Scene and Heard

                                     THE RAVENNA COLT

                                         SLIGHT SPELL

After conceiving the project over a decade ago, former My Morning Jacket guitarist Johnny Quaid is finally releasing the dreamlike, southern-flavored debut effort by The Ravenna Colt.  The album, titled , Slight Spell, is now available through Removador Recordings and Solutions, the label Quaid recently co-founded with MMJ frontman Yim Yames. 

After six years as a part of MMJ, Louisville, KY native Quaid parted amicably with the band in 2004 and headed off to California.  Eventually Quaid headed back east and reacquainting himself with his roots.  Fittingly, the music he has written as The Ravenna Colt reflects his style in Americana with a hint of cosmic breeze that emanates from California. 

Opening track “South of Ohio,’ points to this when Quaid wonders “I lost my drawl in California / was there ever one at all?”  He reveals himself to be an individual who meditates on the deep connection he has with his hometown as well as one interested in venturing outward for new experiences.

The Ravenna Colt currently includes Phil Carlson, J. Brent Stuart and Daniel T. Mohler as members, but the group has always been a shape-shifting entity with the only constant force being Quaid at the helm.  This collective-like quality translates to the music as well, which has beautifully amorphous feel.  The songs on Slight Spell have definitive cores, but ones that seem capable of adapting to various musicians and arrangements. Quaid has the soul of a troubadour.  One can picture him with nothing but an acoustic guitar strapped to his back, traveling from town to town to share his music and his adventures.

http://www.removador.com/artists/the-ravenna-colt

Yim Yames,  ( Jim James) frontman for My Morning Jacket and Monsters of Folk, joined with Bootsy Ann to make the Louisville for Lovers Valentines Day event a very special evening. The event held at the Seelbach Hotel’s  Rathskellar called for cocktail attire and was limited to only 300 people. The crowd split between local people,Yames family members and fans who traveled from  Houston, Texas, Ohio ,Michigan and Illinois, witnessed an incredible performance.

Yames mixed his music playing love songs from the past such as “Just the two of us”along with acoustic versions of hits from My Morning Jacket and Monsters of Folk.  It  a first class event and bound to be one of the top performances of the year.

I was proud to be one of the few photographers allowed in the event. Major magazines such as Spin, and Paste sent photographers from Texas to cover this night. Thank you Production Simple for this honor.

See more photos: http://mikeseye.phanfare.com

Gary Allen played two sold out shows Friday and Saturday at Horseshoe Casino IN over Valentines weekend.

Allen used his entire music catalogue to entertain his fans. Most of whom sang every word along with him.

The weather may have been cold outside but in the showroom it couldn’t have been hotter.

See more photos: http://mikeseye.phanfare.com