Audience Interview: Cash or Trade Ticket Platform Co-Founder – Dusty Rich

In this Audience Interview, we are excited to dive into the world of digital ticketing and how to navigate the process and what has become the norm for concerts, events, festivals, and really any live performances. There are certainly pro’s and con’s to the digital ticketing world, but in the end, I think it’s here to stay. To get an inside perspective on some of the best practices for ticketing in today’s landscape, as well as an alternate outlet for face value tickets, we caught up with one of the founders of the online ticket trading platform, Cash or Trade. Brothers Dusty and Brando Rich launched Cash or Trade in 2009 as a user-friendly ticket platform to buy, sell, and trade concert tickets for real fans of music that was kind of built and cultivated for fans and buy fans. From what started as a ticket trading bulletin board in a Phish show parking lot, has grown into over 500,000 users and a integrated fan experience for a much better price.

Listen to the interview: 

Audience Interview: Nicole Yates – Caring for the Community

Nicole Yates has a passion for making her community and the Commonwealth of Kentucky a better place, and the arts are a big part of that. She currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors for Fund for the Arts and is also the Vice President for Growth and Community Engagement for Passport by Molina Healthcare, where she leads teams around the state to ensure that the underserved people of Kentucky have access to quality health care. Her efforts lead to real results that have real effects, and we can’t thank her enough.

Audience Magazine caught up with Nicole to hear more about her life’s work as an advocate for disadvantaged populations.

Audience Interview: Raphaela Platow – Director – Speed Art Museum

The Speed Art Museum stands as a testament to artistic exploration and cultural immersion. Founded in 1927, the Speed is not only the oldest and largest art museum in Kentucky, but also boasts a vibrant and diverse collection that has been applauded by the deep appreciation for the arts in the community, fostering artistic dialogue and igniting imaginations for generations.

 

We caught up with Director Raphaela Platow to hear more about her background, the importance of The Speed and the exciting new season of exhibits. 

Listen to the full interview below:

Kentucky Center Celebration: 40 Years of Memories

The Kentucky Center opened in November of 1983 under the direction of Gov. John Y. Brown and a combined project budget from the state as well as local donors. Brown was quoted as saying there hasn’t been a more productive investment by the state than that of the arts center. He might be correct! 

 

Over the years, The Kentucky Center has been the anchor for the arts and home to the major productions of Broadway in Louisville, the magical concerts of the Louisville Orchestra, the elegance of the Louisville Ballet and some of the biggest names in music, comedy, and entertainment. The Kentucky Center has hosted world leaders, presidential debates, and town halls on its stages. For 40 years, the flagship venue has proven to have been a great investment for the community, the city of Louisville and the entire commonwealth. 

 

Looking back over the years, memories were made that will last a lifetime. We caught up with some friends of The Kentucky Center to find out what they love about the venue, as well as some of their favorite memories. 

Audience Interview: Louisville’s Singing Sensation: D’Corey Johnson

Getting on a stage in front of an audience is one of the hardest things imaginable for millions of people who suffer from performance anxiety, better known as stage fright. A psychological setback, it can often be overcome with determination and practice.

When we watched 11-year-old Louisvillian, D’Corey Johnson, walk on stage to perform for the judges and audience of America’s Got Talent recently, we saw a lot of confidence — and certainly no stage fright.

We caught up with D’Corey, his mom, Nakia, and voice coach, Dionte Colbert, to find out more about this Louisville singing sensation.

Listen to the full interview with Audience publisher G. Douglas Dreisbach below.

Audience Interview: Andre Kimo Stone Guess – President & CEO – Fund for the Arts

The Fund for the Arts is one of the most important organizations dedicated to the local arts. It was founded in 1949 and is one of the two oldest United Arts Funds in the country. The focus of the group is to support, promote, and develop the arts, artists, and arts organizations to help create a healthy and vibrant community for all.

With a vision for a healthy and vibrant community where everyone embraces the art that exists in our lives every day, everyone contributes to the well-being of our arts community, and it is understood that everyone belongs to the arts community, FFTA plays an important role in our arts community.

We caught up with president and CEO, Andre Kimo Stone Guess, who is a Louisville-native growing up in the Smoketown area, and accepted what he considers the right job at the right time just two years ago.

Andre’s energy, compassion and dedication to the local arts scene is inspiring and we are excited to hear what he has been doing in his first two years, what he is working on now, and what he hopes to come in the future.

Listen to the full interview below:

Audience Interview: Greg Proops, Whose Live Anyway – April 2 – The Brown Theatre

“Whose Line is it Anyway” is an improv TV show adapted from a British show of the same name. It first aired in America in 1998 and has been popular ever since. Hosted by household names like Drew Carey and Wayne Brady, it features a group of actors and friends taking suggested themes from audiences and featured guests, and acting them out on stage.  

In Whose Live Anyway coming to the Brown Theatre on April 2, cast members Ryan Stiles, Greg Proops, Jeff B. Davis, and Joel Murray will leave you gasping for air at the witty scenes they invent before your very eyes. Audience participation is key, so you might be asked for suggested themes or even to join the cast on stage. 

We caught up with Proops, an actor-comedian who has appeared on many of the televised shows and is now immersed in the Whose Live tour, to talk about what we can expect from the show. 

Listen to the full interview below:

Audience Interview: Comedian Rodney Carrington – March 24 – Whitney Hall at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts

When it comes to the great comedians over the years, names like Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Robin Williams, Rodney Dangerfield and Eddie Murphy come to mind. More modern names might include Chris Rock, Jim Gaffigan, Ron White, Jeff Foxworthy, Dave Chappelle and several others. Live comedy is something that has a long-standing history and a bright future and delivers audiences a personal experience based on how you interpret what they are trying to convey. Whatever the content might be, it all seems to fit the personality of the person who is delivering it with one goal in mind, to make their audiences laugh.

We recently caught up with one of the top comedians on tour today, Rodney Carrington, who has his own niche of great comedy, combined with songs that are cleverly written with topics that well, might just make you feel awkward depending on who you’re watching it with.

Nevertheless, his fans love him and we can’t wait to see him at Whitney Hall on March 24th. (Do your research before you go as the content might not be appropriate for younger audiences.)

Audience502 publisher, G. Douglas Dreisbach, caught up with him to find out more about his career and what fans can expect when he hits the stage in March.

Check out the full interview and get your tickets to his show at KentuckyPerformingArts.org

 

Audience Interview: Bourbon & Beyond Returns September 15,16,17 & 18

Bourbon & Beyond and Louder than Life are two of the regions biggest music festivals, and both are returning to Louisville in September for back to back weekends and for what will surely be a great time for any music connoisseur.

In this month’s Audience Interview, we are excited to to catch up with two of the team members from Danny Wimmer Presents that make it all happen, Chamie McCurry who handles marketing and communications and Del Williams who is the head of talent. They are ready for another year and can’t wait to be back in Louisville.

Enjoy the interview!

Listen to the interview in it’s entirety below or keep reading for the transcript.

 

The Paul Thorn Band Kicks Off the Return of Live Music at Old Forester’s Paristown Hall August 27

When the pandemic shut down stages around the world, entertainers and audiences alike were left searching for ways to fill their entertainment needs. Livestreams and other creative collaborations were plentiful and fantastic, but they didn’t quite replace the feeling you get at a live performance: The bass in your belly. The camaraderie of fellow fans.

The energy from the lights going down and hearing that first note, to the moments after the final encore when the lights come back on.

After a long and quiet year and a half, Old Forester’s Paristown Hall is ready to rock again with a lineup of bands and musicians that will bring audiences to their feet. The first performance will feature The Paul Thorn Band on Aug. 27. It is sure to be a show you won’t want to miss.

Audience Interview: Paul Thorn: