MARCH 19, 2015 KNOXMERCURY.COM
SO FAR, SO GOOD, SINCE LAST WEEK
1 / N. 2
V.
Inside Striped Light Knoxville’s newest letterpress shop also aims to become an art-scene catalyst BY ELEANOR SCOTT
NEWS
SECRET HISTORY
MUSIC
ART
KUB Pipeline Construction Cuts Down Pollution, Trees
What Market Square Really Needs
Alabama Shakes Stretch Out
Beth Meadows’ Mixed-Media Mashups
K N OX V I L L E H I S T O R Y P R O J E C T
N E W S PA P E R S I N K N O X V I L L E In 1791, before Tennessee was a state, Knoxville didn’t have a mayor or city council. It didn’t have a bank, or a college, or a jailhouse, or a single church. But it did have a locally owned newspaper. Knoxville became the birthplace of journalism in Tennessee in 1791, when former Bostonian George Roulstone opened the Knoxville Gazette. Freshly established as the capital of the Southwestern Territory, Knoxville needed a journal for broadcasting news of legislative acts and treaties, a need that accelerated in 1796, when the frontier town became the first capital of Tennessee. Thanks to journalism and the need for printing new law books, Knoxville became a regional printing center, breeding an industry reflected in the name Papermill Road. The Knoxville Gazette came out every two weeks, publishing good news and bad and, remarkably, the full text of one of the most globally controversial documents of the day, Thomas Paine’s The Rights of Man, a book-length essay in serial form. First printed in Rogersville because of the difficulty in hauling the printing equipment up the bluff to Knoxville, it eventually settled in on Main Street.
Since about 1816, with few and brief exceptions, such as during martial law during the Civil War, Knoxville readers have been served by two or more competing newspaper organizations.
Roulstone’s Gazette doubled its frequency to become a weekly. When Roulstone died in 1804 at age 37, his widow, Elizabeth Roulstone, became publisher of the paper for four years. Although little known, she was perhaps one of America’s more powerful female journalists at the time, considering her paper was the main news source in a state capital, at a time when the United States had only 17 state capitals. Since about 1816, with few and brief exceptions, such as during martial law during the Civil War, Knoxville readers have been served by two or more competing newspaper organizations.
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Virginia-born Parson William G. Brownlow got his title in his youth, when he was a circuit-riding Methodist preacher. He arrived in Knoxville in 1849, bringing his weekly paper, the Whig, which was just becoming nationally known for its strong opinions and outrageous insults. A complicated political pundit, he both defended slavery and opposed expanding it into the territories. One of the South’s most outspoken Unionists during the Civil War, Brownlow became, unexpectedly, the Reconstruction Republican governor of Tennessee, credited with bringing the vote to freed slaves at a time when several northern states didn’t allow blacks to vote--and with leading Tennessee to become the first Confederate state to rejoin the Union.
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The son of Jewish Bavarian immigrants, Adolph Ochs (1858-1935) began working as a paperboy for Brownlow’s weekly in the 1860s, then found work as “printer’s devil,” an apprentice printer, with the daily Knoxville Chronicle, when their main offices were on Market Square. He worked the night shift, ending at midnight, but was so hesitant to walk home at that hour past the Presbyterian graveyard on State Street, that he worked late, often learning additional jobs. At age 18, he was convinced he could run a newspaper himself, and moved to Chattanooga to buy the failing Chattanooga Times. After it became a success, he did the same with another failing paper, the New York Times. As its publisher, Ochs created the Times as we know it today, introducing its famous magazine and book-review sections, as well as its motto, “All the News that’s Fit to Print”—which he said he borrowed from his cousins, who used a similar motto for their downtown Knoxville cigar store. To promote his paper, he created Times Square, and launched its annual New Year’s Eve party. Although he died 80 years ago, his name is still listed in the masthead of every issue of the Times.
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Growing up in a tough South Knoxville neighborhood—his father was killed in a quarry accident Paul Y. Anderson worked for Knoxville papers before finding work as the Washington correspondent for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He was known for his dogged investigations into organized crime and political corruption. In 1928, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Journalism for his work uncovering carefully hidden details of the Teapot Dome scandal, exposing corruption at the presidential level. He died in 1938, and is buried in the churchyard of Island Home Baptist Church, near his childhood home. Sources: Much of this information is included in the companion histories, Heart of the Valley, edited by Lucile Deaderick, and the French Broad-Holston Country, edited by Mary Utopia Rothrock, both published by the East Tennessee Historical Society. Additional information is available through the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection, located in the East Tennessee History Center downtown.
KNOXVILLE HAS BEEN HOME TO DOZENS O F D A I L Y A N D W E E K L Y N E W S PA P E R S . HERE ARE NAMES OF JUST A FEW LONG-AGO K N O X V I L L E N E W S PA P E R S : THE KNOXVILLE INTELLIGENCER THE KNOXVILLE ARGUS THE VIDETTE THE YEOMAN THE KNOXVILLE STANDARD THE PLEBEIAN THE KNOXVILLE STATESMAN THE POST THE FLAG AND THE UNION T H E A M E R I C A N C A M PA I G N E R THE MESSENGER OF PEACE T H E DA I LY T R U E R E P U B L I CA N THE EVENING AGE THE TOPIC T H E D I S PA T C H BROWNLOW ’S KNOXVILLE WHIG BROWNLOW ’S KNOXVILLE WHIG AND REBEL VENTILATOR THE OPINION THE VOICE OF LABOR THE RACKETEER THE KNOXVILLE SPECTRUM THE KNOXVILLE MERCURY
T H E K N OX V I L L E H I S T O R Y P R O J E C T , A N E W N O N P R O F I T O R G A N I Z AT I O N D E V O T E D T O T H E P R O M O T I O N O F A N D E D U C AT I O N A B O U T T H E H I S T O R Y O F K N OX V I L L E , P R E S E N T S T H I S PA G E E A C H W E E K T O R A I S E AWA R E N E S S O F T H E T H E M E S , P E R S O N A L I T I E S , A N D S T O R I E S O F O U R U N I Q U E C I T Y.
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 19, 2015
March 19, 2015 Volume 01 / Issue 02 knoxmercury.com
CONTENTS
“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” —Yogi Berra
NEWS
12 Unclear Cuts
14 Inside Striped Light COVER STORY
Striped Light is a unique combination of art, commerce, and heavy machinery dreamed up by three friends over beers and Skype. Bryan Baker, Jason Boardman, and Sarah Shebaro—each a significant figure in Knoxville’s arts and music communities in the past decade—joined forces to finally see their dream realized in December: opening a community print shop/record label in their favorite city. Even more so than business success, the partners hope Striped Light will become a kind of DIY community center, a catalyst for artistic collaboration among Knoxville’s poets, philosophers, artists, and musicians. Eleanor Scott gives us a tour.
As the University of Tennessee prepares to switch its power plant to cleaner natural gas, KUB is cutting down trees in a wide swath through neighborhoods and parks off Alcoa Highway. S. Heather Duncan reports.
20 Tony Lawson
Moves On The founder of WDVX will be leaving to join a new radio station managed by the Birthplace of Country Music in Bristol.
We’d love your feedback!
After you finish reading this second issue of the Knoxville Mercury, tell us about yourself at: survature.com/s/knoxmercury. We’ll be giving one lucky respondent a pair of tickets to Big Ears!
DEPARTMENTS
OPINION
A&E
4 6
8
20
38
Letters Howdy Start Here: Ghost Signs, Believe It or Knox!, Public Affairs, Quote Factory, and Words With … ’Bye Finish There: Sacred & Profane by Donna Johnson, Crooked Street Crossword by Ian Blackburn and Jack Neely, Spirit of the Staircase by Matthew Foltz-gray
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The Scruffy Citizen by Jack Neely Small Planet by Patrice Cole
22 23 24 25
CALENDAR Program Notes Tony Lawson Heads to Bristol, Inside the Vault by Eric Dawson Music Interview Alabama Shakes by Will Warren Art Beth Meadows by S. Heather Duncan Movie Review Cinderella by April Snellings Video Review The Bridge by Lee Gardner
26
Spotlights: Sebadoh, L for Leisure, J. Roddy Walston and the Business
FOOD & DRINK
36
Sips & Shots Rose Kennedy partakes the beer cocktails at Blackhorse Pub.
LETTERS Mercury Selfies
Ed. Note: As soon as our first issue started hitting the streets last Wednesday, Knoxvillians began posting photos of the paper, perhaps to record this unlikely event for posterity. Here are some of the photos they sent our way.
CORRECTIONS
• In our inaugural issue, we somehow dropped S. Heather Duncan’s byline from our main feature story, “On Deadline,” about the different approaches that papers are taking to adapt to the digital era. • Also, due to an editing error, we neglected to credit Bill Foster for his photo of the Tim Lee 3 in the same issue.
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 19, 2015
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The Knoxville Mercury is an independent weekly news magazine devoted to informing and connecting Knoxville’s many different communities. It is a taxable, not-for-profit company governed by the Knoxville History Project, a non-profit organization devoted to exploring, disseminating, and celebrating Knoxville’s unique cultural heritage. It publishes 25,000 copies per week, available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. © 2015 The Knoxville Mercury
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March 19, 2015
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 5
Illustration by Ben Adams
HOWDY
Believe It or Knox!
GHOST SIGNS BY BUD RIES QUOTE FACTORY “ [I’m] not sure that suing people ever helps the conversation.” —Gov. Bill Haslam in a Chattanooga Times-Free Press interview, responding to five Tennessee school boards (including Knox County) recently voting to sue the state over its Basic Education Program funding formula. They say it is underfunded by anywhere between $560 million to $1 billion.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS
3/19 SPHERE: SGCI CONFERENCE THURSDAY
All weekend, all over town. Knoxville, brace yourself for an influx of fact-finding artists. The SGC International Printmaking Conference describes itself as the biggest gathering of printmakers in the world, and they’ll be everywhere in town from the convention center to Pilot Light. Continues through Saturday with a performance by “Sphere Conference Poet Laureate” R. B. Morris, who’ll be fronting the Lonesome Coyotes at the Printmaker’s Ball. Info: web.utk.edu/~sphere/
3/22 THE PUBLIC CINEMA: ‘L FOR LEISURE’ 3/23 CBID BOARD MEETING SUNDAY
2 p.m., Knoxville Museum of Art, Free Don’t know about you, but I am more than ready for ’90s nostalgia. Bring it on, I say! In L For Leisure, a group of friends spend their vacation days whiling away their youth discussing the (’90s) topics of the day. The Public Cinema is a new contemporary art-film series organized by local filmmaker Paul Harrill and critic Darren Hughes. Info: publiccinema.org.
MONDAY
11:30 a.m., CBID HQ, 17 Market Square The Knoxville CBID Management Corporation (mission: make downtown a better place in which to “live, work, and play”) is making plans for its next fiscal year (starting July 1). Its board would like your input on what priorities they should set, so feel free to drop in. You can also take an online survey: surveymonkey.com/s/BGFLGSF.
3/25 KSO Q SERIES
WEDNESDAY
Noon, The Square Room, (4 Market Square). $15-$20. This brand new recital series will feature one-hour lunchtime concerts by the Woodwind Quintet and the Principal Quartet at the Square Room, located behind Café 4. Tickets include a boxed lunch; seating is limited. Info: knoxvillesymphony.com.
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 19, 2015
BY Z. HERACLITUS KNOX Knoxville is the BIRTHPLACE OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE! The capital of the federal Southwest Territory, Knoxville hosted the Constitutional Convention in January and February, 1796. One of the youngest delegates was a red-haired lawyer named ANDREW JACKSON. The site of the convention, at the corner of Gay Street and Church Avenue, is NOW AN UNMARKED PARKING LOT! The first steamboat ever to reach Knoxville arrived in early March, 1828, landing at Mecklenburg, the Ramsey estate at Forks of the River, which today supports Knoxville’s biggest barge-loading facility. In a welcoming address, Dr. J.G.M. Ramsey greeted the captain and crew of the sternwheeler Atlas, but declared to the crowd that regular water transportation was not Knoxville’s destiny. “Posterity will never see it accomplished,” said Ramsey, who was investing in railroad connections with the east coast. However, Ramsey lived to see steamboat transportation to the Gulf become an important part of the city’s economy. The soft drink Mountain Dew was first formulated by the Hartman Company at their plant on Magnolia Avenue in Knoxville in 1946! The Knoxville version did not include caffeine, and was intended as a mixer for moonshine—WHICH WAS KNOWN AS MOUNTAIN DEW! Banjo player Uncle Dave Macon, who often performed in Knoxville in his youth, had a well-known song about moonshine called “Mountain Dew.”
HOWDY WORDS WITH ...
Staci Swedeen BY ROSE KENNEDY Staci Swedeen is the author of House Rules, a play about two brothers confronting the intertwined nature of hatred and love. It will be presented as a staged reading on March 21 at 3 p.m. at Theatre Knoxville Downtown, part of the Tennessee Stage Company’s New Play Festival 2015.
How long did it take to write House Rules? It is actually one of my earlier plays. I wrote it a number of years ago and then put in the bottom of the drawer. I have occasionally pulled it out over the years to work on it and am delighted that Tennessee Stage Company is putting on a staged reading so that I can hear this draft for the very first time. There are not a lot of theaters that do new plays.
How long ago did you start it?
Well, if memory serves—and it often doesn’t—I believe Bill Clinton was in the White House during the fi rst draft.
Do you have favorite women playwrights?
Some of my favorite well-known female playwrights are Tina Howe, Annie Baker, Lorraine Hansberry, Yazmina Reza, Timberlake Wertenbaker, Lisa Kron, and Lillian Hellman.
What do you do when you get writer’s block?
Take naps. Long ones. I think writer’s block can be a signal you need to shake things up a bit—not force yourself. Allow yourself to write a really bad draft.
Do you ever direct plays you wrote?
I really enjoy the process of working with the director and seeing what new insights and ideas they bring to the table. While I could direct my own work, I prefer to collaborate.
What’s been your biggest success as a playwright? My play The Goldman Project was presented Off Broadway and I guess
some people would say that was the “most successful.” But there are so many different defi nitions of success— the success of fi nishing a draft, making new connections, risking and trying something new.
Do people ever think you’ve based a character on them?
People sometimes do think I have modeled characters on them when I haven’t! That’s always such a compliment, because it means they can see themselves in that character. My husband is convinced I model most of the men in my plays on him. As far as this current play, it may come as no surprise that I have two brothers.
Do you change personalities if you are writing versus acting?
I think that writing and acting, in fact all creativity, comes from the same source. It’s something we all have access to. That said, when I’m writing, I find I need to spend a lot of time by myself. Acting, I need to be with other people.
Could you make a comfortable living writing or acting?
Did my mother tell you to ask me this question?
Then what would be your ideal day job? Chocolate tester?
Who would you like as leads if this became a movie?
I originally pictured Robert Downey Jr. as the more troubled brother Jimmy. Can you get me his agent? March 19, 2015
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 7
SCRUFFY CITIZEN
Ready for an Institution? One man’s opinion about what Market Square really needs BY JACK NEELY
I
’m just getting back out, a little, after almost half a year in a hole. I know 20 or 30 restaurant and bar owners, and want to be sure they know it hasn’t been anything personal. It’s just that I haven’t had a job to bring me downtown every day. Also, there’s the little matter that I’ve lacked an actual salary. I’ve been lunching almost entirely on ramen noodles, Jenny-O turkey franks, and peanut butter sandwiches. You can eat lunch for less than 45 cents, and if you do it right, it can be exceptional. I’ll write up some recipes. But now I have a downtown office again. As a result, I’ve been having a good look around the old neighborhood. Like Mr. Van Winkle, I can’t help noticing some things have changed. Market Square, for example, seems to have had some trouble weathering the winter. Last October—in fact, I think it was the last week Metro Pulse existed—a correspondent remarked, with some sense of moment, that the Square was entirely occupied. Throughout its recent revival, there were always one or two vacancies. But in October, Market Square was officially full up. The only exception was one storefront, a stubbornly undeveloped first floor in the northeastern quadrant. It has occupied offices upstairs, so it can’t be called an empty
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building. The ground floor’s boarded up, but it’s not utterly vacant. When was the last time the Square was this busy, my correspondent asked. I could not remember. That time wasn’t as recently as the 1960s. I
So Market Square in October, 2014, was doing better, at least in terms of street-level occupancy, than it had in my lifetime. In fact, if you count all the square footage, including the upper floors, I’m not sure it’s been that fully occupied since the 1920s or ’30s, when there were still several boarding houses on the Square. But returning to the Square this March, I count five vacancies. Since October, four restaurants have closed, plus one specialty peanut shop. I loved Steamboat’s sandwiches, and admired that for four years they stayed out of step with the trendier nightlife orientation of the neighborhood—but I never knew why Steamboat never offered outdoor seating. That has become de rigueur on the Square, both as an amenity to customers—it’s a major reason people like the place—and as essential advertising. Outdoor seating’s so common that if you don’t have it, people don’t notice you’re there, and open. I didn’t understand Latitude 35, beginning with its name. It had a nautical flair, but that’s the latitude of Chattanooga, isn’t it? Knoxville’s a little closer to Latitude 36. I was there only a few times, and never got to know them. If they specialized in something you couldn’t get elsewhere, I never heard what it was.
By that I mean a place with a reputation for one or two or three really good things that aren’t necessarily expensive, but are so distinctly different you won’t mistake it for anything else, and that you’ll crave if you move away and never find a substitute.
know that without checking because that was the decade Cas Walker resolutely kept his store closed. He had been disgruntled with this pedestrian-mall foolishness. He wanted a big parking garage in the middle of the Square instead.
I was once a regular at Shono’s in City, which I liked partly because of the counter-space option. It was best seven or eight years ago, when you could sit outside at the open-window counter. It was like eating Chinese food in the Bahamas. But over the years, their
changing business plan, emphasizing the sushi bar, slowly ate it away. And though I’m not a seeker of frozen desserts, I enjoy them when talked into it, and I enjoyed every time a friend showed me, once again, how to use those automatic Jetsons-style yogurt machines at Orange Leaf. I was never confident I could do it myself. I’m not apt to call it a slump. Things will happen in these places, and I bet some of them will be restaurants. But I’d like to make a request, just as a customer who’s been lunching on Market Square since the Carter administration, and as a citizen who knows Market Square may be the single most important symbol of the city and its history: Do something notable here. Be fancy if you feel you must, but be sure your menu lives up to your fanciness. But please, for my sake, dare to be unfancy. Here’s my plea: Create an institution. By that I mean a place with a reputation for one or two or three really good things that aren’t necessarily expensive, but are so distinctly different you won’t mistake it for anything else, and that you’ll crave if you move away and never find a substitute. It’s a place so popular you don’t necessarily expect to sit down right away, certainly don’t expect to be greeted. And you pay for it when you get it, and feel so privileged to be there, enjoying this great food, and moreover this unique experience, that you’re willing to sit on a stool or stand at a counter. A place you tell friends from out of town, “You’ve just got to see this place.” I’m fond of a few general examples of what I’m talking about. The Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago, Ben’s Chili Bowl in Washington, the Original Oyster House in Pittsburgh, the Central Grocery in New Orleans. Those places aren’t fancy, don’t have greeters, don’t have table service, and in fact you may have a hard time finding a place to sit. They’re cheap, even by Knoxville standards. They don’t try to please everybody. Some don’t take credit cards. But they’re so good at what they do, the delicious things they make, they’re famous. Some of them have books written about them. Presidents and movie stars visit them. They’re symbols of their cities, essential experiences for visitors, and they last for decades. They’re legends. That’s a tall order, I know.
Renovating the housing where Knoxville’s Mercury is rising!
( AT THESE AND OTHER FINE LOCATIONS )
Jeff Talman Sales Manager, NMLS #459775 Jeff.Talman@prospectmortgage.com www.myprospectmortgage.com/JTalman
MULTIPLE LOCATIONS Calhoun’s Community Paper Boxes Downtown EarthFare Food City Food Lion Knox County Public Library branches Kroger Pellissippi State Community College campuses Publix The Casual Pint University of Tennessee Campus Buildings YMCA
DOWNTOWN / FORT SANDERS 17th Street Deli Arnstein Building (box) Bank of America (box) Barley’s Taproom Bistro at the Bijou Blue Coast Grille Boyd’s Jig & Reel Café 4 Coffee and Chocolate Copper Cellar Crown and Goose Cru Bistro Downtown Grill & Brewery Downtown Wine & Liquor/Suttree’s Earth To Old City East Tennessee History Center Empire Deli Emporium Center First Choice Community Credit Union GameDay Hooka Lounge Hampton Inn Holly’s 135 Jack n’ Diane’s Piano Bar Java Old City Just Ripe Grocery Knoxville Museum of Art Knoxville Uncorked Lenny’s Nama Sushi Nothing Too Fancy
Oliver Hotel Pete’s Cafe Preservation Pub Public House Regions Bank Salon Barnes & Barnes Sapphire Scruffy City Music Hall Soccer Taco Sterchi Lofts (box) SunSpot Tennessee Supreme Court (box) The Hill Tomato Head Union Ave Books Urban Bar Visit Knoxville/Visitor’s Center/WDVX
EAST Asheville Highway Animal Clinic Chandler’s Deli Marc Nelson Denim Puleo’s John T. O’Connor Center Nostalgia Saw Works Brewing Scott’s Place
NORTH Amber Restaurant Central Taps and Flats Club XYZ Harby’s Pizza & Deli Holly’s Corner Hops and Hollers K-Brew KCDC Lenny’s Mid-Mod Collectibles National Fitness Center North Corner Sandwich Shop Raven Records Rita’s Bakery Retrospect Three Rivers Market Time Warp Tea Room
WEST
WAY WEST
640 Liquor Agave Azul Ashe’s Package Store Asia Café Bearden Beer Market Big Fatty’s Bike and Trail Black Horse Pub & Brewery Bob’s Package Store Brixx Pizza Copper Cellar Dead End BBQ Doc’s All American Grille El Mez Cal Gourmet’s Market Grayson Hyundai/Subaru Hard Knox Pizza Holly’s Homberg Long’s Drugs Luttrell Eyeware McKay’s Middlebrook Liquors Nama Sushi Naples Italian Restaurant Nostalgia Open Chord Brewhouse The Orangery Panera Bread (Bearden) Pelancho’s Pet Safe Village Planet Xchange Prestige Cleaners Rik’s Music Savelli’s Italian Restaurant Shrimp Dock Stir Fry Cafe Subway Ted Russell Ford Ted Russell Kia Ted Russell Nissan Toddy’s Liquor Store Tomato Head USI Motors Whiskey River Wild Wright’s Cafeteria
Bad Daddies Burger Bar (box) Blue Ridge Mountain Sports Brixx Pizza Carmike Movies Seven Cedar Bluff Discount Wine Dixie Lee Wine and Liquor I Love NY Pizza Farragut Wine and Spirits First Tennesee Bank Plaza Fuddrucker’s Hush Puppies K-9 Center Lincoln Memorial College Mellow Mushroom Pet Safe Village Puleo’s Sam’s Café Sgt. Pepperoni’s Pizza Shrimp Dock (box) Smoky Mountain Brewery Town of Farragut Municipal Center
(865) 406-6170 Prospect Mortgage 200 Prosperity Drive, Suite #118 Knoxville, TN 37923 Loan inquiries and applications in states where I am not licensed will be referred to a Loan Officer who is licensed in the property state. Equal Housing Lender. Prospect Mortgage is located at 15301 Ventura Blvd., Suite D300, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403. Prospect Mortgage, LLC (NMLS Identifier #3296, www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org) is a Delaware limited liability company. This is not an offer for extension of credit or a commitment to lend. Rev 3.10.15 (0315-2004) LR 2015-XXX
SOUTH + ALCOA/MARYVILLE Barley’s Taproom Disc Exchange Salsaritas Shoney’s Smoky Mountain Brewery Smoky Mountain Harley Davidson Southland Books and Cafe Southland Spirits and Wine Vienna Coffee House
OAK RIDGE Billy’s Time Out Deli Doubletree Hotel Hot Bagel Company Mr. K’s Used Books Oak Ridge Public Library The Other One Deli Razzberries
KNOXVILLE
TENNESSEE
John Coleman, Bookseller
In Mid Mod Collective
1621 N. Central St. (865) 573-9959 bookscoutjohn@gmail.com OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK 11-6
All Locations Subject To Change • Call us at 865-313-2059 to add your location. March 19, 2015
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 9
SMALL PLANET
Watershed Ideas The Beaver Creek Task Force finds natural solutions BY PATRICE COLE
F
ew of us think about where the water goes once we flush a toilet or turn off a faucet. Likewise, we give little thought to the fate of stormwater unless we’re in a flood—and it turns out that flooding is the most significant hazard affecting Knox County, Knoxville, and Farragut. A local group, the Beaver Creek Task Force (BCTF), is trying to change that by using community education and demonstration projects to bring about a fundamental shift in the way we think about and manage stormwater. Between 1993 and 2010 there were 27 flood events in Knox County causing an estimated $26 million in property damage. Urban development increases flood risk, because buildings and paved surfaces prevent rain water from soaking into the ground. In fact, runoff from an urban area can be six times greater than runoff from an equal-size area that still has natural vegetation. Water quality is also affected by pollutants washed off paved surfaces, buildings, and construction sites. BCTF was created in 1998 to “stop the creep of watershed degradation in Knox County,” according to Roy Arthur, watershed coordinator for Knox County Stormwater Management. By this time, flooding and water pollution were understood to be consequences of land-use activities throughout a watershed, which is the entire land area that drains to a particular water body. Little could be done to reverse the
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effects of urbanization in the watersheds of the county’s core, but there was still a chance to protect Beaver Creek in the northern part of the county. More than 50 percent of the watershed was still open space, but land use in the watershed was rapidly changing from low-density suburban and agricultural use to higher-density urban development. BCTF was originally a partnership of the University of Tennessee Water
enhances on-site infiltration and reuse, treating stormwater as a resource rather than a nuisance. The watershed-based approach used by BCTF emphasizes managing stormwater as close as possible to where the rain falls. Rather than focusing primarily on Beaver Creek itself, BCTF employs many decentralized measures throughout the watershed that each handles a relatively small amount of water. Flooding and water pollution are reduced, and groundwater is replenished to supply wells and sustain stream flows during dry weather. BCTF was one of the first groups to use EPA’s watershed planning criteria, and they received a grant of almost $1 million for water-quality improvement projects. Many of these projects demonstrate “green infrastructure” that promotes stormwater infiltration or reuse. For example, Halls High School now has a cistern that collects runoff from their greenhouse roof and filters it for reuse to irrigate plants in the greenhouse and raisedbed garden. BCTF and Knox County have also installed at least 25 rain gardens, which are essentially flower beds that are slightly sunken instead of raised. Rain gardens collect and hold the first inch of rainfall from a drainage area so the water can soak into the soil where it is used by plants in the rain garden or may eventually become groundwater. Halls High School’s
Many of these projects demonstrate “green infrastructure” that promotes stormwater infiltration or reuse. For example, Halls High School now has a cistern that collects runoff from their greenhouse roof and filters it for reuse to irrigate plants in the greenhouse and raised-bed garden.
Resources Research Center, Knox County, and TVA. Hallsdale-Powell Utility District joined soon after. The traditional way of dealing with stormwater has been to get water off the land as quickly as possible, but BCTF is promoting a new approach that
outdoor classroom and the Powell Station Park include rain gardens installed by BCTF. Harrell Road Stormwater Park is scheduled to open this June as a passive nature park with demonstrations of stormwater management
practices, including a pervious concrete parking lot and pervious pavers to demonstrate new technologies for creating a hard, durable surface that can withstand vehicular traffic while allowing stormwater infiltration through the pavement. Some of BCTF’s projects have involved direct rehabilitation of damaged portions of Beaver Creek. With the cooperation of 10 Mill Run subdivision homeowners, BCTF stabilized 1,400 feet of stream where flooding had eroded backyards and increased the creek’s width from 8 feet to over 20 feet. BCTF collaborated with UT engineering professor John Schwartz and doctoral student Keil Neff to improve a 300-foot channelized section of Beaver Creek behind the Food City in Halls. Channelizing a stream removes the pool-riffle-run configuration that supports a healthy community of fish and other aquatic life. The stream corridor between the Food City parking lot and a county greenway was too narrow to allow reconstruction of the meanders that would allow pools and riffles to develop, so Schwartz and Neff designed a unique system of alternating wide and narrow segments to function similar to meanders. Early monitoring indicates more fish living in that section of Beaver Creek. Engaging and educating the local community is a major part of BCTF’s mission. Adopt-a-Watershed is a program that combines classroom training with hands-on service projects, and about one-third of the 15 or so schools that participate each year are in the Beaver Creek watershed. Community workshops hosted by BCTF include construction site education for contractors, making rain barrels for collecting roof runoff for reuse, and installing rain gardens. BCTF is among the nation’s best models of multi-agency collaboration to improve water quality and reduce flooding. A recent federal grant of about $167,000 will allow BCTF to continue its work in this 86-square-mile watershed that is home to 80,000 people, including drainage improvements in the Cedar Crossing subdivision and cost-sharing projects on agricultural lands in the upper portion of the watershed.
Patrice Cole has taught biology, ecology, environmental planning, and sustainability at the University of Tennessee and Pellissippi State Community College.
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY 11
As UT prepares a power-plant switch to natural gas, KUB cuts a wide swath through neighborhoods and parks BY S. HEATHER DUNCAN
T
he University of Tennessee’s decision to switch its Knoxville power plant from coal to natural gas will roll back East Tennessee’s contribution to global climate change by slashing carbon-dioxide emissions. But installing 10 miles of gas pipeline through blue-collar neighborhoods and two county parks is no small undertaking. It involves clear-cutting thousands of trees—nature’s original carbon-dioxide scrubbers. The irony is not lost on Donna Webster, who lives on Legion Drive and is grieving as she watches huge, old trees topple on her road. A chainsaw buzzes in the background as KUB contractors dismantle the remains of a 150-foot poplar tree across the street while she discusses the project. “This is a very working-class neighborhood. The only thing it had was big, beautiful, mature trees,” says Webster, a professional gardener. Webster’s trees were spared, but her neighbor Lawrence Pascal lost about a dozen. “They say the carbon-dioxide emissions [from the steam plant]
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 19, 2015
are twice as dirty as natural gas,” Pascal says. “If you want less carbon dioxide, then you want as many trees around as you can possibly have.” Trees are also tumbling in Optimist Park and I.C. King Park, which is scheduled to remain closed for the work until the end of May. Last week a large stack of logs sat next to one of the park’s entrances. The project will tear up parts of popular bike trails through the park’s woods, says Doug Bataille, senior director of Knox County Parks and Recreation. However, KUB and its contractors have agreed to restore or improve what is damaged, he adds. They also shifted the pipeline route at the county’s request so it hugs the railroad tracks instead of going through the middle of the park. The Appalachian Mountain Bike Club, which maintains the trails at the park, has been involved in the planning. “We’ve had meetings with the contractor, letting them know we are concerned about limits on the construction,” says club president Matthew Kellogg. “I
think they’re aware this is a sensitive issue. These are the people’s trees, not trees they’ve bought from homeowners.” Bataille says he’s not happy about the utility corridor coming through the park, but says there were no good alternatives. “If you’re going through a park, you’re destroying trees, which is a downside,” he says. “But if you don’t, you’re destroying homes.” The pipeline also goes through Optimist Park. But there it skirts the edge, removing a swath of woods near the walking trail. This allowed the ball fields to remain untouched and the park to stay open, says Brooke Sinclair, KUB manager of gas engineering. But homeowners in the path of the pipeline nevertheless question whether this was the best route, or just the easiest one to acquire.
A JAGGED LINE TO CLEANER POWER
UT’s current plant is 50 years old and makes about 32,000 to 35,000 megawatt-hours of electricity a year, about a third of it from burning around 16,000 tons of coal. The rest of its electricity is
generated using natural gas purchased from KUB. UT decided to abandon coal mostly because of new federal environmental regulations that go into effect in November, says Dave Irvin, associate vice chancellor for facilities services. Students and others on campus have questioned why the university didn’t drop fossil fuels completely and switch to solar, wind, or biomass. Irvin says the university considered those but found them too expensive. However, the new plant equipment could be used with cleaner fuels if prices drop, he says. The switch to gas will reduce carbon-dioxide pollution as much as taking 7,000 cars off the road, KUB press releases say. According to Irvin, it will cut nitrogen-oxide pollution by almost two-thirds and sulfur-dioxide pollution by 80 percent, thus removing literally tons of gases that combine in the atmosphere to create smog. UT is paying for the $9 million pipeline using state tobacco settlement money, Irvin says. KUB will pay an additional $21 million to cover the rest
LEFT: KUB is burying a natural gas line south of Gov. John Sevier Highway, cutting thousands of trees in preparation for a project estimated to reduce carbon dioxide pollution from the University of Tennessee steam plant. of the project, which includes enhancing its natural-gas distribution system downtown to boost capacity and reliability, Sinclair says. The entire project will be completed by fall. However, Irvin says, “The University of Tennessee will be off coal by the end of this month.” KUB chose the route of the pipeline based on “constructibility” and how agreeable landowners were to selling easements, Sinclair says. However, eminent domain was also used. Pascal questions the path of the pipeline, which will zigzag through various neighborhoods and beneath creeks and the lake/Tennessee River in I.C. King Park before reaching a KUB station at Topside Road. Portions hug a railroad track. “We’re certainly not anywhere near a direct route,” Pascal says, speculating that the owners of pricey lakefront homes on the opposite side of Alcoa Highway would have raised a bigger stink if it had gone through their yards. Webster says she has seen trees treated carefully during big utility projects in wealthier parts of Knoxville like Sequoyah Hills and along Lyons View Road. But in her
neighborhood of modest homes built in the 1940s and ’50s, she says, “It’s like trees are just matches … like they have no worth.” And unlike most utility projects, this one will provide no practical infrastructure benefits to the neighborhoods it crosses, Webster says. Instead, property values will likely drop. Sinclair says the most direct route would have been along Alcoa Highway, but lane closures would probably have been necessary on an already dangerous road. In addition, the highway is slated for a makeover in the next few years, which would interfere with the pipeline. Although federal and state law did not require UT or KUB to conduct a formal environmental assessment of the project, it is nevertheless heavily supervised. KUB had to provide its plans to state and local regulators to get landdisturbance permits. For example, KUB and its contractor are required to install silt fences to catch the mud and make other efforts to prevent erosion of the steep slope to the lake at I.C. King park. Bataille says he hasn’t checked the site lately, but he feels confident KUB is handling it properly. Sinclair says KUB requires its contractor to inspect all areas where the project has disturbed dirt; the utility also pays for third-party inspections twice a week and conducts its own inspections. Nevertheless, TDEC gave KUB a notice of violation last month for moving 300 to 400 feet of a Spring Creek tributary into a pipe to avoid a construction area. A TDEC letter dated
Feb. 26 indicates the agency plans to issue an order, which can come with fines. “The original stream and channel have been filled in and are permanently damaged beyond repair,” states the TDEC violation notice. Sinclair downplays the problem, calling it “really more of a permitting than a water-quality issue.” She says KUB has a corrective action plan including some stream restoration. “That is not uncommon for this kind of project,” she adds.
because “we need a clear corridor for our trucks to perform safety surveys,” Sinclair says. Pascal says KUB negotiated with him to shrink the proposed clear-cut on his property from 80 feet wide to 42 feet. This saved half his trees, although he still lost several he estimated were more than a century old. Pascal says KUB reduced his settlement as a result of the deal. He feels lingering resentment toward UT, his alma mater, over the whole project. Irvin, at UT, says the tree removal has been up to KUB. “It would be presumptuous of me to tell KUB what their policy ought to be, but certainly we’re in favor of maintaining and enhancing that tree canopy wherever one can,” he says. “We take great pains on our campus to manage those resources and cut trees only as a last resort.” Wooded areas near bike paths will take a hit in I.C. King Park, where Bataille says the width of the clear-cutting has exceeded the county’s expectations. Bataille says he has proposed tree-planting and improving bike trails when they are rebuilt, and KUB seems open to these suggestions. The project will destroy some old parking lots that were in bad shape anyway, but KUB will supply better new ones. Kellogg says KUB has also been open to the idea of constructing a new bike trail in part of the right of way. This could be a type of skill-building track unusual in this area, where a mountain biker can reach speeds outside her comfort zone without the risk of hitting a tree 2 feet off the trail. “It would allow [KUB] to still maintain access to their pipeline, but at the same time make a positive out of it,” Kellogg says.
AN UNCLEAR CLEARCUT
Sinclair says she doesn’t know how many trees are being cut for the pipeline project because that subcontract is handled by the contractor Southeast Connections. A project manager with the Georgia-based company did not return a Mercury phone call last week. The steam plant conversion will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by almost 30,000 tons a year, Irvin says. A 10-year-old tree sequesters up to 48 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. That means it would take about 1.4 million mature trees to remove as much carbon dioxide from the air as the pipeline project will. (Younger trees also remove carbon dioxide, just less.) It’s hard to weigh the two against each other without knowing just how many trees are being cut and how old they are. The path being clear-cut for the pipeline averages about 75 feet wide, Sinclair says, although it varies according to topography and road access. The permanent right of way is 50 feet, but to bury the line contractors need more space for their trucks, borers, and trenchers. Trees cannot be replanted on the permanent right of way
A wooded area at the intersection of Maloney and Belt Roads has been heavily cut for KUB to install a natural gas pipeline that will serve the University of Tennessee steam plant. Marcell Murphy, who lives in a mobile home next to the cut, says, “One machine just took three trees at a time and tossed them.”
Photos by S. Heather Duncan
March 19, 2015
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 13
Inside
Striped T
he almost lost art of handset letterpress begins with a tiny rectangle of lead, called a sort, measured in the minuscule units of points and picas. The sort has a body, a shoulder, a foot, a nick, a groove, and carved on its face is a letter of the alphabet, a numeral, or punctuation mark. In an act of mental gymnastics, Sarah Shebaro sets the sorts on a composing stick, upside down and backwards—a mirror image of her composition. She packs in the lead spacers to make it all snug, then the hair spacers, so-called because the tiny sheets of copper are the thickness of a hair, eliminating all wiggle-room. Her partner in printing, Bryan Baker, rather enjoys this delicious tedium of fitting together the tiny movable sorts into
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 19, 2015
an organized composition. “Loving letterpress and silently suffering look the same,” Baker says. “I spend a lot of time hunched over these little things silently cussing to myself.” Shebaro and Baker are teaching the very first letterpress class at their new shop, Striped Light, on a Thursday evening. Both teachers are in their mid-30s, both hold masters degrees in printmaking from the University of Tennessee. Baker sports thick sideburns and a Pringles trucker hat. Shebaro is a petite, bright-eyed woman in turquoise jewelry and a brown Carrhart jacket. They look like mechanics—stylish, artistic mechanics—which in effect, they are, the presses being temperamental industrial machines requiring heavy maintenance. Striped Light resides in what was once a long-empty auto detailing shop
just off North Central Street. In the lobby, the faux wood paneling and scuffed linoleum remains. A vintage sign, “Customer Ring Bell for Service,” now shares wall space with fine-art prints. In the corner, a large metal desk with a scattering of papers serves as a bare-bones booking office. On the desk lays a short stack of shrink-wrapped vinyl records by the local band Daddy Don’t—the first release by Knoxville’s newest record label, led by Striped Light’s third partner, Jason Boardman. Further back, inside a spacious studio with high ceilings, concrete floors, and three roll-up garage doors, sit five vintage flatbed cylinder proof presses: a Korrex, a Challenger, and three Vandercooks. A smaller room serves as an art gallery. The three longtime friends dreamed up this unique combination of
art, commerce, and heavy machinery— brainstorming over beers when they were living in the same town, scheming over Skype when they weren’t. Baker, Boardman, and Shebaro—each a significant figure in Knoxville’s arts and music communities in the past decade— joined forces to finally see their dream realized in December: opening a community print shop/record label in their favorite city. Even more so than business success, the partners hope Striped Light will become a kind of DIY community center, a catalyst for artistic collaboration among Knoxville’s poets, philosophers, artists, and musicians. It’s a calling that required professional risks and personal sacrifices for all three. Baker closed his own successful print shop in Detroit’s resurgent art scene. Shebaro left her job running the printmaking department at New York’s
Light Pratt University. And Boardman, owner of low-profit enterprises Pilot Light and Hot Horse in the Old City, is stretching his limited resources even further. Baker and Shebaro say they were happy and successful in their various pursuits in Detroit and New York. But both agree something was missing: a sense of being home. “It’s important enough to me to haul three tractor trailer loads of stuff across the country,” Baker says. “It wasn’t easy to move back to Knoxville but it was something I really wanted to do.” But is it an endeavor Knoxville will help sustain?
CRAFTING A BUSINESS
The Striped Light printmakers have bought type at estate sales and salvaged equipment out of barns. No one is making letterpress equipment
Knoxville’s newest letterpress shop also aims to become an art-scene catalyst BY ELEANOR SCOTT • PHOTOS BY SHAWN POYNTER
anymore; when a piece is destroyed, it is lost forever. The shop preserves historic equipment in well-oiled, operational condition. The oldest piece of equipment in Striped Light’s shop is a 1909 paper-cutter called a guillotine, though some of the type dates back to the 1800s. Other vintage and antique equipment includes a slug cutter, foot pedal corner-rounder, a type saw called a Hammond Glider, several small long-legged work tables, and many type cases. For 500 years, handset letterpress was the primary method used to print words on paper. In the late 20th century, duplicating machines and computer printing rendered it obsolete. The new methods are quick and convenient, if also flat and soulless. Letterpress and relief printing are currently enjoying a niche revival in the
artisanal world. Craftspeople and their customers value letterpress for the sculptural features of the textured page, distinctive typography, the control over the finished product, and its long tradition as a valued skill-set. Letterpress ephemera are usually produced in small batches, with high-quality ink and paper. In 1998 Julie Belcher and Kevin Bradley brought letterpress to the forefront of Knoxville’s contemporary arts scene by opening Yee-Haw Industries, the famed (and now defunct) letterpress shop on Gay Street. Beyond Knoxville, Yee-Haw led a national letterpress revival, making letterpress commercially viable again with high-profile design jobs, and inspiring new shops to open around the country. Back at the class, Baker inks the Korrex, the newest press, manufactured
in 1977. He dabs his color of choice, red, onto the cylinder and set the rollers spinning until an even layer of ink coats the entire surface. He places the type onto the bed of the press, uses short lengths of wooden boards, called furniture, to hold the type in place and tightens the quoin with the quoin key to cinch it even tighter. Printing an image requires a linoleum block with the image carved into it or etched metal plate, which would be laid in place of the type. Rolling a sheet of paper through the press involves the whole body. Baker raises the grippers with a foot pedal and slips the paper under. He cranks the handle with his right hand while walking the heavy spinning cylinders down the line, catches the inked paper with his left hand, bumps the cylinders against the stoppers at the March 19, 2015
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 15
end, causing the whole top of the press to raise up, then walks the still-spinning cylinders backwards into place. In his hand he holds a crisp sheet of fresh-pressed lettering, the ink still glossy, the words slightly denting the surface of the paper. It is a student’s personal motto: “The Secret to Success is Getting Started.” Baker asks why the students are curious about printmaking. Parker Laubach tells Baker he is interested in using the presses to print pamphlets. Laubach and his friend Matt Young publish Black Shield, a photocopied ‘zine bound with staples, which Laubach describes as a “free anti-authoritarian small press publication.” The Striped Light founders have a populist vision for the community shop that aligns with Laubach’s philosophy. “We want to provide the opportunity for people to get involved with a craft that would otherwise be difficult without going to a university or buying a lot of expensive equipment,” Baker says. U.S. News and World Report ranks UT’s printmaking program as the third-best graduate level program in the country. Among the acclaimed professors is printmaker and prankster Beauvais Lyons, known for his faux-scientific “Hokes Archive” lithographs. March 18-21, UT is
hosting the SGC International Conference—the largest printmaking conference of its kind, according to the SGCI website. As part of the conference, Striped Light is hosting an open house Thursday, March 19, 6 p.m.-10 p.m. The three-year grad program costs about $15,000 for in-state students and $30,000 for out-of-state students per year. That’s $45,000 or $90,000 all together. When asked if he could afford this program, Laubach, who works construction in Americorps, answers, “That’s insane. Definitely not.” Laubach adds that renting studio time at Striped Light for $12 an hour makes it “actually affordable” for curious low-income people like him to try out printmaking.
PRINT ARTISTS
When Baker graduated from grad school in 2003 he decided to stick around Knoxville. He had no desire to live in other cities and was proud not to be a part of the brain drain. Baker soon became known for his work at Yee-Haw. Yee-Haw’s trademark prints of banjo-playing woodland creatures and woodcuts of local celebrities made the letterpress shop a celebrated Southern icon, gleefully reveling in the corn-pone whimsy of by-gone days. Many people in
Knoxville became familiar with letterpress through the distinctive “Wild West” typography that marked advertisements for clients around town with that recognizable Yee-Haw flavor. “Working at Yee-Haw, we were sort of a fi xture in the art scene so I was in the mix of a lot of stuff, even if I wasn’t personally involved, there was a hum. I could be part of it just by proximity,” says Baker, who at Yee-Haw was once given the dicey task of making prints from a priceless woodblock carved by the late artist Jim Flora. Baker worked at Yee-Haw until 2008. He says he never wanted to leave Knoxville, but he and his wife, lighting designer Carrie Walker, kept getting irresistible opportunities that pulled them away. Baker accepted a year-long teaching gig at Clarion University in Philadelphia. After a brief return to Knoxville, he followed Walker to New York City, where he lived every artist’s dream: supporting himself exclusively through his art. “To make it in New York you have to be over the top. It was a blast, but that wasn’t my city,” Baker says. Baker worked or taught in print shops up and down the East Coast, including Penland School of Crafts, Center for Book Arts, Robert Blackburn Studio, The Arm Letterpress, and
Arrowmont. In 2011, Walker got a “fancy-pants job” in Detroit, where Baker opened Stukenborg Press, a commercial print shop, art studio, and printmaking classroom. The whole time he was away, he couldn’t stop talking about Knoxville. “Even though good things were happening in Detroit, it didn’t feel like the place I was meant to be. Detroit wasn’t my city,” Baker says. The city he considers “his” is Knoxville. “Often, living in other places, I’ve been successful and made money and was able to make a living, but I felt like I wasn’t in tune with things,” Baker says. The sense of support Baker feels in Knoxville stands in contrast with the cutthroat competition he observed in New York and Detroit. “It could be I’m so proud to be from Knoxville because it let me be on the team. In all the other cities, I was never on the team,” he says. Baker’s Stukenborg Letterpress Studio was a thriving part of Detroit’s vibrant arts scene. The studio operated out of Ponyride, a socially progressive collective that also housed a woodworking and metalworking shop, and a boutique denim workshop. Stukenborg garnered rave reviews on sites like printeresting.org. The set-up seemed
Striped Light serves as a multipurpose creative enterprise: a letterpress print shop, a record label, a printmaking school, and an art gallery. The gallery’s First Friday show in March featured the work of Amos Oaks.
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 19, 2015
Despite the old-fashioned process of manual printmaking, the craftsmanship of Bryan Baker and Sarah Shebaro’s prints reveal an experimental, contemporary aesthetic.
perfect. Why leave? For one thing, Baker and Walker have a daughter, 1-year-old Samantha, and he wants her to grow up in Knoxville. Also, he has a sense that Knoxville needs him more that Detroit does. “I can be something for people here,” Baker says. “I moved back to be part of Knoxville, not just in it.” Shebaro’s reasons to move back were also not motivated by money. “I’m not looking to be a millionaire, I just want to do what I love,” she says. The chance to build something of her own, make her own rules, and own a business with potential for growth is a powerful motivator for Shebaro. She ran the printmaking department at Pratt from 2009 to 2014. Multiple classes used the shop every day. Hundreds of students passed through the studio, often desperate for her help on overdue assignments. She found herself rebuilding equipment and reorganizing the cases at the end of every semester, and she saw that the cyclical nature of the school year could lead to burnout. In the summer of 2013, Shebaro and Baker both found themselves at
Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina; Shebaro for an assistantship, Baker teaching a class. When Baker suggested Shebaro should quit her job and open a letterpress studio in Knoxville, she thought he was joking. A few months later Baker gave her a follow up phone call, and she realized he was dead serious. “Brian was always more set on getting back to the South,” says Shebaro, “I came to it later.” The hectic school semester was well underway, and Shebaro found herself considering his proposal more seriously this time. “I had so many great friends in New York, and I miss the culture, but I was given the opportunity to craft my own space, to build a shop with people I respected, and I took it,” says Shebaro. After months of planning with Baker and Boardman, she resigned from her position in December and moved back to Knoxville where Baker and Boardman had already begun setting up the Striped Light shop. Away from the intense workload of Pratt, Shebaro has more time to focus on her own art.
Shebaro’s prints, on display on the lobby walls of Striped Light, resemble angular quilt square patterns printed in blue and red ink. The title of her website “shapes with no names” fits the crystalline geometry of her work. Baker says Shebaro works with methodical intensity, beginning with a recognizable object, but masking its form through layers of cutting, scraping away, and fragmenting into a geometric structure. Shebaro says the scraps of personal ephemera left in the building from the old auto trim shop—the poster of paint chips, the typed supply orders, even the wall paneling—inspire her and inform her creative flow. Unlike Yee-Haw’s iconic images, neither of the artists’ work displayed at Striped Light is imagery-based. Despite the old-fashioned process of manual printmaking, the craftsmanship of Baker and Shebaro’s prints reveal an experimental, contemporary aesthetic. Baker likes to print with unusual objects: dice, spaghetti, and once, toast. He appreciates the immediacy of the printmaking experience, the honesty in the way materials reveal themselves through the process. The toast-shaped
ink mark on the paper—it’s clear even to a layperson how that was made. In 2011, a profile of Baker appeared in The New York Times Magazine featuring his signature dice prints—fine-art pieces made in blue and red ink with ordinary six-sided dice. The author of the piece, Naomi Reis, wrote, “His prints remind us that off the digital grid, there’s magic to be found in the everyday: that through the gamble of trial and error, basic analog tools can create things that are once utterly simple and utterly beguiling.”
KEEPER OF THE FLAME
Jason Boardman, 41, has remained an important fi xture in Knoxville’s underground music scene since 2000 when he, a friend, and many volunteers opened Pilot Light, a venue that serves as a clubhouse for many of Knoxville’s musicians, artists, and writers. Pilot Light is a reliable place for local bands to play, no matter how small or informal, and is a destination for unconventional musicians from out of town. Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Chain and the Gang, and Kid Congo have all played fiery shows to packed houses of March 19, 2015
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 17
“I moved back to be part of Knoxville, not just in it.” —BRYAN BAKER
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 19, 2015
electrified fans. Boardman is tall, lanky, and mild-mannered. His nonchalant persona belies a passionate commitment to supporting music he finds fresh and exciting. With the Striped Light record label, he wants to blow the secret of Knoxville’s underground music scene wide open, and he is in a trusted position to do so. “The local scene here is the most uniquely creative I’ve ever experienced, and one of the least documented,” Board says. “Bands from out of town are amazed at the people they might be playing with [at the Pilot Light.] Often local bands don’t have a record to send out of town. My hope is that the label can be formalized to get great Knoxville music outside the city.” Boardman says it’s an exciting time to be in Knoxville right now. “Knoxville’s big enough to have creative critical mass and the infrastructure to support it, but there’s a lot of work to be done here,” Boardman says. “It inspires a pioneer spirit in all of the people opening up creative businesses in town. There’s plenty of things to build on here and build up.” So far, Daddy Don’t’s self-titled vinyl LP is Striped Light’s only release. Daddy Don’t consists of Maggie Brannon on drums and Charice Starr on guitar. Sometimes Brad Fowler joins them on-stage to blow soap bubbles over the audience. The album’s seventh track, ‘Charice and Maggie Show,’ addresses the friendly dynamic of the two principle players, showcasing their trademark lo-fi sound, simple chords
and rhythms, and fresh untrained voices. Lyrics are sung with a lighthearted rough-and-tumble bravado: “breaking hearts and arms at parties.” The chorus claims, “It’s easy as it seems, to be free.” Striped Light’s second release will be by White Gregg, recorded by sound engineer Scott Minor. Boardman plays drums in this band, so it’s hard for him to talk about the music in an unbiased way. He says interest in White Gregg is due to guitarist Eric Lee, “one of the most creative musicians that I’ve ever known in this town or anywhere else.” The third release, due in May, is by Shriek Operator, fronted by “the creative volcano that is Alan Bajandas,” Boardman says. Alan’s sister, Joanna Bajandas, sings and Josh Wright plays up-right bass. “Shriek Operator is very simple live, but has an amazing intensity,” Boardman says. “On this record there are lots of different instruments and it’s very multifaceted. It sort of gives you an idea of all the music going on in Alan’s head.” Can documenting a scene change it? “I know it’s a motivator, to have this physical thing you can get behind,” Boardman says. “Perhaps if we can build something around these bands that exist for such a short period of time, it’ll give people some glue, a reason to put a couple of tours together if just to get rid of their albums.” Boardman hopes having a Striped Light record out will encourage these part-time musicians—most of them his friends who hold a day jobs as baristas and servers—to use the talent he sees in them, to continue to make the sounds he loves to hear. “Maybe documenting it makes it that much more—maybe even to the minds of the people doing it—real,” he says. Documenting a scene makes it look important, perhaps even glamorous. It builds a legacy and a reference point. It extends into the future a time when creative forces collided, a certain group of musicians made some good sounds, even a handful of stellar songs, before the band fell apart. Maybe it was all worth something if they record one small nugget for a kid to discover in a box someday. Pilot Light has never made money. Boardman has always subsidized the club with his day job as a software engineer for McKay’s. He also owns Hot Horse, the record/vintage shop next door to the Pilot Light.
“Music and creative performance seem to be really important to me,” Boardman says. “I fi nd myself asking as I get older, ‘Why are you still…?’ It’s a lot of sacrifice to put your future into something like this. I could be saving money or traveling. I sacrifice all of that for [the Pilot Light,] and hopefully, [Striped Light] is something that will start to pay for itself sooner.” If it doesn’t? “It seems like something I don’t want to let go of. It’s something that’s seemed important enough for me to hang on to it despite how difficult it’s been all these years. It’s certainly been on the brink, in my reality and in my heart, many times, and I’ve so far not been able to let go of it. I don’t know if that’s folly. With most of this stuff I’m following my instincts,” he says, “I don’t know why.” In Pilot Light, Boardman keeps a small flame alive. It may light a wildfi re if the right material passes through it. With AC Entertainment’s annual avant-garde Big Ears Festival making national headlines, Knoxville is earning a reputation as a destination, if not a source, for genre-defying experiential music. This March, all the Striped Light bands will be playing Hello City, the scrappy little sister of Big Ears’ music festival. It may be that music is less inhibited in the shadows, away from the bright lights of the big cities. Talented, one-of-a-kind musicians walk among us unexposed. Their magic is invisible to us as they bus our tables and stock our groceries. Maybe Striped Light won’t have the wattage to hit them with the brilliant spotlight Boardman thinks they deserve. A vinyl LP on this small label may, at best, cast a dappled light, illuminating them only to those willing to seek them out. The situation is reflected in the enigmatic Captain Beefheart song lyrics where Boardman found the label’s name: the obscure musician emerges from the shadows to play in the fl ickering exposure of striped light.
EXPANDING THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Striped Light sits at the southern edge of the North Central/Happy Holler district, where new locally-owned bars and restaurants such as Holly’s Corner, which opened in 2013, and Hops and Hollers, which opened in 2014, continue to spread areas of revitalization outside of downtown. John McGilvray Woodworks and
Preston Farrabow’s Aespyre Design Haus form the metal and wood-working Ironwood Studios, just around the corner on Jennings Avenue. Happy Holler, located in an actual hollow along North Central Street, has a long-established foundation of unique business. Stalwarts like the biker-themed Time Warp Tea Room, gay nightspot Club XYZ, and oddball ice cream kiosk Original Freezo still thrive there. For years, other stretches of North Central maintained working-class institutions like Knox Tenn Rental, Brown Appliances, and Dixie Kitchen Distributors, along with a reputation as a hangout for prostitutes and the homeless. The influx of consumer-oriented new businesses started in 2008 with the city’s road and sidewalk improvements, and developer Dan Schuh’s renovation of a block of blighted buildings in the heart of Happy Holler. Shebaro, Baker, and Boardman often cite Knoxville’s mid-size status as a positive factor. “Knoxville is big enough that there is lots of diversity, small enough that everyone knows each other. There’s this creative accountability—people are looking at what each other are doing. Like, ‘This person’s doing this, why can’t I do it?’” Shebaro says. Right now, custom commercial printing—business cards, wedding invitations, work for art galleries— is paying the printmakers’ salaries, and they hope the classes will soon pay the rent. “If we closed the doors to the public and only did Striped Light ourselves, I think we could be successful. But I can imagine getting majorly burned out if I’m just making things for other people that I’m not invested in emotionally,” Baker says. Striped Light’s fairly eccentric identity fits with the neighborhood. It’s part of a niche artisanal scene like the craft beer taproom. Print makers in smudged Carhartts performing manual labor keep alive the area’s blue-collar history. Paired with Ironwood Studios, Striped Light’s presences hints at the beginnings of a nascent arts district. “The empty buildings, these abandoned spaces, are part of why I loved Knoxville,” Shebaro says. “Part of why we’re excited is we took one of those spaces, the lights were off for six years, and we are bringing it back to life.”
“The local scene here is the most uniquely creative I’ve ever experienced, and one of the least documented.” —JASON BOARDMAN
“Knoxville is big enough that there is lots of diversity, small enough that everyone knows each other.” —SARAH SHEBARO
March 19, 2015
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Signing Off WDVX co-founder Tony Lawson heads to Bristol for a new start
W
hen WDVX first went on the air, in 1997, nobody could have predicted what the station would become. It had taken six years for the founders of the public roots-music station to broadcast at all—the chartering organization was established in 1991. When they did finally get on the air, it was from a donated camper on a hilltop just off the interstate in Clinton. Now, with a studio inside the Knoxville Visitors Center on Gay Street, several transmitter upgrades, dozens of live-broadcast concerts a month, and thousands of listeners around the world via the station’s website, WDVX is one of the most influential and admired public-radio stations in the country. Much of the credit for that goes to Tony Lawson, who founded the station with Don Burggraf and has served in various on-air and behind-the-scenes capacities
for WDVX’s entire history, currently as program director. So the news that Lawson will be leaving the station at the end of this month to join a new radio station managed by the Birthplace of Country Music in Bristol feels like the end of an era. For many people, Lawson is the personality most closely associated with WDVX, though several DJs may now have higher public profiles. “WDVX is a great thing,” Lawson says. “I feel like it’s solidly placed in the community—all kinds of people contributed to WDVX’s success. I feel like it’s very healthy, so that makes it easier for me to move forward and explore something.” Lawson says he got a telephone call from singer/songwriter and country-music advocate Jim Lauderdale—who hosted the first iteration of WDVX’s Tennessee Shines concert series at the Bijou Theatre—in August, just after the opening of the Birthplace
of Country Music Museum. “He said, ‘Tony, I know [WDVX] is your baby, but I want you to think about something. There’s some incredible things going on in Bristol,’” Lawson says. He did some consulting work for the new station, WBCM, last year, and started thinking about making a permanent move. His departure from WDVX and new position as manager at WBCM became official last week. The station is expected to launch in June. “They have some wonderful people and have had some incredible donations of equipment, and some wonderful engineers have donated their time up there already,” Lawson says. “So they’ve been working hard to build community support in many ways. I feel very fortunate to be able to walk into an organization that’s got the foundation already built.” The Birthplace of Country Music is the nonprofit umbrella organization overseeing the new station, the recently opened Birthplace of Country Music Museum, and the Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion music festival, among other programs. In May, the Birthplace of Country Music and Sony will release Orthophonic Joy: The 1927 Bristol Sessions Revisited, a two-CD collection of re-recordings by Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss, and more of songs from the famous 1927 recording sessions featuring the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, and others. —Matthew Everett
Photo by Ryan McGill
P rogram Notes
“WDVX is a great thing,” Lawson says. “I feel like it’s solidly placed in the community— all kinds of people contributed to WDVX’s success. I feel like it’s very healthy, so that makes it easier for me to move forward and explore something.”
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Inside the Vault: Night Mist
KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 19, 2015
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Music Profile: Alabama Shakes
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Art Profile: Beth Meadows
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Movie Review: Cinderella
Art Shop Knox Heritage plans to offer local artists access to the first communal woodworking shop in Knoxville as part of its new 6,000-square-foot salvage shop at 619 Broadway. Replacing the old Salvage Room, the new Knox Heritage Art and Salvage Shop offers much more space— including room for artists’ studio space. Beth Meadows, who is managing the retail store and who also manages 17th Street Studios in Redeemer Church, will be coordinating the artistic uses of the building. (See our profile of Meadows on page 23.) It will start with First Friday art openings, but Meadows hopes to work toward the shared wood-shop space as well as classes and workshops. A grand re-opening is scheduled for April 3. Renovating for the artistic use of the space will cost more up front, but the rent could help offset building costs. Knox Heritage has launched a Kickstarter campaign seeking $15,000 in pledges by April 8 to help get the space ready. The campaign will also help pay for salvage equipment such as a trailer, dolly, tools for volunteers, and more. Check it out at kickstarter.com. —S. Heather Duncan
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Video Review: The Bridge
Inside the Vault
The Mists of Time A garage-rock rarity from Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound BY ERIC DAWSON
W
alking rock ’n’ roll encyclopedia Nathan Moses, of Lost and Found Records, has never steered me wrong, but it just seemed weird when he told me about Night Mist, a band from Newport that recorded a great psychedelic rock single in 1967 that is now highly sought after by collectors. Newport’s known for a lot of things, but its ’60s psych-rock scene doesn’t exactly top the list. It’s all true, though, as a quick online search reveals. Auctions on CollectorsFrenzy.com refer to the record as the “HOLYGRAIL” and “MEGARARE!!,” with a near-mint copy going for $827, the highest known price so far. An eBay seller in France is currently asking €799 ($840.67) for a copy. Reissue labels such as Crypt, Norton, and the Numero Group have proved we shouldn’t be too surprised that great recordings have emerged
from obscure and unlikely places, but I wanted to know just how this record came to be. So I tracked down Frankie Gorman and Terry Ottinger of Night Mist to find out more about the band. In 1965, when they were high school freshmen, Ottinger and saxophonist Derry James started playing together as the Unicorns in Ottinger’s basement. They changed their name to the Shags, gained and lost some members, and finally settled on Night Mist, with Ottinger on bass, Gorman on drums, and Mike McMahan on guitar and lead vocals. As the Shags, the group played covers of popular rock songs by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Chuck Berry. Ottinger claims that, at their peak, they could play about 300 songs. (Gorman reckons it might not have been quite that many.) As Night Mist, they changed with the times and shifted into
harder-edged territory. Gorman and McMahan became enamored with the psychedelic sounds of Jimi Hendrix and West Coast bands. You can hear this influence on the one 45 rpm single the band recorded, “Last Night” b/w “Janie,” released in December 1967. The record was recorded in downtown Newport at Vibrant Studios; though most records made there were issued on the Vibrant label, Night Mist self-released the single on their own M-F-T Records, named after each member’s first initial. Gorman and Ottinger estimate 250 to 500 of the records were pressed. Both songs on the single were written by McMahan. The A-side is an upbeat affair that would be perfectly at home on a Nuggets or Pebbles compilation. McMahan’s aggressive fuzz guitar, especially the solo he rips about a minute and a half in, helps you understand why collectors covet the record. “Janie” runs at a more languid pace, with beefier guitar riffs and some surprisingly proto-metal drums. The song fades just as McMahan begins a guitar solo, and you wish they would have left it going a few seconds longer. Night Mist performed around East Tennessee and played as far away as Atlanta. They were a hit at the county fair and played numerous dances in Newport, but they weren’t popular with
everyone in town. “You gotta understand, this was Newport in the 1960s,” Ottinger says. “Our hair wasn’t even that long but it was too long for some. We got a lot of looks and some words said to us.” The band broke up soon before Gorman headed off to college in 1970. He eventually earned a Ph.D. in Old Testament studies and was, at one point, the chair of religious studies at Bethany College in West Virginia. He now lives in Waynesville, N.C. Ottinger continued to play music in the Newport area, helping out as a performer and producer on gospel records. He is now a minister at Middle Creek Church of God in Cosby. McMahan died in a 1976 motorcycle accident. Gorman and Ottinger are intrigued by the interest in their old band. Ottinger discovered the record’s popularity with garage-rock fans a few years ago, when he stumbled upon the Garage Hangover website. Gorman, on the other hand, wasn’t aware of the record’s reputation. “Glad to hear someone who remembers us,” he wrote in an email. “I fired up a Bic lighter and held the flame up I was so thrilled. I had no idea the record was of interest to anyone. I wish I had kept some that I gave away. $800. Damn. I could go on a world tour selling it and telling stories.” March 19, 2015
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 21
Music P rof ile
detail than could be found on Boys and Girls. “Our sound has been influenced by bands in the South, but also by bands throughout the world,” the band writes in an email, collectively responding to interview questions. “We are pretty much all music junkies, trying to absorb and be influenced by as much music as we can possible get our hands on. That is why our sound and this album is so diverse. … We just try to stay grounded and keep the focus on the songwriting, recording and live shows. You always have to remember why you are doing this and for us, it is really all about growing as musicians.” The band’s development shows on “Don’t Wanna Fight,” the lead single
Shake It Up Alabama Shakes stretch out as songwriters on Sound and Color BY WILL WARREN
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 19, 2015
that sounds unlike most other contemporary and comparable acts. Now, just a few years later, the band find itself set to release a much anticipated sophomore album. Sound and Color, the follow-up to Boys and Girls, will be released on April 21. On the new album, the band members hope to expand their sound but remain true to themselves. They note that they had more time to prepare and write for this record, which gave them room to experiment and move around in their own sound and themes. The new record, they say, is more “layered,” with more intricate and intimate attention to
WHO: Alabama Shakes with Promised Land Sound WHERE: Tennessee Theatre 803 S. Gay St. WHEN: Saturday, March 21, at 8 p.m. HOW MUCH: $37-$49.50 MORE INFO: tennesseetheatre.com
Photo by Brantley Gutierrez
T
he best artists—the Kanye Wests and the Taylor Swifts—have this way of arresting you with their music, taking full hold of your conscious and unconscious brain, forcing you to give them your full attention. Alabama Shakes may not rank up beside those two names just yet, but the band’s first single, “Hold On,” from late 2011, indicated that one day they might. “Hold On” was one of the most startling music moments of 2012, leading to the band’s solid debut album, Boys and Girls, selling 500,000 copies in the United States and to two appearances on Saturday Night Live, in 2013 and again this past February. The Shakes’ unexpected mix of blues and roots rock with indie—like an earthier version of the Black Keys, maybe, with a bracingly charismatic lead singer— made them instant media darlings. Which made it all the more interesting to watch the massive influx of attention and success for what was formerly a part-time cover band called the Shakes, from a small town in North Alabama (Athens, to be exact). Singer Brittany Howard was looking for someone to start a band with but wasn’t having very much success. Then, one day at school, she saw a kid wearing an At the Drive-in T-shirt—something pretty rare in any school in that area. That was Zac Cockrell, who would become the Shakes’ bassist. Soon after, they met the other Shakes, guitarist Heath Fogg and drummer Steve Johnson. The band developed a rootsy twang that could only be made in North Alabama, with a sort of stomp and grind
from Sound and Color. The song shares a groove with tracks from Boys and Girls, but Howard’s squeal here sounds almost extraterrestrial. Surprisingly, being from an area close to Muscle Shoals and its famous recording studios hasn’t influenced them quite as much as one would think. “We are fans of a lot of the music that came out of the Muscle Shoals area, but quite frankly some of us didn’t really know that much about it until we were a bit older,” they say. They’ll be making their first appearance in Knoxville this week. Like many artists, they can’t wait to get inside the Tennessee Theatre. “We hear it’s really beautiful and we are pumped to play there,” they say.
Ar t P rof ile
Two Worlds Beth Meadows combines the modern and the rustic in her mixed-media mashups BY S. HEATHER DUNCAN
T
he work table in Beth Meadows’ studio is littered with the kitchen detritus of devoured groceries: a shiny Vigo rice box, a yellow Gevalia bag, and wisps of colored mesh baggies that once held some small, precious produce. She hasn’t been gorging. Meadows is working on an upcoming art show in which she plans to layer food packaging into patterns that will dress her painted supermodels. Meadows is a fan of haute couture, following supermodels on Twitter and designers on Pinterest. Fashion and architecture make up a whole category of her paintings. But this is a new twist. “I see the shallowness and materialism in fashion,” Meadows says. “I love fashion magazines, but I look at them and I feel I’m lacking in every way.” On the other hand, she says, she hates grocery shopping. Clothing supermodels in beautiful garbage demonstrates how it’s all packaging, all meant to manipulate the consumer (and, perhaps, turn women into a product to be consumed). These works are slated for a show at Central Flats and Taps in April. Meadows’ work will also be featured at the April 3 grand opening of the Knox
Heritage Art and Salvage Shop. The shop is a larger, relocated version of the Salvage Room, which sells materials salvaged from historic buildings. Meadows manages the shop and is overseeing renovation of the new building at 619 Broadway, which will include a gallery wall and participate in First Friday gallery openings. Meadows has been an intern or employee with Knox Heritage since she graduated from the University of Tennessee in 2007 with a degree in studio art. She has often used material from the Salvage Room as her canvas. She is perhaps best known for her images of Mason jars painted on boards studded with nail holes and flaked with old paint. “These historic building materials are so well-made and beautiful … but I’m seeing them in their demise,” Meadows says. “It’s really this tragic ending for them.” She likes mixing the salvaged pieces with images of fashion to demonstrate the fleeting nature of both. Meadows, who hails from Memphis, sees her work as a meeting— sometimes a clash—of two worlds, one glamorous and modern, the other raw and unrefined. Some of her works, like
salvaged-wood cutouts of her cat Juicy or of Knoxville landmark buildings, are obviously folk art. She says she would like to try some very large paintings modeled on Grandma Moses’ folk landscapes, but replacing the clapboard houses and villagers with mansions and supermodels. Mashups are also common in her upcoming show at the Salvage Shop, which will include works previously displayed in a January show at the Emporium. Among them are glamorous fabrics in chipping wood frames and a series of paintings based on some of Meadows’ favorite movies, such as Emma and The Sound of Music. In each of these, she replaces the heroine with a supermodel. “Those films take you back to a different time,” she says. “I’m kind of comparing it to what I fantasize about now. [These paintings are] talking about longing in women—if those longings are noble or fleeting, and whether they will actually foster contentment.” Pattern, color and shape are part of what attracts Meadows to painting supermodels, swimming pools, and concert halls. The same elements of design also draw her to practical objects in the Tennessee landscape. “The boiled-peanut handwritten signs on the side of the road intrigue me,” she says. “Do those people know how beautiful that sign is, or do they even think about it?” She has similar thoughts when passing the signs and shop windows on Magnolia Avenue. Meadows sells her pieces at her shows, on Etsy, and at her website, withbearhands.com. That name comes from one of her whimsical paintings, in which a person with literal bear hands prepares to attack. She says she has a story in her head for almost all her narrative paintings, which feature often funny scenes like snapshots from a longer story—a girl entering a maze, teenagers drowning in a kitchen full of popcorn. The painting of a bear roaring while he packages Mason jars helps express Meadows’ struggle to turn her art into a business. “It’s like taming a wild animal,” she says, laughing affectionately at the bear. “He’s doing the best he can, but he’s having a moment.” March 19, 2015
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 23
Movie R e view
Storybook Romance Kenneth Branagh brings old-school glamour to Disney’s latest fairy tale retold BY APRIL SNELLINGS
I
n this age of wholesale revisionism, there’s something that feels almost subversive about director Kenneth Branagh’s defiantly old-fashioned Cinderella. There are hardly any postmodern twists or deconstructed tropes in his sumptuous, surprisingly appealing take on one of the world’s best-known stories. As retellings go, this is about as straightforward as you can get—there’s a put-upon orphan, a scheming stepmother, a souped-up pumpkin, and so on, and everything falls into place with clockwork precision. It’s so faithful to Disney’s 1950 animated version, in fact, that its very existence invites cynicism. However you wave the wand, it’s a blatant cash grab—it’s even packaged with a Frozen short that is carefully engineered to elicit spasms of glee from its target audience. But there’s one catch: This latest iteration of Cinderella is very, very good. For starters, Branagh and screenwriter Chris Weitz approach the story with an earnestness that’s pretty hard to resist. Its sincerity is evident from the opening scene, front-loaded with butterflies and bluebirds. In one of the movie’s few and most notable deviations from its animated predecessor, Cinderella makes time to acquaint us with young Ella’s doomed parents (played by Ben Chaplin and Hayley Atwell). In a surprisingly lengthy preamble, the family lives in pastoral bliss until Ella’s mother falls ill and dies, leaving the girl and her father vulnerable to the eventual predations of Lady Tremaine (a magnificent, scene-stealing Cate Blanchett). Dolled up like a ’40s femme fatale, Tremaine saunters into the story with her doltish
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daughters in tow and relegates the grown-up Ella (Lily James) to a life of servitude and humiliation. Ella is victimized, for sure, but she’s not content to be a victim. That’s the second, and best, tweak that Branagh’s film offers: a heroine with gumption, who actually gets to choose her prince before her prince chooses her. When she first encounters the absurdly handsome Kit (Richard Madden) in the forest, she doesn’t realize he’s a prince; she gives him a good talking-to about the ethics of hunting for sport before she sends him on his way. They’re smitten with one another and complications ensue, but nothing that an efficient—and awesomely bonkers—fairy godmother (Helena Bonham Carter) can’t sort out with a bit of the old bippity-boppity-boo. As Disney princesses go, this version of Ella is one of the most likable of the bunch. Her mom’s deathbed advice—“Have courage and be kind”—is her guiding principle, and the movie lets her be both without becoming a caricature of either. Much credit goes to James, who’s charming enough to hold her own against a smoldering, seething Blanchett—no mean feat, especially when the latter pulls out all the stops. Branagh’s greatest accomplishment with Cinderella, though, might lie in the film’s gorgeous visuals. This is grand, old-fashioned Hollywood filmmaking, and if you’re taken by that sort of thing, it deserves to be seen on the biggest screen you can find. The CGI is serviceable if ultimately forgettable, but the movie’s practical elements—its Oscar-baiting costumes, elaborate sets, and old-school cinema-
tography—are entirely worth the ticket price. Branagh has a knack for making fairy-tale opulence seem more inviting than decadent, and that skill is on full display throughout Cinderella. He’s also the guy who figured out how to put Thor on a movie screen without looking like a complete boob, and one can’t help wonder if it’s that quality, more than his skill as an adapter, that made Branagh a shoo-in for this gig. He puts an earnest shine on what could easily have been Cinderella’s most hackneyed element: the fairy-tale romance that blossoms between Ella and Kit. Again, it’s the
same old story, but Branagh takes the time to develop their characters more than others have bothered. They aren’t just swept up in the machinations of an oft-told tale; rather, they’re capable young people who are just beginning to make their way in the world, and to take charge of their own fates. Those little details make all the difference. Trite as the tale may be, Branagh and his cast make it nearly impossible not to root for the couple as they negotiate the obstacles that stand between them, both through magical agency and, more importantly, their own.
Video R e view
Not So Painless With The Bridge, documentarian Eric Steel explores the mysteries of suicide BY LEE GARDNER WATCH THIS THE BRIDGE (2006)
Twenty-three people kill themselves on camera over the course of the 94 minutes of The Bridge. Not fictional characters played by actors, but real people hauling themselves up over the chest-high red rail of the Golden Gate Bridge and dropping 245 feet to the frigid chop of San Francisco Bay. It is, on one level, the most picturesque snuff
TALK
TO US
film ever. But there is more to Eric Steel’s controversial 2006 documentary, freshly re-released on DVD by Kino Lorber. To be sure, there is something voyeuristic, and more than a little morbid, about Steel’s film. In 2004, he hired a brace of camera operators to film the bridge during daylight hours for the entire year. He knew they wouldn’t have to wait long. So many people have jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge over the decades that authorities stopped keeping official count 20 years ago, so as not to encourage more people to do it. But people still do, about every two weeks on average. In some cases, Steel’s cameras capture them in blurry telephoto images, often pacing back and forth along the walkway for agonizing minutes before finally climbing over— the operator can never keep them in frame as they plunge toward terminal velocity. (Alerts from the film crew and bystander interventions led to several being pulled back, also on camera.) In wide shots that encompass the entire
bridge, a few beats may pass before you notice a tiny, haunting splash on the face of the bay. But Steel also tracked down the families and friends of many of those who jumped, as well as witnesses, and the resulting interviews delve into the jumpers’ lives and the forces that drove them to do it. Lisa Smith, a paranoid schizophrenic, laughed as if with relief before she jumped, according to a witness. Gene Sprague warned friends that he was going to kill himself until no one paid attention to it anymore— and then he did. Some, like Philip Manikow, seemed drawn to the bridge, as if it were destined to be the spot where they took their lives. While The Bridge offers nothing so neat as “an answer,” it conducts a compelling exploration of the mysteries of troubled souls and the fatal glamour of the place where many of them chose to die.
THIS, TOO LATE PHASES (2014)
Based on the premise alone—werewolf preys on retirement community—Late Phases sounds like cheapo genre garbage. But director Adrian Garcia Bogliano’s last film, Here Comes the Devil, was brilliantly lurid cheapo genre garbage, and the participation of Stake Land star/co-writer Nick Damici and horror mogul Larry Fessenden add further hints of prestige luster. Bogliano errs on the side of revealing his creatures too soon, and too fully, but Late Phases proves surprisingly subtle and compelling in handling its non-furry characters. All this plus Tom Noonan.
Thanks for reading the Knoxville Mercury! We still need your help to keep making independent, locally owned journalism for this city—please take our online survey and tell us what kind of stories you want to see in the paper. survature.com/s/knoxmercury BONUS: We’ll be rewarding one lucky respondent with two tickets to the Big Ears music festival!
March 19, 2015
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 25
CALENDAR Wednesday, March 18 TOM CORDLE WITH LATE DAY SONS • WDVX •
Noon • Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-a-week lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • Free
THE CASEY GREEN TRIO • The Bistro at the Bijou • 7 p.m. • Live jazz. • Free
MIC HARRISON AND THE HIGH SCORE WITH JACK RENTFRO • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7 p.m. •
Tennessee Shines, WDVX’s weekly live-broadcast concert series, moves to the Old City this month. • $10
R.A.L.F. • Scruffy City Hall • 8 p.m. Thursday, March 19 JOSELYN ARNDT • Scruffy City Hall • 7 p.m. EMISUNSHINE • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 8 p.m.
KENOSHA KID • Barley’s Taproom and
Pizzeria • 10 p.m. • Based in the humid indie-rock haven of Athens, Georgia, Kenosha Kid has supplied the world with their own unique blend of modernjazz-meets-college-radio for over a decade.
EVIE LADIN AND KEITH TERRY WITH NATASHA BORZILOVA • WDVX • Noon • Part of
WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-daysa-week lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • Free
THE PATIO PIRATES • Mulligan’s • 7 p.m.
Friday, March 20 BLUE MOTHER TUPELO • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10 p.m. Bistro at the Bijou • 9 p.m. • Live jazz. • Free
p.m. • Free
Tennessee Theatre • 8 p.m. • The Alabama roots-punk quartet Alabama
p.m.
HAUNT THE HOUSE WITH BUFFALO WABS AND THE PRICE HILL HUSTLE • WDVX • Noon • Part
of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-a-week lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • Free
ROGER HAY AND THE ROMEO KINGS • Brackins
Blues Club (Maryville) • 9 p.m.
KELLE JOLLY AND THE WILL BOYD PROJECT •
Knoxville Museum of Art • 6 p.m. • The spring series premiere of Alive After Five. • $10
LOST AND FOUND • Central United Methodist Church • 7 p.m. • $5
MAGNOLIA SONS • Barley’s Taproom and
Pizzeria (Maryville) • 10 p.m.
MARADEEN WITH TREEHOUSE • Preservation
Pub • 10 p.m. • 21 and up
R.B. MORRIS WITH HECTOR QIRKO AND FRIENDS •
Scruffy City Hall • 10 p.m.
MARTY RAYBON WITH IRENE KELLEY AND MAE BETH HARRIS • Bijou Theatre • 8 p.m. • Part of
TALL PAUL • Mulligan’s • 7 p.m.
KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 19, 2015
ALABAMA SHAKES WITH PROMISED LAND SOUND •
THE FREIGHT HOPPERS • Laurel Theater • 8
VESSEL • Preservation Pub • 10 p.m. •
26
UNDERHILL ROSE • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10
International • 9 p.m. • Presented by Midnight Voyage Productions. • $25-$60
the Bijou • 6 p.m. • Free
L for Leisure
Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8 p.m.
Pizzeria • 10 p.m. • Local fun, soul, and hip-hop.
FLUX PAVILION WITH AN-TEN-NAE • The
WDVX’s World Class Bluegrass series. • $27.50-$32.50
30
AFTAH PARTY • Barley’s Taproom and
TRACTOR HEAD WITH THE FRENCH • Open
THE MICHAEL BRANNER CONCEPTET • The
UT GRADUATE CELLO RECITAL • The Bistro at
“Jamgrass” from Louisville, Ky.
Saturday, March 21
Civic Coliseum • 7 p.m. • Christian rock. • $19-$74
Photo by Travis Tyler
MUSIC
Thursday, March 19 - Sunday, March 29
SEBADOH Sebadoh with Qui and Spades Cooley • The International (940 Blackstock Ave.) • Thursday, March 26 • 7 p.m. • $12-$15 • All ages • internationalknox.com The comeback is risky business—just ask the Pixies. It’s tough to recapture the wild abandon of youth or to reposition your music for new audiences, and a lackluster comeback album can tarnish a previously sterling reputation. But it can also pay off big-time—just ask Sleater-Kinney. Sebadoh hit somewhere right in the middle with its 2013 reunion album Defend Yourself, the first widely distributed new music from the band since 1999. (There had been periodic reunion tours during the ’00s.) On Defend Yourself, Barlow and company make a solid, if not overwhelming, case that the world needs them back. The new album isn’t an essential addition to the Sebadoh catalog, but there are a handful of striking songs—“Inquiries,” “State of Mine”—that sound refreshed, relevant, and even vital, capturing some of the same shambolically catchy guitar magic that defined Harmacy and Bakesale. Hardly the comeback of the century, but one that fans can welcome and linger over. (Matthew Everett)
THIRD DAY WITH ELLIE HOLCOMB • Knoxville
33
J. Roddy Walston and the Business
34
The Long View
CALENDAR Shakes, led by powerhouse frontwoman Brittany Howard, burst onto the national scene in 2012 with the single “Hold On.” A new album, Sound and Color, is set for release in April. • $37-$49.50
HEIGHT • Pilot Light • 10 p.m. • $5 • 18 and up
THE BRUMMY BROTHERS WITH ANNALISE EMERICK •
6IX MILE EXPRESS • Suttree’s High Gravity Tavern • 9 p.m. • Free
RADIO BIRDS • Preservation Pub • 10 p.m. •
THE DIRK QUINN BAND • Barley’s Taproom
BARRY ROSEMAN • Bistro at the Bijou • 7
WDVX • Noon • Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-a-week lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • Free
MIKE NASH • Mulligan’s • 4 p.m. Monday, March 23
and Pizzeria • 10 p.m. • High-energy funk and soul.
guests performing from 7-8 p.m. with bonus songs for the in-studio audience from 8-8:30 p.m. Poets, authors and other readers of a literary bent present their works in the Wordplay segment of the show. • $10 21 and up
p.m. • Live jazz. • Free
SECRET CITY CYPHERS WITH HOUSECAT, SIR VEILLANCE, TAYLOR, AND BR-NDON • The
THE BURNIN’ HERMANS • Scruff y City Hall •
STINKING LIZAVETA WITH WHITE GREGG • Pilot Light • 10 p.m. • $5 • 18 and up
Square Room • 8 p.m. • $5
JOHN D’AMATO • Brackins Blues Club
T.J. KONG AND THE ATOMIC BOMB WITH LAURA MEYER • WDVX • Noon • Part of
J. RODDY WALSTON AND THE BUSINESS WITH THE WEEKS AND SLEEPWALKERS • Bijou Theatre •
10 p.m.
(Maryville) • 9 p.m.
GET THE LED OUT: THE AMERICAN LED ZEPPELIN • The International • 8 p.m. • $20-$25
THE JOHNNY MONSTER BAND WITH THE JUKE JOINT DRIFTERS • Open Chord Brewhouse and
WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-daysa-week lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • Free
Stage • 8 p.m.
Tuesday, March 24
DAVID AND VALERIE MAYFIELD • Barley’s
Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 10 p.m.
EDISON AND MAXWELL HUGHES • The Bowery • 8 p.m. • Featuring former Lumineers guitarist Maxwell Hughes. • 18 and up
SARAH MCLACHLAN • Knoxville Civic
HEY MONEA! WITH EDISON • WDVX • Noon •
Auditorium • 8 p.m. • The Canadian folk icon and Lilith Fair founder released her most recent album, Shine On, in 2014. • $44-$86
THE CHUCK MULLICAN JAZZ BONANZA • The
Bistro at the Bijou • 9 p.m. • Live jazz. • Free
THE RMS BAND • Mulligan’s • 7:30 p.m. SEMINAL WITH SIMO • Preservation Pub •
Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-a-week lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • Free
JAMAICAN QUEENS • Pilot Light • 10 p.m. •
Electronic glam-pop (with some traces of hip-hop) from Detroit. • $6 • 18 and up
SWAMP CANDY • Barley’s Taproom and
Thursday, March 26
10 p.m. • 21 and up
CAROLINE SPENCE WITH KLINT KRAZNER • Boyd’s
Wednesday, March 25
Sunday, March 22 BUFFALO WABS AND THE PRICE HILL HUSTLE •
Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8 p.m. • Fun bluegrass from Cincinnati. • Free
DOUG GIBSON • Clancy’s Tavern and Whiskey House • 6 p.m.
JULIA WELDON WITH DAPHNE CULVER AND THE MYSTERY MACHINE • WDVX • Noon • Part
of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-a-week lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • Free
Pizzeria • 10 p.m. • Mississippi blues rock.
Jig and Reel • 10 p.m. • Free
7:30 p.m. • For J. Roddy Walston & The Business – who formed in 2002 in Walston’s hometown of Cleveland, Tennessee – embracing weirdness means a mumble-out-loud celebration of that great and terrible burden of being human. Forcing the oft-clashing worlds of art and rock-and-roll to make nice, the band (including guitarist/vocalist Billy Gordon, bassist/vocalist Logan Davis, and drummer Steve Colmus) deals in a scrappy yet sublime sound that honors both their Southern roots and punk spirit. • $18
CLIFF EBERHARDT AND LOUISE MOSRIE WITH SUSAN O’DELL UNDERWOOD • Boyd’s Jig and Reel •
Free • Tennessee Shines is a weekly radio show performed live for an audience at Boyd’s Jig & Reel musical pub in Knoxville’s Old City at 7 p.m. and broadcast on WDVX 89.9 and 102.9 FM and WDVX.com. Host Paige Travis welcome an array of folk, country, bluegrass and Americana musical
49 WINCHESTER • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10 p.m. THE HERMALEIGHS • Preservation Pub • 10 p.m. • 21 and up
DAVE KENNEDY • Clancy’s Tavern and
Whiskey House • 6 p.m.
RACHEL SARA ROBERTS • WDVX • Noon • Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-a-week lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and
UP NEXT!
BIJOU JUBILEE! 2015 FEATURING
SCOTT MILLER & THE COMMONWEALTH saturday, march 14 • 8:30pm
J. RODDY WALSTON & THE BUSINESS / THE WEEKS w/ Sleepwalkers wednesday, march 25 • 7:30pm
THE WAR ON DRUGS w/ Hop Along tuesday, march 31 • 8pm
ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA
“ONE SIZE FITS ALL” 40TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR
wednesday, april 15 • 8pm
THE BLACK CADILLACS w/ Sol Cat and Johnny Astro & The Big Bang friday, april 17 • 8pm
AER
monday, april 20 • 8pm
JASON BONHAM LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE tuesday, may 5 • 8pm
KNOXBIJOU.COM TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE TENNESSEE
THEATRE BOX OFFICE, TICKETMASTER.COM, AND BY PHONE AT 800-745-3000
March 19, 2015
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 27
CALENDAR everything else. • Free
SEBADOH WITH QUI AND SPADES COOLEY • The
International • 7 p.m. • $12-$15 • All ages
SIX TIME LOSERS WITH HOMEMADE WINE • Scruffy City Hall • 10 p.m.
CHARLIE WILSON WITH RAY VIETTI AND MY BROTHER THE BEAR • Scruffy City Hall • 7 p.m.
Friday, March 27 BIG EARS • Downtown Knoxville • Big
Ears is proud to be making its return in 2015 for another weekend of visionary music, exploratory art, and southern hospitality March 27, 28 and 29 in historic downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. The legendary Kronos Quartet – considered the most celebrated new music ensemble in the world – will serve as Artists-in-Residence for the 2015 event. Performances will be held at the Tennessee Theatre, the Bijou Theatre, the Standard, the Square Room, and Knoxville Museum of Art. • $65-$199.50
SKYLA BURELL • Brackins Blues Club (Maryville) • 9 p.m.
CHINGY • NV Nightclub • 9 p.m. • The St. Louis rapper, best known for his early ’00s hit “Right Thurr,” is still at it and making a stop in Knoxville. • $5-$10
FINAL FIGHT WITH THE LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN DAREDEVILS, BRAIN DEAD MORONS, THE BILLY WIDGETS, AND CHRISTOPHER SCUM • Open
Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8 p.m. • $8 • All ages
FREEQUENCY • Mulligan’s • 7 p.m. FUNNY EARS FRINGE FESTIVAL • Preservation
Pub and Scruffy City Hall • 7 p.m. • Preservation Pub and Scruffy City Hall host an alternative to Big Ears, featuring 36 mostly local bands over three days in two Market Square venues. The lineup includes Ben Gaines, Bliss on Tap, Ebony Eyes, Ex Gold, Far Far Away, Faux Ferocious, Grandpa’s Stash, Kukuly and the Romani Fuego, Mare Vita, O Youth, Senryu, Yak Strangler, 28
KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 19, 2015
Thursday, March 19 - Sunday, March 29
Yung Life, Zach and Kota’s Sweet Life, and more.
GLADKILL WITH MONIKER, MEATBALL MADNESS, AND GLOBERT PAULSON • The International •
9 p.m. • Presented by Midnight Voyage Productions. • $8-$12 • 18 and up
THE GRAND OLE UPROAR • WDVX • Noon •
Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-a-week lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • Free
THE GRAND OLE UPROAR • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 10 p.m. THE HACKENSAW BOYS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10 p.m. • With feet firmly planted in the old-time song tradition, hands soiled by the dirt of rock n’ roll and eyes fixed steadily on the future of real country music, the Hackensaw Boys are among the most exciting groups charting new territory in today’s diverse Americana music scene. HELLO CITY • Pilot Light • 7 p.m. • A local
alternative/complement to Big Ears, featuring White Gregg, Shriek Operator, Maspeth, Big Kitty, Andy the Doorbum, Joseph Allred, and Ryan Schaefer of Royal Bangs. Free with a Big Ears pass. • $8
THE BUDDY HONEYCUTT TRIO • Bistro at the
Bijou • 9 p.m. • Live jazz. • Free
LARRY SPARKS • Laurel Theater • 8 p.m. •
Classic gospel bluegrass from one of the all-time greats.
WESTWEND • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10 p.m. • Local folk and country. • Free
Saturday, March 28 ARPETRIO WITH STOKESWOOD AND CUDDLEFISH •
The International • 9 p.m. • Local EDM favorites. • $7-$10
BIG EARS • Downtown Knoxville • Big
Ears is proud to be making its return in 2015 for another weekend of visionary music, exploratory art, and southern hospitality March 27, 28 and 29 in historic downtown Knoxville, Tennes-
see. The legendary Kronos Quartet – considered the most celebrated new music ensemble in the world – will serve as Artists-in-Residence for the 2015 event. Performances will be held at the Tennessee Theatre, the Bijou Theatre, the Standard, the Square Room, and Knoxville Museum of Art. • $65-$199.50
R&B.
KUDZU • Brackins Blues Club (Maryville) • 9 p.m.
JAMIE LAVAL • Laurel Theater • 8 p.m. SAMUEL PAYNE WITH HANDSOME AND THE HUMBLES • WDVX • Noon • Part of
DUNAVANT • Clancy’s Tavern and Whiskey
WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-daysa-week lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • Free
MATT FOSTER • Barley’s Taproom and
LAUREN SHERA WITH THE KNOX COUNTY JUG STOMPERS • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10 p.m. •
MARCK BOLING • The Bistro at the Bijou • 9
p.m. • Live jazz. • Free House • 8 p.m.
Pizzeria (Maryville) • 10 p.m.
FUNNY EARS FRINGE FESTIVAL • Preservation Pub and Scruffy City Hall • 7 p.m. • Preservation Pub and Scruffy City Hall host an alternative to Big Ears, featuring 36 mostly local bands over three days in two Market Square venues. The lineup includes Ben Gaines, Bliss on Tap, Ebony Eyes, Ex Gold, Far Far Away, Faux Ferocious, Grandpa’s Stash, Kukuly and the Romani Fuego, Mare Vita, O Youth, Senryu, Yak Strangler, Yung Life, Zach and Kota’s Sweet Life, and more. COL. BRUCE HAMPTON WITH THE JEFF SIPE TRIO •
Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10 p.m. • Col. Bruce Hampton has been making music since he formed his first band in 1963. Col. Bruce has been in constant motion ever since leaving a trail of memorable live performances with his many bands, including The Late Bronze Age and Col. Bruce Hampton and The Aquarium Rescue Unit.
HANDSOME AND THE HUMBLES WITH THE HOT SHOT FREIGHT TRAIN • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8 p.m.
HELLO CITY • Pilot Light • 6:30 p.m. • A local alternative/complement to Big Ears, featuring Pleases, Horcerer, Daddy Don’t, Wesley Wyrick, Ex Gold, Wife Pilse, Criswell Collective, and Headface and the Congenitals. Free with a Big Ears pass. • $8 JENNA AND HER COOL FRIENDS • Mulligan’s • 7:30 p.m. • Classic blues, soul, and
Free
T-PAIN WITH MAC SOSA AND DJ ERIC B • NV Nightclub • 9 p.m. • T-Pain’s polished arrangements have become the in-demand sound across genres, and his scene-stealing vocal performances are among the most coveted in music. Since bursting on the scene in 2005, T-Pain has been awarded a Grammy, produced and written a plethora of chart-topping and platinum-selling singles, garnered “Songwriter of the Year” and “Producer of the Year” honors at the BMI Urban Awards and earned a BET Award. • $20 • 18 and up Sunday, March 29 BIG EARS • Downtown Knoxville • Big
Ears is proud to be making its return in 2015 for another weekend of visionary music, exploratory art, and southern hospitality March 27, 28 and 29 in historic downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. The legendary Kronos Quartet – considered the most celebrated new music ensemble in the world – will serve as Artists-in-Residence for the 2015 event. Performances will be held at the Tennessee Theatre, the Bijou Theatre, the Standard, the Square Room, and Knoxville Museum of Art. • $65-$199.50
THE BROCKEFELLERS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8 p.m.
FUNNY EARS FRINGE FESTIVAL • Preservation Pub and Scruffy City Hall • 7 p.m. • Preservation Pub and Scruffy City Hall
CALENDAR DJ AND DANCE NIGHTS
host an alternative to Big Ears, featuring 36 mostly local bands over three days in two Market Square venues. The lineup includes Ben Gaines, Bliss on Tap, Ebony Eyes, Ex Gold, Far Far Away, Faux Ferocious, Grandpa’s Stash, Kukuly and the Romani Fuego, Mare Vita, O Youth, Senryu, Yak Strangler, Yung Life, Zach and Kota’s Sweet Life, and more.
Southbound Bar and Grill • 11 p.m. • Featuring resident DJs Rick Styles, Mark B, and Kevin Nowell. 21 and up.
NICK MOSS • Barley’s Taproom and
Saturday, March 21
Pizzeria (Maryville) • 7 p.m.
OPEN MIC AND SONGWRITER NIGHTS Wednesday, March 18
Friday, March 20 THE ART OF HOUSE WEEKENDER DANCE PARTY •
THE ART OF HOUSE WEEKENDER DANCE PARTY • Southbound Bar and Grill • 11 p.m. • Featuring resident DJs Rick Styles, Mark B, and Kevin Nowell. 21 and up. TEMPLE DANCE NIGHT • The Concourse • 9
Brewhouse and Stage • 8 p.m.• Free
p.m. • A return to splendor, the core of what Temple is. No theme, no special costumes, outfits or contests. Classic Goth, industrial, alternative music and dancing, and maybe a few oddballs thrown in for good measure. Featuring DJs Fallen, Darkness, and Uncle Goth. Visit templeknox.com. • $5 • 18 and up
IRISH MUSIC SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel •
Sunday, March 22
OPEN CHORD OPEN MIC • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8 p.m.
Thursday, March 19 BREWHOUSE BLUES JAM • Open Chord
7:15 p.m. • Free
Monday, March 23 BLUEGRASS AND BREWS OPEN JAM • Suttree’s High Gravity Tavern • 7 p.m.-9 p.m. • Free
Tuesday, March 24 BARLEY’S OPEN MIC NIGHT • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8 p.m.
OLD-TIME JAM • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15 p.m. • Hosted by Sarah Pirkle. • Free
Wednesday, March 25 OPEN CHORD OPEN MIC • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8 p.m.
Thursday, March 26 BREWHOUSE BLUES JAM • Open Chord
Brewhouse and Stage • 8 p.m.• Free
SCOTTISH MUSIC SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15 p.m. • Free
WELCOMES
The Knoxville Mercury to the local scene
and we are proud to be your media partner! On the Air and Streaming
24.7.365 at WUTKRADIO.COM or listen on your smart phone and iPad app.
S.I.N. • The Concourse • 9 p.m. • A weekly dance night for service-industry workers—get in free with your ABC license or other proof of employment. ($5 for everybody else.) • 18 and up Friday, March 27 THE ART OF HOUSE WEEKENDER DANCE PARTY • Southbound Bar and Grill • 11 p.m. • Featuring resident DJs Rick Styles, Mark B, and Kevin Nowell. 21 and up. TEKNOX 20 • The Birdhouse • 9 p.m. • A
showcase of regional techno and house DJs, featuring Ajhenda (Wiggle Factor, AFRO ACID ATL), JMo, dialectic sines, and Saint Thomas LeDoux.
Saturday, March 28 THE ART OF HOUSE WEEKENDER DANCE PARTY • Southbound Bar and Grill • 11 p.m. • Featuring resident DJs Rick Styles, Mark B, and Kevin Nowell. 21 and up. Sunday, March 29 March 19, 2015
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 29
CALENDAR
Thursday, March 19 - Sunday, March 29
S.I.N. • The Concourse • 9 p.m. • A weekly dance night for service-industry workers—get in free with your ABC license or other proof of employment. ($5 for everybody else.) • 18 and up
CLASSICAL MUSIC Thursday, March 19 KSO MASTERWORKS SERIES: MOZART AND MENDELSSOHN • Tennessee Theatre • 7:30
L FOR LEISURE The Public Cinema: L for Leisure • Knoxville Museum of Art (1050 World’s Fair Park Drive) • Sunday, March 22 • 2 p.m. • Free • publiccinema.org Every generation gets its own nostalgia. In the 1970s, there was American Graffiti and Happy Days. In the early ’90s, Whit Stillman looked back to the ’70s and ’80s in Metropolitan and Barcelona, and Richard Linklater revisited the spirit of 1976 in Dazed and Confused. Now the early ’90s themselves are the subject of nostalgic yearning, as evidenced by recent festival favorite L for Leisure, an “impressionistic, episodic comedy about laziness, wandering and wasting time” directed by Lev Kalman and Whitney Horn, who were both born in 1982. L for Leisure follows a group of American graduate students through the years 1992 and ’93 as they navigate the treacherous period where early adulthood and prolonged adolescence commingle. L for Leisure is part of the Public Cinema, a new series of independent-film screenings, organized by Knoxville filmmaker Paul Harrill (“Gina, an Actress, Age 29” and Something, Anything) and critic Darren Hughes, at the Knoxville Museum of Art. The series continues with Alex Ross Perry’s Listen Up Philip and Melville (April 1) and Kazik Radwanski’s Tower (April 19). (Matthew Everett)
p.m. • Join the KSO and guest conductor James Feddeck for fun and familiar music by Rossini, Mozart, and Mendelssohn. The concert opens with Rossini’s delightful William Tell Overture. The orchestra will be joined by talented guest artist, Conrad Tao, for Mozart’s grand Piano Concerto No. 25. The second half of the program features Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3. Nicknamed the ‘Scottish Symphony’, it is a lively and majestic piece that features the entire orchestra. • $13-$83
Friday, March 20 KSO MASTERWORKS SERIES: MOZART AND MENDELSSOHN • Tennessee Theatre • 7:30 p.m. • $13-$83
Sunday, March 22 UT YOUNG PIANIST SERIES: SHEN LU • University of Tennessee Haslam Music Center • 2:30 p.m. • $25
KSO TELLICO VILLAGE COMMUNITY CONCERT •
Tellico Village Community Church • 4 p.m. • Call (423) 884-3098 for tickets.
Monday, March 23 APPALACHIA PIANO TRIO • University of
Tennessee Haslam Music Center • 8 p.m. • UT violin professor Miroslav Hristov with guest artists Chih-Long Hu (piano), Nathan Jasinski (cello), and David Yeh (viola) performing Rachmaninov’s Trio elegiaque No. 2 in D minor, Op. 9 and Brahms’ Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25. • Free
Tuesday, March 24 THE WALDLAND ENSEMBLE: FROM TENNESSEE TO CARNEGIE: NEW MUSIC FOR CLARINET, VIOLA AND 30
KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 19, 2015
PIANO • University of Tennessee Haslam Music Center • 6 p.m. • The Waldland Ensemble has commissioned an entire program of new music from composers Kenji Bunch, Anthony Constantino, Michael Kimber, Dana Wilson and Grammy Award Winning Composer Libby Larsen for the “American Voices: New Music for Clarinet, Viola and Piano” program that the Waldland Ensemble will perform throughout United States, Europe and Africa in 2015. The ensemble consists of UT viola professor Hillary Herndon, clarinetist Jeremy Reynolds, and pianist Wei-Chun Bernadette Lo who will perform at UT in preparation for their Carnegie Hall debut. • Free
Wednesday, March 25 KSO Q SERIES • The Square Room • Noon •
This brand new recital series will feature one-hour lunchtime concerts by the Woodwind Quintet and the Principal Quartet at the Square Room, located behind Café 4 in Market Square in downtown Knoxville. Tickets include a boxed lunch; seating is limited. Visit knoxvillesymphony.com • $15-$20
COMEDY AND SPOKEN WORD Tuesday, March 24 EINSTEIN SIMPLIFIED • Scruffy City Hall •
8:15 p.m. • Local comedy improve, every week. • Free
Wednesday, March 25 HUNTER ROBERTS • Southern Railway
Station • 7:30 p.m. • Tri-Cities comic Hunter Roberts is touring in support of his new album, Old Man Baby Face. • $10
Thursday, March 26 BRIAN REGAN • Tennessee Theatre • 7:30 p.m. • Brian Regan has distinguished himself as one of the premier comedians in the country. Brian’s non-stop theater tour has visited more than 80 cities each year since 2005 and continues through 2015. It is the quality
CALENDAR of his material, relatable to a wide audience and revered by his peers, which continues to grow Brian’s fan base. The perfect balance of sophisticated writing and physicality, Brian Regan consistently fills theaters nationwide with fervent fans that span generations. • $46.50
town • 8 p.m. • March 6-22. Visit theatreknoxville.com. • $15
THEATRE AND DANCE
FOOTHILLS COMMUNITY PLAYERS: THE MISS FIRECRACKER CONTEST • Clayton Center for
Thursday, March 19 TENNESSEE STAGE COMPANY NEW PLAY FESTIVAL: I AM THE WAY • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 8 p.m. • TSC director Tom Parkhill directs Scott Strahan’s play about a man who ditches his dead-end job to become an Internet evangelist. March 6-22. Visit theatreknoxville.com. • $15
FOOTHILLS COMMUNITY PLAYERS: THE MISS FIRECRACKER CONTEST • Clayton Center for the Arts (Maryville) • 7:30 p.m. •
$10-$12
Friday, March 20 TENNESSEE STAGE COMPANY NEW PLAY FESTIVAL: I AM THE WAY • Theatre Knoxville Down-
the Arts (Maryville) • 7:30 p.m. • $10-$12
FIRECRACKER CONTEST • Clayton Center for the Arts (Maryville) • 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. • $10-$12
Sunday, March 22 TENNESSEE STAGE COMPANY NEW PLAY FESTIVAL: I AM THE WAY • Theatre Knoxville Down-
town • 3 p.m. • March 6-22. Visit theatreknoxville.com. • $15
FOOTHILLS COMMUNITY PLAYERS: THE MISS FIRECRACKER CONTEST • Clayton Center for
by Terry Silver-Alford. March 26-April 12. • $15
Friday, March 27 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘A SHAYNA MAIDEL’ •
Clarence Brown Theatre • 7:30 p.m. • March 26-April 12. • $15
KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘SHREK: THE MUSICAL JR.’ • Knoxville Children’s
the Arts (Maryville) • 2 p.m. • $10-$12
Theatre • 7 p.m. • Based on Disney’s blockbuster animation franchise. March 27-April 12. • $12
the Arts (Maryville) • 7 p.m. • $23-$43
Thursday, March 26
Saturday, March 28
Saturday, March 21
CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘A SHAYNA MAIDEL’ •
CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘A SHAYNA MAIDEL’ •
TANGO BUENOS AIRES • Clayton Center for
TENNESSEE STAGE COMPANY NEW PLAY FESTIVAL: I AM THE WAY • Theatre Knoxville Down-
town • 8 p.m. • March 6-22. Visit theatreknoxville.com. • $15
FOOTHILLS COMMUNITY PLAYERS: THE MISS
Clarence Brown Theatre • 7:30 p.m. • A powerful and deeply affecting portrait of a family in the aftermath of the Holocaust: two sisters, one a survivor of Nazi concentration camps, the other brought up as an American, meet in 1946 after a separation of almost 20 years. Directed
Clarence Brown Theatre • 7:30 p.m. • March 26-April 12. • $15
KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘SHREK: THE MUSICAL JR.’ • Knoxville Children’s
Theatre • 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. • March 27-April 12. • $12
March 19, 2015
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 31
CALENDAR Sunday, March 29 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘A SHAYNA MAIDEL’ • Clarence Brown Theatre • 2 p.m. • March 26-April 12. • $15
KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘SHREK: THE MUSICAL JR.’ • Knoxville Children’s
Theatre • 3 p.m. • March 27-April 12. • $12
FESTIVALS Friday, March 27 BIG EARS • Downtown Knoxville • Big
Ears is proud to be making its return in 2015 for another weekend of visionary music, exploratory art, and southern hospitality March 27, 28 and 29 in historic downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. The legendary Kronos Quartet – considered the most celebrated new music ensemble in the world – will serve as Artists-in-Residence for the 2015 event. Performances will be held at the Tennessee Theatre, the Bijou Theatre, the Standard, the Square Room, and Knoxville Museum of Art. • $65-$199.50
Saturday, March 28 BIG EARS • Downtown Knoxville •
Performances will be held at the Tennessee Theatre, the Bijou Theatre, the Standard, the Square Room, and Knoxville Museum of Art. • $65$199.50
Sunday, March 29 BIG EARS • Downtown Knoxville •
Performances will be held at the Tennessee Theatre, the Bijou Theatre, the Standard, the Square Room, and Knoxville Museum of Art. • $65$199.50
FILM SCREENINGS Sunday, March 22 THE PUBLIC CINEMA: L FOR LEISURE • Knoxville Museum of Art • 2 p.m. • In the early 1990s, a group of students spend a sunny vacation waterskiing, arguing, making love, and, most of all, talking. 32
KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 19, 2015
Thursday, March 19 - Sunday, March 29
They talk about everything from race wars to the skills of Michael Jordan to the philosophical implications of the end of time, as they hedonistically while away their youth. L for Leisure is a film steeped in early ’90s nostalgia. It is a dialogue-driven, evocative work that takes its inspiration from the oeuvre of Hal Hartley, Whit Stillman and Eric Rohmer, while also drawing heavily on the TV of the era, from Twin Peaks and The X-Files to Melrose Place and Baywatch. • Free
Monday, March 23 BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL WORLD TOUR •
Bijou Theatre • 7 p.m. • Join Blue Ridge Mountain Sports for The Banff Mountain Film Festival, one of the most prestigious mountain festivals in the world. The World Tour showcases award-winning films and audience favorites from over 400 communities around the world. Traveling from remote landscapes and cultures, to up close and personal with adrenaline-packed action sports, the tour is an exhilarating exploration and celebration of the spirit of adventure. There will be a collection of films chosen for the Knoxville event that will run around two hours with a half hour intermission. Intermission includes a raffle with great give-a-way prizes. • $15
ART A1 Lab Arts 23 Emory Place MARCH 6-28: • A Show of Hands: A Print
Exhibition From The Hand Magazine. A reception will be held on Thursday, March 19, from 6-9 p.m.
Downtown Gallery 106 S. Gay St.) MARCH 6-27: • Ruth Weisberg: Time and Again.
Emporium Center for Arts and Culture 100 S. Gay St. MARCH 6-29: • Knoxville Collects Yee-
Haw, a selection of Yee-Haw Industries prints collected and owned by Knoxville residents. (A reception will be held on
Thursday, March 19, from 6-9 p.m.) Also on display March 6-29: SGC International Member Exhibition; Approximate Exactitude: The Diagram and the Book, a collection of books and diagrams curated by Sarah Smith; and works by the University of Tennessee print faculty.
program features KAT director Dawn Distler discussing Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design by Charles Montgomery (March 18) and Knoxville attorney Wanda Sobieski discussing A Call to Action: Women, religion, violence and power by Jimmy Carter (April 15). • Free
Ewing Gallery 1715 Volunteer Blvd. MARCH 11-24: • CTRL+P: Printmaking in
Friday, March 20
the 21st Century by University of Tennessee Alumni
Knoxville Museum of Art 1050 World’s Fair Park Drive JAN. 30-APRIL 19: • LIFT: Contemporary
Printmaking in the Third Dimension and Contemporary Focus 2015. Ongoing: Higher Ground: A Century of the Visual Arts in Tennessee; Currents: Recent Art From East Tennessee and Beyond; and Facets of Modern and Contemporary Glass.
McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture 1327 Circle Park Drive JAN. 22-MAY 24: • Drawn From the
McClung Museum, an exhibition of work by 27 artists inspired by the McClung Museum collection. Ongoing: The Flora and Fauna of Catesby, Mason, and Audubon and Life on the Roman Frontier.
Pioneer House 413 S. Gay St. MARCH 19-31: • Pioneer Monsters, featur-
ing work by “Outlaw printmakerz” Tom Huck and Sean Starwars, and Tease It to Jesus: A Portfolio of Dolly Parton Prints, featuring work by John Hitchcock, Sage Perrott, Erika Adams, Kathryn and Andy Polk and Brett Anderson.
LECTURES, READINGS, AND BOOK SIGNINGS Wednesday, March 18
BOOKS SANDWICHED IN • East Tennessee History Center • Noon • Free • Knox County Public Library’s monthly book
KNOX HERITAGE LOST AND FOUND LUNCH • Knox Heritage • 11:30 a.m. • John Anderson, co-author of The Art of Loyd Branson: A Family Connection, will discuss the artist’s life and work. Register at hcook@knoxheritage.org or (865) 523-8008. • Free Tuesday, March 18 JOE PALCA: “EXPLAINING THE UNIVERSE IN TWO MINUTES OR LESS” • University of Tennes-
see College of Nursing • 8 p.m. • Award-winning NPR science correspondent Joe Palca presents the Annual Hill Lecture, presented by the School of Journalism & Electronic Media.
MEETINGS Monday, March 23 GAY MEN’S DISCUSSION GROUP • Tennessee
Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 7:30 p.m.-9 p.m. • We hold facilitated discussions on topics and issues relevant to local gay men in a safe and open environment. Visit gaygroupknoxville.org.
Wednesday, March 25 KNOXVILLE WRITERS’ GROUP • Naples Italian
Restaurant • 11 a..m.-1 p.m. • Internationally acclaimed Irish author Glenn Meade will talk about his latest book, The Last Witness: A Thriller. Meade’s books have been described as fast, sly and slick. All-inclusive lunch. RSVP by Monday, March 23. (865) 983-3740. • $12
ETC. Wednesday, March 18 SOUTHERN GRAPHICS COUNCIL INTERNATIONAL
CALENDAR PRINTMAKING CONFERENCE • Knoxville
Convention Center and the Univeristy of Tennessee • The SGC International Conference will include keynote addresses, panel sessions, technical demonstrations, a product fair and numerous exhibitions. Several events and exhibitions will be free and open to the public. Visit web.utk.edu/~sphere.
Thursday, March 19
numerous exhibitions. Several events and exhibitions will be free and open to the public. Visit web.utk.edu/~sphere.
SOUTHERN GRAPHICS COUNCIL INTERNATIONAL PRINTMAKING CONFERENCE • Knoxville
Friday, March 20
Convention Center and the Univeristy of Tennessee • The SGC International Conference will include keynote addresses, panel sessions, technical demonstrations, a product fair and
SOUTHERN GRAPHICS COUNCIL INTERNATIONAL PRINTMAKING CONFERENCE • Knoxville
Convention Center and the Univeristy of Tennessee • The SGC International Conference will include keynote addresses, panel sessions, technical demonstrations, a product fair and numerous exhibitions. Several events and exhibitions will be free and open to the public. Visit web.utk.edu/~sphere.
Saturday, March 21 SOUTHERN GRAPHICS COUNCIL INTERNATIONAL PRINTMAKING CONFERENCE • Knoxville
Photo by Eric Ryan Anderson
J. RODDY WALSTON AND THE BUSINESS
NEWS & EVENTS GOING ON ALL OVER KNOXVILLE & THE SURROUNDING AREAS.
Convention Center and the Univeristy of Tennessee • The SGC International Conference will include keynote addresses, panel sessions, technical demonstrations, a product fair and numerous exhibitions. Several events and exhibitions will be free and open to the public. Visit web.utk.edu/~sphere.
UT DAFFODIL SHOW • University of Tennessee • 1 p.m.-5 p.m. • Local craft and plant vendors. Call (865) 591-6774.
J. Roddy Walston and the Business with the Weeks
Sunday, March 22
and Sleepwalkers • Bijou Theatre (803 S. Gay St.) • Wednesday, March 25 • 7:30 p.m. • $18 • knoxbijou.com
UT DAFFODIL SHOW • University of Tennes-
Cleveland, Tenn., native J. Roddy Walston and his backing band, efficiently named the Business, have made their steady rise up through the music industry the old-fashioned way—incessant touring, a commitment to live performance, and gradually bigger venues every year. A decade into their career, after opening up for Shooter Jennings, Deer Tick, Lucero, and the Drive-By Truckers, the Business is now headlining theaters—with hardly any radio airplay or hip online press coverage. (They have had some effective sponsorship, like getting their song “Sweat Shock” in a Coors commercial last year and landing a song on the final season of Eastbound and Down.) This blue-collar approach suits the band’s classic rock-inspired music, driven by Walston’s boogie-woogie keyboards and a pounding rhythm section. Imagine the space in between the Black Crowes, circa 1991, and the Black Keys and you’ll have a pretty good idea what to expect. (Matthew Everett)
YOUR BEST SOURCE FOR
see • 1 p.m.-5 p.m. • Local craft and plant vendors. Call (865) 591-6774.
Wednesday, March 25 ROCKIN’ THE RUNWAY • Scruffy City Hall • 6 p.m. • A collage of local fashion and local music all for the benefit of a great cause. The admission for the event will be $10 dollars at the door (Donate more if you would like). All proceeds will be going to The Joy Of Music Youth Music School. Featuring music by Josiah Atchley and the Greater Good, Shaun Abbot, CiCi Teasley, and Lucy Weaver. • $10
March 19, 2015
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 33
CALENDAR THE LONG VIEW
MONDAY, APRIL 20 AER • Bijou Theatre • 8 p.m. • $15/$18
18 and up
THURSDAY, APRIL 23 HOME FREE • Bijou Theatre • 8 p.m. •
The International • 7:30 p.m. • $25/$28 day of the show • All ages
day of the show
A guide to upcoming major concerts.
$30-$100
TUESDAY, MARCH 31 THE WAR ON DRUGS WITH HOP ALONG • Bijou
TUESDAY, APRIL 14 HINDER • The International • 7 p.m. •
Theatre • 8 p.m. • $27.50
$20/$25 day of the show • All ages
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1 BILL ORCUTT • Pilot Light • 10 p.m. • $10 •
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15 ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA • Bijou Theatre • 8 p.m.
18 and up
• $29.50-$75
FRIDAY, APRIL 3 EOTO WITH ILL.GATES • The International • 9
THURSDAY, APRIL 16 SIR RICHARD BISHOP WITH ROBERT MILLIS • Pilot
SATURDAY, APRIL 4 THE ATLAS MOTH WITH GENERATION OF VIPERS •
LOTUS WITH ZOOGMA • The International • 8 p.m. • $22-$30 • 18 and up
p.m. • $10-$20 • 18 and up
The International • 7 p.m. • $8-$12 • 18 and up
FRIDAY, APRIL 10-SUNDAY, APRIL 12 RHYTHM N’ BLOOMS MUSIC FESTIVAL • Various
venues in the Old City and downtown • $60-$125
The International • 6 p.m. • $22/$25 day of the show • All ages
SATURDAY, APRIL 25 ELIZABETH COOK • The Shed at Smoky
Mountain Harley-Davidson (Maryville) • 8 p.m. • $15-$20
TUESDAY, APRIL 28 IN THIS MOMENT WITH UPON A BURNING BODY AND BUTCHER BABIES • The International • 6 p.m.
Light • 10 p.m. • 18 and up
• $20-$50 • All ages
FRIDAY, APRIL 17 THE BLACK CADILLACS WITH SOL CAT AND JOHNNY ASTRO AND THE BIG BANG • 8 p.m. • $15/$17
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29 BIG SEAN • The International • 8 p.m. • $25-$70 • 18 and up
day of the show
FRIDAY, MAY 1 CRIZZLY WITH ANTISERUM AND LAXX • THE INTERNATIONAL • 9 p.m. • $15-$35 •
SATURDAY, APRIL 18 ERICK BAKER • Bijou Theatre • 8 p.m. • $25
Photo by David McClister
Photo by Dusdin Condren
THE WAR ON DRUGS
FRIDAY, APRIL 24 TESTAMENT WITH EXODUS AND SHATTERED SUN •
34
KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 19, 2015
DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS (RHYTHM N’ BLOOMS)
SATURDAY, MAY 2 THE WEIGHT: HONORING THE MUSIC OF THE BAND •
SUNDAY, MAY 3 LECRAE WITH ANDY MINEO AND DJ PROMOTE •
Knoxville Civic Coliseum • 7 p.m. • $28-$105
PAPA ROACH WITH WE ARE HARLOT • The International • 7 p.m. • $27.50-$50 • 18 and up TUESDAY, MAY 5 JASON BONHAM’S LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE •
Bijou Theatre • 8 p.m. • $39-$101.50 SLIPKNOT WITH HATEBREED • Knoxville Civic Coliseum • 8 p.m. • $63 RICK SPRINGFIELD • Tennessee Theatre • 8 p.m. • $39.50-$225
WEDNESDAY, MAY 6 THE DOOBIE BROTHERS • Tennessee Theatre •
8 p.m. • $69.50-$79.50
THURSDAY, MAY 7 NEEDTOBREATHE WITH BEN RECTOR, DREW
CALENDAR HOLCOMB AND THE NEIGHBORS, AND COLONY HOUSE • 7 p.m. • $24-$44
FRIDAY, MAY 8 MARILYN MANSON • THE INTERNATIONAL • 8 P.M. • SOLD OUT • 18 AND UP SATURDAY, MAY 9 BLACK JACKET SYMPHONY: HOTEL CALIFORNIA • Bijou Theatre • 8 p.m. • $27.50
JASON ISBELL • The Shed at Smoky
Mountain Harley-Davidson (Maryville) • 8 p.m. • $20-$25
TUESDAY, MAY 12 CHELSEA GRIN WITH THE WORD ALIVE, LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES, AND SYLAR • The International • 6 p.m. • $17/$20 day of the show • All ages
JENNY LEWIS WITH NIKKI LANE • BIJOU THEATRE • 8 P.M. • $25 SATURDAY, MAY 16 SHOOTER JENNINGS • The Shed at Smoky
Mountain Harley-Davidson (Maryville) • 8 p.m. • $20-$25
MY MORNING JACKET • Tennessee Theatre • 8 p.m. • SOLD OUT
SUNDAY, MAY 17 OF MONTREAL WITH ICKY BLOSSOMS • The
International • 6:30 p.m. • $15-$20 • All ages
TUESDAY, MAY 19 JEFF DANIELS AND THE BEN DANIELS BAND • Bijou Theatre • 7:30 p.m. • $29.50/$34.50 day of the show
SATURDAY, MAY 23 SHERYL CROW • Tennessee Theatre • 8 p.m. • $70.50-$90.50
SUNDAY, MAY 31 ST. VINCENT WITH SARAH NEUFELD • Tennessee Theatre • 8 p.m. • $34.50
SATURDAY, JUNE 6 LEON RUSSELL • The Shed at Smoky
Mountain Harley-Davidson (Maryville) • 8 p.m. • $20-$25
8 p.m. • $20-$25
SATURDAY, JUNE 27 RAY WYLIE HUBBARD • The Shed at Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson • 8 p.m. • $15-$20
SATURDAY, JULY 11 UNKNOWN HINSON • The Shed at Smoky
Mountain Harley-Davidson (Maryville) • 8 p.m. • $20-$25
SATURDAY, JULY 18 DRIVIN’ N CRYIN’ • The Shed at Smoky
Mountain Harley-Davidson (Maryville) • 8 p.m. • $15-$20
MONDAY, JULY 27 DIANA KRALL • Tennessee Theatre • 8 p.m. • $64.50-$84.50
SATURDAY, AUG. 1 BLACKBERRY SMOKE • The Shed at Smoky
Help Build the Mercury Calendar! Well, there’s the new Knoxville Mercury entertainment
Mountain Harley-Davidson (Maryville) • 8 p.m. • $30-$35
calendar. It’s a work in progress—let us know what you’re
FRIDAY, AUG. 7 “WEIRD AL” YANKOVIC • Tennessee Theatre •
playing, etc. so we can make this the biggest, most
8 p.m. • $39.50-$59.50
SATURDAY, SEPT. 5 THE KENTUCKY HEADHUNTERS • The Shed at Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson (Maryville) • 8 p.m. • $15-$20
SATURDAY, SEPT. 12 STURGILL SIMPSON • The Shed at Smoky
Mountain Harley-Davidson (Maryville) • 8 p.m. • $20-$25
SATURDAY, SEPT. 19 CODY CANADA AND THE DEPARTED • The Shed at
Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson (Maryville) • 8 p.m. • $15-$20
SUNDAY, NOV. 1 YOUNG THE GIANT WITH WILDLING • Tennessee
Theatre • 8 p.m. • $28
producing, staging, performing, promoting, exhibiting, accurate, most comprehensive guide to cool and enriching stuff to do in Knoxville. Send info about your events, or events you want to support, to calendar@knoxmercury.com or visit our website at knoxvillemercury.com/events/community/add. Include the name of the event, a short description, date, time, location, and details about any admission costs or age restrictions, if there are any. Please don’t submit listings for events outside the Knoxville metro area, sectarian religious events, for-profit classes, bar or restaurant specials, school reunions, or karaoke. The deadline for submissions is Thursday at noon, a week before the issue you want the listing to appear in. (We’ll be flexible for now.)
Thanks!
SATURDAY, JUNE 20 BILLY JOE SHAVER • The Shed at Smoky
Mountain Harley-Davidson (Maryville) • March 19, 2015
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 35
FOOD & DRINK
Sips and Shot s
Hoppy Horse Blackhorse’s brew cocktails win the race BY ROSE KENNEDY
T
he Blackhorse Pub and Brewery is a bit like an English pub. The bar itself is made of hefty, gleaming wood, set off in low lighting, with a mirror behind a half-dozen taps. The neighbors from the mansions in nearby Sequoyah Hills sit on stools next to lawn guys and one or two women with careful make-up, most everyone in T-shirts or flannel shirts and well-worn jeans on this Sunday afternoon. But I’m here for a very un-pub like experience, the mere mention of which would get me hooted out of one of Andy Capp’s hangouts. I’m sampling Blackhorse beer cocktails, where they mix one of their signature ales with ingredients like simple syrup or lime or Frangelico.
I’ve been directed to speak with bartender Jessica Stewart—she and manager Buffy Dove devoted one memorable lunch shift to creating the beer-cocktail menu. “We just put stuff together, decided what tasted good,” Stewart says. “Towards the end, we both got a little toasty.” Stewart came to bartending in that roundabout way that produces some of the best, starting as a server at the original Blackhorse, in Clarksville, in 2009, while studying elementary education at Austin Peay State University. When a bartender job came up, she learned how to bartend. And when the Clarksville outfit opened a second spot—its only offshoot—here in Knoxville, she came here. She’s got
For my taste, I already love the simple genius mix of Vanilla Cream Ale and Coal Miner Stout … It’s a rush of crisp vanilla intertwined with a very cold spring-water sensation and just the lightest hint of toasted barley at the end.
36
KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 19, 2015
two other jobs, working Web tech for Whirlpool and also for Title Boxing Club off North Peters Road. But she’s first and foremost a bartender. I can tell by the way her eyes light up when she describes shaking cocktails, in two shakers held together: “Really fast.” And she knows those born-to-bartend things, offering them up in that clear and friendly fashion so favored by winning contestants on Jeopardy (who often turn out to tend bar). First thing she has to straighten me out on is the name. I’m thinking “wine-tails,” those fairly pretentious beverages that were the rage years back. I wrote about them once, including a centuries-old recipe for red wine and cream syllabub still being served in Colonial Williamsburg. “Do we call these beer-tails?” No, no. “We’ve haven’t ever made that nickname for them,” Stewart says, in a tone so diplomatic I fleetingly wish her fourth job was in politics. Other fun facts about beer cocktails: They are not particularly low in alcohol. “When you’re using beer as a mixer, it adds more alcohol content. With the Matador, for example, you’re getting Patron and an ale in one drink.” They don’t use ice. Just the chilled beer gets the temperature to the right spot. Most intriguing, beer cocktails are not at all a matter of “like one, like them all.” “You’re trying to catch different tastes while incorporating beer as an ingredient,” Stewart says. “If someone liked bourbon, I might suggest the Weissen Sour with its bourbon and Blackhorse ale. For a girly drinker, the Cream Soda, which has Stoli Vanilla and Vanilla Cream Ale.” For my taste, I already love the simple genius mix of Vanilla Cream Ale and Coal Miner Stout. I first sampled it at Brewers’ Jam 2013 at the hands of Stewart’s co-worker, who will be known for now as Local Poker Master Chris Estes. It’s a rush of crisp vanilla intertwined with a very cold spring-water sensation and just the lightest hint of toasted barley at the end. Stewart’s favorite is the Sweet Red, a mix of Vanilla Cream Ale and Barnstormer Red. “It tastes like
BLACKHORSE PUB 429 Kingston Pike, 865-249-8511 Mon.–Thurs.: 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Fri. & Sat.: 11 a.m.–12 a.m. Sun.: 10 a.m.–10 p.m.
cereal,” she says. I’m guessing that’s a compliment, not a reference to Apple Jacks, and give it a gulp. It’s malty, not sweet as much as smooth, maybe with the tiniest hint of a Honey Crisp apple flavor in the finish. I would have another any time. I also try a Matador, wholesome and fresh with strawberry puree and fresh basil—not at all sticky. Stewart doesn’t recommend it for the home mixologist because grocery basil costs so much. But she shares her Kiss o’ Honey recipe: Place a half-ounce of Hendrick’s Gin into a highball glass. Squeeze in the juice from half a lemon, add a tablespoon of honey. “Give it a medium stir, like you’d stir sugar into tea,” she says. Top with 12-14 ounces of Blackhorse Ale. One last tip, one last smile: “If you pour it into the center of the glass instead, it will distribute more evenly. “That’s how it tastes the best.”
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY 37
’BYE
Sacred & P rofane
The Path Not Taken Recalling a wintry scene before the thaw BY DONNA JOHNSON
A
s dusk casts magical shadows beneath barren winter trees, I walk my solitary way to the KAT bus station for a journey west. While waiting for the number 11 bus, I watch, transfixed, as a family of four interact with one another. Two little girls are bundled up in pink furry coats and thick purple mittens—a toddler and her sister of perhaps age 5. They stare delightedly as the golden lights of the bus station revolve round and round, showing arrivals and departures. The toddler tries without success to catch the moving numbers. The older girl just laughs with wonder, every so often looking up at her mother to see if she is witnessing the magic, too. The mother and father talk to one another, but their eyes rarely leave their children. It is 19 degrees out and we are bundled up like Eskimos. Dusk is a mysterious time, when there seems to be a kind of hum underlying the sounds of the city, like the deep rumble of a whale gliding through the ocean. I watch my shadow lengthen and wonder which one is more real—my physical body or its
shadow. The bus arrives and we trudge on, grateful for the warmth inside. Just before the older sister gets on, she looks at her reflection in the window and does a little dance, while the cherubic toddler runs and manages to climb onto the seat herself. She succeeds, and I think: She will be a warrior, a leader. Their mother is beautiful, her collar pulled high on her neck; she has sculpted cheekbones and an innate dignity that needs no confirmation from others. The husband and wife seem to be so united—like a pair of eyes that never stray, one from the other. They get off at a Church of Christ on Kingston Pike and I realize they are going to a Wednesday night prayer meeting. They hold hands going into the church and I am envious, while knowing deep down that a traditional family life is not for me. I would make an irresponsible parent, and I’m not much good at marriage either. I am pretty much inadequate at following rules altogether. My route is a different one, often solitary, almost always misunderstood
BY MATTHEW FOLTZ-GRAY
38
KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 19, 2015
by others, and always away from the beaten path. You might say it’s my vocation. My best friend, John, whom I am going to visit, tells me I am a freak of nature. I like that. As I enter his apartment on the 12th floor of his subsidized apartment complex, the wind howls outside. I tell him about my experience on the bus as the wind moans and he makes no comment. We look at one another, then away, the two of us gazing at the darkness outside. John arrives and we are soon all having shots of whiskey to brave out the cold, which seeps through the window. We listen to Eminem, we listen to Bach fugues, we listen to Gregorian chants, and, finally, we dance riotously to Donna Summer’s “Last Dance.” David suddenly becomes pensive. “Do you wonder why other people seem to be so normal and we are so damned crazy?” “Maybe because we are such drunks?” asks John. We laugh and high-five each other, but really, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be, this drinking thing. All of us are in and out AA. In and out of sobriety. In and out of self-destructive patterns, valiant efforts to “behave,” and repeated failures. “It’s really not that much fun anymore, is it?” David says in a sober moment. “The hangovers, the chemicals, the throwing up and the wondering why we do it. Again and again and again.”
“Not to mention the expense,” adds John. This conversation is making me uncomfortable, but John and David finally crash out so I rush to catch the last bus back downtown. Large snowflakes freeze on top of my head and I get on the bus wearing a lace veil of snow. The KAT driver and I nod to one another and I go to the back of the bus. The only passenger besides me is a drunk man, half asleep, clutching a bottle of booze next to his chest as though it were his lifeline. Perhaps it is. Having had a few too many myself I fall asleep and awaken to the sound of the bus-driver calling me: “Ma’am, ma’am. You have to get off now. You’re at the end of the line.” It is such an effort to wake up that I want to beg the driver just let me curl up there on the bus seat and sleep until morning. But I gather the fragments of myself together, try to muster up some dignity, and walk the long blocks towards 4th and Gill. It is a relief to be back in my neighborhood, in my own skin, in my own apartment. Before I even get inside the door, a mass of fur leaps at my chest, nearly knocking me down. It is my ever-faithful dog, Mallory. She twirls around with glee at seeing me, then growls as if to say, “Where the hell have you been?” We huddle together on the couch and fall asleep into a peaceful slumber, as the wind rattles the window on a frozen winter night.
Crooked Street Crossword
’BYE
BY IAN BLACKBURN AND JACK NEELY
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY 39
Big League Productions, Inc.
PRESENTS
“The show that defines Broadway dazzle!” –The New York Times
GUYS AND DOLLS
Music & Lyrics by FRANK LOESSER
Book by JO SWERLING & ABE BURROWS
FRIDAY, APRIL 3 • 8PM SATURDAY, APRIL 4 • 2PM & 8PM www.guysanddollsontour.com
also upcoming:
LEWIS BLACK • 5/3 RICK SPRINGFIELD • 5/5 THE DOOBIE BROTHERS • 5/6 BROADWAY AT THE TENNESSEE: RAT PACK IS BACK • 5/8 - 5/9
www.TennesseeTheatre.com
Tickets available at the Tennessee Theatre box office, Ticketmaster.com and by phone at 800-745-3000.