Legacy Trail - movin' along

A Legacy Trail announcement is set for July 30 at Thursday night Live! The free event starts at 5:30 at Cheapside Park downtown (as with every Thursday during the summer), and the announcement will be made at 6:15 ~ free "beverage" if you ride your bike! The Legacy Center will also be unveiling three logos for the trail, to get public feedback and input.

In case you've been hiding under a rock, the Legacy Trail is Lexington's forthcoming 9 mile mixed-use path – it will start downtown, wind through the East End, hit up some parks along the way and end up at the Kentucky Horse Park, out Newtown Pike. There should only be one major street-crossing. This will provide a much-needed, long overdue option for Lexington walkers, joggers, skaters and cyclists to have a path of their very own – as you probably aware, the complete lack of bike trail options in Lexington is pretty dire.

(Here's an article I wrote in Business Lexington last year about the Legacy Center - search "Legacy Center" on the BizLex site for other related articles.)

The project has nearly $8m in place so far (with funding from the John L. Knight Foundation, the city and other sources). The Legacy Center is currently working on getting the final leg funded (from Northside YMCA to IMMAG at 3rd and Midland).

Ground breaking is set for October 2009, with completion by September 2010.

If you're interested in volunteering, e-mail Beth Willmott at the Legacy Center: bwillmott@bgcf.org

And visit the website for updates about the Trail and the East End:
www.legacycenter.ning.com
www.mylegacytrail.com
Facebook Group

Decemberists coming to Lexington

From September 25-October 25, Alltech will host the Alltech Fortnight Festival, presenting a different concert each night across the state. The full line-up has not been announced, but I've got the skinny on a Lexington show some of you may find of interest:

The Decemberists w/ special guest Laura Viers
October 6
The Singletary Center
Tickets = $30/35/40

Not listed on the Singletary or Alltech website, but the info is out there, and I thought you might want to know before you got tickets for The Decemberists' show at Louisville's Brown Theatre in August (Heartless Bastards are opening).

Expect the full line-up for the Fortnight Festival to be announced in early August. Stay tuned to Blueline for more info.

AND, don't forget to save the dates of October 9-11 for BOOMSLANG, a WRFL-sponsored celebration of music, art and other curiosities, to take place at various venues across Lexington. The initial line-up is super-exciting, and will drop mid-week next week. Be sure to follow @sariot and @wrfl on Twitter for more updates!

July 22-July 27

thanks to ross compton and mike sullivan for some heads ups about some thangs, and some descriptions too! um, i think i left out a bunch of stuff this week ~ as usual, your event isn't on here, please feel free to leave it in a comment...

Wednesday, July 22:

• Holler Poets #15 at Al's Bar! This week's installment features Danville's Maurice Manning, winner of the 2000 Yale Younger Poets Prize (one of the most prestigious national awards a young poet can get), as well as Affrilachian poet Mitchell Douglas. Music by NEMO band (members of the now-defunct US Band)

Thursday, July 23:

• Start your morning off all the way to the left with Trivial Thursdays on WRFL (88.1 FM in Lexington, or you can stream it from anywhere in the friggin' world at wrfl.fm). Host Mick Jeffries will be joined this week with Ace Weekly writer and "Kimmyville" blogger Kim Thomas. 7-9 a.m.
• On Thursday night, Goldenrod, one of the leading local-bands-I-dig-but-haven't-seen-live-yet will be playing at new S. Limestone hangout Soundbar. Not really sure how the place will be set up with live music, but it's a pretty nice bar...I really really recommend the Moscow Mule.

Friday, July 24:

• Quamics ? #1 Book Release Party at Gumbo Ya Ya (1080 S. Broadway, next to Buffalo Wild Wings. Release party for for new local comic collective's debut book. Live music, delicious eats, and cheap beverages. Admission is FREE.
• Bedtime and Wussy at the Green Lantern
  

Saturday, July 25:

• Spooky Qs and Latin Heat ~ afternoon show at Pop's Resale Shop. 2 - 4p.m.
  
• Build the Stage Fundraiser! Rock out with Matt Duncan, Randy Tuesday and the Two TuesdaysLatin Heat in this worthy, worthy cause - raising dollers for to build a stage at Al's Bar!!! All ages; 9 p.m.; $5 > shit, if you can't make the show, at least stop by and give your $5 ~ this stage-building business at Al's is something that seriously needs to happen!!
• Also, while you're on the North side, stop by the Green Lantern to catch Mike Sullivan's favorite rock band, The Sundresses (from Cincy). Opening will be Reverend Deadeye, whom Mike so brilliantly described as "a one man wrecking machine of satanic gospel voodoo crazines." Sold!
• Jason Isbell (formerly of the Drive-By Truckers) and the 400 Unit are playing at the Dame. Opening the show will be Deep VIbration from Nashville, and Jon Imeson will be DJing afterward.
  

Sunday, July 26:

• The band formerly known as Godd will be making their Natasha's Bistro debut (and possibly the debut of all circus metal at Natasha's). Latin Heat and The All Dad Blues Band will also play. "Expect to enjoy one of the best small venue sound systems in Lexington!"
• Wretched Worst, Pedals On Our Pirate Ships, The Human Quena Orchestra, Backwoods Terror at Chaosome (6th and Limestone).

Monday, July 27:

• Outside the Spotlight / Event 107 > Mary Halvorson & Jessica Pavone @ Morris Book Shop (408 Southland Dr) > 7pm, all ages, FREE (donations encouraged for the musicians) > Mary Halvorson & Jessica Pavone = lovely guitar, viola, voice duets from Brooklyn - www.myspace.com/maryandjess. "There's a disarming openness to their interaction, never more pronounced than when the two are blending their voices in something like a campfire harmony. But this music isn't clever or cute. Its core is steely, and its execution clear." -Nate Chinen, The New York Times

Things, and stuff

You may or may not have noticed that I'm not a huge fan of reviewing shows. But I love it when other people are, so I'm going to direct y'all to Mr. Walter Tunis' review of last night's Neko Case show - I was there, but I couldn't have put it better myself.

As for my review of Pitchfork, which I attended this past weekend, I will go so far as to say that Jesus Lizard completely slayed, as did Black Lips. Other highlights of the weekend include Wavves (they reallllly need to team up with The NEC from Atlanta and play a Lexington show, I have decided; does someone want to make this happen for me?); Flaming Lips (um, no-brainer - Wayne came out in a huge clear bubble and starting rolling around on top of the crowd); Grizzly Bear, who sounded really great and actually rocked out more than I thought they would (although their neglect of playing songs from Horn of Plenty, probably my favorite album of theirs, was slightly disappointing. Can I get a "Deep Sea Diver" some day???); and the middle-of-nowhere warehouse after-party we went to, BitchPork, which featured shows by Times New Viking and G'an.

P.S. Stay tuned to Blueline for some very exciting, very soon announcements about the upcoming WRFL festival, October 9-11....oh, and go ahead and make arrangements to be there, 'cause it's gonna rule.

Beastie Boys cancel tour, postspone album release

Beastie Boys MC Adam Yauch (aka MCA) delivered some "heavy news" to his fans this morning - he has been diagnosed with an early stage of cancer in his salival gland, and will be undergoing surgery and radiation in the upcoming weeks (see video below for Yauch's personal announcement).

Thus, all upcoming shows (including Lollapalooza) have been canceled, and the release of the Beastie Boys upcoming album has been pushed back as well.

Here's to Adam and hoping he has a smooth recovery...