the country. This state is recognized for its treatment of cancer and heart disease, but it’s a poor state, that has 640,000 residents lacking health insurance, so they can’t see any of the fine doctors here.

Beshear realized he could cut all the operating costs he likes to try and shore up the state’s budget shortfall, but there was no way to fix Kentucky’s financial woes without addressing the rising costs of healthcare. The old way of providing care did not work. It was a never-ending pot of gold for doctors, administrators and insurers, but crippling as a prolonged business model. If you got sick policies were revoked. Then people were tagged with pre-existing conditions, forcing them to delay care and become even more ill before seeking care at emergency rooms where they couldn’t pay the bill – driving costs ever higher.

The governor took it upon himself to embrace the Affordable Care Act passed by Congress and affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court. His robust support has placed Kentucky at the leading edge of health reform by accepting President Obama’s invitation to have states set up their own state-based health exchanges. In Kentucky this marketplace is known as kynect, Kentucky’s Healthcare Connection, where people will be able to shop for low-cost health insurance.

Beshear also opted to take advantage of expanding Medicaid, which will allow over 300,000 uninsured people to find coverage.

Obviously in a state with such a conservative congressional delegation and red-leaning constituency, all this Obamacare love was not received with open arms.

Usually the Country Ham Breakfast centers on agriculture, and the Farm Bill was discussed, but with open enrollment at the time 39 days away, it became a victim of circumstance. This just happened to be the spot where all the political players were in the same room, so the fight went down in a catered banquet room of South Wing B at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center.

The sellout crowd of 1,600 at this 50th annual event was full of corporate big shots, agricultural leaders, university presidents, lobbyists, state lawmakers and congressmen.

With Sen. McConnell stoically seated two chairs away, Gov. Beshear strongly defended his decision to aggressively implement the Affordable Care Act and to expand Medicaid.

“Kentucky’s collective health, folks, is among the worst in the nation,” said Beshear. “We’ve ranked that bad for a long time. The Affordable Care Act is our historic opportunity to address this weakness and to change the course of the future of the commonwealth. We’re going to make insurance available for the very first time in our history to every single citizen of the commonwealth.”

Being the crowd was split between Democrats and Republicans, about half the room burst into applause, while the other half sat on their hands.

Implementing this new law “is not only the right and moral thing to do,” but it will provide an economic boon to Kentucky by creating 17,000 jobs with a positive economic impact of $15.6 billion. That ultimately will boost state revenues by a net of $800 million, said Beshear citing two independent studies that showed this information.

Beshear pleaded with opponents of Obamacare to back off. “It’s time for our leaders, all of our leaders – at the local, state and national levels – put aside this time-worn political posturing that you’re doing all the time and start working for the people.”

“It’s amazing to me how people who are pouring time and money and energy into trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act sure haven’t put that kind of energy into trying to improve the health of Kentuckians. And think of the decades that they have had to make some kind of difference,” Beshear finished.

McConnell didn’t take the criticism well, and said Obamacare is resulting in higher premiums and lost jobs as full-time employees are made part-timers. He also cited how UPS, Louisville’s largest private-sector employer, is limiting its healthcare plans for spouses.

“So, governor, the solution to Obamacare is to pull it out, root and branch,” McConnell said to applause.

McConnell’s Republican colleague, Sen. Rand Paul, a potential 2016 presidential candidate, also addressed the crowd, but gave a speech focused on controlling the national debt, ensuring the right to privacy and ending military aid to Egypt – though Paul did ask the crowd to consider “where’s the money coming from” to implement the program in Kentucky and across the nation.

With the political barbs out of the way, it was time to move on to the main course, which was auctioning off a prized slab of pig.

Harper’s Country Hams in Clinton, Ky., presented the fair’s Grand Champion ham on a platter, adorned with roses. It was showcased by the reigning Miss Kentucky, Jenna Day, who carried the platter among the bidders to give them a close look at the prized meat.

This is a charity auction mind you, and bidding began at $1, but it quickly got serious, as the price soared into the six-figure range.

The winning bid for this 13.3-pound ham was $350,000!

That’s $26,315 per pound.

The charitable wing of Louisville-based Yum! Brands Inc., (that’s the folks who own Taco Bell and KFC), placed the winning bid. It was the fifth-highest bid in the auction’s history.

Proceeds from the auction go to the winning bidder’s charity of choice, which in this instance was the Fund for the Arts, which helps allow Kentucky children to see orchestra and theater performances.

The ham was donated to a local food bank, Dare to Care.

Can you imagine slicing up a ham that went for over $26,000 per pound?!?

The Country Ham Breakfast is a uniquely Kentucky event, and a can’t miss date for the state’s movers and shakers.

Afterwards, Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, who is trying to win the Democratic Party’s nomination to challenge McConnell in next year’s race, told reporters that some parts of the Affordable Care Act should be changed, but “let’s not throw out the baby with the bath water.”

Posted in News | Tagged | Leave a comment

SHOWTIME UPDATE

Posted on August 15, 2013 by theurbanllama

Morning TeleportationSomehow it’s already the middle of August, so I thought it was appropriate to put up some of the more compelling live summer and fall music still out there to be seen.

HOT! TICKETS:

* Morning Teleportation @ Zanzibar in Louisville 08/15; @ Mercy Lounge in Nashville 08/16 (This will be a monster show Thursday night, and only $10 – catch these boys on their way up)

* Joe & Vicki Price @ Southgate House in Newport, KY 08/22 (This is serious BLUES!)

* Thao & The Get Down Stay Down @ Taft Theater in Cincinnati 08/22

* North Mississippi Allstars @ Southgate House 09/09

* ZEDD @ Bogart’s in Cincinnati 09/10

* Queens of the Stone Age @ PNC in Cincinnati 09/13; @ LC Pavillion in Columbus 09/15; @ Louisville Palace 09/18

* Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite @ Ryman Auditorium in Nashville 09/14

* Alt-J @ Ryman Auditorium in Nashville 09/21

* Widespread Panic @ Taft Theater 09/22

* Gov’t Mule @ Brown Theatre in Louisville 09/27; @ Ryman Auditorium in Nashville 09/28; @ LC Pavilion in Columbus 10/02

* Phoenix @ LC Pavilion 10/03

* Fidlar @ Exit/In in Nashville 10/14

* Franz Ferdinand @ LC Pavilion in Columbus 10/16

* Beats Antique @ Newport Music Hall in Columbus 10/22

* Cold War Kids @ The Vogue in Indianapolis 09/29; @ Headliners in Louisville 11/01

* Joe Bonamassa @ Louisville Palace 11/05

* Pretty Lights @ Louisville Palace 11/13

* Gary Clark Jr. @ The Vogue in Indianapolis 11/22

CHECK OUT COMPLETE LISTINGS UNDER THE TAB: LlamaShows

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Something Stinks in Sen. McConnell’s Campaign

Posted on August 10, 2013 by theurbanllama
Political operative Jesse Benton, campaign manager for Sen. Mitch McConnell.

Political operative Jesse Benton, campaign manager for Sen. Mitch McConnell.

Something always seemed one-off when it was announced last September that Jesse Benton, who ran the successful campaign of Rand Paul for Senate, was being hired by Mitch McConnell as his campaign manager. Especially considering McConnell backed Paul’s opponent, Trey Grayson, in the 2010 Republican primary.

There was bad blood there on both sides, and turns out that distaste remains. Yesterday a recording surfaced of a phone conversation where Benton says, “I’m sort of holding my nose for two years,” referring to the time when he must work on McConnell’s 2014 re-election bid.

The spin on all this is, Benton feels working for McConnell now will help with Rand Paul’s possible presidential run in 2016.

“Between you and me, I’m sort of holding my nose for two years because what we’re doing here is going to be a big benefit for Rand in 2016,” Benton said on the recording. “That’s my long vision.”

The recording was published by the Economic Policy Journal, which said it was made in January 2013 when Dennis Fusaro of the Reformed Theological Seminary called Benton to ask a question about the presidential campaign of U.S. Rep. Ron Paul.

Follow close, ’cause this gets thick fast.

Former Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), and Rand Paul's dad.

Former Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), and father of Rand Paul.

Rand Paul is the son of former Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), who was the Libertarian Party candidate for president in 2012. Benton is married to Ron Paul’s granddaughter and was spokesman for Paul’s presidential campaign, after having run Rand Paul’s victorious 2010 election bid over Attorney General Jack Conway.

Unlike many political operatives who are just hired guns, Benton is more than casually committed to the Paul family. He also is a libertarian activist, who works closely with conservatives, like Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), and libertarian organizations like Americans for Tax Reform, the Liberty Coalition and the American Conservative Union.

Benton works for candidates and organizations to push his own political agenda.

This story about the taped phone conversation is troubling for two reasons. One, clearly McConnell will do anything, including sucking up his pride to hire Benton, in order to appear more conservative to Tea Party members, who hold a powerful sway in Kentucky. McConnell hoped that by hiring Benton he could scare off any possible challengers in his upcoming primary. OOPS!

Republican businessman Matt Bevin of Louisville announced his primary campaign against McConnell last month. Bevin is backed by several Tea Party activists in the state.

McConnell is viewed suspiciously by the Tea Party movement, and now his credibility is further in question. He has spent much of his career bringing taxpayer money back to Kentucky. He supported the bailout package in late 2008 as the economy looked near collapse and has backed an untold number of resolutions raising the debt ceiling.

That doesn’t smell like Tea Party – and they know it.

Secondly, is there a greater manipulation underfoot between Paul, McConnell and Benton? McConnell has always been a mumbler and an opportunist, more interested in the power associated with holding a Senate seat, particularly the title of Senate Majority Leader. McConnell says what he has to say to keep his job, but it’s questionable if he really believes the rhetoric.

Rand Paul and Jesse Benton are true believers. They cloak hate, fear, racial separatism, secessionist philosophies and limiting public assistance behind the guise of the Tea Party.

This is a message they aspire to take to a national audience soon.

McConnell joking with Benton after the story broke. I guess snake love is better than no love at all...

McConnell joking with Benton after the story broke. I guess snake love is better than no love at all…

In an email Tuesday, Benton called the recording “truly sick” and said he is “100 percent committed to McConnell’s re-election. “Being selected to lead his campaign is one of the great honors of my life and I look forward to victory in November 2014.”

Bevin’s campaign immediately seized on the Benton recording.

“Even Mitch McConnell’s campaign manager, Jesse Benton, thinks something stinks with the Mitch McConnell campaign,” said Bevin campaign spokeswoman Sarah Durand. “His admission that he is ‘holding (his) nose for two years’ while he works for McConnell shows that even McConnell’s top guy realizes that his boss is not a true conservative, and after nearly 30 years of voting for big government and big spending bills does not deserve to be re-elected.”

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Republicans and Tea Party Loyalists Splinter over Conservative Ideals

Posted on August 9, 2013 by theurbanllama
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), in all his glory on the Senate floor.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), in all his glory on the Senate floor.

Rand Paul, the junior Republican senator from Kentucky hasn’t had the best month. First it came to light that his director of new media, Jack Hunter, was a pro-secessionist zealot, who goes by the name of the Southern Avenger, wears a Confederate flag mask at personal appearances, and OH BY THE WAY, wrote that he feels John Wilkes Booth’s heart was “in the right place” in his killing of Lincoln.

It took Sen. Paul a couple weeks to figure out that even though he liked Hunter, keeping around a guy with his proclivities for antagonism would be difficult to explain out on the campaign trail.

Then came the vote last week to strip U.S. foreign aid to Egypt at a moment when this ally nation is suffering great internal unrest.

Paul made his familiar isolationist argument about nation building here at home instead of overseas, after attempting to attach his proposal to a domestic spending measure. This shortsighted, short-reward viewpoint treats America like it operates in a vacuum, neglecting to take into consideration the message it would send if U.S. aid was suddenly stripped and the reverberation it would have across the Middle East.

Sure the United States could keep that money and use it to restore some dilapidated bridges, but what happens when Egypt becomes destabilized and war breaks out across the region? What might that cost in terms of money and lives lost?

In the hour-long debate that preceded the vote, Paul was given a taste of isolationism, as he was left to stand alone on the Senate floor. And it was Republicans who lined up to enthusiastically rebuke the Kentucky senator’s intention.

“I think most people on this side of the aisle understand that this is terrible public policy,” said Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, the ranking Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee. “One of the reasons we are the greatest nation is because of the values we extend around the world and the fact that we have been a voice of calm.”

International foreign policy thinker, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) on the left, and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

International foreign policy thinkers, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) on the left, and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said a vote for Paul’s plan “is probably easier to explain” but “your country would be well served if you decided today to pause and wait.”

And Sen. John McCain of Arizona vigorously rebutted Paul, saying, “this amendment would send the wrong message at the wrong time.”

Paul tried to fend off this emotional onslaught with wild gesturings and rambling speeches, refusing to yield the floor to colleagues when asked and accusing his own party’s most respected voices on foreign policy of “empty thoughts and empty promises.”

Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee, said he might have agreed with Paul 15 years ago, “before we realized the threats that we have in the Middle East.”

When the clerk called the roll, Paul’s measure was crushed 86-13.

It was a staggering rebuke for a supposed presidential candidate, especially when it came at the hands of his own party.

Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ).

Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ).

Another potential presidential candidate chimed in on Paul last week as well. Chris Christie, the GOP governor from New Jersey, called Paul’s libertarian views, “dangerous.”

“You can name any number of people who have engaged in (those debates), and he’s one of them,” Christie said of Paul during remarks at the Aspen Institute in Colorado. “I want them to come to New Jersey and sit across from the widows and orphans (of the 9/11 attacks) and have that conversation. And they won’t, ’cause that’s a much tougher conversation to have.”

A ferocious debate is emerging within the GOP over its vision and future. It’s pitting rising stars like Paul against other prominent figures like Christie and McCain. There will be no easy path to the White House in 2016, and Paul is starting to recognize this.

After coming in postmortem on the 2012 presidential election, Paul spoke honestly about Romney’s defeat and how the GOP must be more inclusive. He wanted to open the proverbial umbrella, and extend the demographic nature of the Republican Party, or so he said.

This led to Paul’s not so secretive ventures to Iowa and other places crucial to any aspiring presidential candidate. It may only be 2013, but traveling these byways without competition can only last so long.

When it was discovered that Paul was scheduled to headline a routine fundraiser at the Women’s National Republican Club in New York this month, two Republican congressmen, Michael Grimm, who represents Staten Island, and Peter King, who represents part of Long Island, became furious that this Kentuckian was venturing onto their turf.

Paul, of course, has been a vocal critic of federal aid being provided to victims of Superstorm Sandy, saying that Gov. Christie and Rep. King were precisely the same people who are unwilling to cut the spending, and were seeking to maximize all the Sandy money they could get their hands on.

Paul went on to say, “Those are the people who are bankrupting the government and not letting enough money be left over for national defense – so I think it’s those people who are making us weak in defense.”

It’s tragic when that bright light of clarity begins to shine down upon possible White House aspirants so far out from the election.

From left: Sen. Paul, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).

From left: Sen. Paul, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).

And this isn’t only Rand Paul. There is Sen. Ted Cruz from Texas, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida.

Two months ago Sen. McCain, the GOP’s 2008 presidential nominee, likened Sen. Cruz and Sen. Paul, and others, to “wacko birds” for their style of confrontational politics.

The funny thing is, if I had read about this initially, I probably would have guessed it was the Tea Party that was causing the ruckus, but that is not the case. Finally long-standing, distinguished conservative thinkers on the right are calling out the fringe, and self-policing their lunacy before Democrats or editorial journalists have to get involved.

Rand Paul can survive a statewide run in a place like Kentucky, the electorate is conservative and his message doesn’t filter out much past the Bluegrass and those in the Tea Party seeking validation. But put him in front of live microphones for days on end nationally, where he must answer pointed questions from knowing journalists – that will get ugly fast.

Mainline Republicans have become fatigued with the obstructionism and empty rhetoric the Tea Party and far right are espousing, and appear tired of going back to their home states and attempting to defend or passively accepting these destructive arguments.

Locally we saw some of this frustration spill out at Fancy Farm Saturday, the premier political event in Kentucky, where Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority Leader, faced spirited attacks from his likely Democratic challenger, and from a Tea Party candidate who is challenging the five-term incumbent in the primary.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and his likely Democratic re-election opponent Alison Lundergan Grimes.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and his likely Democratic re-election opponent Alison Lundergan Grimes.

The likely Democratic nominee to challenge him, Alison Lundergan Grimes, accused McConnell of not working with others in Washington, while Republican primary opponent Matt Bevin blasted him for what he said was an inability to stand up to Obama.

“If Mitch McConnell’s doctor told him he had a kidney stone, he’d refuse to pass it,” said Grimes.

Bevin delivered what may have been the sharpest attack of the day, urging McConnell to “be a man” and stand up to the president.

“I don’t intend to run to the right of Mitch McConnell. I don’t intend to run to the left of Mitch McConnell. I intend to run straight over the top of Mitch McConnell and right into the U.S. Senate,” Bevin said in his speech.

This sets up a wonderful situation for Rand Paul. He must decide whether he will back Bevin, the Tea Party candidate, who in all likelihood will get crushed by McConnell, or endorse the Senate Minority Leader and cold shoulder his Tea Party loyalists.

The sound of Republican discord is echoing in Washington and through the trees of Kentucky. How the Tea Party and Reagan Republicans will handle this new stress in their relationship is yet to be seen, but no doubt loyalties will be tested.

McConnell’s Senate race is the top election in 2014. Quickly following it will be the open 2015 gubernatorial campaign in Kentucky, and then it’s Sen. Paul’s chance to renew his vows and run for re-election during what stands to be a hotly contested 2016 debate over who should next hold the keys to the White House.

As the acrimonious tone amongst conservatives and the Tea Party grows, it becomes apparent neither side will sit by idly and be contented to wait for next time, and I for one will gleefully watch this internal power struggle unfold.

Do remember to wear protective gear, this fight is going to get messy.

Posted in News | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Despite Republican House Votes, Obamacare Already Showing Benefits

Posted on August 6, 2013 by theurbanllama
President Obama shows that insurance rebate checks are in the mail.

President Obama shows that insurance rebate checks are in the mail.

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have been at it again. Over the past two weeks Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), along with their happy band of miscreants, have voted not once, but twice, to again try and remove certain binding provisions of President Obama’s sweeping healthcare reform law.

Each vote passed the House overwhelmingly. The problem for Republicans is the Affordable Care Act has already successfully navigated both houses of Congress, was signed into law, and validated by the U.S. Supreme Court. It doesn’t matter what this current batch of House Republicans wish they could do – it’s not possible to repeal this law.

This is the 39th and 40th times the Republicans have wasted staff and public resources to demonize a program that is currently showing benefits of streamlining healthcare delivery and expanding assistance to those previously disenfranchised from affording benefits.

Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Republicans are acting like spoiled children who didn’t get their way – walking around grousing and kicking the carpet, only to go and ask the other parent if they can have their way.

Medicare Part D, or the Medicare prescription drug benefit, that President George W. Bush proposed, was not exactly popular with Democrats, but once it narrowly passed Congress in 2003, both parties got behind it to make its implementation as seamless as possible. Today, you couldn’t pry that benefit away from seniors.

And the funny thing is, that program was completely funded through deficit spending. Regardless of Medicare Part D’s success, essentially China wrote America a check to pay for it.

Meanwhile, the Affordable Care Act is paid for, but Republicans continue to cry over their spilt milk, so they are refusing of allocate reasonable funds to assist in this new law’s implementation – even though it’s happening anyway.

Fear is a powerful motivator for Republicans.

Fear is a powerful motivator for Republicans.

It’s unprecedented the level of feet dragging and obstructionism that Republicans are exercising over a law that has passed. It’s particularly disturbing to watch the majority of Republican governors purposely harming their respective citizens by not opting for expanded Medicaid or setting up health benefit exchanges, where residents and small businesses can turn to qualify for premium supported health benefits and tax breaks.

It will be up to residents in these states to hold their so-called leaders to task for such reprehensible decision-making.

The Obama administration isn’t waiting for the GOP to see the light. They opted to go on offense in July to push back against naysayers of the Affordable Care Act.

The day after House Republicans passed legislation to delay enforcement of the employer and individual mandates by one year, which have no chance of getting through the Senate, President Obama announced that checks are in the mail for 8.5 million Americans who will split more than $504 million in rebates from their health insurance companies.

This comes courtesy of a provision called the “80/20 rule” in the health law that penalizes insurers for wasteful spending. It requires insurance companies to spend at least 80 cents of every dollar in premiums collected on patient care and quality improvement, and no more than 20 cents on administrative costs and overhead.

If they spend an excessive amount on profits and red tape, they owe rebates back for the difference no later than August 1, 2013.

Locally, more than 200,000 Kentuckians will be getting rebates from their health insurance companies this summer, averaging $100 per family.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said 206,771 Kentucky residents will receive $14,405,533 in rebates because of the Affordable Care Act.

Last year, nearly 13 million people split $1.1 billion in rebates based on their 2011 premiums.

The administration is also encouraged by preliminary data that suggests premiums will be lower for individuals who must purchase coverage through the exchanges, due to greater competition amongst insurance companies.

A new analysis by the Obama administration found that in 11 states where data is available, the lowest cost “silver” plan – which covers 70 percent of medical costs – will cost on average 18 percent less than the Congressional Budget Office estimated.

The Affordable Care Act’s positive impacts continue to spread since it was passed three years ago. It’s not that there will not be bumps in the road as an estimated 30 million Americans who currently lack health insurance begin signing up on October 1, but for those that wish to disrupt, defund or dismantle Obamacare, without base or fact, purely due to fear or racism, I kindly say step aside.

Stop hurting others for the purpose of political aggrandizement. All of these Republican politicians have some of the best healthcare benefits available, allowing them the luxury of telling the disadvantaged about how awful Obamacare will be, and yet, the GOP continues to offer no legitimate healthcare reform alternative, only scorn and narcissism.

Just step aside Mr. Speaker, Mr. Majority Leader, Mr. Senate Minority Leader, and let true change walk past.

Posted in News | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Thanks for the Bourbon Mr. Lee

Posted on August 3, 2013 by theurbanllama
Master Distiller Emeritus, Elmer T. Lee, at Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Ky.

Elmer T. Lee (1919-2013), was the master distiller emeritus at Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Ky.

There sure are some joyful spirits up in heaven shaking Elmer T. Lee’s hand and giving him a thankful slap on the back, as he was personally responsible for a goodly portion of the angels’ share of fine Kentucky bourbon that drifted skyward over the past 60 years.

Mr. Lee was known as the master distiller emeritus at Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Ky., and was a legend in the bourbon industry. He is the man responsible for the single-barrel bourbon craze that kicked off the whiskey revival across the world over the last 30 years.

We lost that legend last week, when Mr. Lee died Tuesday after a short illness at the age of 93.

I can’t say I knew Mr. Lee all that long, but I was quite familiar with his craft and handiwork. As a young Capitol Hill staffer in 1994, I along with a motley crew of Confederate carpetbaggers, were enthusiastically working the halls of Congress, when the Republican Revolution came to pass during the midterm elections of that same year.

Bill Clinton was two years into his first term when Newt Gingrich came peddling his poorly conceived snake oil that was the “Contract with America.” It may have all been smoke and mirrors, but the Republicans gained control of the House for the first time in 40 years.

The blood lust created from all these red meat Republicans in one city ushered in a dining renaissance. Suddenly whiskey, cigars and high-end steak joints were all the craze in DC.

Blanton's Bourbon, with eight different stopper designs, that show the racehorse in its full range of motions.

Blanton’s Bourbon, with eight different stopper designs, that show the racehorse in its full range of motions.

I was a Kentuckian by birth, so it was rare you would find me without a bottle of Maker’s Mark or other  Bluegrass distillation nearby. My circle of friends was into premium liquor, and we hosted our own whiskey tastings. I clearly recall the first time I put down the nearly $50 required to buy a bottle Blanton’s bourbon, which was Mr. Lee’s single-barrel contribution to the market.

I bought it at Schneider’s on Capitol Hill, which is an amazing place to purchase liquor, and took it to a tasting. Pulling that bottle out of its green and gold box was like opening up a mystery.

All of us were familiar with the traditional brands, they had been around forever. Blanton’s was new to us, and a step up.

Out of this silky cloth bag came a rounded, multi-faceted orb of a bottle, with a hand-etched label noting the warehouse, rick, barrel and bottle number, with a gallant jockey and racehorse perched on top. At over 12 years old, an ice-cube or two was all that was necessary to open up this robust 93 proof nectar.

It was amazing sipping whiskey, and led to a night of swapping tall tales, amidst good friends and air thick from Hoyo de Monterrey cigar smoke.

Mr. Lee was born in Franklin County, same county where Buffalo Trace Distillery is located, on a tobacco farm near Peaks Mill in 1919. He graduated from Frankfort High School in 1936 and worked for Jarman Shoe Co. until December 1941. During World War II, he was a radar bombardier on a B-29 Superfortress, flying missions against Japan through 1945.

In 1946, he was honorably discharged and returned home to study engineering at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, where he graduated with honors in 1949.

Barrels waiting their turn at the Buffalo Trace Distillery, which was named a national historical landmark in 2013 by National Park Service.

Barrels waiting their turn at the Buffalo Trace Distillery, which was named a national historical landmark in 2013 by the National Park Service.

That September, Mr. Lee took a position in the engineering department with the George T. Stagg Distillery in Frankfort (which later became Ancient Age, and then Buffalo Trace in 1999). By 1966, he became plant superintendent, and then plant manager in 1969.

It was in 1984, one year before his retirement, that Mr. Lee introduced Blanton’s to the world. It was the first single-barrel bourbon.

It became a hit, first in Japan and then elsewhere, and led to the bourbon industry’s reinvention, with its turn to premium spirits.

Likewise, it’s hard to imagine there would be a Kentucky Bourbon Trail if Mr. Lee had not bottled Blanton’s, which led to Jim Beam, Wild Turkey, among others, coming up with popular premium and ultra-premium labels.

Mr. Lee put a face behind his bourbon, by getting out and traveling to promote the products from Buffalo Trace, and offer tastings to fans and the uninitiated – which is a  hallmark adopted by all the distilleries included on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

After his retirement in 1985, Mr. Lee became an ambassador for Buffalo Trace. A year later, he was honored with his own eponymous single-barrel label.

Mr. Lee continued to visit the distillery weekly to taste potential bourbons for his own Elmer T. Lee single-barrel label and to sign bottles and memorabilia.

“In the world of making really fine whiskey, the role of master distiller is pivotal, but Elmer’s meaning to those he met, came to know, and worked with closely extended far beyond that of a master distiller,” said Mark Brown, president and CEO of Sazerac, the Louisiana-based parent company of Buffalo Trace. “Elmer defined in the simplest terms, what it means to be a great American: hard-working, self-made, courageous, honest, kind, humble and humorous.”

Posted in Food, Liquor, News | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Sen. Rand Paul and the Southern Avenger Part Company

Posted on July 31, 2013 by theurbanllama
Jack Hunter as the Southern Avenger.

Jack Hunter as the Southern Avenger.

It took Kentucky’s junior Republican senator, Rand Paul, two long weeks to realize it was best to part ways with staffer Jack Hunter after it was learned he was a former pro-secessionist radio commentator, who wore a Confederate flag mask during public appearances, and expressed support for the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

Sadly I’m not joking here.

Paul, who is an early 2016 presidential contender, received failing marks in his initial attempt at exercising sound judgment and delivering a timely decision.

Since the end of the 2012 presidential race, when Mitt Romney fell victim to his “47 percent” comment, Sen. Paul has urged the GOP to be more inclusive. Placing a guy like Hunter on his staff, much less defending him, imploded his efforts to convince the public he truly respects the beliefs or social realities faced by minorities or disadvantaged populations.

Hunter was Paul’s director of new media and the two co-authored the 2011 book, “The Tea Party Goes to Washington.”

The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative online news site, reported that Hunter, 39, has called himself the Southern Avenger since 1999, and is a past local chairman of the League of the South, a group that advocates Southern secession.

The Beacon also detailed how Hunter wore a Confederate flag mask at public appearances as a radio commentator, and wrote in a 2004 blog post that “John Wilkes Booth’s heart was in the right place,” adding “the Southern Avenger does regret that Lincoln’s murder automatically turned him into a martyr.”

In 2005, Hunter wrote, “I raise a personal toast every May 10 to celebrate John Wilkes Booth’s birthday.”

As the story broke, Paul’s spokeswoman, Moira Bagley, released a statement saying the senator “holds his staff to a standard that includes treating every individual with equal protection and respect, without exception.”

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), stood by Hunter even after he learned the Confederate Avenger wore a Confederate mask.

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), stood by Hunter even after he learned the staffer wore a Confederate mask.

Then the senator weighed in personally to defend Hunter, saying, “People are calling him a white supremacist. If I thought he was a white supremacist, he would be fired immediately. If I thought he would treat anybody on the color of their skin different than others, I’d fire him immediately,” Paul remarked to The Huffington Post.

Hunter tried to distance himself from his former incarnation, by petitioning Chris Haire, his editor at the Charleston City Paper in South Carolina, to see if he could have dozens of his old stories removed from online viewing.

Hunter’s reasoning was that supposedly these opinions no longer reflected his current worldview.

Haire looked upon this request with a dubious eye. He offered Hunter an exchange. If these former points of view no longer applied, then write a column detailing that position so it could be published and Haire would pull down the old stories.

That’s a pretty sweet deal considering the inflammatory comments contained in these stories and the possible value of getting them taken offline, but Hunter refused.

This confirmed what Haire already suspected, that Hunter’s opinions hadn’t shifted. He was only attempting to provide cover for himself and Rand Paul, as this story refused to dissipate and was beginning to attach itself to the senator’s presidential aspirations.

Hunter’s efforts ended up doubly backfiring, as Haire wrote a column about this odd request that is a brilliant read, entitled, Aligning Himself with Racists.

Haire says Hunter and Paul wanted to treat these former opinions of the Southern Avenger as if they were akin to a youthful indiscretion – but Hunter was an adult, and a well-known radical on the radio and in print.

“While a member of the City Paper’s stable of freelancers, Jack wrote in support of racially profiling Hispanics, praised white supremacist Sam Francis, blasted the House of Representatives’ apology for slavery, and claimed that blacks should apologize to white people for high crime rates,” wrote Haire.

Haire goes on to say, “Over the course of editing Jack for years, it was clear to me that when he spoke of Southerners, Southern values, and the Southern way of life, it was as if the South to him was solely populated by white people, and everyone else was an intruder or at best a historical inconvenience.”

“Jack traffics in race-baiting rhetoric and repeatedly aligns himself with racists but then refuses to own up to the meaning and purpose of his actions. And the same applies to Rand Paul. Like his father before him, Paul has courted the racist wing of the GOP, the faction that wants to vote for a states’ rights champion, a man with the courage to say we should have separate lunch counters as a matter of principle, a politician with the chutzpah to proclaim that he would have voted against the Civil Rights Act,” wrote Haire.

Hunter winding up on Paul’s staff was not a coincidence. In fact it’s most likely that the senator was well aware of the Southern Avenger’s opinions, and was a fan.

Jack Hunter with his boss Sen. Rand Paul, and wearing his mask as the Southern Avenger.

Jack Hunter with his boss Sen. Rand Paul, and wearing his mask as the Southern Avenger.

After Paul delivered a speech in Louisville Monday at the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention, it was confirmed Hunter had been let go. Paul said Hunter’s departure “was a mutual decision,” and that, “I think because of the views he expressed before my employment he became a distraction.”

There is another coincidence between Hunter’s rants as the Southern Avenger and Sen. Paul, and that is President Abraham Lincoln.

Follow me here – you see Paul doesn’t come to disagree with the concept of say Obamacare like most conservatives, which generally complain that the end result will be a lessened quality of care, at a greater price, with more money being added to the deficit. Paul disagrees with it on a bigger level. Obamacare to him represents an expansion of federal power.

This goes back 150 years to when Lincoln strengthened the Union by what Paul and his Libertarian buddies feel were tyrannical abuses of power when a supposedly unnecessary civil war was waged to abolish slavery and segregation.

During Paul’s run for the Senate he gave several interviews where he was publicly critical of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and indicated it violated both states’ rights and individual property rights.

This doesn’t make him an out-of-the-closet racist like Pat Buchanan, but when you read between the lines, what Paul is saying is he disagrees with the legal methods that ended state-sanctioned racism.

Abraham Lincoln courageously took America in the direction necessary. Sen. Paul intends to exhibit his own brand of Tea Party leadership, and take the country the other way.

Abraham Lincoln courageously took America in the direction necessary. Now Sen. Paul wants to reverse course and return us to the good ‘ole 1800s.

The problem the Jack Hunter situation creates for Paul is it shows he has a tolerance for slavery and secessionist ideals, and employed the counsel of at least one neo-Confederate.

In the hyper-partisan halls of Congress, even these misguided ideals can find a populist home, but take them out nationally on a presidential campaign, and chances are Paul will be relegated to wing nut status.

Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, said keeping Hunter on staff would have been “fatal” to Paul’s presidential ambitions in 2016, and keeping him on as long as he did probably harmed him significantly.

I imagine Hillary’s oppo-research person was tabulating every minute Paul didn’t fire Hunter, and kept copious notes and video of the senator attempting to defend his not-so-closeted racist staffer.

Rand Paul is to opposition research like Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, and Rick Perry were to comedians like Letterman, Leno, Stephen Colbert, and John Stewart – he is the gift that keeps on giving.

Posted in News | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

JJ Cale is headed for an “After Midnight” Appearance

Posted on July 29, 2013 by theurbanllama
JJ Cale

JJ Cale (1938 – 2013), RIP.

We lost a guitar legend Friday – a musician’s musician in JJ Cale, who passed away at a La Jolla, Calif. hospital after suffering a heart attack. He was 74.

Cale is one of those strange enigmas within popular music. His reputation preceded him, but few knew what the man looked like.

Cale is responsible, along with fellow Oklahoman Leon Russell, for developing the “Tulsa sound,” a relaxed style of bluesy country rock with minor chords, that shuffles the beat forward, mixing in a rockabilly style and jazz. It helped define a decade of roots-based, Southern-style rock-and-roll.

Cale never sold a lot of records, and almost got out of the music business, as he was struggling to make ends meet playing gigs on weekends and working a day job, when in 1970 he heard Eric Clapton covering his song “After Midnight” on the radio. It made the Billboard Top 20 and was Clapton’s first major hit as a solo artist.

[JJ CALE | AFTER MIDNIGHT (1971)]

This song, along with “Cocaine,” which also was recorded by Clapton, and “Call Me the Breeze,” that was a hit for Lynyrd Skynyrd, are all songs that helped define a generation and remain in heavy rotation on classic rock radio.

Cale was never as well-known as his songs, but he was OK with that, so long as the royalty checks kept coming in the mail – and they came often.

The list of artists who covered his music or cite him as a direct influence includes Clapton, Skynyrd, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, Mark Knopfler, Jerry Garcia, The Allman Brothers, Carlos Santana, Waylon Jennings, Captain Beefheart, Chat Atkins, and Bryan Ferry.

A song I love of Cale’s is “Travelin’ Light,” which Clapton recorded initially, but has been a standout track for Widespread Panic over the last 20 years, and remains a concert-staple for the band.

[JJ CALE | TRAVELIN’ LIGHT]

Neil Young has said Cale and Jimi Hendrix were the best guitar players he had ever heard. Critic Geoffrey Himes wrote in The Washington Post in 1983 that Mr. Cale’s “superb guitar leads – which other guitarists study faithfully – are so thoroughly woven into the fabric that one has to mentally unravel the songs to identify what miracles Cale is working.

Cale’s biggest personal hit was “Crazy Mama,” which rose to No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. The story goes that Cale was invited to appear on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand to promote the single, which would have moved it higher on the charts, but Cale declined when told he could not bring his band to the taping and would be required to lip-sync the words.

JJ Cale 2That’s JJ Cale in a nutshell. The guy stuck to his guns and got it done his own way.

Cale won a Grammy Award for best contemporary blues album for “The Road to Escondido,” a recording he made with Clapton in 2006.

John Weldon Cale was born on December 5, 1938, in Oklahoma City, OK, and raised in Tulsa. He was playing guitar in Western swing and rock-and-roll bands by the mid-1950s and often worked in Tulsa with Leon Russell, who became an influential songwriter and pianist.

Adding to Cale’s reclusive presence was the style in which he recorded. Cale acted as his own producer, engineer and session player. He purposely would bury his whispery vocals beneath the mix of instruments, forcing listeners to lean in and focus. And he rarely included any pictures of himself on his albums, so few could recognize him, though many had heard his music and could sing his lyrics.

“There are entertainers and there are musicians,” Mr. Cale said in 1988, “and I never was an entertainer.”

Posted in Music | Tagged | Leave a comment

Stand Your Ground With Trayvon Martin

Posted on July 26, 2013 by theurbanllama

Trayvon MartinI respect the jury’s decision in finding George Zimmerman not guilty of second degree murder or manslaughter charges in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. The fault in this tragedy isn’t with the court case or the verdict. It’s our society that is to blame, with the perceptions that we’ve built and perpetuated about black teens, and the pervasive acceptance of firearms into our everyday lives.

To me the evaluation of responsibility for this child’s death boils down to a simple police standard – the Use of Force Continuum.

I served as a police officer. There is a reason the application process and background checks for police agencies can run as long as a year. Psychological evaluations are part of the package. George Zimmerman had the feel of a holster-sniffer, a cop want-to-be, who probably couldn’t make the cut.

The force continuum is an essential training component for all law enforcement officers, from police, to corrections, down to security guards. It details how much force is justified to use against a resisting subject depending up the level of refusal to cooperate.

For example, if a police officer arrived on scene and there was a complaint about a person disturbing the peace. If this subject was non-compliant to verbal commands from the police officer and was exhibiting passive resistance, then the officer could use soft empty-hand control techniques and access pressure points on this person to gain control of the situation and escort the subject into custody safely if necessary.

What you can’t do is shoot this person.

A Colorado artist's rendering of former-defendant George Zimmerman.

A Colorado artist’s rendering of former-defendant George Zimmerman.

George Zimmerman instigated a confrontation and escalated it by bringing a firearm on-scene. Trayvon Martin was a 17-year old African-American male, living in a gated community. What threat exactly are we talking about here?

Zimmerman profiled the kid, followed Martin, and while serving as a neighborhood watch volunteer, decided to rattle the boy’s cage because he “looked” like trouble.

I don’t care if Martin whipped Zimmerman’s ass up one block and down the other. A beat down is not lethal force. If Zimmerman, 29, can’t handle a 17-year old, then he shouldn’t be out playing cop and harassing innocent citizens.

Let me put it this way. If a 29-year old male police officer got into the same kind of altercation as Zimmerman did with Martin, and the cop shot and killed an unarmed 17-year old boy – internal affairs would be all up in that officer’s ass over an unlawful shoot.

This is why police carry tools like pepper spray, Tasers, or impact weapons, like a collapsible ASP or PR-24. These are multiple force options available for consideration as a situation escalates without having to use lethal force.

Another classic police training move is to back away and create space between you and a subject, until the scene can be stabilized, but instead Zimmerman “stood his ground,” and Martin is dead.

Again, I don’t fault the jury. The law on the books presented this scenario as possibly a justifiable homicide in theory, but I fail to see how Zimmerman was in fear of imminent death.

This doesn’t pass the smell test.

Part of the problem is Florida, which has one of the most regressive and delusional sets of local, state and federal leaders in America. These are the same toolboxes that believe global warming and climate change are mythical incarnations of scientists, liberals and Democrats. During rainstorms these days there is enough water pooled up at stoplights in Miami to stall a full-sized SUV. That doesn’t bother these leaders, it’s imaginary, and if the city sinks below the ocean, well that was God’s will.

It’s a convenient excuse, I’ll give them that.

Don’t expect sensible laws or justice from this brand of so-called leader. The reason being, these folks represent wealth and entitlement.

Education, money and connections allow these leaders and “their people,” to buy their way out of trouble, whether that be legal or the advent of a natural disaster. They merely dust themselves off and move on to another unsuspecting locale like a plague of locusts.

God and guns is their rallying cry, and the reasoning behind most everything they advocate, but don’t let that fool you. This is about privilege and class warfare. These folks are frightened by the changes in modern society. Gay marriage, alternative lifestyles, immigration reform, affordable health care – anything helping to legitimize or assist marginalized populations of society becomes an instant enemy.

Sadly, no public sit-ins at the Florida governor’s office, or complaints about civil rights violations, will influence these leaders’ attitudes, because they don’t care about those who are not like them. They see their mission as a lonely one, of guarding against popular opinion, but a task left only to them, and they will try to carry out what is best for the few, no matter how draconian.

If low-income individuals of various races have access to sufficient food, housing, childcare, a decent education, and affordable health care, then they could more easily rise above their circumstances and compete against white males. This is the social war being fought in America today, as the right fringe tries to cripple that progressive mobility.

Trayvon Martin's parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin appear on the Today Show with host Matt Lauer.

Trayvon Martin’s parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin appear on the Today Show with host Matt Lauer.

My heart goes out to Trayvon Martin’s family. They have held up admirably under great public scrutiny. I can’t imagine their pain and sense of loss.

There is nothing that will fix Trayvon’s premature departure, but consider this. Late at night, when all is still, and George Zimmerman is left with only his thoughts and the actions he took – I wouldn’t want to be making the argument to the Almighty that I was justified in killing an unarmed teenager.

There is a higher jury yet to rule on this matter.

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Forecastle Music Festival Hits Louisville

Posted on July 23, 2013 by theurbanllama
Jim James bringing it with heart in his home town | American Songwriter

Jim James bringing it with heart in his home town | American Songwriter

Finally I am recovered, rested, and back in my groove from going to see Forecastle two weeks back. I only went to the Saturday shows, but had friends in town Thursday through Tuesday, which had me in entertainment mode. The event itself was fun, not amazing, just fun, but going to this kind of event, now that I have a baby, isn’t exactly carefree. It takes a lot more logistical planning and consciousness.

I had an A+ crew of folks attending, as two of my oldest and dearest friends, Ave and Murphy, had driven up from Orlando. We’ve known each other since college at Iowa. Ave and I used to hit the Grateful Dead shows together in Chicago and Alpine Valley when Jerry Garcia was still alive and picking.

They came up to meet my baby daughter Isabella, and turned the trip into a vacation, by bringing along their 13-year old daughter Mia, and picking up passes for all three days of Forecastle.

From L to R: Billy, Eric and the Llama.

From L to R: Billy, Eric and the Llama.

My Lexington buddies Eric and Billy also were hitting the Saturday shows. Eric and I have known each other since he was probably in first grade. He works Lollapalooza in Chicago, where we’ve both had fabulous times, and Austin City Limits. All three of us are music heads, and see a ton of live music.

Riding with me from Frankfort was Maia, and an old acquaintance that I ran into again recently, Jonathan, who like me, is from Frankfort but has lived away from Kentucky for a long while.

The point being this is a crew that has all seen each other at our best and in our less than proud moments, so we can let loose in comfort around each other, plus we’re all veterans of these kind of big music events, and this was the first time for all of us at Forecastle.

That alone was reason to get amped.

It’s arguable that Forecastle shot its proverbial wad on Saturday. I get that this is the easiest day for everyone to attend, and it makes sense to load that day up, and they did.

The Black Keys were headlining a two-hour closing set, then you had The Flaming Lips, Jim James (from My Morning Jacket – which is a Louisville band), the Alabama Shakes, The Joy Formidable, Dawes, Kurt Vile & the Violators, Matt & Kim and Foxygen.

Of course Hunter S. Thompson was at Forecastle.

Of course Hunter S. Thompson was at Forecastle.

There was still plenty of talent spread around the other days, but neither Friday nor Sunday had the same buzz-quality as Saturday. I’ve heard that Houndmouth (another Louisville band) killed on the main stage Friday, and Night Beds was notable. Old Crow Medicine Show, Big Boi, the Pimps of Joytime were in the house, and Bob Mould (from Husker Du) rocked hard. The String Cheese Incident did their jam band thing Friday at the fest, late night Saturday at the Palace, and again played Forecastle Sunday under the name The Forecastle Incident (which was more of a bluegrass all-star show), but that is kind of a specialty act – and not for everyone.

You had The Avett Brothers, Robert Plant and Grace Potter & the Nocturnals Sunday. There was plenty of talent this year, but something was one-off about this event, and I’m still not sure what it was.

Ave and Murph hit town Thursday, and came by our house to meet Isabella and hang out some, then rolled up to Louisville where they were staying at the Brown Hotel for the fest. I was ready mentally to kick into weekend mode, but we desperately needed to find a babysitter. Everybody was doing something this weekend because it was supposed to be the first true nice summer weekend of the year. And I needed to cover a big block of time, from like 10AM till 2AM. Thankfully Aubrey ably stepped up and took the early shift with Peanut till my mom could get home later in the afternoon.

Problem solved, let the good times roll.

We hit Louisville and met up with Eric and Billy at the Garage. We discovered this spot in NuLu a couple weeks back when I had some friends in town from DC. It’s a cool joint that is housed in an old garage.

They have a stacked craft-beer menu, excellent bourbon and a superb kitchen. The place was swamped with people, but we had a table. The five of us got our drink on. I went with the High Heat again, which is a bourbon and absinthe combination. That will take you places. I also ordered some really tasty oysters on the half shell.

From L to R: Pedro, Mia and Murph.

From L to R: Pedro, Mia and Murph.

Once fed and fuzzed up, we opted to leave our vehicles right there, because that is a safe part of downtown and walkable to Waterfront Park. We all made pit stops at our cars to tap our coolers for to-go beverages, then headed towards Forecastle.

Ave, Murph and Mia were already inside, and I found them over by where Foxygen was playing. I only know their “San Francisco” and “Shuggie” songs, but they seemed to be getting after it harder than either of those tunes.

We hung for a bit then went to meet up with the rest of our crowd.

Forecastle is held in a rather confined space. It suits its overall purpose, but it doesn’t take but a few minutes to truck from one end to the other, which immediately made me think, “is this it?”

Life under the overpass.

Life under the overpass.

Much of Forecastle revolves around what is occurring under the interstate overpasses, which gives off a subterranean urban feel. Grey concrete overpasses, two bridges that connect Kentucky and Indiana, along with the Ohio River itself are the three primary elements that stand out about the setting where Forecastle is held.

There is a sweet water element, where a drainage canal cuts through the festival grounds beneath the overpasses. A makeshift bridge is in place for attendees to use when marching back and forth between the Boom and Mast Stages. Stair-step walls on the canal make for a natural seating option, and many who were seeking a spot out of the sun or who were tripping a bit too hard found this area a welcomed respite away from the open crowds, but within earshot of the music.

Considering the close proximity to all the stages, the sound was fantastic. The organizers did a great job of cutting the angles off on the stages so the line of sound stayed with those who are at the individual stages. There was no sound bleed, so major kudos to everyone involved at Forecastle.

But there is a lack of stimulation for folks when they aren’t watching music. It would be one thing if this was a one-day fest, but at three days, with limited space, the sites around the neighborhood get tired fast. There was some contrived eye candy, and for those not used to hitting bigger festivals or large shows, it might be amusing for a minute, but needs work.

The other detraction I will mention about Forecastle is once inside there is very little to distinguish this event from it being held anywhere else in America. There was the Bourbon Lodge, where master distillers were lingering, but otherwise there was no telling where this event was being hosted. Louisville is a very DIY kind of weird community – get more of Louisville’s strangeness inside this venue. Give the artists a platform, set up temporary canvasses or structures for them and others to express their river city sentiments. Make this thing feel like we are in Louisville.

The birdman travels his or her own path at Forecastle.

The birdman travels his or her own path at Forecastle.

That being said, we all had a fun time. There are a lot of folks around this area that are odd ducks and don’t have the option of traveling outside the metro area, so Forecastle is where they can let their freak flags fly. There was a ton of cool ink on display, piercings, costumes and people celebrating the rare chance to express themselves without judgment.

Saturday was cooking up beautifully. Everybody had a good buzz on, the weather was clear but not too hot, and folks were elevated by 4:00 PM. Then came the weather.

The music stopped around 4:50, and we were told to evacuate the venue.

The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning, with gusts of 60 mph and nickel-sized hail. That would sting out in the open.

We all took this seriously considering the crazy weather hitting places these days, and the tragedy at the Indiana State Fair in 2011, when a gust from an approaching storm collapsed a stage where Sugarland was playing, killing seven and injuring 58.

It didn’t last long. The anticipated weather glanced off the Louisville area and hit Indiana, with no impact locally. Still, the call to evacuate was correct and handled orderly.

But you can’t just get 25,000 plus people back immediately. Folks walked all over the place. Thank god for social media and cell phones, so alerts could go out.

About 5:30 the gates reopened.

They reset the lineup, dropped a few acts, and we all came back fired up to witness the Alabama Shakes. What Forecastle couldn’t get back was the same level of enthusiasm. The extra walking, the long day, drinks and such – by the time everyone was back the excitement level was tempered.

Maia and the Llama.

Maia and the Llama.

I went up front to where Eric and Billy were standing, stage right under the big blue “Team Fun” flag, to chat with those guys when the Alabama Shakes went on. Brittany Howard and company lived up to their hype, by delivering a booming hybrid mixture of soul, gospel, and Southern rock that was akin to a revival.

There was plenty of trouble to be had that far up in the crowd, so I dropped back at the end of the set to where Ave, Murph, Mia and Maia had set up a camp with some blankets, mid-way back on the field. We still had good sight lines, but room to breathe.

We ended up chilling there the rest of the night. Jim James came on with much anticipation, and played a great set of his new material – but it’s not exactly up-tempo. Everyone was hoping for a My Morning Jacket scenario or other guests, and that failed to materialize. The band played enthusiastically but the crowd needed raw energy and this wasn’t the set to produce it. I will add that James closed with “Let It Be” by the Beatles, and that was outstanding.

This left it up to The Black Keys, who are straight rock-n-roll energy, but even they couldn’t rescue this adrenaline-sapped crowd. We could have gone over to the Flaming Lips, but I’ve seen them a bit recently, and they are doing a darker set these days to go with their new disc “The Terror,” and Mia and Ave checked out Matt & Kim, with moderate reviews – so I stayed put till the Akron boys showed.

Ironically, Eric and I saw the first show of the “El Camino” tour on March 02, 2012, in Cincinnati. Forecastle marked the last show on the tour. These guys have played 131 shows since then and basically their set list has remained unchanged.

Considering the soul-based acts that played prior to The Black Keys, when Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney hit the stage it was a huge rush of energy, but quickly you could tell they were mailing in the set.

Literally, there wasn’t a song in their set that they hadn’t played over 100 times in the last year and a half. In fact “Howling for You,” “Tighten Up,” “Lonely Boy,” and “Gold on the Ceiling,” have all been played 129 times.

It’s impossible for them to come out with any sincere enthusiasm and play that set of songs now, and it showed.

Our vantage point from the field for the closing set.

Our vantage point from the field for the closing set.

They looked good. You can tell Dan and Patrick now get their hair styled, are buff and on workout programs, their clothes are clearly designer, but appear thrift shop-ish. Good for them, they deserve the spoils, but after a long day it would have been cool to see a band hungry to turn out a crowd.

The Black Keys played a confident, safe set, that with the rain delay, ended at 12:30.

That was my Forecastle experience. I’m a little jaded, and our crew is hard to please. We know what good is, and that is a hard level of expectation to meet. I would say Louisville and Forecastle are paired well. Both the city and this event are trying, and that is more than can be said for what was going on around this area 20 years before.

This was the 11th edition of Forecastle, and it keeps getting better. It’s far from perfect, but JK McKnight, the festival founder, does continue striving to improve the quality of the event and the experience for those attending.

Forecastle had 65 bands playing on four stages over three days, with an estimated 65,000 in attendance. That’s double the record crowd from last year. Nice job JK!

This is more a celebration of youth and expression. It was great people watching and a relaxed crowd. Right now trust is being built between McKnight and those who attend this event. Forecastle’s reputation is positively building, city leaders in Louisville are embracing what clearly is a money-making endeavor in the dead of summer, and folks respect the talent and diversity of artists McKnight continues to book on a yearly basis.

This is definitely worth checking out, and when the early bird tickets for 2014 become available later this year, it would be financially sound to just snatch up passes before the talent is announced. Forecastle is worth the price of admission.

Posted in Events, Music, Reviews, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment