LouisvilleKY’s THE WEEK: Outside the Interviews with Tracy Beale, Hunter Embry and Jeff Stum

Maybe I’m just getting old, or perhaps my brain is built this way. Going back to my days in academia, I always did well on tests that required understanding concepts in the short-term. As a reporter, my job was to become an expert on a particular topic quickly. I was a prolific blogger because I could figure out ideas for stories and spit them out on a computer screen.

The downside of all this is that if you stop me and ask who was on the Rusty Satellite Show last week, I couldn’t tell you because I’ve already forgotten. The same goes for remembering meals, nights out, golf scores and TV show plots after 24 hours. Now, I can remember items from long ago, like the winners of dozens of Kentucky Derbies and who started at shortstop for the Big Red Machine.

All of which leads me to explain why I love doing the Rusty Satellite Show and EatDrinkTalk podcasts so much. It’s a matter of  quickly learning what makes someone tick, how they respond to questions, and making it entertaining. This week, after losing a day because of a trip to Michigan, I was able to talk with Tracy Beale and Jeff Stum for Rusty on Tuesday, and Hunter Embry on Wednesday.

2016-08-09 11.26.16Now, I didn’t know what to expect from Tracy Beale (formerly Blue). I’d met her once, briefly, about 5 years ago. Given the highly-publicized events in her life the last year, I wasn’t sure what she’d be like or how open she would be to talking. Most of what I did know wasn’t positive, I admit, but I wanted to ask her about the new media operation she’s starting. Certainly she’s got her skeptics. I’m not sure I would’ve started by putting my face on billboards around town before the web site launched, but she knows something about getting attention, and it may be that she’s using her name recognition to call attention to the project.

I had to ask something about her divorce, but we didn’t dwell on it, and she didn’t dodge the question.

She came to the Louisville.am studios in St. Matthews with a lot of energy and enthusiasm, and posed with me for a selfie. Although it’s certainly been a difficult time for her, my impression is that she’s genuinely interested in re-starting her life, and that she’s got the money and the determination to get Tab’s View launched.

That's Chris Nelson, a partner at the New Vintage, having some fun with the mural out back
That’s Chris Nelson, a partner at the New Vintage, having some fun with the mural out back

Since I learned that it’s been there since before Prohibition, I was glad to see inside The New Vintage, where I met Hunter Embry. He may be the first full-time concert booker and promoter I’ve known, and of course he had a great story about getting there.

Of course, I would probably never have met Hunter without the help of others. You may remember Lauren Hendricks, who was on the show before Forecastle. She helped arrange my interview with Hunter as a way of getting the word out about the Seven Sense Festival, which may bring 10,000 people to two blocks on Preston Aug. 27. Hunter took me out the bar’s back door, where there’s a really cool mural featuring Muhammad Ali.

2016-08-09 12.04.34As for Jeff Stum’s appearance on EDT, I was glad to finally get him on a show. We met several years ago when he was pushing his Roibee Red Tea brand, handing out samples at an event I attended. We discovered something we had in common, WKU, and I’ve been interested in his career building brands ever since.

So I asked Jeff to come by the studio and talk about Spicewood Branding, the company he’s helping to disband with partner Paul Tuell. It has been involved in bringing a bunch of products to market, but as Jeff explains their new strategy is to focus exclusively on growing Ballotin Chocolate Whiskey, now in several states. And, they’re developing some flavored rums that are next in line for their brand of branding.

The image up top is a great one used in promoting Saturday’s Bourbon Mixer at the Gillespie, one of the most anxiously-awaited events of the year among those really into bourbon. You remember my interviews with Bruce Corwin and Linda Ruffenach about this event, and you can still get tickets and meet me and Steve Coomes there.  Details here.

If you want to listen to the interviews, just hit the PLAY button below.

Rusty Satellite Show 162

EatDrinkTalk 14