By Danny Coleman
originally published: 09/04/2014


Perhaps best known for bourbon and baseball bats, the town of Louisville, KY began a metamorphosis of sorts over the last decade.

Recently named one of “The 16 Greatest Places to Live in America” by Outside Magazine; Louisville has gone from a perceived “small city” to a tourist destination seemingly overnight. This has never been more evident with the installation of the first “Louder Than Life Music, Whiskey and Gourmet Man Food Festival” on October 4 and 5. This food, drink and heavy rock/metal festival celebrates the regions up and coming rankings of being named one of “America’s Top Seven Up and Coming Food Cities” by Zagat in 2013, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail being named one of National Geographic’s “ 500 Drives of a Lifetime” as well as their “2014 Best of the World” cities to visit. Couple all of this with GQ Magazine’s ranking of Louisville being named one of the “Manliest Towns in America” along with The Travel Channel naming it one of the top” Mancation Destinations” add great rock music and you’ve got one heck of a time occurring in Champions Park.

Scheduled performers include Judas Priest, Korn, Limpbizkit, Stone Temple Pilots, Mastodon, Theory of a Dead Man, Fuel, Kid Rock, Five Finger Death Punch, Papa Roach, Buck Cherry, Butcher Babies and many more. While the music’s playing, world class celebrity chefs such as Chris Santos, Vic Vegas, Bill Kunz and Tom Coghill will be part of the more than 70 food and beverage vendors in attendance catering to all appetites.

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With hotel packages ranging from a low of $700 to a maximum of $1,250 with limited availability and camping packages starting as low as $249.50 to $524.50 per person with greater availability at the time of this publication; "Louder Than Life" could make for a viable weekend getaway of great food, booze and music!

Closer to home, there are several things which have been brought to my attention which are making life tougher on our music scene and the musicians in it. More and more venues and their management are refusing to pay their entertainment or have cut the pay scales; in some cases dramatically. Throw in the lack of venues and the extreme lack of the same which support original music and the music community is caught between a "rock" and a "hard rock" place. Musicians are firmly in a quandary because they wish to perform yet many times are asked to do it for free or accept payment based on the amount of people who attend. Now, I understand that a venue counts on music to enhance their draw and I don't blame them for not wanting to pay top dollar if the band or act only draws a small crowd. Martha Davis of the Motels said recently, "If people are only downloading one or two of my songs off of an album; then I need to make a better album." Perhaps if bands and acoustic acts developed that same philosophy and marketed themselves better or more consistently; the venues would have no choice but to up the ante for quality entertainment?

Another is the demise of live music at Randy Now's Man Cave. Apparently, the city in which it resides has decided to enforce a building code which forbids assembly in the dwelling. What brought this turn of events about and why The Man Cave is being singled out is perplexing; one would think the city would welcome the additional 20 to 30 people eating in their restaurants, buying their adult beverages and populating their stores and streets. Planning division's Jennifer Smith told me that the building is, "Zoned only for "B" use; no concerts, events or assembly." When I questioned how another establishment, a restaurant, was allowed to have live entertainment; a decided change in tone occurred. Ms. Smith says that all The Man Cave needs to do is apply for a variance; something that Randy Now says he was told would not help. One thing for sure, between the venues, clubs, owners and/or management local music scenes are struggling. Major League Baseball went through this when owners refused to pay players and it was known as "collusion." Seems like the same situation on a smaller scale or at the very least the same basic premise; maybe, maybe not.

That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
THIS WEEKS CALENDAR LISTINGS

Alchemist & Barrister

28 Witherspoon Street Princeton
(609) 924-5555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Einstein Music Collaborative "Thirst for Music Thursdays" feat. Rob Freeman and The Beagles, Steven Georges, Garry Pearsall

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Sun. 9 p.m. Princeton Area Blue Grass Jam

Wed. 10 p.m. Open mic. night

All shows 21+
Amalfi's Restaurant

146 Lawrenceville Pennington Rd. Lawrenceville

(609) 912-1599
Fri. 8:30 p.m. Gyrl Band
Amarones Windsor Inn

29 Church St. Windsor
(609) 448-7144
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. Scott Gager & Debbie

Fri. 8 p.m. Ernie White & Tom Reock

Sat. 8 p.m. Meg Hanson Band feat. Billy Hill

Tues. 7:30 p.m. Texas Hold'em

Wed. 7 p.m. FREE Salsa Lessons
Big Shots Bar and Grill/Hebe Music Lounge

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835 E Rte. 130 South, Burlington

(609) 267-1200
Fri. 8 p.m. Smashing Saturn, QT and the Quirktones

Sat. 8 p.m. Road Dogs, Real

Wed. 7 p.m. Open Mic.
Blend Bar & Bistro

911 Highway 33, Hamilton

(609) 245-8887
Tues. 8 p.m. Triviajam
Candlelight Lounge
24 Passaic St. Trenton
(609) 695-9612

Sat. 3 p.m. Daryl Yokley Quartet (No cover-$10 minimum)
Chambers Walk Cafe
2667 Main St. Lawrenceville
(609) 896-5995

Fri./Sat. 6 p.m. Dick Gratton

The Backstage at Championship Bar
931 Chambers St. Trenton
Fri. 7 p.m. Failing Light, Super Terrific Action Team, Hopeless Martyr, Paradigms. All ages, $8/$10

Sat. 4 p.m. In Dying Arms, Forevermore, Darkness Divided, Provenance, Lost In Translation, Far Beyond The Sunrise, STFU, The Picture of Dorian Gray. All ages, $12
Chickie's & Pete's

183 US Highway 130 North Bordentown

(609) 298-9182
Tues. 8 p.m. Acoustic Music Night feat. The Dawgs
Dubh Linn Square
167 Rte. 130 North Bordentown
(609) 298-7100
Sun. 4 p.m.Billy O'neal

Tues. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night hosted by Shaun Ruymen
Fran's Pub

116 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.

(215)862-5539
Sat. 8 p.m. 3HT

Sun. 4 p.m. Infinite Bandwidth

Mon. 8 p.m. Open Mic Blues Jam hosted by Jimmy Pritchard

All shows 21+
Havana New Hope
105 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-9897

Thurs. Beat the Clock College Night DJ Dance Party

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Fri. 8:30 p.m. Animal House

Sat. 8:30 p.m. Se7en

Sun. 2 p.m. Midnight Sun Orchestra

Mon. 10 p.m. Karaoke in the Bar w/ DJ Ron Sherr and Bridget

Tues. 6:30 p.m. Xanders Badabing Cigar Lounge and Uncle Big E Present: Big Cigar Smoke Off Scotch & American Bourbon Tasting. $65

Wed. 8 p.m. Pat Foran w/ Brandon Broderick

All shows 21+
Ivy Tavern
3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton
(609) 888-1435
Fri. 10 p.m. Kindred Spirit

Sat. 10 p.m. Blind Lemmon Pie
All shows 21+

John & Peter's
96 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-5981

Thurs. 9 p.m. Mike DiAlto's Stand Up Comedy w/ Don Jamieson. Ages 21+

Fri. 9 p.m. Mike Montrey Band

Sat. (3 p.m.) Crosscut Saw (9:30 p.m.) Blubalz

Sun. 3 p.m. Speak Jazz Trio

Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night w/ Chris

Wed. The Invitational (Featuring John & Peter's House Band)
All shows 21+
JoJo's Tavern

2677 Nottingham Way Hamilton

(609) 586-2678
Wed. 10 p.m. Karaoke
Mill Hill Basement

300 South Broad St. Trenton

(609) 989-1600
Fri. 9 p.m. Restorations, Banquets, Aspiga. $10 (advance) $12 (door)
Palermo's Of Hamilton
310 Klockner Rd. Hamilton
(609) 838-7979

Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke

All shows 21+
Patriot's Crossing

1339 River Rd. Titusville

(609) 737-2780
Fri. 7:30 p.m. Sensei Juan and the Black Belts

Sat. 7:30 p.m. Andrea Carlson and the Love Police
Pete's Steak House
523 Whitehorse Ave. Hamilton
(609) 585-8008

Fri. 9:30 p.m. F2 and The Anchovy Brothers

Sat. 9:30 p.m. Matt & Rachel
RHO Waterfront

50 Riverview Plaza Trenton

(609) 393-7300
Thurs. 9 p.m. College Night "Welcome Back Rider and TCNJ" w/ DJ Jeff Scott

Fri. (4:30 p.m.) Buffet (9 p.m.) The Soul Cruisers / DJ Jimmie Palumbo

All Shows 21+
Sunsets at Cream Ridge

181 Rte. 539 Cream Ridge

(609) 208-2500
Fri. 9:30 p.m. Rob Silvers Duo

Sat. 9:30 p.m. El Ka Bong

Tavern On The Lake

101 Main St. Hightstown
(609) 426-9345

Fri. 9 p.m. The Night Out

Sat. 9 p.m. Sneak Attack

Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke Night
The Cool Cricket

216 4th St. Fieldsboro

(609) 291-9110
Fri. 9 p.m. Karaoke
The Ivy Inn

248 Nassau St. Princeton

(609) 921-8555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ Ron Sherr

Fri. 10 p.m. Diablo Sandwich Band

Sat. 10 p.m. Milan & the Sour Goat

Tues. 8 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv

Wed. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ Ron Sherr
The Record Collector

358 Farnsworth Ave. Bordentown

(609) 324-0880
Sat. 8 p.m. Glen Mercer Band. All ages, doors at 7:30 p.m., $12 (advance)
The Sticky Wicket
2465 South Broad St. Hamilton
(609) 439-0007
Fri. 9 p.m. Fully Loaded

Sat. 9 p.m. Drunk Monkeys

All shows 21+
The Sun National Bank Center
81 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 656-3200
Check web site for upcoming events
Tir Na Nog
1324 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 392-2554

Fri. 9 p.m. Seamus Kelleher

Tues. 9 p.m. Taylor Reed

Wed. 9 p.m. Paul Weise

All shows 21+
Trenton Social

449 South Broad Street Trenton

(609) 989-7777
Thurs. 8 p.m. Cinema Thursdays Presents: The Unauthorized Saved By The Bell Story

Fri. 10 p.m. Friday night w/ Jay Kountree & Jaxx

Mon. 10 p.m. Service Industry Night w/ DJ-Jay Kountree
Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)
400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-8300

Thurs. 10 p.m. DJ Trubblemaker

Fri. 10 p. Mike Miz Trio. $5 (cover charge)

Sat. 10 p.m. "Rust" a Neil Young Tribute. $5 (cover charge)

Sun. 7 p.m. Open Jam Night

Tues. 9 p.m. Michael Corwin

Wed. 9 p.m. Joe Young

All shows 21+
Wildflowers Inn

2572 Pennington Rd. Pennington

Sat. 9 p.m. Live Acoustic Rock
Mon. 9 p.m. Karaoke

All shows 21+

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Danny Coleman is a veteran musician and writer from central New Jersey. He hosts a weekly radio program entitled 'Rock On Radio' airing Sunday evenings at 7:00pm EST on ThePenguinRocks.com where he features indie/original bands and solo artists.

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