Old Forester's Paristown Hall Announces First Shows for Late Summer

Old Forester's Paristown Hall, Louisville's newest state-of-the-art standing room venue, has announced a roster of performances for its opening in late July. These acts include iconic New York rock band Interpol, Memphis country-punk rockers Lucero and singer-songwriter sensation Gavin DeGraw. The Opening Night event on July 23 will be headlined by Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, along with a slate of performers including the dance troupe Pilobolus, Mucca Pazza and local favorite Ben Sollee.

The new venue becomes the third local facility to be owned and operated by The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, alongside The Kentucky Center on Main Street and the Brown Theatre on Broadway.

"It is wonderful to see Old Forester's Paristown Hall nearing its opening, bringing both locals and visitors to experience these diverse contemporary artists and unique events," said Kim Baker, president & CEO of The Kentucky Center. "The Center is thrilled to open the doors to this new venue and share the vision that we have been developing for many years."

"For nearly 150 years, Old Forester has enjoyed being a part of Louisville's cultural landscape. We are delighted to partner with the Kentucky Center for the Arts on this important investment in our community. We are excited for the opening and look forward to sharing this great venue with our hometown," said Campbell Brown, president of Old Forester and great great grandson of founder George Garvin Brown.

Tickets will be available at The Kentucky Center box office or online at kentuckycenter.org. Here is a summary of the first shows and performances that will take place at Old Forester's Paristown Hall:

Tuesday, July 23

Opening Night

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue with Pilobolus, Mucca Pazza and Ben Sollee

$60

Tickets on sale Friday, May 17 at 10 AM

Old Forester's Paristown Hall will open with great fanfare to signify a new beginning for The Kentucky Center as well as the Paristown neighborhood. The event will feature contemporary dance phenomenon Pilobolus to the sounds of musician Ben Sollee, Mucca Pazza and the night's headliner Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue.

Trombone Shorty, also known as Troy Andrews, hails from the famed New Orleans Tremé neighborhood and has played the trombone since age four. He has played for legends like the Neville Brothers and Lenny Kravitz' band, at the White House and also backed performers like Macklemore and Madonna at the Grammy Awards. He's also played on albums by Mark Ronson, Dierks Bentley and Zac Brown and opened tours for Daryl Hall and John Oates and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He has released four studio albums, including his most recent, Parking Lot Symphony in 2017.

The evening will begin with a special performance by local cellist, songwriter and storyteller Ben Sollee, who will provide music for the world renown contemporary dance troupe Pilobolus in a customized piece reflecting the city of Louisville. Pilobolus was founded in 1971 and has performed on Broadway, at the Oscar Awards ceremony and the Olympic Games, also appearing in numerous television, film and advertisements during its emergence as one of America's most well-known dance troupes. Sollee has composed music for stage, screen and virtual reality - earning an Emmy Award in 2018 for his Base Ballet score.

Mucca Pazza is an intrepid interdisciplinary instrumental music ensemble from Chicago, known for playing alarmingly danceable music composed and arranged especially for their implausible instrumentation by band members. Their original music defies classification but has bloomed out of manifold influences, from surf to Stravinsky, from Bartok to Zappa, from Esquivel to Ellington.

Thursday, July 25

Lucero with Lydia Loveless

General Admission $25 ($30 Day of Show); Premium ticket $55*

Tickets on sale Friday, May 17 at 10 AM

Long admired by their hometown of Memphis, Lucero has hosted "The Lucero Family Block Party" every spring for several years and in 2018 celebrated their 20th anniversary as a band. They discovered their name in a Spanish/English dictionary - as Lucero is variously translated as "bright star" or "morning star." Lydia Loveless is an American alternative country singer-songwriter from Columbus, Ohio whose music combines pop, classic country, honky tonk and punk rock.

* Premium ticket purchase includes express entry into venue and access to balcony lounge with private bathroom and full bar service.

Thursday, August 8

Interpol with Surfbort

General Admission $40 ($45 day of show); Premium ticket $75*

Tickets on sale Friday, May 17 at 10 AM

Interpol is a New York City-based rock band whose sound is a mix of staccato bass and rhythmic, harmonized guitar, with a snare-heavy mix, often compared to post-punk bands the Joy Division, Television and the Chameleons. Their debut 2002 album Turn on the Bright Lights was critically acclaimed and led to continued commercial and critical success. Their sixth studio album, Marauder, was released in August 2018.

*Premium ticket purchase includes express entry into venue and access to balcony lounge with private bathroom and full bar service.

Friday, August 23

Gavin DeGraw

General Admission $39.50 ($44.50 day of show); Premium ticket $70*

Tickets on sale Friday, May 17 at 10 AM

Gavin DeGraw is a Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum selling singer, performer and songwriter. His 2003 debut album, Chariot, sold more than one million copies, earned platinum certification and yielded three hit singles. DeGraw's self-titled second album debuted at No. 1 on the digital sales chart and at No. 7 on Billboard's Top 200 album chart in 2008. In 2013, DeGraw released his fourth studio album, Make A Move, which included the hit song "Best I Ever Had" and garnered rave reviews from such publications as Billboard, People and Entertainment Weekly. He tours continuously around the world, including sold out dates with the legendary Billy Joel. DeGraw released his fifth studio album Something Worth Saving in September 2016.

*Premium ticket purchase includes express entry into venue and access to balcony lounge with private bathroom and full bar service.

Sunday, November 3

Ryan Bingham

General Admission $30 ($35 day of show); Premium ticket $60*

Tickets on sale Friday, May 31 at 10 AM

Ryan Bingham hails from Texas and is a Grammy Award-winning musician who defies easy classification, but often zeroes in on the American experience. He has received accolades including the American Music Association's 2010 Artist of the Year, as well as an Oscar for his song "The Weary Kind" from the 2009 film Crazy Heart. His music is a reflection of his life experiences, including the Cajun culture he experienced in western Louisiana and border songs of Mexican immigrants. His latest album, released in February 2019, is titled American Love Song, and addresses border politics. The new work was hailed by Rolling Stone magazine as "a rolling blues-country workout awash in slide guitar, soaring gospel-roadhouse stomps and meditative folk fingerpicking that takes on his past with a cautious hope for the future."

*Premium ticket purchase includes express entry into venue and access to balcony lounge with private bathroom and full bar service.

Friday, November 8

Hippo Campus

General Admission $25; Premium Ticket $50*ON SALE TBD

Originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, Hippo Campus formed in 2013 and started on a break out trajectory following a series of talked-about performances at SXSW. This was immediately followed by their network television debut on Conan. They've since risen to the forefront of their genre on the backs of relentless touring and the strength of their debut album Landmark. The band's sophomore release, Bambi, was released in September 2018.

*Premium ticket purchase includes express entry into venue and access to balcony lounge with private bathroom and full bar service.

Artist and Venue Images can be downloaded here.

In February, The Kentucky Center joined with Old Forester to announce the name of its newest venue - Old Forester's Paristown Hall, as well as a formal programming arrangement with Production Simple, a Louisville-based, talent-buying and promotion company.

Old Forester's Paristown Hall will be a general admission venue for national touring bands, collaborative projects, new works and non-traditional arts experiences. The $12 million, 28,000 square foot building will accommodate up to 2,000 patrons for shows and events. The venue will also produce and host new, community and neighborhood events, including festivals and family-friendly gatherings, as well as fundraisers, conventions, programs and performance opportunities for local favorites.

The Kentucky Center, a longtime engine for economic development, tourism and talent attraction, sees Old Forester's Paristown Hall as an opportunity to cultivate an audience of potential lifelong supporters of the arts and culture in Louisville. Old Forester's title sponsorship reflects the brand's continued commitment to Louisville, the city the brand has called home continuously since its founding in 1870. From Old Forester's home on historic Whiskey Row, to Old Forester's Paristown Hall, and everything in between, the First Bottled Bourbon reminds arts patrons to please drink responsibly.

ABOUT THE KENTUCKY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS:

The mission of The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts is to build lifelong relationships with the arts. As an integral member of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts, and Heritage Cabinet, The Center, along with the other agencies, seek to preserve and promote the history, heritage and arts of the Commonwealth.

ABOUT OLD FORESTER:

Old Forester is Brown-Forman's founding brand, founded in 1870 by George Garvin Brown. Brown believed Old Forester was so pure and consistent that he sealed it, signed it, and pledged, "There is nothing better in the market."

ABOUT PRODUCTION SIMPLE:

Launched in 2005 by partners Joe Argabrite III, John Grantz, Lizi Hagan, and Billy Hardison, Production Simple is a boutique talent-buying, promotion company based in Louisville, KY. Since its inception the ProSim team has worked with Louisville's premiere venues, including The Kentucky Center, Iroquois Amphitheater, The Louisville Palace and Waterfront Park as well as regionally in New Albany, Lexington, Covington and Cincinnati. The year 2019 will bring change to the company as they are expanding their team and becoming the exclusive buyers for both Headliners Music Hall and Louisville's newest venue, Paristown Hall.