THE BEER BEAT: Speakeasies here, speakeasies there, and not an original thought to be found anywhere.

It's far easier to be "magical" when your family has profited immensely from LEGAL liquor sales, the budget is unlimited, and you're not scraping for crumbs to implement good ideas -- but money can buy neither love nor an exemption from imminent prosecution for inexcusably pretentious word abuse.

The CJ's writer somehow keeps a straight face, this being a skill I never learned.

Blink and you might miss the latest trend to hit Louisville bars: Speakeasies, by Bailey Loosemore (Louisville Courier Journal)

 ... "It's sort of out of time and out of space," said Maud Welch, co-owner of Hell or High Water in downtown Louisville. "You walk in and you feel like you're part of an escape."

Welch and her brother, Stirling Welch, opened Hell or High Water earlier this year after spending 18 months constructing their bar within the Whiskey Row development.

The Louisville native said she was inspired by the speakeasy trend that picked up in New York during the four years she lived there.

"I just fell in love with the concept, especially in New York where in the hustle and bustle, you were able to go into these hidden underground spaces to have a quiet moment with a friend," Welch said. "It was pretty magical."

All together now:

"Speakeasy" is voyeurism, channeling the thrill of that danger without having to encounter it.

---

From June 2, 2017

THE BEER BEAT: "Please stop calling your legal, open-to-the-public bar a 'speakeasy' " -- and other adventures in fake news.

Allow me to suggest that far too many lamentations about the scourge of "fake news" are found to emanate from those who routinely and unquestioningly absorb vast mounds of extraneous bilge written and photographed in the service of food and drink promotion.

It isn't so much that many of the press releases I read from food and drink businesses are badly written, though stunningly often, they are.

Cringing in the expectation of further abuse is no way to enjoy your morning coffee.

Rather, it's when these hype sheets refer to the imperative of Hagio-Simmered Whey Encrusted Virgin Pork Gills, somehow combining pretentiousness, snobbery and loin of PT Barnum in a single phrase. We're supposed to nod knowingly, so that others will, too, even if none of us has any idea what it means.

As another example, a word like "speakeasy," unraveled here. To use this word without having a clue as to its proper context and historical meaning ... well, is that not fake?

If it isn't fake, what is?

And before someone asks, the late Speakeasy in New Albany was a restaurant, bar and musical venue that didn't claim to be something it wasn't. It was a proper name, not an implied identity. 

Fantasy is fun, and it appears that vast numbers of us were raised on pretending, though spouting utter nonsense doesn't make you a card-carrying member of the 1%, precisely because the 1% still holds all the cards -- and intends to keep it that way.

Better to learn something, act on one's convictions and teach the coming generations how life really works. End-times extravaganzas financed by plastic might prove only to presage the end times. I'd prefer to think and move otherwise.

I remain supportive of the various revolutions in food and drink, and always will, but the time has long since passed to raise a hand and call "bullshit," whether to drivel oozed by national political figures, local economic dishevelment directors or the posturing that accompanies restaurant openings and new beer releases.

Now, I'm going to make a statement (again) without really knowing how I intend to back it up, but speaking only for myself: It's back to hitting fungoes and shooting those hundred free throws every day. My world needs to be about fundamentals, genuineness and dependability. The train must become reacquainted with the rails, and those rules that matter learned prior to breaking them.

Rant over. Enjoy your damned weekend.

Please stop calling your legal, open-to-the-public bar a "speakeasy", by Esther Mobley (SF Gate)

Just because your bar doesn't have a sign does not make it a "speakeasy."

Other features that, sorry, still don't make it a speakeasy: a hidden door. A reservation-only policy. An intimidating gatekeeper.

And here's something that definitely precludes your bar from being a speakeasy: You send out press releases and post endless photos on Instagram, no matter how many old-timey mustaches or antique medicine bottles may appear in said photos.

For a while I've been biting my tongue, willing to let this term go the way of "handmade" or "artisanal," wearing itself out to the point of meaninglessness. But it's gone too far now.

The latest offender is the Grid, the new "Tron"-themed "speakeasy" inside the arcade-cum-bar Coin-Op. (Though there's some confusion even among its operators about what to call it: All press releases call it a "speakeasy." But one partner prefers "VIP lounge" to "speakeasy," which, don't even get me started on "VIP lounge.")

THE BEER BEAT: "Please stop calling your legal, open-to-the-public bar a 'speakeasy,' " and other adventures in fake news.

Allow me to suggest that far too many lamentations about the scourge of "fake news" are found to emanate from those who routinely and unquestioningly absorb vast mounds of extraneous bilge written and photographed in the service of food and drink promotion.

It isn't so much that many of the press releases I read from food and drink businesses are badly written, though stunningly often, they are.

Cringing in the expectation of further abuse is no way to enjoy your morning coffee.

Rather, it's when these hype sheets refer to the imperative of Hagio-Simmered Whey Encrusted Virgin Pork Gills, somehow combining pretentiousness, snobbery and loin of PT Barnum in a single phrase. We're supposed to nod knowingly, so that others will, too, even if none of us has any idea what it means.

As another example, a word like "speakeasy," unraveled here. To use this word without having a clue as to its proper context and historical meaning ... well, is that not fake?

If it isn't fake, what is?

And before someone asks, the late Speakeasy in New Albany was a restaurant, bar and musical venue that didn't claim to be something it wasn't. It was a proper name, not an implied identity. 

Fantasy is fun, and it appears that vast numbers of us were raised on pretending, though spouting utter nonsense doesn't make you a card-carrying member of the 1%, precisely because the 1% still holds all the cards -- and intends to keep it that way.

Better to learn something, act on one's convictions and teach the coming generations how life really works. End-times extravaganzas financed by plastic might prove only to presage the end times. I'd prefer to think and move otherwise.

I remain supportive of the various revolutions in food and drink, and always will, but the time has long since passed to raise a hand and call "bullshit," whether to drivel oozed by national political figures, local economic dishevelment directors or the posturing that accompanies restaurant openings and new beer releases.

Now, I'm going to make a statement (again) without really knowing how I intend to back it up, but speaking only for myself: It's back to hitting fungoes and shooting those hundred free throws every day. My world needs to be about fundamentals, genuineness and dependability. The train must become reacquainted with the rails, and those rules that matter learned prior to breaking them.

Rant over. Enjoy your damned weekend.

Please stop calling your legal, open-to-the-public bar a "speakeasy", by Esther Mobley (SF Gate)

Just because your bar doesn't have a sign does not make it a "speakeasy."

Other features that, sorry, still don't make it a speakeasy: a hidden door. A reservation-only policy. An intimidating gatekeeper.

And here's something that definitely precludes your bar from being a speakeasy: You send out press releases and post endless photos on Instagram, no matter how many old-timey mustaches or antique medicine bottles may appear in said photos.

For a while I've been biting my tongue, willing to let this term go the way of "handmade" or "artisanal," wearing itself out to the point of meaninglessness. But it's gone too far now.

The latest offender is the Grid, the new "Tron"-themed "speakeasy" inside the arcade-cum-bar Coin-Op. (Though there's some confusion even among its operators about what to call it: All press releases call it a "speakeasy." But one partner prefers "VIP lounge" to "speakeasy," which, don't even get me started on "VIP lounge.")

A closing and a blessing in today's C-J.

Two article in today's C-J merit the attention of New Albanians.

Speakeasy will close with a party
Lori Tharp will party tonight like she is not out of money or work. She will live up the last hours of her dream.

Cardinal Ritter center is blessed in New Albany
Nearly 100 people gathered yesterday under the rafters of what will be a multipurpose room as Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein blessed the Cardinal Ritter Birthplace Community Center in New Albany.

Final "Big Band Dance and Concert" next Wednesday at Speakeasy ... then, lights out.

The following was forwarded to me moments ago.

----

Another Closing ... But With A Difference (The Speakeasy, New Albany)

Sadly the list of businesses closing, particularly restaurants, seems to grow everyday. In most cases they tend to go out of business with only a few hours notice. But here’s something different:

The Speakeasy, a restaurant, music club in downtown New Albany is closing. With a music policy of five nights a week for almost two years now, The Speakeasy was totally unique in that every Wednesday night dancers could come and dance to a 17 piece big band … mostly young to middle age dancers dancing to a big band of mostly young to middle age players. The Speakeasy was perhaps the ONLY place in America where you could dance to a full size Big band whose regular tune list included foxtrots, waltz, swing, jive, cha-cha, mambo’s, beguines, salsa, and yes, even tango’s. What a concept … just like the old days … but driven primarily by younger folks. The Speakeasy came close to making it but was ultimately brought down by the economy.

Here’s the pitch: Unlike other establishments skulking away in the night with little or no notice, The Speakeasy is going to throw one last Big Band Dance and Concert next Wednesday with the theme of “Party Like It’s 1929”. Appropriate? Very!

Lori Tharp, proprietor, singer, pianist would gladly make herself available to publicize the event. It’s the story of people with a very unique dream, a totally unique product who came this close and like the recently departed Jazz Factory … will go out with a bang. And, who knows, maybe an investor angel will hear the story and ride in at the last moment.

Contact me right away if you think this might be noteworthy … pardon the pun. And come party with us next Wednesday night. 225 State St, New Albany. Doors open at 5pm. First come – first served. Brad Tharp, trumpeter – bandleader will have the big band roaring by 8pm

Thanks …Terry Armstrong

Front Row Promotions, Inc.

Open thread: Speakeasy will close on Wednesday, October 29.

I regret announcing this, but multiple sources today indicate that the Speakeasy is closing effective Wednesday, October 29 (Sunday, October 26 for food).

This means a number of things, but at the moment, I'm too busy to contemplate them. Readers, you are invited to discuss.

Birthday greetings to Speakeasy.

It's been about 55 weeks ago that the Glenn Miller Orchestra came into town and opened Speakeasy Jazz on State Street.

In the Mood: Saturday at the Speakeasy with the Glenn Miller Orchestra ... and more than a few ghosts.

The official grand opening was just shy of a year ago, and NAC received this message a couple of days back:

We (SPEAKEASY) just turned one year old and would like to thank New Albany for a great year. We look forward to many more!

Happy birthday to Brad, Lori and the gang.

Tommy Dorsey and the meaning of life.

I remember being awake on a windy evening in spring, listening to the new leaves rustle through the open windows, and hearing the song “Manhattan Serenade” in my head, as performed by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra. It’s a forgettable pop tune by almost any standard, but for whatever reason, in the mind of a ten-year-old, it prompted thoughts of life and death and ultimate meanings. I’ve no idea why. It just did.

Which is to say that it isn’t necessary for me to Google the name of Tommy Dorsey to know who he was.

More than fifty years after Dorsey’s death, a big band stocked with younger musicians bearing his name still tours the country, playing tunes that the famous bandleader made famous during his heyday in the 1930’s and 1940’s. The band is playing two Mother’s Day shows this evening at the Speakeasy, and my wife and I will be escorting my mother to the first of these.

Back in the day, Tommy Dorsey’s orchestra was in the upper tier in terms of visibility and record (78 rpm) sales. Before and after the period of his greatest success, he worked alongside his brother Jimmy, and these were volatile working arrangements not unlike those of the Robinson (Black Crowes) and Gallagher (Oasis) brothers of the current age.

It’s often forgotten that Elvis Presley’s first network television exposure came on a show hosted by the Dorsey Brothers.

Tommy Dorsey played in the studio with Bix Beiderbecke, did credible Dixieland with his Clambake Seven side project, hired some of the period’s finest sidemen (Bunny Berigan, Ziggy Elman, Buddy Rich and arranger Sy Oliver), and provided Frank Sinatra with the model for the young singer’s breathing technique by virtue of his own approach on the trombone. Dorsey was acclaimed for his “sweet” ballads, but the “swing” numbers rock hard, even today, seventy years after some were rcorded.

My exposure to the big band phenomenon came very early in life, at the behest of a father who had no musical skills whatsoever, but forever associated the music with his youth, and more importantly, the period of his wartime experience in the Pacific theater. My dad’s favorite was Glenn Miller, but I came to prefer Dorsey, Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw among the famous white bandleaders, reserving my ultimate accolades for Duke Ellington -- genius not so much as performer as a songwriter.

Miller always was a bit too calculated and commercial for my tastes, and his legacy as synonymous with the “Great Band Era” primarily owes to an untimely death while serving with the military in Europe. The other bandleaders mentioned here were jazzier from the start, and also lived to preside somehow over changing tastes and the decline of the genre, which has survived, albeit at the fringe of the listening public’s imagination.

No matter. Big bands remain embedded in my consciousness, even if genetics doomed me to as little musical comprehension as preceding generations of the family. Tonight at the Speakeasy there’ll be food, wine and merriment, and I hope my mother enjoys it. However, I’ll be thinking about Tommy Dorsey, the long forgotten “Manhattan Serenade,” life, death and ultimate meanings.

After all, it’s a long tradition inside melancholics like me.

Maybe he'll buy a building.

Speakeasy owner Brad Tharp greets Ted Danson and his wife Mary Steenburgen, who dropped by on Friday, May 2 following the Oaks. Photo submitted by Mike Kopp.

Don't forget:

Downtown Saturday & a sneak peak at the Pearl Street Gems: Saturday, May 10.

Pangea Day and worldwide live broadcast at the Market Street Fish House: Saturday, May 10.

Numerous comings and goings for food and drink in downtown New Albany.

Finally baseball season has arrived, and with it the necessity of surveying major league rosters to account for the winter’s trades and free agent signings.

In like fashion, the assemblage of downtown New Albany eateries and watering holes has undergone a near complete overhaul in recent months. Here are a few of the changes, bearing in mind that as usual, my primary emphasis is on those businesses aiming to have good beer as part of their presentation, and consequently are of greater interest to me personally. I know that some are being omitted, and welcome their inclusion via comments.

First, a quick shout-out to Speakeasy Jazz on State Street, which has survived both the Bistro New Albany and Connor’s Place, and should benefit from the unexpected closing of the Jazz Factory in Louisville.

Many readers have asked about the abrupt departure of Connor’s Place, formerly located at 207 East Main Street, and now in storage and on hiatus. It is a circuitous story that begins with owner Dave Himmel’s inability to reach a lease agreement with his landlords, continues through his oft-stated desire to open a fish and seafood restaurant downtown, and hopefully will end when the aquatic project, slated to be called the Market Street Fish House, comes to fruition in mid-April at 133 East Market (location of the now defunct Treet’s Bakery Café).

Just across Market Street from the soon-to-open Fish House is an unused commercial building that will be remodeled to spec for Dave by its new owner, and in this space a revamped Connor’s Place hopefully will reopen by mid-summer.

Got all that? Might as well rename that stretch of Market as "Himmel Way" and get it over with. When Connor's Place returns, NABC will have beer there.

You may be wondering what is to become of the Main Street quarters formerly occupied by Connor’s, and the answer comes from an NAC informant:

A new restaurant will be opening where Connor’s Place was, and they are planning on having ongoing artist showcases. It is going to be called “Studios” and the owner’s name is Trish Meyer.

There is no further information on the sort of eatery Studios will be. Trish, if you're reading ... let us know what's up.

Back around the corner in the building that most natives still call the New Albany Inn, The Windsor Restaurant & Garden is open for business at 148 East Market, which in Louisville-area parlance is “where the late, lamented Bistro New Albany used to be.” Business First recently offered a preview of the establishment, which is observing lunchtime hours at present and will expand into evening dining when it’s warm enough to use the famous courtyard. NABC has been contacted about beer for the Windsor, and we’re cautiously optimistic that there’ll be a good beer program there, though perhaps not to the scale of bNA’s great list.

Meanwhile … in the historic Baer building at 321 Pearl Street, work continues on the River City Winery. A couple hundred yards northeast as the crow flies is the spot on Bank Street where NABC is continuing to plan its production brewery and taproom ... and don't ask me "when" this is going to happen unless you have a wheelbarrow full of money to invest.

Elsewhere, the Orchid Asian Cafe is located at 400 West Main, and is an intriguing addition to the downtown dining scene primarily because the menu includes Thai and Vietnamese offerings beyond the usual Chinese fare, and the décor is bright, modern and absent the kitsch generally associated with “Chinese” restaurants. It’s almost impossible to fathom that the venerable Kerstien’s tavern used to occupy the new home of the Orchid. No alcohol, but we’ve been impressed so far with the food.

What am I forgetting? Make a comment and let me know.

This weekend: "New Albany to welcome Hoagy Carmichael for one final tour."

A press release from the Carnegie Center. Note also that hops and art both are available in abundance at NABC this weekend; more information can be found here: Publicanista! Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming and New Albanian Art Show edition.

A life-size bronze statue of Hoagy Carmichael at his Steinway Grand Piano will be visiting downtown New Albany, Indiana October 19-20, 2007 at the Speakeasy Jazz Club, 225 State Street, and Indiana University Southeast October 22-25. This visit is part of a statewide tour to re-engage Hoosiers’ knowledge of this creative composer and his enormous contributions to the landscape of American music. At the conclusion of the tour this fall, the statue will be dedicated and permanently installed at Indiana University in Bloomington, where Hoagy was born and received a law degree.

Accompanying the sculpture will be a display chronicling Carmichael’s life, kiosks, archives, and various items promoting his life and career. The sculptor/designer, Michael McAuley will also be on site to answer questions and present a lecture concerning the sculpture and Carmichael’s life.

He was one of America’s great songsmiths and the very first of the American singer-songwriters. Although playing piano from an early age, his passion for music truly ignited at the beginning of the America Jazz movement. He composed numerous songs, including Stardust and Georgia on My Mind – two of the most recorded songs in the history of music. In 1951 he won an Oscar for his song In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening. Later, Hoagy was given his own television show and gained 14 film credits with actors such as Kirk Douglas and Humphrey Bogart, among others. He was one of the first 10 songwriters inducted into the nation’s Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Sponsored by Caesars Foundation of Floyd County, local organizers of this Hoagy Tribute Tour include the Carnegie Center for Art & History, the Floyd County Historical Society, Develop New Albany, and the IU Alumni Association.

For more information, contact the Carnegie Center at 812-944-7336 or visit http://www.carnegiecenter.org/.

Where to drink good beer during Harvest Homecoming.

Speaking personally, it has been a cherished goal to live long enough that I might be able to enjoy a craft beer downtown during New Albany’s annual Harvest Homecoming celebration, and by doing so, to strike a small blow against the hegemony of the swill merchants.

In 2005, the old House of Bread put two kegs of NABC beer on tap during Harvest Homecoming, and last year, its successor, Bistro New Albany expanded the NABC selection while adding craft beers from Upland (a Bloomington, Indiana microbrewery) and others from America and around the world.

BNA will do it again this year, and there’ll be NABC and Upland beers on tap once again. Unlike last year, BNA will conduct food and drink business during booth days both outside on the patio and inside in the dining room, which means that one need not be restricted to elephant ears and rolled oysters (the latter remaining a favorite of mine) from the street side vendors.

Another marvelous option is added for 2007: Connor’s Place, run by former BNA partner Dave Himmel, and located on Main Street adjacent to the Parthenon. CP will feature NABC drafts during Harvest Homecoming: Community Dark, Elector, Flat Tyre, Hoptimus (limited quantities) and Mt. Lee (also limited quantities).

Flat Tyre will be available in cask-conditioned form from the hand pump, which has been borrowed from NABC for the occasion, giving Connor’s the distinction of being the first New Albany establishment during the modern era to offer hand-pumped “real” ale. When the cask version is depleted, there’ll be a regular keg as back-up. Connor’s Place will also have Oktoberfest beers from Upland, Browning’s (Louisville micro) and Spaten (Germany).

I believe that Elector will be on tap at Speakeasy Jazz, NABC’s remaining downtown account.

Yes, swill reigns supreme at Harvest Homecoming, and it probably always will. However, all we ever wanted was a choice. Now more than ever, we have it. If you like good beer and you’re downtown the next three days, visit one of these fine establishments and buy one. In NABC isn’t your taste, my feelings aren’t hurt; have another microbrew or an import instead, and let them know that you appreciate having options. Rest assured that if it were up to Anheuser-Busch, you wouldn’t have any.

Tonight: Speakeasy ribbon cutting and grand opening.

Visit the Speakeasy Jazz web site for more information.

In the Mood: Saturday at the Speakeasy with the Glenn Miller Orchestra ... and more than a few ghosts.

(Noon update Monday: Here's the Tribune's Monday web "extra" coverage: Speakeasy opens with a bang)

"The clarinet lead, handsomely intoned by Wilbur Schwartz, and the swaying melody pinned to the first beat of each measure evoke a vanished age, even for those who never knew the age."

--Gary Giddins, on Glenn Miller’s original recording of “Moonlight Serenade.”

The Speakeasy’s grand opening was Saturday night, and as many readers probably already know, the Glenn Miller Orchestra played two sold-out shows. With only three “soft” work days under their belts, Brad, Lori and the staff at Speakeasy were setting the bar fairly high by hosting such an auspicious event so early in the game, and they performed admirably under extreme pressure. There were a few problems, but I think most in attendance understood the situation and gave the Speakeasy high marks for attempted difficulty.

Hang in there, guys.

There has been an authorized touring version of the Glenn Miller Orchestra since 1956. The 2007 edition is again being led by Larry O’Brien, who has been at the orchestra’s helm since 1988. The band’s members are youthful virtuosos, stubborn jazz aficionados, and graduates of music schools nationwide. On Saturday evening, O’Brien graciously showcased trombonist Chris Fortner, a Floyd Central graduate who brought his area fan club for the 9:00 p.m. performance. The veteran O’Brien observed that it was one of the few times that audiences were not bewildered by mention of “Floyds Knobs.”

Fortner merely played brilliantly.

Judging from the listing of tour dates at the orchestra’s web site, most of the band’s shows these days are in concert hall settings. The Speakeasy’s gig was described as a dance, and that’s considerably different. The music originally performed and perfected by big bands was designed to serve as entertainment in venues where drinking, laughing, eating and dancing were part of the expectation of those in attendance. In old air checks from the golden days, you can hear glasses clinking and conversations humming during the brief silence between songs. You can almost hear the cigarettes being smoked.

The atmosphere was like that at the Speakeasy for the Glenn Miller Orchestra on Saturday night, minus the tobacco smoke (malfunctioning kitchen vents are another story), and I was very happy for the informality of the evening. Formality would have been too much. Sunday was Father’s Day, and my dad, who died six years ago, was a Glenn Miller fan without equal. Obviously, to me, there can’t be one without the other, so here’s a bit more about the music in context.

----

Long before teenagers in suburban bedrooms played “air guitar” to Eric Clapton or Eddie Van Halen, there undoubtedly were “air trumpet” displays in the vicinity of crackling urban household radio sets, with young fans patiently waiting for the end of FDR’s fireside chat to listen for the sophisticated big band arrangements aired live from clubs and ballrooms, knowing by heart when the solos from Ziggy Elman, Bunny Berigan, Roy Eldridge and dozens of others would come blasting through the damp night, to be imitated and admired.

It was all the norm during the Swing Era, or the Big Band Era, or any other convenient phrase coined long afterward to describe a pervasive phenomenon whose zenith was long ago, short-lived and very far away from the present time of computers, terrorists and global warming. Thankfully, the art form is being kept alive today by sturdy traditional practitioners like the 25-year-old players and 74-year-old musical director currently inhabiting the Glenn Miller Orchestra, which does 300 road shows a year.

Many theories have been advanced purporting to explain the demise of the “big bands,” from transportation costs to technological and communications advances. Truth is, the world just went and changed, but one of the beauties of today’s niche-driven marketplace is that there’s still an audience for big band music, which is at its most vital performed live before an enchanted local audience.

These musical aggregations, which combine elements of small group improvisational jazz with the more formally scored tradition of symphonic bands, enjoyed their golden age in popular culture from the mid-1930s to the end of World War II. During the post-war era, big bands barely survived, being supplanted first by a greater emphasis placed on individual vocalists, and then later by various tsunamis of rock ‘n’ roll, pop and country, and the myriad cultural diversities of an ever smaller planet.

Big bands never really went away, but their pulse grew very faint as time inexorably marched, and generations of people who played the music or knew it as their own sadly passed from the scene.

To my mind, the “big band era” in America did not truly end until May, 1992, when Johnny Carson departed from the “Tonight Show.” He took with him Doc Severinsen’s “house” big band, which was the last regularly broadcasted link with the halcyon days of Miller, Shaw, Goodman, Ellington and Dorsey, a sound accessible weekly to any person with a television set and rabbit ears. During the fifteen years that have followed, big bands have gone from being an active memory for many in the populace to occupying a status somewhat in line with Civil War re-enactors, who are charged with making ghosts relevant and educating those who aren’t in the know.

How many people under the age of 50 know that Glenn Miller abandoned the music business at his band’s commercial peak and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force in 1942? That Miller subsequently organized a military orchestra that eschewed his trademark civilian arrangements for jazzy reworkings of stodgy marching band music, annoying hidebound military traditionalists and entertaining hundreds of thousands of Allied troops overseas? That Miller’s airplane mysteriously disappeared over the English Channel in December, 1944, with the wreckage never located?

The author is 46. I knew all about Glenn Miller, his music and the songs and stories of the big band era courtesy of my father, for whom these numbers and legends were the soundtrack accompanying his military service in the Marines in the Pacific Theater from 1942 to 1945. Growing up at the tail end of the baby boom generation, I spent countless Sunday mornings listening to long-playing 33 & 1/3 compilations of big band swing – “sweet” ballads, “hot” orchestral charts, novelty tunes, and the radio fodder of wartime.

It was almost more fun watching my dad listen, tapping his feat, with songs like “Sentimental Journey” or “String of Pearls” prompting stories and memories of the time in his life when he was a part of something far, far bigger than himself. He came back home after it was over, lived his life by his terms, worked six days a week, and relaxed on Sunday morning over sausage, eggs and Glenn Miller … and usually went back out for more farm work on Sunday afternoon.

That’s a hard habit to break (the music, not the fence mending), and the tradition lives on in the Confidential household on most Sunday mornings, albeit without children present for instruction. For this reason, I’m depending on readers to pass this information along to someone younger, and perhaps even join in listening to a few of the standards like “American Patrol,” “In the Mood,” “Pennsylvania 6-5000, or one of my signature songs for late at night, “Serenade in Blue.”

I can loan you the CDs.

Good times this weekend and beyond: Art, beer, Speakeasy & more.

As was made clear by yesterday’s self-congratulatory posting, beer is the senior editor’s life, but as was pointed out long ago in this space, there is a strong case to be made for craft beer (and numerous other small-scale, niche-driven consumer preferences) in the context of downtown revitalization.

Beer Basics considers pubs, restaurants and downtown revitalization (June 15, 2005).

To me, it’s simple. We need people who, in large measure, are drawn from a readily identifiable demographic. Provide them with the amenities they seek, and they just might like it here. When it comes to food and drink, examples of these amenities currently can be found downtown at Bistro New Albany and Connor’s Place.

A third example is Speakeasy, the downtown jazz bar and restaurant that is planning its sold-out grand opening for Saturday, June 16. Brad, Lori and the crew hope to be doing “soft” business next week, although currently the exact details are not known. I’ll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, another example of synergy is provided by the happy marriage of craft beer and the arts. The New Albanian Brewing Company is donating beer to help raise money for two arts-related events in Floyd County.

Art on the Green … St Paul's Episcopal Church is reviving an old tradition, with a one-day St. Paul's Art on the Parish Green showcase of visual arts and fine craft to be held June 9th on the grounds of the historic St. Paul's Episcopal Church (corner Main & East 10th). There’ll be a keg of NABC Elector for sale alongside Bud Light, with both extremes being vended for public consumption.

Magic at the Mount … Staged by the Mary Anderson Center for the Arts at the artist colony’s home base at Mt. St. Francis, only 15 minutes from downtown Louisville off Highway 150. We’ve donated a keg of Community Dark for the enjoyment of the artists and performers. I’m not certain what provisions will be available to the visiting public.

Also this weekend, NABC’s brewers, Jesse and Jared, will be in carrying the company banner to the 12th Annual St. Louis Microfest in St. Louis, Missouri, where during last year’s event NABC sold numerous “These Machines Kill Fascists” t-shirts without having to explain to a single person what the phrase means.

Soon, that might even be true here.

Sunday Blue Light Backfill Special: Three good Tribune reads.

You can be sure that the New Albany Tribune is on the right track when the city’s most shameless of trognonymous bloggers begins attacking it for presumed bias – on behalf of folks (s)he detests, and against the saintly Auntie V:

The New Albany Tribune deserves an award for being a One sided local news paper that will only print what the current adminstration wants printed … And you Sir, Mr. Campbell have done a greater disservice to Valla Ann Bolovschak a successful business owner, a citizens advocate and taxpayer of New Albany.

Someone call the spelling, grammar and syntax police; Erika appears to be having another “Cupid’s arrow” moment. Can Fantasy Island be far behind?

Meanwhile, for the non-apoplectically minded, there here are three highly worthwhile reads in today’s Sunday edition:

Famous big band booked for New Albany Speakeasy; Glenn Miller Orchestra playing State Street jazz club’s opening, by Eric Scott Campbell.

Brad Tharp wanted a big-name jazz ensemble to open his New Albany club, so he got on the horn … Tharp called the Glenn Miller Orchestra, which has toured virtually nonstop for 50 years, after he got approval to launch Speakeasy in a vacant State Street building downtown.

COPAS: Kathy’s rules of order, by guest columnist Kathy Copas.

A couple of months ago, I attended my first New Albany City Council meeting. A blogger neighbor of mine suggested I go. He made a great point one night, during a front porch rocking chair conversation, that it’s important to go at least once if you’re someone who lives in and truly supports New Albany moving forward.

ALTON: City Council? Not this time, by guest columnist John Alton.

I was originally considering a run for the 4th District City Council in New Albany as a Democrat, and had intended to file. I withdrew in favor of Pat McLaughlin when I learned that he had filed, and I saw where he had barely lost in the last election to Kochert. I did intend to run as an Independent, but with the death of my mother in February, it took a lot out of me, and it took the steam out of the effort.

Good news in New Albany? Here’s some.

With the governor’s blessing, IU Southeast’s dorms are set for construction. Put simply, this is huge – and long overdue. Once the Purdue tech park is built on Charlestown Road, there'll be a buffer of higher education between the historic city center and the expanses of exurban TheGaryVille.

The state of Indiana has received two bids for the purchase of the Silvercrest complex. Can you say, “adaptive reuse?” If not, why?

Dave Himmel is set to open Connor’s Place on Main Street within the next week or two. You’re going to love the bar and interior design. The owners of the Speakeasy pub, restaurant and music venue downtown on State Street are looking at an early June opening, including a rumored appearance by the Glenn Miller Orchestra.

Tonight at the Grand, the Floyd County Democratic Party will be holding its Jefferson - Jackson Dinner, with a tribute to Robert F. Kennedy and guest speaker Daniel Kalef, Vice President of Marketing and Development for the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville. It’s worth attending just to see which local party members won’t attend an event dedicated to a liberal.

Noteworthy absences will be recorded here. Stay tuned.

Forthcoming Speakeasy jazz club on the Tribune front page.

It is ironic that after mentioning the Historical Preservation Commission’s intriguing Thursday meeting agenda, and noting that the forthcoming Speakeasy signage was up for consideration (it passed), Mike “Wunderkind” Kopp unexpectedly introduced me to Mr. Tharp as we were sitting at the Bistro New Albany enjoying appetizers and ale.

Career musicians to open Speakeasy in New Albany, by Eric Scott Campbell (News and Tribune).

Next on downtown New Albany’s set list: “Speakeasy,” a little jazz number. East End residents Brad and Lori Tharp have leased a former antique store on State Street between Main and Market streets. By late spring, they plan to open a restaurant and bar and host jazz performances on a near-daily basis.

There’ll probably be an NABC tap or two, and there’s interest in other good beers.

And something about music, too …