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The Super Bowl. Love it or hate it, statistics say that you were probably watching it anyway. Assuming that you successfully managed to wrest yourself away from that oh-so gripping You're The One That I Want reality musical theater contest over on NBC, you and eighty billion other people were watching hometown hero Peyton Manning and his herd of Colts vie for the top prize in the NFL against the Chicago Bears.

While the game had its share of firsts ~ first African-American coaches to coach a Super Bowl, first championship game played in the rain, first Super Bowl kickoff returned for a touchdown ~ we all know here in Knoxville that this game was all about getting Peyton his first ever championship: prep, college, or professional.

Congrats, Pey-Pey, on getting that damn monkey off your back. This week's The Monday After goes out to you.

And now for our weekly rankings!

Jay Clark and Jeff Barbra at the Laurel Theatre

Singer-songwriters Jay Clark and Jeff Barbra performed a solid show of original folk, Americana and country music covering a spectrum of love, loss, religion and drinking. (Thankfully no songs about minimum wage and pick up trucks). The blending of voices, styles and camaraderie between these old friends and seasoned musicians was delightful, as were the harmonies provided by special guests Mike McGill (Drunk Uncles) and Sarah Pirkle. Barbra's turns on the piano also added a nice variety. (4/5) -D.D.

Dixie Dirt with deek hoi at Barley's

deek hoi's ethereal dreamy qualities were a bit drowned out by crowd noise and bustle. I hope to catch them again at a smaller venue. (I know, I know, I missed them at the Pilot Light.) Their sound check of "Take Me To The Next Whiskey Bar" was fun (the room wasn't as noisy then) and hearing Josh Sidman on electric bass was a treat. Dixie Dirt's tight and polished set gained rocking momentum throughout the night with scorching guitar riffs reminiscent of U2 and lyrics that ranged from tender to gritty. Front woman Kat Brock's passionate delivery counter-played nicely off of Angela Santos' ultra cool and hard driving style. I look forward to seeing both of these bands again. (4/5) -D.D.

Absolute Wood at The Pint House

I consider myself to be pretty familiar with Knoxville acoustical duo, Absolute Wood. It was pretty much this time last year that I started regularly attending their various shows around town, but I'd seen them perform a few years prior when I went to The Spot (rest in peace) with some friends. The band features two members - vocalist and percussionist Scott "Scottski" Sokoloski, and vocalist and guitarist Matt Woods - and they've doing what they do for about seven years now. They performed Friday at The Pint House, a fairly new bar on the North side of town. It's owned by the same folks who own T Ho Vietnamese Bistro, which I've patronized for years whenever I need a noodle bowl fix. The sound in the bar is pretty decent, for the size of it, and the band brings a good-sized following to pretty much wherever they play. My only real complaint is that the bar's current status is that of a beer & wine bar, so no cocktails are available. The beer's nice and cold, though, and the staff are friendly.



Oh, and, Absolute Wood does take requests - but I wouldn't ask for 'Freebird.' (4/5) -B.T.

Honky Tonks Anonymous w/ The Ben Maney Band at Preservation Pub

Saturday I checked out Honky Tonks Anonymous and took part in their two step program: Step 1) Get Drunk, Step 2) Have a good time. A simple recipe for a foot shufflin' sing-a-long inducing night of great music. I'll go anywhere to hear Brock Henderson sing and play pedal steel. Robert Richards pulled double duty playing guitar for Ben Maney and then slipping behind the drum kit for HTA. Gotta give it up for Ben Maney who has been playing in everyone else's bands for years and is now stepping out with his own brand of eclectic music. Another night proving you can always find good music on Market Square. (5/5) -D.M.

Super Bowl XLI

Was anyone else out there severely let down by the Super Bowl? Yeah, the game was alright and definitely full of highlight reel material (especially when the ball was so wet that it might as well have been a greased pig). But the commercials sucked (GoDaddy and Sierra Mist inspired me to vow to never use their products) and the commentators were running out of crap to spew (who cares that Tony Dungy, the Colts coach, never ever curses?). And in the end, as Jim Irsay, the Colts owner, and Dungy gave it up to the Lord as they accepted their trophy, the whole Super Bowl seemed to be turning into a poorly written ad for a new Era of Christian Football. If this lukewarm game was a sign of things to come, then count me out. (3/5) -J.B.




Oh, and here's something to add to your file of Internet Weird. Go to Snicker's afterthekiss.com to see actual NFL football players comment on the gay kiss commercial that was aired during the Super Bowl. Rex Grossman says it's one of the best commercials he's ever seen. Huh.






See you next week!