Random thoughts from this weekend's Forecastle Festival in Louisville, Ky.

• I'd forgotten how pretty the drive through southern Indiana is. It's also kind of monotonous when you're tired or it's raining (or both).
• Gas is a lot cheaper in southern Indiana. What's that about?
• Despite the fact that they had only three shows left in their career (before, as Jim says, the reunion tour in two years), Forecastle Festival headliners Sleater-Kinney stuck fast to their recently imposed rule of playing no old songs in concert, going back only as far as All Hands on the Band One except for the exceptional "Words and Guitar."
• Maybe the droning guitar numbers from The Woods were fun to play live the first time, Carrie. But they are not, and never have been, fun to watch. Old stuff would've been better.
• Toby the ferret was very well received by festivalgoers. He was awarded a free "Nice Marmot" sticker, which he proudly hung on his door upon returning home. He let lots of children pet him, too (including, I'm almost certain, Corin Tucker's son; she herself said he was "cute"), proving himself to be quite the ferret ambassador.
• I am still intrigued by the idea of festival organizer J.K. McKnight's mom picking up the ladies of S-K from the airport and then giving them a tour of downtown Louisville. Oh, to be a fly on the rear window of the minivan...
• Louisville has some decent local bands, yes. But why do they all start to sound the same after a while? (Apologies to anyone I've pissed off. I was probably off playing with my ferret and not listening closely enough.)
• There is really nothing funnier than three ferrets bouncing around a hotel room. Trust me.

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