This years Sundown in the City lineup has already had some great moments, but for all of you out there that feel our free weekly concert series has been lacking a little in the booty shaking department this Thursday’s show is for you. While the headliner Ozomatli is gonna bring enough hip-hop infused Latin flavor to the Market Square stage to get all those lawn-chairs bumping it is time for us to turn once again to this week’s Rising Stars of Sundown Asheville’s own Toubab Krewe.

Toubab Krewe has been making waves all over the country since their 2005 Bonnaroo appearance and I am one of the lucky music lovers that happened to be in attendance that weekend. As we were passing by we noticed an unusually large crowd surrounding the small Café Stage and once we fought our way to the front we were entranced by the band’s hybrid sound. Never have I seen a reaction to an unknown artist quite like that show and I liked it enough to check out some of their set again the following day.
Toubab Krewe is “making it� as a band but not because of any stroke of luck, pretty faces or hit single; they are working their asses off playing twenty plus shows in June alone at clubs, festivals and anywhere that will have them proving that diligent study and originality CAN still find an audience in our country and we here Knoxville are lucky to have them.

So dust off your dancing shoes and come down this Thursday for two great beat driven bands, first Toubab Krewe and then Ozomatli, and stick around because Toubab will be playing another set at the World Grotto after Sundown is over.

Posted by the 520 gang at 3:32 PM | Permalink

One of the stars of the Knoxville music scene just got back from spreading some of our area's most authentic sounds and stories through Japan. Matt Foster from Medford's Black Record Collection played three shows, saw Mt. Fuji and got a taste of Japanese night life during his two-week stint. He traveled with only his guitar and some harmonicas tucked into his suitcase, leaving the dobro, banjo, mandolin, and band mates (Michael Davis and Clint Mullican) he usually plays with in Knoxville.

Foster made his Japanese debut in Tokyo's trendiest area at the Pink Cow, a restaurant & bar/art gallery/living room-like hangout that draws a sophisticated crowd of expatriates. While Foster sang and played, an international knitting club quietly appreciated his style from one corner while two Japanese blues musicians nodded approvingly from another.

The next show was located five and a half hours north, but it may as well have been on a different planet. Charly's Lemon Country in Sendai is a 30-year-old honky tonk devoted to live country music. The walls are covered in posters of everyone from Johnny Cash to Billy Ray Cyrus and even the liquor bottles wear cowboy hats.

The owner, Charly-san and most of his clientele belong to a graying, yet still kicking, subculture of die-hard country music fans in Japan. The fan base was born after World War II when American GIs introduced Hank Williams via the radio. Today businessmen living in crowded Japanese cities associate country music with an appealing image of cowboys drifting through wide open spaces.

On stage at Charly's, Foster greeted everyone, introduced himself and said thank you in Japanese (arigato gozaimasu). Other than that, almost no one understood the jokes or anything else he said between songs. That didn't seem to matter though. Everyone got quiet to listen to his music. A few even closed their eyes, probably picturing Foster (who lives in North Hills), leaning against a tree, with his boots crossed, after a long day of roping cattle.

The final show was at the Ha' Penny Bridge Irish pub in Sendai. Japanese honky tonks may only be popular with middle-aged salary men, but judging from the Ha' Penny crowd's diversity, everyone loves an Irish pub.

Though many Japanese people appreciate old American and European music, it's difficult to find Japanese musicians exploring their own traditional styles. Foster tried to find someone who played the shamisen, a three-stringed instrument native to Japan, but never could. He did however find some good street musicians singing songs in Japanese about their home.

These budding musicians work a different system than Knoxville bands. They try to recruit fans by playing in live houses, which are businesses where money is primarily made when musicians rent the venue. There is usually a set number of tickets the musician must sell for the live house, then he gets to keep a percentage of any additional tickets sold to attempt to break even. Many live houses also sell drinks and food as a secondary source of income. With this pay-to-play system anyone with the yen to rent a stage can feel like a rock star for the night.

But with proof of his talent and repertoire from his work with MBRC and a contact in Japan, Foster was able to by-pass the live house scene and was instead paid for his performances.

Nightlife in general also operates differently in Japan than what we are used to. It is normal for bars to tack unmentioned table or entry charges onto bills. They are set up more for a nightlong drinking binge than for having one or two beers after work. This system can be frustrating at first. But once you get accustomed, it can provide really cheap alcohol-soaked evenings. Japanese-style establishments called izakaya often have all-you-can-drink offers for under ¥2,000 (about $16). They usually have a time limit of two to three hours and require each person to order food. The service is fast and good and you don't tip.

Izakayas are almost as good as the dirt-cheap Pabst Blue Ribbon deal at Pat Sullivan's Backroom BBQ where you can catch Foster and the rest of MBRC two Wednesdays a month. They will be at the Backroom June 6th and at the Preservation Pub after Sundown in the City on June 7th.

--Brooke Everett, guest contributor

Posted by the 520 gang at 2:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Eight seconds. That’s how long it takes for the smoky heat of Chandler’s hot barbecue sauce to work its way to your brain and set your soul on fire. According to Charles Chandler, the gracious owner of Chandler’s restaurant on Magnolia Avenue, his barbecue spare ribs are the best in the south, and though I’m no expert, I’m on his side.

Chandler’s is an East Knoxville staple, and on any given day you may run into Phil Fulmer, Pat Summit, Bill Haslam, or other Knoxville power-brokers deciding Knoxville’s fate over some fried chicken. This week, I lunched next to a Tennessee Supreme Court justice chowing down on some barbecue. With their summer-weight business suits, polished shoes, and gospel music playing in the background, it could have been a scene straight out of All the King’s Men.

During my Chandler’s lunch this week, I chatted with the affable Mr. Chandler, who was surprised that I’d never tried his spare ribs before. Though he made a strong case, I ultimately decided to try their much-acclaimed fried chicken along with mac n’ cheese, corn on the cob, collard greens, corn bread, peach cobbler, and sweet tea. Oh boy!

As I sat down and dug into my feast, Mr. Chandler quietly—and quite generously—dropped off a plate of spare ribs with a sampling of sauces: mild, medium, and hot barbecue sauce. I’m not one to turn down free barbecue so I saddled up to the plate and tried them all. Dear lord, Mr. Chandler was right: this barbecue is some of the best I’ve ever eaten. Though I usually gravitate towards less spicy dishes, I have to say that the hot sauce was my favorite. The flavor starts off sweet and smoky and builds towards a spicy crescendo several seconds later. According to Mr. Chandler, it’s exactly eight seconds later. The incredible sauce is the perfect compliment to the tender, juicy, meaty, and perfectly spiced spare ribs.

Turning my attention back to my fried chicken, I picked up the huge chicken breast and took a bite. The coating was substantial and crispy, with a delightful blend of spices. It’s notably different from the Colonel’s recipe, and just as tasty. The creamy mac ‘n cheese tasted very similar to my nanny’s famous dish, with soft macaroni generously coated in mild cheese flecked with black pepper. The collard greens had plenty of flavor without chunks of pork or ham, and did not require a splash of vinegar as some blander greens do. The corn on the cob was stick-in-your-teeth meaty and sweet. Complementing every dish, the white cornbread muffin was dense and quite large.

There’s only one way to finish this comfort food spread, and that’s with a bowl of warm peach cobbler. Talk about heaven—the sweet, warm peaches were coated in a thick sauce with layers of thin dough in perfect proportion. With the first bite, I was transported back to my mom’s kitchen where peach cobbler made a regular appearance throughout my childhood.

Whether your soul’s in need of some comfort, or you’re just really hungry, you should head over to Chandler’s for lunch today. You never know who you might run in to—a local celebrity, a pillar of the community, a group of blue collar workers, or your next door neighbor. One thing’s for sure, you’ll leave happier than you came.

Special thanks to The Wicked Cow People

Posted by the 520 gang at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

When: Friday, June 1st 5:00 - 9:00pm
Where: the Market Square District & other downtown areas

Special Highlight:

The Lost Marbles with caller Nick Boulet
Old-time contra dance band for singles, couples, and families on the square.

Additional Highlights:

Three Flights Up Gallery
Three Flights Up Gallery, located in the Emporium Center at 100 S. Gay Street, invites you to an evening of art, food and music. The 9 featured artists this month--Antuco Chicaiza, Koeun Cho, Amanda Henry, Medha Karandikar, Cynthia Markert, Batina McCain, Tom McDaniel, Rod Whyte, Wendy Williams, Terrie Yeatts--work in a variety of media including painting, drawing, installation, photography, digital imaging and jewelry.

LaCosta
La Costa on Market Square will feature $3.00 Caipirinha's and Michelada's until 9:00pm in addition to our regular happy hour (4:00 to 7:00) that features $3.00 Margaritas, $2.00 Beer, and 1/2 off of all Wine Bottles!

Arts & Culture Alliance
The opening reception for the Arts & Culture Alliance 2007 Members Exhibition. The Arts & Culture Alliance presents its Members Exhibit, the largest annual showcase of local artists in the Greater Knoxville area. The fresh mix of two- and three-dimensional works created within the past two years encompasses a wide variety of media such as oils, acrylics, watercolors, pastels, pencils, mixed media, photography, fine crafts, beadwork, iron sculpture, stone sculpture, clay, wood-carving, ceramics, and jewelry from local artists who are all members of the Alliance. Local jazz singer Kelle Jolly provides music from 7-9pm. Join us beginning at 5pm for complimentary hors d’oeuvres.

Indigo
Indigo is featuring Beyond Pink n' Blue Trunk Show. Local artist Jennifer MacIsaac is the designer of unique clothing for unique babies. Offering an alternative to the traditional pink and blue clothing options that currently saturate the market.

bliss
bliss will host a reception for Bert Tanner. Bert, a native of the Gulf Coast region of Mississippi, now resides in Atlanta, GA where he keeps busy as a theatre artist and storyteller in the duo-team “Have We Got Something to Tell You.� As well as performing, Bert is also talented with his hands as a visual artist, including fabric painting, jewelry making, home interior and exterior design accessories. His Grandmother’s witty collection of artsy attire and the colorful garb of the “Noebele People of Africa� inspire Bert’s bold mix of colors. Bert’s second home is Knoxville where he is a resident artist with the Carpetbag Theatre.

bliss Home
She is synonymous with the remarkable Three Flights Up Gallery and bliss Home is very proud to host a reception for the one and only Lauren Karnitz. Her Artist statement—JUNE 2007: I'm addicted to the freedom I have in paint...the freedom to take the world in which I live, select from it elements of color, form, line, shape, narrative, context, physical principles, etc, to then reinterpret. There's an absurd hopefulness in the process and product, a hopefulness about alternate combinations, fresh contexts, pairings of the fashionable and awkward, the beauty in absurdity, the necessary existence of chaos and order. What a challenge it is to solve the the simultaneous existence of olive, choral, Robin's egg blue, inquisitive lines, bones, seed pods, memories of my Great Grandmother's jewelry box, silhouettes, figure and ground. And, perhaps, that's just one painting with it's very own physical & narrative existence.

As always food from Pasta Trio will be served as well as wine from the Downtown Wine + Spirits.

Tomato Head
"Power lines, Plagiarism, Parables, Perspective", an exhibit by Jason Oakes
Stuck and not knowing what to do, Jason took a few drawings from March, stole several ideas from his 5 year old daughter in April, stared at phone poles in May, and near the end of preparing for a show at Tomato Head began to see the light for a new direction. These works on paper in pencil and watercolor continue to explore the terrain of the Chocolate Shores.

Tomato Head will also offer a fantastic First Friday Wine Special, including discounted wine tasting flights and the soon-to-be-famous $12 a bottle sale.

Vagabondia
Vagabondia will be having a trunk Show featuring Jewelry Artist Jyl Walker of Be-Jeweled.

World Grotto
Black-Eyed Susan followed by Dishwater Blonde.

Abode
Abode hosts the artistic touch of Chelsea Evans. Evans works with oil and watercolor as she strives to create art that's both luscious and visceral. Evans draws inspiration from her upbringing in Knoxville as well as several adult years spent living in New Orleans surrounded by painting, drawing, sculpture, and performance. Come check out Chelsea's work. As always, the wine is on the house, and the home goods are on you.

Downtown Grill & Brewery
The Brewery will extend their happy hour until 10:00. FREE popcorn in the bar.

The Basement Gallery
The Basement gallery is proud to present the drastically playful drawings and installations of Sarah Hollis and Ryan Mulligan. Both artists are extremely interested in the daily practice of journaling and self-musing but formally approach the content and materials in extremely different ways. Hollis has developed a body of work by obsessively scanning every page out of blank sketchbooks and then journaling on the color printouts in sequence. By removing the hand held quality of working in a journal she deals with the new object-ness of the digital print while maintaining the page-to-page relationships a narrative implies. Delicately crafted drawings merge with continually agitated and mildly depressed banter in a knowing push pull of maker and audience.

In contrast Mulligan's site variable installations form a ridiculously humorous narrative about a space journey gone wrong. The works reside somewhere between wonderfully poorly crafted drawings that are extremely personal and sad objects that are universally recognizable. Using painted found materials from an abandoned hospital, drawings, cartoons, clipboards, and word panel paintings Mulligan exaggerates the story into a psychological realm dealing with his father's mortality. To quote Mulligan, "I paint about Wookie Mcnuggets and spaceships going to asteroids ruled by Steve Martin to not have to deal with death, but deal with micro problems on the surface of the work."
Both artists are located in Cincinnati, Hollis just received her MFA and Mulligan teaches at the University of Cincinnati and holds an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University.

UT Downtown Gallery
Will host an opening reception for the exhibit Images of Human Rights From South Africa. This print portfolio, consisting of 27 black and white relief prints, was conceived of and released in 1996 in commemoration of the newly post-Apartheid nation’s Bill of Rights. The South African artists whose work is exhibited were chosen after an extensive competition and were encouraged to be creative in expressing a particular constitutional right. These prints were created by artists representing the nine provinces of South Africa and hand-printed by master printmaker Jan Jordaan.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In conjunction with the popular First Friday downtown gallery and shopping tour, KAT will operate a trolley route to connect downtown visitors with the galleries and shops along Gay Street, Market Square and the Old City. The First Friday trolley will travel down Gay Street and through the Old City every 5-7 minutes from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.

The First Friday trolley is Fare-Free!
To catch it, just watch for the sign on the front of the trolley that says "First Fridays."

contact Scott Schimmel 256-2469 for further details

Posted by the 520 gang at 12:16 PM | Permalink

Welcome to The Roundup, our weekly podcast that keeps you "uptuh date" on everything in 520 land. Brush up on your local music, listen to the podcast, and you might just save yourself from a swift beating.

Let host Pete Powell take you to places you've never dreamt of going!

The latest episode is now up! This week: A Sundown preview, Guess That Local Tune, and our Weekend Fun Time Pick.

Listen to it here.

Or use this RSS feed to subscribe via iTunes.

Or listen to it at our myspace site.

Yeehaw, K-Town.

Posted by the 520 gang at 10:23 AM | Permalink

Well, this is it, kids. The last Knoxville520 article.

I've been racking my brain to think of a clever way to go out with a BANG! and leave a lasting impression on the Knoxville entertainment scene. Nothing I came up with seemed quite right, though. After days of trying to cook up a super-fabulous, Busby Berkeley-esque grand finale for Knoxville520, I realized that I'm just too damned sentimental right now to be witty. I'm going to miss this job and the folks who helped make it a reality.

A little more than a year ago, I was given the chance to create something brand new. Since then, I've learned a great deal about the worlds of entertainment and web-mastery. I won't bore you with the details, except to say that everyone should take such a risk at some point in their life.

I look back and remember how excited and scared I was to take on this project. It was such new territory for me and the only thing I knew to do was to surround myself with a strong support group. It turned out to be the best thing I could have done. This network of talented and inspiring people have been invaluable to me and to the quality work we were able to produce at Knoxville520. Between the old friends who donated their time in the early days (Phil Pollard, Dennis Perkins, Brent Thompson, Paige Travis, Jon Worley & Jules Marino), the folks who became part of the 520 family (Debra Dylan, Jack Rentfro, Gretchen Paxton, Michael Gill & Amy Lawless) and the current 520 staff (Bethany Tomkins, Dustin Milotte, Joe Beuerlein, Greg Wood & Phil Irminger), we were able to create a unique tool for entertainment-seekers in our area. I feel personally blessed to call these people my colleagues. I would like to extend special thanks to each of them for their vision and hard work.

That's about all I have to say, so I guess that my final words for 520 are nothing very profound or clever. Instead, they are simply words of gratitude - for the dear people who joined me on me on this adventure, and also for being given the chance to leave even a small impression on the Knoxville entertainment scene. And what a great entertainment scene it is! Keep doing your part to support our area bands, orchestras, theatre companies, visual artists and writers. There's a whole lotta talent in Knoxville - but you already knew that.

Sara Schwabe

(exit stage left)

Posted by the 520 gang at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Carpetbag Theatre celebrates life and work of Howard Armstrong

Cast of Between A Ballad & A Blues

Howard “Louie Bluie� Armstrong once described his music as “somewhere between a ballad and a blues.� That conversation with Carpetbag Theatre’s Linda Parris-Bailey would set the stage for a musical drama about the renowned musician’s unique life and creativity. And provide a title as well.

Between a Ballad and A Blues, still being crafted by Parris-Bailey, director and playwright for the Carpetbag Theatre, is based on the life stories and string band music made famous by Armstrong. Besides being a master string jazz fiddler/mandolinist, the artist’s life serves as a prism through which we can glimpse the unheralded “African American Appalachian� experience. A half-hour excerpt of the play will be presented during the Louie Bluie Festival Saturday, June 9, at Cove Lake State Park near Armstrong’s childhood home, LaFollette, in Campbell County.

When Armstrong died in 2003, the 94-year-old was one of the last living links to a unique and rapidly disappearing musical subculture: the string bands of the ‘20s and ‘30s. The St. James Hotel collection of vintage regional music includes Armstrong’s first recordings with The Tennessee Chocolate Drops (available for download at www.lynnpoint.com). Armstrong was in that group with his long-time partners, Carl Martin and Ted Bogan. The trio would enjoy their greatest popularity among the youth of the ‘60s and ‘70s when they rediscovered this rustic offshoot of jazz as performed by “Martin, Bogan and Armstrong.� A much-heralded 1985 documentary, “Louie Bluie,� would encapsulate much of Armstrong’s life and music, including priceless reminiscences about Armstrong coping with the institutionalized racism in American society.

Between a Ballad and a Blues isn’t necessarily a new type of project for Parris-Bailey’s theater troupe which she founded in 1969. The esteemed company has mixed music and drama before. But, this will be Carpetbag’s first use of outside musicians who will be on stage with the actors.

The play, for which Carpetbag continues to seek support to produce in full, is co-commissioned by Appalshop of Whitesburg, Ky., a non-profit arts and education center.

“We are losing all memory of the black string bands that were just as important and influential as the legends we enshrine,� said Suzanne Savell, Director of Appalshop’s Traditional Music Program.

Parris-Bailey said she expects to debut the full production next year with a preview of the whole work this fall at Appalshop.

To learn more about the Carpetbag Theatre, visit their website.

Read more about the fantastic Louie Bluie Festival here!

Posted by the 520 gang at 12:27 PM | Permalink

Campbell Co. native inspires June music and arts event

Barely 10 months after its creation, an organization called the Campbell Culture Coalition is staging an ambitious celebration of Campbell County’s people and arts. The “Louie Bluie Festival� will be the inaugural Music and Arts Festival for what organizers want to be an annual event.

The Louie Bluie Festival will take place 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, June 9, at Cove Lake State Park right off Interstate 75. Admission will be free. The nearest town is Caryville, but nearby is LaFollette, the hometown of legendary music phenomenon Howard “Louie Bluie� Armstrong. “Just as Mr. Armstrong was a multi-talented artist—musician, singer, visual artist, writer, storyteller—the Festival will feature a broad array of the arts – music, instrument making, arts and craft show, and storytelling,� said event co-chair Peggy Mathews.

“We are also considering having a fiddle contest in the spirit of the LaFollette Fiddlers Convention that was held in the 1920s and ‘30s, and was known as a prestigious event among musicians. We will have a large stage set up on the grounds near the Pavilion that will feature the bands, and we will have arts and crafts and food tents set up on the periphery,� added Mathews, who is also CCC vice-president.

Longmire noted that the “for real� Free Soil Farm her band is named after was in the Cove Lake/Caryville area.

Sparky Rucker, who was friends with Armstrong (who died four years ago at age 94), will bring his own archive of slide guitar and country blues to the stage when he and wife and music partner, Rhonda, perform. Legendary folk-singers and activists Guy and Candie Carawan also are slated to play.

Hokum’s Heroes, a collective of Boston-based musicians who actually specialize in the music of Howard Armstrong and other vintage and jug band styles can be sampled at their MySpace web site.

Charlie Collins, the son of a Campbell County coal miner, and his partner, Mike Webb, will play authentic mountain music on numerous stringed instruments. Former LaFollette resident, Larry McNeely, played with Collins in the Pinnacle Mountain Boys. The guitarist-banjoist was in Roy Acuff’s Smoky Mountain Boys in the ‘60s and then played with Glen Campbell in California. He is now based in Nashville.

Brennan-Strange said park ranger Bobby Fulcher, a music historian-folklorist, had a presentation about the LaFollette fiddling contest.

Perhaps because of Armstrong’s guiding spirit, a special effort is going into getting the area’s black folks involved in the festival. “We have the Cove Lake Pavilion and surrounding grounds reserved for June 8 as well and have begun to schedule special activities for that date. One will be the 'Homecoming and Reunion' for 200-plus members of the black community who lived in the LaFollette area during the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s. A very special part of the event will be storytelling, to be located in the Pavilion. We want to videotape oral histories of our region. We especially want to afford this opportunity to the black community who sincerely wish to have their history known to others for they made wide ranging contributions to the whole community.�

The Knoxville singer said she, the Ruckers and an artist named John Lamaire have been teaching Campbell schoolkids about Armstrong and his music and art this year. “I met about 1,500 of them playing in the middle schools a few weeks ago. I'm hoping some of these kids are gonna show up at the festival to sing and play one of Howard's tunes "The Barnyard Dance" - I invited all of them!

Mathews said the CCC’s goals are to enrich not only the cultural life of the region, but stimulate its economic future.

The participating artists were selected to represent a span of disciplines: visual arts, music and storytelling. Lamaire focused on Armstrong’s artwork and taught basic portrait sketching. Brennan-Strange performed songs associated with Armstrong, after which the schoolkids were encouraged to learn to sing or play an instrument. Rucker told stories about Armstrong’s life, including discussing how Armstrong used storytelling himself. The students were then asked to research and write their own interpretations of Armstrong’s life.

For more information about the group, go to: campbellculturecoalition.org or louiebluie.org

Read about The Carpetbag Theatre's production of Between A Ballad & A Blues, the story of Howard "Louie Bluie" Armstrong, here!

Posted by the 520 gang at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

With the release of a CD eight months in the making, Knoxville band Mouth Movements is ready to take over the airwaves and venue stages nationwide. As they prepare to kick off a U.S. tour, I decided to get the skinny from bandmember Steve on what got this band together in the first place, and set them in motion for the path they're about to follow.

Bethany: Tell me a little about recording the new CD.

Steve: It was a blast and a struggle at the same time. There was a conflict in time schedules, and when we could all get together, we usually ended up tracking overnight into the next morning, so it was a little exhausting. We could never get together often enough, and at one point we actually scrapped most of the record to track it all over again. Turns out, that was the best move we could've made.

Bethany: Where did you record the album?

Steve: We recorded with Jeremiah Nave in Elizabethton, TN and had the album mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Mastering in NY. Jeremiah had done our demos and was also a fan of the band, so he was willing to make sure our album was a good representation of us, no matter how long it took. Alan Douches, well, he's almost lengendary and has done mastering on almost all of our favorite albums over the last decade, so we definitely wanted him to be a part of this record.

Bethany: Did you come into the studio with all of your material prepared, or did you find yourselves working up a lot of new stuff once you got into the studio?

Bethany: This summer tour you're about to start - is this your first big tour as a band?

Steve: Technically, this is the first tour of this length for Mouth Movements, although Travis, David, and myself were all playing music together in a previous band and doing two month national tours two or three times per year.

Bethany: I understand Mouth Movements began as a three-piece. How did you meet Joe, and decide to add him to the group?

Steve: We met Joe around the time we came together to start writing for the new album. He was always a part of the band, before he was officially in it. When we started recording the album, we tracked 2 or 3 different guitars on every song, and felt if we added another guitar to the live show, it would greatly help us out. Joe is a great guitarist and a great guy, so we felt he fit the bill.

Bethany: What importance, if any, does image hold for Mouth Movements?

Steve: We care a great deal about image in terms of merchandise, fliers, CD artwork, etc. As far as image in a sense of how you look on stage or in magazines, we could care less. We play music because we love making music and presenting it to new places and new faces, not because we want to look like rock idols.

Bethany: Are there any bands or songs in particular that convinced Mouth Movements to should get together and rock?

Steve: We've always worked well together musically. I think individually, our songwriting stay consistent with everyone else in the group. Of course, we take influences from other groups in terms of the type of music we make. It tends to get pounded into your head when you listed to bands/artists so often, and then you go and create a similar sound. In that sense, I think we take some influence from groups or artists such as Ken Andrews/Failure, Hum, Cave In, and Shiner.

The Mouth Movements CD Release party is taking place this Thursday, May 31 at Blue Cats in the Old City. Live performances include Mouth Movements along with local bands Gamenight and Generation of Vipers. For more info, check out the Mouth Movements MySpace or the Blue Cats website at BlueCatsLive.com.

Posted by the 520 gang at 10:48 AM | Permalink

Welcome to the final edition of the 520 blog, The Monday After. This is our attempt to blast through our Monday morning hangovers to offer you some quickie reviews of all the things we’re pretty sure we got into this past week, including gigs, concerts, movies, plays, and restaurants. Pop a couple of ibuprofens and enjoy.



Last week it was announced that the proverbial fat lady will be singing a big, fat, funeral dirge over 520's entombment this coming Thursday. So while the rest of you might be busy remembering wars and veterans and NASCAR races this Memorial Day, a select few of us will be fondly remembering our all-too-brief employment with Knoxville520, and our even briefer affair with The Monday After. The beers, the blogging, the hookers unconscious on the side of the road: Too many memories to adequately sum up in a neat little package of words. Instead, we'll let Photoshop do the talking, and provide you with a montage of pictures from Monday Afters past that more or less retraces our (mis)steps over the last five months.

Phase 1: The Early Months (Wherein we were just getting the hang of being snarky.)

Phase 2: Our Celebrity Obsession (Wherein we didn't really care to talk about anything but sports and Mike Witcher's ass.)

Phase 3: Where We Were Just Getting Really Good At Photoshop (Wherein we were just getting really good at Photoshop.)

Phase 4: Fin (Wherein we say good-bye.)

Good-bye!






And now for our weekly rankings!

This week's key:

= ...the eff?
= Really? Are you kidding me?
= Was it really that bad? Was it really that good? Do I really care?
= That was...what's the word? Cool? Sweet? Totally rad?
= Am I so happy I could die? Duh, do I really need to say? Is there anything that could make me happier? Hmmm, is Jake Gyllenhaal single? Wait -- is he gay?

Random Panties ()

This relatively new Clinton, Tennessee foursome played their debut show as a band on Friday at the Old City's Basement Gallery. They've got a punk-rock sound with lyrics that, once you really start hearing them, will make you laugh, then cry, then dance.. maybe not in that order. I've been a fan of theirs for a long while now (they've got some of their tunes up at the RP MySpace site), and seeing them play in person made my adoration for what they're doing only intensify. They're fun, it's a good time, and really, can you beat a band playing their very first show on the same night the venue is playing "This Is Spinal Tap"? Doubtful. What a killer way to start out my Friday night, before heading across the street to see...

Westside Daredevils ()

Rock! Rock! More rock! I never have enough good things to say about these fine fellows. They were playing a solo show Friday at Manhattan's, and I rarely pass up a chance to see them play live. They're on their way to Bonnaroo this year, and drummer Mike confided in me before the show that the very first song was one they were "trying out" on the Manhattan's crowd before playing it live in Manchester, TN. My reaction: it rocked. No surprises there. But, gosh.. the harmonies that Brett, Gray and Jeff manage to pair with the guitar melodies they make are beautiful, and the rhythm from Mike and Brandon (bass guitar) is like a surging heartbeat to every song. They are most definitely headed for greater things, having already gotten a song, "Heroes and Zeroes," onto the soundtrack for the 2006 movie, Geekin'. Learn more about Westside Daredevils on their MySpace. -B.T.

Being a No-Good Couch Potato, Part Deux

30 Rock, Season 1 ()

It's taken a whole season for Tina Fey and Co. to find their stride, but this garbled mess of a show is still funnier that most of the shite out their on teevee land. (And while friends of mine who have worked with him Off-Broadway have stories that would chill your spine, Alec Baldwin is truly the talented glue that holds this disorganized comedy together.) Kudos to 30 Rock for adding "aww, nuts" and "blorf" to my vernacular.

Ugly Betty, Season 1 ()

I was hooked on this show like a crack whore on crack for its first six or so episodes. And then when its plot grew dull, I discovered Lost and Heroes, and then couldn't make myself care anymore whether or not Betty and Henry were ever gonna suck face.

The Office, Season 3 ()

Shrute Bucks! Stanley Nickels! Jan's boobies! This year's season finale exceeded every expectation and cemented in my mind the fact that The Office is one of the Best Shows Ever. Next year's predictions? Ryan traps Michael in a sexual harassment suit, Karen quits her job but somehow returns at the end of the season after Rashida Jones' new sit-com crashes and burns, and Jim and Pam get caught doing some after-hours bonking in the men's room. -J.B.

Chris Thile and the How to Grow a Band at the Bijou Theatre

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You may know him as the mandolin playing crooner from the band Nickel Creek -- or maybe you saw in him play in a duet with Edgar Meyer earlier this year on our UT campus -- but everyone in attendance at the Bijou last week found out that Chris Thile leads one of the tightest acoustic outfits ever to grace a stage. Featuring the fast picking of guitarist Bryan Sutton, this 5 piece Newgrass band owned the stage playing a unique blend of music sounding old-timey and progressive all at once. The best part of the evening for me was the unexpected cover of Radiohead's "Morning Bell" as the encore. That and the five part harmonies were sweet enough to make any man cry in his beer. The best show I've seen this year hands down. -D.T.

Thanks for reading! See you never!

Posted by the 520 gang at 3:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

As some of you may have already heard, Knoxville520 has lost its funding and will cease to operate in its current capacity as of June 1st, 2007. We feel that an explanation is in order, as many Knoxvillians have come to rely on Knoxville520 as their primary online source for entertainment news and events.

The motivation behind the decision to no longer fund Knoxville520 was not based on lack of quality, nor lack of interest. The investors behind the website realized that Knoxville is not a large enough market to support such a niche website. In fact, this was the main concern at the launch of Knoxville520 in June 2006. It seems we cut too narrow of a path as we were blazing a new trail in Knoxville entertainment!

In an effort not to let the quality work of the Knoxville520 staff go to waste once the website ceases operations, some of the content will be moved over to the Knoxville News Sentinel online entertainment section. We will take some of our favorite articles, blogs and reviews, and compile a “Best of Knoxville520� archive. This way, you will have access to the writing of many of the talented 520 contributors. In addition, the Knoxville520 brand will not totally disappear. The popular Knoxville520 Drink Specials list will be housed in its entirety in the Knoxville News Sentinel online entertainment section.

For the time being, however, it’s “business as usual� for Knoxville520. We will continue our regular Monday & Thursday updates, as well as the mailing of our Friday entertainment newsletter. Until the end, it is our aim to remain true to our
mission - providing our readers with a complete entertainment calendar, as well as a uniquely local perspective on entertainment.

As sad as we are to see the Great Knoxville520 Experiment come to an end, the entire staff is very proud of our work and what we’ve been able to accomplish. We have all learned valuable lessons that will be useful on our individual journeys and we will always look fondly on our time spent with Knoxville520!

Sara Schwabe
& the Knoxville520 Staff

Posted by the 520 gang at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

Strawberry Plains girl, Jennifer Nicely, has been knocking 'em dead all over the country and tonight she plays for a hometown crowd at Sundown in the City on Market Square.

The intricate imagery she uses in her songs has earned her comparisons to such legendary songwriters as Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell. Nicely is deeply connected to her East Tennessee roots. Much of her writing is flavored with nostalgic feelings for this area, especially in the song "More Than You":

Oh you know
When she goes she won’t return
It’s back to the wild land
She was born in--

She needs the sky
She craves the wind
More than you

Although she has been compared to many different notable musicians in her still-budding career, Jennifer Nicely maintains a unique musical style. She swirls together cool jazz, rolling blues and adds a touch of her Appalachain heritage. The resulting music is as expressive as it is sentimental. Her haunting and lyrical vocals are the perfect accompaniment to the ethereal wail of the Hammond B-3 organ and upright bass that make up the foundation of her band. Add to that a little slide guitar and you've got yourself a lush and steamy sound - nearly custom made for a hot night under the stars.

Get down to Market Square at 6:30pm to show Jennifer Nicely just how proud we are of her!

(Jennifer Nicely's tour schedule is presently under construction, but here's the link to her website if you want a bit more info.)

Posted by the 520 gang at 12:18 PM | Permalink

The 2006 CD release from Nashville musician Mike Thomas is like a sentimental journal, cataloguing the hard feelings left by lost loves and missed opportunities for happiness. Its earthiness, twang and instrumental precision combine to make it a solid album. Songs from Headlights fill you with what must be Thomas' own sense of loss; lyrics like "I've been behind the wheel forever / We're not getting anywhere" (from "The Long Road"), and "You can only hear the sound of two hearts breaking / When I turn and walk away" (from "Walk Away") go straight through the ear and directly to the heart. The music and melody is well-crafted, and it plays as large a part in each song as the vocals, which is somewhat unusual, but definitely welcome.

It's clear that he has worked hard to get his music out to the masses, particularly to those of us in East Tennessee. He has appeared on the radio several times, including on 90.3 WUTK FM, the University of Tennessee's student-run radio station. The station's weekly show, "The Y'allternative," proved a particularly good outlet for Thomas to show off his musical prowess, backed by Mitch Rutman and Vince Ilagan (both of The Mitch Rutman Group), and even his own kin, cousin John Adam Thomas. You can certainly hear the influence of musicians like Scott Miller and Ryan Adams, but Thomas' way of singing lends itself to the songs' words and message in a way that only he could really do. He definitely digs into the layers of human emotion, leaving no question as to what he feels, and what he wants you to feel.

Thomas has played some shows here in Knoxville recently, and often collaborates with notable town favorites Mitch Rutman, Ben Maney, and Chad Melton. The first performance by Mike Thomas (a solo) that I was fortunate enough to catch was his CD release party at Union Jack's on Northshore Drive. He'll be appearing there again on July 7th, 2007 at 9pm. For more info, check out his website, MikeThomasOnline.com.

Posted by the 520 gang at 12:18 PM | Permalink

This just in from The Arts & Cultural Alliance!

Student Created Mural to be Unveiled in Downtown Knoxville Thursday, May 24 at 5:30 PM at the AMSouth Building, chosen for mural inspired and painted by Knoxville’s Next Leaders.

What: A four-panel mural painted by High School Students representing Austin East, South Doyle, West, Fulton and Central High School will be unveiled in downtown Knoxville at the AMSouth Building (across from Krutch Park) on Thursday, May 24 at 5:30 PM.

Who: The genesis of this project was developed by men and women representing Leadership Knoxville’s class of 2007. Artists include:

High School Students (names to be provided at the event)
Kathy Brown – Local Artist who guided their process.
Steve Arnett
Carey Archer
Kitty Hatcher
Annette Lindstrom
Gus Paidousis
Avon Rollins
Joe Ballard - Advisor

Special thanks to:

AC Entertainment
Arts & Culture Alliance
Beck Cultural Exchange Center,
Bob Booker
East Tennessee Arts Commission
HGTV
Mike and Kelly Conley
Steve Cotham
The Trust Company
Tomato Head
Universal Properties
Vice Mayor Mark Brown

When: The Unveiling will take place on Thursday, May 24, 2007 from 5:30 – 6:00 PM.

Where:

AM South Building

507 S. Gay Street

Downtown, Knoxville (across from Krutch Park)

Why: The making of this mural brings Knoxville’s next leaders together to articulate their shared values and collective aspirations for Knoxville’s past, present and future. The goal is to contribute a work of public art to Knoxville’s urban landscape that will give its young creators and all Knoxvilleans a permanent visual metaphor of what people can do when they come together for a common goal!

Posted by the 520 gang at 9:07 AM | Permalink

What would 520 be without our good friends to keep us informed? (We'd rather not think about that.) Here are some various takes on the entertainment scene from folks who know their stuff:

1) KnoxNews / Ramblin' Man and his 10 Days Out

2) KnoxNews / The Knoxville News Sentinel flexes their musical muscle with new, local band compilation CD

4) KnoxGigs / Bethany Tomkins' musings on the local scene

5) KnoxBlab / A spot for Knoxvillians to speak their mind

6) Steve Wildsmith / Posted by the 520 gang at 2:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The celebration, which local singer Steve Horton dreamed up as a way to honor the signal singer-songwriter of this era, will raise money to support cultural programming at Lawson-McGhee library. Nelda Hill, director of the library’s Sights and Sounds department, explained this includes any number of programs the library uses to take music, poetry and other arts to the larger community. In the past few years, the library has emerged as a major player in the downtown arts scene through musical and literary outreach programs like the Rothrock Café series and the jazz and poetry festivals. “Shows like the Dylan festival go a long way toward helping raise money so we can continue hosting these kinds of events,� Hill said.

This year’s lineup is headlined by the legendary Carawan family—Guy and Candie plus son Evan. The Carawans are a living repository of American folk music. “Considering the Carawans long association with politically conscious music and the use of music to educate people about the need for social change, particularly in the South and Appalachia, it is especially poignant that they are involved in a celebration of Bob Dylan’s music by some of the best musicians in East Tennessee,� she continued.

Plus, as Horton joked, it’s a good opportunity to celebrate his own birthday—the same day—“without having a bunch of hippies over to the house.�

Horton and Maggie Longmire are co-leaders of longtime favorite country rockers The Lonesome Coyotes. “The idea for the Dylan's birthday celebration grew out of discussions between Maggie and me about the need for an event to draw together the various elements of the local music scene. Bands typically don't get to hear each other perform. And when they do, bands tend to go hear other bands in the same genre. Back in the old days, there were benefits that put country, rock, jazz, and bluegrass acts on the same bill, for the same cause. That doesn't seem to happen as much now.�

Horton will perform at the concert, backed by saxophonist Dirk Weddington, guitarist Jay Manneschmidt, percussionist Phil Pollard, bassist Stan Turner and possibly others. He will split a set with Longmire, who is expected to sing solo for the most part, and use Manneschmidt and Turner on some numbers. The lineup also includes “long-haired� rockers Garage Deluxe; Michael Crawley and his all-star blues group, the MacDaddies; jazzy chanteuse Nancy Brennan-Strange and her string jazz combo, the Tennessee Sheiks; pop-lounge stalwarts Sara Schwabe and her Yankee Jass Band and a young rock band called the Black Cadillacs, led by Horton’s son, Will, and his partner, Cooper Hardison, son of jazz guitarist Phil Hardison, a sometime accompanist of Brennan-Strange’s.

The master of ceremonies will be Steve Dupree, the irascible Metro Pulse columnist, raconteur, licensed minister and general man-about-town. Broadway Sound is providing technical support for the show.

Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10. The ETH Center is across from the Tennessee Theater in downtown Knoxville. Plenty of parking is available streetside and in commercial parking lots.

*At noon on Tuesday: The Blue Plate Special will offer a preview of the “Forever Young� show with Sara Schwabe, Michael Crawley, and the Black Cadillacs performing songs by Bob Dylan. The artists will be in the WDVX studio listening room at Vision Plaza on Gay Street downtown as well as broadcast live on 89.9 and 102.9 FM and webcast at wdvx.com.

Participating artists:

The Lonesome Coyotes

Let host Pete Powell take you to places you've never dreamt of going!

The latest episode is now up! This week: An interview with Micah-Shane Brewer, a Gin Blossoms preview, Guess That Local Tune, and our Weekend Fun Time Pick.

Listen to it here.

Or use this RSS feed to subscribe via iTunes.

Or listen to it at our myspace site.

Yeehaw, K-Town.

Posted by the 520 gang at 12:10 PM | Permalink

This year, Knoxville grass roots radio station WDVX celebrates its tenth anniversary.

The station, which plays such a diverse variety of music it’s hard to give it a label (although Tony Lawson, the station’s owner, reluctantly refers to it as “Americana�), is also home of The Blue Plate Special—a live, in-studio performance that happens every weekday from (roughly) noon until 1 p.m. (and sometimes on Saturdays). It’s one of Knoxville’s most well-known events.

Given the station’s popularity these days, it’s hard to believe it started as a shed in Clinton.

WDVX was licensed in 1997 and went on the air from a test pattern from a mountaintop. “We first went on the air from the back porch of this fella’s house,� Tony says.

“It’s a great outlet for local music to reach beyond just our region,� Tony says. Often, local acts will open for the featured performers, who have ranged from Del McCoury to Bela Fleck to Sxip Shirey to much, much more. Tony says that occasionally the station gets email from people in New York or The Netherlands, just to name two examples, saying they enjoyed the set.

Not surprisingly, the station’s specialty shows vary. Tuesday nights there is a bluegrass show, which is, of course, imperative for any form of Americana station. They start off every show with Bill Monroe, who Tony points out sort of founded bluegrass. This is more dedication to a theme than most specialty shows feature.

I personally find the Thursday night “Hillbilly Fever� country music show to be rather interesting. I’m not in any way a fan of commercial country. In my mind, it’s a step below pop music, in that it simply sounds worse to hear someone with a strong southern accent and overly-polished yet twangy guitars singing what is essentially a pop song.

However, after living in Nashville for a year, I eventually realized I would have to learn to accept country music on some level. As such, I can occasionally appreciate classic country.

And Tony points out that classic country makes up the entire specialty show, ranging from tunes from the 1920s to about ’72-’73. Interestingly, this is around the time that Lynyrd Skynyrd started. I’m not saying they killed acceptable country music with their disgusting breed of Southern rock... Necessarily.

Other shows include Johnny Mac’s Friday evening blues show (“it’s one of the cookin’-est blues shows you’ll ever get,� Tony says) and the Knoxville News-Sentinel’s Wayne Bledsoe’s show on Saturday evenings.

There isn’t an exclusive show for local music, but Tony points out that the Blue Plate Special is essentially that.

If you haven’t headed down to the corner of Gay Street and Summit Hill for the WDVX Blue Plate Special, you’re missing out. It’s a gem of an event here in town. The intimate, coffee shop-esque feel to the building creates a great performance. Since the show is broadcast, the audience is captivated by the performance. Everyone is there to see the show, so the crowd isn’t loud or rowdy.

It’s one of the best features of living in Knoxville.

Posted by the 520 gang at 11:53 AM | Permalink

One of those who got sheared was the highly recognizable, long-time bassist for seminal Knoxville country rockers, the Lonesome Coyotes.

Stan Turner, a fixture on the Knoxville music scene for more than a quarter of a century, is sometimes known as the “quiet� Coyote. Or, maybe it’s the “cute� one. “Scary� Coyote? At any rate, he volunteered to have his trademark blonde ponytail lopped off for the cause.

Proprietor Phyllis Long explained: “I named (it) the Long Branch because my last name is Long. Needless to say, I got a lot of kidding - also a lot of unexpected business. People would read the sign wrong and stop for a drink. The look on their face when they opened the door was priceless! Some would stay, out of shame, and get hair cuts.�

So many people thought it was a bar that potential coiffure customers were believed to be actively avoiding the place, Long continued. So, the businesswoman added “Beauty� to the name to clarify matters.

The Clinton middle schoolers involved in the project included the Hawks Helping Others Service-Learning Academy, an after-school program that encourages community service among students. The kids were aiming to make the largest school donation for Locks of Love in the country.

Several Clinton and Oak Ridge hair salons participated in the hair drive. Besides the Long Branch, these included Shear Traditions, Shear Cuts, Attitudes, New Reflections, and Prisms and Profiles.

For more information on the Locks of Love organization and its mission, go to: www.locksoflove.org.

Posted by the 520 gang at 10:52 AM | Permalink

We at 520 receive many requests to post local stage auditions. Because we are "Yes -men & -women", we have gladly honored those requests here.

We'd like for all area theatre companies to list their upcoming try-outs with us, so send your schedules to Knoxville520@gmail.com.

Here's what we've gotten from local companies currently planning auditions:

*Actors Co-op Apprentice Company auditions are this Sunday, 5/20, from 5-8pm at the Black Box Theatre. Call 865.909.9300 to make an appointment. Call backs will be immediately following the final audition. Monologue, headshot and resume are requested from all auditionees.
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*The Actors Co-op will be holding auditions for "Lysistrata" - part of their Greatest Hits season. Auditions will be held on Sunday, June 10th at the Black Box Theatre. Prepare two contrasting monologues and bring headshot/resume.

Production dates are July 26 - Aug 11.

Call 865.909.9300 for an appointment.
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Posted by the 520 gang at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

No Fear of Heights: Vertigo prepares for Market Square.

Vertigo has some tricks up their sleeves. Not at all quick to reveal them, they fold them out one by one, song by song, as evident on their debut CD, "And Miles To Go Before We Sleep." A savvy band based out of Morristown, they've already got one music video under their belt, and are working on songs for a second album. I recently spoke with their guitarist Joel Rudnick on what makes Vertigo tick.

As with any band, the methods of songwriting begin with an idea, shared with others, that becomes the meat of something much greater. As those ideas near completion, the band works to build on the original idea, adding layers and textures to all of it. "We jam it out and find out exactly what direction it takes, and whether or not we want to alter that direction," Joel explains. "Sometimes it will be done fairly quickly, other times it may take a few practices to get something close to what we're satisfied with."

Recording in a studio seems to sway a band to focus more on their down-pat sound, without variation, or conversely, pushes them to explore even further, with the incentive that studiotime is magic - you only get it for a short while, then you move on to production and release. Joel says, "We basically went into an intensive writing process in which we ended up with about 25 or 30 songs we had to sort through to decide what made the cut and what didn't." Working together for the past few years, Vertigo has culminated a way to sense what works for them, not just what they think people want to hear. Drawing influences from bands like A Perfect Circle and The Cure, they avoid having a label like "metal" or "shoegazing" applied to their style. "We have a difficult time comparing ourselves to other bands," Joel says, adding, "honestly, I couldn't tell you someone I listen to who I think we sound like."

If Vertigo was a color, it'd be a soft green-blue - a color you can almost feel, something cool to a hot temper, of screaming insecurity being quelled by a small hope that something good will come out of it all. Lead singer Lindsey Stamey has a way of singing that lets you know she really means it - no sap, no sugar - with all of her heart. The percussion from a fellow Stamey (her brother, Justin), and bassist Shawn Parella combine to serve as the backbone of the Vertigo sound. They've got something very special, and aren't quick to give it away to the first responder. When I asked about record label shopping, Joel shared a little inside info with me. "We've had some interest from some pretty formidable companies, but we're trying to be smart.. it's a very ruthless business."

Some might say it's good luck, but it seems more apt to put it down to simply being rewarded for their hard work and dedication to their art; either way, this relatively young alt-rock foursome is set to open this Thursday's Sundown In the City. For a free preview of what Vertigo has to offer, check out their MySpace. Included in the on-page media player is a new song, "The Coming and The Going," which was recorded in Joel's South Knox basement studio, as well as the band's music video for "These Adult Bones." Check it out!

Posted by the 520 gang at 9:54 AM | Permalink

Welcome to this shaallow edition of the 520 blog, The Monday After. This is our attempt to blast through our Monday morning hangovers to offer you some quickie reviews of all the things we’re pretty sure we got into this past week, including gigs, concerts, movies, plays, and restaurants. Pop a couple of ibuprofens and enjoy.



We here at 520 JUST realized that we've never posted half-naked pictures of Jake Gyllenhaal here on the site. Our deepest apologies.

You're welcome.




And now for our weekly rankings!

This week's key:

= It's the day after the day after tomorrow and you didn't survive.
= That Donnie Darko bunny is following you.
= Your boyfriend quits you, but you find solace in a Mexican prostitute.
= You identify the Zodiac killer, and make a killing yourself at the bookstore.
= Pup tent love.

The Corner Lounge ()

I spent Friday night - and much of early Saturday morning - at The Corner Lounge (842 N. Central). The occasion was a CD Release Party for Knoxville band Plan A [click here to read 520's Plan A article from last week], who just released their second CD. I've been to The Corner a good few times now, and every time it's the same: cold beer, good music, and lots of fun. The staff are the height of efficiency, something definitely necessary since the place is almost always buzzing with people every time I'm there, and the sound guy is really on the ball. They recently added appetizers and lighter bar food fare to the menu, and there is entertainment of some kind or another almost every night -- check out this Wednesday's show with Greg Horne and Kim Richardson, and Friday's Knox Poetry Slam Fundraiser featuring Tim Lee Band, Matgo Primo, and some of Knoxville's finest djs and slam poets. Alls I'm sayin', see, is when you're looking for somewhere to go that really feels like Knoxville, I highly recommend you check out The Corner Lounge. -B.T.

David Olney with Sergio Webb at WDVX Blue Plate Special

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I attend Blue Plate Specials on a semi-regular basis and I’ve seen some terrific shows, but last Thursday’s concert with David Olney and Sergio Webb was one of the best! Olney’s imaginative songwriting, humor and passionate vocals are a special treat. Sergio Webb’s electric guitar accompaniment is dazzling. (And he looks just like Super Mario.) I could not leave WDVX without an advanced copy of Olney’s soon to be released CD “One Tough Town.� I had to scrape together change to complete my purchase and luckily had enough loose change in my car to pay the parking lot attendant. Not being able to retrieve my car was the chance I was willing to take to own a piece of Olney’s magic. Yes, he really is that good. -D.D.

Downtown Rules & Screwery ()

More and more, bad service laziness are being disguised as the "house rules". I'm not unreasonable to wait on in restaurants and I tip well. I feel like I'm doing my part in the world of dining out, so what gives with all the rules? Case in point: Last week, I phoned a certain brewery on Gay Street. It's bad manners to just drop in on a restaurant with a group of more than a few people, so I wanted to make a reservation. I was informed that they don't take reservations (rule #1), but that I could call back on the day-of for "call ahead seating". When I did, I received a very stern warning that even though I called ahead, my table was not guaranteed (rule #2) - it was still "first come, first served." So what's the point of even taking my call?

On the day of our reser- ....um, call-ahead, we were greeted with another stern warning (rule #3) that they would not seat us until 5 of the 7 people in our party had arrived. This seemed ridiculous to me, as it was becoming increasingly difficult to move in the entry way. Once we were seated, we learned more about the "house rules". At first, I thought that our service was just slow, but was informed by our less-than-happy server that she was not allowed to bring us new drinks until we had sucked our original glasses dry (rule #4), so she stayed away until we were done.

Now, I'm not railing on about all rules. There needs to be some order in the world, for god's sake! It's just that none of the rules to which we were forced to adhere created any logical order at this particular restaurant. It only made for a long wait, a crowded lobby, crabby servers and restless customers. -S.S.

Christabel and the Jons at Sundown in the City

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Last week when I interviewed the very pleasant Christa DeCicco for The Roundup podcast, I asked her just how excited she was about Sundown in the City. She paused for a moment, and then informed me that static had made her unable to hear my question. So I asked her again. This time she heard me, and informed me that she was indeed super excited. Later I listened to the recording of the interview. The first time I asked that question, I had said "Sundance in the City." No wonder she didn't know what the eff I was saying.

By a stroke of fortune, I got to see Christabel and the Jons last week at Sundown. People were concerned that their intimateness wouldn't translate to such a big stage, but their concern was for naught. The acoustics were great, the music was great, and people were being rocked left and right. Oh, and I finally got to hear that Roxanne cover. You don't have to put on the red light, Christa. Your band is destined to make it big. -J.B.

See you next week!

Posted by the 520 gang at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

THE TALE OF
JUMPING MOUSE, adapted by Casey Sams.

The Tale of Jumping Mouse is great for all ages and a perfect introduction to theatre. Based on an Indian folk legend, this engaging children's production will inspire even the most content homebody to exploration as Jumping Mouse heads out into the world in search of meaning and excitement.

The Tale of Jumping Mouse is part of the Whippersnapper Playhouse for young audiences and players. The production is also the 06-07 Apprentice Company showcase. Every year, mentors in the Actors Co-op work with ten very talented high school students interested in pursuing a career in theatre. These apprentices produce, direct, stage manage, design, and perform in the production, as well as shadow mentors in mainstage productions throughout the year. The apprentice showcase is an opportunity for them to put their new knowledge to work.

The 06-07 Apprentice Company are:

Caroline Blasius, Senior, Bearden High School
Bree Donahoo, Sophomore, Bearden High School
Kelli Dockter, Senior, Central High School
Jen Fox, Senior, Bearden High School
Ellis Greer, Sophomore, West High School
Evangeline Mee, Sophomore, West High School
Jessica Santrock, Senior, West High School
Stephanie Shultz, Sophomore, Bearden High School
Sarah Jordan Stout, Sophomore, Bearden High School
Elizabeth Wouters, Senior, Bearden High School

THE TALE OF JUMPING MOUSE runs May 11 - 20 on Friday and Saturday evenings at 7pm and Saturday and Sunday afternoons at 2pm. There will be no performance on Friday May 18 to celebrate high school graduation.

Please contact www.knoxtix.com or call 523-7521 for advanced ticket sales. There is a convienence fee for advanced ticket sales. You may purchase tickets at the door 45 minutes prior to performance.

Click here for info about upcoming Apprentice Company Auditions!

Posted by the 520 gang at 12:02 PM | Permalink

In years past Knoxville has been blessed to have many strong female voices emerge from our local stages and this year recognition is definitely due for an independent artist who’s been working her ass off to put it out there, Christina Horn and her latest musical project Hudson K. Performing this Wednesday at the Preservation Pub with Ben Maney and the Countless Sheep, Hudson K will be delivering its own brand of thought provoking lyrics and danceable grooves.

A classically trained pianist since age eleven Christina Horn is no stranger to the stage. Finding the realm of “serious� music a bit constricting to her personal artistic goals she did what any good musician would do, she joined a rock band. In the past few years Horn has taken part in a number of notable projects with some of Knoxville’s favorite artists including Telescope with Matt Urmay and Umanos Umana with Dave Campbell, all leading to the present moment which finds Christina with the confidence and material to project her own musical vision to the community.

In the music of Hudson K you’ll find what is best about being a singer/songwriter; lyrics prompting deep insight into the personal mind of the artist set over intelligent, melodic progressions commanding your attention. You can listen for yourself right now at hudsonktoday. Here you can get a preview of their newly finished self-titled EP.

So put down the remote, give your couch the night off and come support some of our town’s brightest emerging talents Hudson K and Ben Maney and the Countless Sheep this Wednesday night at The Preservation Pub.

Posted by the 520 gang at 11:17 AM | Permalink

Vestal. There was a time when the mention of this South Knoxville neighborhood conjured up images of pit bull fights and vicious armed robberies. Thanks to the creation seven years ago of the South Knoxville Arts & Heritage Foundation, Vestal has been reintroduced to Knoxville through a charming family-friendly festival promoting historic preservation and music.

This Mother’s Day weekend, The Vestival proudly celebrates its 7th year of showcasing the historic Candoro Marble Works Building, along with an eclectic mix of some of the area’s finest musicians and artisans.

Vestival begins on Friday, May 11, from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m., with a Black & White Art Exhibit opening in the front room of the Condoro Building. Works by local artists from Cradle Art group, historical photographs of the early Knoxville marble industry, and Charles Barber architectural drawings will be displayed. (At press time, it was uncertain if the Riders of the Silver Screen would be showing a film on the tree-lined Candoro drive-way.)

Saturday’s Vestival takes place from 11:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. The traditional Vestival Mother’s Day brunch of complimentary coffee and pastries will be offered to mothers from 11:00 until noon.

While food and beverage vendors will be available, patrons may pack their own picnics. Limited seating will be provided at the two music stages. Feel free to bring your own lawn chair.

Below is the complete music schedule:

Candoro Café:

12:30 Greg Horne - Acoustic/Roots Music by this talented multi-instrumentalist/singer-songwriter/music teacher. Horne plays in numerous bands and has a standing solo gig at the Corner Lounge on Wednesday nights.

1:30 Jim Myers – foot-stompin’ blues

2:30 Sweethearts of the Bitterroot with Cary Masters – Cowboy tunes and vintage country music.

3:30 Naughty Knots – Traditional & contemporary acoustic music with sweet mountain harmonies and a sassy attitude. They even perform a roots version of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.�

4:30 The Maid Rite String Band (www.myspace.com/themaidrightstringband) – Old Time String with a few modern twists. In February, this talented quartet opened for Ricky Skaggs at the Tennessee Theater.

5:30 The Bearded – Jug Band/Old Time String. These boys keep it real, keep it fun, and always keep it hairy.

Maryville Pike Stage:

11:00 Grupo Lavolta – Traditional & modern South American folk music primarily from the Andes Mountain region.

12:00 The South Knoxville Persian Music Ensemble – Meditative music with a Middle Eastern flair. This ensemble has performed at every Vestival since 2000.

1:00 Christabel and the Jons – Sultry Southern Swing. Fresh from their performance at Sundown in the City, these vintage virtuosos are Bonnaroo bound this summer. Their South Knoxville ode “Remember� appears on the new “Greetings from Knoxville� CD – a collection of some of Knoxville’s best contemporary original music.

2:00 The Lonetones - Neo-traditional timeless mountain pop music for lovers. With their deft songwriting skills and gorgeous harmonies, The Lonetones have been winning rave reviews for their work. Their song, “The Soil We Grew Up In� was also selected for the new local compilation CD “Greetings From Knoxville.�

3:00 Sara Schwabe and Her Yankee Jass Band - Jazz standards, sultry Latin grooves, Broadway show tunes, smoky cabaret numbers, and even some Tom Waits, hip-hop, and classical tunes can be heard by this playfully sophisticated quintet.

4:00 The Hector Qirko Band - While Chicago-style blues makes up the core of his music, don’t be surprised to also hear Latin, jazz, country, polka, and honky-tonk influences.

5:00 Breakfast Meats (Los Fabulosos) - Enigmatic rock that, according to the band, sounds “like no tomorrow.� These folks have been Vestival regulars since year 2000.

6:00 Exit 65 - An Americana folk/rock jam band. Get in touch with your inner-hippie.

Ananda Dance Company will be performing their beautiful belly dancing fusion throughout the day.

DIRECTIONS TO VESTIVAL
From Downtown Knoxville, cross the river on the Henley Street Bridge.
At the end of the bridge, turn right on Blount Ave.
Follow Blount as it curves around and crosses over the RR tracks.
By this point, the road will have turned into Maryville Pike.
The festival will be on your right on the corner of Maryville Pike and Candora Ave.

(Editor's note: Vestival the festival should not be confused with Vestival, the champion Arabian horse. hee hee!)

Posted by the 520 gang at 11:40 AM | Permalink

Not enough bands wear vintage suits these days.

Fortunately, Knoxville’s-own Christabel and the Jons dress like they raided Cary Grant’s closet. Well, if Grant were a bit more of a hipster, that is.

Led by singer/guitarist Christa DeCicco (who does not wear a suit, but usually a vintage dress), the band is a four-piece with a plethora of instruments, but usually centering around drums, upright bass, and mandolin. Occasionally, the ubiquitous Phil Pollard steps in with the band to play vibraphone (or other instruments) even though he’s not a full-fledged member of the band. He’s the Young to their Crosby, Stills and Nash.

Their genre is questionable, being referred to as folk, jazz, swing, an Appalachian by various publications around town. Their sound encompasses more swing and folk than anything else, but the fiddle and mandolin definitely add an Appalachian vibe at times. But strangely, they were voted one of the runners-up for best jazz act by the readers of the Metro Pulse, despite showing few jazz characteristics. Well, maybe the upright bass.

Regardless of their genre, they’re not an act to miss, especially May 10th at Sundown in the City opening up for the Brazilian Girls.

They’ve been known to throw in a few covers, as well. They may have redefined the art of cover songs. When I saw them at the Laurel Theatre, they performed their own rendition of “Blue Moon� which was phenomenal to see. With a good cover song, you really need to make the song your own, and you need to be selective. A good cover song is a song everyone knows and hasn’t thought about in ages. As such, I was blown away by their choice to cover “Blue Moon.� And they also have a creative remake of “Roxanne,� which apparently they’re well-known for—I’ve heard many people mention it around town.

And last time I saw them, Phil Pollard contributed a breathtaking kazoo solo which moved me to tears. The man can make a kazoo sound as if a trumpet fanfare were blaring from the sky, welcoming you to Heaven. One can only hope tonight’s performance will feature such a cameo.

Christabel and the Jons hit the Market Square stage around 6:30. Remember to wear your dancing shoes.

Posted by the 520 gang at 11:01 AM | Permalink

One thing I've often wondered to myself is what the band's influences are. Collaboratively they mentioned names like CCR, Rolling Stones, Big Brother & The Holding Company, and even early Black Sabbath. Add to that a unanimous appreciation for "old" country - Hank Williams Sr., Johnny Cash - and the few good "new" country singer-songwriters, like Lyle Lovett and Dwight Yoakam. I was told that Jolley speaks for the whole band when he says, "New country is just over-produced radio fodder. It sucks ass." Woods added, "The best feature of good music - rock, country, whatever - is honesty."

This kind of straight-forward approach seems to drive Plan A, with regard to the lyric composition and music writing as well.

It also completely correlates with the answer to my question, "why is the band called Plan A?" Woods filled me in with a succinct explanation: "It's about getting back to the point of it all.. playing rock and doing it right." Each member brings experience to the table that many other bands would kill for: Keeble, formerly of The Moonshine Cherries, said his musical background began at an early age, and continued as he toured with his family, a group of gospel musicians. Brewer grew up listening to a variety of music, and played as a jazz drummer for years before joining Plan A. Jolley previously played guitar for Knoxville band Immortal Chorus, and in addition to guitar on "Caught Up In the Fray," he contributed piano, too. Woods has been playing solo around town for over a decade, refining his sound and working up more original material over time. Woods and Myers were previously members of the band Magpie Suite, a group well-known and well-loved by many (particularly folks who hung out at West Knox's hottest patio bar of days gone by, The Spot).

Rounding out my meeting with the fellas, we discussed terms like "mainstream" and "commercial radio." I was glad, as a fan, to learn that their emotions on those subjects are as mixed as my own. We all agreed that "mainstream" translates to reaching as many people as possible, which in itself isn't really such a negative thing as it's made out to be. "Commercial Radio," on the other hand, is near-worthless in my own opinion; Jolley and Woods seemed to share the view that "everything commercial radio stands for is sucking the soul out of music," as Jolley put it. "It's a catch-22, though, because how do you get to [be heard by a large audience] otherwise?" countered Woods. Excellent question, the answer to which I'd be curious to find out from various record labels and other media outlets, if they've got one.

Holidaysburg will be opening for Matt Woods' Plan A this Friday, May 11th at The Corner Lounge (842 N. Central) for the "Caught Up In the Fray" CD release party. Doors open at 9pm, show starts around 11pm. You can pick up your own copy of the disc there, or at either Disc Exchange location.

Posted by the 520 gang at 11:00 AM | Permalink

Welcome to The Roundup, our weekly podcast that keeps you "uptuh date" on everything in 520 land. Brush up on your local music, listen to the podcast, and you might just win yourself a hot commodity.

Let host Pete Powell take you to places you've never dreamt of going!

The latest episode is now up! This week: An interview with Christa DeCicco, a Brazilian Girls preview, Guess That Local Tune, and our Weekend Pick.

Listen to it here.

Or use this RSS feed to subscribe via iTunes.

Or listen to it at our myspace site.

Yeehaw, K-Town.

Posted by the 520 gang at 8:32 AM | Permalink

Just thought we'd let you know that our Drink Specials section is being a bit testy. We will get the problem fixed just a soon as possible - we know how much y'all like that part of Knoxville520!

The Management

Posted by the 520 gang at 11:38 AM | Permalink

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Living with the Living

Since 2001's excellent Tyranny Of Distance, Ted Leo's work has been somewhat spotty to say the least. That's not to say that some brilliance doesn't shine through. His anti-establishment political bent lends itself perfectly to furious punk anthems, the kind that Leo has churned out in his sleep since his days in oft-overlooked 90s underground band Chisel. Beyond the politics though, it's Leo's nearly unmatched ability as a word smith and his ear for a decently hooky melody that allow his Pharmacists to musically stretch out in almost any direction.

Unfortunately, Living doesn't start off with a bang; the first handful of tunes sound relatively forgettable and could have been culled from his last couple records. The patient listener, however, is rewarded with several of Leo's finest songs in years. The impressive middle stretch starts off with the impossibly poppy "Colleen." Then the ear perks at the easy pub stroll of "Bottle Of Buckie", Leo's tribute to the camaraderie of sharing a cheap bottle of booze. The vicious, self-explanatory "Bomb.Repeat.Bomb" crushes this peaceful feeling with its ferocious chorus. Leo leans towards a little romanticism and displays some vocal prowess on "La Costa Brava," and then, surprisingly, pulls off a nifty little sing along reggae number with "The Unwanted Things."

Living With The Living has everything that Ted Leo's fans have come to know from him. There are plenty of guitar antics and his ever-present falsetto wraps around smart lyrics and songs that run the gamut from punk to soul to reggae. Leo's maddening inconsistency in the quality control department is still here, but overall, Living is a very solid effort. ---Josh Staunton

Posted by the 520 gang at 11:36 AM | Permalink

Welcome to this one-in-a-million edition of the 520 blog, The Monday After. This is our attempt to blast through our Monday morning hangovers to offer you some quickie reviews of all the things we’re pretty sure we got into this past week, including gigs, concerts, movies, plays, and restaurants. Pop a couple of ibuprofens and enjoy.



Knoxville loves it some Tennessee lottery this week!

While those hippy, education-loving Knoxvillians are overjoyed at the recent news that Tennessee gamblers have now shelled out over $800 million of their hard-earned money to the Lottery for Education Account since the its inception over three years ago, the rest of us are excited over last week's announcement of three (!) new Instant Games for us to spend our retirement money on: Royal Cash, Double Play, and Diamond White 8's. Diamond White 8's! It sounds so fancy!

Knoxville is so over the moon about scratch cards, mega millions, and televised ping pong ball drawings that even the City Council is getting into the act. It appears that last week at the Knox County Courthouse there were a few leftover elections that no one could really declare the winner of, so the good people of the Courthouse decided to let the bingo cage do the talkng. Four ping pong balls were put into the cage, two blank, one marked "1", and one marked "2." The nervous candidates were assigned numbers and then waited breathlessly as Sheila Parkin --any other day just a humble secretary, but today Bingo Cage Operator-- began to turn the crank.

As with with any bingo drawing, there were joyous winners, pouting losers, shouts of joy, and many tears. Luckily for us, all that hullabaloo took place in Knoxville, Illinois. Something totally undignified like that would never take place in our Courthouse.

Right?




And now for our weekly rankings!

This week's key:

= Lost winning mega millions ticket.
= Spent all booze money on Diamond White 8's.
= Won enough from Diamond White 8's to buy back booze.
= Lottery paid for your textbooks.
= Won $88,888 playing Diamond White 8's!

Spiderman 3 ()

There have been a lot of people all in a snitch about the latest Spiderman movie. It's too long, some complain. It's too emotional, others wail. Too many musical numbers, yet others bitch.

Listen, kids, Sam Raimi ain't going for a cinematic masterpiece. The Spiderman movies are popcorn flicks, and this latest offering is the saltiest, butteriest one yet. Dunst, Franco, and especially Maguire all have fun in this film, and their characters are the most interesting and fleshed-out they've ever been. Seeing Peter Parker go all emo and start acting like a Night at the Roxbury douchebag is priceless. Thank Raimi for letting his stars ham it up and make Spiderman 3 the most watchable Spidey yet. -J.B.

Sam's Restaurant & Deli ()

Located at 4405 North Broadway, at first glance this place might strike you as kind of a dive. Ok, maybe it technically is a dive... but a lovable one. The servers there are always warm and friendly, good down-home folks that'll ask how your day is going and sure 'nuff tell you about theirs. The cuisine is classic "home-cooking," a daily selection of food like country-fried steak, catfish, porkchops, pinto beans and cornbread, and that magical, mystical Knoxville sausage-based dish, Metts and beans. Side dishes that are almost always available include fried green tomatoes, homemade mac n' cheese, cooked greens of some kind, potato salad, cinnamon apples; everything other than a sandwich also comes with a roll or cornbread. If you go the sandwich route, expect a choice of chips or fries as your side, and plenty of sandwich as your main entree. As if that isn't enough, they also serve breakfast all day, a hearty variety of egg and breakfast meat dishes. Regardless of what you order, bring your appetite - the prices are more than reasonable, as are the portions. The overall rustic appeal of this joint is genuine - they don't have a website, email, or mailing list. My only complaint is that there has been a time or two when the table where I was seated was a little questionable, cleanliness-wise, and once or twice I had to make a second choice because I wanted was already gone (but a second choice generally turns out delicious anyway). The philosophy behind the business is good food, friendly and capable staff, and happy customers, and it obviously works for them - I've been going there for years. -B.T.

Wolfmother at the Orange Peel ( + )

This Friday evening I had the pleasure of making the surprisingly short trek up to Asheville, North Carolina for an evening with new-old school band Wolfmother. My friends and I stopped for dinner at the New French Bar Courtyard Cafe where we had delightfully cheap food (considering it was seafood, hummus wraps, and other semi-exotic cuisine) as well as $3.75 Bombay Sapphire gin and tonics (what a ridiculously awesome deal).

Then, we headed down to the Orange Peel to see one of the hardest rocking shows I have ever seen, which is saying a lot. Wolfmother, despite only having one full-length album out, managed to play for slightly over two hours. The show included every song on the album, a new song appearing on the Spiderman 3 soundtrack, and a number of jams-- one of which freakishly resembled "Careful with that Axe Eugene" by Pink Floyd. At times, I thought that the walls of the building would collapse.

The frontman, Andrew Stockdale, often took his guitar from around his neck and swung it around. The bassist switched flawlessly from bass to organ in the middle of songs. The drummer shattered a stick during the encore and the splinters got sucked up into the air current around him and floated there for the remainder of the song. I almost teared up with joy during the drum fill on "White Unicorn."

It's refreshing to see a rock band that actually acts like a rock band. -G.W.

Mint Julep Derby ()

Everyone knows that there are two pairings that make or break the Kentucky Derby. One is the jockey & the horse. The other (and possibly the most critical) is bourbon & mint. Sadly enough, I have never been to Churchill Downs for any live Derby action. Every spring, however, I spend what's been called the "greatest two minutes in sports" with dear friends, some racing stats and a little hooch. This year, thanks to our host's good taste, we upgraded to Woodford Reserve - the bourbon of the Derby. Lo and behold, "one mint julep" turned into two (or three, or four...) resulting in a perfect afternoon. Tally-ho! -S.S.

See you next week!

Posted by the 520 gang at 10:24 AM | Permalink

Think there’s nothing fun to do in this town? Been meaning to start that exercise program? Looking for something different to do? Then go to the City of Knoxville’s FREE Go-Expo at Victor Ashe Park on Saturday May, 12, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. At the Go-Expo you will discover a wide variety of local outdoor and recreational opportunities while enjoying demonstrations, food, and live music in one of the City’s most beautiful parks.

Sandy Hull, Executive Director of the Legacy Park Foundation, reports that over 30 informational booths will be presented at the Go-Expo, including, but not limited to:

Mast General Store
Gander Mountain
River Sports
Chota Canoe Club
Greater Knoxville Tennis Association
Knoxville Disc Golf
Pluto Sports
Knox Area Junior Golf Association
Tennessee Ornithological Association – Knoxville Chapter
Knoxville Greenways Coalition

Although skateboarding is not allowed in Knoxville community parks, a special area will be reserved for Pluto Sports’ skateboarding demonstrations. Attendees are encouraged to bring their skateboards to this special event.

Food and beverage vendors will be available and picnicking is encouraged. Stake out a shady spot and listen to the Knoxville Community Band play at 4:00 p.m. and the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra at 6:00 p.m.

Go-Expo
Saturday, May 12
11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., Free Admission
Victor Ashe Park & Greenway
4901 Bradshaw Road (Northwest Knoxville)

Directions: From downtown Knoxville, take Western Avenue headed west; after approximately four miles, turn right onto Pleasant Ridge Road; go approximately three miles (before Northwest Middle School) and turn left onto Bradshaw Road; park is on immediate right.

Posted by the 520 gang at 10:09 AM | Permalink

Here's the latest version of the randomly wonderful world of Random This, thunk up by the staff of the Knoxville News Sentinel:

Posted by the 520 gang at 9:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Welcome to The Roundup, our weekly podcast that keeps you "uptuh date" on everything in 520 land. Brush up on your local music, listen to the podcast, and you might just win yourself a hot commodity.

Let host Pete Powell take you to places you've never dreamt of going! The latest episode is now up! This week: An androgynous and high Sundown in the City Preview, a round of Guess That Local Tune, an interview with Jodie Manross, and our Weekend Fun Time Pick.

Listen to it here.

Or use this RSS feed to subscribe via iTunes.

Or listen to it at our myspace site.

Yeehaw, K-Town.

Posted by the 520 gang at 1:10 PM | Permalink

When: Friday, May 4th - 5:00pm - 9:00pm
Where: the Market Square District & other downtown areas

Spotlight:

One of the Southeast’s most alluring cultural attractions, Knoxville Opera's Rossini Festival brings a taste of Europe to East Tennessee and celebrates the color, fun and excitement of opera and Italian culture.

The festival combines world class opera performances, art exhibitions, wine tasting, and a wide variety of other community events with a vibrant Italian Street Fair on May 5th, from noon to 9pm, in which Knoxville’s Gay Street is transformed from a busy downtown thoroughfare to a colorful European festival with three stages featuring a range of entertainment options, an upscale Artisan’s Market, the smells and tastes of authentic Mediterranean foods and beverages, and a special children’s area with entertainment, fun and games. The Italian Street Fair drew over 65,000 people to downtown Knoxville last year. This year, we're expecting many, many more!

This year's festival features two sizzling performances of Carmen at the Tennessee Theatre, first on Friday, May 4 at 8:00 p.m. and again on Sunday, May 6, at 2:30 p.m

Other Highlights:

bliss
Tamela Wheeler is a fiber artist who was recently a guest on the Martha Stewart Show (February 5). Tamela taught Martha the Japanese Art of Temari. Martha had never seen a temari and really enjoyed learning the art.

The Japanese art of Temari is a folk art dating back about 1,000 years. Temari is made with a cotton core with hundreds of yards of sewing thread as the base color. The ball is then measured and pinned with a simple strip of paper and stitched and woven to form intricate patterns. For many temari, rice is placed inside the ball to rattle.

This art is held in strong tradition and rules. Temari represent deep friendship and loyalty and it is believed the craftsman's spirit is woven though the stitches. Temari are given in odd numbers for good luck. If given as a pair, one must be larger than the other (Prince/Princess).

Tamela will be doing an in-store temari demonstration and will do artist signings on the gift cards of any purchases. Get more info at http://www.sassafrasgiftsonline.com/temari.html.

Arts & Culture Alliance
The opening reception for “UT School of Art's Ceramics Department: Recent Works�
The University of Tennessee’s School of Art presents a new exhibition of recent works by graduate and undergraduate students pursuing their degrees in ceramics. Join them for complimentary hors d’oeuvres on Friday, May 4, 5-9pm. The exhibit will be on display May 4 – 12. UT's Ceramics Department is a collective of students working in utilitarian, vessel, sculptural, and conceptual approaches. The program maintains a meaningful balance of ideas and technical ability to encourage the foundation of skills, which stimulate exploration and the student's development as an independent artist or academic professional. Included in the exhibition are graduate students Barron Hall from Florida, TeaYoun Kim-Kassor from Korea, and Jamie Alonzo from Louisiana. The exhibition also includes undergraduate majors Holly Milner, Elizabeth Toennisson, Jessica Rosenberg, Jessica Stansberry, Victoria D'urso, Jennifer Kelley, and Jeana Raby.

First Friday "First" : Salon Visage
Will be holding a silent auction of various local art to raise money for the Gulf Restoration Network (healthygulf.org). All of the proceeds will go to the GRN as part of Earth Month. We will be serving hors d'oeuvres and wine at the event from 5p.m. - 7p.m. There will be a variety of art from different age groups including, but not limited to, photography, drawings/paintings, creative print, etc.

Bijou Theatre
The Gourds return to the Bijou Theatre for a night of boogie-inspiring alt-country that's smart as a whip. With a sound that blends Cajun string-band tunes, folk blues and good ol' honkytonk, The Gourds plant the seeds for a perfect weekend. If you count yourself among the "the unwashed and well-read," then The Gourds are for you. Tickets are only $15, available at the door starting at 7pm. The show starts at 8pm.

Abode
Will be featuring the photography and paintings of local artist, Stephanie Kowal. Kowal draws inspiration from the things around her that most people might overlook. Her photography covers a wide range of subject matter ranging from old abandoned architecture, to life's random moments and emotions that only the shutter can truly capture. As always, the wine is on the house and the home goods are on you.

Reruns
Enjoy the psychedelic country sounds of Gresham Greene as you shop during their live in-store performance.

First Friday "First" : Mirage
Half off all appetizers and house wine from 5pm - 8pm, Belly Dancer from 10pm to 2am. Enjoy their authentic Arabic and Mediterranean Food. Lounge style environment, with pillow/floor seating, and candlelight. Now with a full bar. Hookahs served nightly after 9PM.

bliss home
Will host a reception for photographer Rebecca Tolk. Rebecca has found the elusive combination of elements an artist needs to thrive: her medium, her subject and her community. Her photography has evolved into the fine art images that appear in the virtual galleries on this website. Rebecca displays her work in galleries and offers select prints in limited edition runs to the public and private collectors. It is important to remember that the images have not been digitally altered to produce the dream-like quality they capture; that is the result of the photographer and the camera itself. Click here for more info about Rebecca.

As always, wine will be plentiful and food from Pasta Trio will be served.

La Costa
Will feature $3.00 Caipirinhas and Micheladas until 9:00pm in addition to their regular happy hour (4:00 to 7:00) which features $3.00 Margaritas, $2.00 Beer, and 1/2 off of all Wine Bottles! What's a Caipirinha? "Just in time for Spring…...La Costa introduces our refreshing hand made Caipirinha's! Made up of fresh organic lime juice, hand muddled limes, turbinado, and imported Brazilian cachaca (ka-sha-sa,) the Caipirinha has been a Latin American favorite for many years. The Caipirinha has gained international popularity in recent years, and after much demand (and a little of our own curiosity,) we've brought it home to Market Square." So there you go!

Indigo
Artist reception at Indigo for Nancy Hellsten, noted by CityView as one of Knoxville's "premier wedding photographers". She will feature photos from Italy and other romantic sites and places. More info at http://www.nancyhellsten.com.

UT Downtown Gallery
Will host an opening reception for the exhibit Images of Human Rights From South Africa. This print portfolio, consisting of 27 black and white relief prints, was conceived of and released in 1996 in commemoration of the newly post-Apartheid nation’s Bill of Rights. The South African artists whose work is exhibited were chosen after an extensive competition and were encouraged to be creative in expressing a particular constitutional right. These prints were created by artists representing the nine provinces of South Africa and hand-printed by master printmaker Jan Jordaan.

Art Gallery of Knoxville
Net artist jimpunk works with digital smash-up and code-based art. Knoxville will host a raucous exhibition of his work through installation and online methods.

"jimpunk... is a talented and elegant artist who capitalizes on the Rococo potentialities of HTML ... His works have been perfectly described by Tricia Fragnito as 'a web version of a roller coaster ride: scary and fun and at the end you want to go again.' " - Melinda Rackham

Blount Mansion
Will host a reception for the exhibit “Knoxville Landmarks and Southern Expressions�. An exhibition of watercolors and prints by B.J. Clark. Live music with the Tool Benders, tours of Blount Mansion, wine and hor d’ oeuvres. This event is free and open to the public. Website: www.blountmansion.org.

Gallery 1010
Presents work by Rachel Dove and Amanda Wiles. These two artists use non-traditional materials in an effort to further expand the viewers understanding of our contemporary environments natural and built.

Art Market Gallery
Spotlight on two AMG members: Bob Quinn - photography and Morgan Fitch - metal sculptor

World Grotto
Hosts Paul Sewell, Knoxville native and transient member of several southeastern artists communities (Atlanta, Chattanooga, and Asheville) he will present his take on visual music.

Vagabondia
Mothers' Day Trunk Show plus meet Jewelry Artist and Vagabondia regular Karen Plum. Enjoy wine and snacks from La Costa whilst picking out that special Mothers' Day gift!

The Basement Gallery
New works by gallery artists! "Mixed Media"

Tomato Head
A very special First Friday of Spring dinner special along with special prices on select bottles of wine, most reduced to $12.

Downtown Grill & Brewery
The Brewery will extend their happy hour until 10:00pm. FREE popcorn in the bar.

------------ --------- ------

This highly successful First Friday event, now downtown-wide, began in October of 2003. On the first Friday of every month the Market Square District, Gay St including the 100-Block and Old City merchants offer something special for all downtown residents and visitors. Promotions include artist receptions, gallery openings, special food and drink offerings and more.
----------------------------

In conjunction with the popular First Friday downtown gallery and shopping tour, KAT will operate a trolley route to connect downtown visitors with the galleries and shops along Gay Street, Market Square and the Old City. The First Friday trolley will travel down Gay Street and through the Old City every 5-7 minutes from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.

The First Friday trolley is Fare-Free!
To catch it, just watch for the sign on the front of the trolley that says "First Fridays."
----------------------------

Contact Scott Schimmel 256-2469 for further details on First Friday.

Posted by the 520 gang at 12:40 PM | Permalink

Brett Dennen gives the over-extended and often under-inspired world of the singer/songwriter a much needed kick in the pants. Not only with his music, but also in how he came onto the scene.

Although his writing possesses a joyfulness that betrays his young age, Dennen's lyrics reveal the mind of someone much older. He uses nature imagery throughout many of his songs to paint pictures of an ideal world - especially on the song, "Blessed". His somewhat nasal voice is not immediately pleasing. At first listen, his tone seems strong and harsh. His vocal quality calls to mind such non-traditional voices as Joni Mitchell, Lucinda Williams or Victoria Williams. Like them, it only takes about 1/2 a song before it becomes clear that only his voice can tell his stories.

Brett Dennen's guitar work is fluid and soulful with some flatpicking thrown in from time to time. His inspired writing effortlessly blends genres and respectfully nods to both the past and the future of music. He'll be inspiring Knoxville audiences this evening as he opens for The Wailers at Sundown in the City.

Posted by the 520 gang at 12:12 PM | Permalink