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MARCH 3, 2016 KNOXMERCURY.COM V.
2 / N.9
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t s r i F y r a s r e v i n n A ISSUE OUR
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our in n secre ermost publis t s of hing
“A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF THE KNOXVILLE MERCURY”
Actual enes the-sc behind- tion! ac
the Bijou Saturday, March 5 at
Theatre
PLUS: WE’RE CELEBRATING! SEE OUR KNOXTACULAR LINEUP. NEWS
Rise in Hate Groups Puts Tennessee Near Top of Unsavory List
JACK NEELY
Knoxville’s Tradition of Independent Journalism Needs Your Help
MUSIC
Nashville’s Blank Range Stands on the Verge of Breakout Success
HOROSCOPE
Introducing Our Monthly Knoxville-Centric Astrology Column
A RED AG TOR VIC
KELLELY JOL
ON AARTRACY
PAUL BREWSTE R
OX LE I F
IE L R Z CHA LUT J STUOG MP ERS
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BLACK ATTICUS
MARILYN KALLET
BAK ERI ER CK
JONATHANN SEXTO
LIAM HYS JULI EN KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 3, 2016
ER AK B CK ERI
Live from the Bijou Theatre Saturday, March 5 • 1 p.m. - 8 p.m. $10 suggested donation Broadcast live on WDVX.com/89.9 FM
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March 3, 2016 Volume 02 / Issue 09 knoxmercury.com
CONTENTS
“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” —Martin Luther
Look what we did!
14 A Week in the Life of the Knoxville Mercury COVER STORY
A year ago, a large group of Knoxville citizens decided to help start the paper you’re holding in your hands. Thus began a massive amount of work to deliver a weekly news magazine to people who like to read about Knoxville. How does it really all come together every seven days? We go behind the scenes in our own office to chart the creation of one issue. PLUS: Meet our Knoxtacular lineup for our all-day, all-live, all-local March 5 variety show to support the Knoxville Mercury, WDVX, and the Knoxville History Project.
Join Our League of Supporters! We mean it this time! Find out how you can help at knoxmercury.com/join.
DEPARTMENTS
OPINION
A&E
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8
22
44
Letters to the Editor Howdy Start Here: Roadside Sketches by Andrew Gresham, By the Numbers, Public Affairs, Quote Factory ’Bye Finish There: Restless Sacred & Profane by Donna Johnson, Crooked Street Crossword by Ian Blackburn and Jack Neely, Spirit of the Staircase by Matthew Foltz-Gray Introducing: Kaliscopes by Kali Meister
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Scruffy Citizen Jack Neely puts in a pitch for supporting independent journalism in Knoxville. Guest Ed. Catherine Landis thinks legislators trying to defund diversity programs at UT need a reality check.
23 24 25 26
NEWS
12 Hateful TN Hate is on the rise in Tennessee. If the number of hate groups active in the state is any indication, Tennessee may very well be one of the most hateful states in the nation. According to the most recent count of hate-focused organizations throughout the United States, Tennessee ranked fourth as the state with the highest number of active hate groups in 2015. Clay Duda reports.
CALENDAR Program Notes: Cutthroat Shamrock bids farewell with its St. Patrick’s Day show on Market Square, and Public Cinema shows up at Big Ears. Shelf Life: Chris Barrett tells the tale of the librarian who helped resurrect the cult film, Catch My Soul. Music: Ryan Reed gets to know Nashville up-and-comers Blank Range.
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Spotlights: Heartless Bastards and Peace Is Patriotic
FOOD & DRINK
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Home Palate Dennis Perkins visits the metropolitan Oliver Royale, but finds himself getting thirsty.
Classical Music: Alan Sherrod reviews Knoxville Opera’s Hansel and Gretel. Movies: April Snellings achieves flight with Eddie the Eagle. March 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 3
LETTERS Delivering Fine Journalism Since 2015
NEELY’S LAMENT
Jack Neely’s lament about the ephemeral nature of our modern society is well taken [“The Elusive Institution,” Feb. 25, 2016], but he has over looked one long enduring “institution” under his very nose. I speak of the Lamar House—the third oldest building in Knoxville— and in it, the Bistro at the Bijou which has provided Knoxvillians a watering hole of unmatched panache for thirty six years and counting. Founded by noted entrepreneur and developer Kristopher Kendrick in 1980, the Bistro continues a nearly unbroken tradition of hospitality in the Lamar House that began when Archibald Rhea opened a public house in July of 1817. The Bistro may not have the longevity that Jack longs for in the dive bars of his misspent youth in New Orleans, but the Lamar House, in its many iterations, has provided Knoxvillians and visitors alike a gathering place with a history stretching back 199 years. Under the spirited management of Martha Boggs for over twenty years now, the Bistro at the Bijou is poised to continue the Lamar House tradition of hospitality into a third century. Not bad for a Scruffy Little City. Dean Novelli, Lamar House-Bijou Theatre historian Knoxville
A NOTE FROM JACK NEELY:
The column was mainly about changes in the Old City since 1999, but it did note that Knoxville’s oldest restaurants, as defined by continuity under the same name and general approach, date from the 1950s. The Bistro is one of my favorite places, and it’s justly proud of its architectural heritage, which connects it to restaurants and saloons of long ago. I was a friend of Kendrick, and have written about the restaurant’s heritage several times before. It’s a leading contender for the elusive institution referred to in the column. But I can’t help mentioning that I remember when the Bistro first 4
KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 3, 2016
opened by that name--and that, at the time, I was already beer-legal.
TRUMP BARES GOP’S DIVISIONS
Donald Trump, an amazing phenomenon of American politics, may or may not become the next president of the United States. Aside from that question, however, is the fact that he has ripped away the mask of the Republican Party in a way no one else has previously been able to do, and many have tried, mostly without any or only a small amount of success. Trump has opened up the divisions in the Republican Party for all to see with stark clarity. Trump opposes the “establishment conservative” wing of the party. His appeal is to those elements of the party that are not really conservative and not plutocratic and are, therefore, at odds with the economic and financial elite that have always controlled the Republican Party. Most Americans are not interested in the politics of the ruling financial elite and their ideological and philosophical spokesmen at such publications as the National Review and the Weekly Standard. The Republican Party has, nevertheless, managed to go beyond its ruling elite, and those in league with it, by appealing to the non-establishment elements of right wing, authoritarian populism. For several decades Republicans have managed, in a usually subtle way, to persuade people to believe that racism equals conservatism, that religious intolerance (i.e., those who believe religious liberty means they are free to practice their religious worship and free to impose their religious beliefs on others) equals conservatism, that hatred for and discrimination against the lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender people equals conservatism, that hatred toward and repression of any minority that is different in some apparent way, such as Mexicans and Muslims, equals conservatism, and that extreme or bellicose nationalism equals conservatism. The ruling elite of the Republican Party actually holds such outside, bigoted people in contempt, but the Republican Party has co-opted them, labeled them “conservatives,” and used their votes to
win elections. Donald Trump has taken these right-wing authoritarians and turned them against the establishment. He expresses bigoted views and says they are necessary for the nation’s security. He insults and denigrates conservative establishment politicians and media representatives, all to the glee and excitement of his followers. If Donald Trump had poll numbers at 5 percent or less, he would be relegated to the status of a fringe candidate and he would attract little attention. Fact is, he has a commanding lead in the polls, as he approaches 40 percent of those who will vote in the Republican presidential primary. Donald Trump has shown to the world that the Republican Party is a nefarious coalition of dark or shadowy elements. The ugly picture has now been posted for everyone to see. What will the future be for the Republican Party? Much too early to know about that. I do have, at least at this point in time, and ironic gratitude for Donald Trump. Not that I condone his appeal to bigotry, but he has shown the world, possibly unintentionally, what the Republican Party actually is. Lew Walton 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: Our Dear Editor Knoxville Mercury 706 Walnut St., Suite 404 Knoxville, TN 37920 Send an email to: editor@knoxmercury.com Or message us at: facebook.com/knoxmercury
EDITORIAL EDITOR Coury Turczyn coury@knoxmercury.com SENIOR EDITOR Matthew Everett matthew@knoxmercury.com CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Jack Neely jack@knoxhistoryproject.org STAFF WRITERS S. Heather Duncan heather@knoxmercury.com Clay Duda clay@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 Chris Wohlwend
INTERNS
Hannah Hunnicutt Kevin Ridder
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
BUSINESS BUSINESS MANAGER Scott Dickey scott.dickey@knoxmercury.com
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 706 Walnut St., Suite 404, Knoxville, Tenn. 37902 knoxmercury.com • 865-313-2059 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR & PRESS RELEASES editor@knoxmercury.com CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS calendar@knoxmercury.com SALES QUERIES sales@knoxmercury.com DISTRIBUTION distribution@knoxmercury.com
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Terry Hummel Joe Sullivan Jack Neely Coury Turczyn Charlie Vogel 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. © 2016 The Knoxville Mercury
Historic March March is a Historic Month. See if you can think of a good way to celebrate these little holidays. March 4 is the 107th birthday of Howard Armstrong (1909-2003), talented fiddler and mandolinist who, while based in East Knoxville early in his career, founded the original Tennessee Chocolate Drops. That unusual string band made recordings at the St. James Hotel in 1929-1930.
and later influenced William Faulkner and Flannery O’Connor. On March 22, Friends of the Knox County Public Library sponsors “An Evening with Erik Larson,” well known historical writer of The Devil in the White City, about the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893, which had a significant influence on Knoxville; and, more recently, Dead Wake, about the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915.
March 8 marks another 107th birthday, that of the Bijou Theatre, arguably the oldest theater in Tennessee. Its first performance was the popular Broadway show, Little Johnny Jones, the horse-racing musical featuring the favorites “Give My Regards to Broadway” and “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy.” See a show at the Bijou this month, like this weekend’s Knoxtacular.
March 23 is the 99th birthday of Knoxville native Granville “Stick” McGhee (1917-1961), R&B singer and guitarist whose 1949 recording “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-do-o-de” is considered one of the first rock’n’roll songs.
On March 9, attorney Wanda Sobieski, who led the effort to erect the women’s suffrage statue on Market Square, will give a free noon lecture, titled “The Legacy and Challenge of Suffrage,” at the East Tennessee History Center, concerning a little-known crisis in the women’s rights movement in November, 1917. Professor Ebenezer Alexander would turn 165 on March 9. A Knoxville native and former UT classics professor, as U.S. ambassador to Greece, he helped organize the first Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. Alexander died in 1911 at Pryor Brown Livery Stables, the forerunner to Pryor Brown Garage, which still stands on Church Avenue. He’s buried at Old Gray.
The same day, March 23, is the 114th birthday of Cas Walker (1902-1998), grocer, politician and country-music impresario, whose live radio shows were important in the early evolution and promotion of bluegrass music. From George Washington Harris’s 1867 collection, Sut Lovingood’s Yarns, this drawing illustrates the irreverent story “Eaves-Dropping a Lodge of Free-Masons,” one of a few Harris stories set in the author’s hometown of Knoxville, ca. 1830.
March 12 is the 158th birthday of Adolph Ochs, who grew up in Knoxville and began his career in journalism on Market Square, as a typesetter for the Knoxville Chronicle. After a period as publisher of the Chattanooga Times, he later purchased the New York Times, and transformed it into a major newspaper. St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated by Irish immigrants in Knoxville as early as the 1850s. By the 1870s, March 17 was a major local holiday, celebrated by the city’s hundreds of Irish immigrants with a ball and a big parade down Gay Street. March 20 is the 202nd birthday of George Washington Harris (18141869), Knoxville newspaper humorist and creator of the character Sut Lovingood. These irreverent stories impressed the young Samuel Clemens,
Governor William Blount (1749-1800), whose designation of Knoxville as capital of the Southwestern Territory made the village more than just another frontier settlement, would turn 267 on March 26.
The same day is the 105th birthday of groundbreaking playwright Tennessee Williams (1911-1983), whose paternal family was from Knoxville, and provided him with some of his characters. His father, aunts, and grandparents are buried at Old Gray. March 28 is the 236th birthday of Rev. Isaac Anderson (1780-1857), who lived in Knox County for a time and was minister of Second Presbyterian, but most famously founded, in 1819, Maryville College, which was even in its early days notable for its racial inclusiveness. The last day of March is the 186th birthday of Marcus DeLafayette Bearden (1830-1885), Union officer, mayor of Knoxville, and state legislator for whom the community of Bearden is named. He helped establish the state mental institution later known as Lakeshore.
Source: The Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection
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 March 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 5
HOWDY BY THE NUMBERS
The State of Hate
14%
Increase in the number of hate groups active in the United States from 2014 to 2015. Last year there were 892 hate groups in this country, up from 784 in 2014.
41%
Increase in the number of hate groups active in Tennessee from 2014 to 2015. There were 41 recorded last year, up from 29 in 2014.
13
Active hate groups in East Tennessee in 2015 (roughly from the Chattanooga area to the North Carolina state line).
3
Hate groups call Knoxville home: the Traditionalist Worker Party, Ku Klos Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, and the South Knox Ten Milers. Oak Ridge is host to a chapter of the Supreme White Alliance, a racist skinhead group, and Gatlinburg is home to a chapter of the American Eagle Party.
3 Roadside Sketches by Andrew Gresham (agreshamphoto.com)
More Americans have been killed in “far right wing attacks” associated with hate groups than attacks by terrorists since Sept. 11, 2001. According to the New America Foundation, 45 people were killed in “violent jihadist attacks” during that period, and 48 died at the hands of right-wing extremists. —Clay Duda
QUOTE FACTORY
Source: Southern Poverty Law Center. For more, check out the news feature on pg. 12.
“ I do wish he had a little more humility.” —U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr. speaking of Donald Trump to the The Commercial Appeal. Duncan said he would support whoever gets the Republican nomination and that he agrees with many of Trump’s views. “But there never has been and never will be a perfect candidate for any office,” he allowed.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS
3/3 MEET WUOT’S TRUCKBEAT TRUCK THURSDAY
9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Near Market Square and Krutch Park. Free. The WUOT’s news department is hitting the road—literally—with its new TruckBeat truck. This public-radio mobile reporting unit will be gathering your stories, particularly those involving health: addiction, mental health, access to care, and obesity. Info: truckbeat.org.
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 3, 2016
3/4 1ST ANNUAL POETRY SLAM BENEFIT FRIDAY
6:30 p.m., the Square Room (4 Market Square). $5. Own the Boards, a new Knoxville-based 501(c)(3), aims to use literature and performance to encourage personal growth, whether the participants are school-aged or in life’s later stages. This fundraiser will be hosted by Lane Shuler and Jonathan “Courageous” Clark, of Knoxville Poetry Slam and I.N.K. Poetry. Info: owntheboards.org.
3/5 KNOXTACULAR!
SATURDAY
1-8 p.m., Bijou Theatre (803 S Gay St.). Donations requested. Here’s a fundraiser we love! Support Knoxville’s independent voices—the Knoxville Mercury, WDVX, and the Knoxville History Project—by attending this all-day, all-live, all-local variety show. It’s a free show (also simulcast on WDVX 89.9 FM) but we’re asking for your donations. Plus: Show up at the Bijou to enter ticket and gift-card giveaways! Info: knoxmercury.com.
3/9 BROWN BAG LECTURE: WANDA SOBIESKI WEDNESDAY
Noon, East Tennessee History Center (601 S. Gay St.). Free. Attorney Wanda Sobieski examines the struggle for voting rights in our region with her lecture, “The Legacy and Challenge of Suffrage: Votes for Women in Tennessee.” Tennessee was deeply divided on the suffrage issue, but eventually the final vote to make the 19th Amendment a reality was cast by Harry Burn, a young state legislator from McMinn County. Info: easttnhistory.org.
Miranda v. Arizona 384 U.S. 436 (1966)
LMU-DUNCAN SCHOOL OF LAW PRESENTS
Celebrating 50 Years of Miranda v. Arizona: Past, Present, and Future Frida y, April 1, 2016
Knoxville, TN • DSOL Cour troom • 10am-2pm Speakers include: exonerated for mer defendant Damon Thibodea ux; Tulane University Law School Pro fessor Herbert Larson; President of John E. Reid Associ ates and co-author of Essentials of the Reid Technique : Criminal Interrogation and Confessions Joseph Buckley.
MIR AND A WAR NING
Other speakers include: Detective Roger Wehr; 8th District Attorney General Jared Effler; local defense attorneys, Wade Davies and Joshua Hedrick ; and Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Kelly Tho mas.
YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT. ANYTHING YOU SAY CAN AND WILL BE USED AGAINST YOU IN A COURT OF LAW. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO AN ATTORNEY. IF YOU CANNOT AFFORD AN ATTORNEY, ONE WILL BE PROVIDED FOR
$25 for CLE credit (lunch included), YOU CAN DECIDE AT ANY TIME TO EXERCISE THESE RIGHTS AND NOT $10 for lunch only, ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS OR MAKE ANY STATEMENTS. and admission is free to the public. 601 West Summit Hill Drive | Knoxville, Tennessee 37902
For more information or to RSVP, contact Kathy Baughman at 865-545-5301 or email Kathy.Baughman@lmunet.edu
March 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 7
SCRUFFY CITIZEN
A Plea The Mercury, and Knoxville’s tradition of independent journalism, needs your help BY JACK NEELY
I
don’t know how many of our readers are aware of it, but the Knoxville Mercury is unprecedented in the history of American journalism. If this works, and with your help it can, it may be a national model for the future of newspapers. It all makes sense in theory. Hospitals, zoos, private schools, symphony orchestras, museums, universities, athletic teams, festivals, all run with substantial help from public donations. Some media is publicly funded, too. Knoxville has benefited from publicly funded radio since 1949. A few years later, we got donation-based public television. To date, though, for whatever historical reason, publicly funded media has always been in the broadcast realm. As you know, by degrees over the last 90 years or so, national corporations based in other states have gradually taken over most of Knoxville’s print and broadcast media. The biggest exceptions have been those public TV and radio stations. Today those stations, which account for almost all locally controlled media, are heavily based on public donations. Until now, however, newspapers have been expected to run without public support, on advertising revenue. After working for months with attorneys and presenting a detailed proposal to the Internal Revenue Service, subsequently approved, we found a legal strategy based on the premise that an independent newspaper serves the public good, as a source of education about the community’s unique history, cultural opportunities, and current issues of urgent concern.
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 3, 2016
By our business model, direct non-tax-deductible donations, limited indirect tax-deductible donations, and traditional advertising revenue, could support a modest staff with minimal amenities. We’ve gotten donations from well over 1,000 Knoxvillians. A few of them have been extraordinarily generous. In all, they’ve been more than I would have expected, and we’re grateful. We would not be here without you. But I’m new to the fundraising business, and may lack some perspective. From all donors combined the total raised to launch and sustain the Mercury—and Knoxville’s 225-year tradition of independent journalism— is about half of what one Knoxvillian donated to an effort to promote Cleveland, Ohio, as the site of the 2016 Republican Convention. Which, due to no fault on the part of the generous donor, may be remembered in history as the Donald Trump Coronation Ball. Is that donor suffering any remorse? I don’t know, but we can guarantee that donations to the Knoxville History Project and the Knoxville Mercury offer more certain results you can be proud of. For the record, if there are any multi-millionaires out there, the same amount could put the Mercury on secure footing for years, and we’d thank you for it weekly. We’re not expecting that. We staffers donate, too. We do that mainly by working long hours, cheap. I’d work free, but I’d get foreclosed upon. I work because I enjoy it and it’s the only way I’ve found to make a living, and I’m too old to
reconsider law school, the military, or pro baseball. But I’m also doing it because I don’t ever want to live in a city that doesn’t have locally owned journalism. For the last 20 years or so, people like to parrot rumors they’ve heard about the death of print, and when Metro Pulse’s unexpected termination in 2014 happened to coincide with the closure of a famous weekly paper on the west coast, it seemed confirmation. But print remains the only proven model for financing in-depth local journalism. And even in 2016 most cities in America Knoxville’s size and bigger have an independent weekly paper, one that doesn’t have to respect the same agenda as the corporate daily. There are 112 of them across the nation, and those are just the ones approved by the Association of Alternative Newsmedia. Chattanooga has one. Nashville has one. Asheville, our neighbor to the east, which is a fraction of the size of Knoxville, has a lively one. We’re doing everything we can to keep ours. It’s called the Mercury, and it’s a culmination of long hours and personal investment by our small staff, our generous supporters, and our advertisers, whom we all appreciate. But we’re not there yet. We have our old readership back. People are picking up the papers all over town and talking about it. We have a bigger circulation than some of those apparently healthy AAN weeklies elsewhere in the country. I hear from our readers as much as I ever did. But advertisers haven’t yet caught up with readership. It takes time. I was talking to a Memphis publisher friend last week, a fellow who’s been in the business for half a century. He
said don’t worry, newspapers and magazines never run in the black their first three years. It takes time to build a brand. Everybody tells us it’ll catch up. Advertisers tell us it will catch up. Even non-advertisers who tell me they’ll advertise someday, just not now, tell me it’ll catch up. I’m confident that it will, but for now we have a gap to fill. There are several ways you can help. You can donate directly to the Mercury, non-deductibly, or to the Knoxville History Project, which helps the Mercury, deductibly. You can advertise. If you’re not promoting a local business, you can advertise your favorite charity or fundraising effort. Even if you don’t think you need to advertise, you can let Knoxville know that you support the Mercury and local journalism. Or, next time you go shopping or go out for a night on the town, you can support our advertisers. That helps us, too. Their names are easy to find in each issue. Or, if you’re free this coming Saturday, we’re co-hosting, with local public station WDVX, an event at the locally owned Bijou Theatre called the Knoxtacular. It’s a big variety show, and you can hear it on WDVX. com/89.9 FM, or come to the storied old theater, which celebrates its 107th birthday next week, in person. We’re grateful to the dozens of performers, volunteers, technical staff, sponsors (Yee-Haw Brewing, Knox Heritage), restaurants (Tomato Head, Hard Knox Pizza, Bistro at the Bijou) who are helping to make this happen. We’d like to think of it as the kickoff to Knoxville’s festival season. And the beginning of a fresh second wind for local journalism. ◆
Print remains the only proven model for financing in-depth local journalism. And even in 2016 most cities in America Knoxville’s size and bigger have an independent weekly paper, one that doesn’t have to respect the same agenda as the corporate daily.
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March 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 9
GUEST ED.
Welcome to the World That Is Legislators seeking to defund UT diversity efforts don’t know what they’re talking about BY CATHERINE LANDIS
I
t must feel great to live in a world where everybody is just like you— straight, Christian, and white; or if they do happen to be different they have the decency not to get all in your face about it. A fantasy world, no doubt, but recent reactions from several national and state legislators about UT’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion leave me wondering what sort of world they think they live in. State Rep. Martin Daniel, for instance, has been quoted as saying, “We support diversity programs at any institution of higher learning, but it has gotten out of hand. It has taken on a whole life of its own, spilling over into other areas like transgender rights and gay and lesbian issues.” Where then, exactly, does one draw the line between who deserves to be tolerated and who does not? Who is in, who is out, whose “issues” are worth consideration, whose humanity deserves to be taken seriously? It can’t be a coincidence that Daniel, along with legislators who have filed bills to defund the office and U.S. Rep. Jimmy Duncan (who appears to think the survival of Christmas depends on office holiday parties), are white, Christian, and presumably straight, and so they don’t know what if feels like to be marginal-
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 3, 2016
ized. They have never been cast as less American, less worthy, less human because of skin color, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Call it a lack of imagination, call it a lack of empathy, call it an effort to force the world they believe in onto the world that is, but they don’t know what they are talking about. Several years ago a woman asked me why nonbelievers appear to think Christians are stupid, and I remember being stunned. In the woman’s voice I heard the genuine pain of someone who feels victimized, so there was no denying her sincerity even while I was thinking: Are you kidding? How could any Christian in this country feel like a victim, particularly in this South, where preachers are allowed into school cafeterias, prayers start meetings and ball games, references to God fill the daily newspaper, and strangers talk about faith as regularly as the weather. Christianity is in the DNA of the predominant culture, and people whose views do not agree keep their mouths shut because, why upset people? But the consideration extends only one way. And this woman claimed she was the victim? Like the elephant complaining about the fly, she had no idea how preposterous she sounded—and yet I did, actually, know what she was
talking about. Believing in God feels like knowing something is true in the same way as knowing a table is hard or the sun is hot. You can’t un-know what you know. What you know is part of who you are. Having who you are and what you know dismissed as being akin to magical thinking hurts. It’s possible that legislators screeching about overreach at UT might know what it feels like to be called stupid for what they believe. Could it be possible for them to remember that the next time they whine about accommodating all these other people in the world? Perhaps Rep. Daniel has no idea what it would be like growing up in a boy’s body while feeling like a girl in every speck of your being, wincing each time someone refers to you as “he.” Is it so horrible to be kind enough to refer to her with whatever pronoun validates her humanity? Perhaps Mr. Duncan can’t imagine what it might feel like to be Jewish when December rolls around, knowing that people can celebrate Christmas in their homes, churches, neighborhoods, clubs, the mall, city streets, grocery store aisles, on television—pretty much everywhere. Is it too much to ask that one’s own workplace might throw a holiday party that respects everyone who works there? To those who cry “political correctness,” that’s just sloppy thinking. True, there are instances of unreasonable demands and entitled expectations, but that’s not the same as acknowledging that people who differ from you deserve a voice. Claims of minorities foisting agendas on our culture are laughably perpetuated by a majority whose cultural norms have been so foisted on the rest
of us as to be set in concrete. Respect, tolerance, validation, accommodation: these are complicated and evolving ideals. Talk about them, argue, examine, disagree, but don’t dismiss them with disingenuous sound bites. One can argue that here in Tennessee, a blog post about gender-neutral pronouns is too fast, too soon. You can’t shove this stuff down people’s throats. One can also argue that marginalized people are tired of waiting. If not now, when? The Office of Diversity and Inclusion, with programs serving a student body from 50 states and 100 countries, is tasked with negotiating these sensitive questions. Utilizing speakers, training sessions, book discussions, and mentoring, the staff is working to fulfill the mission of teaching students to work across differences so when they get into the real world, they can handle the real world. They are doing their part in keeping UT relevant and competitive. Legislators should get out of the way and let them do their job. We don’t live in a monoculture. The University of Tennessee is diverse whether or not there’s an Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Legislators can approve or disapprove of anybody they like in their private lives but if—as public officials with influence over a public university— they intend to write off huge swaths of actual human beings, they need to get another job. ◆ Catherine Landis lives in Knoxville and is the author of two novels: Some Days There’s Pie (St. Martin’s Press), and Harvest (Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press). Got something to get off your chest? Tell us about it! Send your Guest Ed. submission to: editor@ knoxmercury.com.
Claims of minorities foisting agendas on our culture are laughably perpetuated by a majority whose cultural norms have been so foisted on the rest of us as to be set in concrete.
LaMAr HoUSe BaR!!
JOHN SCHERF, Prop’r. Keeps consitently on hand a large assortment of the choicest of Foreign and Domestic
The choicest brands of
domestic and rhine wines. Also, Alexandria Lager Beer and the finest brands of Cigars. During the winter months I have in connection with my Bar a Restaurant equal to any in the State.
IcE! iCE!! iCE!!! Thankful for the liberal patronage of last year, I will continue to furnish customers with large or small quantities of the
On as liberal terms as can be had from other parties. Orders left at my Bar will be promptly attended to.
JOHN SCHERF 1869
Currently home of The Bistro located in the oldest restaurant space in Knoxville. Carrying on the tradition of fine food and drink since 1817.
807 South Gay Street Knoxville, TN 37902 (865) 544-0537 www.thebistroatthebijou.com
#BigEarsKnox March 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 11
BY THE NUMBERS
Hateful TN A rise in hate groups puts Tennessee near top of unsavory list BY CLAY DUDA
H
ate is on the rise in Tennessee. If the number of hate groups active in the state is any indication, Tennessee may very well be one of the most hateful states in the nation. According to the most recent count of hate-focused organizations throughout the United States, Tennessee ranked fourth as the state with the highest number of active hate groups in 2015. But when you compare the number of hate groups with state populations, Tennessee edges up a spot, to number three, as one of the most hateful states per capita. Only our neighbors to the west, Arkansas and Mississippi, boast more hateful affiliations compared with the number of people that live there. The number of these hate groups operating in Tennessee increased more than one-third from 2014 to 2015, from 29 to 41, mirroring a national uptick, according to data compiled by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The Montgomery-based civil rights organization annually publishes state and national tallies of organizations focused on hate. Its list includes usual suspects like chapters of the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazi and neo-Confederate groups, and black separatist organizations like the Nation of Islam, but it also covers many outspoken religious groups that take strong stands against some groups, mostly related to LGBT issues. “There’s some history with white supremacy in this part of the state, and you can tap into some of that background to explain the contemporary era, but I think the SPLC report really shows a national trend of growing extremism,” explains Joshua Inwood, a University of Tennessee geography professor whose research focuses on contemporary issues of race and society.
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 3, 2016
“Race and racialization processes are always complex, but I think there has been no question that with the election of the first African-American president, and with questions over his birth certificate and that he’s somehow secretly infiltrated the U.S. electorate as part of a large plot by radical groups, those discourses have become much more prevalent and the everyday rhetoric of white supremacy has been made more palatable to a wider base of people,” he says. “You only have to look at the campaign of Donald Trump to see that played out on a daily basis. It was just this weekend that Donald Trump refused to condemn David Duke or the Ku Klux Klan. But it’s really important to understand that this is not a new playbook [for politicians]. It’s been used over and over and over again, most recently by the Republican party but before that it was the Democratic party of Reconstruction in the early 20th century.” The SPLC report, included as part of its quarterly Intelligence Report
publication, features a prominent photo of Trump on its cover. Writing about factors possibly contributing to an upswing in hate groups, SPLC fellow Mark Potok pointed to Trump’s statements demonizing Latinos and Muslims, as well as support he’s received from some prominent white nationalist leaders such as Jared Taylor and former Klansman David Duke. Nationally, the number of hate groups has increased over the years, upticking again after a lull in 2014. The number of hate groups has nearly doubled since 1999, rising from 457 documented that year to 892 recorded in 2015, according to data from the SPLC. In 2014 there were 784 groups nationally. In Tennessee, the number of hate groups has fluctuated over the years, peaking in 2015 at 41, up from 14 in 1999. In East Tennessee, roughly from Chattanooga to the North Carolina state line, there are said to be 13 active hate groups, including a handful based in the Knoxville area. On the list are the Supreme White Alliance based in Oak Ridge; Traditional Workers Party, South Knox Ten Milers, and Ku Klos Knights of the Ku Klux Klan all based in Knoxville; and the American Eagle Party out of Gatlinburg. Researchers at least in part attribute the resurgence in these types of groups to recent terrorist attacks around the country (including one in Chattanooga), campaigns against the Confederate flag following a mass shooting in Charleston, and emboldened anti-government sentiment follow the Cliven Bundy standoff (exacerbated recently by the militia takeover of a wildlife refuge in rural Oregon). Inwood also points to the “long and deep history” of the Ku
Klux Klan in Tennessee, noting that it was founded in Pulaski back in 1866 before quickly spreading to other Southern states. “In that sense [these findings] may not be that surprising,” Inwood says. “There’s certainly elements of Tennessee society not comfortable confronting elements of that past, and if you don’t confront the past it’s very difficult to do anything about it in a meaningful way.” The number of active Klan chapters more than doubled since 2014, rising from 72 to 190 last year. Likewise, black separatist groups increased during the same time period from 113 to 180. While those types of grouped cropped up more often last year, some have waned in support. Not all hate groups are as popular as they once were. Some white supremacists groups such as neo-Nazis and racist skinheads, for example, declined in number. SPLC researchers figure the overall number of hate groups to be a conservative estimate, noting that many groups are increasingly operating online where there is less risk of exposure and younger people tend to congregate. Potok writes that the online hate forum Stormfront has more than 300,000 members and has been adding about 25,000 new members annually for years now. Ultimately the number of hate groups may or may not be indicative of the underlying feeling or leaning of the population in a given area. For example, it’s impossible to tell how many members there are in each group or their stature within the community. An interactive map plotting hate groups around the country is online at splcenter.org/hate-map. ◆
DOCUMENTED HATE GROUPS ACTIVE IN TENNESSEE, 2005-2015: Source: Southern Poverty Law Center
40
36
38
38
35
37
41
39 35
37 33 29
30
20
2005
2006
2007 2007
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
DELIVERS
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March 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 13
in the
OF THE KNOXVILLE MERCURY Here’s how one of our issues comes together, from start to finish
A COUPLE OF MONTHS PREVIOUSLY…
It all begins here! Editor Coury Turczyn is in a constant state of worry as he assesses all the story ideas that come our way. Then he narrows the list down to stories that can be feasibly reported with the writers and time available, setting a schedule for the next eight to 12 issues. It will repeatedly change.
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 3, 2016
What does Knoxville really want?
we How can ppies pu get cute cover? e h t onto
EDITORIAL Reporters Clay Duda and Heather Duncan scurry to get sources to talk to them for both features in the next issue and cover stories down the road.
No rest for the weary. Although the new issue has hit the stands, the next issue must be assembled starting... now! Every department has stuff to do.
ief good gr
DESIGN DID
IN? H AGA LUNC Y M ET I F OR G
Wa someths supp ing to go hoesed re?
equest out my r orth of b a .. .. o S years’ w for threeayor’s emails ... the m
Art Director Tricia Bateman reviews and revises designs for other projects.
I ha SHHH 4,00ve to w !! bef 0 w rit ore or e bed ds tim e!
Get Outd Out & P oors lay! Guid e D Do a thes ll thin e gs.
EAD AHEA LINES D!
SALES The sales team, including Stacey Pastor, attempts to sign up all of thebusinesses who said they were considering advertising weeks before. — gs are eetin g Central m t s n a i f k . k r Brea at Netwo ffee Shop best . Pete’s Co a.k.a
EY STAC
Senior Editor Matthew Everett braces himself for another day of entering calendar events onto our website.
one … Just … e … mor
DEAL!
CHARLIE Publisher Charlie Vogel handles all the really important partners, pitching major initiatives with presentations to community figures.
ro s t , Celtic F iration for insp
March 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 15
Okay, now we’re cranking up the editorial content so we don’t fall behind on Monday!
EDITORIAL And looky here! Jack Neely ponders his next column.
uld Maybe I sho all c y m repeat t owners for restauran r to offe $5 LUNCHES…
? ZERO? K!! EE
WH PASS AT WAS M WOR D AG Y AIN?
Meanwhile, business manager Scott Dickey composes thoughtful letters to all the clients that haven’t paid their invoices. Soon, he will have to figure out how to mail out the mugs to our League of Supporters.
Why did shipping calculate ! costs FIRST?
BUSINESS
papers, books, r and othe old stuff
DAMN!n’t we
Follow up on inserts:
KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 3, 2016
MEDIA KIT. HOPEFULLY. SOMEDAY.
Big Ears
16
and create page layout concetps
Revise that tired old League of Supporters campaign
Rhythm & Blooms
THE WEEKEND Our freelance writers go out into the world and enjoy their lives.
REFINE ABODE LOGO
Rossini
handouts, posters, banners, web stuff
STOP, DROP AND SALES PRESENTATION POWERPOINT ASAP
KNOXTACULAR:
Art Director Tricia Bateman attempts to catch up on backlog of design work.
Do we have a cover photo for next week?
DESIGN
fill ads
digital ads sales sheets online store stuff
social media graphics whatever else we think of
This is the day things start coming together: stories, ads, design.
EDITORIAL
DESIGN
TO DO ge re Editorial pa
Create editorial page request.
TO DO
que s t edit need s
Follow up on final facts in the cover story. Finalize edits to A&E stories, Opinion, Food, and Outdoors. Move cover story and edited columns into the Copy Drop folder for design.
FLAT PLAN
ad need s
Combine editorial and ad space requests into a flat plan. Design columns.
issue flat plan
Ad space requests
Dig up some letters, events, quotes, etc.
Start designing cover and cover story. Graphic design to smile while er Charlie Finch always man creating ads fo ag r all our client es s. arch for Image se e library’s Jack at th Collection McClung
Types faster than she writes
These two are always trying to talk on the phone at the same time.
Headphones to block out the guy in the hall singing
“DUDE LOOKS LIKE A LADY”
MATCH THE DESK LUNCH TO THE STAFFER!
ch for ithin rea . w a r e m s a C ute photo last-min
TOP ROW: Coury Turczyn, Stacey Pastor, Charlie Vogel, Clay Duda BOTTOM ROW: Charlie Finch, Scott Hamstead, Tricia Bateman, Matthew Everett
er selflessly Intern Kevin Ridd research conducts editorial ’t have to! so that others won
March 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 17
! E N I L D A E D DEADLINE! DEADLINE! DEADLI NE!
EDITORIAL
More frenzy!
We need to finish everything we started on Monday because the final deadline to send PDFs of our pages to the printer in Bristol, Tenn. is 7 p.m.
Columnist Donna Johnson often visits the office at the apex of our frantic effort, asking if her column will run or delivering her latest artwork.
r the ht! o n g i a n Not aoke kar
Intern Hannah Hunnicut finds all our mistakes— and then tells us! Freque colum nt n topic: Mallo the dory g
Matthew is finally forced to finish inputting, writing, and editing the calendar section.
SALES Sales manager Scott Hamstead works through last-minute changes with Charlie Finch until all ads are approved.
Can th be bige logo ger?
This logo is low resolution!
color Can that hter? be brig
Will we get approval by 5pm ?
Your ad here !
DESIGN ECH
H-T Super HIG fing system o ro paper p THING AS !!! NO SUCH OO MUCH COFFEE T
e Make sur ’t n o d ads ff get left o lan. p t a fl the
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 3, 2016
Inspiratio clipboar n ds
(that hav been cha en’t in 6 mon nged ths).
f on e p d h c a e r o f nd p ag e a
DONE!
OVERNIGHT Once files are uploaded to BH Media Group in Bristol, pages are organized into groups called signatures. Four plates are made for each signature, one plate for each ink (cyan, magenta, yellow and black). The paper goes on press in the middle of the night and then it’s trimmed, collated, and prepped for delivery.
fer ans er . r t tes pap mp Pla nk to ig sta i ab like
4-foot tall r! rolls of pape
High speed folding and trimming!
See more of the paper on press at knoxmercury.com .
Then the 25,000 copies are trucked over to Knoxville where they are unloaded in our storage area in West Knoxville. A team of freelance distributors load up their trucks and deliver them to over 350 locations in Knox, Blount, and Anderson counties.
EDITORIAL Clay assembles our weekly Mercury Messenger newsletter for our League of Supporters as Coury and Matthew upload stories to the website.
DESIGN After a full night’s sleep, Tricia seeks inspiration and does some sketching for future issues.
Sometimes we try to have an editorial meeting to brainstorm ideas. It requires much coffee.
We all take a moment to enjoy the view from the office and then start the process all over again.
March 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 19
1 P.M. | Kelle Jolly
3 P.M. | The Chillbillies
1:25 P.M. | Marilyn Kallet
3:20: P.M. | Liam Hysjulien
Kelle Jolly’s influence spreads across Knoxville’s many music scenes. She’s the host of Jazz Jam on WUOT, leader of both the Ukesphere of Knoxville ensemble and the Kelle Jolly and Will Boyd Project, and founder of the forthcoming Women in Jazz Jam Festival. Marilyn Kallet was born in Montgomery, Ala., and grew up in New York; this tension between North and South is one of the themes in her poetry. In addition to being a University of Tennessee professor and powerful force of good for poets and poetry in Knoxville, Kallet has published 16 books, including six volumes of poetry, translations, critical essays, children’s books, pedagogy, and anthologies of women’s literature.
1:30 P.M. | Kathryn Frady Marvel
A Knoxtacular Lineup Join us on Saturday, March 5, at the Bijou Theatre for an all-day, all-live, all-local jamboree in support of the Knoxville Mercury, WDVX, and the Knoxville History Project. From 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., we’ll be presenting a Knoxville variety show featuring musicians, poets, comedians, and more. Admission is free, but we are requesting $10 (or more!) donations to help keep Knoxville’s independent voices strong. If you can’t make it to the theater, listen to the show live on WDVX 89.9 FM or at wdvx.com.
from the ou Theatre
Soprano Kathryn Frady Marvel is general and artistic director and co-founder of Marble City Opera, founded in 2013 to create authentic performances of chamber operas in smaller venues and to bring a vital art form to a diverse community. In January 2016, MCO performed Amelia Lost at the National Opera Center in New York City.
$10 suggested donation Broadcast live on WDVX.com/89.9 FM Performer announcements next week!
KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 3, 2016
from the
Saturday, March 5 $10 suggested donation
3:30 P.M. | Bradley Reeves
The Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound (TAMIS), under director Bradley Reeves, is a regional archive dedicated to collecting, preserving, and providing access to the moving images and recorded sound heritage of our region. TAMIS, a department of the Knox County Public Library, is heavily involved in the forthcoming Knoxville Stomp festival.
3:45 P.M. | Brent Thompson
One half of Knoxville band Subtle Clutch with guitarist Devin Badgett, Eli Fox plays banjo, guitar, and harmonica. This accomplished performer and student at the Episcopal School of Knoxville is a longtime supporter of WDVX.
2 P.M. | Robinella
4 P.M. | Dixieghost
1:40 P.M. | Eli Fox
Robin Ella Bailey is undoubtedly one of East Tennessee’s most beloved performers. Her unique and evocative voice transforms every song—country, pop, jazz—into something that feels newly discovered. Local audiences first fell under her spell in the late ’90s, when Robinella and the CC Stringband (with then-husband Cruz Contreras) performed an exhilarating mix of bluegrass, country, and rock. In the years since, she has teamed up with jazz trios, dobro master Rob Ickes, and other collaborators with refreshing results.
Lewell and Lora Molen are co-hosts of Cumberland Sunday Morning, airing 8 a.m. to noon Sundays on WDVX FM. Lewell is guitarist for the Chillbillies and owner of MoJo Music and Production.
2:45 P.M. | Aaron Tracy
Country singer/songwriter Aaron Tracy started his music career at the age of 8 in Louisville, Tenn. His mother helped him learn to play guitar and strengthen his vocals. The graduate of Alcoa High School and current Maryville College student has opened shows for Sara Evans and John Michael Montgomery. His first single, “Chillbilly,” is available on iTunes. 20
Liam Hysjulien’s writing has appeared in Salon, The New Republic, and The Brooklyn Quarterly. He has a new poem, “Blue Dye,” in the current issue of Ploughshares magazine. He is a contributor to WDVX’s Tennessee Shines Radio Show.
Brent Thompson is a composer, lyricist, singer, multi-instrumentalist, film and commercial actor, and, most recently, the engine behind the Gatlinburg-based Sugarlands Distilling Company’s headway into the moonshine market. Thompson keeps one foot in the music world with occasional reunions of his band, the Wandering.
2:30 P.M. | Lewell and Lora Molen
Saturday, March 5
The Chillbillies have long been one of Knoxville’s favorite party bands—a group of accomplished musicians who love playing so much they won’t quit their day jobs. Their repertoire is a good-time mix of country, bluegrass, Southern rock, and whatever tunes will please the crowd most.
Americana band Dixieghost blends old-time, country, and bluegrass into a sound that is deeply rooted in tradition yet is unmistakably original and progressive. Songwriters Jason Hanna and Justin Nix have a rare musical chemistry that can only come from years of writing and singing and playing shows together. Their 2015 release, Wine and Spirits, is a rip-roaring Appalachian adventure.
4:30 P.M. | Paul Brewster
Knoxville native Paul Brewster belongs to this city’s first family of bluegrass. As the son of Willie G. Brewster and nephew of Bud Brewster (the Brewster Brothers, the Pinnacle Boys), Paul has roots music in his DNA. His long career has included 10 years with the Osborne Brothers, a brief stint with the Pinnacle Boys, and 18 years singing alongside Ricky Skaggs as a member of Kentucky Thunder.
4:50 P.M. | Dawn Coppock
Adoption attorney and environmental activist Dawn Coppock published her first book of poetry in late 2015. As Sweet as It’s Going to Get is a collection of haiku and longer poems about love, marriage, family, food, and being a woman in the South.
5 P.M. | Knox County Jug Stompers
Knox County Jug Stompers are East Tennessee’s go-to band for the authentic old-time jug-band experience. These three-time winners of the International Biscuit Festival Songwriting Competition are favorites at numerous area venues and festivals, including the Knoxville Stomp, May 5-8.
5:30 P.M. | Jonathan Sexton
Long known in the Knoxville music scene for his charismatic stage presence in the bands Oversoul, the Redhouse Project, Whiskey Scars, and his Big Love Choir, Jonathan Sexton made a major step into the business side of music four years ago when he co-founded Artist Growth LLC with fellow musician and one-time Knoxvillian Matt Urmy. Sexton is CEO and co-founder of Bandposters, and is currently Entrepreneur in Residence at the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center.
5:40 P.M. | Blond Bones
Christian Barnett and Joe Rebrovick are the core of Americana/folk band Blond Bones. Their just-released debut EP, Few of Days, echoes their love of innately Southern sounds, intimate harmonies, and hints of jazz.
5:50 P.M. | Black Atticus
Black Atticus, aka Joseph Woods, is a hip-hop/ spoken-word artist heavily influenced by great jazz vocalists and timeless storytellers. He credits his approach to blending stories with song and rhythm to his 1999 understudy work with Knoxville-based Carpetbag Theatre. A six-time nationally ranked slam poet, Atticus hosts workshops and the monthly Po’ Boys and Poets event at Big Fatty’s.
6 P.M. | Erick Baker
Singer-songwriter Erick Baker began his music career as a casual, part-time player, picking out cover songs for inattentive audiences. That all changed when he got the opportunity to open for Grammy Award-winner John Legend at the historic Tennessee Theatre. Baker’s full attention turned to music, resulting in his debut EP in 2008, followed by opening slots for the Goo Goo Dolls, Grace Potter, Brandi Carlile, Heart, and many more. His hometown shows at the Bijou Theatre sell out. Baker hosts the travel show Tennessee Uncharted, which airs statewide on PBS member stations.
6:15 P.M. | Jack Rentfro and the Apocalypso Quartet
Poet and author Jack Rentfro leads this eclectic musical ensemble with original poetry and prose that delves into history, politics, personal stories, and radical notions. Sometimes carrying a bullhorn, sometimes wearing a fez, Rentfro is our guide on a new literary beat, backed by groove masters Laith Keilany, Mike Murphy, and Jeff Bills.
6:35 P.M. | Matt Chadourne
Local comedian Matt Chadourne specializes in dry, almost (but not quite) absurdist comedy. He is the winner of the 2013 Rocky Top Comedy Festival and founder of the QED Comedy Laboratory, a weekly experimental comedy show at Pilot Light.
6:40 P.M. | CrumbSnatchers
Indie-punk four-piece CrumbSnatchers have rocked Knoxville since 2012. Band members include Samuel “Guetts” Guetterman (vocals, guitar, and keyboard), Phillip Mosteler (guitar), Sam Burchfield (bass), and Rylan Bledsoe (drums). These words from “Reckless Breakfast” seem to capture the band’s musical mission: “I’m not aggressive. I’m just excited. And I want you to be, too.”
7 P.M. | The Jank
Surf-rock trio the Jank (David Peeples, J. Miller, and Chris Cook) inspire shimmying and grooving with their classic sound. Their repertoire includes the Ventures, Link Wray, Dick Dale, and the like.
7:20 P.M. | Shane Rhyne
Former marketing/TV/radio pro Shane Rhyne has turned the challenges of middle age into a new career in comedy. He’s performed at the Scruffy City Comedy Festival, co-hosts the monthly Casual Comedy series at the Casual Pint in Hardin Valley, and appears regularly at QED Comedy Laboratory.
7:30 P.M. | Hudson K
Electro-synth rock duo Hudson K (Christina Horn and Nate Barrett) stands out in a city so populated by string bands and jazz-school grads. They’ve earned rightful comparisons to Phantogram and Siouxsie and the Banshees, and their frenetic stage show, often accompanied by multimedia projections, earns the attention of audiences.
PLUS: WDVX hosts Red Hickey, Grace Leach, Katie Cauthen, Doug Lauderdale, and Charlie Lutz. Guest emcees Chrissy Keuper and Victor Agreda. Guest appearances by Chris McAdoo, Michael Gill, and more! SPECIAL THANKS TO Yee-Haw Brewing, Knox Heritage, the Bijou Theatre, Tomato Head, Hard Knox Pizza, and the Bistro at the Bijou.
We would like to extend a big
THANK YOU to all of our advertisers, supporters, and readers for a wonderful first year!
PLEASE LET OUR ADVERTISERS KNOW THAT YOU APPRECIATE THEIR SUPPORT OF INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM IN KNOXVILLE! FOR A COMPLETE LIST VISIT: WWW.KNOXMERCURY.COM
March 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 21
A&E
P rogram Notes
Celtic Farewell S
evier County-based Irish/punk-rock hybrid outfit Cutthroat Shamrock is calling it quits, at least for now, with one final performance on St. Patrick’s Day on Market Square. The 13-year-old Shamrock came together in the early ’00s when founders Benjamin Whitehead and Derek McRotten, veterans of local punk bands, decided to change course and explore their Scots-Irish roots with an all-acoustic unit. “It started with me and Ben sitting on the corner of a bar in Gatlinburg, and we just started adding people from there,” says McRotten, now the only remaining original member of the band. “We wanted to do something different, something that drew on a lot of the music we grew up on. “Then someone handed us a Pogues album, and it was all over from there.” Cutthroat Shamrock played music that harkened to traditional Celtic styles and to the rural American music that grew out of them when
Big Eyes B
Scots-Irish immigrants settled in the Appalachians a couple of centuries ago. But the band infused their acoustic reels and bluegrass breakdowns with punk-rock intensity— headlong tempos and a relentlessly thumping stand-up bass—held over from the members’ formative experiences in various local bands. The result was an explosive melding of traditional and modern aesthetics, and eruptive live shows that bristled with electricity, even though the band’s lineup was all-acoustic. Cutthroat Shamrock went on to release four full-length albums and play innumerable shows, the vast majority during extended cross-country tours. But the years have taken a toll, McRotten says, as have the responsibilities of adulthood. And in the last couple of years, Cutthroat Shamrock’s live performances have been less frequent, and nearer to home. “It’s just too hard for all of us to be in the same place at the same time
Photo by Justin Fee
Sevier County’s Cutthroat Shamrock get ready for one last show
now,” says the single-named Marcus, who replaced Whitehead in the six-piece outfit about five years ago. “We’ve got different jobs and different lives. And sleeping in a van every night with five or six guys in blazing heat or freezing cold—it gets hard.” “It really got to the point where we decided it’s best to say that’s it for now,” says McRotten. “If we get together again sometime down the
road, that’s great.” McRotten notes there aren’t any hard feelings in the Shamrock split. It’s just a matter of time and timing. “I’m really happy that it’s worked out the way it has for 13 years,” he says. “We’ve played in almost every state, done a whole lot of festivals, lots of partying, and plenty of sleeping in questionable places. It’s been a great run.” —Mike Gibson
Big Ears and Public Cinema announce their film program for 2016
ig Ears has always reserved some space in its lineup for film programming, from the Philip Glass-scored Qatsi films in 2009 to Sufjan Stevens’ The BQE the following year. But with the art-music festival’s recent revival has come a renewed emphasis on cinema, like last year’s retrospective of collagist Bill Morrison and the supreme novelty of watching Criterion Collection classics on Regal Riviera 8’s biggest screen. It even spilled over into the music schedule, with Demdike Stare’s chilling live score to Häxan being one of the weekend’s easy highlights. The recent announcement of this year’s Big Ears film program, running March 31 through April 3, asserts that 2015 was no fluke. The festival has teamed with Knoxville’s upstart Public Cinema, a
series of free screenings organized by filmmaker Paul Harrill and critic Darren Hughes, to present the festival’s most extensive screening lineup yet, featuring more than 15 events over four days. The partnership began with what will likely be the film program’s centerpiece: a Saturday screening of Laurie Anderson’s Heart of a Dog at the Tennessee Theatre. (The film will be followed by a Q&A with Anderson, who returns to the stage later that afternoon with Philip Glass.) Hughes and Harrill were already clearing space in their spring lineup for the Big Ears alum’s acclaimed film essay—a fanciful portrait of the life and death of her dog Lolabelle— when they found out she’d be returning to this year’s festival. They reached out to Big Ears mastermind Ashley Capps and soon found themselves at the helm
of this year’s film programming. With the exception of a 35mm Friday screening of Sun Ra’s 1972 space-jazz odyssey Space Is the Place, the remaining films fall neatly into two of Public Cinema’s signature categories. The Flicker & Wow avant-garde series sets up shop at the Square Room with a block of short films and dedicated screenings by guests Shambhavi Kaul and Jodie Mack. (Kaul will also be presenting an installation at the University of Tennessee’s Downtown Gallery, which will be open to the public throughout the weekend.) They’ll also be debuting Bill Morrison’s newest work, The Dockworker’s Dream, which features music by Big Ears guests Lambchop and will be followed by a panel on film scoring. More surprising is the spotlight on boutique film
distributor Factory 25, a daytime series at the Riviera that extends into Sunday. Fitting into Public Cinema’s Made in the USA series, which highlights American indies, the retrospective features 10 notable features from Factory 25’s eclectic catalog, including New Jerusalem, starring Big Ears performer Will Oldham as a religious fanatic, and the WFMU documentary Sex and Broadcasting. Public Cinema will also host a Q&A with Factory 25 founder Matt Grady. Harrill says the company fits into the Big Ears lineup because of its curatorial voice, something more often associated with indie record labels than film distributors. “It’s virtually unheard of in the film world,” Harrill says. “So we wanted to shine a light on that, celebrate it, bring it into the Big Ears conversation.” —Nick Huinker
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Shelf Life Catch My Soul
KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 3, 2016
Music: Blank Range
Classical Music: Hansel and Gretel
Movie: Eddie the Eagle
Shelf Life
A&E
The Quest A Knoxville film buff’s tireless search for a lost classic pays off BY CHRIS BARRETT
C
atch My Soul is a 1974 rock opera adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello. Since you have most likely neither seen it nor heard of it, you might presume that it was made by losers and featured a cast of nobodies. You’d be wrong twice. It was produced by successful music television impresario Jack Good and directed by Patrick McGoohan, star of the British action series The Prisoner. Othello was played by Richie Havens, Cassio by Tony Joe White, and Iago by Lance LeGault, all of whom were popular and on the ascent. Most of the music is performed by Delaney and Bonnie, who were heavily involved in shaping the sound of the ’70s. Those curious strengths notwithstanding, the fi lm was released scattershot and poorly promoted. Although it was completed before Jesus Christ Superstar, production delays caused it to be released after that blockbuster, and the religious elements in Catch My Soul led many to presume that the latter was derivative of the former. After only a handful of screenings, the fi lm disappeared. Tom Mayer works at Lawson McGhee Library downtown. He recently had the pleasure of donating a DVD/Blu-ray combo edition of Catch My Soul to the library’s collection. “It’s just amazing,” Mayer says of the digital release of the fi lm. “I never thought it would get to this point,” If you’re curious about the fi lm’s disappearance and rediscovery, you can read the saga—written by Mayer— in the package’s extensive liner notes.
Mayer is an aficionado of all things related to The Prisoner; three years ago, he began collecting and sharing information about Catch My Soul online. His impassioned, articulate, and detailed blog essays attracted attention and apparently motivated archivists and a distributor to make the fi lm available to the public in this high-quality modern edition. “I would say it helped, because I wrote the initial articles three years ago, and that generated some interest,” Mayer says. “Then the archive that showed it to me in North Carolina showed it at their fi lm festival two years ago. That gentleman, David Spencer, wanted to restore the fi lm. [Etiquette Pictures] got the idea to remaster it and put it out. How much that was due to the two of us, I can’t say. But they looked around online and found my articles and asked me to write the essay.” The fi lm is a trippy time capsule, worth seeing for a few reasons. The music is quite good. The performances are good—certainly better than you might expect from the fish-out-of-water singers. And the New Mexico desert locations are terrific. Going into an adaptation of Othello, you don’t have to wonder much about the ending. In contrast, Mayer’s fascinating tale of sussing out the last remaining prints of the fi lm, visiting the fi lming locations, and interviewing the surviving principals from the project is extremely suspenseful. His original articles, condensed for the disc package notes, remain accessible online at theunmutual.co.uk. ◆
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March 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 23
A&E
Music
Close Range Nashville’s Blank Range stands on the verge of breakout success BY RYAN REED
N
ashville indie rockers Blank Range played their first major gigs in May 2014 at an Iowa casino, opening three shows for Alice in Chains. Yes, the grunge-rock veterans responsible for “Man in the Box,” “Rooster,” “Down in a Hole,” and other brooding ’90s anthems. “I didn’t know what to expect going into it,” says Blank Range singer/ guitarist Grant Gustafson. “It was insane. It was hilarious. We showed up the first day and played at a casino with them, and everybody in their crew was like, ‘Wait, what are you doing here?’ We showed up in a tiny van, and they had semis and buses. “That speaks to the idea that you never know how you’re going to be interpreted. I may think that your music suggests a certain thing or sounds a certain way, but at the end of the day, those people just love rock ’n’ roll! It was a really fun and kind of absurd experience.” Blank Range has emerged from an insanely crowded Music City rock circuit because of that all-in attitude. The five Midwest transplants arrived in Nashville in spurts over the past six years, at first performing as a malleable collective for each others’ respective songs. “Everybody started making bands, and we ended up with three bands with a main songwriter,” Gustafson says. “For some reason, that was the deal in that era of Nashville. There was a group of people, and everybody played in everybody else’s band. We eventually
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 3, 2016
realized that we were spreading ourselves too thin, so we decided to expedite that and make it a little simpler.” This hive-mind mentality is reflected in their music, an eclectic patchwork that recalls Wilco’s folky noise, Alabama Shakes’ groove-heavy soul, and the giddy classic-rock thrust of early Kings of Leon. With Gustafson and guitarist Jonathon Childers as co-frontmen and chief songwriters, keyboardist Jonathan Rainville, and a nimble rhythm section featuring bassist Taylor Zachry and drummer Matt Novotny, they merge elements of each member’s tastes and experience, pushing tracks into unexpected territory.
Their debut EP, 2013’s Phase II, was recorded during their hunker-down early era, during which they frequented Nashville venues like the Basement. They earned valuable exposure, impressing local audiences with songs like the soulful “Roommate’s Girlfriend” and the churning “Ziggy Coyote.” They also took a crucial step by winning a local competition for a spot at Bonnaroo in 2014. They’ve subsequently opened shows for Spoon, the Drive-By Truckers, and the Mountain Goats. (The latter took place in October at the Bijou Theatre. “I love those old theaters,” Gustafson says. “It sounded great in there. The architecture was impressive.”) For the past two years, the quintet has focused on steadily elevating their profile. “The only reason we’ve been able to generate any sort of buzz is just by touring a lot,” Gustafson says. “We’ve been working a lot on our live show. But it’s been wild when you show up and just do your thing authentically— people get into that, no matter what the crowd, whether it’s the Mountain Goats or four people at a bar somewhere.” The band’s next step is releasing its debut full-length album, which Gustafson and company recorded at Nashville’s Creative Workshop with a legitimate recording team and higher
fidelity equipment—a natural improvement on the raw production of Phase II. “We recorded that in our basement, just by ourselves with GarageBand,” Gustafson says. “When you use a real engineer and producer, things tend to sound a lot better.” On the new album, Blank Range, as usual, refrains from consciously mining certain influences. But Gustafson promises some musical left turns. In particular, he emphasizes the importance of vocal harmony, which they’ve sharpened by playing new material on the road. “We got really into the Flying Burrito Brothers, the Byrds’ Sweetheart of the Rodeo, incorporating that sound into a more rock ’n’ roll setting,” he says. He’s also tapped into that reflective, country-rock atmosphere by playing more acoustic guitar and steel guitar. Gustafson’s excited for the band’s future, which includes newly announced opening slots for indie-folk act the Cave Singers, along with a June gig at the Governors Ball NYC Music Festival in New York. (“We’re opening for Kanye,” they joked on Facebook.) Whatever path leads to that next career leap—even if it involves more shows with metal bands—Blank Range is ready to follow it. “I feel like we’re growing, trying to expand upon what we started with,” Gustafson says. ◆
WHO
Blank Range
WHERE
Pilot Light (106 E. Jackson Ave.)
WHEN
Wednesday, March 9, at 9:30 p.m.
HOW MUCH $6
INFO
thepilotlight.com
Classical
Short Stuff Some sublime music saves Knoxville Opera’s edited Hansel and Gretel BY ALAN SHERROD
F
or most performing arts organizations these days, outreach—an organization’s involvement in the community—has become an equal partner to their traditional performance schedules. In the case of opera, outreach is recognized as being strategically essential to the form’s future, a future where historic art forms compete with modern technology-driven entertainment that’s becoming increasingly embedded in the fabric of everyday life. Understanding the importance of sowing the seeds for future opera audiences, Knoxville Opera and its executive director Brian Salesky have fully embraced outreach in a number of forms. At the top of the list is their program of professional performances in local schools that present works in condensed and accessible versions designed to introduce students to opera and challenge them to explore it
further. Salesky took the ideals of outreach a step further last weekend when he merged a family-oriented production into KO’s schedule with Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, sung in a contemporary English translation. The Tennessee Theatre had a capacity audience for the production that included many adults and children obviously attending an opera for the first time. This is what outreach is intended to do. For the general opera-goer, though, this Hansel and Gretel was a tale of too many compromises. In order to make this an evening for families, Salesky moved the curtain time up from 8 p.m. to 7:30 and made cuts—some of them painfully obvious— in an already short opera in order to bring the production in at two hours, including an intermission. Shortened scenes also seemed to further minimize the already simple story line,
largely eliminating darker moments and anything other than superficial character depth. Stage director Candace Evans also seemed to be impacted by the overall abbreviation, allowing most of the cast energetic but gratuitous movement that struggled vainly to find a motivation. The opera, of course, is based on the familiar Brothers Grimm fairy tale, with a libretto written by the composer’s sister, Adelheid Wette. As written and intended, the role of Hansel was sung by a mezzo-soprano, Chrystal E. Williams, with the role of Gretel sung by soprano Lindsay Russell. Both had lovely voices and lyrically crisp diction, but they seemed a bit underpowered against the orchestra in the Tennessee Theatre. It would be ideal to hear both these singers in other vehicles. Certainly not underpowered was KO veteran baritone Scott Bearden, who was powerful and effective as the children’s father, Peter. Elizabeth Peterson was delightfully convincing as the children’s frazzled mother, Gertrude. Katherine Lerner, who stepped into the role of the Witch only two weeks before the performances, gave the vocal side of her role strength, but in an odd comedic characterization that did not seem to have been fully fleshed out. The cast was filled out by Margaret Ramsey, in the role of the Sandman, and Mia Pafumi, in the role of the Dew Fairy.
A&E
The real winner of the evening was the gorgeous orchestration of Humperdinck—music that has the flowing elegance and drama of the composer’s mentor, Richard Wagner, but with its own originality of melody and harmony. The end of Act I, “Evening Prayer,” which finds the 14 angels gathering to protect the sleeping Hansel and Gretel, is simply sublime music by any standard. Luxuriating in the musical riches was the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra in the pit led by Maestro Salesky. Also a winner was the set, designed by Christina Fremgen and acquired from SUNY Purchase (NY) Opera. The quirky fantasy of the family’s cabin and the pink and pastel sugary details of the Witch’s house were neatly placed amid an effective wing-and-drop layering that properly added depth. The lighting by John Horner was marvelous, especially the beautifully kinetic tableau for the “Evening Prayer.” When one looks at this production of Hansel and Gretel in the context of KO’s 2015-16 season— which began with last fall’s Mefistofele and wraps in April with the upcoming multi-venue production of Tosca—one sees a fertile imagination at work. While not without its risks, this imagination is breathing life into opera for Knoxville audiences—certainly something that deserves our continued and continual support. ◆
Understanding the importance of sowing the seeds for future opera audiences, Knoxville Opera and its executive director Brian Salesky have fully embraced outreach in a number of forms.
March 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 25
A&E
Movies
Snow Business Eddie the Eagle is almost exactly what you’d expect—but not quite BY APRIL SNELLINGS
T
icking off clichés is nearly an Olympic event in Eddie the Eagle, the new sports comedy about the unexceptional but tenacious British ski jumper who, if we’re to believe the version of events presented in the movie, pretty much Forrest Gumped his way to the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. It’s a film replete with training montages and inspirational monologues, its protagonist dogged by elitist insiders and tasked with drying out a washed-up mentor who’s headed for redemption whether he likes it or not. But being overly familiar isn’t the same as being bad, and director Dexter Fletcher brings considerable warmth and plenty of winking humor to his by-the-numbers underdog tale. Don’t bother telling Fletcher that his
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 3, 2016
film is a mash-up of Cool Runnings and The Karate Kid—he already knows, and he’s in on the joke. Eddie the Eagle isn’t as memorable as either of those movies, but it’s charming and entertaining, and it glides along on the strength of endearing performances from its leads. It’s 1973 when we first meet Eddie (played as a boy by Tom Costello and Jack Costello), a relentlessly hopeful kid with poor eyesight, a cumbersome leg brace, and a dream of becoming an Olympian. He doesn’t care which sport—Eddie just wants to compete. The road ahead of him is a long one, though, because Eddie has little athletic ability, and his working-class parents ( Jo Hartley and Keith Allen) can’t afford the expensive
training most Olympic athletes enjoy from an early age. Eventually, though, an adult Eddie (Taran Egerton) finds that he has an aptitude for downhill skiing. When he’s cut from the British Olympic squad before he has a chance to qualify for the Winter Games, Eddie tries another tack: He takes up ski jumping with the reasoning that, since there isn’t a British ski-jumping team, he won’t have any competition. After a bone-crunching fall at a German training camp, he realizes he needs a coach; cue Hugh Jackman’s swaggering entrance as Bronson Peary, a one-time Olympic great who now works as the camp’s groundskeeper. Eddie eventually enlists Bronson’s help in training for
the ’88 Winter Olympics—the same games that also gave us the Jamaican bobsledding team that would inspire Cool Runnings, which often serves as something of a blueprint here. It should all seem hackneyed and manipulative, and without the formidable talents of Egerton and Jackman, it might. Egerton’s performance as the awkward, farsighted Edwards is so stylized that the actor, best known for his starring role in Kingsman: The Secret Service, is nearly unrecognizable through all the tics and facial contortions. But the guy has screen presence to spare, and his chemistry with Jackman is hard to resist as the pair work through all the expected beats of the mentor/mentee relationship. Life advice? For sure. A falling-out? You bet! It’s framed as a biopic but, much like its subject, Eddie struggles to qualify. In some ways, that’s kind of a bummer. The movie glosses over some of the more interesting aspects of Edwards’ story in the interest of getting to the next sports-movie beat, and it turns him into more of a doofus than his real-life counterpart, who’s actually a quite skilled downhill skier. If anything, Edwards’ real story was arguably even quirkier than the one onscreen—when he received word that he’d qualified for the Olympics, the real Edwards was paying £1 per night to sleep in a Finnish mental hospital because those were the only accommodations he could afford. But there’s no glory in accurately depicting the lives of minor sports celebrities, is there? Eddie goes for a different kind of gold, and it mostly sticks the landing. From its kitschy production design to its throwback, synth-infused score and on-the-nose pop soundtrack—a training montage is set to Hall and Oates’s “You Make My Dreams Come True”—Eddie feels very much like a product of the era it depicts, and it even offers some visceral thrills in its cringe-inducing ski-jump sequences. If an inspirational, late-’80s sports comedy sounds appealing to you, it’s hard to imagine that you’ll come away from Eddie the Eagle with anything less than a sufficiently warmed heart. ◆
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March 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 27
CALENDAR MUSIC
Thursday, March 3 CAROLINABOUND WITH THE DAVE ADKINS BAND • WDVX • 12PM • Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-aweek lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • FREE MATT HONKONEN • Preservation Pub • 6PM • Local honky-tonk. 21 and up. WARREN PINEDA AND JON MASON • Red Piano Lounge • 6PM HEARTLESS BASTARDS WITH SUSTO • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • Heartless Bastards have spent the past decade in motion, boldly pushing their unique brand of rock ‘n’ roll into new shapes over four acclaimed albums and nearly non-stop roadwork. Now, with Restless Ones, the band sets out once again, blazing a path to a place of shifting moods, seasoned songcraft, and unbridled spontaneity. • $16.50 BEN CAPLAN • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • A charismatic charmer and a smasher of pianos. A madman and an earnest poet. A strummer of delicate chords and a lover of bent and broken melodies. SHADY BANKS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 8PM PUJOL WITH CAPS AND SWEET YEARS • Pilot Light • 10PM • Nashville garage rock. 18 and up. • $7 THE GRANT GARLAND TRIO • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. Friday, March 4 DALLAS MOORE WITH DYLAN EARL • 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 KEITH BROWN • Red Piano Lounge • 6PM DALLAS MOORE • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • FREE FROG AND TOAD’S DIXIE QUARTET • The Crown and Goose • 8PM • Live jazz featuring a mix of original music, early jazz and more. • FREE WILLIAM WILD AND ANDREA MARIE • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • William Wild’s inaugural release pays homage to the musical pioneers of the counterculture revolution with their uniquely dynamic synthesis of 1960s folk and 1970s rock ‘n’ roll. The group’s distinct blend of acoustic instrumentation, layered vocals, and lush strings, embellished by heavy percussion and dark guitar tones, draws comparisons to Crosby, Stills, & Nash, Led Zeppelin, and Fleetwood Mac. • $19.50 SHOCK AND AWE WITH ADRENALINE KID AND FAR FROM ROYAL • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • All ages. • $6 QUANTIC PRESENTS: TROPICAL ELEVATION NORTH AMERICAN TOUR • The Concourse • 10PM • Presented by Midnight Voyage Productions. 18 and up. • $10 J.P. HARRIS AND THE TOUGH CHOICES • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • In short, J.P. Harris plays Country Music. Not “Americana,” not “Roots,” “Folk,” or any other number of monikers used to describe a slew of spin-off genres; he plays from the foundation of these styles, the music that has influenced four generations of songwriters. In a world where prefixes have been added to the term “Country,” JP simply sticks to the old-fashioned sounds that have called to him. Referencing influences would be like describing each stitch in a quilt; every scrap of fabric tells a story of how the weathered and comfortable blanket came to be… • $5 THE JON WHITLOCK TRIO WITH KEVIN ABERNATHY • Boyd’s 28
KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 3, 2016
Thursday, March 3 - Sunday, March 13
Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE THE JEFF JOPLIN BAND • Two Doors Down • 10PM WHISKEY ‘N’ WOOD • Just 1 More Bar and Grille • 7PM • Featuring a wide variety of classic rock tunes from The Allman Brothers to ZZ Top, Whiskey ‘n’ Wood is acoustic/ electric duo must see. • FREE DEAD HORSES • Preservation Pub • 8PM • 21 and up. TAMARA BROWN • The Bistro at the Bijou • 9PM • Live jazz. • FREE THREE STAR REVIVAL • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. FIRESIDE COLLECTIVE • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 10PM THE WHAM BAM BOWIE BAND • Scruffy City Hall • 10:30PM Saturday, March 5 KNOXTACULAR • Bijou Theatre • 1PM • Join us for a true Knoxtacular: all day, all live, all local! The Knoxville Mercury, the The Knoxville History Project, and community-supported radio station WDVX present a free, day-long variety show in support of Knoxville’s independent voices. Featuring Knoxville musicians, poets, comedians, and more, the show will be broadcast live on WDVX 89.9 FM—it’s a radiothon, folks! We’ll be raising funds to help keep WDVX on the air and the Mercury on the streets. • $10 • See cover story on page 14. UT JAZZ FESTIVAL • University of Tennessee • Workshops, lectures, master classes, and performances, headlined by the UT Big Band with trumpeter Terell Stafford at 6 p.m. at the Haslam Music Center. • FREE WENDY JO GIRVIN WITH THE QUIET HOLLERS • WDVX • 12PM • Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-aweek lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • FREE KATY FREE • Red Piano Lounge • 6PM ANGELA PERLEY AND THE HOWLIN’ MOONS • Sugarlands Distilling Co. • 7PM • FREE THE BING BROTHERS FEATURING JAKE KRACK • Laurel Theater • 8PM • For over 40 years, the Bing Brothers have played their hard-driving brand of string band music formed in the West Virginia mountains, especially drawing inspiration from the legendary Hammons family of Pocahontas County. • $14 LA BASURA DEL DIABLO WITH HE CASKET CREATURES AND BACK FOR BLOOD • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • All ages. WILL BOYD • Red Piano Lounge • 9PM JOSHUA POWELL AND THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE EXIT 60 • Two Doors Down • 10PM THE QUIET HOLLERS • Preservation Pub • 8PM • 21 and up. HAROLD NAGGE • The Bistro at the Bijou • 9PM • Live jazz. • FREE CAUTION • Scruffy City Hall • 9PM Royal Bangs with Headface and the Congenitals • Pilot Light • 10PM • Royal Bangs will be performing mostly new material. 18 and up. • $5 SHIMMY AND THE BURNS WITH H.R. GERTNER • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 10PM THE SOUTHERN BELLES WITH MASSEUSE AND BROCK BUTLER • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. Sunday, March 6 SHIFFLETT’S JAZZ BENEDICT • The Bistro at the Bijou • 12PM • Live jazz. • FREE SUNDAY JAZZ BRUNCH • Downtown Grill and Brewery • 12:45PM • Knoxville’s coolest jazz artists perform every Sunday. • FREE SCHOOL OF ROCK EDUCATION ROCK BENEFIT • The
International • 5PM • The School of Rock’s benefit for the Rock School Scholarship Fund features Emi Sunshine, Brock Butler of Perpetual Groove, Autumn Reflection, State Street Rhythm Section, I’m in Trouble, and comedian Alex Strokes. • $10 JON STEEL • Red Piano Lounge • 7PM HOUNDMOUTH • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • In cramped clubs
and big theaters alike, Houndmouth earned a reputation as a must-see act, their hooks, energy and charisma making them feel like a lifelong friend you’d just met. • $16.50 MIKE MCGILL AND THE REFILLS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM ROBINELLA • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) •
HEARTLESS BASTARDS Bijou Theatre (803 S. Gay St.) • Thursday, March 3 • 8 p.m. • $16.50 • knoxbijou.com
The Heartless Bastards are real vagabonds—originally from Cincinnati, the band’s now based in Austin, though they spend more time on the road than at home in any given year. The band’s sound reflects its time on the road; on the aptly titled Restless Ones, the Bastards’ fifth album, they’ve perfected a swampy, soulful kind of psychedelia—like the Black Crowes fronted by Heart’s Ann Wilson, maybe, or what PJ Harvey would sound like if she was American and played with the Band in 1966. Restless Ones is unabashedly nostalgic and informed by decades of American classic rock, and yet it sounds like it couldn’t have been recorded any other time than right now. With Susto. (Matthew Everett)
33
Spotlight: Peace is Patriotic: A Soldiers (mis)Remembrances
Thursday, March 3 - Sunday, March 13
7PM • Robin Ella Bailey is undoubtedly one of East Tennessee’s most beloved performers. Her unique and evocative voice transforms every song—country, pop, jazz—into something that feels newly discovered. Local audiences first fell under her spell in the late ‘90s as Robinella & the CC Stringband (with then-husband Cruz Contreras) performed an exhilarating mix of bluegrass, country and rock. In the years since, she has teamed up with jazz trios, dobro master Rob Ickes and other collaborators with refreshing results. THE YOUNG FABLES • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM EBONY EYES WITH VAMANOS AND THE BURNING ITCH • Pilot Light • 10PM • 18 and up. • $5 ATTALUS • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. Monday, March 7 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 NATE KIPP • 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 CRANFORD HOLLOW • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • It’s a boot stomp on a dusty bar floor. It’s the clang of a whiskey bottle at last call. It’s grit. It’s the sounds of the South. It’s Cranford Hollow, a blended mix of Southern Rock, Appalachian Fiddle Music and American Rock and Roll. Tuesday, March 8 THE HOWLING KETTLES WITH CAROLINA EXPRESS • WDVX • 12PM • Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-aweek lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • FREE THE HOWLIN’ KETTLES • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • FREE THE MARBLE CITY 5 • Red Piano Lounge • 8PM PAUL LEE KUPFER • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM Wednesday, March 9 TIM MCNARY • 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 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 TENNESSEE SHINES: ROAD TO MERLEFEST TOUR WITH TELCO AND HIGH PLAINS JAMBOREE • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7PM • Sample the legendary Merlefest festival (April 28-May 1) on Tennessee Shines with two exciting young bands fusing old sounds with new energy. Firmly planted in Asheville, NC’s thriving roots music scene, Tellico is well schooled in bluegrass but with an unbridled organic “Appalachiacana” sound, combining some of the finest voices, songs and instrumental prowess in western North Carolina and beyond. Their debut album, Relics and Roses was produced by guitar virtuoso Jon Stickley and features the singing and songwriting of Anya Hinkle (guitar, fiddle) and Stig Stiglets (bass), and showcases Aaron Ballance on dobro and pedal and lap steel and Jed Willis on mandolin and clawhammer banjo.With roots in northern bluegrass and southern troubadour country, Brennen Leigh, Beth Chrisman and Noel McKay each come to High Plains Jamboree string band with a distinct flavor to their writing and singing. Simon Flory anchors the band on bass and is more country than all the 100
CALENDAR
people who move to Austin every day combined. • $10 JEREMY WRIGHT • The Bistro at the Bijou • 7PM • Live jazz. • FREE CONSIDER THE SOURCE • The Concourse • 9PM • NYC trio Consider the Source defy easy description. If intergalactic beings of pure energy, after initiation into an order of whirling dervishes, built some kind of pan-dimensional booty-shaking engine, powered by psychedelics and abstract math, it’d probably just sound like a CTS tribute band. Drawing from progressive rock, fusion and jazz, with alien sounds soaked in Indian and Middle Eastern styles, CTS blends disparate parts into a striking, utterly original whole. 18 and up. • $7-$10 BLANK RANGE • Pilot Light • 9:30PM • Blank Range is an American rock & roll band living in Nashville, TN. With nods to great things present & past, Blank Range stand tall as a unit and collapse wildly together in song and onstage. 18 and up. • $6 • See story on page 24. Thursday, March 10 IRA WOLF WITH BIG SHOALS • 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 WARREN PINEDA AND JON MASON • Red Piano Lounge • 6PM ZACK AND KOTA’S SWEET LIFE • Scruffy City Hall • 6PM JOHN MAYALL • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • After Britain’s ten year traditional jazz boom had about run its course, a new generation was ready for something new. Out came the amplifiers, guitars and harmonicas and out came young enthusiasts from all over the country eager to sit in and form their own groups. This was all the encouragement thirty-year old John needed and, giving up his graphic design job, he moved from Manchester to London and began putting musicians together under the banner of The Bluesbreakers. Although things were rough at first, the music quickly took off thanks to the popularity of the Rolling Stones, Georgie Fame, Manfred Mann, The Animals and Spencer Davis with a young Steve Winwood. John also backed blues greats John Lee Hooker, T-Bone Walker, and Sonny Boy Williamson on their first English club tours. • $28 STEVE BROWN AND HURRICANE RIDGE • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 8PM LUCETTE • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • At once both beautiful and haunting, the chilling power of Lucette’s gentle voice is unwavering and undeniable. Although young, it is obvious to all those who listen to her that Lucette is an old and doggedly romantic soul. Full of emotion, her performances take audiences back to the days when artists such as Neil Young, Emmylou Harris, and Loretta Lynn dominated the airwaves. ANCIENT WARFARE • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. Friday, March 11 THOM JUTZ AND MILAN MILLER WITH BRETT HARRIS • 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 GIBSON BROTHERS WITH THE LONESOME RIVER BAND • The Bistro at the Bijou • 7PM • WDVX’s World Class Bluegrass series welcomes two of the most acclaimed bands in bluegrass music. The Gibson Brothers were voted Entertainers of the Year at the International Bluegrass Music Association’s World of Bluegrass awards show in 2012 and 2013. Since its formation 34 years ago, Lonesome River Band continues its reputation as one of the most respected names in Bluegrass music. Five-time
International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Banjo Player of the Year, and winner of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, Sammy Shelor leads the group that is constantly breaking new ground in Acoustic music. The World Class Bluegrass series is a production of award-winning Americana radio station WDVX and the Knoxville Americana Music Foundation. For more information, visit WDVX.com. • $32-$37 URBAN PIONEERS WITH TYLER LLOYD EMERY AND THE JEFF COUNTY BOYS • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • Mix one part Texas fiddle and one part Tennessee banjo, add doghouse bass and a splash of guitar and you have a delicious cocktail for your ears known as the Urban Pioneers. This string band hammers out a variety of original songs that encompass old time hillbilly music, western swing, rockabilly, and even a few gypsy type songs for good measure. All ages. • $5 FROG AND TOAD’S DIXIE QUARTET • The Crown and Goose • 8PM • Live jazz featuring a mix of original music, early jazz and more. • FREE SAUL ZONANA • Preservation Pub • 8PM • 21 and up. THE T. MICHAEL BRANNER CONCEPTET • The Bistro at the Bijou • 9PM • Live jazz. • FREE SIDECAR SYMPOSIUM • Scruffy City Hall • 9PM IAN THOMAS AND THE BAND OF DRIFTERS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • Ian Thomas and his Band of Drifters are based out of Knoxville, TN. After traveling for years as a street performer, Ian Thomas began performing indoors in New York City, where he recorded his debut album “A Young Man’s Blues” and his follow-up “Live at Rockwood Music Hall.” Since then, he has shared the stage with Taj Mahal, John Hammond, Cyril Neville, Corey Harris, Sam Bush, Shovels & Rope, The Wood Brothers, The Avett Brothers, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Reverend Goat and Dr. John and has performed at festivals, including Bonnaroo, Pickathon, Red Ants Pants and Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion. Performing both solo and with a band, Thomas draws on a variety of American roots influences, delivering a captivating raw live performance and distinctive sound from his original compositions on guitar, harmonica and kazoo. His latest release is the full-band album “Live at the Preservation Pub,” recorded in Knoxville. THE DONNA HOPKINS BAND • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE THRIFTWORKS WITH COSMOORE • The Concourse • 10PM • Experimental electronic music. 18 and up. • $10-$12 MIKE MCGILL WITH VAN EATON AND BRANDON FULSON • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM THE WILD THINGS • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. Saturday, March 12 WORKING CLASS HUSSYS WITH HIROYA TSUKAMOTO • 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 KIRK AND MEREDITH • Meksiko Cantina • 6PM • Acoustic Americana from two-thirds of the local trio Freequency. BIRD IN HAND • Sugarlands Distilling Co. • 7PM • FREE BEARTOOTH WITH SILENT PLANET, GHOST KEY, VIA VERA, AND FAULT LINES • The Concourse • 7PM • Beartooth shares equal inspiration with brutal metalcore as with old-school punk like The Ramones and the bombastic theatricality of Queen. The end result is a back-to-basics hardcore stomp that would get the crowd moving at a Hatebreed or Terror show, interspersed with a steadfast determination to give equal importance to anthemic choruses. All ages. • $12-$15 THE FREIGHT HOPPERS • Laurel Theater • 8PM • Those who March 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 29
CALENDAR had the pleasure to see the fabled Freight Hoppers perform from 1992 to the band’s lay-up will certainly know what a sight and sound it is to witness the fiddle and banjo combination driven by David Bass and Frank Lee. The current line-up is Barry Benjamin on fiddle, Frank Lee on bottleneck guitar, and vocals, Mclean Bissel on guitar and vocal and Bradley Adams on string Bass. Their latest album Mile Marker was released in 2010. • $13 WHISKEY ‘N’ WOOD • AC Band • 8PM • FREE IS THAT A HAWK? WITH THE WORN OUT SOLES AND MIRO • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • $5 DYNAMO • Preservation Pub • 8PM GET THE LED OUT: THE AMERICAN LED ZEPPELIN • The International • 9PM • 18 and up. • $20-$25 LOCASH • Cotton Eyed Joe • 9PM • As the LoCash Cowboys, the duo has enjoyed hits with songs such as “Keep In Mind” and “The Best Seat In The House,” and have written such hits as the chart-topping “You Gonna Fly” for Keith Urban and “Truck Yeah” for Tim McGraw. They have built their brand through live performances, as well – with appearances on some of the most prestigious stages in the world, and have shared stages with acts ranging from Tim McGraw to Kiss. Their music has received over ten million view on YouTube, and they are known as one of the hardest working acts in the music business today. 18 and up. • $10 THE WILL YAGER TRIO • The Bistro at the Bijou • 9PM • Live jazz. • FREE THE BURNIN’ HERMANS • Scruffy City Hall • 9PM MAIL THE HORSE • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM •
Thursday, March 3 - Sunday, March 13
Mail the Horse has spent the past four years synthesizing decades of influences, from Gram Parsons toNick Cave, into powerfully executed folk-rock. The music conveys the fraternal bond of the members and an attitude that could only be carved out by New York City. Playing countless shows in NYC, from a sold-out NYE supporting The Felice Brothers to a backyard kegger hosting some of Nashville’s finest bands, and several national tours, Mail the Horse are in that small class of DIY bands who drag keyboards and pedal steel into punk houses. Their music has matured and swaggers with the best of them, and the new record, Planet Gates, brings their expert songcraft to the forefront. ELLIS DYSON AND THE SHAMBLES • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE THE NATTI LOVEJOYS • Bar Marley • 10PM • Soak up the island vibe with East Tennessee’s favorite reggae band. • FREE THE WORKING CLASS HUSSYS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 10PM SOULFINGER WITH PORCH 40 • Preservation Pub • 10PM Sunday, March 13 SHIFFLETT’S JAZZ BENEDICT • The Bistro at the Bijou • 12PM • Live jazz. • FREE SUNDAY JAZZ BRUNCH • Downtown Grill and Brewery • 12:45PM • Knoxville’s coolest jazz artists perform every Sunday. • FREE PENTAGRAM WITH KING GIANT, SUMMONER’S CIRCLE, AND WAMPUS CAT • The Concourse • 8PM • Bobby Liebling & Pentagram have been churning out widely admired hard
rock / doom metal for over four decades. Within its first, this D.C. band is largely regarded as pioneering not one but two subgenres of hard rock. At the onset of the 1970’s, they helped procreate a behemoth called, “Heavy Metal.” Nine years on, they’d be planting the dark seed of what would grow to be known as “Doom.”18 and up. • $18 PALE ROOT • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM • Aaron Freeman’s taste for contemporary songwriters like Ryan Adams and Darrel Scott provides a balance to Jordan Burris’ penchant for bluegrass and traditional folk. As Pale Root, they’ve quietly settled into their own spot in Knoxville’s crowded Americana scene—intimate, confessional music grounded in tradition. At various times, the duo’s music recalls Neil Young, Jackson Browne, the Everly Brothers, and the Avett Brothers. It’s a surprisingly full and mature sound from just two people. TREE TOPS AND THE ENIGMATIC FOE • Scruffy City Hall • 8PM YONATAN GAT • Pilot Light • 10PM • Yonatan & his band -- which is made up of bassist Sergio Sayeg and the spastic, lightning-fast drum beats of Gal Lazer -- are touring in support of Physical Copy, an EP that they recorded with Steve Albini during an inspired three-hour session. Their goal was to capture the raw, energetic nature of their live show, packing plenty of complex and dynamic material into just two tracks. It was inspired by electronic beats and Brooklyn’s underground hip-hop parties, but there’s nothing electronic about the album -- it was recorded live to tape, with no overdubs and without the use of computers. Talking about the recording process, Gat says,”the tracks were so intense
and inhumane that we had to stop every 90 seconds for the band to rest, then we edited the takes together like a mixtape.”
OPEN MIC AND SONGWRITER NIGHTS
Thursday, March 3 BREWHOUSE BLUES JAM • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • Join Robert Higginbotham & the Smoking Section at the Open Chord for the Brewhouse Blues Jam. Bring your instrument, sign up, and join the jammers. We supply drums and a full backline of amps. Sign-ups begin at 7pm before the show. Held the first Thursday of every month. IRISH MUSIC SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM • Held on the first and third Thursdays of each month. • FREE Tuesday, March 8 OLD-TIME JAM SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM • Hosted by Sarah Pickle. • FREE PRESERVATION PUB SINGER/SONGWRITER NIGHT • Preservation Pub • 7 p.m. • 21 and up. • FREE Wednesday, March 9 TIME WARP TEA ROOM OLD-TIME JAM • Time Warp Tea Room • 7PM • Regular speed old-time/fiddle jam every Wednesday from 7-9 p.m. at the Time Warp Tea Room. All instruments and skill levels welcome. BRACKINS BLUES JAM • Brackins Blues Club (Maryville) • Allen Tate 865-300-2537 a.tate@comcast.net 2010 1 (One) -
AS HEARD ON
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Open Daily 9am for Breakfast & Brunch Sun-Mon til 3pm, Tue-Wed-Thu til 9pm, Fri & Sat til 10pm As Sweet As It’s Going To Get Poems By Dawn Coppock
Available now at www.saplinggrovepress.com Come hear Dawn recite some of her world class poetry at KNOXTACULAR! Saturday, March 5 at Bijou Theatre. 30
KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 3, 2016
TOP FRENCH Downtown 526 South Gay Street 865-540-4372 Farragut 161 Brooklawn Street 865-288-7912
Thursday, March 3 - Sunday, March 13
CALENDAR
9PM • A weekly open session hosted by Tommie John. • FREE
“Intermezzo” from Cavalleria Rusticana, and Richard Strauss’ “Fanfare” from Also sprach Zarathustra. • $5
Thursday, March 10 SCOTTISH MUSIC SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM • Held on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month. • FREE
Tuesday, March 8 UT TROMBONE QUARTET RECITAL • University of Tennessee Alumni Memorial Building • 6PM • Featuring Alex van Duuran, Sam Chen, Art Haecker, and Eric Henson. • FREE
Friday, March 11 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
Saturday, March 12 OAK RIDGE CIVIC MUSIC ASSOCIATION: AN AMERICAN SALUTE • Oak Ridge High School • 7:30PM • The Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra will be joined by Sound Company: Children’s Choir of Oak Ridge to perform songs by Copland and beloved music from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story. The concert will conclude with Dvorak’s thrilling Symphony No. 9 ‘From the New World’, which was heavily influenced by American landscapes, as well as Native American and African-American melodies. Subscription and individual tickets may be purchased online at www.ORCMA.org or by calling (865) 483-5569. • $25 KSO POPS SERIES: THE 5TH DIMENSION • Knoxville Civic Auditorium • 8PM • In 1967, a little-known vocal group called The 5th Dimension recorded a song called “Up, Up and Away” which turned out to be one of the biggest smash hits in musical history. Join The 5th Dimension as they perform dozens of hits with the Knoxville Symphony including “Wedding Bell Blues,” “Last Night I Didn’t Get To Sleep,” and “Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In.”
Sunday, March 13 EPWORTH MONTHLY OLD HARP SHAPE NOTE SINGING • Laurel Theater • 6:30PM • Visit jubilee arts.org. • FREE SING OUT KNOXVILLE • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 7PM • A folk singing circle open to everyone. • FREE
DJ AND DANCE NIGHTS
Friday, March 4 TEKNOX V. 26 • The Birdhouse • 9PM • Sounds of the underground—techno, house, and more, with John Templeton, from Denver, Co., and Gregory Tarrants. 21 and up. • FREE FIRST FRIDAY DANCE PARTY • Pilot Light • 10PM • Featuring DJ Mini Tiger. 18 and up. • $5
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Thursday, March 3 KEVIN CLASS: COMPLETE PIANO SONATAS OF MOZART, PROGRAM TWO • University of Tennessee Natalie L. Haslam Music Center • 8PM • FREE Friday, March 4 NORTH CAROLINA GREENSBORO CONTEMPORARY ENSEMBLE • University of Tennessee Natalie L. Haslam Music Center • 8PM • FREE Saturday, March 5 DUENDE • Episcopal Church of the Good Samaritan • 7PM • Duende is an exciting duo based in Cleveland, Ohio, which combines the sounds of the classical guitar and the saxophone. Visit www.knoxvilleguitar.org. • $20 Sunday, March 6 UT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA • University of Tennessee Alumni Memorial Building • 4PM • FREE Monday, March 7 ORCHESTRA AT MARYVILLE COLLEGE: MARYVILLE GOES TO THE MOVIES • Clayton Center for the Arts (Maryville) • 7:30PM • The program includes music that was used in several films, including Life is Beautiful, The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather and 2001: A Space Odyssey, among others. Guest performers include Dr. Robert Bonham, who will perform Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “18th Variation” from Paganini Variations and John Barry’s theme from Somewhere in Time. Other selections on the program include Mony Norman’s “James Bond Theme,” “Can-Can” from Orpheus in the Underworld, Nino Rota’s “Love Theme” from The Godfather, Pietro Mascagni’s
THEATER AND DANCE
Thursday, March 3 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 7PM • The unforgettable Pulitzer Prize-winning novel comes to life on the KCT stage, with its unique mix of warm nostalgia and frank realism. The lives of young “Scout” Finch and her big brother Jim are about to change forever, when their father Atticus, a lawyer, is appointed to defend a black man accused of attacking a white teenage girl. Feb. 26-March 13. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘A LESSON BEFORE DYING’ • Carousel Theatre • 7:30PM • It’s 1948 in a small plantation community in the heart of Cajun country. A young man, jailed for a murder he did not commit, will soon lose his life and has lost his self-respect. A young teacher, with most of his life ahead of him, has lost respect for the situation in which he lives. Both men teach each other the lessons they need to face their very different futures with dignity and strength. Feb. 24-March 16. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. Friday, March 4 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 7PM • Feb. 26-March 13. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘A LESSON BEFORE DYING’ • Carousel Theatre • 7:30PM • Feb. 24-March 16. V isit clarencebrowntheatre.com. TENNESSEE STAGE COMPANY: ‘THE CAST LIST’ • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 8PM • TSC closes its annual New Play Festival with a world premiere of Gayle Greene’s play about a director’s worst nightmare. March 4-20. Visit tennesseestage.com. • $15 Saturday, March 5 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 1PM and 5PM • Feb. 26-March 13. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12
DR. E.V. DAVIDSON TEEN STEP SHOW • Knoxville Civic Auditorium • 6PM • City Parks and Recreation staff began the Teen Step Show not only to encourage fitness and friendly competition, but also to give students a glimpse of what to expect as a college student. College fraternities and sororities judge the step show and meet with the students. Plus, the City partners with the University of Tennessee to give Step Show contestants an exclusive tour of the university’s Knoxville campus. Current members of prominent African-American fraternities and sororities also commit time to support the event. • $10 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘A LESSON BEFORE DYING’ • Carousel Theatre • 7:30PM • Feb. 24-March 16. V isit clarencebrowntheatre.com. A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN’ • Niswonger Performing Arts Center ( Greeneville) • 7:30PM • In Eugene’s O’Neill’s touching and heartbreaking classic, we are introduced to one of theater’s most important and complex female characters - Josie Hogan. A boisterous Irish woman with a quick tongue and a tarnished reputation, she’s had a hard and lonely life working the Tyrone farm with her bullying father. When James Tyrone Jr’s mother dies, he returns to the farm to settle the estate and attempts to navigate his complicated relationship with Josie and her father. • $20-$30 TENNESSEE STAGE COMPANY: ‘THE CAST LIST’ • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 8PM • March 4-20. Visit tennesseestage.com. • $15 Sunday, March 6 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 3PM • Feb. 26-March 13. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘A LESSON BEFORE DYING’ • Carousel Theatre • 2PM • Feb. 24-March 16. TENNESSEE STAGE COMPANY: ‘THE CAST LIST’ • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 3PM • March 4-20. Visit tennesseestage.com. • $15 Wednesday, March 9 BLUE MAN GROUP • Tennessee Theatre • 8PM • Blue Man Group is comedy, theater, rock concert and dance party all rolled into one. This wildly popular phenomenon delivers an unforgettable multi-sensory experience. It’s an outrageous evening of entertainment you’ll never forget. Don’t miss the show that has captivated 35 million people worldwide. Blue Man Group - enemy of monotony, remedy for boredom, promoter of overjoy and elation. Dare to live in full color. • $59.50-$77 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘A LESSON BEFORE DYING’ • Carousel Theatre • 7:30PM • Feb. 24-March 16. V isit clarencebrowntheatre.com. Thursday, March 10 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 7PM • Feb. 26-March 13. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘A LESSON BEFORE DYING’ • Carousel Theatre • 7:30PM • Feb. 24-March 16. V isit clarencebrowntheatre.com. TENNESSEE STAGE COMPANY: ‘THE CAST LIST’ • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 8PM • March 4-20. Visit tennesseestage.com. • $15 Friday, March 11 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 7PM • Feb. 26-March 13. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘A LESSON BEFORE DYING’ • Carousel Theatre • 7:30PM • Feb. 24-March 16. V isit March 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 31
CALENDAR clarencebrowntheatre.com. TENNESSEE STAGE COMPANY: ‘THE CAST LIST’ • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 8PM • March 4-20. Visit tennesseestage.com. • $15 Saturday, March 12 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 1PM and 5PM • Feb. 26-March 13. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘A LESSON BEFORE DYING’ • Carousel Theatre • 7:30PM • Feb. 24-March 16. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. TENNESSEE STAGE COMPANY: ‘THE CAST LIST’ • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 8PM • March 4-20. Visit tennesseestage.com. • $15 Sunday, March 13 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 3PM • Feb. 26-March 13. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘A LESSON BEFORE DYING’ • Carousel Theatre • 2PM • Feb. 24-March 16. TENNESSEE STAGE COMPANY: ‘THE CAST LIST’ • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 3PM • March 4-20. Visit tennesseestage.com. • $15 TENNESSEE STAGE COMPANY: ‘THE CAST LIST’ • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 3PM • March 4-20. Visit tennesseestage.com. • $15
COMEDY AND
Thursday, March 3 - Sunday, March 13
SPOKEN WORD
Friday, March 4 HUNGER IS NOT FUNNY BUT WE ARE! SECOND HARVEST BENEFIT • Scruffy City Hall • 7PM • Featuring Josh Phillips and Julie Scoggins. • $15 FIRST FRIDAY COMEDY • Saw Works Brewing Company • 7PM • Trae Crowder, a Knoxville-based comedian, shows why he was one of only 8 comics chosen nationally to take part in NBC’s Late Night Writers Workshop in 2015. In addition to Crowder’s headline performance, there will be performances from Chattanooga’s Corey Forrester (seen on CMT), and Oak Ridge’s Kristine Kinsey (seen on NickelodeonTV’s Moms Night Out). • FREE OWN THE BOARDS POETRY SLAM BENEFIT • The Square Room • 6:30PM • Own the Boards is hosting its Poetry Slam Benefit on Friday, March 4th, at the Square Room on Market Square. Doors open at 6:30pm, and cover is $5 for general admission and free for students with I.D. Lane Shuler and Jonathan “Courageous” Clark (of Knoxville Poetry Slam and I.N.K. Poetry) will serve as headliners and emcees, and the event will also feature additional performances by area high school students, participants in OTB’s LifeWords Reading Circles, and other seasoned performance poets.Own the Boards is a new Knoxville-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people through literature and performance. • $5 Saturday, March 5 BAR NOIR • The Bowery • 9:30PM • Enjoy the first of our
uniquely immersive cabaret-style shows featuring 9 variety performers in their finest noir-styled acts to add a little intrigue to your life. • $10-$30 Sunday, March 6 UPSTAIRS UNDERGROUND COMEDY • Preservation Pub • 8PM • A weekly comedy open mic. Monday, March 7 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. Free, but donations are accepted. • FREE Tuesday, March 8 OPEN MIC STAND-UP COMEDY • Longbranch Saloon • 8PM • Come laugh until you cry at the Longbranch every Tuesday night. Doors open at 8:30, first comic at 9. 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 EINSTEIN SIMPLIFIED • Scruffy City Hall • 8PM • Einstein Simplified Comedy performs live comedy improv at Scruffy City Hall. It’s just like Whose Line Is It Anyway, but you get to make the suggestions. Show starts at 8:15, get there early for the best seats. No cover. • FREE KNOXVILLE POETRY SLAM • Open Chord Brewhouse and DISCOVER DISCOVER
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CLAYTON CENTER FOR THE ARTS on the campus of Maryville College 502 E. Lamar Alexander Pkwy. Maryville, TN 37804
BOX OFFICE: 865-981-8590 ClaytonArtsCenter.com
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 3, 2016
Stage • 8PM Wednesday, March 9 FULL DISCLOSURE COMEDY • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • Knoxville’s long-form comedy improv group. Sunday, March 13 UPSTAIRS UNDERGROUND COMEDY • Preservation Pub • 8PM • A weekly comedy open mic.
FESTIVALS
Saturday, March 5 KNOXTACULAR • Bijou Theatre • 1PM • Join us for a true Knoxtacular: all day, all live, all local! The Knoxville Mercury, the The Knoxville History Project, and community-supported radio station WDVX present a free, day-long variety show in support of Knoxville’s independent voices. Featuring Knoxville musicians, poets, comedians, and more, the show will be broadcast live on WDVX 89.9 FM—it’s a radiothon, folks! We’ll be raising funds to help keep WDVX on the air and the Mercury on the streets. • $10 • See cover story on page 14. RICO STACHE BASH • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8:30PM • The Rico Stache Bash is a fun charity event for the UT Small Animal Oncology Dept. created in honor of Rico, a very special dog.
FILM SCREENINGS
Thursday, March 3 - Sunday, March 13
CALENDAR
Thursday, March 3 SOUTHERN FIX’ • Scruffy City Hall • 7:30PM • Director Michael Samstag debuts his new documentary examining the euthanization of pets, A Southern Fix. The facts are startling: approximately 3-4 million companion animals are killed each year throughout the United States. That boils down to over 9,000 every day, 399 every hour and over 6 per minute. That’s too many. But what is the solution? After the film, we will have a brief Q&A with the filmmakers and experts from the UT College of Veterinary Medicine and Young Williams Animal Center. After the Q&A, the filmmakers will be premiereing the trailer for their newest documentary film.
P R E S E N T S
SongwriterS ~ i n t h e ~ Soul House Series sponsored by Lost & Found Records
2016 SEASON OPENER F E A T U R I N G
Monday, March 7 THE BIRDHOUSE WALK-IN THEATER • The Birdhouse • 8:15PM • A weekly free movie screening. • FREE Wednesday, March 9 PUBLIC CINEMA: ‘HENRY GAMBLE’S BIRTHDAY PARTY’ • Scruffy City Hall • 8PM • An exhilarating ensemble drama that takes place on the seventeenth birthday of Henry Gamble, the son of a megachurch preacher. The film is at once a poignant coming-of-age tale, a provocative portrait of community, a riotous party movie, and a deeply moving family drama. At the center of this world lies the confident, music-loving Henry, who floats in a world of sexual possibility; his sister Autumn, caught between the spiritual and physical; preacher’s wife Kat, reeling from an affair with an older man and aching for her own identity; and, finally, Bob, an evangelical star on the rise, who is optimistic despite sensing his family drifting away.Providing humorous and heartbreaking counterpoint to the Gambles story is a cast of characters from church and school, all trying to wade their way through the messiness of spirituality and identity in the 21st century. Inspired by films as diverse as Rachel Getting Married, Risky Business, and The Ice Storm, and bursting at the seams with music, Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party is an overwhelming and remarkable experience. Visit publiccinema.org. • FREE
SPORTS AND RECREATION
Thursday, March 3 CYCOLOGY BICYCLES THURSDAY MORNING RIDE • Cycology Bicycles • 10AM • FREE FLEET FEET GROUP RUN/WALK • Fleet Feet Sports Knoxville • 6PM • All levels welcome. • FREE NORTH KNOXVILLE BEER RUNNERS • Central Flats and Taps • 6PM • Meet us at Central Flats and Taps every Thursday night for a fun and easy run leading us right through Saw Works for a midway beer! • FREE RIVER SPORTS THURSDAY EVENING GREENWAY BIKE RIDE • River Sports Outfitters • 6PM • FREE KNOXVILLE BICYCLE COMPANY THURSDAY GRAVEL GRINDER • North Boundary Trails • 6:30PM CEDAR BLUFF CYCLES THURSDAY GREENWAY RIDE • Cedar Bluff Cycles • 6:30PM • FREE Friday, March 4 RIVER SPORTS FRIDAY NIGHT GREENWAY RUN • River Sports Outfitters • 6PM • Greenway run from the store every Friday evening from 6-7:30 pm. Work up a thirst then join us for $2 Pints in the store afterwards. http:// www.riversportsoutfitters.com/events/ • FREE Sunday, March 6
T H E
a
a
DAN MONTGOMERy plus hosts Tim & Susan Lee
PEACE IS PATRIOTIC: A SOLDIER’S (MIS)REMEMBRANCES Clayton Center for the Arts (502 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway) • Through March 25 • Free • claytonartscenter.com
Visit the DENSO Gallery at Maryville College’s Clayton Center for the Arts to see a new exhibit by Mark Runge, an Iraq veteran whose drawings and sculptures are sometimes created using gunpowder and burning techniques. The exhibition of drawings and sculptures, called Peace is Patriotic: A Soldier’s (mis)Remembrances, opened this week and will remain through March 25. Runge served in the U.S. Army with the 5th Combat Engineer Group during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and the pieces in the show are inspired by his memories of life before, after, and during combat. The Maryville resident created the art works—including several that use a combination of watercolor and smokeless pistol powder—over the last eight years. (He says he experimented with different powders, but likes the way this type both burns and pits the paper.) Runge developed the technique since working on a Florida show about wartime experiences with other veterans in 2005. “About the same time every year—I begin to have nightmares,” Runge writes in his artist’s statement. “The echo of my screams remains in my head, and I must live the day after my nightmares with the memory, or maybe residue, of the desert life that haunts my senses still. Yet memories of childhood war games commingle with memories of adulthood wartime. Like the nightmares, memories and realities fade slowly, if at all. I cannot always verbalize this struggle, but it shows up in my work.” A free reception will be held in the gallery March 25 from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m., with a spoken-word performance beginning at 7 p.m. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (S. Heather Duncan)
Wednesday March 23
6:00 pm • FREE 3725 Maryville Pike aAAAAAAAAA
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY 33
CALENDAR KNOXVILLE HARDCOURT BIKE POLO • Sam Duff Memorial Park • 1PM • Don’t know how to play? Just bring your bike — we have mallets to share and will teach you the game. • FREE Monday, March 7 KTC GROUP RUN • Mellow Mushroom • 6PM • Visit ktc.org. • FREE BEARDEN BEER MARKET FUN RUN • Bearden Beer Market • 6:30PM • Visit beardenbeermarket.com. • FREE Tuesday, March 8 CYTOLOGY BICYCLES TUESDAY MORNING RIDE • Cycology Bicycles • 10:30AM • cycologybicycles.com. • FREE HARD KNOX TUESDAY FUN RUN • Hard Knox Pizzeria • 6:30PM • Join Hard Knox Pizzeria every Tuesday evening (rain or shine) for a 2-3 mile fun run. Burn calories. Devour pizza. Quench thirst. Follow us on Facebook. • FREE CEDAR BLUFF CYCLES TUESDAY GREENWAY RIDE • Cedar Bluff Cycles • 6:30PM • cedarbluffcycles.net. • FREE Wednesday, March 9 KTC GROUP RUN • Runner’s Market • 5:30PM • Visit ktc.org. • FREE FOUNTAIN CITY PEDALERS SHARPS RIDGE MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDE • Fountain City Pedaler • 6PM • Visit fcpedaler.com. • FREE Thursday, March 10 CYCOLOGY BICYCLES THURSDAY MORNING RIDE • Cycology Bicycles • 10AM • Join Cycology Bicycles every Thursday morning for a road ride with two group options. A Group
Thursday, March 3 - Sunday, March 13
does a 2 to 3 hour ride at 20+ pace; B group does an intermediate ride at 15/18 mph average. Weather permitting. cycologybicycles.com. • FREE FLEET FEET GROUP RUN/WALK • Fleet Feet Sports Knoxville • 6PM • Join us every Thursday night at our store for a fun group run/walk. We have all levels come out, so no matter what your speed you’ll have someone to keep you company. Our 30 - 60 minute route varies week by week in the various neighborhoods and greenways around the store, so be sure to show up on time so you can join up with the group. All levels welcome. fleetfeetknoxville.com. • FREE NORTH KNOXVILLE BEER RUNNERS • Central Flats and Taps • 6PM • Meet us at Central Flats and Taps every Thursday night for a fun and easy run leading us right through Saw Works for a midway beer. • FREE RIVER SPORTS THURSDAY EVENING GREENWAY BIKE RIDE • River Sports Outfitters • 6PM • Every Thursday night from 6 to 7:30 join River Sports Outfitters on an easy paced, beginner friendly Greenway Ride. Bring your own bike or rent one for $15. Lights are mandatory on your bikes from September through March. After ride join us at the store for $2 pints. riversportsoutfitters.com/events. • FREE KNOXVILLE BICYCLE COMPANY THURSDAY GRAVEL GRINDER • North Boundary Trails • 6:30PM • Join Knoxville Bicycle Company every Thursday evening for their gravel grinder. Meets at 6:30 pm at North Boundary in Oak Ridge, park at the guard shack. Cross bikes and hardtails are perfect. Bring lights. Regroups as necessary. Call shop for more details. Weather permitting - call the store if weather is questionable. knoxvillebicycleco.com. • CEDAR BLUFF CYCLES THURSDAY GREENWAY RIDE • Cedar Bluff
Cycles • 6:30PM • Join us every Thursday evening for a greenway ride at an intermediate pace of 14-15 mph. Must have lights. Weather permitting. cedarbluffcycles.net. • FREE
ART
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts 556 Parkway (Gatlinburg) JAN. 16-MARCH 11: Touch: Interactive Craft, Arrowmont’s biannual national juried exhibition. Art Market Gallery 422 S. Gay St. MARCH 1-27: Artwork by Lynda Best and Ron Smith. An opening reception will be held on Friday, March 4, from 5:30-9 p.m. Bliss Home 24 Market Square MARCH 4-31: Artwork by Lindsey Teague. An opening reception will be held on Friday, March 4, from 6-9 p.m. Broadway Studios and Gallery 1127 Broadway MARCH 4-27: Peep Show!, featuring figure work by local artists. An opening reception will be held on Friday, March 4, from 5-9 p.m. Central Collective 923 N. Central St. MARCH 4-29: Just Blousing, new paintings by Beth
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 3, 2016
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Meadows. An opening reception will be held on Friday, March 4, from 7-10 p.m. Clayton Center for the Arts 502 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway MARCH 1-25: Peace Is Patriotic: A Soldier’s (mis) Remembrances, new works by Mark Runge (a reception will be held on Friday, March 25, from 6-8 p.m.) and A Phrenology Study of a Mad Man by Mark Hall (a reception will be held on Monday, March 21, from 4-6 p.m.). See Spotlight on page 33. Downtown Gallery 106 S. Gay St. MARCH 4-26: Artwork by Allison Berkoy and Jonathan Lukens. An opening reception will be held on Friday, March 4, from 5-9 p.m. East Tennessee History Museum 601 S. Gay St. THROUGH MARCH 20: Celebrating a Life in Tennessee Art: Lloyd Branson 1853-1925 Emporium Center for Arts and Culture 100 S. Gay St. MARCH 4-25: Artwork by Melanie Reid; Three Views of Reality, new paintings by Brandon Douglas, Catherine Haverkamp, and Seth Haverkamp; and artwork by the Knoxville Watercolor Society. An opening reception will be held on Friday, March 4, from 5-9 p.m. Ewing Gallery
Thursday, March 3 - Sunday, March 13
1715 Volunteer Blvd. FEB. 29-MARCH 21: UT Student Art Competition. A reception and awards ceremony will be held on Monday, March 29, at 6 p.m. Knoxville Museum of Art 1050 World’s Fair Park Drive JAN. 29-APRIL 17: Knoxville Seven, an exhibit of artwork by an influential group of Knoxville artists from the 1950s and ’60s, including Buck Ewing, Carl Sublett, and more. 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. Liz-Beth and Co. 7240 Kingston Pike FEB. 23-MARCH 12: Contemporary American Folk Art, featuring work by Mike Ham, Steven McGuvney, Bill Cook Jr., Leslie Whitaker Evans, and Deb Guess. McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture 1327 Circle Park Drive JAN. 23-MAY 22: Maya: Lords of Time. ONGOING: The Flora and Fauna of Catesby, Mason, and Audubon and Life on the Roman Frontier. Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church 2931 Kingston Pike FEB. 12-MARCH 30: Artwork by Heather Hartman and Jessica Payne.
LECTURES, READINGS, AND BOOK SIGNINGS
Thursday, March 3 ADIA HARVEY WINGFIELD: “NO MORE INVISIBLE MAN: PROFESSIONAL BLACK MEN’S GENDERED INTERACTIONS IN PREDOMINANTLY WHITE MALE WORKPLACES” • University of Tennessee Art and Architecture Building • 6:30PM • A University of Tennessee, Knoxville, lecture will explore the interactions of professional black men in a predominantly white male workplace The lecture is based on Wingfield’s multiple-prize-winning book, “No More Invisible Man,” which explores how professional black men navigate promotions, occupational networks and upward mobility under conditions where they are often viewed as tokenized minorities. Friday, March 4 UT SCIENCE FORUM • Thompson-Boling Arena • 12PM • The Science Forum is a weekly brown-bag lunch series that allows professors and area scientists to discuss their research with the general public in a conversational presentation. Free and open to the public, each Science Forum consists of a 40-minute presentation followed by a Q-and-A session. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own lunch or purchase it at the cafe in Thompson-Boling Arena. The Science Forum, sponsored by the UT Office of Research and Quest magazine, is an initiative to raise awareness of the research, scholarship and creative activity happening on campus. • FREE Sunday, March 6 SUNDRESS ACADEMY OF THE ARTS READING SERIES • Lawson McGee Public Library • 3PM • Sundress Academy of the Arts is thrilled to announce March’s SAFTA Reading
CALENDAR
Series event, featuring poets Rebecca Morgan Frank, Jordan Zandi, and TJ Jarrett. This event will take place March 6th at 3 p.m. at the Lawson McGhee Library on Church Avenue in downtown Knoxville.The Sundress Academy for the Arts (SAFTA) is an artists’ residency on a 45-acre farm in Knoxville, Tennessee, that hosts workshops, retreats, and residencies for writers, actors, filmmakers, and visual artists. All are guided by experienced, professional instructors from a variety of creative disciplines who are dedicated to cultivating the arts in Eastern Tennessee. Visit sundresspublications. com/safta. • FREE Monday, March 7 WRITERS IN THE LIBRARY: CAMERON CONAWAY • University of Tennessee John C. Hodges Library • 7PM • Cameron Conaway writes poetry with a social conscience. His two most recent books bear witness to child labor in Bangladesh’s shipbreaking industry and to malaria’s worldwide scourge. He is the author of four books of poetry, plus a memoir of battling his personal demons by becoming a mixed martial arts fighter. Conaway will read from his works at UT’s John C. Hodges Library on March 7. • FREE Tuesday, March 8 JOHN H. OAKLEY: “SCENES FROM DAILY LIFE ON ANCIENT ATHENIAN VASES” • McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture • 7:30PM • This is the Ninth Harry C. Rutledge Memorial Lecture in Archaeology organized by the East Tennessee Society of the Archaeological Institute of America and the Frank H. McClung Museum for Natural History and Culture. This lecture is co-sponsored by the Haines-Morris Distinguished Lecture fund of UTK’s Department of Classics. • FREE Wednesday, March 9 WANDA SOBIESKI: “THE LEGACY AND CHALLENGE OF SUFFRAGE” • East Tennessee History Center • 12PM • Wanda Sobieski will explore the struggle over voting rights in our region. For more information on the lecture, exhibitions, or museum hours, call 865-215-8824 or visit the website at www.EastTNHistory.org. • FREE Thursday, March 10 TOMIKO BROWN-NAGIN: “THE HONOR AND BURDEN OF BEING FIRST: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF CONSTANCE BAKER MOTLEY” • University of Tennessee • 5:30PM • The Fleming-Morrow Distinguished Lecture in African-American History kicks off with a look into the life of Constance Baker Motley, the first black woman appointed to the federal bench.T omiko Brown-Nagin, the Daniel P.S. Paul Professor of Constitutional Law and professor of history at Harvard University, will deliver the address “The Honor and Burden of Being First: The Life and Times of Constance Baker Motley.” • FREE ARIEL LAWHON: ‘FLIGHT OF DREAMS’ • Union Ave Books • 6PM • Book signing and Reading with Ariel Lawhon author of the new novel, Flight of Dreams • FREE PALMYRE PIERROUX: “MEDIA DESIGN FOR MUSEUM EXPERIENCES: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVE” • McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture • 7:30PM • Palmyre Pierroux will discuss trends in the design of digital media for visitor use in museums, and reflect on the implications for encounters with art, design and cultural heritage as a part of UT’s Art + Architecture Lecture Series.. Learn more about her research on her website: www.uv.uio.no/iped/english/people/aca/palmyre. • FREE Sunday, March 13
CLASSICAL TICKETS start at just $15
ROBERT CRANNY • Union Ave Books • 2PM • Poetry reading with Irish poet Robert Cranny. • FREE
MARCH
FAMILY AND KIDS’ EVENTS
Monday, March 7 MCCLUNG MUSEUM STROLLER TOUR: THE MAYAN CALENDAR • McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture • 10AM • Join us for a morning out as our museum educator leads engaging gallery tours for parents and caregivers and their young ones. Crying and wiggly babies welcome. This month we explore the Mayan Calendar in our special exhibition, Maya: Lords of Time. The event is free, but limited, and all attendees must register to attend online. Registration opens a month in advance and closes the day before the tour. • FREE Tuesday, march 8 CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY KID TO KID: FUN WITH A PURPOSE • Cancer Support Community • 3:30PM • Your children will gain coping skills and have opportunities to talk about a loved one’s cancer diagnosis while also having fun. Please call before your first visit and RSVP. 865-546-4661 for more info. All Cancer Support Community programs are offered at no cost to individuals affected by cancer. Thursday, March 10 KSO MUSICAL STORY TIME • Blount County Public Library • 10:30AM • As a special treat for the youngest patrons, a Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Quartet will provide a performance for children and their parents in the Main Gallery of the library. • FREE Sunday, March 13 KMA ART ACTIVITY DAY • Knoxville Museum of Art • 1PM • Every second Sunday of each month, the KMA will host free drop-in art activities for families. A local artist will be on-site to lead hands-on art activities between 1pm and 4pm on the second Sunday of each month. • FREE
CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS
Thursday, March 3 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 UT COLLEGE OF LAW FREE INCOME TAX PREPARATION ASSISTANCE • University of Tennessee • 5PM • As part of the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, students will offer free tax preparation help to members of the community. The program runs through Thursday, April 14, on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Suite 157 of the College of Law. For more information about the VITA program at UT Law, contact Morgan at 865-974-2492 or rmorgan2@utk.edu. • FREE SEYMOUR FARMER’S MARKET FREE GARDENING WORKSHOPS • Seymour Branch Library • 6:30AM • We will discuss some of the basics such as site planning, when & how much to plant, what varieties grow well here, companion planting. Useful handouts will be provided.
BAIROS
Music Director candidate
PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION
Thursday, March 17 • 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 18 • 7:30 p.m. Tennessee Theatre Jacomo Rafael Bairos, conductor Elena Urioste, violin ADAMS: “The Chairman Dances” BARBER: Violin Concerto MUSSORGSKY/RAVEL: Pictures at an Exhibition Sponsored by Dalen Products & Bass Berry + Sims
APRIL
JARVI
Music Director candidate
DVORÁK CELLO CONCERTO
Thursday, April 14 • 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 15 • 7:30 p.m. Tennessee Theatre Steven Jarvi, conductor Susie Yang, cello A. SCHOENBERG: Finding Rothko DVORÁK: Cello Concerto ELGAR: Enigma Variations Sponsored by Partners
CALL: (865) 291-3310 CLICK: knoxvillesymphony.com VISIT: Monday-Friday, 9-5 March 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 35
CALENDAR 6:30-8:00 pm This program is part of the library’s quarterly special interest series. • FREE SOCIAL MEDIA FOR SENIORS • Blount County Public Library • 7PM • If you would like to be able to keep in touch with your grandchildren on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest, then this is the class for you. Jennifer Spriko will be teaching this social media class in Dorothy Herron Room A. • FREE MARCH YOGA MADNESS • The Central Collective • 5:30PM • Join Leslie every Thursday in March for March Yoga Madness. Leslie of Yogini is a Dancer will lead a fun flow class inspired by basketball and the teams that are in the madness. Brackets will also be filled out with prizes to be won. So wear your team colors and have fun with your yoga practice. All levels welcome, limited props and mats provided. • $80 Saturday, March 5 IMPROV COMEDY CLASS • The Birdhouse • 10:30AM • A weekly improv comedy class. • FREE INDIGENOUS VIBES STUDIOS AFRICAN DRUM AND DANCE CLASS • Indigenous Vibes Studios • 1:30PM • Our drum and dance classes are specifically designed toward making the drum and dance experience as easy and fun as possible to those with little to no background in drumming and dancing. • $10 INDIGENOUS VIBES STUDIOS AFRICAN DRUM AND DANCE CLASS • Indigenous Vibes Studios • 2:30PM • Our drum and dance classes are specifically designed toward making the drum and dance experience as easy and fun as possible to those with little to no background in drumming and dancing. • $10
Thursday, March 3 - Sunday, March 13
AARP DRIVER SAFETY SMART DRIVER COURSE • Farragut Presbyterian Church • 9AM • Call (865) 382-5822. UT ARBORETUM SOCIETY SPRING GARDEN TOOL WORKSHOP • University of Tennessee Arboretum • 10AM • The workshop will be led by Roger Clary of Downtown Hardware and David Waugh of Husqvarna. The workshop will focus on the use and maintenance of chainsaws, lawnmowers, garden hand tools and sprayers. This is a free event and we welcome donations to help support the UT Arboretum Society and its programs. To learn more about the Arboretum Society, go to www. utarboretumsociety.org. For more information on the program, call 483-3571. • FREE Sunday, March 6 CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY MINDFULNESS BASED STRESS REDUCTION • Cancer Support Community • 4:30PM • This 8-week training program, developed by Dr. Jon Kabat- Zinn from the University of Massachusetts Medical School, is a systematic practice that involves focusing attention, relaxing the body and integrating the mind and body to reduce stress. Evidence shows that this program can be effective for controlling anxiety, depression and stress. Must attend the January 10 orientation in order to participate in the series, which runs from January 17-March 6 from 4:30-6:30pm. RSVP. Call 865-546-4661 for more info. All Cancer Support Community programs are offered at no cost to individuals affected by cancer. I BIKE KNX OPEN HOUSE BIKE CLASSES • Earth Fare (Bearden) • 2PM • At our Open House sessions, you can choose from: Biking for Beginners, Getting Back on a
Bicycle, Learning to Ride: Adults, and Freedom from Training Wheels: Children. Classes will be held on March 6, April 3, May 1, May 15, and June 5.Meet us at Third Creek Greenway trailhead near Earth Fare in Bearden. Adults are $20; kids are $10. • $20 Monday, March 7 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 5:30PM • Call 865-5772021 or email yogaway249@gmail.com. Donations accepted. DIVORCE RECOVERY WORKSHOP • Cokesbury Center • 6:30PM • Divorce can be a life-shattering experience. Whether it was sudden or was years in the making, we all need to heal our hearts, rebuild trust and get on with the rest of our lives. You have a choice: you can either go through divorce or you can grow through divorce. The format includes both a large and small group presentations by trained leaders. Attend Divorce Recovery to begin reframing and moving on with your life. Cost for the 14-week course is $75, which includes a book and workbook. • $75 INDIGENOUS VIBES STUDIOS AFRICAN DRUM AND DANCE CLASS • Indigenous Vibes Studios • 5:45PM • $10 INDIGENOUS VIBES STUDIOS AFRICAN DRUM AND DANCE CLASS • Indigenous Vibes Studios • 6:45PM • $10 NIA CARDIO-DANCE WORKOUT TECHNIQUE CLASS • Broadway Academy of Performing Arts • 10AM • Email emilybryant24@yahoo.com. Blending dance arts, martial arts, yoga and healing arts in a 55-minute mindful fitness fusion.
You are invited to a book signing with
Ariel Lawhon author of Flight Of Dreams on Thursday, March 10th at 6 pm.
Union Ave Books 517 Union Ave Knoxville, TN 37902 865.951.2180 www.unionavebooks.com 36
KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 3, 2016
WITH HOPE IN MIND CLASS • First Farragut United Methodist Church • 6:30PM • Another round of free classes on mental illness will be presented by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, beginning March 7. With Hope in Mind provides families the basic education and training needed to cope with caring for loved ones who are diagnosed with a mental illness. The course includes coverage of medications, resources, and how to better communicate with someone who has bipolar disorder, major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, borderline personality disorder, or other mental illnesses. Preregistration is required. To register, contact Cookie Spillers, 865-671-0703, or Joyce Judge, 865-966-4731. • FREE Tuesday, March 8 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail.com. Donations accepted. BLOUNT COUNTY LIBRARY BASIC COMPUTER CLASSES • Blount County Public Library • 2PM • Basic computer classes are offered, free, at the library Jan. 6-March 10. • FREE UT COLLEGE OF LAW FREE INCOME TAX PREPARATION ASSISTANCE • University of Tennessee • 5PM • As part of the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, students will offer free tax preparation help to members of the community. The program runs through Thursday, April 14, on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Suite 157 of the College of Law. For more information about the VITA
CALENDAR Wednesday, March 9 INDIGENOUS VIBES STUDIOS AFRICAN DRUM AND DANCE CLASS • Indigenous Vibes Studios • 5:45PM • Our drum and dance classes are specifically designed toward making the drum and dance experience as easy and fun as possible to those with little to no background in drumming and dancing. • $10 INDIGENOUS VIBES STUDIOS AFRICAN DRUM AND DANCE CLASS • Indigenous Vibes Studios • 6:45PM • Our drum and dance classes are specifically designed toward making the drum and dance experience as easy and fun as possible to those with little to no background in drumming and dancing. • $10 UT VOL COURT PITCH COMPETITION • University of Tennessee • 5:15PM • Vol Court is a six-week entrepreneurial speaker series hosted by UT’s Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation that culminates in a pitch competition. Vol Court will meet from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. every Wednesday beginning Feb. 17 in Room 104 of the Haslam Business Building. Anyone who participates in the March 30 pitch competition must have attended four of the five series meetings. NIA CARDIO-DANCE WORKOUT TECHNIQUE CLASS • Broadway Academy of Performing Arts • 6PM • Email emilybryant24@yahoo.com. Blending dance arts, martial arts, yoga and healing arts in a 55-minute mindful fitness fusion. CLIMBING FUNDAMENTALS • River Sports Outfitters • 6PM • Come learn the basics of climbing every second and fourth Wednesday of the month. Space is limited so call 865-673-4687 to reserve your spot now. Class fee $20. Visit riversportsoutfitters.com/events. • $20 Thursday, March 10 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail.com. Donations accepted. BLOUNT COUNTY LIBRARY BASIC COMPUTER CLASSES • Blount County Public Library • 2PM • Basic computer classes are offered, free, at the library Jan. 6-March 10. • FREE BELLY DANCE LEVELS 1 AND 2 • Knox Dance Worx • 8PM • Call (865) 898-2126 or email alexia@alexia-dance.com. • $12 UT COLLEGE OF LAW FREE INCOME TAX PREPARATION ASSISTANCE • University of Tennessee • 5PM • For more information about the VITA program at UT Law, contact Morgan at 865-974-2492 or rmorgan2@utk.edu. • FREE AARP DRIVER SAFETY SMART DRIVER COURSE • Karns Senior Center • 11:30AM • Call (865) 382-5822. MARCH YOGA MADNESS • The Central Collective • 5:30PM • All levels welcome, limited props and mats provided. • $80 Saturday, March 12 IMPROV COMEDY CLASS • The Birdhouse • 10:30AM • A weekly improv comedy class. • FREE INDIGENOUS VIBES STUDIOS AFRICAN DRUM AND DANCE CLASS • Indigenous Vibes Studios • 1:30PM • $10 INDIGENOUS VIBES STUDIOS AFRICAN DRUM AND DANCE CLASS • Indigenous Vibes Studios • 2:30PM • $10 KNOX HERITAGE PRESERVATION NETWORK • Knox Heritage • 10AM • Preservation Network is a series of free
workshops held once every month on the second Saturday. The monthly workshops feature guest speakers who are specialists in windows, flooring, roofing, stained glass, tile, plumbing, electrical, and more. Other guest speakers have included those in real estate sales and appraisals, or city codes and zoning officials discussing historic overlays and building requirements.Knox Heritage preserves, restores and transforms historic places. For everyone. Forever. The nonprofit organization was founded in 1974 and now serves the entire 16-county Knoxville region. For more information visit www. knoxheritage.org. • FREE GOURD BIRDHOUSE CLASS • Ijams Nature Center • 1PM • Learn how to make a birdhouse out of a gourd! Call 865-577-4717 ext. 110 to register. • $20
MEETINGS
Thursday, March 3 SCRUFFY CITY ORCHESTRA • First Baptist Church • 7PM • A new venue for musicians from the greater Knoxville metropolitan area, Scruffy City Orchestra, kicks off with regular rehearsals on Thursdays. Conductors are Matt Wilkinson and Ace Edewards. Prospective members, especially string players, are encouraged to contact Alicia Meryweather at ScruffyCityOrchestra@gmail.com for more information. • FREE KNOXVILLE WRITERS’ GUILD • Central United Methodist Church • 7PM • The Knoxville Writers’ Guild will host local publishing marketer Caitlin Hamilton Summie at their March 3 program. A $2 donation is requested at the door. The building is handicapped accessible.Hamilton Summie is a book marketer and publicist who works with small and large house authors, as well as the self-published, to promote their works. She is the former marketing director of MacMurray & Beck, BlueHen Books/Penguin Putnam, and founded her own firm in 2003. In addition to marketing, she has also published both short stories and poems, and was an independent bookseller.For more information about Hamilton Summie, visit caitlinhamiltonmarketing.com. CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY BREAST CANCER NETWORKER • Thompson Cancer Survivor Center West • 6PM • This drop-in group is an opportunity for women who have or have had breast cancer to come together to exchange information, offer support, education and encouragement. Bring your favorite seasonal snack to share. Call 865-546-4661 for more info. CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT GROUP • Cancer Support Community • 6PM • CSC is committed to providing bereavement services to those who have lost a loved one to cancer. Please contact our clinical staff before attending. Call 865-546-4661 for more info. Saturday, March 5 AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 11AM • Al-Anon’s purpose is to help families and friends of alcoholics recover from the effects of living with the problem drinking of a relative or friend. Visit our local website at farragutalanon.org or email us at FindHope@ Farragutalanon.org. • FREE SEEKERS OF SILENCE • Church of the Savior United Church of Christ • 9AM • Seekers of Silence. The SOS meeting Saturday, March 5, will feature a video from Contemplative Outreach on the worldwide United in Prayer Day (March 19). A group discussion will follow the video. The meeting, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Church of the Savior, 934 N. Weisgarber Road, Knoxville, is free and open to the
Jude Carl Vincent as Jefferson; by Elizabeth Aaron
program at UT Law, contact Morgan at 865-974-2492 or rmorgan2@utk.edu. • FREE CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY NUTRITION AMMUNITION • Cancer Support Community • 12PM • Call (865) 546-4611. All Cancer Support Community programs are offered at no cost to individuals affected by cancer.
It’s 1948 in a small plantation community in the heart of Cajun country. A young man, jailed for a murder he did not commit, will soon lose his life and has lost his self-respect. A young teacher, with most of his life ahead of him, has lost respect for the situation in which he lives. Both men teach each other the lessons they need to face their very different futures with dignity and strength.
Directed by Andrea J. Dymond
March 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 37
CALENDAR public. All are welcome. Seekers of Silence is an ecumenical, inter-faith group seeking closer communion with God through Silence. Website: sosknoxville.org. • FREE Monday, March 7 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. Tuesday, March 8 ATHEISTS SOCIETY OF KNOXVILLE • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 5:30PM • Weekly atheists meetup and happy hour. Come join us for food, drink and great conversation. Everyone welcome. • FREE KNOXVILLE CIVIL WAR ROUNDTABLE • Bearden Banquet Hall • 7PM • David Bastian, author of more than 50 articles and technical papers and the recently published New Orleans Hurricanes from the Start, will lecture on his book , Grant’s Canal: The Union’s Attempt to Bypass Vicksburg. The lecture will begin at 8 PM ,Tuesday, March 8th, 2016, Bearden Banquet Hall, 5806 Kingston Pike. Lecture only cost $5, students free. Dinner at 7PM, $17 including lecture. RSVP BY NOON Monday March 7th, 865-671-9001. • $5-$17 Thursday, March 10 SCRUFFY CITY ORCHESTRA • First Baptist Church • 7PM • A new venue for musicians from the greater Knoxville metropolitan area, Scruffy City Orchestra, kicks off with
Thursday, March 3 - Sunday, March 13
regular rehearsals on Thursdays. Conductors are Matt Wilkinson and Ace Edewards. Prospective members, especially string players, are encouraged to contact Alicia Meryweather at ScruffyCityOrchestra@gmail.com for more information. • FREE SCIENCE CAFE • Ijams Nature Center • 5:30PM • We will be discussing the “COP21 Climate Summit in Paris” that concluded in December with the broad agreement by most of the world’s nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Our guest scientist is Melissa R. Allen, Post-Doctoral Research Associate in the Computational Science and Engineering Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY LEUKEMIA, LYMPHOMA, AND MYELOMA NETWORKER • Cancer Support Community • 6PM • This drop-in group is open for those with leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and myeloproliferative disorders and their support persons. Call 865-546-4661 for more info. Saturday, March 12 AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 11AM • Al-Anon’s purpose is to help families and friends of alcoholics recover from the effects of living with the problem drinking of a relative or friend. Visit our local website at farragutalanon.org or email us at FindHope@ Farragutalanon.org. • FREE CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY PROSTATE CANCER NETWORKER • Cancer Support Community • 10AM • This drop-in group is an opportunity for men to network with other men about their experiences with prostate cancer.
Call 865-546-4661 for more info. All Cancer Support Community programs are offered at no cost to individuals affected by cancer. Sunday, March 13 SKEPTIC BOOK CLUB • Books-A-Million • 2PM • The book club of the Rationalists of East Tennessee meets on the second Sunday of every month. Visit rationalists.org. • FREE
ETC.
Friday, March 4 THE 1400 FIRST FRIDAY SHOW • The 1400 • 6PM • Six artists will be showcasing their work at First Friday in various mediums in addition to The 1400’s artist in residence Ryan McCown. Persona La Ave, the solo project of Dylan Dawkins of The Royal bangs will be performing along with local musician Elliott White. Nathan Smith, a UTK cinema studies student, will be screening his film “Time Sculpture 01.” • FREE Saturday, March 5 NOURISH KNOXVILLE WINTER FARMERS’ MARKET • Central United Methodist Church • 10AM-2PM • The Winter Farmers’ Market, held in the Historic 4th and Gill neighborhood, will host farm & food vendors selling pasture-raised meats, eggs, winter produce, honey, baked goods, artisan foods, and more. Outside, food trucks will be serving up lunch from locally sourced ingredients. Visit nourishknoxville.org. • FREE
KNOXVILLE PHILATELIC SOCIETY STAMP SHOW • Holiday Inn West Cedar Bluff • 10AM • Knoxville Philatelic Society commemorates the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service and our local national parks - Smoky Mountains and Manhattan Project. Exhibits, door prizes, beginner activities. Free. • FREE Sunday, March 6 KNOXVILLE PHILATELIC SOCIETY STAMP SHOW • Holiday Inn West Cedar Bluff • 10AM • Knoxville Philatelic Society commemorates the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service and our local national parks - Smoky Mountains and Manhattan Project. Exhibits, door prizes, beginner activities. Free. • FREE Thursday, March 10 KNOXVILLE SQUARE DANCE • Laurel Theater • 8PM • Jubilee Community Arts presents Knoxville Square Dance with live old-time music by The Helgramites and calling by Stan Sharp, Ruth Simmons and Leo Collins. No experience or partner is necessary and the atmosphere is casual. (No taps, please.) • $7
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SUPPORTS INDEPENDENT LOCAL JOURNALISM! 38
KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 3, 2016
LUNCH & DINNER Mon-Fri 11am-9pm CATERING AVAILABLE 865-387-8275
706 Walnut St, Knoxville, TN yassin’s falafel house
Streaming 24.7.365 from our BRAND NEW web site!
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What is the name of the Main Stage? Send your answer to: contests@knoxmercury.com 5 winners chosen at random will be notified on Apr. 1st!
...supporting Knoxville’s Independent Voices Knoxtacular is an all day, all-live, all local varietyshow at the Bijou Theater to benefit Knoxville Mercury, WDVX and Knoxville History Project.
*Disclaimer: Winners will be chosen at random by the Knoxville Mercury from weekly submissions. Winners will be notified in advance. (1 pair of tickets per winner.) NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. Must be a legal U.S. resident, 18 years of age or older, and not be a sponsor or an employee, family member, or household member of a sponsor. Once notified, winner has 24 hours to respond. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. Sponsor: Knoxville Mercury, 706 Walnut Ave., Suite 404, Knoxville, TN 37902.
To celebrate, Frussies Deli & Bakery is donating 10% of our sales from Thursday 3/3 through Saturday 3/5. Frussies is on Gay St. across from the Bijou Theatre. Come in & enjoy a meal & help us support Knoxville's independent voices.
722 S Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902 • (865) 333-5359 March 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 39
FOOD
Home Palate
High Expectations
notice. But here, I was overwhelmed. A dish that included the most perfectly cooked filet of salmon that I’d yet encountered in Knoxville (or anywhere, really) became nearly inedible midway through. And what a shame that was. The salmon sat in a bowl, as many of the Oliver Royale’s entrees do, enthroned just above a majestic medley of fennel, tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms, and peas swimming in a potentially thrilling lemongrass broth that was too salty to enjoy. Mushrooms make regular and artful appearances throughout much of this menu. A mushroom salad was chock full of the most well-cooked mushrooms I’ve eaten in these many years, but they, too, were extremely salty. The Royale’s very well accomplished short rib also arrived over-seasoned—though, in this case, not ruinously. The long, slow cooking yields a perfect, melt-in-your-mouth moment of beefy concentration. The dish gets a spritz of truffle oil that gives aromatic pleasure and a lingering flavor, neither of which are overdone. Whipped potatoes and oyster mushrooms round out the dish with comfort, while crispy kale chips bring a delightful textural variation to the dish’s softness but didn’t make much of an impression as a flavor element. The heavy-handed approach to salt almost ruined even the one food that’s most amenable to sodium: fries. Still, these are tasty shoestring-style frites that, admittedly, I ate by unglamorous handfuls. They arrived in a pile alongside the muffaletta, which the Royale’s kitchen presses like a panini. But Knoxville’s stan-
The Oliver Royale almost fulfills its promise as a restaurant Knoxville needs
T
heoretically, I was in love with the Oliver Royale long before walking through its doors. Unmitigated praise flowed from the lips of so many well-traveled and well-fed friends and acquaintances that it seemed impossible for me not to adore the place. In addition, the handful of photographs posted online revealed food that is also a treat for the eyes. And the menu—a creative one that promises to change with the seasons— recalls a fashionable metropolitan spot of the sort that many of us ache to have in Knoxville. It certainly looks the part, even if I wasn’t entirely won over. Brooklyn’s hOmE Studios authored the design; they specialize in hospitality interiors and are well regarded internationally, with press clippings to prove it. To be sure, the Royale appeals to the eye with a handsome and angular bar, long black banquettes that almost circle the room, and white globular lighting that insinuates the feel of an Art Deco Metro station. It’s also a little cramped on a full night and sound waves seem to bounce around in that room; it’s awfully noisy and hard to converse once the crowds descend. And descend they do. Except for my late-afternoon visits, the Royale has been happily full—as is the wont of most new eateries in Knoxville. Generally, a reservation is in order for dinner service on a weekend night, though owing to the restaurant’s extended serving hours there’s plenty of time to slip in without having to face the cacophony of peak times. The lunch menu is served until 5 p.m. and it’s supplemented by additional brunch offerings on Saturday and Sunday. After 10 p.m. there’s a late-night menu of hearty snacks like bison tartar, a burger, and smoked trout crostini.
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 3, 2016
It is true that the food here is very good-looking and impresses the palate in unexpected ways, and the menu is an attractive read for people who love to eat. But I wouldn’t say that I’m in love with the Royale. I’m still awfully fond of it and expect to return again because I like many, many things that the place offers. I have a weakness for composed salads, and the Royale’s beet offering, literally worthy of a royal table, won my heart with a stunning presentation that radiates color. It’s equally delicious; the happy pairing of fleshy beets and creamy goat cheese is nicely accented by bright crisps of thinly sliced root vegetables and the light chew and lovely flavor of pickled mustard seeds. Beets, while not utterly old hat, have been done deliciously around town for years, but the lone parsnip on my plate was a novel addition and pure epiphany. The kitchen had managed to coax every nuance of sweet, earthy, slightly nutty perfection from this too often neglected root. And the restaurant’s duck confit starter may be the new dish to beat in town with its fine ensemble of very well executed elements, including an inspired presentation of soft grits combined with the hearty crunch of Marcona almonds. It’s a textural and flavorful coup de foudre that made for an unequaled marriage with the splendid confit of duck leg, a delectable and salty tidbit with perfectly crispy skin and silky, buttery-textured flesh. But there lies the rub. Confit by any objective standard is a salty dish, but the Royale managed to take this particular confit to an uncomfortable level of saltiness. And this flaw was constant in each one of my four visits. Of course, restaurant food is notoriously rich in sodium—often in ways that unsuspecting diners won’t
Photos by Dennis Perkins
BY DENNIS PERKINS
dards for quality sandwich making are pretty high, and this muffaletta— although perfectly okay—isn’t the best use of your sandwich money. The service here, like it is across much of Knoxville’s restaurant and catering landscape, is friendly, earnest, and somewhat unimpressive. The staff is really very nice, but what I thought were simple questions about the food sent them in search of answers—and to their credit they handled these moments gracefully. But with a menu that’s written in fashionable ambiguity (i.e., “Salmon: tomato, fennel, shiitakes, peas, lemongrass broth”), it’s hardly unreasonable to expect the staff to have ready answers. The fact of the matter is that the Oliver Royale promises to be an amazing experience—and it is, in many ways. Its inventive, bold, fresh food ideas are a welcome addition to our small but growing collection of excellent restaurants. But at this level of execution and expectation, details matter more. It’s high time that Knoxville had more restaurants like what the Oliver Royale might be. While I’m nearly always in favor of cheering for the home team as long as they’re trying, it could be that if we demand more from those who obviously can give more, perhaps we’d really get what we want instead of settling for something that’s pretty good. For Knoxville. ◆
OLIVER ROYALE 5 Market Square, 865-622-6434 oliverroyale.com Hours: Monday–Sunday: 11 a.m.–2 a.m.
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WWW.SAPPHIREKNOXVILLE.COM March 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 41
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 3, 2016
HOLLY DAY! A vibrant district along Central Street and Broadway.
Visit Downtown North
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 3, 2016
Did you get your copy ?
You can still pick up a print copy of our Top Knox Readers’ Poll at any Knox County Public Library branch, while supplies last! And you can always find out who are Knoxville’s favorites at: knoxmercury.com/ topknox2015
’BYE
Sacred & P rofane
Remembrance
Earning a spiritual understanding the hard way, at age 3
M
BY DONNA JOHNSON
y first memory is of walking with my mother through the gnarled apple trees in the field that led to the pond. Apples grew in profusion. Some lay on ground and made a crunching sound under our feet as we walked. Some were soft and mushy and stuck to our shoes in a soggy mess. Robins darted this way and that, then waddled with their fat, orange stomachs to peck at the apples. There was a wonderful smell of sunshine, apples, and springtime. I laughed out loud with wonderment and my mother bent down to kiss the top of my head. I was 3 years old, wearing rolled-up jeans and a red T-shirt that said “York Agricultural Institute” on it. My blonde hair was in pig-tails. And my black-and-white collie, Princess, ran up and down the fields with glee. My mother was wearing a wide blue skirt that swirled around her ankles and a crisp white shirt with a cameo at her chin. Her brown, curly hair fell just to her shoulders and was clasped to the side with a silver barrette. I thought she was the most beautiful person in the world, and she was all mine—at least until my brother, Terry, and sister, Beverly, got home from school at 3 o’clock. After having a few bites of apple, which my mother wiped off with her skirt, we’d meander down the hill to the pond for a picnic of fried chicken, potato salad, and a piece of rhubarb pie—all made by my mother’s hand that morning after she’d finished cooking biscuits and gravy for our breakfast. Her whole day was taken up by the needs of her family—cooking, washing dishes (by hand), then sewing, for she made most of our clothes. She never complained, for this was what she had chosen to do: be a housewife and mother. After we ate our lunch, I’d lay my head in her lap and she would stroke my hair and tell me about her own childhood. “We were very poor but I didn’t know it, for everybody else was poor,
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 3, 2016
too so we just thought poor was normal,” she’d say. “And we were very happy. We always had food on the table. Sometimes it was cold, but all of us kids would pile in the bed together and keep each other warm.” Sometimes she would talk about going to Oak Ridge to work. “It was all top secret,” she told me. “We were not allowed to know what we were working on, but it was a great time of independence for me, and the kinship I felt with the other girls was great. We stayed in barracks and at night could go to the canteen, where we could go and flirt with the boys who stayed in the other barracks.” When going through my mother’s papers after she died, I found out what she had worked on through a certificate that read, “I HELPED BUILD THE ATOM BOMB” in proud red and black gilt letters with a stamped signature of President Roosevelt on the bottom. As my mother stroked my hair, catfish leaped in the pond and insects flitted all around. It was a blissful time in my life. I was still young enough and untarnished by disappointment to experience life fearlessly and with an intensity that seemed to fade as the years advanced. My father was busy working three jobs so that we could have everything he never had. The oldest of nine, he was 4 years old when his father left their family and started a new one about half a mile down the road. His father often asked him if he wanted a ride when he saw my father walking down the road, but my father always refused. Later on, when I was in high school, I often rode the bus with one of my grandfather’s sons from his new family, but we never spoke of it. Small towns are full of secrets, things people pretend not to know about and rarely (if ever) speak of. At 3 o’clock, Beverly and Terry would get home and my older sister would sit down at the Hammond organ and begin practicing hymns, for she
played the organ at the First Baptist Church on Sunday nights. My mother sang in the choir and my father was a deacon. Almost our entire social life was based around the church—Sunday morning, Sunday night, Monday afternoon for Girls’ Auxiliary, and Wednesday nights for prayer meeting. That was before Baptist preachers got smart and stopped preaching almost exclusively about hell. “Do you know where you would go if you died tonight?” the preacher would scream relentlessly as I squirmed in my mother’s love. At 3 years old, I was terrorized. I knew exactly where I would go—to the eternal pit of everlasting flames forever and ever and ever. Even after I walked up the aisle at age 5 to “be saved,” the preacher would put doubts in my mind: “Are you sure you are saved? Are you sure?” Well, no I wasn’t sure. By the time I was 5, I was already asking myself but
BY IAN BLACKBURN AND JACK NEELY
never voicing out loud: If God was all powerful and all merciful, and if he created all things, why did he create such a place as hell in the first place? When I would ask preachers this over the years, they would just nod, saying pretty much the same thing: “Now that’s a hard one, isn’t it?” My life would have been infinitely less grievous had I not gone to church so often and been filled with the terrors of hell. But I wouldn’t change a thing about my childhood. From that experience comes the spiritual understanding I have today, for good or ill—and hell does not figure into it. I believe God gives us as many chances as we need to get it right, whatever “right” is. Everything we go through, we are meant to go through in order to learn the lessons we need to learn. At least that’s what I believe today. Tomorrow could be an entirely different story. ◆
Kaliscopes
March: Time to Get Busy Astrological Horoscopes That Reflect You BY KALI MEISTER
I
ntroducing our new monthly, Knoxville-centric astrology column! Kali Meister is a gifted psychic, medium, and empath who came into her “knowing” when she was 4 years old. She works specifically as a astrologist, tarot card reader, energy worker, automatic writer, palmist, clairvoyant, spiritual counselor, teacher, and author. Kali’s horoscopes are based on the characteristics of each individual zodiac sign determined by the placement of the planets and stars.
ARIES
For you, Aries, a solar eclipse often brings on a crisis of confidence. March is a time for you to focus on how you might be holding yourself back. Understand that this is a time of introspection and it is okay for you to be a little vulnerable, which is often difficult for Aries. You would rather over-compensate by shining your magnificent ego brighter than the reflection of the noonday sun off the Sunsphere then allow the world to see you be vulnerable. If you can just let go of what you think you know about, you might open yourself to a more profitable spring and summer.
TAURUS
Hey there, stick in the mud, guess who is about to be pushed out of their comfort zone? So far 2016 has allowed you the luxury of too much time in solitude and away from the flashy and bustling outside world. March has plans to get your rump off the couch and propel you right into the center of the attention of people who will help you achieve a dream you have had bubbling on a back burner for a long while. Breathe, smile, and hold on. It will be fun.
GEMINI
For some reason March will have your public image front and center. This is because you are about to have a change in your professional identity. The work you have been focused on since the beginning of 2016 will get the attention of those who will reward it with more opportunities for you to be seen by your community. Thanks to the solar eclipse you will have even more energy to ride out this professional transition.
CANCER
March will have you seeing the possible, Cancer. You are in a positive place of introspection and you feel like the spring will bring on a brand new you. Your only concern is if the people around you will be able to keep up with you. This being said, March is the time for you to seek out some friends who will nurture and supplement your positivity. You will need them as you go through the year because educating yourself through experience and travel is pulling at you.
LEO
So far you are feeling disillusioned with 2016. You had hoped for a year that has not been delivered yet, but luck doesn’t often drop on your doorstep with a red bow like a free-range Valentine’s box of Knoxville Chocolate Company chocolates—we all know chocolate is never free. You are a little impatient and frustrated with fate. Do not worry where fate is going to take you and instead focus your personal responsibility to the direction of your goals. Look around you for opportuni-
ties. The universe is giving you gifts but they may not seem obvious.
VIRGO
March is a time for you to look at the company you keep. There is much to learn from your relationships this month Virgo. Make sure the people you hang around are attracting the life you want, especially in regard to your emotional development. Virgos are already a touch discriminating and have a set of expectations they set for themselves that they require those around them to live up to, also. Virgo, maybe it’s time to look at those requirements and tweak them just a little in order to have the 2016 you are dreaming of.
LIBRA
Pure energy is what March holds for Libra, and the best outlet for you is to focus on your health. Exercise will be at the forefront of your spring this year. This being said, not only should you sign up for that yoga or Zumba class you have wanted to take, it is the perfect month to let go of any vices that have controlled you for too long. Quit smoking. Stop drinking. Give up sugar. This is the month for you to let go of anything that has a negative effect on your health.
SCORPIO
March has you feeling ambitious, but do not forget to make time for fun. Scorpio, you have a real knack for diving so deeply into an activity that you forget to stop and smell the roses. I implore you to take some time for you, especially in nature. If you can do this it will be especially beneficial for your romantic life. This month has the potential to revive an already existing love or add fire to the flame of a love someone has had secretly burning for you for sometime. If you don’t take time for you, you might just miss it.
SAGITTARIUS
You have been putting off some home repair and now is the time to jump on it and get it done. In fact, this is a month where domestic bliss is just in your
’BYE grasp. This is good because your family will demand your attention in March. Positive emotions from childhood may also be a factor of your actions for the next several weeks. Enjoy the nostalgia.
CAPRICORN
March may be as challenging for you as picking a restaurant on Market Square. Your normal even and steady mood may be opposed by the solar eclipse. This is because the old ways of doing things will just not work for you this month. It is this reason that you may be inclined to put something major off until the time “feels” right. Well, guess what, Capricorn? The time is right now. Simple things might become major hurdles if you don’t take care of them in a timely manner.
AQUARIUS
Mercury is leaving your sun sign at the beginning of March, which is pulling the focus away from communication and more into action. For you, Aquarius, the goal of this month is to listen and then act. You are by nature a sign that desires to be philanthropic, but you can sometimes be misguided in the direction of your generosity. If a person is currently hungry, a pair of shoes may not necessarily be the best gift for them in the moment. If you listen you will better make profound change. You can never go wrong by tipping a busker or supporting local art.
PISCES
The solar eclipse is going to bless you with extra energy this month and you are so ready for that boost. The winter months took a toll on you physically. You are the one sign that has been most inclined to have started 2016 with a bout of sickness. Now you are feeling more bubbly than a big ol’ fresh glass of Mountain Dew—you are focused and have the ability to achieve things you have put off for months. Seize the day, Pisces. For more information about Kali Meister or to schedule a personal reading contact her through her website at kalimeister.com. March 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 45
’BYE
Spir it of the Staircase
BY MATTHEW FOLTZ-GRAY
46
KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 3, 2016
www.thespiritofthestaircase.com
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BLUE VINTAGE NORTHFACE HIKING BACKPACK, aluminum external frame. Early 1980's or so, about 90 liters. Great condition for its age, but some wear. $100 OBO. 678-313-7077
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COMMUNITY
HANNAH - is an 11 yr old lab mix, looking for her retirement family to snuggle up with! Hannah is well behaved & friendly she’d be a welcome addition to any home. She is spayed, microchipped & UTD on shots. Visit Young -Williams Animal Center or call 865-215-6599 for more information.
BILLIE - is a gorgeous 7 yr old male domestic shorthair mix looking for his new family! He is neutered, microchipped & UTD on shots.Visit Young-Williams Animal Center or call 865-215-6599 for more information.
NEMO - is a fun loving 14 yr old hound/beagle mix looking for his forever home! This senior dude is neutered, microchipped & UTD on shots. He can’t wait to find a family to retire with! Visit Young -Williams Animal Center or call 865-215-6599 for more information.
MARLEY - is a snuggly female, 5 yrs old, looking for a family to love! She is spayed, microchipped & UTD on shots and ready to find a new home to explore. Visit Young -Williams Animal Center or call 865-215-6599 for more information.
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March Workshop s
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March 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 47
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