Issue 8 - April 30, 2015 by Knoxville Mercury

APRIL 30, 2015 KNOXMERCURY.COM

WE FINALLY GOT SESQUICENTENNIAL FEVER!

1 / N.8

The first and biggest memorial to America’s worst maritime disaster is in South Knoxville. And nobody knows about it. BY JACK NEELY

NEWS

SCRUFFY CITIZEN

MUSIC

FOOD

Yet More Walmarts On the Way

A Civil War Stroll Downtown

The CrumbSnatchers’ Reckless Abandon

South Knox Gets a Food Co-Op

Sesquicentennial Spree The Civil War sesquicentennial--that word for a 150th anniversary we’ve been struggling to pronounce the last four years--concludes this weekend, with perhaps the biggest Civil War celebration we’ll ever see in Knoxville. Historian Carroll Van West, co-chair of the sesquicentennial commission; Roots actor Ben Vereen; and Purdue scholar Carolyn Janney, whose provocative book Remembering the Civil War throws a little cold water on the notion that the blue and gray ever actually reconciled. Ron Maxwell, director of three major motion pictures about the Civil War, notably Gettysburg (1993), will speak at the Blue & Gray Reunion Dinner Friday night and at UT’s McClung Museum Sunday afternoon, including some screenings of his films. A panel discussion on Friday afternoon will convene four Civil War scholars, including Tracy McKenzie, author of Lincolnites and Rebels, the most comprehensive look at life in Knoxville during the war; civil-rights scholar Bobby L. Lovett; UT Professor Luke Harlow; and Todd Groce, president of the George Historical Society, and former executive director of the East Tennessee Historial Society.

The four-day Blue & Gray Reunion and Freedom Jubilee is a veritable Civil War festival, a combination of a long-delayed local observance of the 150th anniversary of the Knoxville campaign, and the statewide Tennessee Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission’s “Reconstruction Tennessee” eﬀort, of which this is a “signature” statewide event. The commemoration is free to the public, and promises to be memorable. If you’re even slightly interested in any part of the war--frankly, even if you’re not--you’ll find something appealing about this weekend.

There will of course be exhibits and tours of historic homes, visible battlements, and cemeteries, including several unfamiliar to most and rarely toured. There will be a concert by the famous Fisk Jubilee Singers. And for extreme-sports fans, there will be an 1864-rules no-gloves “base ball” double header--with rules even older than those the intrepid vintage base-ball Holstons usually play by.

There will be dedications: a plaque for General Sanders at the place where he died in November, 1863: the Lamar House / Bĳou Theatre. He was one of the Union’s newest brigadier generals, and the only Southern-born Union general to die in combat. There will also be a Sunday-afternoon rededication of the 99-year-old Sultana monument in South Knoxville, to be attended by descendents of survivors of that 1865 steamboat explosion, still the worst maritime disaster in U.S. history.

Perhaps the weekend’s most surprising event is sponsored by the Historic Gaming Club of Knoxville: a “Battle in Miniature,” at the East Tennessee History Center on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Orlando Poe and O.E. Babcock at Fort Sanders in Knoxville, Tennessee, photographed March 21, 1864. Courtesy of Calvin Chappelle, Executive Director, Mabry-Hazen House & Bethel

And there are speakers, like the novelist David Madden, of the U.S. Civil War Center, who wrote a novel, Sharpshooter, about the Knoxville campaign; Tennessee State

The Beck Cultural Exchange Center will host several events commemorating the First U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery, who played a significant role in Knoxville’s Union occupation, on Saturday at 11:30, featuring Dr. Frank Smith, executive director of the African American Civil War Memorial and Museum in Washington. The role black troops played in Knoxville’s Civil War history has only recently been appreciated.

Cemetery, and Chairman, Knox County Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission.

There’s a whole lot more. For more specific information,

see EastTNhistory.org/BlueGray

Suggested Reading about Knoxville in the Civil War Divided Loyalties, by Dr. Digby G. Seymour, is the most accessible guide to the war, richly illustrated with photos and maps. Lincolnites and Rebels, by Tracy McKenzie, examines life in Knoxville throughout the war. The Knoxville Campaign: Burnside and Longstreet in East Tennessee, by Earl J. Hess, is the most exhaustive single-volume history of the military aspects of the war, especially the Confederate Siege of Knoxville in November, 1863.

The Knoxville History Project, a new nonprofit organization devoted to the promotion of and education about the history of Knoxville, presents this page each week to raise awareness of the themes, personalities, and stories of our unique city. Learn more on www.facebook.com/knoxvillehistoryproject • email jack@knoxhistoryproject.org 2

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 30, 2015

April 30, 2015 Volume 01 / Issue 08 knoxmercury.com “It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.” —Confucius

14 The Sultana’s Secret COVER STORY

For many years, the only memorial to the sinking of the troop-carrying riverboat Sultana on April 27, 1865, was in a cemetery off Maryville Pike. It’s there because hundreds of the men who died on that boat, and dozens who survived, were on their way to the Knoxville area. By most accounts, almost a quarter of the passengers on the Sultana, and about a quarter of the dead, were members of the Third Tennessee Cavalry, and most of those were from East Tennessee. Jack Neely recounts the tale of the worst maritime disaster in American history, and Knoxville’s place in it.

NEWS

12 Awash in Walmarts

The sinking of the Sultana was the impetus for the founding of the Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection & Insurance Company, which commissioned (and provided) our cover painting of the fateful event.

DEPARTMENTS

OPINION

A&E

4 6

Howdy Start Here: Ghost Signs by Bud Ries, Believe It or Knox!, Public Affairs, Quote Factory. PLUS: Words With … Linda Parris-Bailey ’Bye Finish There: Restless Native by Chris Wohlwend, Crooked Street Crossword by Ian Blackburn and Jack Neely, Spirit of the Staircase by Matthew Foltz-Gray

10 11

The Scruffy Citizen Jack Neely takes a stroll to some of downtown Knoxville’s Civil War-era buildings. Perspectives Joe Sullivan reports on the fundraising effort to improve Lakeshore Park. Possum City Eleanor Scott experiences the playful politics of the Cattywampus Puppet Council.

South Knox

As local preservationists work overtime to save Broadway’s Howard house from being demolished for a new Walmart, the same developer has other Walmarts in the works for the Knoxville area. S. Heather Duncan looks at how they may fit into the landscape and what the next steps are from the city’s perspective.

On the Cover

Letters

36 New Co-Op for

21 22 23 24 25

South Knoxville suddenly has its very own food co-op at the newly opened and straightforwardly named So.Kno Food Co-Op Neighborhood Market. Who got it off the ground? Rose Kennedy talks with proprietor Willa Essie about her vision for the new enterprise.

CALENDAR Program Notes An update on the Knoxville Jazz Festival. Inside the Vault Eric Dawson uncovers new wave music from 1980s Knoxville band Video. Art Photographer Phil Savage discovers unique vantage points on Knoxville.

Spotlights: Brewhibition, the Doobie Brothers, 75 Dollar Bill

FOOD & DRINK

Dirt to Fork Rose Kennedy checks in on the newly opened So.Kno Food Co-Op Neighborhood Market.

Classical Alan Sherrod reviews Knox Opera’s Il Trovatore. Movies April Snellings likes Ex Machina’s old-school suspense. Music The CrumbSnatchers rock all over the place.

April 30, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 3

LETTERS Delivering Fine Journalism Since 2015

UNSURE COLOR PALETTE

Congratulations on a wonderful job of designing a new newspaper that is interesting and lively. You are making good choices of graphics and photos and I like the layout. It certainly looks a lot like that other paper that Scripps bought and killed, but is distinctive enough to be recognizably not the Metro Pulse. That said, I hope you will reconsider the extensive use of soft pastel tones for both type faces and text background fields. They make parts of the paper hard to read and especially hard to scan. In poor lighting conditions (too dim, too bright, or glare) they can be really hard to read. In addition to their poor readability, this color palette makes the entire paper seem a little soft/hesitant/unsure of itself. These colors convey the antithesis of bold/ vibrant/exciting/self-assured/dynamic. As an “older” reader, I may be particularly sensitive to the weak contrast of the pastel print and backgrounds. But, my guess is you have a lot of older readers. Thanks for listening and for the great work you and your colleagues are doing. Chris Hill Knoxville Art Director Tricia Bateman responds: Thanks so much for your feedback. I agree, our ink coverage is looking light. A bit about our printing process: It is not my intention to use pastels at all. My colors are much bolder on our office

printer and the ink setups I’m using are full strength. Unfortunately, it’s very hard to coax strong colors out of newsprint on a web press. Color combinations that I feel confident about after 20 years of design with coated paper are looking lighter on newspaper. I’ve been in touch with our printer about deepening the ink coverage so all colors get a darker. The catch is that photos will become too dark to see or ink from one page will rub off on the opposite page. It’s a give and take. We’re working on a lighter color profile for images that will allow us to have heavier ink coverage on the press and hopefully bring those pastels closer to the bold tints we intend. An immediate step we’ve taken is to go one step bolder with our body copy typeface. That did help readability for the longer portions of the copy. In the meantime, I’ll be more careful across the board with use of color in text, too.

LOOKING FOR BACK ISSUES

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Your revitalization of the now defunct Metro Pulse is absolutely wonderful! I was quite distraught when I learned the news that my liberal fixation—that being the Metro Pulse— was to cease publication. However, I am elated to have it back—so to speak—in Knoxville Mercury. Alas, I missed the first three issues. Now I want the back issues! Again, thank you, and keep up the brilliant work! Chad Sexton Knoxville

Our print rep has been very helpful working with us on beefing up colors. While this is a print of a photo of prints, it may give you a sense of the difference between how we set up the boldest colors possible and they lighten up on press due to the nature of newsprint.

Ed. Note: We restocked every branch of the Knox County Public Library with our first issue, so you might be able to find physical copies at your local library. Meanwhile, we’ve started posting facsimile editions online at Issuu. (Side note: Check out the covers online to see just how vibrant the original colors are.) You can find them at: issuu.com/knoxvillemercury.

CASADA’S CONUNDRUM

Quote Factory, page 5, April 9, 2015, lists Republican Caucus Chairman Glen Casada’s, R-Franklin, response to a reporter’s question regarding the “guns-in-parks” bill and the possibility of shooting accidents involving children in parks. Mr. Casada replied, “There’s accidents with bicycles in parks, should we outlaw bicycles?” Perhaps Mr. Casada should refrain from commenting on guns, bicycles, parks, or anything until he is able to construct a grammatically correct sentence. Terry Wertz Knoxville

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR GUIDELINES • Letter submissions should include a verifiable name, address, and phone number. We do not print anonymous letters. • We much prefer letters that address issues that pertain specifically to Knoxville or to stories we’ve published. • We don’t publish letters about personal disputes or how you didn’t like your waiter at that restaurant. • Letters are usually published in the order that we receive them. Send your letters to:

EDITORIAL EDITOR

Coury Turczyn coury@knoxmercury.com SENIOR EDITOR

Matthew Everett matthew@knoxmercury.com CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Jack Neely jack@knoxhistoryproject.org STAFF WRITER

S. Heather Duncan heather@knoxmercury.com CONTRIBUTORS

Chris Barrett Ian Blackburn Patrice Cole Eric Dawson George Dodds Lee Gardner Mike Gibson Carey Hodges Nick Huinker Donna Johnson Rose Kennedy

Dennis Perkins Stephanie Piper Ryan Reed Eleanor Scott Alan Sherrod April Snellings Joe Sullivan Kim Trevathan Joe Tarr William Warren Chris Wohlwend

DESIGN ART DIRECTOR

Tricia Bateman tricia@knoxmercury.com GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Charlie Finch Corey McPherson CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

David Luttrell Shawn Poynter Justin Fee Tyler Oxendine CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS

Ben Adams Matthew Foltz-Gray

ADVERTISING PUBLISHER & DIRECTOR OF SALES

Charlie Vogel charlie@knoxmercury.com SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Scott Hamstead scott@knoxmercury.com Stacey Pastor stacey@knoxmercury.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Christopher Black chris@knoxmercury.com

BUSINESS DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Jerry Collins jerry@knoxmercury.com

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 30, 2015

distribution@knoxmercury.com 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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HOWDY

GHOST SIGNS BY BUD RIES

The old Knoxville Paper Box Company building on West Magnolia is now home to Knox Rail Salvage, another business that carries on the time-honored tradition of painting signs by hand.

QUOTE FACTORY “ I am concerned that an unintended consequence may be operational challenges for local leaders in managing their parks in a safe, effective and consistent manner.” —Gov. Bill Haslam in a letter to Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey and House Speaker Beth Harwell explaining his decision to sign the guns-in-parks bill. Fortunately, legislators won’t have to worry about permit-holders going armed in the statehouse—that amendment got nixed.

4/30 BLUE & GRAY REUNION AND FREEDOM JUBILEE THURSDAY

All through the weekend, all over town. Civil War Sesquicentennial fever reaches its hottest point this weekend as the city hosts a variety of events, along with a special commemoration of the 1st U.S. (Colored) Heavy Artillery regiment at the Beck Cultural Exchange Center at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Other activities include a Blue & Gray Reunion Dinner, a Freedom Jubilee, a Peace Jubilee, and plenty more through May 3. See schedule at: easttnhistory.org/BlueGray. 6

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 30, 2015

5/1 CITY PEOPLE DOWNTOWN HOME TOUR 5/2 WHO IS THIS MAN? 5:30-8 p.m., downtown. $15. Entering its 30th year, City People’s Downtown Home Tour shakes things up by moving from the fall to spring. And it’s expanding to two days, running through Saturday. Crazy! Or maybe not—the tours of 13 homes will coincide with the city at its best: First Friday and the Market Square Farmers’ Market, opening its new season on Saturday. Info: citypeoplehometour.org

BY Z. HERACLITUS KNOX The Fort Sanders neighborhood and hospital network is named for Union officer William Sanders, only 30 years old, who had just been commissioned a brigadier general by President Lincoln when he was killed during the siege of Knoxville. Born in Kentucky, raised in Mississippi, he was the ONLY UNION GENERAL FROM THE SOUTH KILLED IN THE WAR! Originally buried in the old Second Presbyterian graveyard on Market Street, Gen. Sanders’ grave was moved in the early 1900s, before the construction of the Arnstein Building. However, the site of his reburial was not publicized, and FOR MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY, SANDERS’ GRAVE WAS MISSING! A government-issue Sanders gravestone finally turned up in the National Cemetery in Chattanooga, A CITY WITH WHICH HE HAD NO KNOWN ASSOCIATION. By a strange set of circumstances, Knoxville successfully defended itself from both Confederate and Union assaults IN THE SAME YEAR. Both resulted in deaths and casualties. However, in between those two events, the Union army occupied the city WITHOUT FIRING A SHOT!

PUBLIC AFFAIRS

FRIDAY

Believe It or Knox!

SATURDAY

7 p.m.-9:30 p.m., Holly’s Corner (842 N. Central St.). Free. The late Ali Akbar was one of Knoxville’s true characters and great artists. He’s being remembered in this retrospective exhibit of his work curated by R.B. Morris, Eric Sublett, and Bill McGowan. McGowan will also be presenting his new book, The Ali Files: On The Town With Ali Akbar, about Akbar’s penchant for adventure. Plus: videos by Sublett, David McGowan, and Rus Harper.

5/3 LUCAS RICHMAN’S CHAMBER FINALE SUNDAY

2:30 p.m., Bijou Theatre. $11-$31.50 Our departing maestro begins his farewell tour, featuring Schuman’s Symphony No. 5 (Symphony for Strings), Strauss’ Serenade, Brahms’ Serenade No. 1, Op. 11, D Major.

HOWDY WORDS WITH ...

Linda Parris-Bailey BY ROSE KENNEDY Linda Parris-Bailey—playwright-in-residence, executive director, and artistic director of the Carpetbag Theatre—recently received a 2015 Doris Duke Performing Artist Award in Theatre. The ensemble is currently touring her 2012 work, Speed Killed My Cousin. The story of a young, African-American female veteran of the Iraq War, it was heavily influenced by Parris-Bailey’s own cousin returning from the Vietnam war when she was a middle-schooler.

What does the award include?

It’s $275,000 over the course of three years, in different forms. The total package includes an unrestricted grant of $225,000, some development money, and something towards a retirement fund, which is a new idea.

You didn’t apply for it?

No, you are nominated. It wasn’t anything I could anticipate. They did not share the process, they simply called me and asked me if I would accept it.

What was your first thought when you got the call?

I thought, “Are you kidding?” The caller was unfamiliar to me and did not identify herself, so I had questions. Then she put the director on, who I’ve known many years, and that kind of confirmed that yes, this is actually happening. I didn’t actually say, “Are you kidding?” I just tried to catch my breath and keep from crying. This kind of recognition is not something you anticipate.

Who is the most proud of you for winning this award?

My family. The ensemble would be second, and everyone else would be third. My family—my husband, my children—has seen the work that has gone into the ensemble. The writing, the producing, the touring and promotion. The ensemble knows its role in any individual award I receive and that role is tremendous. My mother passed in November and I think she would be extremely proud. I know she is.

Does it include funds for you to perform, or only write?

It is for creative exploration. How that plays out, what that means, I really don’t know at this time.

It will benefit me and it will benefit the company. The nice thing about the fellowship is you get to decide what to do with it—with grants, you are restricted to doing what you applied for.

Do you have to give money back if you don’t use it?

Let’s put it this way: I’ve never left any grant money on the table and I plan to use it all. It willAA-B2B_2015-BLISS-4.625x5.25.indd benefit projects I’ve dreamed about and not been able to explore—these are the kind of things I probably will be able to do.

3/27/15 3:55 PM

What is the biggest impact Speed Killed My Cousin had on you?

I think we all have a story that we have to figure out how to tell. I think Speed allowed me to make that story useful. For me, coming of age when I did during the Vietnam war, having this life and family event when my cousin returned home from that war. It changed so much, changed so many people in my young life, with war as the change agent. To be allowed to talk about that as a first person through a character is what I found satisfying and useful. It enabled me to make some attempt at healing from it. The play also addresses PTSD as a moral injury. What happens to us when we do something that is so opposed to our own moral code that we can’t recover?

Do you have a new writing project in mind? Something is bubbling, but only just bubbling. I will see what it will take to pursue it. In June, I will go to NYC with the other fellowship recipients to do some planning for the period of the fellowship, and I will definitely be taking an idea with me.

April 30, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 7

SCRUFFY CITIZEN

A Sesquicentennial Stroll Downtown might not seem a Civil War attraction in itself. But if you’re looking for landmarks, you can find them. BY JACK NEELY

city as divided as Knoxville is obliged to be polite. Hence there’s never been a Civil War monument downtown. The monuments on the Knox County Courthouse lawn reflect only the pioneer era and the Spanish-American War. It’s a rare Southern courthouse lawn that never had a Civil War cannon or Confederate statue on it; here they would have caused problems. Knoxville did eventually establish both Union and Confederate monuments but tucked them away on the fringes of town, off beaten paths, in places you won’t see them unless you’re deliberately looking. Knoxville is an old city, by Southern standards, but we didn’t save much of it. Of the hundreds of buildings that constituted downtown Knoxville in 1865, only five are still standing. Of those five, at least three have authentic Civil War credentials. Blount Mansion was a place where Confederate spy Belle Boyd stayed in the middle part of 1863. While nearly every old house is claimed to be a “Civil War hospital,” the School for the Deaf building, now Lincoln Memorial University’s law school, was a bona-fide Union hospital, with surgeons and orderlies, for the region for many months after the siege of Knoxville. And the Lamar House—the front part of the Bijou Theatre, including most of the Bistro, the lobby, and the upper floors—is full of stories. It was

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 30, 2015

Knoxville’s finest hotel during the Civil War, and as such witnessed dozens of signal events. The Lamar House Saloon heard countless Civil War arguments, some of which ended violently. The first shot fired locally, in 1861, was from a window of the hotel, killing a Unionist demonstrator. During the Confederate occupation, Gen. Joseph Johnston stayed there for a bit, working on plans; there he reportedly had an unexpected encounter with the black servant who helped raise him. Most famously, the Lamar House was where Gen. William P. Sanders, age 30, died of wounds received on Kingston Pike. His commanding officer, Ambrose Burnside, procured for him the bridal suite, and there prayed for him as the young brigadier general accepted his fate. Burnside believed Sanders’ death would have such a ruinous effect on

morale in the surrounded city that he ordered his death be kept secret for some days. Burnside concealed Sanders’ body in the hotel until they could bury him at midnight at a churchyard on Market Street. Like most of the buildings of the era, even that churchyard has been removed. For reasons no one has been able to explain, Sanders ended up in the National Cemetery in Chattanooga. And Confederate Gen. James Clanton died in the Lamar House, too, shot by a Union officer somewhat tardily, over a war-related insult, six years after the war was over. Then there’s Market Square. Although it’s unproven whether any of its buildings are that old, it was at least a Place then, an institution. People voted there in 1861, for and against secession. Later in the war, it hosted a Union barracks and an ammunition magazine significant enough in size to worry the Unionist mayor. Peter Kern, the German immigrant, built the 1876 landmark now known as the Kern Building that houses the Oliver Hotel and Tupelo Honey. A misfortune of war landed him in Knoxville. A Confederate soldier dutifully returning to the front after recovering from a wound, his train paused in Knoxville at exactly the wrong time, as Burnside seized the city and jailed Kern. Freed with the understanding he had to stay in the Union-occupied town for the duration of the war, he complied, married, prospered, and became one of the city’s most important business and cultural leaders, eventually elected mayor. Many more buildings that are indeed standing do have associations with veterans of the war. Patrick Sullivan, the Irish immigrant who built the saloon at Jackson and Central in 1888, had been a Union

And Confederate Gen. James Clanton died in the Lamar House, too, shot by a Union officer somewhat tardily, over a war-related insult, six years after the war was over.

officer and opened his first saloon near this spot soon after the war. The Sanford, Chamberlain, and Albers building, most recently known as Tailor Lofts, was built by an alliance of pharmaceutical entrepreneurs who were all Union combat veterans who’d had very different experiences with the war. A former Navy man, Albers had done time in notorious Libby Prison. All were from up north, though Sanford had moved to Knoxville long before the war. It’s shorter than the other buildings on its block just because it’s a generation older; it was the sole survivor of the 1897 fire. Nearby, William Wallace Woodruff, another Union man, opened his big hardware store that dominated the block for more than a century, and built the building that still bears his name. Although I’ve heard him called an opportunistic “carpetbagger,” he was from Bardstown, Ky., not quite as far away as Atlanta is. He served as a captain in the 13th Kentucky Infantry. Former Union Capt. William Rule didn’t build anything—he was a newspaperman and, when the mood suited him on a couple of occasions, Knoxville mayor. Still sporting his now-white Civil War Van Dyke, he lived and worked into the era of radio and motion pictures. He remained editor of the Journal until his sudden death—of appendicitis—in 1928. His last headquarters was a 1920s building with some modern elements: the Arcade. First Presbyterian, St. John’s Episcopal, and Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, were all about where they are now, but in smaller buildings. There’s no trace of any of the buildings, but almost all of the gravestones in First Presbyterian’s churchyard were there during the war. Perhaps the most remarkable of them is the broken obelisk of Abner Baker, the Confederate soldier who, soon after he returned from war, was lynched for murder of a former Unionist he’d been fighting with. His stone is inscribed, “His death is an honor to himself and an everlasting disgrace to his enemies.” Down the street is a genuine rarity. The deteriorating three-story brick building marked “Calvin Johnson – 1898.” It’s a big industrial building built by a successful capitalist who was born and raised to be a slave. It’s rare evidence that things changed.

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April 30, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 9

about $1 million. • Yet another pavilion, nearer to the Lyons View Drive entrance to the park, will be bounded by what McAdams expects to become more extensive gardens in what he terms “the passive area of the park.” The relatively small pavilion will be adjoined by a large open terrace that can hold several hundred for picnics or other gatherings, supported by another 100 pervious parking spaces. Target date for completion: spring of 2017 at a cost of $3 million. Other features due to be completed in this time frame include a pier that will jut out over the Tennessee River in the park’s southwestern corner and three new multipurpose playing fields that will complement the six baseball and four soccer fields that Knox Youth Sports has overseen for many years. The $15 million needed for these features, let alone the $25 million overall fundraising goal, seems enormously ambitious. But the capital campaign will be chaired by McAdams’ law partner, Caesar Stair, who also chaired the campaign that raised $11 million to build the Knoxville Museum of Art, an equally remarkable sum 25 years ago. Jimmy and Dee Haslam are co-chairs of a “major gifts” committee. And Lakeshore Park, Inc., has recently retained its first full-time employee, Cardin Bradley, as director of development.

PERSPECTIVES

Fulfilling Lakeshore’s Potential Lakeshore Park, Inc. pursues an ambitious slate of improvements for the park

hen Mayor Madeline Rogero delivers her city budget address today at Lakeshore Park, she can point with pride to the $7.2 million that the city has invested over the past two years to prepare this magnificent site for adornment as a city park. Demolition has removed more than a dozen of the antiquated buildings that were vestiges of Lakeshore’s prior incarnation as a mental health institute. Extensive brush removal has cleared vistas to the lakefront that had been obscured. And KUB is underway with $2 million in city-funded sewer, water, and electric utility enhancement to support the myriad new amenities that are envisioned for Lakeshore’s verdant 186-acre grounds. While the city will continue to own the property, responsibility for making Lakeshore into the crown jewel of Knoxville’s parks that it’s destined to become rests with a not-for-profit entity, Lakeshore Park, Inc., under a long-standing management agreement. And Lakeshore Park, Inc. is now poised to launch one of the largest private fundraising campaigns that Knoxville has ever seen. The goal, according to founding board member Tom McAdams, is to have $25 million committed by June 30, 2016. And even that is just for phase one of a master plan whose full-fledged implementation could run much higher, extending over many years. But McAdams already has

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 30, 2015

specific target dates for the completion of what he’s calling Phase 1A, whose total cost approaches $15 million. These include: • The Hank Rappe Accessible Playground that’s due to open in July at a cost of $1.2 million with lots of specialized equipment to meet the needs of “children of different abilities,” as McAdams puts it. • A pier and kayak launch along Fourth Creek in the park’s southwestern corner coming late this fall at a cost of $600,000, including one of several extensions of the park’s walking trails that will double their total length to about 4 miles. • A covered River Pavilion overlooking, yes, the river that will seat 400 for dinner and be supported by a landscaped pervious parking area for more than 100 vehicles and many adornments. The target date for completion is summer, 2016, at a cost of $3 million. • Renovation of a quaint chapel that is one of five mental-health institute buildings that have been preserved (along with its historic hilltop administration building, a storage facility, and two cottages). The chapel, which seats 150, could be used for weddings and funerals and, because it has a stage, for performances and recitals. New wings on either side of the preserved old chapel will offer meeting rooms and dressing rooms. This, too, is due to be completed by the summer of 2016 at a cost of

Source: City of Knoxville

BY JOE SULLIVAN

Bradley comes on board from the Boys and Girls Clubs of East Tennessee, which is in the midst of its own $14 million campaign for additional facilities. As McAdams sees it, the city’s financial role going forward will be to provide supportive infrastructure, including more utilities and repaving the park’s roadways, most of which are in sore need of it. The city is also in the midst of a $1.1 million renovation of the historic Administration Building that will serve as headquarters for the Department of Parks and Recreation as well as Lakeshore Park, Inc.’s own staff. Capital campaign literature and perhaps a kickoff event will be forthcoming shortly. In the meantime, anyone who is interested in being supportive should visit lakeshoreparkknoxville.org or contact Cardin Bradley at 865-801-1000. The public owes a big debt to the state and the city, going back to Gov. Ned McWherter and Mayor Victor Ashe, for agreeing to dedicate the Lakeshore property—that’s probably worth at least $30 million—for use as a park upon the closing of the mental health institute. And the public should be equally grateful to and supportive of Lakeshore Park, Inc.’s efforts to fulfill this wonderful site’s full potential. Below: The Lakeshore Master Plan includes eight sectors of development over 186 acres.

POSSUM CITY

Puppet Theater Cattywampus Puppet Council’s weird and wild tales BY ELEANOR SCOTT

ast June, Rachel Milford pitched an idea to her craftsy friend, Shelagh Leutwiler, to make an old-man puppet head and do some kind of busking, maybe. Leutwiler was up for it, Grandpa puppet was soon joined by Grandma, and the two geriatric characters began to appear in public—say, gallery hopping on a First Friday. This was the start of the Cattywampus Puppet Council, which has grown in the last year to two stage shows with a troupe of assorted characters. Milford and Leutwiler are the principal directors and performers of Cattywampus with puppeteers Rose Attea, Andreas Bastias, and Matt Ellison rounding out the cast of the Fireside Tales show, a collection of skits based on regional folk tales. Music, voices, and sound effects are by Konane Rickards on percussion, Alex Pulsipher on accordion, and Jim Myers on guitar. The newest Cattywampus offering, Night of a Few Dollys, is a two-woman show based on the autobiography of East Tennessee country music star Dolly Parton, and has so far only played at the Old City nightclub Pilot Light. The show uses marionettes, flat puppets, helmet-style puppet heads worn by costumed actors, and a 12-foot Dolly puppet— mostly paper mache on a chicken wire armature wielded by three puppeteers. Cattywampus operates out of the basement of Milford’s small rental house, with materials stored in Leutwiler’s attic; they are looking for a storage/workspace to host puppet-making workshops. Their budget is almost nonexistent. All told, they’ve spent $500 on

shows, materials, tools, a website, and business cards. They made the puppets and sets with salvaged cardboard, grocery bags, paint from the dump, and other found materials. Worth mentioning is the roadkill hand-puppet, Zombie Possum, fashioned by Kevin Horn from, yes, a smushed possum he found on the road. Milford was initiated into puppet-making four years ago through the North Carolina-based Paperhand Puppet Intervention. Paperhand’s two directors both worked with Bread and Puppet Theater, a radical anti-war troupe started in 1962 by Peter Schumann, featuring 10- to 15-foot tall protest puppets. “The resurgence of puppets in the United States, especially Bread and Puppet, was very overtly political,” Milford says. “The protest scene is really heavy with big puppets now, and they do a great job of drawing attention through visual art. We

wanted to use puppets in a more subtle political way.” Leutwiler says she tries to stay away from extreme political protest art. “Our mission is to engage through play, magic, and whimsy,” she says. Subtle politics are at work in their choice of depicted East Tennessee legends. Fireside Tales includes a Native American myth of how unlikely hero Grandma Spider gave people fire. Dolly Parton’s inclusive religious beliefs and progressive views on sexuality have made her a gay-rights icon, especially in the South, where allies can be few. Milford and Leutwiler, focused on making the puppet shows inoffensive and lighthearted, were surprised to get a scolding Facebook message from a mother upset by a Fireside Tales performance in April at the Dogwood Arts Festival on Market Square. The scene in question revolved around the courtship of Grandma and Grandpa puppet, who, through the crazy logic of the show, used to be possums. After bonding over a shared meal of dumpster-dived trash, the possums stroll off stage arm-in-arm to a rendition of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get in On.” “‘Let’s Get it On’ at a children’s show? No. Please, no,” read the post. A raunchier version of the possum story was well received by a Pilot Light audience one week later, and Milford and Leutwiler say the Dolly show is PG-13 rated for mild references to sex. “All my life...I have been driven by three mysteries I wanted to know more about; three passions. They are God, music, and sex,” writes Parton in

her autobiography, My Life and Other Unfinished Business, “It is going to be impossible to write about my three passions without mixing them together in the same way they overlap and intertwine within me. Nature, which is God, is going to have its way.” For the Dolly show, Milford and Leutwiler say they threw out the rules for how to do a puppet show or play. Milford, dressed in Dolly drag and reading aloud from Parton’s autobiography, isn’t exactly a puppet, and yet, as Leutwiler says, “Dolly herself is kind of a puppet because she wears big wigs, she has totally done herself up into her idea of beauty, and she has to put on this costume every day in order to become her own character.” Milford and Leutwiler are inspired by the rags-to-riches story of the self-made star. “Dolly Parton is a brilliant woman,” says Leutwiler, “Being a good story-teller and having a good sense of humor is a sign of that intelligence.” Some audience members assume the stories in the show were invented by the performers, but no, they come straight from Parton’s book, a bizarre memoir that reads like a work of magical realism. One of the most arresting tales is set in an abandoned church Parton used to play in as a child. The church had become a place of “sin and vice” and the young Dolly was fascinated by the graffiti on the walls and gold-foil condom wrappers under the floor. “And so I would sing hymns to God for a while and look at dirty pictures for a while and pray for a while, and one day as I prayed in earnest, I broke through some sort of spirit wall and found God … Here in this place of seemingly confused images, I had found real truth,” she writes. Milford’s Dolly also breaks down walls in space and time, ad-libbing lines, mixing fantasy with reality, engaging with the audience and the puppeteer, cradling a marionette of her young self, and explaining how she and Leutwiler first met at Club XYZ at the locally renowned Parton-themed drag show Night of 1,000 Dollys (This year’s edition is Saturday, May 2 at 11:30 p.m.). “There are no boundaries. It’s a very safe place,” says Leutwiler, “It’s like a play within a play within a play, it gets weird and wonderful, and I stop asking questions and just let it happen.” Cattywampus’ next show is July 31 at Ijams Nature Center. April 30, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 11

AWASH in WALMARTS

This is not the only Walmart Neighbor12

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 30, 2015

BY S. HEATHER DUNCAN

D HOWARSE HOU

OINTE P E R T CEN HURCH C

D WOO

MORE WALMARTS PLANNED

A rising tide of Walmart Neighborhood Markets draws ire, and boosts efforts to preserve Broadway’s Howard house

OAK

t’s not just about a house. While local opposition to a Walmart Neighborhood Market planned for North Broadway has focused on the flattening of a century-old Craftsman home, the furor has been heightened by the special animosity often inspired by Walmart. But this is only one of the new Walmart markets proposed for the region, though the other locations seem unlikely to draw the same outrage. Opponents of the North Broadway store are hopeful that its stormwater challenges and a required zoning change will prove impossible hurdles to the project, which would take down not only the historic house but also Centerpointe Church next door. Built in 1910, the home was lovingly maintained by owner and former Knoxville city councilman Paul Howard until his death last year. His will requires that his heirs sell it and divide the profits, and Polestar Development recently offered them $1.27 million (and made an offer of $2.3 million to Centrepointe Church). Although Howard’s son Tim solicited matching offers almost a month ago from anyone who wouldn’t knock the house down, he is no longer discussing the property with news media. Kim Trent, executive director of Knox Heritage, says the Howard family signed a sales contract with Polestar a few weeks ago. Knox Heritage is nevertheless continuing its crowdfunding effort to buy the house as well as an online petition asking Walmart not to demolish it. Trent hopes the enthusiastic response to the petition will discourage City Council from approving a needed zoning change; denial of the zoning change could re-open the door to Knox Heritage buying the house. In the meantime, wrath at Walmart has drawn support even among those who have no particular interest in the house.

hood Market likely headed to Knoxville. The same developer, Polestar, has provided preliminary sketches to the Metropolitan Planning Commission for another grocery store at the corner of Western Avenue and McKamey Road. That site, boxed between Western and Ball Camp Pike, is across various streets from two churches and The Zone sports center. Polestar has not presented formal plans for either of the proposed stores yet, nor named them. But according to preliminary drawings, both would include a fuel center. Owners of properties that would become part of the North Broadway store and parking lot have identified the retailer as Walmart. When contacted last week, Walmart spokesperson Amanda Henneberg responded in an email,

“We have no plans to announce regarding a new store in Knoxville.” That wouldn’t be unusual, because Walmart wouldn’t be doing the development directly. The business model is that Polestar builds the site to company specifications and then leases it to the retail tenant. Polestar is affiliated with Chattanooga-based Hutton Co., which builds stores for national chains like Family Dollar and AutoZone. According to its website, Hutton has 57 developments in Tennessee alone. Technically, Polestar appears to be not one but a dozen limited-liability companies incorporated in Tennessee since August. They all have names that are the same, except for the swapping out of city names and identifiers [for example, “Polestar TN Sevierville (Wagner), LLC”]; all have the same

company address as Hutton. In at least one case, Hutton’s general counsel is listed as the principal officer. There isn’t a Polestar Knoxville listed on the Secretary of State’s website yet. Hutton officials did not return calls for comment. According to media reports, Polestar has been in the process of getting permits to construct what appear to be dozens of small grocery stores across Tennessee and Georgia since last summer, including one in Kingsport, two in Murfreesboro, and three in Chattanooga. Those that have been identified are all Walmart Neighborhood Markets. Walmart announced in February 2014 its intent to double the expansion pace of its small neighborhood markets, which sell primarily groceries and are designed to serve residents within a much more local radius (often just a mile) than its supercenters. Polestar also plans a store in Sevierville at 1185 Dolly Parton Parkway, on property owned by radio manufacturer TEN-TEC, which, according to its website, was bought earlier this month by RKR Designs of Colorado. The Sevierville Board of Zoning Appeals approved several variances to allow the Polestar project to have fewer parking spaces and loading docks than the city’s current rules generally require. Some oppose the North Broadway project mostly to fend off Walmart for the same reasons that have catalyzed locals elsewhere: It’s viewed as a bully mega-corporation that builds ugly stores and drives out local business. A small curbside demonstration was held in front of the Howard House earlier this month by those who want to protect it, (inadvertently) prompting many passing drivers and pedestrians to yell epithets about Walmart, says organizer Paul Duggan, a Knoxville native who publicized the protest on Facebook. Many of the more than 7,300 people who have signed the change.org petition opposing the destruction of

the Howard house focus less on it than what could replace it. Heather Gaburo, of San Diego, signed because “the world has too many Walmarts.” Many out-of-town signers used less flattering, two-word messages to share their thoughts about the retail giant. Amy Broyles, the Knox County Commissioner who represents the area, says about 40 people attended a meeting she organized a few weeks ago to provide information about the project and help opponents organize. She says those fighting the project mostly fall into two sometimes overlapping groups: those passionate about saving the historic structure and those who despise Walmart. Broyles herself says she is “not a fan of Walmart” because she thinks the company doesn’t treat its employees well and causes environmental and economic damage. She is particularly concerned about the effect on existing businesses, such as the two grocery stores that are within a few blocks of the site and the locally owned Three Rivers Market, also nearby. Charlie Thomas, who lives within a mile of the proposed Walmart site (making him part of its target market), agrees. “It just seems to be something we don’t need,” he says. “Everything [about it] is negative. We’ve got grocery stores and retail and people that have invested in the community for a long time, and I think we need a prettier corridor with less traffic and no danger to the creek … more than we need a Walmart.” Thomas also serves on the Broadway Corridor Task Force, a group that seeks to make visual improvements to the corridor, and from that perspective he also wonders how a new Walmart would affect traffic and the appearance of the area.

DOWN THE DRAINAGE

But a future Walmart can’t be built on the site without changing the zoning of the Howard house from office to commercial. This would require approval by the Metropolitan Planning Commission and City Council. The house, once one of many stately residential homes lining Broadway, is already surrounded by commercial development. The MPC’s sector plan for the area calls for mixed use, and the one-year plan calls for commercial use. In the long term, the sector plan also suggests replacing general commercial zoning with

an overlay requiring design-oriented zoning that might include, for example, small front-yard setbacks and other features “to enhance the pedestrian experience.” The zoning change is likely to be the biggest hurdle for Polestar, but stormwater drainage may also present challenges, because the site backs up to the 500-year flood plain of First Creek. Although the stretch of Broadway near the Howard house is mostly commercial, the historic Oakwood-Lincoln Park neighborhood is across First Creek from the property, with several houses in the 500-year floodplain. Thomas, who is active in the Oakwood-Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association, says that is a concern for those living closest to the creek. “It wasn’t that long ago that there were people who could literally canoe on Broadway,” he recalls. “The creek has had tremendous flooding problems. A lot have been remedied at a lot of expense and effort by the city around Fairmont and Emoriland, and I’m afraid this may jeopardize the benefit of that.” In the last few years, the city spent millions to straighten a couple of deep curves in the creek to increase the flow and prevent the flooding of streets and homes. Thomas says he is also worried about how the project could affect First Creek Greenway, which he helped establish, and its planned northward expansion. Polestar had an informal meeting with city engineering officials last week to discuss its ideas for the site, which includes a 9-foot retaining wall above First Creek in its floodway, but no stormwater retention pond. Generally, a floodway is the area next to a creek that must be preserved to prevent a rise of more than a foot in the water surface level. But city storm-water engineer David MicGinley says building the retaining wall in the floodway won’t necessarily cause a foot rise in the water level there. On the other hand, current rules usually require a 60-foot buffer of undisturbed vegetation from the top of the creek bank or the floodway, says Chris Howley, who supervises plan review and development inspections for the city engineering department. The developer would be required to prevent stormwater runoff from increasing—or prove that it would actually be better for the creek if

stormwater flowed out all at once, McGinley says. Even without space for a holding pond, there are other tools for reducing runoff. For example, parking lots can be built using pavers that allow water to penetrate, or underground storm-water tanks can be installed, Howley says. (Another creative option is planting a grass roof on the building.) McGinley points out that the majority of the site—the church portion—is already covered in buildings or pavement. “There are hurdles associated with the development, but I didn’t see any deal-killers,” Howley says.

A SECOND BITE

Trent says Knox Heritage plans to fight rezoning of the Howard house while raising money to buy it. She predicts the zoning question will end up in City Council’s lap, which is part of the reason for sponsoring the change.org petition—she wants to be able to convey to local politicians just how many people oppose the project. Mark Campen, the city councilman representing that part of North Broadway, says he has no position yet on the rezoning. “My heart and love for historic preservation is not to allow rezoning,” he says. “But from a legal and property-rights standpoint, the family has every right to do what they want with their house.” Many who love the house acknowledge they’d have trouble turning down more than a million dollars. But without the zoning change, the house seems unlikely to sell so high. It’s appraised by the Knox County Assessor at $392,800 and Zillow’s market estimate is $370,000. “If the rezoning is denied, there’s a chance that will kill the [Polestar] contract, and I think that will offer a second bite at the apple to those who want to save it,” Trent says. An anonymous donor offered Knox Heritage $100,000 toward the purchase of the house if other donors will match it, but the online campaign has raised less than $8,000 so far. Trent says she had hoped for better and is scheduling meetings with potential donors. If the effort doesn’t raise enough to save the Howard house, the donations will go toward buying other historic properties using Knox Heritage’s J. Allen Smith Endangered Properties Fund, Trent says. “This really is a

poster child for why that fund is important,” she says, because the fund would enable Knox Heritage to buy the house, add a historic preservation easement to protect it permanently, then sell it at a loss, if necessary. She says the Howard house has “rocketed to the top” of her group’s priorities because of the tight timeline and community response. “The social media aspect of the reaction—” Trent pauses. “We’ve never seen anything like it.” Trent says some people have asked why the house couldn’t be moved. She says it’s too large and it would require dropping utility lines along Broadway at great expense. “It happened in Georgia with a Walmart development, but those were much smaller houses,” she says. There’s still time for fundraising. It will likely take months for the MPC and City Council to vote on the zoning change after Polestar submits its plans. Plus, the city appears less than a month away from enacting a new policy that would freeze demolitions of historic houses for 60 days after the permit request. City Council is scheduled to first read the ordinance, which has been long in the works, at its May 12 meeting, with a possible vote to follow May 26. The policy is designed to delay destruction of buildings like the Howard house that are historic but lack special protective historic designation. Broyles says local neighborhood associations from Old North to Bearden are mobilizing together for the first time in an effort to get the word out about the project. Broyles and Duggan are encouraging opponents to contact the planning commission and City Council members. A door-to-door, neighborhood-by-neighborhood information campaign is in the works, Broyles says. The next meeting of the newly-dubbed North Knoxville Community Coalition will be May 17 at 4 p.m. at Central United Methodist Church, to discuss the next steps in saving the house, she says. “Imagine someone going up Kingston Pike and taking over all these beautiful houses and putting stores and restaurants in,” says Duggan, who lives on the opposite side of the county but sees historic properties endangered everywhere. “What’s to stop them? If residents won’t stop them from tearing down the Howard house, who’s to say they could stop anything?” April 30, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 13

The first and biggest memorial to Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s deadliest maritime disaster is just off Maryville Pike. And nobody knows about it. BY JACK NEELY

The last known photograph of the Sultana at Helena Ark overloaded with freed Union soldiers Two days later it exploded killing most of those on board

Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress

, ., . ,

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 30, 2015

f it had happened in any month other than April, 1865, they say, it would be the legendary American disaster every school kid knew about. It would be the subject of folksongs and novels and movies. But it was the month of a Confederate surrender ending our bloodiest war, the month of America’s first and most critical presidential assassination. The month of April, 1865, they say, deadened editors and readers to the horrible news of the riverboat Sultana. That is, at least, the most common explanation for why most Americans have never heard of the worst maritime disaster in American history. In body count, it was deadlier even than the Titanic. In fact, it was deadlier than any shipwreck in the world in the 19th century. Perhaps it was a matter of perspective. Its losses didn’t compare to that of the Civil War’s dozen deadliest battles. Although the Sultana disaster had a death toll less than half than that of Sept. 11, 2001, it came across as a short page-four story in The New York Times. Of course, another problem for publicity, compared to the Titanic, is that the Sultana’s passengers didn’t include the rich and famous. Most of its passengers were recently paroled prisoners of war, Union men who had spent the last several months in Confederate prison camps and were finally on their way home from a war that was blessedly over. And maybe the Sultana’s problem is that it’s too strange to be legendary. That it should happen not on high seas, but on a river within view of both shores—it might be hard to dramatize, at that. Whatever remains of the Sultana is believed to be under layers of silt near the Mississippi River, more than 400 miles away from Knoxville. For many years, the only memorial to the Sultana was in a cemetery on Maryville Pike. Even today, it’s reputedly the most impressive one. It’s there because hundreds of the men who died on that boat, and dozens who survived, were on their way to the Knoxville area. By most accounts, almost a quarter of the passengers on the Sultana, and about a quarter of the dead, were members of the Third Tennessee Cavalry, and most of those were from East Tennessee. Of the survivors of that disaster, almost 50 were from one tight

population center, composed of Blount, Sevier, and Knox counties.

The town that soldiers on the deck of the Sultana were picturing as Home was unlike any other. Much more divided than most, Knoxville was neither Union or Confederate, didn’t think of itself as North or South; in fact, whether this compact community of 6,000 was a “city” or not might have been a matter of debate in its oyster saloons. In the 15 years before the war, things were looking up for Knoxville. Tiny East Tennessee University on its Hill—which technically wasn’t yet considered part of Knoxville—had fewer than 100 students, and that was before it was shut down and then damaged by shelling during the siege 17 months earlier. ETU had moved in with the Tennessee Deaf and Dumb School, which had some national acclaim, and being a statewide institution—unlike ETU at the time—was a greater point of pride for Knoxville. Still, more exciting to most Knoxvillians was that from 1855 to 1858, Knoxville had finally opened to rail transportation, which meant a lot to prospective passengers but more importantly opened the city to modern industry: coal, marble, iron, lumber. Suddenly there were foundries, machine shops, “floury mills,” breweries, new hotels. Knoxville had just embarked on the first economic boom in its 70-year history when the war hit and knocked the wind out of the town-city. Knoxville was a former state capital, but that was a long time ago, and like a lot of first state capitals who lost state-capital status—like, say, Cahaba, Ala.—it could have dwindled to nothing, even returned to forest.

Erected by survivors of the disaster this unique Sultana monument has stood in the middle of Mount Olive Cemetery off Maryville Pike since 1916

A little more than 300 miles to the southwest, the war was still on in March, 1865 when the Union prisoners at Cahaba found out they were being paroled in a complex prisoner swap. Cahaba was briefly famous as the capital of Alabama, 40 years before, though probably none of its 3,000 prisoners were old enough to have memorized that fact in school. The flood-prone area made it seem a pretty terrible place for a capital of April 30, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 15

anything. The town was just a remnant when, halfway through the war, Confederate authorities planted the prison camp they called “Castle Morgan” there. It was named for a Confederate leader who had a reputation akin to a pirate—and who was well known in East Tennessee. Alabama-born Gen. John Hunt Morgan was the guerrilla whose unauthorized, reckless raid north of the Ohio River, in the weeks just after the Confederates’ withdrawal from Pennsylvania, gave Confederates a desperate hope. After escaping from prison, the 39-year-old Morgan was planning a raid on Union-held Knoxville—he represented the last Confederate threat to this city—when he was ambushed and killed in Greeneville, Tenn. East Tennessee connections on both sides in this godforsaken part of southern Alabama made for a little bit of a coincidence, whether the prisoners took note of it or not. Most of Cahaba’s prisoners were former members of the Third Tennessee Cavalry, a U.S. regiment that had been captured in 1864 while trying to relieve a besieged fort in North Alabama. In his famously swift and bewildering style, Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest had imprisoned 550 of them.

As Confederate-run prisoner-of-war camps go, Castle Morgan was not considered one of the hellish ones, that is, if you could suffer the central Alabama heat. Its death rate was relatively low. Perhaps the worst they had to deal with was another flood, that February. If it wasn’t a good place for a capital, maybe it wasn’t even a good place for a prison. But once they were out, they all had to deal with one absurdity. No matter where home was, these Union soldiers had to go all the way up to Columbus, Ohio, to be mustered out. For the Knoxville-area soldiers at Cahaba, that was twice as far away as home. And to go due north, they had to go due west, to Vicksburg, Miss. There they’d get on a ship for a river trip to the Ohio. The trip back home to Knoxville—which if they took the Tennessee River, would bring them back into Alabama, near where they were captured—would be a roundabout journey of over 1,000 miles. In wartime, you don’t always look for logic. If Third Tennessee soldiers at Cahaba had just broken ranks and deserted, just walked home, it would have been faster, and, as it turned out, safer. But in March and early April, the war was still on, Lee had not yet surrendered, the Confederacy still existed, there was still protocol, and prisoner exchanges had to be handled

Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 30, 2015

by the books. That first leg of the trip, just to get on a riverboat, involved marches, steamboats, and trains. It took weeks to get there. Of course, any prisoner exchange seemed almost superfluous. It was clear even to most prisoners that the war was very nearly over. The almost-furloughed prisoners of East Tennessee, expecting the relief of peace, must have found this final, counterintuitive order frustrating. Their homes and families were to the northeast, but freedom meant slogging west, to the big river. The arrangement was to meet at Vicksburg, and wait for the next available boat north. Other prisoners in the deal were from Georgia’s Andersonville. They had a different experience. Cahaba had one of the lowest death rates among Civil War prison camps, Andersonville one of the highest. When the two groups arrived together in Vicksburg, Union officers noticed they looked different—the Andersonville veterans thinner, weaker, sicker than the Cahaba veterans. They all boarded the giant double-decker side-wheeler Sultana, a two-year-old steamboat that had been recruited for military use, steaming swiftly back and forth between Cairo and New Orleans. Steaming north, engineers had noted a problem with the boiler, and at Vicksburg got a local boilermaker to patch it. It was a big ship, 260 feet long, and could carry almost 376 at a time, but by some accounts on April 24, 1865, it loaded more than 2,000 soldiers on board. The federal government was paying by the passenger, so there was a motive to maximize. Plausible scenarios suggest bribery and corruption among riverboatmen and these mid-level federal officers. Whatever the total, the Sultana left Vicksburg overloaded several times over its recommended capacity. It caused a strain on the engines. For the next 150 years, people would argue about whether an imperfect patch or the badly overloaded ship were more to blame. A third theory was that a Confederate bomb caused what happened three days later. It’s not as far-fetched as most conspiracy theories, considering there was terrorism in the air that month; it exploded just 12 days and a few hours after a seemingly unlikely conspiracy

in Washington resulted in the stabbing of Secretary of State William Seward and the shooting of President Lincoln. When the passengers boarded the ship, John Wilkes Booth was still at large. Maybe, some believe, the explosion of the Sultana was a part of the revenge conspiracy we never learned about. Most historians today believe the culpable parties are the U.S. officers who agreed to put so many men on one ship. Two years of inquests resulted in lots of reasons to be suspicious of dishonest and incompetent officers, with one arrest but no criminal convictions that stuck. That summer, the burned-out hulk of the Sultana, which by some accounts still bore visible bodies, finally sank below the surface, into the muck.

Knoxville was almost 1,000 river miles upstream from the Sultana explosion, but became a center for remembering it. From a distance, or on a map, Knoxville, roughly midway between the Confederate headquarters at Richmond and Jackson, Miss., could look like the South. But the Civil War wasn’t really about North versus South. There were thousands more Confederate sympathizers in New York City than there were in, say, Sevier County, Tenn., which is not known to have had any at all. Knoxville had never considered itself part of “the South” until its state, after contentious debate, aligned itself with the Confederacy in mid-1861. And Knoxville had never been very predictable anyway. It would be especially unfamiliar to Hollywood directors, accustomed to picturing the defeated South in a certain way. No one accent would do. In 20th-century Hollywood, every town in the 1860s South was populated by born-and-raised locals who were committed to their grandparents’ land and way of life—and who all spoke with the same Southern accent—interacting with Northern newcomers who were either (A.) greedy, rapacious carpetbaggers or (B.) enlightened tutors of racial equality and understanding. Knoxvillians who fit any of those categories, if they existed at all, were a minority. Most Knoxvillians in 1865 had grown up somewhere else, perhaps far away. The city’s civilians were a

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Humes’ father was an Irish immigrant. Knoxville’s popular U.S. congressman was Republican Horace Maynard, who was from Amherst, Mass., but who had lived in Knoxville for 30 years. Since long before the war, several downtown merchants were New Englanders, among them Perez Dickinson, cousin of the unknown poet Emily. One of the city’s most prominent stores was E.J. Sanford & Co., run by a 33-year-old carpenter from Connecticut who came to Knoxville the decade before the war. Even though he was married, he had set out to join the Union army, but took ill. He returned to Knoxville and recovered in time to help with the defense of Fort Sanders against Longstreet’s invasion. Pharmacies sold lots of things besides drugs, as they do today, but Sanford took it a little beyond the concept. In April, 1865, he was advertising “choice wines and liquors,” as well as paint, window glass, and a variety of exotic peas. Market Square was there, a farmers’ market in a small one-story brick market house in the middle with some fun stuff along the sides, like Knott’s Bowling Saloon. James Moses, one of the planners of Market Square, was a former Bostonian. But the ever-busier Square was a calculated gift of two young developers who’d been secessionists in 1861. William Swan, a fierce Confederate who served in the Confederate Congress in Richmond, and his partner, Joe Mabry, a provisioner of the Confederacy in its early months who nonetheless offered his help to Union authorities when they arrived. Knoxville’s opinion leader and unlikeliest politician was an awkward fellow originally from Virginia, “Parson” W.G. Brownlow. He had never lived in Knoxville until he was in his mid-40s, but became the city’s most popular and infamous journalist. A pundit known for his extreme opinions and sense of ridicule—was Brownlow our Rush Limbaugh or our Bill Maher?—suddenly became governor of Tennessee at the most critical moment in the state’s history. He’d been such a lightning rod, you’d think he would be incapable of a wise, even-tempered gubernatorial statement, but he enjoyed surprising people. He didn’t trust the new president, his fellow East Tennessean Andrew Johnson. But that April, Brownlow, who had been nationally known before the war for his rhetorical defenses of

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promiscuous mixture of ethnic and political affiliations. Hardly any two were identical in their perspective on the war. Few even spoke with the same accent: There were Northern Unionists who had come here during the war, Northern Unionists who had come here years before the war, and Tennessee-born Unionists never tempted by secession. There were Confederates from the Deep South, as well as Tennessee-born Confederates, a few of them wealthy businessmen and large landowners. There were immigrants who spoke more easily in French or German, some of them noncommittal about the war, but surprisingly many of whom, even without deep roots here, had curiously cast their lots with the Confederacy. There were Irish Catholic Unionists and Irish Catholic Confederates who all still wore their accents. Knoxville was home to Jews who had fought for the Confederacy, and Jews who had fought for the Union. There were Unionists who had started the war as Confederates and Confederates who had started the war as Unionists. There were Confederate wives who were married to Unionists, even Union soldiers. There were Southerners who owned slaves, many Southerners who didn’t own slaves, some Northerners who owned slaves. There were hundreds of freed slaves; there were blacks who had always been free, some of whom, well past 50, were old enough to remember when they could legally vote in Tennessee. There were black soldiers in blue, in active duty, and white soldiers in blue. Some had been in combat, and had been wounded; some had hardly left camp. There were citizens who had helped repel the Union raid in June of 1863, and citizens who had helped repel the Confederate siege in November of the same year. Knoxville was a remarkable city in that regard. And of course there were many mothers and wives who hated all four years of the war, and were glad it was over. Knoxville’s most prominent Confederate was scholar and physician J.G.M. Ramsey. His father was a newcomer from Pennsylvania. He shared a mother with his half-brother, Thomas Humes, who was one of the city’s most dedicated Unionists.

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slavery, moved rapidly and decisively toward emancipation of the slaves and protection of the freedmen. “Let us do our part in this great work by ratifying the action of Congress…. It becomes us … to approach this subject with an enlightened statesmanship, and with a degree of moral courage that is not afraid to do right. “The Negro had no agency in bringing us our troubles,” he added, “and does not merit unkind treatment at our hands.”

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The Tennessee School for the Deaf and Dumb a nationally famous institution served as a Union hospital in the latter months of the war The building is now home to Lincoln Memorial University’s law school

Brownlow’s old paper, The Knoxville Whig and Rebel Ventilator, was being run mainly by his son, John Bell Brownlow, named for the famous Whig politician of the 1830s who’d run for president in 1860 as a quixotic peace compromise candidate. “With mournful sadness we announce the death of Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States,” wrote one of the Brownlows, either father or son, for the April 19 issue. “No event of modern times will so startle the world … President Lincoln died in the midst of the closing scenes of the most gigantic war in the world, and by the hands of an assassin. Both the time and the manner of his death lend intense interest to its importance. The Old as well as the New World will be shocked. Our land will be draped in mourning and gloom … “We believe that history will April 30, 2015

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Knoxville Sultana survivors in 1920 Pleasant Keeble is at far left John Simpson is second from right

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pronounce Mr. Lincoln to have been an eminently honest and merciful man. No expression of harshness, or of personal ill-feeling, can be found in all his voluminous public writings. How marked the contrast with the works of Mr. [Jefferson] Davis … “It is true Mr. Lincoln sometimes exercised powers that, in times of peace, would have been of doubtful constitutionality. But he did so on all occasions to preserve the Government, and not to destroy it. We justify him in nearly all he did. There was nothing of the tyrant or of the usurper about him. As a man and as a ruler he was generous, merciful, conscientious, and forgiving almost to a fault … “The sad end of Mr. Lincoln, at the very moment when nearly all men were inclining to mercy and forgiveness, will arouse afresh a stern spirit of indignation, and call up the endless list of wrongs inflicted on an outraged country.” Two weeks later, with little narrative, the Whig ran names of the presumed dead of the Sultana, and of the survivors. In the weeks to come, the survivors, exhausted by war, imprisonment, and explosion, perhaps some with skin scorched by the historic catastrophe, would drift back toward the complicated little city on the bluff.

Even the Mississippi River forgot the 18

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Sultana. The hulk sank beneath the riverbed, and when the Mississippi changed its course, moving to the east, the Sultana’s grave was under dry ground, what’s now a soybean field near Marion, Ark., just north of West Memphis. Last week, Marion hosted a sesquicentennial gathering of Sultana scholars and descendants sponsored by the Sultana Historic Preservation Society, featuring speakers like author and Memphis lawyer Jerry Potter, on his “Search for the Sultana.” Potter announced in 1982 that he had found reason to believe he knows exactly where the Sultana is, but the cost of excavating it is presumed to be prohibitive. A new documentary, Remember the Sultana, narrated by actor Sean Astin, premiered in Memphis. One of last weekend’s events was a “wreath laying,” but it was in a Marion parking lot, not at what’s believed to be the Sultana’s final resting place, which Potter and others would prefer to keep to themselves. Among those who attended was retired Knoxville lawyer Norman Shaw, who 28 years ago played an unexpected role in reviving a very exclusive Knoxville society. “We have such a strong connection to the disaster,” Shaw says. “Of all the states represented, we had the second-most men on that boat, about 386, second only to Ohio.” And most of them were from East Tennessee. “That surprises people, because we’re considered a Southern state.”

In his popular history/memoir, Life on the Mississippi, in 1882, Mark Twain made a rueful joke about a steamship whose boiler exploded near Memphis with great loss of life. “Some farmer will turn up her bones one day, no doubt,” Twain wrote, “and be surprised.” Modern reporters like to cite that quote as if it were about the Sultana. In fact, Twain was referring to the Pennsylvania, which blew up in 1858, killing 250—including Twain’s brother Henry Clemens. The Sultana wasn’t the first riverboat to blow up near Memphis. Although only a minority of those affected by the disaster were from Knoxville, and even though Knoxville was 400 miles away from the site of it, a few Knoxville-area men were determined the nation didn’t forget it.

John H. Simpson was a Knoxville-born passenger, a veteran of combat and of prison camps while he was still a teenager. He was blown from the Sultana, floated downriver until he was picked up by another boat. He made his way back to Knoxville, helped found the local chapter of the Union veterans’ organization known as the Grand Army of the Republic, settled in Vestal, and made a career for himself as a building contractor in the rapidly growing city, but the Sultana became his life’s governing principle. By 1889, Simpson, then in his 40s, had started convening Sultana reunions in the Knoxville area, mirroring a similar effort in Ohio, the only state that lost more men to the disaster than Tennessee did. The Ohio survivors sought federal funding for a major monument to the Sultana, perhaps in Washington. It was, as one supporter lamented, met with “cold indifference” on the part of one Congress after another. If a general had been among the dead, it was implied, it would have happened. But the Sultana’s dead were mostly young enlisted men. Many of the survivors were frustrated with how quickly the Sultana was forgotten, even before the century was over. Chester D. Berry published a book of short personal reminiscences, Loss of the Sultana, in 1892, in Michigan. It was not widely disseminated, believed to have been most popular with family and friends of survivors. (It was reprinted, with an eloquent new foreword by Knoxville-born novelist David Madden, by the University of Tennessee Press, in 2005.) The fatal explosion was only occasionally written about, and every time, it seemed, presented a different number of the total killed on the Sultana. One low estimate cited as late as 1920 was 1,238. It climbed as the years went by, as more research was completed, and lists of soldiers compared. Some official sources settled on 1,547 killed. The number 1,700 became more typical, later estimates that include those who died later in hospitals make it as high as 1,800. Republican U.S. Congressman Henry Gibson, of Knoxville—a Union veteran, himself—introduced a bill in 1896 to improve veterans’ benefits for the Sultana’s survivors and their families, but it apparently died in committee. Attempts to at least put up a big

a Mrs. Malcolm Bloom. She was the daughter of Pleasant Keeble. She was in her 90s at the time and visiting the Roundtable to raise awareness. She mentioned, in particular, the Sultana memorial off Maryville Pike. “She told me about this beautiful monument in South Knoxville which I’d never seen, didn’t even know about!” he says. With the help of News Sentinel writer Fred Brown, whose public call for Sultana descendants to convene at the memorial was answered by 50 who showed up there at the appointed time on a Sunday afternoon, encouraged Shaw to believe there was hope for reviving the old Sultana reunion that had ceased in the early 1930s. Further newspaper work disclosed eight people who claimed to be children of Sultana survivors. They organized the Association of Sultana Descendants and Friends. Today, they’ve got at least 184 members, most of whom are blood descendants of men who were aboard the Sultana that night 150 years ago. They meet once a year. Earlier this week, author David Madden, who has become a champion of the memory of the Sultana, referred to Shaw and his group in a column in The New York Times, with a mention of Mount Olive’s “impressive monument.” This Sunday’s re-dedication of the Sultana monument may be its passengers’ last and best shot at immortality.

Last Saturday members of the Association of Sultana Descendants and Friends attending a convention in Marion Ark took a riverboat cruise to the presumed site of the riverboat’s fatal explosion Here a Union reenactor hands a Union flag replica weighted with a cobblestone to Knoxvillian Norman Shaw prior to throwing it into the Mississippi River as part of an 1865-era U S Naval Burial at Sea ceremony

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The memorial at Mount Olive is, in both tonnage and artistry, one of Knoxville’s most impressive war memorials. Shaw, who’s not a Sultana descendant, attended a regular meeting of the Knoxville Civil War Roundtable, the nonpartisan historical group, in 1987. Shaw was surprised to encounter

4, 1916, old men in then-unstylish beards and hats, but also with children, perhaps grandchildren or even great-grandchildren, with flags flying, to unveil their monument, Knoxville’s last new monument to be witnessed by actual Civil War veterans—just as their nation tried to stay out of another war. Norman Shaw believes the odd mast structure on top of the main block was added later. It’s cut from a different kind of marble. Most speculate it was an awkward later addition, intended to represent a smokestack. It screws off. The survivors got together every year in April, not always at that site, but often at a church, a little farther out in the country, perhaps a compromise with the survivors in Blount County. But of course their numbers dwindled. In 1921, as Knoxville launched its first radio station, there were 14 of Tennessee’s Sultana survivors left. Two years later, there were reportedly just five. In 1928, as the Tennessee Theatre was completed, there were so few they formally asked the young veterans of the Spanish-American War to take over. Everyone was agreeable then. As it happened, the last two Tennessee survivors of the Sultana disaster were both Vestal residents. John H. Simpson, who had led the push for the monument, and Pleasant M. Keeble, who often served the organization as scribe. The two who lived closest to their monument were the last to see it. Simpson, with the kind face and flowing white beard, died first. Pleasant Keeble, who wore an old-fashioned walrus mustache and still had some dark in his hair, seemed made of iron cable. He decided no further reunions need occur, that the tradition would die with him. And he died in 1931, the year Knoxville completed the new Henley Street Bridge, which for most of us is the handiest way to get to Maryville Pike and Mount Olive Cemetery.

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monument in Washington or Memphis went nowhere. By the early 20th century, the Sultana’s survivors saw their ranks thinning. As the world was abuzz about other deadly maritime disasters—the Titanic, followed by the Lusitania—it all seemed to suggest some urgency to making a permanent gesture people couldn’t forget. Of the Sultana survivor groups, the one in East Tennessee seemed the most vigorous, and most ambitious. The dwindling number of gray-haired survivors—by then, all were all pushing 70, or beyond—got together and, without waiting for government help, established a permanent memorial. Simpson was a member of Mount Olive Baptist Church. He picked that church’s hilltop cemetery as the site, and it was his prerogative. But it was a pretty good place anyway, a pretty, quiet spot barely within view of an important road, Maryville Pike. And it was easier for Blount County’s several Sultana survivors to get to than it would have been if it were in the middle of town. They hauled a large, oblong block of pink marble, donated by Dale Avenue marble producer Gray Eagle. It was hand-carved with almost 400 names of the Tennesseans aboard the Sultana, whether they survived that April or not. Among the names are those of familiar Knoxville-area families: Huffaker, DeArmond, Cowan, Atchley, Maples. That list is an impressive feat of carving in itself. But what you notice is an idealistic view of the Sultana in bas relief, under full steam, its smokestacks smoking, but unexploded. No crowds jam its decks, as they do in the only known photograph of that voyage. But a giant U.S. flag, out of scale with any real flag behind an ordinary steamboat, floats off the stern. Rarely mentioned is the sculptor who carved the bas-relief, but it was obviously a pro. One likely suspect is a young Italian named Albert Milani (1892-1977), who had arrived in town around 1911, in time to help decorate the facade of the 1912 Holston Building on Gay Street. Knoxville’s busiest stone carver for most of the 20th century, Milani often worked with pink marble, later carving the eagles on the post-office building on Main Street, and the famous Kreis Indy race-car monument in Asbury Cemetery. Dozens assembled there, on July

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Knoxville Jazz Festival Announces Its Return E arlier this month, drummer Lewis Nash led a small band of wellknown Knoxville musicians—pianist Keith Brown, bassist Taylor Coker, trumpeter Vance Thompson, and sax player Greg Tardy—through a set of songs in tribute to Freddie Hubbard. (It was the late trumpet player’s birthday.) The Tuesday night show at the Square Room was well-attended, which isn’t always the case for touring jazz acts in Knoxville, and it heralded the return of the Knoxville Jazz Festival after a two-year hiatus. The Nash concert was the first of a handful of anticipated events leading up to the festival, which is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 27-29. The venue

has not been announced. Nelda Hill, the festival’s managing director, and Donald Brown, its artistic director, are in negotiations with Ravi Coltrane to headline the Knoxville Jazz Festival. Coltrane, the 49-year-old son of John and Alice Coltrane, has distinguished himself as a modern-jazz saxophonist over the last two decades. “He’s John Coltrane’s son and carries on that legacy, but he’s also very much in the vanguard of new jazz,” Hill says. (Hill is also on the board of directors of the Knoxville History Project.) “The fi rst time I heard him was at an Elvin Jones tribute, several years ago, right after Elvin Jones died. He stood in his

father’s place in that band.” Between 2006 and 2012, the festival showcased a number of notable jazz players—pianist Harold Mabern, clarinet legend Don Byron, guitarist Lionel Loueke, and Jimmy Cobb, the drummer on Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue. “We’re a small, not flashy festival,” Hill says. “We try to put our money on a couple of really good acts that wouldn’t get to Knoxville otherwise. They’re not always well-known outside the jazz world, and yet, if you can get people there, they seem to have a really good time. I think Lewis Nash was a great example of that.” The festival’s focus on traditional jazz and veteran players isn’t an accident.

“We still have guys around who played with the first jazz players,” Hill says. “And if they’re still out there playing, I think we owe it to ourselves to listen to them and bring them in and let other people hear them. We like to think we provide people who don’t travel, or can’t travel, an opportunity to hear the kind of stuff they’d hear in large cities.” Hill and the other festival organizers plan to host additional performances over the spring and summer as part of the lead-up to the festival weekend, which may also include an album-release show for Keith Brown. For updates and more information, visit knoxjazzfest.org. —Matthew Everett

First Friday Website Up For Sale S teven Lareau has maintained KnoxvilleFirstFriday.com, a guide to First Friday events in and around downtown Knoxville, since 2008. He’s the first to admit that it’s not a comprehensive guide—with dozens of galleries, shops, restaurants, and nightclubs taking part every month, there’s just too much for one person to keep track of. (In fact, more than a handful of the locations listed on the website for May’s First Friday are defunct—some of them have been out of business for several years.) That’s why Lareau wants to give it up. Even without full listings, the website has been a handy resource as First Friday has grown from a small art tour into a monthly boxed-wine blowout. But Lareau has had enough, and he’s offering the domain for sale to anyone else who wants to keep it going. “I’m just getting burned out,” Lareau says. “It’s been six or seven years now. Places have disappeared and moved and vanished and new ones have cropped up. It’s insane keeping up with it. It’s just crazy. But I’m glad to

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see it’s grown.” Lareau, a self-taught artist who lives in Clinton, was motivated to start the website when he couldn’t find more than a few lines of information about the monthly openings he was interested in. But he’s grown frustrated that many of the participating venues still won’t publicize their events. “It’s just too exhausting to keep up,” Lareau says. “I try to head out on First Friday and check out the galleries and kick these people in the butt. ‘Would you please shoot me an email with the upcoming artists?’ But it’s absurd—I get six or seven every month, out of all those people who participate. It got to the point where I was spending ridiculous hours every month going to everybody’s website, everybody’s Facebook page, all the artists’ pages, hoping somebody’s got this information for who’s going to be where each month.” Inquiries about the domain can be made to Lareau through the website. M.E.

Art: Phil Savage

Classical Music: Il Trovatore

Movie: Ex Machina

Music: CrumbSnatchers

Inside the Vault

Riding the New Wave Unearthing a rare Knoxville treat from the early MTV era

BY ERIC DAWSON

ew wave doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t figure prominently in most tellings of Knoxville music history. Maybe itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s because the term is so ill-defined, or maybe, for many, the style seems more dated and embarrassing than punk. But in the early â&#x20AC;&#x2122;80s, there were a few bands in town that plugged in a synth and rode the wave. If you judge Videoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s song â&#x20AC;&#x153;Stop Signâ&#x20AC;? by its lyrics, it might not be surprising that the obscure single is not spoken of in hushed reverential tones. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Traveling down I-75, the red and white just caught my eye/Went from 90 to zero in seconds flat/She never moves I always know where sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s at/I, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m in love with a stop sign!â&#x20AC;? Video bassist/singer Jeff Davis says the deliberately goofy lyrics were a challenge the band members gave themselves. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were taking a break from rehearsal on drummer Scott Billingslyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s back porch, discussing how people would like a song, pretty much regardless of lyric, if it was catchy musically,â&#x20AC;? Davis explains. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I decided I would put together the most ridiculous lyric I could come up with and decided that I would be in love with the first inanimate object that came to mind.â&#x20AC;? The song is a catchy, hectic Devo kind of number that would have sounded right at home on early MTV. There are proggy flourishes throughout â&#x20AC;&#x153;Stop Sign,â&#x20AC;? but the B-side, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Prelude to Dreams,â&#x20AC;? is where the band really lets its prog flag fly. Spacey synth solos, hotshot guitar runs, and what sounds like a 2112-inspired vocal lodged in the middle suggest a lot of time listening to Rush and Styx. When the band got together, in 1980, Davis and Billingsly were seniors at Karns High School, keyboardist Paul Jones was a junior at Bearden, and guitarists Kurt Daverman and David Griffith had just graduated from Bearden. They played Bearden High

Auditorium, the Laurel Theater, and the Tennessee Valley Fair, but Bunduleeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on the Cumberland Avenue Stripâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Knoxvilleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s punk-rock ground-zero dive, once referred to as â&#x20AC;&#x153;the CBGBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s of Knoxvilleâ&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201D;was their main venue. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The general public was still trying to figure out the whole new wave/punk thing that was happening at the time, but the fans, high-school and young college kids, got it,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We did gigs with most of the other bands in town that were misunderstood like usâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the 5 Twins, the Real Hostages, Turbine 44, the Squad, and Candy Cream and the Wet Dream. I should also mention Balboaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get to do any shows with them but would go see them whenever they played. â&#x20AC;Ś We played for a lot of the dog-collar or skinny-tie crowd. Lots of slam-dancing. I think the, for lack of a better term, uniqueness of Video was we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know who the heck we were, musically.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Stop Signâ&#x20AC;? was recorded in the spring of â&#x20AC;&#x2122;81, and the band returned to the studio in the fall to cut â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hollyâ&#x20AC;? b/w â&#x20AC;&#x153;My Mindâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Blue Jean Censors.â&#x20AC;? 500 copies of the former were pressed, but the follow-up might be a little more difficult to findâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;only 100 or 200 were made. Video broke up in 1982. Davis has been in the music ministry since the late â&#x20AC;&#x2122;90s and is now on staff at Grace Baptist Church on Oak Ridge Highway. Billingsly has played music professionally since the Video days, drumming for the Parrott Brothers Band and the Royal Hounds, among others acts. Jones runs film and video scoring company Aurulation Music here in town. Daverman and Griffith both moved out of state; their former bandmates have lost touch.

Inside the Vault features discoveries from the Knox County Public Libraryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound, a collection of film, video, music, and other media from around East Tennessee. April 30, 2015

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View Finder Phil Savage keeps discovering unique vantage points on Knoxville BY S. HEATHER DUNCAN

or a guy who has coached U.S. junior national gymnastics teams for a quarter-century, walking halfway across the Tennessee River on a railroad bridge was no big deal. It was a long way down, but Phil Savage had a camera in his hand. He wanted the perfect shot. Just as he tells his gymnasts, he wanted to “make the ordinary extraordinary,” to take a view people had seen a million times and turn it into a different experience—an experience like a roller coaster, in this case. Savage started taking overlapping shots to make a panorama, slowly moving the camera while the shutter rattled like a subtle machine gun. Then the cops started hollering, beckoning him off the bridge. He held up one finger for “gimme a minute” and kept clicking. They were not amused. It’s not the only time Savage has gotten in trouble for taking photos in Knoxville locations where you can’t generally stop, like from the top of a ladder in the middle of Gay Street. But that bridge photo was actually pretty extraordinary. The overlapping shots, melded using Photoshop, give an impression like a fisheye lens. The waterfront of Knoxville bends away in black and white, with a few buildings, like the Sunsphere, picked out in color. But almost all the visible color is on the bridge itself, weathered wood and rusted rails in rich textures, appearing to swoop so you feel as if you are careening toward Knoxville in the front car of a roller coaster. Savage rode into Knoxville sort of like that in 1980, taking a job straight out of college as a gymnastics teacher for Ginger Temple, whom he’d met

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 30, 2015

while attending Southern Illinois University on a gymnastics scholarship. (He figured he’d stay in Knoxville a year.) His father was American, his mother was Swiss, Savage was born in Mexico, and the family lived in a handful of Latin American countries before moving to Washington, D.C., when Savage was 10. After turning his bathroom into a darkroom as a teenager, Savage earned degrees in French and photography. A breakthrough in his style came when he overexposed a picture of someone jumping off a cliff into the water for a class assignment. “I panicked,” he says. “I took a marker and drew lines all over the picture.” But his teacher loved it, and Savage’s interest in hand-tinting was born. He began specializing in the use of infrared film, which creates whites so stark that everything looks dusted in snow. Then he’d paint certain parts of the picture with an oil-paint tint. But photography has changed a lot since then: no chemicals, less fear, and no surprise. “It used to be, you don’t know what you’ve got until you develop the

picture,” he says. “I loved it.” These days, he achieves similar effects digitally, using a specially-programmed camera and Photoshop. (He also shoots in color, desaturates the picture in Photoshop, and then “paints” back certain areas to achieve the hand-tinted effect.) “That way, the eye goes to what I want,” Savage says. At Neyland Stadium, the only colors are the orange hats and scoreboard. Downtown, the flash of color is on a building reflected upside down in a puddle. Many of his most recognizable shots involve nature or urban architecture in Knoxville, Nashville, and Franklin, where he now works. He loves historic architectural details but also plays with contrasting the new and the old. His photos of the city are on permanent display in the Knoxville Convention Center, the City County Building, Cafe 4, and many downtown offices. In 2009, Savage’s photo of the Woodruff building became the first photograph to win the Dogwood Arts Festival fine-art prize.

Savage leads a sort of double life: Many of those who know him through one of his two great passions are unaware of the other. He speaks of both—and of Knoxville, his friends and family, his good fortune, and the beauty he sees in the world—with an incandescent, fierce enthusiasm conveyed through piercing eyes. Savage coached with Premier Athletics for decades (as his wife Lisa still does) and was inducted into the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame in 2009. He now commutes from Franklin while coaching the junior national team, a sort of Olympic farm team that competes globally. But even while in town last week for his daughter’s wedding, Savage took a few moments to photograph graffiti in the alley between Market Square and Gay Street. Lying on his back, he shot up between narrow buildings, watching how the light plays over geometric forms. What color or shape will they be when he’s done? Stay tuned for the results at philsavagephotography.com.

Classical Music

Dramatic Debuts Knox Opera’s Il Trovatore succeeds with striking debut performances BY ALAN SHERROD

udiences generally catch a glimpse of Knoxville Opera’s executive director Brian Salesky in one of two places: at the keyboard for one of the company’s promotional or educational productions or in the pit as conductor of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra for the principal productions each season. Nevertheless, the reputation of the opera company, and the joy and satisfaction of its audience, rests on one critical task of Salesky’s that does not involve a keyboard or a baton but rather a pencil—finding and casting singers who can thrill and electrify audiences under the limitations of a mid-sized opera company’s budget. Often this means finding exciting younger singers or giving role debut opportunities to more established ones—opportunities that would otherwise be slow in coming. In both cases, Salesky has succeeded with uncanny regularity, and he certainly succeeded in his casting of last weekend’s marvelous Rossini Festival production of Verdi’s Il Trovatore (“The Troubadour”), a tale of revenge and vengeance set in the Spanish civil war of 1412. Salesky chose the four main roles, with their clear demands of range and stamina, from established singers performing them for the first time—with two of those making their Knoxville Opera debut. New to KO was Jonathan Burton, whose role of Manrico, the title’s troubadour, was a perfect vehicle for his warmly appealing and exceedingly attractive spinto tenor voice. Burton’s exceptional lyrical quality throughout a range of dynamics was matched by equal measures of turmoil and tension as well, evidenced by Act III’s “Di quella pira,” in which Manrico frantically urges the rescue of his gypsy mother

from Count di Luna’s army. Also making a KO debut was mezzo-soprano Dana Beth Miller in the role of Azucena, the gypsy woman haunted by vengeance, given and received. Miller, who has recently been appearing regularly with German opera companies, was a stunning win for Salesky and KO. Her gorgeously versatile voice was capable of plumbing the depths of darkness and despair as well as caressing the heights of lyrical tenderness, all with expressiveness and power. That ability to contrast darkness with tenderness also contributes to Miller’s sensational dramatic range. Her Act II aria “Stride la vampa,” in which she reveals the death of her mother at the stake and the origins of her vengeance, was a masterpiece of narrative singing. Returning to KO after performing the title role in last season’s Norma was Rochelle Bard, a coloratura soprano who has been feasting on top bel canto roles of late. That glorious flexibility and edge served her well as Leonora, a lady in waiting for the Princess of Aragon and love interest of Manrico. Bard brings a genuineness and confidence to the roles she sings, and, in the case of Leonora, an intelligent and complex portrayal of substance. This seemingly natural

dramatic ability combined with her captivating coloratura maintained her position as an equal partner in the foursome. Also returning to KO was baritone Nelson Martinez, in the role of Count di Luna. While Martinez courageously attempted the performance despite having ongoing allergy episodes, his rich and powerful instrument was reduced to an unfortunate shadow of what Knoxville audiences had previously admired in Rigoletto and Lucia di Lammermoor. Bass Patrick Blackwell, also in a KO debut, turned in a richly impressive Act I narrative, “Di due figli vivea,” as Count di Luna’s captain, Ferrando. Knoxville singers Kevin R. Doherty and Sarah Fitch, as Ruiz and Ines, respectively, made solid work of the opera’s secondary roles. In her fourth project with KO, director Keturah Stickann again wove psychological themes into the staging, themes that reference the backstory of the opera otherwise told only through exposition. Specters of Azucena’s mother and child briefly haunt several scenes as a reminder of that story, completed at the fi nale by a stunning image of an immolation as the existing scenery fl ies away. Stickann also gave Il Trovatore some truly gorgeous stage pictures through the painting and organization of crowd tableaus and character movement, such as Act II’s “Anvil Chorus,” all the while making a positive attribute of the drop and wing sets. Knoxville Opera has announced their 2015-16 season: Boito’s Mefistofele in October, Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel in February, and Puccini’s Tosca in April.

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The reputation of the opera company rests on one critical task of Salesky’s — finding and casting singers who can thrill and electrify audiences under the limitations of a mid-sized opera company’s budget.

April 30, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 23

Movie

The Mechanics of Deception For all its slick sci-fi trappings, Ex Machina is old-school suspense at its finest BY APRIL SNELLINGS

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 30, 2015

human or simply mimicking the humans around it. From the beginning, there are hints that something sinister is afoot. Nathan is pompous and paranoid and has arranged a sort of Bluebeard’s castle setup; Caleb is prevented from communicating with the outside world—a security measure, Nathan says—and has a keycard that will get him into some rooms, but others are strictly off-limits. The house itself becomes a character, pleasantly minimalist at times but eerie and prison-like when occasional power-cuts throw it into a red-lit lockdown mode. Caleb finds it tough to think straight, so impressive and disconcerting are his

Photo courtesy of Mongrel Media

hings get creepy quickly in Ex Machina, one of the latest films to crack open the Pandora’s box of artificial intelligence. It’s neither the first nor the last movie of the season to deal with self-aware machines—we’ve already had Chappie, and now The Avengers: Age of Ultron is upon us—but writer/director Alex Garland’s claustrophobic, paranoid thriller is wired altogether differently than those flashier entries. Populated by only four actors for the bulk of its running time and playing out almost entirely in one location, Ex Machina is essentially a chamber piece that spends more time channeling Bergman than Spielberg. It’s an admirably tense and terrifically effective movie that hinges on deception, both as a plot device and in its execution. The story centers on Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson), one of many young coders working for a tech giant called Bluebook—sort of an amalgamation of Google and Apple that serves, since it controls 94 percent of Internet searches and has no qualms about using the information it collects without consent, as a privatized Big Brother. When he wins a company-wide lottery, Caleb is whisked off to the enormous Alaskan estate of Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac), Bluebook’s brilliant and reclusive CEO. Caleb thinks he’s there for what amounts to a weeklong bromance, but after he signs an incredibly invasive nondisclosure agreement, he learns the truth: Nathan has constructed an AI and wants Caleb to help him perform a Turing test—an evaluation meant to determine whether a machine is actually thinking like a

surroundings. The only other person around is Kyoko (Sonoya Mizuno), a subservient, Japanese-speaking attendant who’s there to provide Nathan with a lot more than wine and sushi. Things really get unsettling when Caleb meets Nathan’s creation. The movie is largely structured as a series of “sessions,” where Caleb interviews Ava (Alica Vikander), a remarkable construction of wire mesh, pulsing lights, synthetic flesh, and whirring motors. She wears her lovely human face like a mask and moves with a precision that’s both beautiful and a little off-putting. (Vikander is trained as a ballerina.) She immediately throws Caleb off his game. He wants to interact with her as a human on the forefront of a history-making scientific breakthrough, but he can’t help interacting with her as a lonely young man meeting a flirtatious young woman. Nathan observes these interactions on closed-circuit television, and we begin to wonder who’s really studying whom. From that point on, it’s hard to discuss Ex Machina without giving away its surprises. It’s safe to say that, while it does touch on many of the questions that always show up in sci-fi stories about sentient machines, it’s actually more concerned with the decidedly analog ideas of the suspense

genre: deception, manipulation, betrayal, and some good old-fashioned sex. As a smart-robot movie, you might guess the twists—the plot is actually pretty predictable at times—but the suspense and tension come from the layers Garland attaches to the sci-fi stings. It’s all about misdirection, a topic that’s discussed at length by Nathan and Caleb; while we’re busy being awed by the movie’s slick visuals and impressive FX, Garland is busy turning the screws with the noir-ish reversals and power struggles playing out in the compound. Entire essays could be written about the sexual politics addressed in the film—Nathan is intelligent, charming, and filthy stinking rich, so why is he compelled to surround himself with programmable women?—but the editors only pay me for a page, so that’s a topic for another time. Suffice it to say that Ex Machina is an intensely literate, cerebral movie that’s confident enough in its audience to drop Wittgenstein references without feeling the need to explain them. But, as Nathan tells Caleb early in the movie, it’s not about thoughts—it’s about feelings. And Ex Machina feels like a taut, finely calibrated thriller that gets under your skin in its first moments and stays there until its last.

Music

Photo by Saul Young

Wild and Rambunctious Knoxville indie/punk band CrumbSnatchers aim for release and reckless abandon BY CAREY HODGES

f you’re wondering whether CrumbSnatchers’ onstage freak-outs are part of some larger message, you’re thinking about it too hard. The Knoxville-based pop/punk band, whose members are known to maniacally thrash through their performances, sometimes inciting pockets of moshing within the crowd and jumping into the crowd themselves, want audience members to skip the self-reflection and just let loose. “It’s fun to see people’s faces once they start to get into it and they’re like, ‘Oh, this is what this is. This is a party and it’s going to be a good time,’” says vocalist/guitarist Sam “Guetts” Guetterman. “We love creating a space where people feel like they can dance in a silly way or whatever, where there’s no reason to hold back, because we’re acting silly, so they have no reason to worry about how they look.” CrumbSnatchers—Guetterman, drummer Rylan Bledsoe, bassist Sam

Burchfield, and guitarist Philip Mosteller—played their first gig at a packed-out birthday party in Fort Sanders in 2012. They followed with a string of sweaty house shows before booking venues like Pilot Light and Scruffy City Hall. Full of brain-scrambling jumps between punk assaults and catchy indie-rock choruses, the band’s sound is equal parts chaotic and contrived. The chaotic part of the equation, along with the band’s name, came naturally for Guetterman, who was shipped off to a Christian-based military reform school at 16. “The staff would refer to us as crumbsnatchers when we were doing drills and stuff,” he says. “So one day I asked one of the workers what he meant by it, and he was like, ‘wild and rambunctious children who can’t behave right!’ When we first started writing, CrumbSnatchers just seemed like the perfect fit.” While the band’s more abrasive,

punk-inclined tracks swell to an ear-splitting explosion of grating guitars, pummeling drums and fractured, growling vocals—sometimes even flirting with metal elements—the lyrics behind the mayhem are generally positive, even a little goofy. “We’re shooting for a feeling, and that feeling is sort of like those feelings that you’re not allowed to express, like at work. Or if you’re in preschool, you have to wait for recess,” Guetterman explains. “We’re shooting for this feeling of aggressive release and reckless abandonment, but we’re focusing on it in a positive and not a negative way. That sometimes comes out in different sounds.” Those different sounds are the result of a anything-goes policy when it comes to crafting new tracks. While Guetterman tends to spearhead the direction of the band’s material, all members contribute to the creative process. “Sometimes we’ll just be practicing and are like, let’s write a new song, and it comes out really quickly like that as a band,” Guetterman says. “Then sometimes it’s something that I’ve been brewing for a while and I show it to them. And then sometimes it’s just a sweet riff that Sam has and we just build from that. It’s also started from a drumbeat before, where Rylan’s like, ‘Hey, I’ve got this cool thing, let’s work on it.’ And then we do.” The band has built a loyal following in the Knoxville area over the past three years. “Most folks know what to expect from us, which is cool,” Guetterman says. “But we love playing for a new crowd who is like, what’s going on here?” That desire to unleash their amped-up antics on an unsuspecting audience inspired the CrumbSnatchers to pack up their gear and drive more than 1,000 miles to Austin, Texas, to perform a single show at this year’s SXSW festival. “We found out about the show only a week or so before the actual festival, so we didn’t have a lot of time to book anything else,” Guetterman says. “We tried to go to as many shows as we could and just have a good time and meet people and talk to people and stuff like that.”

Since returning home, the band has abandoned a crowdfunding effort to raise the $6,000 needed to finish recording their full-length debut with the Kelly brothers at Knoxville’s Famous London Recording Studio. They hope to pay for the release of the album themselves, dropping the finished product sometime over the summer. “I’m working two jobs now and we’re all going to buckle down and pay for it,” Guetterman says. “It’ll feel good to pay for it ourselves. We’re going to take our time on it, which is something that we didn’t really do with our first EP. I think it’s going to be something that were really proud of for a long time.” That drive to produce a thoughtout, polished product extends beyond CrumbSnatchers’ upcoming album. The band, not surprisingly, has big plans to mix things up in the future. “We’ve been writing a bunch of new stuff for the next project that we’re going to make,” Guetterman says. “I’m not sure whether it’s going in an indie direction or whether it’s going in a pop direction or whether it’s going in a punk direction. But we’re moving somewhere from where we’ve been.”

WHO Peelander-Z with the CrumbSnatchers and Opposite Box WHERE The Concourse (940 Blackstock Ave.) WHEN Wednesday, May 6, at 8 p.m. HOW MUCH $7/$10 at the door MORE INFO internationalknox.com

April 30, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 25

CALENDAR MUSIC Thursday, April 30 68 WITH A LOT LIKE BIRDS AND THE MIGHTY • The Concourse • 6PM • $10-$12 ANTISEEN • Longbranch Saloon • 6:30PM FREEQUENCY • Mulligan’s Restaurant • 7PM • Folk-pop and covers with three-part harmony. SAM LEWIS AND RYAN JOSEPH ANDERSON WITH TRACY WALTON • WDVX • 12PM • 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 SAM LEWIS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 8PM RAMAJAY INTERCOASTAL • Preservation Pub • 10PM WHISKEY AND WOOD • Clancy’s Tavern and Whiskey House • 6PM THE WHISKEY SESSIONS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM Friday, May 1 75 DOLLAR BILL • Pilot Light • 10PM • $5 • See Spotlight on page 33 AMOUR WITH HEART SICK, DIALECT, DARK MATTERS, AND ILLUSTRIOUS • Longbranch Saloon • 8PM CELTIC WOMAN • Knoxville Civic Auditorium • 7:30PM • This enchanting musical experience features Celtic Woman performing a treasure chest of traditional Irish standards, classical favorites and contemporary pop songs, in the group’s distinctive signature style. The 10th Anniversary Tour features four sublimely gifted Irish women - three angelic vocalists and a dazzling Celtic violinist - with a full band, plus the Anotas Choir, bagpipers, and Irish dancers all under the direction of Emmy-nominated music producer David Downes. www. CelticWoman.com • $42.75-$105 CRIZZLY WITH ANTISERUM, LAXX, AND EDE GEE • The International • 9PM • Channeling hyperactive energy and uncontainable swagger, the San Antonio DJ and producer Crizzly ignites crowds with an intoxicating, infectious, and inimitable blend of dubstep and hip-hop, which he affectionately terms, “Crunkstep.” 18 and up. • $15-$35 FREEQUENCY • Buckethead Tavern • 8PM THE DOUG HARRIS BAND • Bearden Field House • 9PM • FREE DEVAN JONES AND THE UPTOWN STOMP • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE KID INK • NV Nightclub • 9PM • Don’t miss The Hot 104.5 End of Semester Bash with L.A. rapper Kid Ink (“Tat It Up,” “La La La”) on his Full Speed Tour and support from our own DJ Subsurgence. 18 and up. • $20-$30 STEVE MOAKLER WITH JILLIAN EDWARDS • The Square Room • 8PM • In 2006, Steve moved from his hard working hometown (Pittsburgh, PA) to the songwriting capital of the world (Nashville, TN) to pursue his dream of becoming a singer/songwriter. • $12-$20 THE R.B. MORRIS TRIO • Great Smoky Mountains Heritage 26

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 30, 2015

Thursday, April 30 - Sunday, May 10

Center (Townsend) • 7PM • Knoxville’s premier troubadour trio takes their show to the foothills of the Smokies. • $5 BRAD POYNER AND THE LOST FIDDLE STRING BAND • Preservation Pub • 8PM ROAD TO ROO BATTLE OF THE BANDS • The Shed at Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson (Maryville) • 6PM • 103.5 WIMZ and The Shed are teaming up with Bonnaroo to give 1 lucky band the opportunity of a lifetime: a slot to perform at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. • FREE ROBINELLA • Knoxville Museum of Art • 6PM • Robin Ella’s early influences were Waylon Jennings, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, and others. Later, while in college, she discovered the song stylings of Ella Fitzgerald and Nina Simone, and she has been a genre-defying singer ever since. • $10 THE SAINT FRANCIS BAND WITH THE KEVIN FRATER BAND • WDVX • 12PM • 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 WILD THINGS • Preservation Pub • 10PM • Local covers of the British Invasion and ‘60s garage rock.

of the Levon Helm Band and Marty Grebb, who worked with Rick Danko and Richard Manuel of The Band, remains a vehicle through which we can continue to share those stories and dance to those back beats. Come and take a load off. • $25-$28 WHISKEY ‘N’ WOOD • Willy’s Bar and Grill • 7PM Sunday, May 3 ANTIGONE RISING • Kristtopher’s • 7PM • $13 STEVE GREEN • Monte Vista Baptist Church • 6PM • Throughout his years of ministry, Steve’s music has been honored with four Grammy nominations, 13 No. 1 songs, and seven Dove Awards, Christian music’s highest honor. With 33 recordings to his credit, including children’s

projects and Spanish-language albums, Green has sold over three million albums worldwide. • $10-$15 J.C. AND THE DIRTY SMOKERS • Preservation Pub • 10PM AMY LAVERE AND WILL SEXTON • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM • Amy LaVere, born Amy Fant, is an American singer, songwriter, upright bass player and actress based in Memphis, Tennessee. Her music is classified as Americana, combining a blend of classic country, gypsy jazz, and southern soul. LECRAE WITH ANDY MINEO AND DJ PROMOTE • Knoxville Civic Coliseum • 7PM • Lecrae is fresh from Nashville after scoring a Grammy award for “Messengers” in the category of Best Contemporary Christian Music

Saturday, May 2 CAROLINA STORY WITH FREEQUENCY • WDVX • 12PM • 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 SILVIU CIULEI • Episcopal Church of the Good Samaritan • 7PM • Knoxville Guitar Society presents classical and flamenco guitarist Silviu Ciulei, who was recently named one of the Top 30 under 30 guitarists by Acoustic Guitar Magazine. • $20 THE DEADBEAT SCOUNDRELS • Clancy’s Tavern and Whiskey House • 9PM JEFF GERMAN AND THE BLANKETY BLANKS WITH KEVIN ABERNATHY • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • All ages. • $7 JAKE AND THE COMET CONDUCTORS • Preservation Pub • 8PM THE DAVID MAYFIELD PARADE WITH THE CARMONAS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • David Mayfield may be one of the most original performers on the Americana scene, known for his bombastic stage presence as much as his virtuosic guitar talent and songwriting prowess. MISERY AND GIN • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE OFFING WITH WRAY • Pilot Light • 10PM • $5 BEN SHUSTER • Bearden Field House • 9PM • FREE SOUL MECHANIC WITH CALABASH • Preservation Pub • 10PM TUESDAY’S GONE: THE ULTIMATE LYNYRD SKYNYRD TRIBUTE WITH COUNTY WIDE • The Shed at Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson (Maryville) • 8PM • $15 THE WEIGHT • The International • 7:30PM • The Weight, a five-piece ensemble featuring Jim Weider and Randy Ciarlante from The Band, Brian Mitchell and Byron Isaacs

BREWHIBITION Old City Courtyard • Saturday, May 2 • 2:30-6:30 p.m. • $40-$65 • brewhibition.com

With a handful of new local brewpubs, nanobreweries, and other beermakers set to unleash their brews in the next few months, 2015 is shaping up as the Year of Beer in Knoxville. The first great mass communal celebration of fermented malt and hops will take place this weekend in the Old City Courtyard at the first Brewhibition beer fest, a showcase of local, regional, and national beers with live music, one-off beer-cocktail collaborations, and surprise beers. Most of Knoxville’s existing brewers—Saw Works Brewing Company, Blackhorse Brewery, Fanatic Brewing Co., Woodruff Brewing Co., and the Pretentious Beer Glass Company—will be on hand, along with Green Man Brewery, Terrapin Beer Co., Founders Brewing Co., and festival sponsor Goose Island. (Matthew Everett)

Spotlight: The Doobie Brothers

Spotlight: 75 Dollar Bill

CALENDAR Performance/Song. • $28-$105 PAPA ROACH WITH WE ARE HARLOT AND DIVIDED WE STAND • The International • 7PM • Papa Roach have been known as chart-toppers since the explosion of their first album and their smash single “Last Resort” in 2000. In January, the band celebrated the 15th anniversary of Infest by releasing their 8th studio album and most infectious, invigorating, and incendiary body of work to date, F.E.A.R. 18 and up. • $27.50-$50 SHIFFLETT AND HANNAH • The Bistro at the Bijou • 12PM • Live jazz. • FREE Monday, May 4 ADAM AND CHRIS CARROLL WITH EXIT 65 • WDVX • 12PM • 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 MIGHTY MUSICAL MONDAY • Tennessee Theatre • 12PM • Wurlitzer meister Bill Snyder is joined by a special guest on the first Monday of each month for a music showcase inside Knoxville’s historic Tennessee Theatre. • FREE THE SUITCASE JUNKET • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. Tuesday, May 5 JASON BONHAM LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • A lot of talented children have probably been asked by a parent to entertain family and friends, maybe in the living room, maybe sing a little, play an instrument. No big deal and a good way to get used to performing for others. But when Jason Bonham was a small child and got called in to entertain, the family friends he played his drums for could be anyone from Jimmy Page to some of the guys from the group Bad Company. That’s what happens when your father is drummer John Bonham, one of the original members of the legendary rock band Led Zeppelin. • $39-$101.50 MAJOR AND THE MONBACKS WITH LACED WITH ARSENIC • WDVX • 12PM • 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 SLIPKNOT WITH HATEBREED • Knoxville Civic Coliseum • 8PM • Slipknot’s mix of grinding, post-Korn alternative metal, Marilyn Manson-esque neo-shock rock, and rap-metal helped make them one of the most popular bands in the so-called nu-metal explosion of the late ‘90s. • $63 RICK SPRINGFIELD • Tennessee Theatre • 8PM • With 25 million records sold, 17 top-40 hits, including Don’t Talk to Strangers, An Affair of the Heart, I’ve Done Everything for You, Love Somebody and Human Touch, as well as a 1981 Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal for his No. 1 hit single “Jessie’s Girl,” Springfield shows no signs of slowing down. • $39.50-$225 Wednesday, May 6 THE DOOBIE BROTHERS • Tennessee Theatre • 8PM • As

durable as American steel, Northern California’s four-time Grammy winning Doobie Brothers sound has become part of America’s musical firmament, sampled on dance records, reinterpreted on “American Idol,” and a fixture on radio formats from top 40 to classic rock. • $69.50-$79.50 • See Spotlight on page 30 FROG AND TOAD’S DIXIE QUARTET • The Crown and Goose • 6:30PM • Live jazz featuring a mix of original music, early jazz and more. • FREE COREY GLOVER • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • As a founding member of Living Colour, Corey Glover helped prove that not only could black guys kick out the jams, but that they could be embraced by a vast expanse of fans. All ages. • $15-$20 KELCY MAE WITH GARY BISCUIT DAVIS • WDVX • 12PM • 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 MAJOR AND THE MONBACKS • Preservation Pub • 7PM • 21 and up. PEELANDER-Z WITH CRUMBSNATCHERS AND OPPOSITE BOX • The International • 8PM • 18 and up. • $7-$10 • See Music story on page 25 GRETCHEN PETERS WITH JACK RENTFRO • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7PM • Grammy-winning songwriter Gretchen Peters joins us to perform songs from her acclaimed new CD, “Blackbirds,” as heard on WDVX. Jack Rentfro returns to Tennessee Shines for more East Tennessee prose and poetry. • $10 Thursday, May 7 CANARY IN THE COALMINE WITH THE HARDIN DRAW • WDVX • 12PM • 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 CANARY IN THE COALMINE • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • Canary in the Coalmine is an Americana-Folk band—a haunting quality underscores striking vocal harmonies that provide a focal point for the band’s Appalachian folk and alt country influences. DAVE KENNEDY • Clancy’s Tavern and Whiskey House • 6PM MAPS NEED READING • Longbranch Saloon • 8PM • Knoxville-based prog rock. CRAIG MORGAN • Cotton Eyed Joe • 10PM • Craig Morgan’s resume is one of the most varied and impressive on earth--soldier, sheriff’s deputy, EMT, adventurer, TV host, motocross racer, outdoorsman, farmer, family man. And then there is the career that ties it all together.”Music is like a center for all those things,” says the man known as one of country’s best singers and songwriters since “Almost Home” put him on the map in 2002. • $10 NEEDTOBREATHE WITH BEN RECTOR, DREW HOLCOMB AND THE NEIGHBORS, AND COLONY • Knoxville Civic Coliseum • 7PM • NEEDTOBREATHE is a Grammy-nominated American Rock ‘n’ Roll Band from South Carolina, effortlessly woven

from the musical traditions and faith of their upbringing in the Deep South of the United States. The band’s critically acclaimed fifth studio album, Rivers In the Wasteland was released on April 15, 2014, and debuted at #3 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart. • $24-$44 THE ODDRHYME TOUR FEATURING TAYLOR CANIFF, MICHAEL WOOD, AND ZACK MANN • The Concourse • 6:30PM • All ages. Buy tickets here. • $20 Friday, May 8 CAUTION • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • Caution gives audiences the ultimate jam music experience, covering legendary jam bands like the Grateful Dead, Phish and Widespread Panic. Since 1996, Caution has been turning crowds on to jam music with a mass appealing, in-your-face approach to the jam band style. REDLEG HUSKY WITH CATHY FINK AND MARCY MARXER • WDVX • 12PM • 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 KUKULY AND THE GYPSY FUEGO • The Bistro at the Bijou • 9PM • FREE MARILYN MANSON • The International • 8PM • The shock-rock vet returned in January with The Pale Emperor, his first album since 2012. • $45-$100 MOUNTAIN SOUL • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE RADIO BIRDS • Preservation Pub • 8PM • 21 and up. • $5 SILVERSYDE WITH DREAMKILLER AND TRANSPARENT SOUL • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 7:30PM • We are a female fronted hard rock band. Our music is passionate, hopeful, deliberate and written specifically for the broken. TABOO • Knoxville Museum of Art • 6PM • TABOO, featuring sultry vocalist, Lindsay George, takes you on a winding musical journey that ranges from 1960’s Bo Diddley to Led Zeppelin to Michael Jackson, and all of the way through today and songs from Adele and others. TABOO takes these much loved songs and makes them their own with a twist of the TABOO touch. The raw edge of their music is captivating, and its electric energy will and make you want to move. TABOO has been together 3 years, but a few of the members have been playing together for 15 years. The family bond that the band has formed has made it something extraordinary. With Lindsay’s smooth and sassy voice and Eric Wolberg’s unique guitar sound, backed by the rhythm section of David Yocum on bass and Charles Crisp on drums, you will be left asking where you can see them again. • $10 WESTWEND • Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center (Townsend) • 7PM • Husband- and-wife duo Jonathan Maness and Wendy Crowe make bluegrass and country music with a crackerjack backing band. • $5 Saturday, May 9 BLACK JACKET SYMPHONY: HOTEL CALIFORNIA • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • The Black Jacket Symphony offers a unique concert experience by recreating classic albums in a live performance setting with a first class lighting April 30, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 27

CALENDAR and video production. A selected album is performed in its entirety by a group of handpicked musicians specifically selected for each album. • $27.50 THE CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT BAND • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. THE HONEYCUTTERS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • Appalachian honky-tonk. JASON ISBELL WITH ANDERSON EAST • The Shed at Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson (Maryville) • 8PM • Southeastern is not a record Jason has made before, and not simply because the glorious storm and drama of his band, the 400 Unit, is absent. They will tour together; it’s not a break-up record, not an album of dissolving, but, rather, songs of discovery. And not at all afraid, not even amid the tears.Which is to say that he has grown up. • $25 RHYTHM FUTURE QUARTET • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • When four young jazz virtuosos decided to join forces, the Rhythm Future Quartet was born. Named after a Django Reinhardt tune, the Rhythm Future Quartet performs dynamic and fiery arrangements of Gypsy jazz standards and original compositions that draw from rhythms heard around the world. • FREE THE RIVERBANK RAMBLERS • Clancy’s Tavern and Whiskey House • 9PM

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 30, 2015

Thursday, April 30 - Sunday, May 10

BEN SHUSTER • Bearden Field House • 9PM • FREE THE TALL PINES • WDVX • 12PM • 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

Tuesday, May 5

Sunday, May 10

Thursday, May 7

THE RANSOM NOTES • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM • Drawing inspiration from genres such as bluegrass, folk, Americana, and Celtic fiddling, this eclectic group has enthralled audiences for nearly two decades. SHIFFLETT AND HANNAH • The Bistro at the Bijou • 12PM • Live jazz. • FREE

IRISH MUSIC SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM • Held on the first and third Thursdays of each month. • FREE BREWHOUSE BLUES JAM • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM

OPEN MIC AND SONGWRITER NIGHTS Thursday, April 30 BREWHOUSE BLUES JAM • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8 p.m.• Free Monday, May 4 BLUEGRASS AND BREWS OPEN JAM • Suttree’s High Gravity Tavern • 7PM • A weekly jam session followed by a band performance. • FREE

BARLEY’S OPEN MIC NIGHT • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 8PM OLD-TIME JAM • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15 p.m. • Hosted by Sarah Pirkle. • Free

Friday, May 8 TIME WARP TEA ROOM OPEN SONGWRITER NIGHT • Time Warp Tea Room • 7PM • Songwriter Night at Time Warp Tea Room runs on the second and fourth Friday of every month. Show up around 7 p.m. with your instrument in tow and sign up to share a couple of original songs with a community of friends down in Happy Holler. • FREE

DJ AND DANCE NIGHTS Friday, May 1

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. Saturday, May 2 THE ART OF HOUSE: STEFAN ZEFF • Southbound Bar and Grill • 11PM • Stan Zeff was born and raised in London, England and has been spinning for over 20 years, in the depths of the London underground Warehouse parties from the early 80’s. Zeff was one of the London pioneers of House music in the mid to late 80’s. He DJ’d with the likes of Ashley Beadle, Mr. C, Eddie Richards, Zepherin Saint, and MC EMIX. It was a time, when people either loved or hated House music, but he stayed true to his music, and helped build the London House scene to what it is today. Featuring support from local DJs Rick Styles, Mark B, and Kevin Nowell. Sunday, May 3 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, May 8 THE ART OF HOUSE WEEKENDER DANCE PARTY •

CALENDAR Southbound Bar and Grill • 11 p.m. • Featuring resident DJs Rick Styles, Mark B, and Kevin Nowell. 21 and up. Saturday, May 9 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, May 10 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, April 30

PELLISSIPPI STATE SPRING CHORAL CONCERT • Pellissippi State Community College • 7PM • Pellissippi State Community College’s Spring Choral Concert on Thursday, April 30, honors the late Bill Brewer. Brewer, for many years the college’s Music program coordinator and choral director, passed away in March after a battle with cancer. The event features the student vocal ensembles Concert Chorale and Variations, led by guest conductor David Stutzenberger. In honor of Brewer, all of the college’s choirs will join together for performances at the end of the concert. For the final piece, “Climb Every Mountain,” anyone in the audience who has been a part of a Pellissippi State choir is invited to join the combined choirs on stage. • FREE Sunday, May 3 KSO CHAMBER ORCHESTRA: LUCAS RICHMAN’S CHAMBER FINALE • Bijou Theatre • 2:30PM • Featuring Schuman’s Symphony No. 5 (Symphony for Strings), Strauss’ Serenade, Brahms’ Serenade No. 1, Op. 11, D Major. • $11-$31.50 Monday, May 4 KNOXVILLE SYMPHONY YOUTH ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION SPRING CONCERT • Tennessee Theatre • 7PM • The Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra Association consists of five orchestras and 300 students. The Spring Concert will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, May 4 at the Tennessee Theatre. Admission is free. • FREE Thursday, May 7 KSO: SYMPHONY ON THE SQUARE • Market Square • 7:30PM • Each spring, the Knoxville Symphony Chamber Orchestra performs a concert of light pops music on Market Square in downtown Knoxville. In case of rain, the concert will take place at the Bijou Theatre (803 S. Gay St.)This concert is free and open to the public; lawn chairs are encouraged. Join James Fellenbaum and the KSO for Symphony on the Square May 7 at 7:30 pm, sponsored by Home Federal Bank. • FREE Saturday, May 9 KSO POPS SERIES: A TRIBUTE TO ELVIS PRESLEY • Knoxville Civic Auditorium • 8PM • Slip on your Blue Suede Shoes

and head on over to the Civic Auditorium. Terry Mike Jeffrey and the Knoxville Symphony bring back all your Elvis memories, in a tribute fit for “The King”. • $34-$88

supernatural absurdist mystery about guilt, money, power, and sex. April 17-May 3. • $15

COMEDY AND SPOKEN WORD

KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: HARRIET THE SPY • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 7PM • Harriet loves writing and wants to be a spy when she grows up. So what could be more natural for Harriet than keeping a journal? May 1-17. • $12 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: THE THREEPENNY OPERA • Clarence Brown Theatre • 7:30PM • April 16-May 3. • $22-$42 THEATRE KNOXVILLE DOWNTOWN: AN INSPECTOR CALLS • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 8 p.m. • April 17-May 3. • $13 OAK RIDGE PLAYHOUSE: A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC • Oak Ridge Playhouse • 8PM • With hilariously witty and heartbreakingly moving moments of adoration, regret and desire, this sweeping musical explores the tangled web of affairs centered around actress Desirée Armfeldt, the men who love her, and their jealous wives - all invited for a weekend in the country. With everyone in one place, infinite possibilities of new romances and second chances bring endless surprises in Stephen Sondheim’s masterful musical take on Ingmar Bergman’s comedy of manners, “Smiles of a SummerNight.” May 1-17. But tickets here. • $18-$22

Sunday, May 3 LEWIS BLACK • Tennessee Theatre • 7PM • Known as the king of the rant, Lewis Black uses his trademark style of comedic yelling and animated finger-pointing to skewer anything and anyone that gets under his skin. His comedic brilliance lies in his ability to make people laugh at the absurdities of life, with topics that include current events, social media, politics and anything else that exposes the hypocrisy and madness he sees in the world. • $35-$59.50 Monday, May 4 QED COMEDY LABORATORY • Pilot Light • 7:30PM • QED ComedyLaboratory is a weekly show with different theme every week that combines stand-up, improv, sketch, music and other types of performance and features some of the funniest people in Knoxville and parts unknown. It’s weird and experimental. There is no comedy experience in town that is anything like this and it’s also a ton of fun. Pay what you want. Cost: Free - But Donations Gladly Accepted • FREE Tuesday, May 5 OPEN MIC STANDUP COMEDY • Longbranch Saloon • 8PM • Come laugh until you cry at the Longbranch every Tuesday night. Doors open at 8, first comic at 8:30. No cover charge, all are welcome. Aspiring or experienced comics interested in joining in the fun email us at longbranch.info@gmail.com to learn more, or simply come to the show a few minutes early. • FREE Friday, May 8 KNOXVILLE BREAKFAST ROTARY: JEANNE ROBERTSON • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • Jeanne Robertson is an award-winning humorist who entertains with hilarious stories based on her life experiences. This is her second appearance as star of the Knoxville Breakfast Rotary Club’s Annual Benefit Concert. • $45-$100

THEATER AND DANCE Thursday, April 30 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: THE THREEPENNY OPERA • Clarence Brown Theatre • 7:30PM • With a haunting jazz score and biting lyrics, Brecht’s masterpiece of epic theater originated the popular songs The Ballad of Mack the Knife, Soloman Song and Pirate Jenny. For mature audiences. Contains adult content and language, and gunshots. April 16-May 3. • $22-$42 THEATRE KNOXVILLE DOWNTOWN: AN INSPECTOR CALLS • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 8 p.m. • J.B. Priestley’s

Friday, May 1

Saturday, May 2 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: HARRIET THE SPY • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 1PM and 5PM • May 1-17. • $12 STUDIO ARTS FOR DANCERS SPRING CONCERT • Tennessee Theatre • 5PM • Studio Arts For Dancers will be participating in their Spring Concert. All seats are reserved. Studio Arts for Dancers was founded in 1991 by Lisa Hall McKee. For more information, contact Studio Arts for Dancers at 539-2475. • $15-$20 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: THE THREEPENNY OPERA • Clarence Brown Theatre • 7:30PM • April 16-May 3. • $22-$42 THEATRE KNOXVILLE DOWNTOWN: AN INSPECTOR CALLS • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 8 p.m. • April 17-May 3. • $13 OAK RIDGE PLAYHOUSE: A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC • Oak Ridge Playhouse • 8PM • $18-$22 Sunday, May 3 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: THE THREEPENNY OPERA • Clarence Brown Theatre • 2PM • April 16-May 3. • $22-$42 THEATRE KNOXVILLE DOWNTOWN: AN INSPECTOR CALLS • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 3 p.m. • April 17-May 3. • $13 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: HARRIET THE SPY • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 3PM • May 1-17. • $12 Thursday, May 7 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: HARRIET THE SPY • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 7PM • May 1-17. • $12 OAK RIDGE PLAYHOUSE: A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC • Oak Ridge Playhouse • 8PM • $18-$22 Friday, May 8 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: HARRIET THE SPY • April 30, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 29

CALENDAR Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 7PM • May 1-17. • $12 BROADWAY AT THE TENNESSEE: THE RAT PACK IS BACK • Tennessee Theatre • 8PM • What happens in Vegas...all started with The Rat Pack. This spirited show recreates one of the famous “Summit at the Sands” nights when a swingin’, ring-a-ding group known as “The Rat Pack” was creating hipster legend with a no-holds-barred nightclub act starring Vegas’ four favorite sons: Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin and Joey Bishop. • $37-$77 OAK RIDGE PLAYHOUSE: A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC • Oak Ridge

Thursday, April 30 - Sunday, May 10

Playhouse • 8PM • $18-$22

Sunday, May 10

Saturday, May 9

KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: HARRIET THE SPY • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 3PM • May 1-17. • $12 OAK RIDGE PLAYHOUSE: A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC • Oak Ridge Playhouse • 2PM • $18-$22

KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: HARRIET THE SPY • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 1PM and 5PM • May 1-17. • $12 BROADWAY AT THE TENNESSEE: THE RAT PACK IS BACK • Tennessee Theatre • 8PM • $37-$77 OAK RIDGE PLAYHOUSE: A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC • Oak Ridge Playhouse • 8PM • $18-$22

FESTIVALS Thursday, April 30 BLUE AND GRAY REUNION AND FREEDOM JUBILEE • Downtown Knoxville • Knoxville will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, April 30 through May 3. A series of programs and activities will highlight Union, Confederate, and African American perspectives, with a focus on Reconstruction, remembrance, and reconciliation. Visit www. easttnhistory.org/BlueGray. Friday, May 1

THE DOOBIE BROTHERS Tennessee Theatre (604 S. Gay St.) • Wednesday, May 6 • 8 p.m. • $69.50-$79.50 • tennesseetheatre.com

Classic-rock mainstays The Doobie Brothers formed in 1970, led by the formidable songwriting/ mustache-wearing duo of Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons. Their success came swiftly and continued consistently throughout the decade, as they leveraged their sky-high harmonies and stadium-sized choruses into seven platinum albums and four Grammys. Though their recorded output diminished greatly from the ’80s onward, with the line-up varying from year to year, they’ve remained a reliably bankable touring act for over four decades. On stage, the Doobies lug around enough bona-fide classics to cram two set lists, and it’s impressive how much stylistic ground they’ve covered over the years—from the gospel thrust of “Jesus Is Just Alright” to the county-rock simmer of “Black Water” to the blue-eyed soul of Michael McDonald-era gems like “What a Fool Believes” and “Takin’ It to the Streets.” The band’s most recent album, 2014’s Southbound, found the members reworking their greatest hits into a twangier context with a variety of country collaborators, including Blake Shelton and Brad Paisley. But don’t expect any experimentation at the Tennessee Theatre—just pure rock nostalgia. (Ryan Reed)

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 30, 2015

BLUE AND GRAY REUNION AND FREEDOM JUBILEE • Downtown Knoxville • Knoxville will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, April 30 through May 3. A series of programs and activities will highlight Union, Confederate, and African American perspectives, with a focus on Reconstruction, remembrance, and reconciliation. Visit www. easttnhistory.org/BlueGray. CLINCH RIVER SPRING ANTIQUE FAIR • Historic Downtown Clinton • This Fair starts with a Kick-Off Party on Friday, May 1st from 6 to 9 p.m. with musical entertainment. The shops on Market and Main Street will be open late and food vendors will be set up in Hoskins-Lane Park. On Saturday, May 2nd from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., over 100 exhibitors from East Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and Ohio will offer a wide range of antiques and collectibles to suit every taste. A wide selection of foods from local vendors will be available all day. For more information, call 865-457-4547. BOOGIE ON THE RIVER • Huff Farm (Maryville) • Music, contests, kids’ events and more to raise money to financially assist local cancer patients. TOWNSEND SPRING FESTIVAL AND OLD TIMERS DAY • Townsend Visitor’s Center • 10AM • A celebration of Appalachian history and crafts, bluegrass music, wildflower walks, storytelling, BBQ, clogging, the Young Pickers Contest, book signings, bake sales, and much more! FREE. $8 parking per day( goes to Volunteer Fire Department). NO PETS. Begins at 10 am daily. • FREE ROCK AROUND THE DOCK FOR AUTISM • The Shrimp Dock • 6:30PM • Tickets to the Margaritaville-style event are $50 and include live entertainment by Tall Paul, Cajun shrimp boil by The Shrimp Dock, complimentary wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages, side dishes and dessert, and admission to the silent auction. All proceeds benefit the Autism Society East Tennessee, a nonprofit that provides support, services, advocacy, education, and public awareness for all individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and their families as well as educators and

other professionals throughout 36 East Tennessee counties. For tickets, visit www.shrimpboilforautism.com. • $50 Saturday, May 2 BLUE AND GRAY REUNION AND FREEDOM JUBILEE • Downtown Knoxville • Knoxville will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, April 30 through May 3. A series of programs and activities will highlight Union, Confederate, and African American perspectives, with a focus on Reconstruction, remembrance, and reconciliation. Visit www. easttnhistory.org/BlueGray. BOOGIE ON THE RIVER • Huff Farm (Maryville) • Music, contests, kids’ events and more to raise money to financially assist local cancer patients. CLINCH RIVER SPRING ANTIQUE FAIR • Historic Downtown Clinton • This Fair starts with a Kick-Off Party on Friday, May 1st from 6 to 9 p.m. with musical entertainment. The shops on Market and Main Street will be open late and food vendors will be set up in Hoskins-Lane Park. On Saturday, May 2nd from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., over 100 exhibitors from East Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and Ohio will offer a wide range of antiques and collectibles to suit every taste. A wide selection of foods from local vendors will be available all day. For more information, call 865-457-4547. TOWNSEND SPRING FESTIVAL AND OLD TIMERS DAY • Townsend Visitor’s Center • 10AM • A celebration of Appalachian history and crafts, bluegrass music, wildflower walks, storytelling, BBQ, clogging, the Young Pickers Contest, book signings, bake sales, and much more! FREE. $8 parking per day( goes to Volunteer Fire Department). NO PETS. Begins at 10 am daily. • FREE KNOXVILLE BREWHIBITION • Old City Courtyard • 2:30PM • For more information, go to brewhibition.com. • $40-$65 • See Spotlight on page 26 Saturday, May 9 EAST TENNESSEE YOUTH PRIDE FEST • First Presbyterian Church (Oak Ridge) • 10AM • The second annual East TN Youth Pride Fest, hosted by Oak Ridge PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), the Oak Ridge High School Gay Straight Alliance, and the Clinton High School Gay Straight Alliance. Youth Pride Fest is an event for Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Trans youth and their allies to celebrate themselves. There will be seminars, lunch, booths, and outdoor activities. • FREE VESTIVAL SOUTH KNOXVILLE ARTS AND HERITAGE FESTIVAL • Historic Candoro Marble Company • 11AM • “History Revival” is the theme of the 15th Vestival South Knoxville Arts and Heritage Festival, sponsored by the Candoro Knoxville Arts & Heritage Center. This year’s attendees will experience the area’s history through stories, images, photographs and artifacts, which have been collected by neighbors and natives. The “history revival” will take place alongside a wide array of local craft persons and food vendors, community organization booths, two stages of music all day, children’s activities, special guest storytellers, cake walks, an all-ages square dance, and

CALENDAR the traditional Mothers’ Day brunch from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Musical and dance performers include: Red Shoes & Rosin; Y’uns; Exit 65; The Lonetones; Quartjar; The Blue Print featuring Keith Brown; Kevin Abernathy Band; Evan Carawan and the Celtic Collaborators; Matt A. Foster; Dixieghost; Jack Herranen and the Little Red Band; The Swill Sippers square dance band with caller Stan Sharp; magician Nick Roberts; The Sandsation Dancers; Dragonfly Aerial Arts; Claire Metz Bellydancers; and the Cattywampus Puppet Council.The work of artists Rand Arnold and Rick Alexander will be featured inside the Candoro during Vestival and celebrated with a reception on Friday, May 8, 7-9 p.m.Vestival takes place rain or shine. Admission is by donation; a $5-$10 per person/ family donation is requested to help support the non-profit organization.For more information, visit CandoroMarble.org.

SPORTS AND RECREATION Friday, May 1 WEST HILLS BAPTIST PRESCHOOL AND KINDERGARTEN BENEFIT GOLF TOURNAMENT 2015 • Avalon Golf and Country Club • 12AM • $125/player and $450/foursome. Proceeds go to academic curriculum, security, teacher development, classroom supplies, playground/gym equipment. Golf/sponsor-donate/volunteer. Information at www.wherechildrengrow.org or 865-690-4251. Saturday, May 2 BICYCLE SAFETY CLINIC AND RODEO • Founders Park (Maryville) • 9AM • A bicycle safety clinic and rodeo that allows participants 7 to 9 years old to learn and practice bicycle skills.

FILM SCREENINGS Tuesday, April 28 SCRUFFY CITY FILM AND MUSIC FESTIVAL • Scruffy City Hall • 5PM • A celebration of film and music, the Scruffy City Film & Music Festival features live musical performances, music documentaries, music videos, animation, shorts and feature films. The six-day event includes five days of live regional music on three stages; music videos and documentaries; animated shorts; feature and short films with strong musical narratives; a singer/songwriter competition; a music-composer challenge; panels, workshops, and Q&As; a daily happy-hour mixer exclusively for filmmakers and musicians; and craft-beer and food pairings. Visit knoxvillefilms.com for more info. See Q&A on page 36 TWIN PEAKS VIEWING PARTY • The Birdhouse • 7PM • Bi-weekly viewing parties for every single episode of the cult TV series. Attendees encouraged to dress as their favorite characters. Trivia, Twin Peaks-themed giveaways, donuts and coffee, plus some surprises. Trivia begins at

7:00pm with viewing to follow at 8:00pm. • FREE Wednesday, April 29 SCRUFFY CITY FILM AND MUSIC FESTIVAL • Scruffy City Hall • 5PM • Visit knoxvillefilms.com for more info. Thursday, April 30 SCRUFFY CITY FILM AND MUSIC FESTIVAL • Scruffy City Hall • 5PM • Visit knoxvillefilms.com for more info. Friday, May 1 SCRUFFY CITY FILM AND MUSIC FESTIVAL • Scruffy City Hall • 5PM • Visit knoxvillefilms.com for more info. Saturday, May 2 SCRUFFY CITY FILM AND MUSIC FESTIVAL • Scruffy City Hall • 5PM • Visit knoxvillefilms.com for more info. Sunday, May 3 SCRUFFY CITY FILM AND MUSIC FESTIVAL • Scruffy City Hall • 5PM • Visit knoxvillefilms.com for more info. Wednesday, May 6 KHFF: MARVELOUS MOVIE NIGHT • Scruffy City Hall • 7:30PM • Excelsior! Everyone knows and loves the current Marvel films, but there are a lot of strange and ugly cinematic treasures that don’t get seen. Did you know there was a Japanese Spider-man series where Spidey had a giant Voltron-esque robot? Did you know that Roger Corman once produced a failed attempt at one of Marvel’s premiere superhero teams? ‘Nuff said! • $5 Sunday, May 10 THE PUBLIC CINEMA: SENTIMENTAL EDUCATION • Knoxville Museum of Art • 2PM • Julio Bressane’s Sentimental Education is a deeply strange and shape-shifting film. .Júlio Bressane has been making daring films since 1967 but his work has not been distributed widely. As far as we can tell, The Public Cinema is hosting the North American premiere of Sentimental Education. • FREE

ART Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg MARCH 30-MAY 9: A Naturally Picked Stacked Attraction of Glitz, the 2015 artists-in-residence exhibition. Art Market Gallery 422 S. Gay St. APRIL 3-30: Artwork by Marilyn Avery Turner and Gray Bearden; MAY 1-30: Artwork by Inna Nasonova Knox and Mary Saylor (an opening reception will be held on Friday, May 1, from 5:30-9 p.m.)

Clayton Center for the Arts 502 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway (Maryville) APRIL 2-30: Dogwood Arts Festival Synergy Student and East Tennessee Educator Art Exhibition. The District Gallery 5113 Kingston Pike APRIL 24-MAY 30: Automata: Art Cars by Clark Stewart Downtown Gallery 106 S. Gay St. APRIL 24-30: Strangers and Stand-Ins, video works by Sunita Prasad; MAY 1-31: Richard J. LeFevre’s Civil War series of mixed-media works (an opening reception will be held on Friday, May 1, from 5-9 p.m.) East Tennessee History Center 601 S. Gay St. APRIL 27-OCT. 18: Memories of the Blue and Gray: The Civil War in East Tennessee at 150 Emporium Center for Arts and Culture 100 S. Gay St. APRIL 3-30: I Wish I Could Fly, paintings by Angel Blanco. May 1-31: Artwork by the Artist Association of Monroe County and the Community Artist League of Athens; Clarence Brown Theatre Costume ad Prop Art; International Biscuit Festival Art Exhibition; Thoughts and Things by Marty Elmer; and artwork by Graceila Barlesi Snyder. Opening receptions will be held on Friday, May 1, from 5-9 p.m. Ewing Gallery 1715 Volunteer Blvd. MAY 1-JUNE 12: UT BFA Honors Exhibition (an opening reception will be held on Friday, May 1, from 5-9 p.m.) International Arts and Entertainment Center 748 N. Fourth Ave. MAY 1: First Friday open house featuring artwork by Hawa Ware Johnson Knoxville Museum of Art 1050 World’s Fair Park Drive MAY 8-AUG. 2: Intellectual Property Donor, an exhibit of work by Evan Roth. 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. Knoxville Visitors Center 301 S. Gay St.

Bliss Home 29 Market Square

MAY 1: Photographs by Bruce McCamish, on display during a First Friday reception at 5 p.m.

MAY 1-31: Artwork by Sarah McFalls, part of the International Biscuit Festival (an opening reception will be held on Friday, May 1, from 6-9 p.m.)

McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture 1327 Circle Park Drive

UP NEXT!

JASON BONHAM

LEDtuesday, ZEPPELINmayEXPERIENCE 5 • 8pm WIMZ PRESENTS

THE BLACK JACKET SYMPHONY PERFORMS EAGLES’ HOTEL CALIFORNIA saturday, may 9 • 8pm

JENNY LEWIS w/ Nikki Lane tuesday, may 12 • 8pm

JEFF DANIELS

& THE BEN DANIELS BAND tuesday, may 19 • 7:30pm

ON SALE FRIDAY, 5/1 AT 10AM!

CHRIS STAPLETON wednesday, june 17 • 8pm

CHRIS ROBINSON BROTHERHOOD tuesday, july 28 • 8pm

THE MILK CARTON KIDS tuesday, september 15 • 8pm ALSO UPCOMING!

Anjelah Johnson • 7/26

KNOXBIJOU.COM TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE TENNESSEE

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April 30, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 31

CALENDAR 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. Zach Searcy Projects 317 N. Gay St. MAY 1: Intersections, new mixed media work by Paul Farmer, Colorado based artist Peter Yumi, and Zach Searcy. 6-10 p.m. On display by appointment through May. Urban Bar 109 N. Central St. APRIL 3-MAY 30: Paintings and drawings by Charlie Pogue. Westminster Presbyterian Church Schilling Gallery 6500 Northshore Drive THROUGH APRIL 26: Monoprints by Marilyn Avery Turner and needlepoint pillows by Coral Grace Turner.

LECTURES, READINGS, AND BOOK SIGNINGS

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 30, 2015

Thursday, April 30 - Sunday, May 10

Saturday, May 2 DAVID JOY: ‘WHERE ALL THE LIGHT TENDS TO GO’ • Union Ave Books • 2PM • Joy will read from and sign copies of his novel. • FREE Sunday, May 3 CONNIE JORDAN GREEN: ‘HOUSEHOLD INVENTORY’ • Union Ave Books • 2PM • Green will read from her new collection of poems, Household Inventory. • FREE Thursday, May 7 MARK DAVIDSON: “A TALE OF THREE VALLEYS” • East Tennessee History Center • 12PM • Blount County native Mark Davidson will give an insider’s look at the lore and history of three of the most beautiful and interesting places in the Smokies—Walker Valley, Little Greenbrier Cove, and Tuckaleechee. For more information on the lecture, exhibitions, or museum hours, call 865-215-8824 or visit the website at www.EastTNHistory.org. • FREE

CLASSES Thursday, April 30 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 12PM • Call 865-577-2021

or email yogaway249@gmail.com. Donations accepted. BELLY DANCE LEVELS 1 AND 2 • Knox Dance Worx • 8PM • Call (865) 898-2126 or email alexia@alexia-dance.com. • $12

Saturday, May 2

Saturday, May 9

AARP DRIVER SAFETY CLASS • Westminster Presbyterian Church • 9AM • Call Carolyn Rambo at (865) 382-5822. LEARN TO MEDITATE WORKSHOP • Lawson McGee Public Library • 2PM • Led by Mike Wright, author of 800 Stepping Stones to Complete Relaxation. Call (865) 851-9535 or email mikewright102348@gmail. com. • FREE

LEARN TO MEDITATE WORKSHOP • Lawson McGee Public Library • 2PM • Led by Mike Wright, author of 800 Stepping Stones to Complete Relaxation. Call (865) 851-9535 or email mikewright102348@gmail. com. • FREE

Monday, May 4 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 5:30PM • Call 865-5772021 or email yogaway249@gmail.com. Donations accepted. Tuesday, May 5 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail.com. Donations accepted. Thursday, May 7 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 12PM • Call 865-577-2021

MEETINGS Monday, April 27 GAY MEN’S DISCUSSION GROUP • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 7:30PM • We hold facilitated discussions on topics and issues relevant to local gay men in a safe and open environment. Visit gaygroupknoxville.org. Wednesday, April 29 THE BOOKAHOLICS BOOK GROUP • Union Ave Books • 12PM • Union Ave Books’ monthly book discussion group. • FREE Saturday, May 2 SEEKERS OF SILENCE • Church of the Savior United Church

CALENDAR of Christ • 8:30AM • Seekers of Silence, is a local interfaith and ecumenical group seeking closer communion with God through silence and prayerful meditation. All are welcome. For more information, visit the SOS website www.sosknoxville.org. • FREE Sunday, May 3 VEGETARIAN SOCIETY OF EAST TENNESSEE • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 6PM Monday, May 4 GAY MEN’S DISCUSSION GROUP • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 7:30PM • We hold facilitated discussions on topics and issues relevant to local gay men in a safe and open environment. Visit gaygroupknoxville.org. Thursday, May 7 KNOXVILLE WRITERS’ GUILD • Laurel Theater • 7 p.m. • Novelist Pamela Schoenewaldt will discuss her new book, Under the Same Blue Sky. A $2 donation is requested.

ETC.

Thursday, April 30 NEW HARVEST PARK FARMERS MARKET • New Harvest Park • 3PM • FREE Friday, May 1 CITY PEOPLE DOWNTOWN HOME TOUR • Downtown Knoxville • Set apart by its eclectic architectural design and interior decor — the City People home tour has been steadily growing since its inception in 1985. The strong interest in the tour reflects the fact that downtown has become a viable and popular place to live. • $15-$20 LAKESHORE PARK FARMERS’ MARKET • Lakeshore Park • 3PM • FREE Saturday, May 2 CITY PEOPLE DOWNTOWN HOME TOUR • Downtown Knoxville • Set apart by its eclectic architectural design and interior decor — the City People home tour has been steadily growing since its inception in 1985. The strong interest in the tour reflects the fact that downtown has become a viable and popular place to live. • $15-$20 OAK RIDGE FARMERS’ MARKET • Historic Jackson Square • 8AM • MARYVILLE FARMERS MARKET • Founders Park • 9AM

MARKET SQUARE FARMERS’ MARKET • Market Square • 9AM • FREE 2015 WALK MS KNOXVILLE • Sequoyah Park • 10AM • An annual fund-raising walk to fight MS. Visit Walk MS for more information. NIGHT OF 1,000 DOLLYS • Club XYZ • 11PM • A celebration of all things Dolly Parton, with live Dolly impersonators and a best Dolly contest at midnight. Tuesday, May 5 EBENEZER ROAD FARMERS’ MARKET • Ebenezer United Methodist Church • 3PM • FREE Wednesday, May 6 MARKET SQUARE FARMERS’ MARKET • Market Square • 11AM • FREE Thursday, May 7 NEW HARVEST PARK FARMERS MARKET • New Harvest Park • 3PM • FREE

Saturday, May 2nd Independent Book Store Day 400 Bookstores! Exclusive Books and Art Pieces! 10% Discounts All Day!

2PM Author Signing with David Joy

Friday, May 8 LAKESHORE PARK FARMERS’ MARKET • Lakeshore Park • 3PM • FREE Saturday, May 9 OAK RIDGE FARMERS’ MARKET • Historic Jackson Square • 8AM • MARYVILLE FARMERS MARKET • Founders Park • 9AM MARKET SQUARE FARMERS’ MARKET • Market Square • 9AM • FREE

Union Ave Books 517 Union Ave Knoxville, TN 37902 865.951.2180 www.unionavebooks.com

Send your events to calendar@knoxmercury.com

RENOVATION FINANCING: Revitalizing neighborhoods one house at a time!

75 DOLLAR BILL Pilot Light (106 E. Jackson Ave.) • Friday, May 1 • 10 p.m. • $5 • 18 and up • thepilotlight.com

Che Chen, the guitarist for New York experimental/drone duo 75 Dollar Bill, brings more than a casual interest in “world music” to the band’s new album, Wooden Bag. Chen studied in Mauritania with the griot guitarist Jheich Ould Chighaly before landing in New York and hooking up with drummer Rick Brown, giving 75 Dollar Bill a grounding in traditional West African guitar. But Wooden Bag, the band’s third album, takes off from there, incorporating griot guitar with jazz, rock, blues, and country for one of the most distinctive and remarkable recording of guitar music so far in 2015. (Matthew Everett)

Jeff Talman Sales Manager, NMLS #459775 Jeff.Talman@prospectmortgage.com www.myprospectmortgage.com/JTalman

(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 4.1.15 (0315-2004B) LR 2015-202

April 30, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 33

A vibrant district along Central Street and Broadway.

Visit Downtown North

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 30, 2015

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for the “modern” family mid-century modern, antiques, pop culture collectables, retro, original art & more!

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MONDAY Central Originals for $5 after 7pm

1121 N. Central St. Knoxville 522.3511 Mon-Sat 11a-6p Sun 12-5p

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local ingredients.

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M-F, 11a-3p Find us on

RECORD LABEL WE ARE CURATING AND RECORDING ALBUMS BY OUR FAVORITE LOCAL MUSICIANS

UPCOMING SPECIAL EVENTS

FIRST FRIDAY

AT “THE CORNER”

MAY 1st

GALLERY EVENT the Pink Budget

Spring Seminar

“ ...an unprecedented display of verbiage, bound to a stout entanglement of physicality and sonic infusion.” - BB

MAY 2

A Retrospective Exhibition of Ali Akbar’s Work • 7 – 9 PM. Cash Bar & Dinner Menu

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HOLLY’S CORNER

842 N. Central Ave • 865.851.7854

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820 N. Broadway • Knoxville TN www.architecturalantics.com April 30, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 35

FOOD

D ir t to Fork

Cooperative Enterprise The So.Kno Food Co-Op is open for business and ready to grow BY ROSE KENNEDY

illa Essie will win you over. Her brainchild, the So.Kno Food Co-Op Neighborhood Market at 6210 Chapman Hwy., is open for business as of 9 a.m., April 28. It’s got fresh bread and little jars of cranberry mandarin orange chutney and fresh-cut flowers and kale and onions and eggs for sale. But it’s not where she wants it to be, not yet. Essie makes me hope it will get there, soon. The concept is as simple as it is unusual: a member-owned and operated market that sells farm produce and, to quote the brochure, “a selection of artfully prepared gourmet delights.” Not to be confused with Three Rivers Market, it is strictly a for-profit enterprise. But people can

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 30, 2015

buy in on, pardon the pun, the ground floor. A $250 one-time investment allows a member perks like being able to exhibit art at the store and volunteer up to 15 hours each month in exchange for a $150 store credit the following month. Members can also pay a small fee to have groceries fetched to their homes or offices on Wednesdays. Only members can sell produce to So.Kno, but the public is welcome to buy from the storefront. It is the same place that most recently housed a store for horse lovers, over there near the giant ice cream cone sign trumpeting Kay’s Ice Cream store, a stone’s throw from the Village Bakery with its by-the-each thumbprint cookies, and across the street from the eyesore of the blinking sign announcing that the

Liquidation Outlet is O-P-E-N! But so is Essie, in her much beloved South Knoxville, the location chosen “because this is my home and I live here and love it,” she tells me. Her place is right next to the Kwik Pantry convenience store, which is stressing their differences on opening morning with giant Budweiser and Red Bull trucks parked outside. A few hundred yards South on Chapman the Taco Bell is marketing its new “biscuit tacos,” replete with fried chicken and sausage and cheese and such. In here, though, a jumbo metal chicken sculpture reigns. “I think he’ll be known as Beauregard,” drawls Essie. She is cutting into a not-for-sale cheesecake made by an admirer, and ringing up seed bread and fresh baguettes. She’s chortling and hugging and tidying. It’s just 10 a.m. and already the chalkboard lists two members. Another chalkboard reminds Essie to “dust/mop/clean” and have the “cooler moved.” And this is where the real Essie, the grown Essie, the one you want to cheer on, belongs. She is from Knoxville, but east, a proud alumnus of Austin-East Class of 1972. Younger Essie was a whirlwind in a different dimension, she says: a runway model in Milan, an international flight attendant dwelling in Tokyo for a time, a resident of Geneva later on. She said goodbye to all that in ’94.

April 1, she flew home. Her mother didn’t believe she was at the airport. “I sat there all day long and had to get a taxi home,” Essie says. She still has the fluid motions, the erect carriage, the lithe figure— retired or no, she will always be a runway model. But I can tell she is one of us growers, too. The people who can look at eight seeds no bigger than a pinkie fingernail and see butternut squash some six months hence. The earth-turners who delight in the possibilities of the fledgling lettuce and rejoice in the efforts of the earthworms that squirm each time the shovel exposes fresh dirt. The So.Kno Co-Op will have an associated garden, 2 acres are waiting on the tiller. Essie says it will be simple for this year, mostly a sunflower border and beans, lots of beans. Next year, it may be more lavish. The co-op may have more members in a few hours, and more still in a few months. They may have worked through objections to not being open later than 6 p.m., they may have craft beer. But for now, Essie simply invites one and all to “grow with us.” And she’s open, which is a really good start.

Reach Essie at 865-240-5035 or so.knofoodcoop@gmail.com. The co-op also has a Facebook page.

AMERICAN AQUARIUM FRIDAY, MAY 15

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SURVEY FOR THE MONTH OF MAY

This month’s topic:

Food!

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Help the Knoxville Mercury understand your interests so we can better deliver the content you want to read.

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Each month one respondant will win a pair of event tickets, a gift card to a local business or a Knoxville Mercury T-shirt.

ANSWER

HERE

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY 37

’BYE

R estless Nat ive

The Legend of Squeegee Knoxville’s not quite hardest working window cleaner BY CHRIS WOHLWEND

he top executive, sole employee, and chief window washer of the Kalijah Window Cleaning Service was a small-statured, big-voiced character who was known around town as Squeegee. His unofficial headquarters was the Yardarm, the ’60s-era hangout on the northeast edge of Fort Sanders. Squeegee was also known to the Yardarm’s habitués, and to the police force, as a troublemaker. He was in the habit of taking a seat at the Yardarm’s bar, engaging adjoining barflies in conversation, then, when their backs were turned, drinking their beer. Herschel, the bar’s owner, had banned him numerous times. But bartenders change, especially at college-area establishments, and new barkeeps meant unfamiliarity with

Squeegee and his tricks. If he stuck his head in the front door and saw an unfamiliar face behind the bar, he would make for an empty stool. And once again he would be a regular, at least until spotted by Herschel or one of the veteran bartenders. Too, Squeegee had an angel in one of Herschel’s Clinch Avenue housemates. If he spotted Squeegee walking the Strip with his bucket and his cleaning rags, he would offer him a ride to the Yardarm for a beer. Then, after seeing him settled at the bar, he would leave him to his own devices. Afterward, on hearing the rantings of his housemate, he would express surprise that Squeegee had been allowed inside the door, let alone given a seat at the bar.

BY MATTHEW FOLTZ-GRAY

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 30, 2015

The police, not interested in what went on inside the Yardarm, knew Squeegee because of his business practices. Riding the bus out Broadway, for example, he would get off with his bucket, his squeegee, and his cleaning rags at a likely stretch of small businesses. Then at, say, a beauty salon, he would go in and offer his services. If no contract was forthcoming, he might go next door and repeat his offer. But, sometimes, depending on his mood, he might argue with the shop owner. He had been known to run his finger down the shop’s front window and then turn toward the owner and her customers and say something like, “Lady, that’s the dirtiest *$#!!!* window I’ve ever seen.” Or he might empty his bucket of water onto the inside of the window, recommending that the proprietor

clean it herself. Such behavior often led to calls to the police and trips to the county jail. But the escapade that cemented Squeegee’s reputation involved a late-afternoon police raid of a notorious downtown bar. Squeegee was inside when he saw the cops coming through the front door and managed to sneak out a side entrance. Looking for a place to hide, he crawled under a car, lying on his back between the rear tires, feet sticking out. He then acted like he was working on the differential. Unfortunately, the car’s owner was coming down the street, preparing to head home. He climbed in behind the wheel, started the car, and drove away. Squeegee was exposed, no tools, no differential, no credibility to his story. He was then taken to jail, another tale added to his legend.

The police, not interested in what went on inside the Yardarm, knew Squeegee because of his business practices.

Crooked Street Crossword

’BYE

BY IAN BLACKBURN AND JACK NEELY

THE MERCURY QUESTION OF THE WEEK!

What is your favorite summertime outdoor activity in the Knoxville area? Help the Knoxville Mercury learn about about your interests and we’ll share the results in next week’s paper. Each week one respondant will win a pair of event tickets, a gift card to a local business, a Knoxville Mercury T-shirt and other cool stuff.

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April 30, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 39

APR 28-MAY 3 Scruffy City Hall 70 films • 40 Bands

DANNY SAYS

EAST JERUSALEM/ WEST JERUSALEM

Documentary about Danny Fields, manager to Iggy Pop and The Ramones. Hot off the heels of his SXSW World Premiere, Director Brendan Toller will be in attendance.

David Broza and Steve Earle record songs with musicians from Palestine and Israel in the midst of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict. David Broza will be in attendance.

THE FEATURES

INTERNATIONAL JAZZ DAY

Friday, May 1, 7 PM

W/ STEELISM

Friday, May 1, 10 PM

Saturday, May 2, 7 PM

Thursday, April 30, 1 PM

TICKETS & PASSES ON SALE NOW knoxvillefilms.com

Presented by: Scruffy City Hall • ALM Photo • Marble Hill Inn Marc Nelson Denim • TVBA • The Beacon • Film Freeway