See also: Houndmouth and the Boomtown Ball in downtown New Albany on Sunday, May 25.
In New Albany, where we’re all here because we’re not all there, the cat herding has been more difficult than usual lately. However, the crazed critters just may be getting the hang of some recommended synchronicity. Faust took six months of my life in exchange for the bargain, but who's counting lifespans, anyway? We can always acquire another through Amazon.
On Sunday, May 25 (Memorial Day weekend), there is a big musical event planned for New Albany. A downtown festival called Boomtown Ball will run from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., and then at 8:00 p.m., the band Houndmouth will play a sold-out “homecoming” show at The Grand.
The Boomtown Ball/Cats in Single File portion of the day has been occupying much of my time. As originally envisioned by the organizers, the plan was deceptively simple. The city would close certain streets, Production Simple would book musical acts to perform on a temporary stage, Louisville's Flea Off market would set up shop, and voila – fest time, with adult libations throughout.
But the devil remains ensconced in the details, and the last part proved to be the first red flag, necessitating the parsing of various Indiana state alcoholic beverage laws and the disposition of permits, while consulting with lawyers and insurance agents, and commensurate, delicate calculations of who, where, when, what, why and how. Not everyone understands how the world works, and the process of rectification has been exhausting, but in the end, fervent negotiations have yielded quantifiable results.
The easiest way to characterize it is this: Insofar as NABC's involvement in the alcoholic beverage catering portion of Boomtown Ball is concerned, we have endeavored throughout the process to point Boomtown Ball in the direction of maximum local participation, whether inside the state mandated (fenced) floor plan, and outside it; moreover, the same objective has been true of food and drink purveyors and other businesses alike. Ultimately, I believe the Boomtown day will make perfect sense, and the cause of localism in beverage vending, pre-existing local independent business operation and consumer satisfaction will be advanced; imperfectly, perhaps, but as well as could be hoped, with potentially valuable lessons learned for the future. For a first-time event, it's all one can expect.
Please mark these dates on your calendars:
"Houndmouth Week" (to be conclusively tagged later) in New Albany, circa the week of May 19-25. Downtown bars and restaurants will be planning their own special promotions and events to whet appetites for the Boomtown Ball on May 25th.
The Boomtown Ball itself, taking place downtown on Bank and Market Streets on Sunday the 25th, as described above.
Houndmouth at The Grand at 8:00 p.m. on the 25th. As noted, it is sold out, but I’ll hazard a guess that the party will proceed much later into the evening after the show at those late-night establishments operating nearby, i.e., the Irish Exit, Wick’s and Liquidz. You have all day Monday to recover.
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