Copious Notes

At Louisville's Flame Run Gallery you can blow your own glass holiday ornament. Photo by Anessa Arehart.

How often can you come up with something completely different for Christmas? Now giving Christmas ornaments and even making them are commonplace. But Flame Run, a Louisville contemporary glass art studio and gallery, is giving you an opportunity to blow your own glass ornament. During personal ornament sessions with Flame Run artists, you can choose your colors and then create your ornament.

“It’s a unique opportunity to create an original work of art to enjoy for yourself or to give as a gift,” Flame Run owner Brook Forrest White, Jr. said in a press release. “A one-on-one experience with a Flame Run artist will make a memorable holiday outing, and blowing your own ornament makes a great new family tradition.”

Sessions are available by appointment only beginning Nov. 27 through Dec. 22. Slots are available on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays as well as Dec. 21 and 22. The cost is $40 per person, per ornament. The gallery is located at 828 East Market Street, Louisville. Hours are 10 a.m-4 p.m. Tues.-Sun. Call (502) 584-5353 or visit the gallery website for more information.

Harlan County native Phil Stacey. Photo courtesy of Reunion Records.

Listening to Phil Stacey’s Into the Light, you think, if this guy wasn’t on American Idol, he should have been.

His debut on Reunion Records under the guidance of legendary Christian producer Brown Bannister sounds very Idol, with songs that showcase soaring choruses and emotional lyrics, and Stacey definitely has the chops to deliver them.

It also sounds very contemporary Christian — hence, Idol’s friendliness to Christian singers the last few years. That’s also what makes Into the Light a little disappointing.

His post-Idol debut on Lyric Street records was a refreshing sound for the Christian market, introducing some country songwriter cleverness in songs like It’s Who You Know, and bringing some genuine energy to the project. But Stacey says he was miscast as a country guy and pop was always where his heart was, hence the move to the Christian pop label and embrace by Christian pop royalty — Michael W. Smith is his labelmate.

The result is a solid album with catchy tunes like Inside Out and soaring worship ballads like One. He also pulls out a great Rich Mullins cover, Hard to Get, that could serve to show some younger listeners there’s more to the Christian pop legend than Awesome God.

What’s really missing here is any sense of Stacey’s own individuality, which seemed to be so present on that 2008 debut. With Into the Light, Stacey has been embraced by the Christian music establishment. On future efforts, he needs to avoid sounding like a generic contemporary Christian artist.

Is the GMA in trouble?: My fellow Christian music blogger Joanne Brokaw has an interesting post about recent cuts and layoffs at the Gospel Music Association and the just-annouced $1,000-a-plate Save the GMA fundraiser. Is Christian music’s umbrella organization in danger of going under?

Close, but not quite here: Yes, we do have Jeremy Camp coming Thursday night and Casting Crowns in a few weeks. But there are two Christian tours of interest not quite getting here, but they will be close if you’re the road tripping type.

~ If you’ve wanted to see Newsboys with Michael Tait out front, they get as close as Wilmington, Ohio, just north of Cincinnati, Nov. 15. Click here for Newsboys tour itinerary and ticket links.

~ You may also have heard plenty of TobyMac and Relient K live, but still find the concept of their Winter Wonder Slam tour together irresistible. It hits Louisville Nov. 29.

I wanted to share a couple of photos Jonathan Palmer shot today of Lexington stained glass artist Laura Mentor installing her latest creation in the chapel of Louisville’s new Norton Brownsboro Hospital.  Here’s information on the piece and the installation, as relayed by the hospital’s public relations firm:

Stained glass artist Laura Mentor of Lexington, Ky. has been commissioned through the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft to have her work featured in the new Norton Brownsboro Hospital, the first new full-service hospital built in Louisville in more than two decades. Laura designed two original stained glass windows that were selected for the new Norton Hospital chapel. The stained glass windows are among the finishing touches being put on Norton Brownsboro Hospital, which will open on August 26th, 2009.

Hospital architects and designers have put an emphasis on artwork in the new facility as a means of enhancing the healing process by making the environment more aesthetically pleasing.

Of the Earth - Healing Plants and Trees of America measures 6-by-12 feet and features over 50 beautifully rendered flowering plants and trees used historically for healing. Above this, rising 28 feet over the chapel floor, Of the Heavens is reminiscent of Renaissance windows with its deep jewel-like colors and imagery of the sparkling universe.

Alltech announced the lineup for its 16-day Fortnight Festival Sept. 25-Oct. 10. Like last year, the event will kick off with a country concert at Applebee’s Park and feature performances around the state, many of which are associated with series by other venues and organizations.

Unlike last year, the event is confined to just over two weeks. Sept. 25 is significant as it will mark exactly one year until the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

The lineup is:

• 

  Ricky Skaggs performs in Ashland Oct. 8 and Owensboro Oct. 10.

  Sept. 25 - Jason Aldean and Miranda Lambert, Applebee’s Park, Lexington

• Sept. 26 - Bettye LaVette, Singletary Center for the Arts, Lexington
• Sept. 26-27 - Beguiled Again by Actors Guild of Lexington, Downtown Arts Center, Lexington
• Sept. 28 - Fairplay Collective, Downtown Arts Center, Lexington
• Sept. 29 - Singer/Songwriter Night, Downtown Arts Center, Lexington
• Sept. 30 - Marc Smith Poetry Slam, Downtown Arts Center, Lexington
• Oct. 1 - Makem & Spain Brothers, Lexington Opera House, Lexington
• Oct. 2 - Mary Chapin Carpenter, Equus Run Vineyard, Midway
• Oct. 3 - 38 Special & Kansas, Murray State University Regional Special Events Center, Murray
• Oct. 6 - The Decemberists, Singletary Center for the Arts, Lexington
• Oct. 6-7 - Battle of the Bluegrass, Tin Roof, Lexington
• Oct. 8 - Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Paramount Arts Center, Ashland
• Oct. 9 - John Sebastian of The Lovin’ Spoonful, Grand Theatre, Frankfort
• Oct. 10 - String Band Day, Appalshop, Whitesburg
• Oct. 10 - Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, RiverPark Center, Owensboro
• Oct. 10 - Ronan Tynan with the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra, Singletary Center for the Arts, Lexington

Visit the Alltech website for tickets to each event.

Kris Allen is the new American Idol, shown here playing "What's Going On" on the May 19th final competition show. Photo by Frank Micelotta | FOX.

Well, it looks like it was well worth American Idol’s time to come to Louisville last summer.

Kris Allen auditioned in the Derby City, and then much like this year’s Derby winner, Mine That Bird, worked his way through the field and finished first. Some Adam Lambert fans had to be like Jill Baffert, wife of Pioneer of the Nile trainer Bob Baffert, at the Derby saying “Who the (bleep) is that,” as Allen advanced through the competition. His audition barely registered on the Louisville audition episode, and early on, he seemed like one of those competitors who would probably be somewhat anonymously voted off in the winter.

But the dark horse kept his head down, worked on making some terrific music and wound up in the winner’s circle.

Give the man from Conway, Ark., a blanket of roses. He earned it.

The American Idol judges at Churchill Downs in September: Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell. Photo by Michael Becker | Fox.

Word came out early from the American Idol producers that Louisville had been a good city for the show. Simon Cowell dished out high praise, by his standards, telling Zap2it, “Louisville was good.”

Yes, it would have been nice to have had an actual Kentuckian who auditioned in Louisville in the final 13. That would have made the story of the Bluegrass State’s AI debut complete. But at least we can walk away from Season 8 saying Kentucky can pick a winner.

Some high notes:

• Heckuva a show for taking two hours-plus to tell us a few key words. I thought the return of Norman Gentle was great and the show kept getting better. It seemed Kiss had to be the highlight, and then Queen came out. Good Lord, Adam could front that band . . . As one who enjoys genuine surprise, Kris’ reaction to winning was delightful.
• Catch Adam Sandler’s University of Kentucky shirt in the Funny People commercial?
• Make sure to read Phil Stacey’s final Idol blog for LexGo.
• And take another look at our Louisville audition video, featuring Alexis Grace.
• Yes, Joanne Brokaw, it was the year of the worship leader.
• I was right. Wish I’d done that well at the Derby.

Louisville's newly rennovated Brown Theatre will host all of the Kentucky Opera's Fall 2009 productions. Photo courtesy of Kentucky Opera.

The last time I saw a Carlise Floyd Opera presented by the Kentucky Opera, it was Susannah at Louisville’s Brown Theatre in February 2000. The production and the beauty and intimacy of the space made it an evening I still remember.

So, I thought it was way cool to get the Kentucky Opera’s Fall 2009 schedule and see that the company is presenting a Carlisle Floyd opera, and it’s presenting all of its productions in the Brown. According to Andrew Adler’s reporting in the Courier-Journal, the move was an economic decision because production costs are considerably lower at the Brown than the Kentucky Center’s Whitney Hall.

From this seat, that’s lemonade, gaining a more intimate and personable space that will bring the voices closer to the audience.

The 2009 season itself is:

• Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata, Sept. 25 and 27, featuring Metropolitan Opera coloratura soprano Elizabeth Furtal, whose parents reside in Louisville.
• Carlise Floyd’s Of Mice and Men, Oct. 30 and Nov. 1. The opera based on John Steinbeck’s novel had its world premier in 2002.
• Englebert Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, Nov. 20 and 22, directed by Kentucky Opera general director David Roth.

Season tickets are on sale now. Single show tickets go on sale in August.

A race fan from Iowa, and hundreds of others, crowded onto the stair railings on the fifth and sixth levels of the Jockey Club Suites to watch Mine That Bird pull off the big upset in the 135th Kentucky Derby. Photos by Rich Copley | LexGo.

It’s safe to say thousands of people in Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby never actually see the race. The goal is not to be one of those people.

The view from the staircase at the Jockey Club Suites.

If you do not actually have a box with a full view of the track, some of the suites with their expansive porches offer the best views, or at least a pretty darned spectacular view. I found my perch on the Jockey Club Suites, taking an elevator to the fourth level and then taking the stairs up to the fifth. There were still some spots on the rail, though frankly, the one I got gave me a better view of the Twin Spires — literally — than the track.

Then I looked behind me.

There was a stair case on which people were starting to line up. There was also a cop on the rail, who didn’t seem to mind — the last thing you want is to choose a spot and have the police shoo you away two minutes from race time. So, I went up and took a place. You could glimpse the finish line and a full perspective on the first and second turns and the backstretch.

It was a nice perch to watch Mine That Bird race to a historic finish.

‘Twas a very cool Derby, and fun day. Just, next year, let’s hope for a sun as bright and yellow as the hat the woman next to me was wearing. Everytime I turned around, I thought the clouds had broken. Also, could my longshot come through? It’s been a while.

Ernesto and Brenda Turner of Louisville cheer on their horses in the ninth race. Photo by Rich Copley | LexGo.

Throughout Churchill Downs there there is dissonance to the sounds rising from the crowd, a steady rumble punctuated by an improvosational “Mint Julep!,” a drunken fan stumbling through, a request to, “take my picture.”

But every 50 minutes or so, the crowd unites in harmonmy: “Go!” “Come on!”

“We’re just trying to make some money out here,” Ernesto Turner says a few minutes before the start of the ninth race at Churchill Downs Saturday. “So far, we haven’t done so well.”

He has No. 9 in the race. His wife, Brenda, has No. 8, following a system she has used since she picked No. 8 in the 2006 Derby: Barbaro.

Alas, the system didn’t pay off this time, though it looked promising for a few seconds.

The Turner’s song turns to groans, while others sound dissonant cheers.

But if Brenda followed that No. 8 strategy to the Derby, she had a good day in the end.

Producer Marty Spears and host Steve Gorman, also the drummer for the Black Crowes, prepare for Gorman's broadcast from Churchill Downs. Photo by Rich Copley | LexGo.

Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman says, “I have a bizarre perspective on things because I spent the last 20 years in a rock band touring the world.”

Gorman, who moved to Hopkinsville when he was 10, brought that bizarre perspective to Kentucky’s signature event, Saturday. He got a $7.99 thrift-shop suit, just for the occasion.

A few years ago, Gorman started showing up as a guest on a friend’s show for Nashville’s sports radio outlet, WGFX-104.5 FM (The Zone).

“First it was 10 minutes, then it grew into 15, 20, and eventually a whole half hour,” Gorman said, leaning on the rail outside the media center overlooking Churchill Downs’ muddy track.

Steve Gorman, on the air in Louisville.

Eventually, he was offered his own show, which usually runs for two hours on Sunday nights. For Gorman, it’s a natural fit. With the Crowes, he is often the guy who does radio spots for the band. And he says Sports Center is regular viewing for the group, which rose to fame on hits such as Hard to Handle and Jealous Again and is still a going concern with an upcoming album and tour.

That said, Gorman claims no actual sports expertise.

“We start with sports, and then we try to veer off track as quickly as possible,” Gorman says. “I love being the dumbest guy in the room. If I’m the smartest guy in the room, we have a problem.”

Gorman co-hosts the show with his friend Brandon Gnetz, a graphic designer for Nashville’s Frist Center for Visual Arts.

Among the host’s favorite sports to discuss are European soccer and his Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers.

“I claim no objectivity,” Gorman said. “When Gonzaga beat Western Kentucky, as far as I was concerned, the NCAA Tournament was over. Bring on the NFL Draft.”

Though he grew up in Kentucky, Louisville always seemed much farther away than Nashville. Still, he is now happy to embrace the Bluegrass State’s longest standing sporting tradition.

“I’ve actually talked to a lot of people in the last month getting ready for this and learned a lot,” Gorman said.

Friday afternoon, he found himself in the winner’s circle mere feet from Kentucky Oaks winner Rachel Alexandra.

“These horses are amazing althletes,” Gorman said. “It’s really a great sport.”

Not that it couldn’t be greater.

Among suggestions Gorman had as he started his Saturday afternoon broadcast were fans getting a little bit more vigilant about rooting for their horses, New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox style.

“Think about two drunk guys, one in a Friesan Fire jersey and one in an I Want Revenge jersey,” Gorman said, “It would be great.”

He also has a theory about Derby hats: “It’s saying look at my hat, and don’t notice that my dress doesn’t fit. I should have gone with the size 8.”

And a lot of this came out before the second hour of his show, which he promised listeners would be done, “juleps in hand.”

Like Gorman said, he brings a different perspective.

Doug Allen of Baton Rouge, La. (center, with cup) shares a $1,000 mint julep with friends, including Tom Rathmann (left) and reigning Miss Louisiana Lacy Minchew. Photos by Rich Copley | LexGo.

Brown Forman spokesman Tim Laird takes us back to whiskey’s medicinal roots.

“In the early days of farming, you didn’t have Tylenol and medicines like that, so people would have whiskey as a sort of a bracer to start the day,” Laird said.

So, people quaffing down mint juleps at 11 a.m. could not be seen so much as strikingly early imbibing as much as continuing an agrarian tradition. And Derby morning, it was a tradition Doug Allen of Baton Rouge, La.  was paying $1,000 to continue — for the third year in a row.

“It’s a good way to start off a great day,” Allen said, as friends passed his $1,000 cocktail in the golden cup around.

John Birkhofer, Matthew Birkhofer and Mike Smith enjoy some juleps in the morning.

He said Derby is a great time to drink a julep because the bourbon is fresher in Kentucky and there’s a greater variety here.

Mike Smith of Fairfax, Va., was enjoying his first juelp — of the Early Times $10 variety — and it sounded like it wouldn’t be his last.

“It’s got a nice taste,” said Smith, who was enjoying one of several Derby traditions at his first Derby, including wearing a seersucker suit. “I think I’ll make this part of my drinking repertoire.”

His friend, Matthew Birkhofer, a University of Louisville law student, is more inclined to confine his julep drinking to Derby day, saying, “I prefer my bourbon straight.”