Air Devils Inn - Louisville, Kentucky and WWC
We just returned from our annual Fall Recess trip to Louisville and a good time was had by all. Louisville, Kentucky became “the place to go” for gawilli and I after our first trip to Nashville in 1999. We were “newbies” to the Americana scene and planned a trip to the Bluebird Café for a songwriters in the round. The show we saw featured John Scott Sherrill, Alan Rhody and Tim Krekel. The only one of the three that we were remotely familiar with was John Scott Sherrill who had co-written a song with Jim Lauderdale that was on a CD we bought when we saw Lucinda Williams in Chicago.
“In the round” shows involve songwriters taking turns sharing a song. We noticed right off that Tim Krekel always played along with the other writers’ songs, providing some guitar work that even the songwriters commented on. He played one of his own songs that really stuck with us. It was a little ballad that ended with a girl going through her jeans and finding a winning Kentucky Lottery ticket, -“now they’re driving down 65 to Panama City Beach Florida in a brand new S10 pick up truck”- and began:
“Well they fell in love in the holding tank
The first Friday in May
It was their first offense so they got out in time
To whoop it up on Derby Day”
-Here Ever After by Tim Krekel
We bought one of Tim’s CDs and had him sign it. On the way home we put in the player and…. What a record! This new found artist could rock and wrote a great song. One of those great songs was “Cry on the Shoulder of the Road”, a hit for Martina McBride. We planned a trip to Louisville to see Tim Krekel and his band. The show was fantastic and we have been going back to Louisville to see Tim perform ever since.
When you see artists in small venues you often have an opportunity to meet and talk with them. We had that opportunity the first time we saw Tim and we found him to be a “regular guy” interested in why we would drive from Chicagoland just to hear him play. He always remembers us as “the people he sees once a year”. Since that time we have always felt that we knew someone in Louisville.
One of our favorite places to see Tim and the band play is Air Devils Inn. The place breathes rock and roll music when they play there (see WWC). The crowd dances wildly all night and gawilli and I stay out much later than usual. This weekend’s show was no exception. He even played “Fell Down in Memphis” twice.
“Fell down in Memphis
Tripped over my own tied shoes.
Face down on Beale Street
But, I’m alright now, I’m just a little bruised”
-Tim Krekel, Fell Down in Memphis
If you listen to Cross Country, Channel 12 on XM radio you may have heard Tim Krekel. They played many cuts from “Happy Town” which came out in 2002.
“Happy town
Nothin’ gets started til the sun goes down
Happy town
Sweat-stained smoke-filled lost and found
Happy town”
-Tim Krekel
If you ever get to Louisville, Kentucky be sure visit Tim’s site before you go. He usually has more than one show in a week. Quite often one of the shows will be acoustic, Tim Krekel and friends. We saw one of these at the Blue Grass Brewing Company on our trip. He played some tunes off “Word Keeps Turnin”. You can find this CD on iTunes and of course Amazon.com has the rest.
“The sun talks about blue sky, the clouds talk about rain,
Red bird sits on a telephone line singing his sweet refrain.
And the world keeps on turning. Yea the world keeps turning round.
Just doing what comes naturally, like gravity tethered to the ground.”
–Tim Krekel
Our trips to Louisville are like going home. Neither of us is from there, but we sure love the place. Listening to Tim Krekel and seeing the folks that follow him make it even more like home. When we said goodbye to Tim and his wife at the end of the show it was like telling a friend, “we’ll see you next time we’re in town”. It is an inspiring experience that you don’t forget easily.
Me and you and a Coup de ville.
Take a ride down to Louisville
Hear our friend Tim Krekel pick that guitar,
Ride around in our rag top car.
Goin’ to Louisville, Goin’ to Louisville
That’s the way I feel.
Goin’ to Louisville, Goin’ to Louisville
-J. Strait Willi
Courtesy of Odd Mix, the words are Delicate and Intense.
Intense: The dancing at Air Devils Inn in Louisville is intense.
“In the round” shows involve songwriters taking turns sharing a song. We noticed right off that Tim Krekel always played along with the other writers’ songs, providing some guitar work that even the songwriters commented on. He played one of his own songs that really stuck with us. It was a little ballad that ended with a girl going through her jeans and finding a winning Kentucky Lottery ticket, -“now they’re driving down 65 to Panama City Beach Florida in a brand new S10 pick up truck”- and began:
“Well they fell in love in the holding tank
The first Friday in May
It was their first offense so they got out in time
To whoop it up on Derby Day”
-Here Ever After by Tim Krekel
We bought one of Tim’s CDs and had him sign it. On the way home we put in the player and…. What a record! This new found artist could rock and wrote a great song. One of those great songs was “Cry on the Shoulder of the Road”, a hit for Martina McBride. We planned a trip to Louisville to see Tim Krekel and his band. The show was fantastic and we have been going back to Louisville to see Tim perform ever since.
When you see artists in small venues you often have an opportunity to meet and talk with them. We had that opportunity the first time we saw Tim and we found him to be a “regular guy” interested in why we would drive from Chicagoland just to hear him play. He always remembers us as “the people he sees once a year”. Since that time we have always felt that we knew someone in Louisville.
One of our favorite places to see Tim and the band play is Air Devils Inn. The place breathes rock and roll music when they play there (see WWC). The crowd dances wildly all night and gawilli and I stay out much later than usual. This weekend’s show was no exception. He even played “Fell Down in Memphis” twice.
“Fell down in Memphis
Tripped over my own tied shoes.
Face down on Beale Street
But, I’m alright now, I’m just a little bruised”
-Tim Krekel, Fell Down in Memphis
If you listen to Cross Country, Channel 12 on XM radio you may have heard Tim Krekel. They played many cuts from “Happy Town” which came out in 2002.
“Happy town
Nothin’ gets started til the sun goes down
Happy town
Sweat-stained smoke-filled lost and found
Happy town”
-Tim Krekel
If you ever get to Louisville, Kentucky be sure visit Tim’s site before you go. He usually has more than one show in a week. Quite often one of the shows will be acoustic, Tim Krekel and friends. We saw one of these at the Blue Grass Brewing Company on our trip. He played some tunes off “Word Keeps Turnin”. You can find this CD on iTunes and of course Amazon.com has the rest.
“The sun talks about blue sky, the clouds talk about rain,
Red bird sits on a telephone line singing his sweet refrain.
And the world keeps on turning. Yea the world keeps turning round.
Just doing what comes naturally, like gravity tethered to the ground.”
–Tim Krekel
Our trips to Louisville are like going home. Neither of us is from there, but we sure love the place. Listening to Tim Krekel and seeing the folks that follow him make it even more like home. When we said goodbye to Tim and his wife at the end of the show it was like telling a friend, “we’ll see you next time we’re in town”. It is an inspiring experience that you don’t forget easily.
Me and you and a Coup de ville.
Take a ride down to Louisville
Hear our friend Tim Krekel pick that guitar,
Ride around in our rag top car.
Goin’ to Louisville, Goin’ to Louisville
That’s the way I feel.
Goin’ to Louisville, Goin’ to Louisville
-J. Strait Willi
Courtesy of Odd Mix, the words are Delicate and Intense.Delicate: The changing of the seasons is a delicate transition. This photo was taken at the Falls of the Ohio.
Intense: The dancing at Air Devils Inn in Louisville is intense.
posted by willi at 8:31 PM
5 Comments:
I've only driven through L-ville, but now I would like to go there and check that place out. Sounds like a place that I would love to hang out at.
And, I'm gonna have to go and check Tim Krekel out.
Your delicate picture is beautiful, the lovely purple flower with the fall tree in the background is perfect.
I know Taylorsville Road. I think that is the exit that we used to take to visit my parents. However, I have not been to the Air Devils Inn, but any place that you can dance wildly all night is my kind of place. Your weekend sounds like such fun.
Great post! Great trip - and Tim Krekel...it truly doesn't get any better than that. Pretty intense indeed!
Nice trip. The practice of a fall trip is really cool. I like the idea of a yearly trip to the conutry to see the change that is happening. I try to do that coming up hole 18 at Summertree. But this year the rain has hurt those observations.
As a local Louisville person, I'm so glad you've discovered Tim. I've enjoyed him since the 80's. Speaking of road trips, I'm making a trip down to the famed Bluebird Cafe for a night of Tim Krekel, with Marshall Chapman and Tommy Womack.
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