I’ve been around long enough to know that the 4th street complex will eventually get old too, its’ tax revenue base will dry up, and they will close. Then the city will be looking elsewhere to fund the next “in-thing”. So, no….the politics involved here are nothing new. While it may be distasteful, the only thing you and people like Ward can do about it is bitch and moan blissfully. You can vote out the chumps. But then what? The cycle starts over and the “good-ole-boy” entrenches itself further. It NEVER ends……

Bottom line, they will spend our money where they want, when they want, and how they want regardless.

If you’re a business owner, then you either grow or die. If it stops moving forward even for a second, you’re dead. Business is strategy. Business requires hard work. Business requires thought. Business means taking chances. City Block had every opportunity to strategize and operate their business as resourcefully as possible – AND – they could have utilized the local music scene as a resource and nurtured that relationship to create something special. But that didn’t happen. So, again….you get what you give.

If you are the “real” Toby, then big boy, last I heard, your home address was Nashville and Oklahoma – so that wouldn’t make you a local LOUISVILLE musician now would it? You’re a national star and of course Ward is going to treat you like royalty. But more importantly, I may not be the brightest bulb in the Par Can, but I ain’t dumb enough to believe your bullshit post anyway.

And Greg, you’re missing the point. Admittedly, I can’t speak for the Blues bands too much. But I know there were country bands in Louisville such as Ron Peake and Open Country, Mike Lunsford, JD Black, Uncle Pecos, Wild Horses, Karen Kraft, and scores of others that ALL made a comfortable living playing the local clubs I mentioned in my original post. All of those places I mentioned, plus even places like LaBo’s in Lebanon Junction, ALL started losing business to Coyote’s because of exactly what I mentioned previously.

My point is that instead of Ward hiring these bands to play HIS club, he chose the DJ Format and promoted the hell out of their larger-than-life dance floor. The LOCAL musicians were only offered opportunities to open concerts and even then, you barely made $50 each, which was nothing close to what we all made regularly from our other club gigs.

Eventually, crowds diminished at the other clubs and soon, cutbacks occurred. I’ll never forget the day Village Pub closed, which was a staple in the local live country music scene and THE most recognized place to go if you wanted to listen to the best of the best locally (pre-Coyote’s). Even AFTER they remodeled the place, put in new lights, sound system, and formed a house band…..they succumbed to the marketing and domination that Coyote’s exuded. The rest followed suit shortly thereafter.

So, for the past couple of months, I’ve been trying to frequent a few places in Louisville. You know what I’ve found? Nothing. I’ve found Johnny Berry with Steve Cooley playing places like Longshots. After all the talent this town had at one time and all the locations you could go to to enjoy your favorite local talent…..and the best place to go is a beer joint as big as my basement? Naw…Ward isn’t responsible for all of the downturn. I’m not saying that. But, by far, straining other clubs the way that he did certainly fueled the exit for most of them and as a resulte most of the talent this town had ended up with nowhere to play.

Hey – here’s a clue for ya…when Karen Kraft has to quit music to take a job as a real estate agent, what’s that tell ya?

So, is turnabout fair play – absolutely – and you’ll not convince me that I’m wrong on this. Regardless of the politics involved, Ward and City Block is getting a dose of its’ own medicine. The upside is….this time no musicians are sacrificed.

There’s nothing sinister in the way Ward’s done business…and what’s happening now is completely different. You’re seeing local government spend YOUR TAX MONEY to drive local business owners under. That’s a problem…

I was once a professional musician playing in a high profile group in this town and earning a very nice living doing so BEFORE Coyote’s. Now, I look around……there’s about 1/4 of live music this town once had and many of the city’s best musicians hardly even play out anymore -including me. Why? Because Ward Plauche didn’t support the live local music scene. And now as a result, we no longer have a burgeoning music scene like we once had. Gone are places like Flaherty’s, Village Pub, Sahara Niteclub, the Toy Tiger, Colonial Gardens…..and many more….all staunch supporters of local musicians and live music – many of which featured live music 4 nights a week or more!!!

So, while I understand everyone’s gripe over the Cordish thing, all they did was figure a way to beat Ward at a game that he once played very well and now, he’s the one retreating exactly the same way he forced other clubs to retreat.

I’m sorry, Ward, but you get no sympathy from me. All you did was make an easy target for someone with more saviness and obviously more money than you to knock you off the mountain. Perhaps you should have thought of that 20 years ago when you were underpaying all of us and treating us as second-class citizens. Had you handled that differently, maybe some of us musicians would have survived with our fan following in tact and perhaps come to your aid in a time of need. You get what you give, I suppose.