Sam I Amicus

Sam I Amicus consists of six third-year law students at the University of Louisville's Brandeis School of Law. Hunter Brown, from North Carolina, provides soulful vocals and regularly snacks on ketchup packets. Sam Goss, a founding member of Zoo Legacy (yes, it's a real band), lays down a steady beat. Jarad "keys" Key, a Paducah, Kentucky native, tickles the ivories. Ross Neuhauser, from Louisville, plays a fine fiddle. Jared Hall, the bearded siren, honed his acoustic guitar skills in Mascoutah, Illinois and Atlanta, Georgia. Brenton Stanley, who moonlights as frontman and guitarist for The Perfectos (EP available on iTunes), is from Carmi, Illinois. The band took shape quickly in Molly MacCaskey's basement, and is performing for one night only at Lawlapalooza 2011.

Greg Simms, Esq.

Greg Simms, attorney at law, is a 2007 graduate of UofL Law and a partner in the firm of Gruner & Simms, PLLC. Among the many accolades in Mr. Simms' Martindale-Hubbell profile are the following:

• He received the Book Award for the highest grade in Evidence in law school.
• He is a member of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers.
• His teeth are large enough to allow him to eat corn through a fence.
• He is the 2004 Marion County (Ky.) Ham Days Hog Calling Champion. Really. No lie.

Despite his considerable theatrical experience, Lawlapalooza is Greg's first effort at karaoke. Consequently, his goals are modest and reasonable: While he does not expect to win this year's Lawlapalooza karaoke competition, he does plan to soundly beat Sam Marcosson.

Luis Cartaya, 2L

Luis "Cher" Cartaya, pictured here shaving his legs, was once one of the legendary members of the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (the red one, obviously). After suffering an ACL tear fighting Lord Zedd, Cartaya had to retire the red suit and follow his second dream, being Cher. After discovering he had a voice of an angel, Cartaya joined Sonny & Cher and began blessing the world with his voice. Cher, clearly the greater of the group, broke off to begin a solo career and was soon thereafter regarded as the Goddess of Pop. You might also know Cartaya from his Hollywood love affairs with such movie stars as Jessica Alba, Megan Fox, and Jessica Biel. Having traveled back in time, Cartaya has become great friends with Louis D. Brandeis, and after losing a hot game of poker agreed to bless Lawlapalooza with his epic voice.

Lawlapalooza 2011: I Rocked the Law, the Louisville legal community's band battle to benefit the Judge Ellen B. Ewing Memorial Fund, is Thursday, October 27 at the Phoenix Hill Tavern, 644 Baxter Avenue. Doors open at 6:00 p.m., first band starts at 7:00.

The Louisville community noted with sadness the passing of Owsley Brown on September 26, 2011.  Much has been written about the many ways in which his life affected our community.  This impact ranged from his support of the arts, environmental issues, culture of the state, corporate citizenship, and historic preservation.

Owsley Brown’s civic engagement touched the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law as well.  Five years ago, on November 13, 2006, the law school celebrated the 150th birthday of Louis D. Brandeis, for whom our law school is named.  Owsley and Christy Brown were major underwriters and supporters of the occasion, which included the publication of Brandeis at 150: The Louisville Perspective.  They also hosted a dinner for speakers, conference planners, and Brandeis family members at their beautiful home, which had once been owned by Louis Brandeis’s brother, Alfred.  Justice Brandeis’s descendants (3 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren) were there along with many local descendants of his brother, including Charles Tachau (L’48), Jean Tachau Haas, and David Tachau.

Owsley and Christy Brown again supported a Brandeis celebration event at the law school in May 2009, at the unveiling of Rob Shetterly’s portrait of Justice Brandeis.  Their underwriting funded both the event itself and the reproductions of the portrait that were made for display at the law school and at Central High School’s Law and Government Magnet classroom.  The law school’s reproduction is prominently displayed in the student commons area.

The Louis D. Brandeis School of Law community like so many others, expresses our gratitude for Owsley Brown’s interest in Justice Brandeis, and we share our sadness that Owsley Brown is no longer with us.

Skinny and Small: The Ultimate Government Cheese Tribute

Skinny and Small: The Ultimate Government Cheese Tribute brings the classic alt-Southern-Country-Punk Rock sounds of mid-1980s Bowling Green, Kentucky (“the Athens, GA of South-Central Kentucky”) to this year’s Lawlapalooza.

Riding a resurgence of interest in the Bowling Green sound among now-middle-aged, minivan-driving professionals looking to recreate the magic of legendary nightclubs such as Picasso’s and Tewligan’s, and the gritty punk glamour of CBGB’s, Skinny and Small has quickly developed a reputation as the hardest-working band on the Government Cheese tribute band circuit, taking top honors at festivals such as “Lost River on the Ohio River” and “Picasso’s at the Lapin Agile.”

Representing the UofL Brandeis School of Law, Skinny and Small unites brothers Viva Las Vegas on guitar, Reggie Las Vegas on vocals and Jaime Las Vegas on drums with guitarist (and sometimes law professor) Tim Hall and longtime family friend Donnie Bott on bass for a six-song, 100-decibel tribute to the best damn rock band you’ve never heard of.

The Wannabees
Starring Susan Duncan and John Cross

Given their star power today, it may be hard to believe that Susan and John actually began their careers separately, and in relative obscurity. Susan started out with the all-girl band “Duncan Donuts,” where she was an a cappella pianist. John started out with the “Cross Family Yodelers,” a quintet that performed Alpine versions of heavy metal songs. Their meteoric rise to fame began when, unbeknownst to each other, they were hired as stunt doubles for the cult band “Captain and Tennille.”

As the following photo demonstrates, the visual similarity is obvious:

(Note: Susan and John are the two in the back.)

After that role, the rest is, as they say, history. But fame has not spoiled the two. You can occasionally hear their humble roots in their modern songs, whether it be Susan breaking into a spontaneous riff on the air piano, or John executing a musical run in an authentic Kitzbühel-region yodel (a technique once compared unfavorably to a basset hound's howl). Moreover, the two have turned into prolific songwriters. Who can forget that top-ten hit “Spring Schedule 2012,” a song that, while performed by Carol Channing, was actually penned by Susan? So sit back, put your earplugs in, and get ready to be entertained!

Raisin Brandeis

Raisin Brandeis comes from a small oyster-shucking village off the coast of Norway. Their major musical influences include Tuvan Throat Singing, Traditional Dances of the Hill People, and Barbara Streisand. The New York Tymes has said of Raisin Brandeis: "If the Beatles and Meatloaf had a mosh-pit, the sweaty puddle on the floor would smell like the genius that is Raisin Brandeis." Step up to the stage for TWO SCOOPS OF AWESOME!!

Representing the UofL Brandeis School of Law, Raisin Brandeis features Matt Doran, Pete Lay, Derek Monzon, Cameron Monzon, and Warren Lively.

Doug Keil and Tyler Korus, 3Ls

Doug Keil and Tyler Korus first met while crowd-surfing at a Creed concert in early 1992. In the Fall of ’93, they played together on the Crenshaw Raiders of the Snoop Youth Football League in Los Angeles. It was during this time that the quarterbacks coach, Nathaniel Dwayne Hale (better known as Nate Dogg), introduced the boys to the beauty of “G-Funk.” As the years went by, Mr. Dogg constantly coached the two boys, both in sport, and in honing their voices to produce harmonious G-Funk melodies funked out with a gangster twist. Now that Mr. Dogg has passed away, and his other protégé, Warren G, is on Celebrity Fit Club, Doug and Tyler cordially invite you to join them on October 27, 2011 for a special, one-time performance of G-Funk on a whole new level, where the rhythm is the bass and the bass is the treble.