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I would like to thank robeysan for his warm introduction in his post on this forum and would like to take the opportunity to tell you all a little about myself. I was born in a commune near CRANE Naval Base, but grew up in Owensburg, Indiana, a town of about 200 people outside of Bloomington. I have spent small stints of time living in other cities, but Bloomington had been my home for most of my adult life until I descended to the Louisville area three years ago. I run a monthly open mic down here, perform poetry around the area and back up in Bloomington, and regularly guest host the open mic portion of the InKY Reading Series at the Rudyard Kipling. I appreciate this opportunity to write for thelocalsounds.net and look forward to meeting a lot of you in the near future and hearing a lot of great music.
I do not remember it much, but I have been told that my mother sung folk songs, by Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Buffy St. Marie and the like, to me when I was only an infant. Needless to say, my appreciation for music began at a very young age. I have her to thank for introducing me to most of the classic rock bands from the 60’s and 70’s, as well as a lot of the folk music from that era. My teenage years began in the early 1990’s during the whole grunge/alternative revolution. The first half of the decade was littered with a plethora of great bands of all different types; although, they still tried to put them all under that one generic label, “alternative.” Two things happened during this time. First, I got a driver’s license and became addicted to live music shows. Second, indie and local bands seemed to pop out of the woodwork. They might have already been there, but the time gave them an excitement and a legitimacy that these shows were worth going to, that a record contract didn’t make the music better, and often worse. From local shows in dingy basements and the little all ages club run by the alternative high school, to festivals in Deer Creek Music Center (now Verizon Wireless), there was more music than even an addict could consume. As I’ve grown older, my taste in music hasn’t changed as much as it has just accumulated. Basically, I enjoy any music that is good and that has passion, whether it is rock, punk, country, folk, hip hop, ska, bluegrass or any combination of these and others.
My interest in writing did not blossom so early, lying dormant from high school until I was about twenty-two or twenty-three. At that time I discovered Kerouac and Hunter S. Thompson and Gregory Corso and Allen Ginsberg , probably a little later in life than I should’ve, and developed a love for reading and writing. At the same time I discovered a rich, multi-faceted poetry scene in Bloomington, with wonderful writers with whom I built strong relationships, which fostered my new found passion and helped to hone my skill at the craft. I had found my calling. Between and through scattered, menial jobs, I have spent the time since writing poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, even essays—anything to keep my fingers on a keyboard or pen on a page.
Now I have been given the opportunity to converge these two interests. I am not only grateful for this opportunity, but respect it by sharing the goal of the website to unite Louisville’s music scene. The purpose of my articles will be to give fellow artists and fans information on the musician I am interviewing, but also to give them a taste of the aesthetic experience of seeing them at a live show. I wish all of you the best luck in your musical paths, and I want to end by thanking you for your readership. Thank you.
—Ian
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