Staffpicks (05.06.2008)

By LEO Weekly

<MUSIC>
Wednesday, May 7
Venue Oops — Scream Club
    Last week we were so eager to get you the news that Scream Club was visiting our fair city tonight that we botched the show location. Since we were way early on it, we can set things right: Scream Club’s Cindy Wonderful and Sarah Adorable, two Caucasian rapper chicks who combine a neo-1980s punk/new wave aesthetic with hip hop and pop, bring their energetic show to Derby City Espresso tonight. Check it. —Sara Havens
Derby City Espresso
331 E. Market St.
442-0523
$5; 8 p.m.

<THEATER>
May 8-18
Young American Shakespeare Festival
    Walden Theatre presents three of Shakespeare’s most beloved dramas — “The Winter's Tale,” “The Taming of the Shrew” and the controversial “The Merchant of Venice” (with an all-female cast!). The Walden players are renowned for their Shakespeare performances, and this year’s festival promises to deliver. Artistic Director Charlie Sexton says, “The broad, wide-ranging themes that are explored literally cover the whole spectrum of human experience.” —Sherry Deatrick
Actors Theatre of Louisville
316 W. Main St.
584-1205
www.waldentheatre.org
Times and prices vary

<BENEFIT>
Friday, May 9
Benefit for Jordan and HCU Awareness
    The genetic disease may be rare, but so are mother and son team Jordan and Nancy. They’re determined to beat the odds. Born with a genetic metabolic disorder called homocystinuria (HCU), Jordan Neutz is faced with challenges that most 11-year-olds could never fathom. Financial battles for divorced mom Nancy Sherman-Neutz, who is making her way through nursing school, are daunting. The struggle to keep their cabin home in the Indiana woods is only one of the goals. With HCU striking his immune system, diet and vision, Jordan is home-schooled. The comedy is clean and over the top — just the right blend for a family-style fundraiser. With appearances on Bob & Tom, Letterman and Craig Ferguson dotting his resume, Jeff Caldwell rolls out the laughs. Marty Pollio, who is almost alien in his rubbery approach to physical comedy, is a favorite at the Caravan and is a Louisville homeboy with a stellar roster including work alongside Robin Williams and Billy Crystal. Join in the win-win evening for Jordan and others with HCU. Perhaps Mark Twain said it best: “The human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter.” —Cindy Lamb
Comedy Caravan
1250 Bardstown Road
459-0022
$10; 7 p.m.

<MUSIC>
FRIDAY, MAY 9
Prizzy Prizzy Please
    “It’s the year 2020X,” says Scott McNiece, drummer for Bloomington’s Prizzy Prizzy Please. “A power plant is melting down in Siberia, and the government is trying to harvest as much promethium as possible to blow up the moon.”
    That’s the concept behind P3’s new split 7-inch with fellow B-tonians Push Pull, borne out of a dream McNiece had, relayed to the members, who seized on the concept and will make it reality.
    This type of creative burst is characteristic of Prizzy, an amalgamation of friends, some of whom attended Indiana University’s music school. One spin of the group’s recent self-titled Let’s Pretend Records release, and you’ll hear more punk, metal and even Huey Lewis-inspired rock than classical.
“We didn’t compose it too, too much,” McNiece says of the record, due out later this year. “We were a little more focused on being more proggy than usual. We’re still writing a song as if we would write (any other) song, but we keep that in mind.” —Mat Herron
Seidenfaden’s
1134 E. Breckinridge St.
582-9217
$TBA; 9 p.m.

<BENEFIT>
MAY 9-10
Quinlan Foundation Benefit Show
    David Bailey should not be here.
Eleven years ago, Bailey was diagnosed with a brain tumor that doctors predicted would kill him in less than a year. He beat those odds and has used his musical talent to draw attention to the damage brain tumors can cause.
His performance Friday at the Bomhard Theater and at the Great Lawn on Saturday kick off the seventh annual fundraising walk conducted by the Michael Quinlan Brain Tumor Foundation, named for the former Courier-Journal reporter who died in 2001.
On Saturday, he plays the foundation’s theme song, “Keep On Walking,” before the participants walk the 3.1-mile route at beginning 9:30 a.m. Registration is $25, and includes a shirt and goodie bag. Visit www.mqbtf.org for more details. —Mat Herron
Bomhard Theatre
501 W. Main St.
$10 (adv.), $12 (door); 7 p.m.

<MUSIC>
SATURDAY, MAY 10
Jeremy Enigk
    If you’re in your late 20s and were obsessed with modern rock, that means you no doubt felt an affection for Sunny Day Real Estate when you were in high school. With the release of 1994’s “Diary,” SDRE ushered in a new era for Seattle’s magnificent Sub Pop Records and inspired a whole host of bands. Its 1999 live album holds up better and better with each passing year. Part of that inspiration had to do with Jeremy Enigk’s distinctive voice, an instrument mimicked to this day.
The enigmatic singer is no stranger to flying solo, and you can look no further than 1996’s “Return of the Frog Queen,” when he teamed up with a 21-piece orchestra after converting to Christianity.
Enigk stops at the 930 Listening Room as part of the two-day Cultivate Beauty Festival. Louisville singer-songwriter Luke Asher opens. —Mat Herron
The 930 Listening Room
930 Mary St.
635-2554
$15; 8:30 p.m.

<FEST>
May 10-11
Art in the Arbor
    The annual Art in the Arbor arts and crafts festival celebrates its 40th anniversary this weekend. Art in the Arbor features more than 100 juried artists who create original jewelry, paintings, pottery, stained glass, sculpture, photography, textiles, prints, wearable art and more. But the festival doesn’t stop there — there will be live music, a food court, plus Henna hand-painting, custom tie-dying, creative wood sculpture and more activities for children. One of the oldest, continuously operating festivals in this region, Art in the Arbor will also feature a Pussy Willow and Plants Market, as well as charity raffles for a number of items donated by local businesses. A free shuttle service takes visitors to the festival every 15 minutes from Wilder Elementary School, 1915 Herr Lane, and the Browenton Building, one block from I-264, at the corner of Brownsboro Road and Warrington Way. There is no on-grounds parking. —Kevin Gibson
Thomas Jefferson Unitarian Church
4936 Brownsboro Road
425.6943
www.tjuc.org
Free; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (Sat.), 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. (Sun.)

<ART>
Through May 31
‘Satellite Halo: Sacred visions from outer space’
    Scott Scarboro describes his multi-media art as “circuit bent, kinetic lo-fi electro-fried wizardry.” He has work in the permanent collection of the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. Both of these facts should tell you something about his art and creative process. If you’re looking for mainstream representational art, Scarboro is not your man. On the other hand, if your head is screwed on left of center ...
    His inspirations are as varied and intriguing as his art: his grandfather, Kiss, Batman, Dr. Seuss and rockabilly musician Hasil Adkins. The Nitty Gritty vintage shop is the perfect venue for him. Surely his motivators have resurfaced there in the form of a T-shirt or lunchbox, sending him off on even more creative pursuits. We await the results. —Jo Anne Triplett
Nitty Gritty
996 Barret Ave.
583-3377
www.nittygrittyvintage.com

<ART>
Through June 21
‘Garden’ & ‘Hanging Together’
    The PYRO cooperative gallery is featuring a number of intriguing exhibitions practically guaranteed to lead you into their space. Their current show “Garden” has works by 18 member artists plus seven guests. With that many people, you know you will see a variety of media and interpretations for what “garden” means.
    Because the First Friday Gallery Trolley Hop fell on Oaks Day this year, PYRO is having another reception on Friday, May 9, with 10 percent off the artwork. “Garden” closes on May 10.
    On May 16, the gallery reopens with John Fitzgerald’s “Hanging Together.” The show of black-and-white portraits features people from his partner organizations, including The Center for Women and Families, Coalition for the Homeless and House of Ruth. The artist’s reception is May 16 from 5-9 p.m., and most of the portrait subjects plan to attend.
    An additional exhibit and sale will be in the Garden Gallery in the lower level. Sculptor Dave Caudill lost his studio and art in the LAVA House fire earlier this year. Fellow PYRO artists are selling their work to raise funds for him. —Jo Anne Triplett
PYRO Gallery
624 W. Main St.
587-0106
www.pyrogallery.com