Vol. 2, Issue 13 - March 31, 2016 by Knoxville Mercury

ALSO INSIDE:

The Official Pullout Guide to Big Ears 2016

WE KNOW WHAT WE’RE DOING THIS WEEKEND

MARCH 31, 2016 KNOXMERCURY.COM

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H T H B L A CK IB RD

KPD Goes Undercover to Root Out Aggressive Panhandlers Downtown

JACK NEELY

Our Man in Havana: James Agee’s One Drink at Sloppy Joe’s

MUSIC

Big Asses’ 24-Band Marathon Offers a Free Local-Music Alternative

JOE SULLIVAN

Alcoa Highway’s Transformation Finally Gets Underway

YO L A T EN G

NEWS

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X RA

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SOUNDS IN SPACE

JO BIG EARS 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 31, 2016

March 31, 2016 Volume 02 / Issue 13 knoxmercury.com

CONTENTS

“ Music doesn’t lie.” —Jimi Hendrix

18 B ig Ears 2016: Sounds in Space

COVER STORY

What is Big Ears? The quick and easy description might be “avant-garde music festival,” but that barely encompasses the range of artistic interactions that arise when you gather so many inventive people in one setting. In fact, let’s avoid labeling it altogether and just hear what the artists themselves have to say about the things they do.

NEWS

14 Targeting Change

JOHN LUTHER ADAMS

Join Our League of Supporters! Who else is going to do all this stuff? Find out how you can help at knoxmercury.com/join. DEPARTMENTS

OPINION

A&E

4 Letters to the Editor 6 Howdy

8 Scruffy Citizen

44 Program Notes: There’s a free

Jack Neely tells of James Agee’s visit to Cuba—and his withering critique of American tourists.

Start Here: By the Numbers, Public Affairs, Quote Factory PLUS: “Ghosts in the Machine” by L. M. Horstman

10 Perspectives

Finish There: Sacred & Profane by Donna Johnson, Crooked Street Crossword by Ian Blackburn and Jack Neely, Spirit of the Staircase by Matthew Foltz-Gray

12 Guest Ed.

60 ’Bye

In what city officials have a called a “first of its kind” operation, Knoxville Police Department officers earlier this month started going undercover to target panhandlers they say are acting aggressively when asking people for money. But what constitutes “aggressive panhandling”—and are the laws against it constitutional? Clay Duda reports. CALENDAR

alternative to Big Ears: Big Asses.

46 Spotlights: Mike Baggetta

45 Movies: April Snellings piles on Superman v Batman.

Joe Sullivan looks forward to the completion of Alcoa Highway’s revamp—but reports on TDOT’s construction plans in the meantime. Catherine Landis thinks the legislative battle over Insure Tennessee has less to do with freedom than with lobbyists’ power. March 31, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 3

LETTERS Delivering Fine Journalism Since 2015

THE ISSUE IN REVIEW

Some comments on a good issue (March 24, 2016): Letters to the editor are sometimes dull, sometimes as stimulating a the big one here. {“Good News: Hate Is (Nearly) Nonexistent in Knoxville”] Ain’t no hate there, huh bro? Anything written with such love couldn’t have come from a state of hate. Leola Manning, Otis Redding, and the Eagles. Keep the memories alive. [“Unforgotten Shows,” the Scruffy Citizen by Jack Neely] George Dodds on architecture and obfuscation. [“Past-Forward (Part 2)”] Not so many esoteric verbalisms anymore, but I did have to look up “instauration.” Is that really a better choice than restoration or renewal? And does he carry words like this around in his head? At least they ain’t no hate there, not even for the 16th century architecture that doesn’t inspire in him the awe that it does in me. The buildings he prefers inspire in me a reaction of “What were they thinking?” I’m glad we can disagree without hatred. The Sanitary Laundry brings back memories. [“Flip or Flop,” cover story by Clay Duda] My dad managed Edelen Furniture, which was in the same block, and was the high-class furniture store of the ’50s and ’60s. Thank you for the stories about Joy King and the Raven coffeehouse,

whose name I had forgotten. [“Laughing Girl,” Inside the Vault by Eric Dawson] I went there about 1965 and had one of the half-dozen or so experiences I would go back and change if I could. My girlfriend’s younger sister asked to go. Being young and dumb, I didn’t respond well. Before we left, I was told that a friend of the sister almost joined us. I said, “You mean we almost had another one tagging along?” The replay would be: “Two is exactly right—one for each arm. All the other guys will be jealous.” Janice and Joanne—if you read this, I apologize. I’m still too embarrassed to pick up the phone and call. Jack Neely and Chris Wohlwend [“Reading Up,” Restless Native] have walked many of the same paths I have been down. I often feel a strong connection with them and the places they have been. And for the record, investigative journalism is essential for keeping an elected government accountable to the electorate, even though we might not like to read some of what they write. Thank you, Mercury, for being what you are. Larry Dearing Knoxville

GUNS DON’T BELONG ON CAMPUS

Picture the University of Tennessee—

students, football, exams, parties, research, professors. Now picture that same university heavily armed. There is a bill (SB 2376, HB 1736) in the Tennessee General Assembly right now that would allow employees, including faculty and staff, to carry loaded handguns on public college and university property. When I picture UT, I see my 4-year-old daughter playing and learning at the UT Early Learning Center, I see my husband in class in the Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries Department. I see my whole world. We all want to protect what we love, but research shows that guns in the hands of more people on campuses doesn’t make them safer. [A study of campus crime data by the Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus found that Utah and Colorado campus crime rates actually increased after campus carry laws were enacted.] Just ask police chiefs—[according to a survey by the Journal of American College Health], almost 90 percent of them nationwide oppose this kind of legislation. The NRA is lobbying heavily for this bill—we have to lobby as well. Please make your voice heard: Call your representatives and tell them how you feel. Kendra Straub Sevierville

A BLOG IS BORN: INTRODUCING THE DAILY DUMPSTER Okay, so the word “dumpster” does not usually have positive connotations. However, it is a term with a long history in the city of Knoxville. George Roby Dempster was a waste-management visionary, a local inventor who devised a new way to collect garbage: the Dempster Dumpster. You’ve seen his invention all your life even if you didn’t know it had an official name—those large, steel trash bins that trucks skewer with hydraulic lifts and then upend to empty their loads. He and his brothers introduced the innovative receptacle in 1935 and it quickly became a success. While 4

KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 31, 2016

Dempster’s namesake company no longer exists, his legacy remains. What does that have to do with a media blog about Knoxville? First, I just like the name’s resonance with local history—let us reclaim the Dumpster as a Knoxville icon and be proud of our trash heritage! Second, “Daily Dumpster” does encapsulate this blog’s general intent. With a staff of only two reporters, we are usually kept pretty busy reporting full-length stories for print and online. However, we do come across lots of interesting tidbits that may not warrant

reported stories, but merit pointing out. We’ll be tossing in a lot of random items, observations, a Weekend Guide to notable events, the News Hole list stories we find noteworthy, and Tim Burchett’s tweets. Stay tuned: knoxmercury.com/blog —Coury Turczyn, ed.

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

CONGRATS ON A HISTORIC SEASON

2016 NCAA Division II

NATIONAL RUNNER-UP

Most Wins • 1st NCAA Championship Appearance • Region Champs www.LMURailsplitters.com March 31, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 5

HOWDY QUOTE FACTORY

GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE BY L. M. HORSTMAN

What are we going to say now? Guns don’t kill children. Children kill children? Is that not the saddest commentary on our life today? —Rep. Bill Beck, D-Nashville, after a state House panel voted down a bill that would have made it a crime for adults to have unlocked, loaded guns accessible to children. It was named MaKayla’s law, after an 8-year-old Jefferson County girl who was killed by an 11-year-old boy with a shotgun. The NRA lobbied heavily against the legislation.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS

3/31 PECHAKUCHA

THURSDAY

7:15 p.m., Crafty Bastard Brewery (6 Emory Place.). Free. You know the score: Knoxville’s creative community makes presentations in 20 slides/20 seconds. This edition is especially noteworthy for its location: the new Crafty Bastard Brewery in the suddenly burgeoning Emory Place, right at the very end of North Gay Street. Plus: the Retro Taco food truck will be on hand. Info: knoxville.aiga.org.

4/1 FAIR HOUSING CONFERENCE FRIDAY

8 a.m.-3 p.m., the Foundry (747 Worlds Fair Park Dr.). $65. The Equality Coalition for Housing Opportunities is sponsoring this day of seminars devoted to “Building a Vision of Equality: One Day at a Time.” Presenters include the Tennessee Human Rights Commission, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Tennessee Fair Housing Council, and Pellissippi State Community College. Info and registration: echoknoxville.com.

4/2 VOLUNTEERING: PARK DAY

495+

Animals killed by airplanes coming and going from McGhee Tyson Airport since 1990. Most all of those were birds.

12 58

Airplane-animal collisions reported in 2015. There were 39 in 2014.

Killdeer birds killed by airplanes since 1990s. Of birds identifiable following a collision, killdeers fared the worst of all species in number of run-ins, followed by mourning doves with 33 deaths.

Red fox killed by aircraft.

9 a.m.-2 p.m., Mabry-Hazen House (1711 Dandridge Ave.). Free. Now in its 20th year, Park Day unites history buffs, community leaders, and preservationists in a call to service at historic sites nationwide. Mabry-Hazen House, which served as headquarters for both Union and Confederate forces, will be putting volunteers to work with leaf and brush removal, mulching, and general spring-cleaning. Info: mabryhazen.com.

4/4 EAST KNOXVILLE COMMUNITY MEETING WEDNESDAY

1 p.m., Burlington Branch of the Knox County Public Library. Free. The East Knoxville Community Meetings get some really interesting guest speakers. This month’s gathering features Patricia Robledo from the city’s Office of Business Support and Bruce Hayes of the Tennessee Small Business Development Center. Coming up: Dr, James McIntyre on May 2 and developer David Dewhirst on June 6.

Animal remains recovered and sent to the Smithsonian’s Feather Identification Lab for study, all of them birds. In all, some sort of remains—from feathers to carcasses—were recovered in about half of the reported collisions.

$29,000

Most expensive collision, in 2005, when a private jet collided with an “unknown bird - [size] medium” shortly after takeoff. It put the plane out of service for 336 hours. —Clay Duda

Source: Federal Aviation Administration Wildlife Strike Database. Visit knoxmercury.com/blog for a more detailed breakdown.

KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 31, 2016

Leroy Ridgel

SATURDAY

BY THE NUMBERS

Birds of Flight

C.E. Ridgel

From August 27-31, 1929 and March 29-April 7, 1930, two of the last great location recording sessions of the era took place in Knoxville at the St. James Hotel, producing some of the finest oldtime music on record. Introducing…

he four of them performed together less than four years and made four records until the Great Depression terminated their hopes. Fiddler Leroy Ridgel, his sons Charles Ancil and Carthel Earnest, who both played guitar and mandolin, and twelve-string guitarist Millard Whited, formed Ridgel’s Fountain Citians in 1926. They played countless socials and dances in the Knoxville area, mostly for a meal instead of cash. Ridgel’s Fountain Citians were playing on WNOX radio shows nearly every Saturday night when they heard about the Brunswick Record Company’s open call to Knoxville area

musicians. They auditioned a number of songs for the Brunswick talent scout, and eventually four sides were recorded at both the 1929 and 1930 sessions. But as talented and as popular as they were in the area, they disbanded after a combination of hard times and limited exposure to a wider audience took hold. Over eighty years later, we’ve found them again. To be continued…

Ridgel’s Fountain Citians St. James Sessions Recordings: Hallelujah To The Lamb (1929) • Be Ready (1929) • Free Little Bird (1929) • Little Bonnie (1929) • The Bald-Headed End Of The Broom (1930) • The Nick Nack Song (1930) • Baby Call Your Dog Off (1930) • Gettin’ Upstairs (1930)

Millard Whited C.A. Ridgel The music of these artists will be performed live at Knoxville Stomp May 5-8, brought to you by the Knoxville Public Library’s Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound.

What’s that Sound? The Big Ears Festival is full of surprises. So is Knoxville’s musical history. Here are just a few. In the 1880s, Knoxville held an annual springtime Music Festival, which was devoted to classical music and opera, most of it performed at Staub’s Opera House on Gay Street, and outdoors at Chilhowee Park. That might seem surprising enough, especially considering the fact that it drew some of the great international singers and musicians of the era. However, in 1883, a concert at Staub’s Opera House was subject of a prank by some older men with fiddles who, impatient with opera, staged a fiddling contest for the still-seated audience. It got some attention, and may have been the world’s first country-music concert. In 1929, the Anderson County family band known as the Tennessee Ramblers, who often performed in Knoxville, featured Willie Sievers, perhaps country music’s first female lead guitarist. She offered a bit of an extra surprise in that she had learned blues styles from Howard Armstrong and worked them into her playing. Female country-music guitarists soon became popular.

band, the Smoky Mountain Boys, he hired another Knoxville Dobroist, Pete Kirby, also known as Brother Oswald. In the early 1940s, another local teenage guitarist began creating a new sound unfamiliar to anyone who heard it. He had found a Django Reinhart record at WNOX studios, and began working new jazz styles into his technique. For the rest of his life, Chet Atkins played like no one else. The Everly family had lived in Iowa for years, where they were a family singing act, with traditional and gospel tunes. In 1953, they moved to Knoxville to perform on WROL. Here the two brothers, Phil and Don, attended West High and began performing together, without their parents, employing an unusually close harmony and using new R&B styles Roy Acuff’s Crazy Tennesseans, around 1938, featuring, at far they picked up at Dugout Doug’s record store on Cumberland Avenue, especially the guitar left, pioneer Dobroist Clell Summey. The others, from left to style of Bo Diddley. One of their first recordright, are guitarist Jess Easterday, guitarist and vocalist ings, “Bye Bye Love,” was one of the biggest Imogene “Tiny” Sarrett, fiddler Roy Acuff, and bassist Red hits of 1957. Many more followed. They became Jones. The band helped make country music a national major influences on several groups of the phenomenon, and at the same time popularized a new 1960s, including the Beach Boys, Simon and instrument called the Dobro. Garfunkel, and especially the Beatles. Paul McCartney recently remarked that he and From the John Edwards Memorial Foundation Collection (20001) in the Eugene Earle Collection #20376, Southern Folklife Collection, The John Lennon deliberately imitated the Everly Brothers in their early years. Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Around 1930, Knoxville teenager Clell Summey began playing around with an unusual instrument from the West Coast, a guitar with a steel resonator to make it sound much louder. The Dopyera Brothers of Los Angeles had invented the Dobro for the Hawaiian music market, but sales were disappointing. Summey liked liked the Dobro, though, and got to be good at it, often playing with guitarist Jess Easterday at Doc Stevens’ corner drugstore on Broadway at Edgewood.

Roy Acuff was a young fiddler who’d been part of a country trio called the Three Rolling Stones. He heard Easterday and Summey’s unusual, almost otherworldly sound, and offered to be their front man. As the Tennessee Crackerjacks, and later as the Crazy Tennesseans, they became popular in Knoxville, both for live performances and on radio stations WNOX and WROL. Acuff heard an offbeat gospel tune called “The Great Speckled Bird,” and they tried it with a prominent Dobro part. In 1936 recorded it for the American label in Chicago. A few months later, they were offered a guest spot on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, and Clell Summey played the Dobro for a national audience. It was the first time the instrument was ever heard on the Opry, and likely the first time hundreds of thousands of Americans had heard its unusual sound. Summey later quit and moved back to Knoxville. When Acuff formed his next

In the summer of 1954, about the same time the Everlys were discovering rock’n’roll at Dugout Doug’s, another record-store owner, Sam Morrison, whose shop was on Market Square, began promoting a disk called “That’s All Right, Mama,” by a previously unknown singer from Memphis. Because of the diverse traffic on Market Square, a scout from RCA believed Morrison’s store attracted a microcosm of America. The phenomenal sales of his first record at Morrison’s shop got the attention of RCA, and was a step toward Elvis’s international fame. It was also a testament to Knoxville consumers’ interest in unusual new music. Born in Georgia, Ida Cox was one of the great jazz and blues singers of the 1920s and ’30s. She had disappeared so completely that some assumed she had died. However, in 1960 music promoters discovered that she’d been living with her daughter in East Knoxville, singing only in the choir of the Patton Street Church of God. Lured back to New York to make one more recording, she made a full album called Blues for Rampart Street, with the famous Coleman Hawkins Quintet. It has become a classic.

Source: The Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection, Lawson McGhee Library

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 31, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 7

SCRUFFY CITIZEN

Our Man in Havana James Agee’s one drink at Sloppy Joe’s BY JACK NEELY

verybody’s going to Havana these days. Obama, the Rolling Stones, half of my chums in Knoxville. I’ve always wanted to see Havana, myself. Cuba doesn’t intersect with Knoxville history very much. The word “Cuba” is on the Spanish-American War statue on Main Street, indicating that local soldiers ended up on the big island in 1898. By one theory, it was that war that popularized the exotic Spanish instrument known as the guitar. I don’t know whether it’s true, but you do see guitars mentioned in Knoxville newspapers more often after that war than before. White Lily Flour became international when J. Allen Smith’s big mill began shipping to Cuba in the 1920s. It’s fun to think of the barrels of the Central Street’s most delicate product ending up in the pastelitos and churros and medianoches of Havana. I’m impressed with the easing relationships, how many Americans are convinced they need to see Havana now, urgently, because they’re certain Americans are going to ruin it. If you’re like me and can’t afford a Havana trip any time soon, read an essay James Agee wrote for Fortune magazine in 1937. It’s included in Paul Ashdown’s 1985 collection, James Agee: Selected Journalism. It’s called “Havana Cruise,” and it’s a classic. He was just a working journalist when he went there on assignment with his friend, photographer Walker Evans. It was a year after the two of them made a very different summer

KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 31, 2016

trip to Alabama to live among tenant farmers for a month to create a picture that became immortal as a unique work of nonfiction called Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. Those who know Agee mainly for the warm empathy of that book and also his autobiographical novel, A Death in the Family, and “Knoxville: Summer 1915,” may not know James Agee could also be, given sufficient provocation, a smartass. James Agee was 27 years old in the summer of 1937 and he could be a sarcastic fellow, especially when cooped up on the same ship with more than 100 frantic, silly tourists. Mercilessly, he described middle-class Americans on a middle-class cruise aboard a ship called the Oriente, as they tried to impress each other with little to work with. Things continued along the same theme when they arrived at their destination, sunny Havana. Politics were different then. Agee, the Tennessee Episcopalian, was pretty far to the left of the government of Cuba which, in 1937, was in the early years of the thrall of military dictator Fulgencio Batista. It was 20 years before anyone had heard of Castro. For that matter, it was before anyone had even heard of Desi Arnaz. Maybe Havana was a destination more exotic than some, but a fairly common vacation for the affluent American. Cuba was in some regards freer than the United States. Gambling was legal, and so were all manner of alcoholic drinks. During

Prohibition, Americans went to Havana to get really drunk. They kept the habit even after rum became legal here. The Oriente dumped its load of American tourists in Havana, where they boarded automobiles for a guided tour of the highlights of Havana. One particular corner bar in Havana made a fortune catering to Americans’ fantasies of Havana, and became a legend, at least to Americans. Opened by a Cuban named Jose—his last name was either Garcia, Abeal, Otero, or some combination of the three—it became known as Sloppy Joe’s. (It’s not to be confused with another bar of the same name in Key West, advertised on T-shirts with the big bearded face of former patron Hemingway.) “At Sloppy Joe’s, the Grant’s Tomb of bars, at which no self-respecting Cuban would be caught dead, the tourists themselves seemed a little embarrassed,” Agee wrote. “They huddled rather silent in the bar, and few of them ordered more than one drink.” Agee, a connoisseur of bars in New York, was not much impressed with Sloppy Joe’s. “Night life in one of the whoriest cities in the Western Hemisphere was represented by the San Souci, meaning carefree, and the Casino, meaning casino. Lowing gently, the tourists stepped out of their vans. The marble floors were absolutely beautiful. The trees were just exquisite. The music was every bit as smooth as Wayne King,” the mainstream-radio bandleader, “and even the native Cubans that went there seemed an awfully, nice, refined class of people.” After four hours of sleep, a “heroic majority” of the tourists “spent

the morning buying cigars, perfumes, rum, and souvenirs. Later they hung at the rail and talked of Havana,” Agee wrote. “Of those who liked Havana, the elder spoke of it as quaint, the more youthful as cute. Most of the passengers disliked Havana and were happy to be leaving it.” For a travel article that appeared in one issue of Fortune, “Havana Cruise” has enjoyed unusual attention from scholars for decades. French author Genevieve Moreau remarked that “Agee raises his piece to the level of profound social criticism,” a commentary on “the essential emptiness of middle-class life.” Poet and critic Robert Fitzgerald called “Havana Cruise” a “masterpiece of ferocity.” Of course, it’s not mainly about Havana, but about people with a little money and no clear idea of what to do with it. Despite Agee’s dismissal of Sloppy Joe’s, there’s one thing to envy. Havana, which has since endured a brutal dictatorship, a violent revolution, years of Soviet domination, and another brutal dictatorship, still has a bar called Sloppy Joe’s. It was closed for some years, when American tourists were scarce, but reopened three years ago, in the same famous corner location, with its famous 59-foot-long bar and array of rum. And Sloppy Joe’s isn’t even one of the oldest bars in Havana. The Floridita is almost two centuries old. Knoxville, James Agee’s hometown, which has selected Republican representation in Congress every two years for a century and a half, is a seemingly more stable place than Havana. But Knoxville has no single restaurant, bar, cafe, or snack shop that James Agee would recognize from his lifetime. ◆

“Of those who liked Havana, the elder spoke of it as quaint, the more youthful as cute. Most of the passengers disliked Havana and were happy to be leaving it.” —JAMES AGEE

DELIVERS

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1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom units available Class A apartments Brand new construction Amenities to include over-size pool, bike- and pet- iendly community, patios / porches, grill area, river ont access, directly on the Rail Trail.

LEASING OFFICE OPENS APRIL 29, 2016

865-225-9838 | M-Fri. 9am-5pm | Sat. 10am-12pm 1701 Island Home Avenue Knoxville, TN 37920 Virtual Tours and more information at riversedgeknox.com

March 31, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 9

PERSPECTIVES

Construction Zone Alcoa Highway’s transformation is finally getting started BY JOE SULLIVAN

ery soon now, “Road Work Ahead” signs will start appearing on Alcoa Highway. They will probably be there for at least a decade as work proceeds in four stages extending from the Buck Karnes Bridge over the Tennessee River to McGhee Tyson Airport. All in, projected costs approaching $300 million make this the most expensive highway construction project ever in the Knoxville area. Alcoa Highway will be transformed into a six-lane expressway with limited access—entrance and exit ramps and flyovers will eliminate left turns onto the roadway. The first stage, which is getting underway this spring, covers the 1.67-mile stretch between Woodson Drive and Maloney Road. Just in that short span, three new bridges will go up over the highway and more than 5 miles of ramps and frontage roads will get built, with massive amounts of excavation and landfill needed to support the widening of the existing four-lane roadway. What’s most remarkable to me is that TDOT claims all of this can be accomplished while keeping two lanes open in both directions at all times and without ever restricting access from residential side streets and commercial strips. For all its safety issues, Alcoa

KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 31, 2016

Highway has been a great vehicle mover with a 47,000 daily traffic count that’s the highest of any non-interstate highway in Knoxville. But as a rock slide that closed one lane for weeks in 2013 evidenced, a reduction in its capacity spells gridlock. So how is that to be avoided when the highway becomes a huge construction zone? TDOT’s regional coordinator, Kristin Qualls, patiently talks me through the staging of the project as we peer at a 15-foot-long rendering of what the vicinity will look like upon its completion. One of the first stages, and most challenging, is construction of the three bridges over Alcoa Highway that will enable both north- and southbound traffic to traverse it without making a left turn. (Left turns across traffic are the most perilous part of driving on Alcoa now.) One of the bridges will be at Maloney Road on the south end, one at Montlake Drive near the north end, and one in between. Since I happen to live on Maloney, but mostly access Alcoa on Montlake, I can relate to this better than I may able to convey it. The hardest part of getting the bridges built without impeding traffic is erecting the steel and concrete piers in the median of the roadway to support the bridge deck that will be mounted on abutments on either side.

It may take as long as six months to build the pylons, and while workmen are doing so, their protection requires cordoning off the center lanes with barrier rails. Thus, widening the highway in the vicinity of the bridges is a prerequisite in order to preserve two lanes in each direction. And a prerequisite to that widening is clearing the area, which has dense foliage in places, and leveling the terrain in places that are steeply sloped. So that’s where it all starts. Once the abutments and pylons are in place, the bridge decks will be installed by stretching beams across them with steel rebars holding the poured concrete in place. It’s hard to imagine how all of this can be going on overhead while Alcoa Highway traffic continues to move unabated, but Qualls insists it can. Completion of the bridges is only one of several prerequisites to proceeding with the rest of the widening of the roadway between Woodson and Maloney. Before that can happen, ramps to and from the bridges will have to be erected, and all present means of accessing the highway will have to be replaced. In addition to the ramps, several miles of new frontage roads will provide a glidepath for convergence with the highway from both the bridge ramps and existing side street entrance and exit points. In my own case, accessing Alcoa from Montlake to its west will mean either taking the bridge across to a northbound connector road, or taking a mile-long frontage road that feeds

into southbound Alcoa. And carving the path of this frontage road through steeply sloped terrain on the west side of the highway represents an engineering feat in its own right. A mammoth 53-foot-high retainer wall will be drilled into the hillside above it and an elaborate network of pipes will be installed for drainage along the bed of an existing creek. Only after all new connections are in place can existing side-street access/egress points be closed in order for most of the highway widening to begin. Once again, barrier rails will be placed on the edge of the existing roadway to shield construction on either side. Three years and $67 million down the road, Knoxville should have its closest thing to an Interstate highway that isn’t one. By then, work is due to have commenced on the second phase of the Alcoa project, covering the stretch from Maloney Road south to the Little River. Now that Congress has broken a logjam in federal highway funding with the enactment of a five-year, $300-billion measure, prospects have brightened for the continuation of projects like Alcoa, which are 80 percent federally funded. As much as I have long recognized the need to redress the hazards and hassles of driving Alcoa Highway, I’ve also been concerned that having to drive through a construction zone could make matters worse for several years. So I’m guardedly encouraged by TDOT’s assurances that all the roadwork can get done without disrupting traffic. ◆

Three years and $67 million down the road, Knoxville should have its closest thing to an Interstate highway that isn’t one.

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March 31, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 11

GUEST ED.

Health Scare We the people are “free” from Insure Tennessee— and good governance BY CATHERINE LANDIS

nce, while serving on the board of my neighborhood pool club, I listened as fellow members discussed facility improvements that absolutely needed to be done and the subsequent dues increase that would be required. The plan was reasonable, responsible, even inevitable, and everyone agreed. The challenge was convincing a reluctant membership that the maintenance of the club, a common good, was worth the sacrifice of higher dues. I suspect I was the only one in the room dumbfounded. Dumbfounded because among my fellow board members were outspoken opponents of our wicked government, patriots ever ready to raise the sword of freedom to slash spending and fight any tax increase. Yet, when faced with the responsibility to govern, to be good stewards of our club, they sounded like seasoned “tax and spend liberals.” The experience got me thinking about ways we organize as human beings in society, from roaming around in self-sufficient tribes to subjecting ourselves to autocratic tyrants: a spectrum from relative freedom to its distinct opposite. The middle ground is some version of a representative government like the one we have. We the people. My neighborhood club board—only with 350 million people to govern. For nearly two years, a whole lot of we the people have been urging our

KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 31, 2016

state Legislature to pass Insure Tennessee to extend health insurance to uninsured Tennesseans and to support our hospitals. We have been stymied by opponents who warn it will take away our freedom. Our freedom, they say. It’s an argument I might take more seriously if they would rustle up a few people from somewhere like North Korea to commiserate with them over how un-free they feel having to buy health insurance and car insurance and nobody locks them up for complaining about it. Freedom is just another word for an awful lot of other things, but one matter is certain: You are not “free” if you don’t have access to health care. Modern health care is accessed in a limited number of ways. It can work as a commodity, like a television: if you can afford it, you can have it. (Proponents of this option insist that the poor can just go to the ER, which is like sending hungry people to Kroger for free food.) It can be consolidated into a system of universal, government-provided health care. Or it can operate as a kind of hybrid between government funding and private insurance, which is what we have. Insure Tennessee is part of this hybrid and, like Obamacare from which it sprang, it is not perfect—but it does not take away anybody’s freedom. Insure Tennessee is a reason-

able, rational way to extend health coverage to some 280,000 uninsured Tennesseans who do not qualify for subsidies. It’s what the people want—64 percent of registered voters, according to the latest Vanderbilt poll—and it’s backed by the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and our hospitals, who need it to continue taking care of all the patients who show up at their doors. But evidently we’re not going to get it, and the reason given by Lieutenant Gov. Ron Ramsey is: It’s an election year. He won’t say it, but voting on legislation in an election year is bad because legislators don’t like having anything dicey on their records when they run for re-election—and Insure Tennessee happens to be dicey because Republicans like Ramsey keep screaming that it will take away your freedom. It’s a circular trap they’ve built for themselves: You can’t scream the sky is falling then turn around and say but it’s not so bad. Ramsey will say that voting this year is imprudent because, who knows, a Republican might be the next president and Obamacare will be repealed and then. And then. Who knows what the Republicans might do, but so far their alternatives would do nothing to help those 280,000 people who need Insure Tennessee or those currently getting subsidies. I suspect Ramsey’s election-year argument is just one more excuse to hide the real reason we won’t get Insure Tennessee: The most powerful voice in Nashville is not we the people. It’s not even the Republican Party. It’s Americans for Prosperity, the advocacy group founded by Charles and David Koch. I say this because I’ve heard more than one

legislator complain about being been bullied by these folks, using the threat of a more conciliatory primary challenger. Do it our way, or else. And why does Americans for Prosperity oppose Insure Tennessee? Because it can. Earlier in March, a House sub-committee sent the issue to “summer study” where good ideas tend to die. House Democrats have filed a hail-Mary bill that would require the state to accept the federal funds allocated by the Affordable Care Act and activists have launched a billboard campaign to pressure House Speaker Beth Harwell to bring the bill to a vote, but I’m not holding my breath. Many of us are disappointed, but for those who need it the failure means another year without easy access to health care. That’s both scary and no way run a state. A lot of people have gathered in rooms like my neighborhood pool club to discuss the health care access problem, and they have concluded that Insure Tennessee is the best solution. Not perfect, just best. But this fight has nothing to do with people sitting in a room, coming up with reasonable solutions, striving to be good stewards of lives and resources. This fight is not even about health care. It’s about power. It’s about ideology trumping governance. How free does that make you feel? ◆ 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.

Insure Tennessee is a reasonable, rational way to extend health coverage to some 280,000 uninsured Tennesseans who do not qualify for subsidies. It is not perfect—but it does not take away anybody’s freedom.

Mercury Tosca full page color.pdf 1 3/29/2016 4:44:26 PM

CMY

March 31, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 13

Photo: thinkstock.com

Targeting Change KPD goes undercover to root out aggressive panhandlers— but are Knoxville’s laws constitutional? BY CLAY DUDA

n recent weeks people pushing and prodding for spare change on the streets of downtown have come up against a bigger roadblock than disdainful pedestrians and disgruntled business owners. In what city officials have a called a “first of its kind” operation, Knoxville Police Department officers earlier this month started going undercover to target panhandlers they say are acting aggressively when asking people for money. Since March 11, KPD has undertaken three of these “sting” operations in different parts of downtown and the Old City. So far officers have issued 12 citations and made three arrests for “aggressive panhandling,” a broad and often subjective term that encompasses some genuinely-unfriendly actions, like “recklessly making physical

KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 31, 2016

contact” with a person, but also covers more benign behaviors such as asking the same person for money a second time within 20 feet, according to the city’s ordinance. There is also a separate 13-part ordinance dictating when and where general panhandling is permitted. “Aggressive panhandling is basically when folks feel threatened by that behavior, and that are kind of subjective, but any behavior that makes you feel uneasy fits the rule,” says Rick Emmett, downtown coordinator for the city of Knoxville. “Almost every resident downtown and businesses as well have a story about aggressive panhandling [and how it has affected them]. Every meeting I go to for downtown associations—and there are four or five of them a month—this is a topic at every single one of them.”

Anecdotal stories from Knoxvillians being hit up for money on sidewalks downtown are in no short supply, at least if a recent flurry of online comments to news articles and blog posts are any indication. But opinions on what is or isn’t “aggressive” vary widely, and for every tale of an unsavory run-in there seems to be another downtown-frequenter that attests to never having an issue. Many say they have been approached by a panhandler at some point, but whether or not those interactions are aggressive or particularly bothersome is open to interpretation. To put it simply, people are divided on the issue. Downtown District Association President Kelly Absher gets approached for money on a regular basis, he says, but he has never felt threatened in the five years he’s lived downtown. His friend Rhonda Moody, on the other hand, says some of the same actions that don’t rattle Absher leave her a little shaken. “I think most the time when I feel threatened it’s because people come up and knock on my [car] window. It does feel threatening when they’re right there in your face,” she says. “Usually they’re not being aggressive, but it can be scary being a woman.” Longtime business owner Robin Easter says she’s seen panhandling ebb and flow over the past 26 years, since she opened a storefront for Robin Easter Design on Jackson Avenue in the Old City, but says she has never had an encounter she would consider aggressive or threatening. “There will be periods of time when you get people who are a little more aggressive, and then they’ll move on. Then there are some homeless people here who are perfectly nice people and don’t panhandle,” she says. “I think the bigger thing, bigger than arresting people, is educating the public on how to interact with panhandlers. People need to understand that handouts are perpetuating things and aren’t going to help a person in the long run.” Eddie Young sees things a little differently. He’s quick to note that his organization, the East Tennessee Peace and Justice Center, doesn’t condone aggressive panhandling, but he claims the city’s ordinances against panhandlers are so broad that they amount to discrimination and infringe on First Amendment rights to freedom of speech—an assertion a

number of state and federal court rulings seem to support, though none of those judgments have been handed down in Tennessee. “We do defend the right to solicit in a passive way, and that’s really what the city is targeting here. They’ve essentially banned that action because of a few aggressive panhandlers out there,” he says. “But I think it’s like driving to work in the morning: Just because there are a few aggressive drivers, you don’t ban driving.” ETPJC publishes the Amplifier, a free monthly newspaper sold by mostly homeless men and women for donations. It pays $25 annually for a solicitation permit from the city. Each citation for aggressive panhandling carries a $50 fine and the possibility of court costs, says city spokesman Eric Vreeland. Emmett, Knoxville’s downtown coordinator, says it’s pretty much the only tool the city has to combat aggressive panhandlers. He says the recent efforts by KPD will not continue long-term, but were brought about by a recent influx of new, more aggressive panhandlers showing up downtown that have triggered complaints. A number of residents, business owners, and city officials are quick to draw a distinction between people who are homeless and people who panhandle. While some panhandlers may indeed be homeless, not all of them are. Of the three people arrested for aggressive panhandling recently, two listed their address as the Knox Area Rescue Mission, an indication they may be homeless. The third told police she lived in a mostly boarded-up house in the Marble City neighborhood of West Knoxville. It costs an average of $73.45 a day to house an inmate in the Knox County Jail, Sheriff’s spokeswoman Martha Dooley says. At our press time on Tuesday, two of those arrested for aggressive panhandling remained behind bars and one was released over the weekend. Thus far it has cost at least $1,033.30 to house the three, a number that includes “three hots and a cot” (meaning three meals a day and a bed, plus any medical treatment and “all that kind of stuff”), according to Dooley. The Tennessee Legislature last year adopted a statewide panhandling law which makes aggressive panhandling a misdemeanor. That has Continued on page 16.

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March 31, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 15

“I think the bigger thing, bigger than arresting people, is educating the public on how to interact with panhandlers. People need to understand that handouts are perpetuating things and aren’t going to help a person in the long run.” — ROBIN EASTER, Robin Easter Design

KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 31, 2016

mirrored national trends as more municipalities adopt anti-panhandling rules. Between 2011 and 2014 the number of U.S. cities with outright bans on panhandling increased by 25 percent, while the number of cities with some sort of panhandling restrictions rose about 20 percent, according to a report from the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. In all, about 24 percent of cities ban begging all together, while 76 percent have prohibitions on begging in certain places, the same report says. Knoxville has had similar laws on the books since October 2006, when the City Council voted unanimously to put in place an ordinance restricting panhandling in general and another singling out aggressive panhandlers. It does not ban panhandling all together. Those provisions were last updated in November 2014 when Council members voted unanimously to prohibit panhandling within 20 feet of any entrance or exit. That’s in addition to bans already in place on panhandling within 20 feet of intersections, bus stops, pay phones, ATMs, restaurant patios, parking lot pay boxes, and public restrooms. Young says that left a total of about five locations downtown where someone could legally ask for money. In recent years no fewer than a dozen cities and three states have faced lawsuits over restrictive panhandling ordinances or outright bans. While each of those situations are different, judges have overwhelmingly sided with panhandlers, and some ordinances struck down in court are similar to parts of Knoxville’s current

regulations. In a number of cases, city governments (and by way taxpayers) were forced to cover legal costs ranging up to $1 million. The city of Worcester, Mass. had its ordinance targeting aggressive panhandlers cut down by a federal judge in 2013. It included a provision barring panhandling after dark. Knoxville has in place a similar restriction. The American Civil Liberties Union is currently seeking to recover $1 million in legal expenses in that case. A California state judge in 2010 ruled against a city of Arcata ordinance that banned begging within 20 feet of a business entrance or exit. Fort Collins, Colo. settled a case brought by the ACLU in 2015 after agreeing to drop a section that ticketed people panhandling near an ATM, though it kept in place rules specifically targeting aggressive panhandlers. Knoxville also bars panhandling within 20 feet of business entrances and ATMs. Other municipalities that have had courts rule against their local panhandling ordinances or have agreed to settle amid a legal challenge include Sacramento; Grand Junction, Colo.; Lowell, Mass.; Portland, Maine; Hawaii County, Hawaii; Springfield, Ill.; Springfield, Mo.; Salt Lake City; Draper, Utah; and Bolivar, Mo. The majority of those challenges were brought on by state chapters of the ACLU. A spokesperson with ACLU TN declined to comment for this story. Young says he believes Knoxville’s panhandling laws are unconstitutional. He is currently looking for a pro bono attorney to help fi le a lawsuit against the city of Knoxville. ◆

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March 31, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 17

BIG EARS 2016

SOUNDS IN SPACE What is Big Ears? The quick and easy description might be “avant-garde music festival,” but that barely encompasses the range of artistic interactions that arise when you gather so many inventive people in one setting. In fact, let’s avoid labeling it altogether and just hear what the artists themselves have to say about the things they do. For the full lineup and schedule, see the official Big Ears 2016 Guide in this issue, or go to: bigearsfestival.com. Our team of new-music fans will be covering Big Ears all weekend! Keep up with us on the following platforms: Blog posts and photo galleries at knoxmercury.com Photos at instagram.com/knoxmercury Recaps at facebook.com/knoxmercury And on Twitter! Follow @knoxmercury

KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 31, 2016

BIG EARS’ COMPOSER IN RESIDENCE

Hu r

John Luther Adams Ph

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EARTH MUSIC

BY ALAN SHERROD

“L

ife on this earth fi rst emerged from the sea. As the polar ice melts and sea level rises, we humans fi nd ourselves facing the prospect that once again we may quite literally become ocean.” That, in two sentences, is the entire program note offered by composer John Luther Adams for Become Ocean, the orchestral work that won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Music. In our interview, Adams expanded: “I’m deeply concerned about the state of the earth and the future of the human species. But I also believe in the intrinsic value and inherent power of art as art. If my music doesn’t stand on its own, if it doesn’t move the listener as music, then all the poetic titles and extra-musical associations in the world mean nothing.” In the following interview, conducted by email, Adams, the composer in residence for Big Ears 2016, discusses his recent work, his relationship to Alaska, and his expectations for the festival.

The Seattle Symphony’s recording of Become Ocean won the 2015 Grammy for Best Contemporary Classical Composition. As background, could you give listeners a few details on how the commission for Become Ocean came about? I think it was 2010 when the Seattle Symphony approached me about composing a new work. A couple of years earlier I’d composed Dark Waves, a 12-minute piece for orches-

tra and electronic sounds. From the moment I fi rst heard that piece, I knew that I wanted to explore that sound world on a much larger scale. My friends at the Seattle Symphony were asking for a large-scale work. So when we sat down together for the first time, I suggested two possibilities: a new indoor work modeled after my big outdoor percussion piece Inuksuit, or something that I described as “Dark Waves on steroids.” The conductor Ludovic Morlot was intrigued by both options. To my surprise, he opted for the latter. This wasn’t the obvious choice. But it turned out to be the right one. The piece premiered on the summer solstice 2014.

You’ve written at length about your decision to leave Alaska after living and working there for four decades. In your New Yorker article, you wrote, “the vision we’d shared of an ecological utopia in Alaska had faded. … Even sadder to witness was the accelerating reality of climate change in Alaska.” When the commission for Become Ocean presented itself, did your unhappiness at seeing a years-old ideal slipping away direct you toward the plan for the piece? I was drawn to Alaska by the land itself and by my own desire, in life and in my art, for certain qualities that place represents. Living there for much of my creative life, I came to measure my own work and everything we human animals create against the overwhelming presence of the place. I know that my music would not be the same had I not made my home there.

The influence of Alaska on my creative life is immeasurable. But as global climate change continued to accelerate, my personal vision of Alaska as a place apart was challenged in an inescapable way, and I felt a growing imperative to expand my music to embrace a broader vision of the world.

or who says what about it. The only thing this listener cares about is how the music sounds, and whether or not it moves them. It sounds to me like this is exactly the kind of listener that Big Ears attracts.

A baffling comment I overheard when the 2016 festival was announced was that you were a “traditional” choice, probably because Become Ocean is written for orchestra and had been recognized by “the establishment.” Is there an irony there?

I’d like to extend a special invitation to anyone who may think my music is “traditional” to hear Steve Schick perform The Mathematics of Resonant Bodies for solo percussion and electronic sounds, and also to spend some time inside of Veils and Vesper, the sound installation in the old church.

For most of my creative life my music has been considered “avant-garde” or “experimental.” Over the last couple of years, it’s begun to receive more recognition. But the fundamental nature of the music hasn’t changed. So it makes me chuckle to hear that someone might call it “traditional”. If you’ve heard just an excerpt from Become Ocean, you might misunderstand the beautiful surface of the piece. But if you’ve experienced the full 42 minutes of riding the waves in that sonic sea, I think you will understand that this is defi nitely not a conventional orchestra piece.

To say the Big Ears audiences are eclectic is an understatement. Does this potential audience alter your own presentation or assumptions you might make about listeners? My ideal listener is someone who doesn’t care what the music is called,

Would you care to comment on any of the other festival events that you will be participating in?

As composer in residence for Big Ears 2016, John Luther Adams’ presence will be felt throughout the festival. Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of guest conductor Steven Schick, will perform Become Ocean at the Tennessee Theatre (604 S. Gay St.) on Thursday, March 31, at 7 p.m. (The program also includes Bryce Dessner’s Lachrimae and Philip Glass’ Cello Concerto No. 2, “Naqoyqatsi,” with guest soloist Maya Beiser on cello. On Friday, April 1, at 10 p.m. at the Sanctuary (211 W. Fifth Ave.), the Chicago string ensemble eighth blackbird (see page 22) will perform Adams’ Red Arc/Blue Veil, along with Glass’ Music in Similar Motion and Richard Reed Parry’s Music for Heart and Breath. And the Knoxville new music group nief-norf (see page 22) will perform music by Adams and other composers at the Square Room (4 Market Square) on Thursday at 10:30 p.m. and Friday at 12:30 p.m. nief-norf will also appear at the festival finale, a performance of Adams’ large-scale piece Inuksuit, at Ijams Nature Center on Sunday, April 3, at noon. Visit johnlutheradams.net. March 31, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 19

Tony Conrad and Faust THE LAST CHANCE TO HEAR A MESMERIZING MASTERPIECE OF MINIMALISM

Bombino

T Ph

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UNIVERSAL, UPLIFTING, AND PERPETUALLY FESTIVE

mara “Bombino” Moctar belongs to the Ifoghas tribe of Tuareg nomads. Descendants of the Berbers, the Tuareg travel and live among a group of encampments in the Sahara, situated along ancient yet still-busy trade routes. Bombino is unfairly handsome and entitled to a wardrobe that—absent the harsh conditions that inspired its design over millennia—seems, if not regal, then perpetually festive. A self-taught master of the electric guitar, Bombino’s success and global notice were surely inevitable. But it was a Spanish documentary film crew who “discovered” him and recorded the songs that became his first album, some dozen years ago. “No, my life before did not prepare me for being a touring artist,” Bombino types from the road. He speaks no English, and a bandmate facilitates exchanges such as this one by translating to French for Bombino and back to English for us. “I was nomadic for many years, going between Niger, Algeria, Libya, Burkina Faso, but this was a much different style of life than to be a musician, moving all the time, performing every night. It may be easier for me to not be at home because I have never had the same home for very long. But it is still a very tiring life and I miss my family all the time when I am on tour.” Bombino’s sound is both uncommon and familiar. Bombino learned to play guitar in a region that brought the world and its music to him. Mark Knopfler and Jimi Hendrix were early sources of inspiration. In photos he

KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 31, 2016

seems to be capable of spanning a dozen or more frets with his left hand. On his recordings it simply sounds like he has multiple left hands. Azel, Bombino’s third record, will be released while he is in Knoxville for Big Ears. Among the constants one finds in Bombino’s pet sounds is an almost rapturous positivity. He crafts ascending scales, staggered crescendos, and modulating rhythms to create a music that is universal and uplifting, independent of language or culture. The roots of Bombino’s attraction to music and desire to make music lie in the plight of the Tuareg, who have been suffering economically and politically since a drought in the early 1990s deprived them of their ancestral herds. “There has been a lot of progress for the Tuareg people, particularly in Niger,” Bombino says. “Now more than ever in my life the Tuareg people are integrated into the general society of Niger and there is not ethnic tensions between us and other groups. I think this is due to modernization, the long and difficult struggles of the Tuareg, but also because of the art of the Tuareg people, and music is a very big part of this. “Art is an expression of humanity and when you are demonstrating your humanity you make it impossible for others to view you as anything but human, with the same concerns and emotions as anyone.” —Chris Barrett Bombino plays at the Mill and Mine (225 Depot Ave.) on Friday, April 1, at 10:30 p.m. Learn more at bombinomusic.com.

ony Conrad and Faust had each already carved a place for themselves in music history when they came together in 1972 to record Outside the Dream Syndicate, an album that has had an incalculable influence on drone and noise music. Conrad was a member of the Theater of Eternal Music, aka the original Dream Syndicate, the seminal mid-1960s minimalist drone group that included La Monte Young and John Cale. Faust had released two albums of radical music the likes of which no one had heard before. Still, they traveled in widely different circles, and the fact that they met at all was as unlikely and remarkable as the music they would create. Conrad was working in Germany when he met Faust producer Uwe Nettlbeck, who introduced him to the band in their farmhouse cum commune in the village of Wümme, outside of Hamburg. A musical collaboration was arranged; Conrad instructed Werner “Zappi” Diermaier to keep a repetitive, unchanging drum beat and Jean-Hervé Péron to repeat one bass note. (To Conrad’s chagrin, Peron upped it to two.) Over this steady rhythm Conrad unleashed his droning electric violin, playing slightly changing harmonic intervals, with an organ entering on side two to add another layer of sound. It’s a listening experience that many have found to be mesmerizing and trance-inducing. In truth, the album reached few ears for two decades, selling “near absolute zero,” according to journalist David Fricke. When it was reissued in 1993 by Table of the Elements, an Atlanta-based label that was a crucial supplier of avant-garde music in the 1990s, a new generation was turned on to a

minimalist masterpiece. A trio of live performances was arranged, culminating in a show at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London that ended in a near riot. There was even an echo of the day that Bob Dylan went electric at the Newport Folk Festival when Table of the Elements’ Jeff Hunt had to physically restrain the soundman from turning the volume down. The concert ended with a typically Faustian gesture: Peron smashed a sledgehammer into the stage’s cobblestone. A recording of the concert released on CD gives the indication that those who might have trouble with the studio album would be even more vexed by the live rendering. It is a maelstrom, a whirring, pummeling roar. The crowd sounds equally agitated and aroused; boos and catcalls battle with cheers and whistles until they’re both silenced by an even louder 10-minute encore. Conrad and Faust reunited last year in Berlin to perform Outside the Dream Syndicate again, and the Big Ears appearance will not only be their only North American performance, but could possibly be the final performance of the piece. Even if it doesn’t sound like your kind of thing, the rarity of the musicians’ appearance together and the opportunity to hear this inexhaustible music on a proper sound system make it one of Big Ears’ must-see shows. —Eric Dawson Tony Conrad and Faust team up for a rare performance of Outside the Dream Syndicate at the Standard (416 W. Jackson Ave.) on Friday, April 1, at 11 p.m. Tony Conrad performs with Sally Morgan, Liz Payne, and Frank Meadow at the Square Room (4 Market Square) on Saturday, April 2, at 2:30 p.m. Faust plays its own set at the Bijou Theatre (803 S. Gay St.) on Saturday, April 2, at midnight. A program of Conrad’s experimental short films will be screened at the Bijou on Friday, April 1, at 11:30 a.m.

The Necks

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ag e

AN ODDLY INTUITIVE RAPPORT FOR IMPROV

escribing the Necks’ sound can be difficult. Knowing that they are a bass, drum, and piano trio that plays improvised pieces lasting around an hour is some help. Calling them a jazz or minimalist act less so. While traditional jazz improvisation usually launches from a composition or at least stated theme, the Necks make it all up as they go. But neither do they resemble most free jazz or improv acts, where cacophony and bluster often hold sway. Playing together for almost 30 years, the trio has developed an oddly intuitive rapport. A Necks concert can be a near-rapturous experience, their repetitious and harmonious playing building over the course of a performance to create music that seems of one mind. Their studio albums give a good indication of what they sound like live, but the band approaches recordings in a slightly different manner. Rather than release live studio improv recordings, the band often adds overdubs with electric instruments such as guitar and keyboards. It’s to their credit that this process is usually unnoticeable, and it’s easy to mistake many of their albums for live recordings. Their latest (and 18th) album, Vertigo, is a bit different, though. It’s the closest the band has come to a Teo Macero or Can-style interweaving

of multiple parts to create the illusion of a single take. The 44-minute Vertigo has an ominous atmosphere throughout, largely sustained by an underpinning drone, eerie organ, and striking electric guitar. “That drone evolved out of a suggestion I put to the band over a year before, and we didn’t discuss it further until doing the album,” says bassist Lloyd Swanton during a group Skype call from the band’s native Australia during a recent tour. “We had a roundtable discussion of how we might approach this album and then got cracking on generating some drones.” “The album was built around the drone—we put it down and then improvised over it, which is somewhat unusual,” adds drummer Tony Buck, who now resides in Berlin but often returns to Australia for Necks business. “We had different inspiration and ideas over the week or so we recorded, and that always includes anything at hand. At one point I had this idea for a particular thought for a maraca I had left in Europe, so I went about making a wooden box filled with glass.” Though the members say they never discuss what they will play before taking the stage, it’s clear there is some forethought to the shape an album may take. Even there, however,

the Necks’ approach is unusual. “Most of our records take a week or more to track, then we give it some time to settle in our minds before we go back and listen to what we’ve done, then spend about another week mixing,” Buck says. “We used to wait a year before mixing the record, but with more recent records we only wait a few weeks.” Another distinctive aspect of the band’s method is that they don’t really do album/tour cycles. They seem to have inverted the cycle so a tour precedes a new album. “If there’s an influence of an album on our live performances, I think it’s a subtle one,” says pianist Chris Abrahams. “We never overtly refer to an album on stage. If anything it’s the other way around—what we play live might influence the record. The current album usually reflects more on where we were a year ago.” The Necks have played Knoxville’s Bijou Theatre with an unusual frequency for a band from Sydney—including the first Big Ears, in 2009. They’ve won over many local listeners and even referred to the city as “our home away from home” from the Bijou stage. The group does play a lot of international festivals, many of which offer less than ideal conditions for their type of performance, but they say Big Ears offers an exceptional experience for them and their audience. “I think we take a risk at festivals, because a lot of people will just be passing by or spend 10 minutes in front of something before moving on, and we don’t play music that necessarily instantly catches the attention— it tends to slowly unfold in front of people,” Abrahams says. “Big Ears is an exception. It’s fantastic to be involved in.” “We love Big Ears, and Knoxville is a favorite town of ours,” Swanton adds. “The Bijou is an intimate room with great acoustics. And we’ve very grateful to Ashley [Capps], since the first Big Ears festival was the gig we built our first U.S. tour around.” —Eric Dawson

A Necks concert can be a nearrapturous experience, their repetitious and harmonious playing building over the course of a performance to create music that seems of one mind.

The Necks perform together at the Bijou (803 S. Gay St.) on Saturday, April 2, at 5 p.m. Drummer Tony Buck joins multi-instrumentalist/composer/improviser Zeena Parkins at the Mill and Mine (225 Depot St.) on Friday, April 1, at 2 p.m. Pianist Chris Abrahams plays a solo set at the Square Room (4 Market Square) on Friday at 3 p.m. March 31, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 21

nief-norf eighth blackbird

ANIMATED ENTHUSIASM FOR CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 31, 2016

nief-norf performs music by Judd Greenstein, John Luther Adams, Edgard Varèse, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, and Steve Reich at the Square Room (4 Market Square) on Thursday, March 31, at 10:30 p.m. The group plays music by Alvin Lucier, Julia Wolfe, John Luther Adams, and Elliot Cole at the same venue on Friday, April 1, at 12:30 p.m. On Saturday, April 2, at 11 a.m., nief-norf will perform Morton Feldman’s Crippled Symmetry at the Sanctuary (211 W. Fifth Ave.). They’re also appearing for the Big Ears finale, a performance of John Luther Adams’ Inuksuit, at Ijams Nature Center on Sunday, April 3, at noon. Learn more at niefnorf.org.

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DREAM COLLABORATIONS

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nief-norf hosts an annual summer music festival in Knoxville. In 2014, Thorvaltsdottir was composer in residence. As it happens, Bliss also has strong personal and professional connections with Big Ears 2016’s composer in residence, John Luther Adams, and made the local introductions that led to that reality. “My wife, Erin Walker, is also in nief-norf,” Bliss explains. “She and I were on our honeymoon in 2006 and we went to Alaska.” Bliss got his wife’s permission to “work” on their honeymoon and reached out to the composer, who happened to live in Alaska, albeit off the grid. The three met and had much in common, and Bliss and Adams became correspondents. The high regard in which Bliss and nief-norf hold Adams is clear in the programs they have assembled for the weekend. Rather than glorify nief-norf, numerous works have been chosen to help listeners appreciate Adams and his work. “John was born in the ’50s,” Bliss says. “He grew up listening to popular music. The second concert we’re doing is all inspired by popular music. The first piece is a piano solo by Alvin Lucier where I’m going to play these fragments from ‘Strawberry Fields Forever.’ It’s called ‘Nothing Is Real.’ And then it’s recorded and played back through a teapot. The second half of the piece is me with this teapot, opening and closing the teapot, and it creates these—it sounds crazy.” Interpretations of the Lucier piece are plentiful online. It sounds, if not exactly crazy, then appropriately nief-norf. —Chris Barrett

he nief-norf ensemble takes its name from a self-deprecating invented onomatopoeia of what its members imagine many people hear when listening to contemporary classical music. Percussionist Andy Bliss is co-founder and co-director of the group. He will be on stage with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra during its performance of John Luther Adams’ Become Ocean. Add to that three nief-norf concert time slots plus the Inuksuit festival finale (which Bliss will be co-directing with Steven Schick) and it appears that Knoxvillian Bliss has more scheduled time on stage during Big Ears than any other performer. “I sort of direct the ensemble with Kerry O’Brien, who lives in Seattle,” says Bliss of nief-norf. “We started this organization in 2005 as a performance ensemble. We were working through graduate school at the time, so we would do a tour and then things would kind of slow down” nief-norf’s contribution to the Big Ears program will include a bass clarinet, piano, and flute, but its emphasis will be on percussion. “We call ourselves a contemporary music organization with percussion at the nucleus,” Bliss says. “Inevitably a lot of our repertoire ends up using percussion, because that’s what I play. We’ll have four percussionists doing some quartets and trios.” Bliss is also director of percussion studies at University of Tennessee. His office in the new music building on campus is grand, with a glass wall facing a relatively pastoral patch of grounds. Bliss is tall and slim and apparently restive by nature, and during this conversation he is enlarged by an animated enthusiasm. “The Thursday night show is going to feature a piece by Steve Reich called ‘Four Organs,’” Bliss says. “We’re doing a piece by Anna Thorvaltsdottir, from Iceland—three percussionists, with our backs to each other, and we have lights on our arms, so as we move through the space these shadows are cast around the room. We’re rubbing these large, resonant bass drums, and it creates this texture. She is a master when it comes to texture.”

BY LEE GARDNER

ontemporary chamber ensemble eighth blackbird performs twice at this year’s Big Ears, once on a bill in collaboration with the National guitarist/composer Bryce Dessner and elusive singer/songwriter Will “Bonnie Prince Billy” Oldham. It seemed fitting, then, to ask the members of eighth blackbird to name some dream collaborations they’d like to see happen. Flutist Nathalie Joachim rose to the bait. “My dream festival would be a lineup that would pair some of my all-time favorites with some of my current favorites—many of whom I’m lucky enough to call friends,” she says. The following comes from an edited and condensed discussion of her picks.

A Tribe Called Quest (hip-hop legends) + Snarky Puppy (omnivorous jazzfusion crew) A Tribe Called Quest is an institution in terms of hip-hop. To me, what was always so interesting about their work is that, rhythmically, it’s very complex. Snarky Puppy has a way of interacting with artists from all different genres. Their jazz chops are pretty incredible. The rhythmic work from both groups would make for a very interesting combination. One of the strongest things about [eighth blackbird], ensemble-wise, is we all share this strong inner rhythmic pulse, and a lot of the music that we perform is demanding in that way.

Björk (art-pop goddess) + Roomful of Teeth (contemporary vocal ensemble)

Björk has a lovely orchestration hand. I know she’s done a lot of work with choirs, and there was an album a few albums ago where she worked entirely with vocal sounds. To me, Roomful of Teeth is a very obvious pairing with her, because I think she would have so much fun with those voices. They have an excellent amalgamation of incredible voices that are all stylistically very different, and their voices all have a variety of strengths in different genres and types of musics.

Roni Size (drum ’n’ bass titan) + Daughter (UK indie trio) I was a kid who grew up really loving playing the flute and loooving drum ’n’ bass music. For me, [Roni Size] is like the godfather of drum ’n’ bass, and in a really lyrical style, which is something you just don’t get from EDM today. [Daughter is] a three-piece band with vocals, guitar, and drums, and Remi [Aguilella], who is their drummer, does a fantastic job in terms of indie-rock drumming in that he doesn’t always rely entirely on just the full kit. You might hear him use a tympani mallet on a snare drum as the tune. In terms of creativity within an indie-rock setting, I think he’s an ultra-creative drummer.

Johannes Brahms (great dead composer) + Aoife O’Donovan (folkflavored singer/songwriter) I could not get away from naming Brahms. I can’t even begin to tell you how wonderful he is. He plays a lot with rhythm, and plays a lot with harmonic structure in a way that’s so

Steve Reich (minimalist pillar) + Flying Lotus and Thundercat (pop Afro-futurists) Oh my gosh. I just smile so hard to think of this. Steve Reich is very closely inspiring for eighth blackbird. He wrote a double sextet for us. Again, very rhythmic music, but harmonically very interesting. Flying Lotus and Thundercat, I don’t know if everyone is as obsessed with them as I am, but they’re incredible. They’re very virtuosic, ultra-talented, and talk about rhythmic ability in every way possible in every part of the groove. I think this whole crew would have so much fun together. Steve Reich’s music really requires people who can get into a groove and hold onto it and shift it into something else, and I don’t think anybody could do that better than Flying Lotus and Thundercat. They would totally nail it, and it would be a complete mind explosion.

Erykah Badu (soul goddess) + Unknown Mortal Orchestra (soulful indie-pop group) I wanted to include [Erykah Badu] because she’s such an inspiration. She’s such a creative mind, beyond being a really talented singer and performer and artist. Everything that she puts forth is a complete package of creativity. I only recently became introduced to Unknown Mortal Orchestra. I get the same sense from them I got from Roni Size back in the day. Very rhythmic aspects, but lyrical as well. If I were going to add a voice to that, it’d be Erykah Badu. Not only would she add an awesome voice, but also a higher level of creativity. And I think it would be a fun show to be at. eighth blackbird performs music by David Lang, Bryce Dessner, Frederic Rzewski, and Will Oldham with Dessner and Oldham at the Tennessee Theatre (604 S. Gay St.) on Friday, April 1, at 7 p.m. Later that night, at 10 p.m., the group will play music by Big Ears 2016 composer in residence John Luther Adams, Philip Glass, and Richard Reed Parry at the Sanctuary (211 W. 5th Ave.).

Public Cinema

FILM

perfect and innovative for his time. He was just a master of gorgeous melody. Aoife is a good friend of mine, and she played here recently at the Chicago Theater, and it was just Aoife and her guitar onstage. And you forgot for a moment you were even in a huge theater. It’s the kind of voice that draws you into feeling it’s just her singing to you in a room. What better melody to give to a voice like that than Brahms?

NEW ADVENTURES IN FILM PROGRAMMING BY NICK HUINKER

eaturing 18 events over four days, Big Ears’ 2016 film lineup ranges from world-class experimental cinema (Laurie Anderson’s Heart of a Dog, Shambhavi Kaul’s Planet) to premiere documentaries (WFMU history Sex and Broadcasting) and beyond. At the helm of this expanded film slate are critic Darren Hughes and filmmaker Paul Harrill, whose Public Cinema project has been bringing similarly rare cinematic treats to Knoxville since early 2015.

Did the potential of a Big Ears/ Public Cinema collaboration seem as obvious to you guys as it did to those of us observing from the outside? DARREN HUGHES: Paul and I discussed Big Ears as a potential model in our very earliest conversations about the Public Cinema. What we most admire about the fest is its curatorial voice. I’m usually familiar with only about half of the acts at Big Ears, but I trust the programming completely and the main pleasure of the fest for me is the thrill of discovery. As a long-time attendee, I’ve occasionally walked into a show and known immediately that it’s not my thing, but I’m always grateful for the experience and understand instinctively how it fits into the Big Ears voice. Big Ears has always been a mixed-media festival, and in recent years there has been a greater emphasis on visual art. Having Bill Morrison here last year for a retrospective was a really big deal for the Knoxville art scene. (His latest short, “The Dockworker’s Dream,” will premiere at this year’s fest.) Of course, Paul and I came away from the fest daydreaming about what a full film program

might look like, never expecting it might actually happen. This year’s lineup, we think, is a good first step toward something really special. Major figures in the art-cinema world know about Big Ears and are eager to show their work here.

Given the more intuitive pairing of Big Ears with the avant-garde thread of Public Cinema, how did the showcase for the Brooklyn music label/video distributor Factory 25 end up such a big component of it? PAUL HARRILL: For starters, the Factory 25 movies we’re screening are, like the music at Big Ears, exciting, unique, and unclassifiable. We think the adventurous audiences that attend Big Ears will really respond to them. Then, on top of the fact that they’re individually worthwhile, we think what Matt Grady’s managed to do with Factory 25 is pretty remarkable. He’s created a label that releases work from distinctive artists and somehow also manages to have a coherent curatorial voice. You see that in the music world with the really special indie record labels—say, 4AD or Merge. But it’s virtually unheard of in the film world. So we wanted to shine a light on that, celebrate it, bring into the Big Ears conversation.

Which screening are you most looking forward to personally? DARREN HUGHES: I’ve been aware of Shambhavi Kaul’s work for several years because she’s often programmed in the prestigious Wavelengths experimental program at the Toronto International Film Festival. I met her in Toronto last fall, and she was the first name that came to mind when we began the collaboration with AC Entertainment. She’ll be

premiering a new installation at the University of Tennessee’s Downtown Gallery, which is a new Big Ears venue. The gallery will be open to the public throughout the weekend, so I hope Knoxvillians who are curious about Big Ears will check it out.

And which screening would you guess will be the subject of the most “Oh shit, you really missed out” conversations over the course of the weekend? DARREN HUGHES: I’ve wanted to bring Jodie Mack to Knoxville for two years now. She’ll be showing a program of five short films called Let Your Light Shine, which is one of the most important and critically acclaimed experimental works of the decade. Maybe the most impressive thing about Jodie is that her work is both formally rigorous—she uses old-school, frame-by-frame stop-motion animation—and delightfully playful. I saw it in Rotterdam in a theater full of hardened avant-garde critics, all of whom loved it, but I’m also hoping to sneak in my 5-year-old daughter. PAUL HARRILL: One more I’ve got to add is Frownland, which is part of the Factory 25 retrospective. People should come to the conversation with Matt Grady, which happens immediately before the film. Grady told me he was inspired to start the company when he saw Frownland. This movie—I saw it at its world premiere back in 2007. I’ve never forgotten it. It’s so bleak, grotesque, and funny. I just think it’s one of the key films of American indie cinema of the last 15 years. This is a very rare chance to see it on the big screen. When Roger Ebert reviewed it, he called it a “shriek for help.” That was a rave review, by the way. I think that says it all. The Big Ears Public Cinema schedule runs throughout the weekend at the Tennessee Theatre, the Square Room, and the Regal Riviera 8. Visit publiccinema.org or bigearsfestival.com for more info.

March 31, 2016

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Vijay Iyer and Wadada Leo Smith will play together at the Bijou Theatre (803 S. Gay St.) on Friday, April 1, at 8:30 p.m.

ry—just a set of attributes or something like that. Really, you challenge the notion of category. You follow the work, and the work kind of leads you to these unexpected outcomes. “For me, that work is largely about collaboration. It’s about pushing the ideas as far as I can, and learning from others. I’m not so interested in remaining fixed or stable. I got to work with a lot of elder musicians who opened my eyes and ears to a lot of different possibilities. The stuff I do collaboratively is usually pretty intensive. We develop stuff over a long period of time and let it grow organically.” Iyer is modest but justified when he deflects credit in the direction of his esteemed associates. He leads or belongs to numerous ensembles, several of which are 20 years old. Iyer has been playing with trumpeter and composer Wadada Leo Smith (as a member of the latter’s Golden Quartet) for more than a decade. In Knoxville, Iyer and Smith will perform music from their new recording, A Cosmic Rhythm With Each Stroke. The recording features Iyer (on piano and scant electronics) and Smith performing as a duo. The late Indian visual artist and memoirist Nasreen Mohamedi—in honor of whom the title suite was commis-

ijay Iyer plays and composes for multiple instruments. He is a MacArthur Fellow. He is the current artist in residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He is a writer, producer, and educator—currently the Florence Rosenblatt Professor of the Arts at Harvard University. The music he makes is diverse and—aside from a small number of not-limiting characteristics—unpredictable. As a musical thinker and adventurer, Iyer rewards attention by helping a listener remain open to what is possible. Iyer appears not to be aware of any limits to his creativity or capabilities. Is such a thing learned or somehow fixed in one’s personality or genetics? “I’ve mainly learned from others who I hold in high regard, like Steve Coleman and George Lewis and Wadada Leo Smith,” Iyer says from his home in New York. “And my wife, Christina Leslie, who is a scientist. They set the bar pretty high in the amount of rigor and dedication that they bring to any situation and the exhaustive nature of their personal research, and their various quests for new information and new challenges. I got to know Herbie Hancock a little bit a couple years ago, and I’d put him in this category. Maybe it’s not even a catego-

THE ART OF SUSTAINED COLLABORATION

blessed with the people I’ve been able to work with,” Smith says. “It has to do with our relationship. It has to do with trust. It has to do with respect. Ultimately, I think the word for what’s happening is love.” Iyer came to music as a profession following an extended exploration of the discipline of physics. It seems, at times, that he is capable of giving his notes greater guidance than many peers. “What appealed to me about theoretical physics was that there were very elegant and compact ways of describing reality,” he says. “A handful of equations could then determine what happens in a system. In a way, it’s not that different from composing for improvisers. You don’t really have to tell everybody every move. You just sort of give some initial conditions and ways of relating, and everything kind of unfolds on its own, with agency and all. I like simple, elegant, and compact descriptions. When I compose, that’s what I do: a handful of simple details that will set things in motion.” —Chris Barrett

Vijay Iyer and Wadada Leo Smith

sioned—is also present. Smith has cultivated a long career of innovation and brilliant music-making. He fi rst attracted attention during the 1960s while playing with Anthony Braxton, with whom he founded the Creative Construction Company. Smith was an early member of the Chicago-based Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, alongside provocateurs like Lester Bowie and Henry Threadgill. In comparison to the sometimes jarring music of his peers, Smith’s playing is restrained, meditative, and often pretty. Smith is open to the possibility that people have different motivations for making music. “When you create something, you do it to enrich yourself and to enrich others,” he says. “It’s not about challenging anyone.” A listener makes the observation that Smith’s roster of collaborators reads like a who’s who of jazz groundbreakers, and that Iyer makes a different sort of sound than the players with whom Smith was fi rst heard. Does he have criteria for those he will join on stage or in the studio? “I’ve been

“I’ve been blessed with the people I’ve been able to work with. It has to do with our relationship. It has to do with trust. It has to do with respect. Ultimately, I think the word for what’s happening is love.” —WADADA LEO SMITH 24

KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 31, 2016

Wolf Eyes EXPERIENCE TRIP METAL IN ITS PUREST FORM but there are times during last year’s I Am a Problem: Mind in Pieces where Wolf Eyes sounds almost like a traditional rock band. Not that there are verse-chorus-verse songs or anything to sing along with, but rather than tortured screams, Young’s vocals are halfway legible, and Baljo’s solos tread dangerously close to guitar heroics. A few years ago, the band’s John Olson declared noise dead, a deliberately provocative statement made all the more powerful by Olson’s status. Who was going to argue with him? Kids late to the game who could never match Wolf Eyes’ influence or success? It’s no coincidence that Olson said that around the time Baljo joined Wolf Eyes—the band even christened their evolving sound as “trip metal.” It was sort of tongue in cheek, but mostly not. For more context, check Olson’s cheeky Twitter account, where he retweets any mention of the term, or attaches it to images of the most bizarre products of American culture. As much as anything trip metal is probably an experience, one best taken in at a Wolf Eyes show. —Eric Dawson

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Wolf Eyes plays at the Standard (416 W. Jackson Ave.) on Thursday, March 31, at 10 p.m. Jim Baljo of the band will also perform with his instrumental noise quartet Chatoyant at the Standard on Thursday at 8 p.m. Visit wolfeyes.net.

aying that 2004 was the year noise broke is probably hyperbolic, but there’s no question that Wolf Eyes’ first album for Sub Pop, Burned Mind, released that year, and the accompanying press coverage, turned some people on to what can be intentionally forbidding music. Not that anybody got rich off it, but the band went from playing beer-soaked, weed-infused basements to playing major international festivals and sharing a stage with Anthony Braxton, something that must have seemed unlikely—if not impossible—when Nate Young started Wolf Eyes as a solo project back in the mid ’90s. The fact that the group never toned it down and sounded as abrasive and manic as ever was pretty cool. The world changed, not them. That is, until recently. The dudes remain snotty, skateboarding, sunglasses-at-night smartass punks, even as they enter middle age, uncompromising in their art and lives. But with the recent addition of guitarist Jim Baljo, Wolf Eyes’ sound has altered course as much as it ever has during their career. They’ve curtailed their campaign to shock and batter listeners, focusing instead on a strippeddown sound that owes much to early industrial music. 2013’s No Answer: Lower Floors was the first obvious move in this direction,

Mary Halvorson RESPECTING TRADITION BY CHALLENGING IT

ust about anything you read about Mary Halvorson will mention the guitarist’s wide array of music projects and her prolific discography. Since 2003, she’s appeared on over 75 recordings, many of them as a leader. Though she’s most often referred to as a jazz guitarist, she’s worked in rock, noise, improv, metal, and styles yet classified, always vehemently rejecting any labels anyone might want to hang on her. She’s recorded in duos, trios, quartets, septets, tentets, and orchestras. Though she often performs solo live, until last year she had yet to record a solo album. Meltframe, ostensibly an album of jazz standards, turns out to be a perfect introduction to Halvorson’s playing, and one may wonder why it took so long to arrive. “I didn’t have an idea for a solo record and I didn’t want to record an improv one,” Halvorson says. “When I practice I play standards a lot, so the idea came to me to record some of those, but also a wide mix of pieces, some by contemporary composers like Chris Lightcap and Noël Akchoté.” The tradition of recording jazz standards is a long-standing one. It will likely continue as long as the form is practiced. It’s easy to imagine Duke Ellington’s 1934 gem “Solitude,” which appears on Meltframe, still being performed decades from now. As with much of her work, throughout Meltframe Halvorson walks the line between respect for tradition and a challenge to it. Her clean sound and cool tone can veer into distortion and hyperactivity without notice. She shreds, and she treads

lightly. “Solitude” is played fairly straight, but is drenched in sustained tremolo, a tactic that underscores the mood of the piece by slowing it to an almost uncomfortable degree. She transforms the airy light funk of Lightcap’s “Platform” into something slightly menacing, with distortion, an array of effects, and Van Halen-esque tapping. “It’s a cool challenge to come up with different arrangements for all these familiar songs,” Halvorson says. “I’ll play through them and improvise, try out different chord changes and arrangements until I come up with an arrangement I like, then try to record with as few takes as possible.” During Big Ears, Halvorson will also be performing with Anthony Braxton’s Tentet. It’s a huge thrill for her, as Braxton was her teacher at Wesleyan University and, she says, largely responsible for the career she chose. “He’s a huge influence on everything I do,” she says. “He inspired me to become a musician in the first place. I played music in high school, but it was a hobby. I went to Wesleyan to study science, but met him, dropped science, and became a musician. He’s created a whole musical universe based in pure creativity, where you don’t have to follow rules. It’s exciting every time I play with him.” —Eric Dawson Mary Halvorson plays at the Square Room (4 Market Square) on Saturday, April 2, at 12:30 p.m. She will also join the iconoclastic composer/saxophonist Anthony Braxton and his Tentet group at the Bijou Theatre (803 S. Gay St.) on Friday, April 1, at 4 p.m. Visit maryhalvorson.com. March 31, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 41

2015

Big Ears, Big Camera At last year’s Big Ears festival, Knoxville photographer David Luttrell gave himself an unusual challenge: to take street shots of concertgoers using a 5x7 Agfa/ Ansco field camera. Unlike just about every digital camera and smartphone in use today, operating a view camera takes care and time. Not only is a tripod required, but actual film sheets have to be loaded with every shot. Then your subjects have to stand still and pose— as you look at them upside down and backwards via the camera’s “screen.” But the results are ethereal—and more organic than any Instagram filter. Here are a few of his portraits.

—Coury Turczyn

See More Big Ears 2015 Portraits: photos.davidluttrell.com/big-camera-atbig-ears

KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 31, 2016

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ear This

Listen to Laurie Anderson, Philip Glass, Kamasi Washington, Faust, Sun Ra Arkestra, Wolf Eyes and more artists from Big Ears on rbmaradio.com

March 31, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 43

A&E

P rogram Notes

MEOB

CRUMBSNATCHERS

HELLAPHANT

JARIUS BUSH

No Wristband Required Big Asses’ 24-band marathon offers a free local-music alternative to Big Ears

hree years into Big Ears’ revival, unofficial side events have become a go-to plan for downtown venues looking to lure open-minded music tourists into experiencing Knoxville’s homegrown best. But the organizer of the longest-running and most extensive of these parallel festivals claims a very different aim: zero-budget counterprogramming. “The first year of Big Ears I was basically living on handouts and could not afford a ticket,” says Blaine Band’s Daniel McBride. “So I figured I could put on a whole festival with people as broke as I was.” The result was the cheekily named (and totally free) Big Asses Fest, which invades the Pilot Light on Saturday, April 2, at noon for a 13-hour, 24-band marathon of local tunes. As usual, McBride has put together a broad survey of the Knoxville underground: Big Ears attendees may be best served by stopping in for Pleases’ 8:40 p.m. set of proggy Southern rock or Steaks’

KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 31, 2016

midnight noise assault, but scheduled sounds also range from Dixieghost’s Americana to the power pop of Sweet Years and Hellaphant, and in every direction both quiet and challenging from there. Now in its seventh year, the festival remains tethered to McBride’s DIY mindset. Though the result is an intentionally informal, unpretentious alternative to the high-minded Big Ears, a lot of preparation goes into booking and scheduling two dozen bands to share a single stage. As daunting as it can be, McBride says he’s settled on a number of guidelines to help streamline the process. “I made a policy decision not to play myself, so it wasn’t a self-promotion in sheep’s clothing,” he says. “Once I started making rules I couldn’t stop. So there’s been a one-performance-per-performer rule in place, meaning people in multiple bands could only play once, which in our extremely incestuous scene usually cuts the long list down pretty quick.”

McBride also strives to keep the lineup diverse and inclusive in a traditional sense, but he admits the scene can be limited in that respect. (It doesn’t help that a number of Knoxville’s best underground bands feature organizers of the local Girls Rock Camp, who are attending the organization’s national conference this weekend.) The main thing that distinguishes this year’s festival is its return to the Pilot Light. (The venue’s own Big Ears complement, Hello City, will reportedly take a different form later in the year.) Big Asses has most often taken the form of an extended, extra-legal house show; its most recent Pilot Light iteration, in 2014, was actually a last-minute change of plans after the run-up to the fest brought its planned venue unwanted scrutiny. McBride seems satisfied with the shift from a BYOB free-for-all to the more legitimate environs of Knoxville’s beloved rock dive. “To be honest, last year ended up

being really hedonistic towards the end of the night and it was pure luck that nobody got hurt or arrested,” he says. “That was my main motive for changing the venue.” McBride resists the idea that Big Asses is a “companion” to Big Ears, and he’s not interested in drawing any of its “wealthy and indifferent” attendees. But he’s still proud to offer an alternative celebration to anyone willing to engage with a local scene as vibrant as anything money can buy. “The people involved with Big Asses are really part of the target audience for Big Ears,” he acknowledges. “But I still can’t afford a wristband, and I know at least a few Big Asses performers are scrimping and sacrificing normal luxuries to get one. [Ashley Capps] is selling a once-in-a-lifetime musical experience, but you can have one outside his economy at Big Asses, broke or not.” Find the full lineup at Big Asses Fest’s Facebook event page. —Nick Huinker

Movies

Twilight of the Gods We deliver one more critical battering to Zack Snyder’s Dawn of Justice BY APRIL SNELLINGS

his week’s issue hits newsstands on the eve of the eve of my 40th birthday, so while I’m waiting for the shuttle to Shady Pines and yelling at everyone to sit up straight and turn down their damn stereos, I might as well take a few minutes to complain about Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. This is all going to sound very get-off-my-lawn and I’m sorry about that, but it’s not my fault; it wouldn’t be happening if the editors had let me review that new Sally Field thing like I wanted. But life is terrible and there’s nothing anyone can do about it, so here we are. Come to think of it, “life is terrible and there’s nothing anyone can do about it” could sum up DC’s thematic vision for much of its Extended Universe. Even Frank Miller’s dystopian, ultra-grumpy Dark Knight Returns never felt as pointlessly hateful and dour as DC’s latest superhero epic, which pits Supes and the Bat against one another in a grudge match that’s both brutally violent and astonishingly silly. It offers a few pleasures, most notably in the form of a supporting cast

that includes Gal Gadot in a woefully underwritten turn as Wonder Woman. But why does it have to be so unwaveringly ugly in tone, content, and execution? I get that DC has positioned itself as Marvel’s polar opposite, and that the company has gotten a lot of mileage out of its grittier take on superhero tropes. That’s not new— Green Arrow’s sidekick was shooting heroin in flophouses years before I was born, and I was still plucking comics from gas-station spinner racks after school when the Joker beat Robin senseless with a crowbar and then left him to die in a warehouse rigged to explode. When I think about the Batman and Superman of my youth, I’m remembering characters who had already seen the light steadily leaching from their universe. But at least those stories were interesting, and those events had an impact on the characters’ lives in ways that the writers cared enough to explore. Batman v Superman just wants to blow stuff up and fetishize the destruction. Look no further than

A&E

its lead characters, whose dramatic functions are relegated to either punching everything within reach or standing quietly and staring at the floor while things are explained to them. Does a Superman movie really need images of sex-trafficking victims cowering in cages, or Polaroids of a terrified, battered, and gagged woman with misogynistic slurs scrawled on her forehead? Apparently a Zack Snyder one does. Batman v Superman fi nds the director doubling down on meanness and gloom even as he addresses some of the criticism aimed at Man of Steel’s wanton violence. It’s as if he’s responding to those complaints without really understanding why anyone made them. The problem isn’t Henry Cavill, whose Superman is dutifully earnest and dorky, or Ben Affleck, whose turn as Batman is really pretty good considering he’s forced to spend the movie devising a sadistic plot to assassinate Superman and spouting the Bush administration’s One Percent doctrine almost word-for-word to justify the murder. It certainly isn’t Gadot, whose globe-trotting socialite Diana Prince, aka Wonder Woman, provides nearly all of the movie’s fleeting moments of levity and fun. It’s Snyder’s ugly vision that makes BvS such a slog. It taints the fi lm’s visuals—everything is dark and murky until it explodes—as well as its pretenses of thematic heft. Snyder’s world is bleak and grim without pulling off any of the operatic drama or cinematic thrills that marked Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies. To be fair, there’s some good stuff here. There’s plenty of fan service, most notably when it comes to unpacking the nightmare sequences that make up a considerable chunk of the fi lm and presumably set up the upcoming Justice League movies. But in the end, it doesn’t matter. Snyder is making so much money that he could buy me and force me to fight other broke fi lm critics in the trunk of his sky yacht, so who cares what I think? Now please sit up straight, turn down your stereo, and get the hell off my lawn. ◆

CLASSICAL TICKETS start at just $15

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

MAY

FELLENBAUM

RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES Thursday, May 12 • 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 13 • 7:30 p.m. Tennessee Theatre James Fellenbaum, conductor BEETHOVEN: Leonore Overture No. 3 THEOFANIDIS: KSO premier, Dreamtime Ancestors WAGNER (arr. H. de VLIEGER): Highlights from “The Ring” Sponsored by The Trust Company

CALL: (865) 291-3310 CLICK: knoxvillesymphony.com VISIT: Monday-Friday, 9-5 March 31, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 45

CALENDAR MUSIC

Thursday, March 31 BIG EARS 2016 • The latest edition of Big Ears, the polyglot festival of contemporary classical and other outside-the-mainstream music staged in downtown Knoxville by AC Entertainment every spring, promises to be just as impressive as previous versions. The lineup includes one of the most accomplished American composers of the 21st century and a couple of dozen of the most acclaimed artists from around the world, many of them already living legends. John Luther Adams, who has won both a Pulitzer Prize and a Grammy for his large-scale orchestral works inspired by the grandeur of the Arctic, has been announced as composer-in-residence for the festival. His major new piece, Become Ocean, will be performed by Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and conductor Steven Schick, and other works will be performed during the weekend. Besides Adams, it’s a typically loaded lineup, headed by a handful of genuinely legendary performers: “dream music” pioneer Tony Conrad and krautrock band Faust, Laurie Anderson, Philip Glass, Yo La Tengo, Joe Henry, Anthony Braxton, Marc Ribot, Kamasi Washington, Mary Halvorson, Vijay Iyer, Andrew Bird, Shabazz Palaces, the Necks, Sunn O))), and more. • $49.50-$450 • See cover story on page 18. JOE LASHER JR. WITH THE HIGHLAND REUNION • 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 CINDI ALPERT • Bourbon Street Whiskey Bar • 6PM HUDSON K • Scruffy City Hall • 6PM WARREN PINEDA AND JON MASON • Red Piano Lounge • 6PM ONE-EYED DOLL WITH EYES SET TO KILL AND OPEN YOUR EYES • The Concourse • 7PM • Austin, Texas rock duo One-Eyed Doll have gained an exceptionally loyal and rapidly growing fan base since 2006 with consistent touring, a solid memorable live performance, and a DIY connection with the fans. Their darkly humored, intense, sometimes quirky and theatrical rock and roll captures the hearts of metal, rock, goth and punk all-ages audiences night after night. All ages. • $10 THE BEARDED • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 8PM THE PARAGON PROJECT WITH YOUNG LUNGS, INDIEGHOST, AND LUNCHBREAK • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • All ages. • $5 SOJA WITH NEW KINGSTON • The International • 9PM • The Grammy Nominated D.C. area band blends reggae, go-go, D.C. hardcore, Latin, rock and hip-hop. 18 and up. • $20-$22 THE AQUADUCKS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • The Aquaducks stand out as a high octane funk and soul band among the twangy accents one is apt to find in the city where country music is king. FUNNY EARS FRINGE FESTIVAL • Scruffy City Hall and Preservation Pub present a three-day budget alternative to Big Ears, featuring performances by Little War Twins, Hank and Cupcakes, Hudson K, MEOB, La Terza Classe, Blackwater Mojo, Skunk Ruckus, Strung Like a Horse, Nick Lutsko and the Puppet People, Sundress Academy for the Arts, Montana Skies, TreeHouse, Jahman Brahman, Charget the Atlantic, the Fritz, Daniel Planet, Zigadoo Moneyclips, Opposite Box, Ghost Eagle, and more. Visit scruffycity.com for more info. DANIEL MARKHAM, JOHN CALVIN ABNEY, AND DANIEL FLUITT • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • 46

KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 31, 2016

Thursday, March 31 - Sunday, April 10

FREE THE GARRIT TILLMAN TRIO • The Bistro at the Bijou • 7PM • Live jazz. • FREE Friday, April 1 BIG EARS 2016 • The latest edition of Big Ears, the polyglot festival of contemporary classical and other outside-the-mainstream music staged in downtown Knoxville by AC Entertainment every spring, promises to be just as impressive as previous versions. The lineup includes one of the most accomplished American composers of the 21st century and a couple of dozen of the most acclaimed artists from around the world, many of them already living legends. • $49.50-$450 JAY AYMAR WITH LA TERZA CLASSE • 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 WENDEL WERNER • Red Piano Lounge • 6PM PARADISO AND RASAMAYI • Shanti Yoga Haven • 7PM • Join internationally renowned sound healers and back-to-back Best New Age Album of the Year Award winners Paradiso and Rasamayi in an utterly unique, powerful and transformative meditative concert. Carnegie Hall didjeridoo artist Paradiso and Singing Bowl Alchemy Master-Teacher Rasamayi‘s live events create spiritual soundscapes in which attendees have reported experiences of unprecedented and profound meditation. • $22 JANGLING SPARROWS • 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 PSYCHOSYSTEM WITH VANKALE, ABSENT FROM THE BODY, AND BELFAST 6 PACK • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • Local hard rock and metal. All ages. • $10 JACK’D UP • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 9PM JAMEL MITCHELL • Red Piano Lounge • 9PM • $5 BLOCKHEAD WITH ELIOT LIPP, FAST NASTY, AND PSYCHONAUT • The Concourse • 10PM • Blockhead grew up in downtown New York City. The son of an artist, early on he found his passion was for music. A fan of a whole range of sounds, especially hip-hop, Blockhead steadily built a tremendous collection of tapes and later CDs from innumerable artists. After a brief stint as a rapper, he realized his calling was behind the boards and not on the mic, and from there he began to produce beats. 18 and up.—last.fm • $10-$15 JOSIAH AND THE GREATER GOOD • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM FUNNY EARS FRINGE FESTIVAL • Scruffy City Hall and Preservation Pub present a three-day budget alternative to Big Ears. Visit scruffycity.com for more info. JOHN CARROLL • Vienna Coffee House (Maryville) • 7PM VANCE THOMPSON • The Bistro at the Bijou • 9PM • Live jazz. • FREE THE DIRTY DOUGS • Brackins Blues Club ( Maryville) • 9PM KATY FREE • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 10PM Saturday, April 2 BIG EARS 2016 • The latest edition of Big Ears, the polyglot festival of contemporary classical and other outside-the-mainstream music staged in downtown Knoxville by AC Entertainment every spring, promises to be just as impressive as previous versions. The lineup includes one of the most accomplished American composers of the 21st century and a couple of dozen of

the most acclaimed artists from around the world, many of them already living legends. • $49.50-$450 MIKE RODGERS WITH MONTANA SKIES • 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 BIG GUN • The Shed at Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson (Maryville) • 6PM • A tribute to AC/DC. • $15 KATY FREE • Red Piano Lounge • 6PM FREEQUENCY • Mind Yer Ps and Qs Craft Beer and Wine Lounge • 8PM • Acoustic Americana. MALCOLM HOLCOMBE • Laurel Theater • 8PM • Born and

raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Malcolm Holcombe is recognized as a performer of national stature, a guitarist/vocalist about whom Rolling Stone magazine says: “Haunted country, acoustic blues and rugged folk all meet [here]...” His newest album is Another Black Hole. • $13 LUMINOTH WITH INDIE LAGONE, NAVAEH, AND THE BY GODS • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • All ages. • $10 WARCLOWN WITH KINGSLAYER, THEORIES OF THE APOCALYPSE, AND ZEPHANIAH • The Concourse • 8PM • 18 and up. • $8 K-TOWN MUSIC • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 9PM WILL BOYD • Red Piano Lounge • 9PM • $5

MIKE BAGGETTA Blue Plate Special at WDVX (301 S. Gay St.) • Tuesday, April 5 • Noon • Free • wdvx.com Knoxville Jazz Orchestra Jazz Lunch at the Square Room (4 Market Square) • Noon • $15 • knoxjazz.org

On his most recent album, Spectre, recorded with the bassist Jerome Harris and the drummer Billy Mintz and released earlier this year, the New York guitarist Mike Baggetta and his colleagues mix hallucinatory soundscapes with intricate improvisational workouts; there’s even some funky jazz-metal riffing on the aptly titled “Nasty.” Spectre is of a piece with the rest of Baggetta’s discography, which stretches back a decade, though none of his records sound alike—he plays both electric and acoustic guitar, and has found a new configuration and lineup for each album. Comparisons to Bill Frisell and Marc Ribot make sense, but Baggetta’s career so far suggests that he’ll emerge from those shadows sooner rather than later and establish himself as a significant new jazz explorer. He’s playing two shows in Knoxville next week: a set at WDVX’s Blue Plate Special on Tuesday, April 5, at noon and then at the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra’s Jazz Lunch series at the Square Room on Wednesday, April 6, also at noon, where he and his band—saxophonist Greg Tardy, bassist Jon Hamar, and drummer Nolan Nevels—will interpret the music of Patsy Cline. (Matthew Everett)

CALENDAR THE YAWPERS WITH THE BLACKFOOT GYPSIES • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • Inspired by Walt Whitman’s promise to “Sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world,” Denver Colorado’s The Yawpers have set about bringing together disparate pieces of the American music lexicon and making it their own. Nashville’s Blackfoot Gypsies are a rock ’n’ roll band— straight up, no modifiers necessary. With four years, four releases, and countless miles under their belt as a two-piece guitar & drums powerhouse, Zack Murphy and Matthew Paige have recently added fellow brethren Dylan Whitlow (bass) and Ollie Dogg (harmonica), bolstering their passionate, careening, undeniably American sound. • $5 FUNNY EARS FRINGE FESTIVAL • Scruffy City Hall and Preservation Pub present a three-day budget alternative to Big Ears. Visit scruffycity.com for more info. BIG ASSES FEST • Pilot Light • 12PM • Three years into Big Ears’ revival, unofficial side events have become a go-to plan for downtown venues looking to lure open-minded music tourists into experiencing Knoxville’s homegrown best. But the organizer of the longest-running and most extensive of these parallel festivals claims a very different aim: zero-budget counterprogramming. The cheekily named (and totally free) Big Asses Festis a 13-hour, 24-band marathon of local tunes. Featuring Rake Repentance, Maspeth, Nayeema, Headface, Mitchel Garza, the Criswell Collective, Yellow Lines, Big Country’s Empty Bottle, Dixieghost, Matt Morrow, Coffinwomb, MEOB, the Jank, Mare Vita, Sweet Years, Jarius Bush, Crumbsnatchers, Pleases, Cancelled, Choir Bang, Hellaphant, Braindead Morons, Steaks, and Harikiris. 18 and up. • FREE THE SWEET LILLIES • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • Skyrocketing to the top of the jamgrass scene, The Sweet Lillies’ high-energy, melodic tunes have quickly captured the hearts and music souls of fans in Colorado and beyond. • FREE THE LOW DOWN SIRES • Broadway Academy of Performing Arts • 7:15PM • The Low-Down Sires are dedicated to the lost sounds of early jazz, inspired by the compositions and arrangements of Joe “King” Oliver, Edward “Kid” Ory, Jelly Roll Morton, and other giants from the storied origins of the art form. • $12 THE MATT COKER ORGAN TRIO • The Bistro at the Bijou • 9PM • Live jazz. • FREE THE PAUL WARREN PROJECT • Brackins Blues Club (Maryville) • 9PM SHAUN ABBOTT • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 10PM Sunday, April 3 BIG EARS 2016 • The latest edition of Big Ears, the polyglot festival of contemporary classical and other outside-the-mainstream music staged in downtown Knoxville by AC Entertainment every spring, promises to be just as impressive as previous versions. The lineup includes one of the most accomplished American composers of the 21st century and a couple of dozen of the most acclaimed artists from around the world, many of them already living legends. • $49.50-$450 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 ISSUES WITH CROWN THE EMPIRE, ONE OK ROCK, AND NIGHT VERSES • The International • 7PM • All ages. • $22 WISEWATER • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM • Wisewater is an Americana duo composed of Kate Lee and Forrest O’Connor.

FUNNY EARS FRINGE FESTIVAL • Scruffy City Hall and Preservation Pub present a three-day budget alternative to Big Ears. Visit scruffycity.com for more info. ROBINELLA • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 7PM DIRTY FENCES WITH DINOS BOYS, NERVOUS REX, AND THE SNIFF • Pilot Light • 9PM • 18 and up. • $5 Monday, April 4 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 HENRY RIVER HONEY WITH THE CURLY PURTIS BAND • WDVX • 12PM • Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-a-week lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • FREE HIGHBEAMS • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • Highbeams are a trio of brothers that play emotive, high energy Folk Rock. • FREE THE PO’ RAMBLIN’ BOYS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • Born in the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains, springing to life with all the zest and zeal you’d expect from a 1940s-style Tennessee bluegrass band, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys have rambled far from home, touring throughout the United States and Europe. BARK WITH BIG BAD OVEN AND GREATER PYRENEES • Pilot Light • 9:30PM • Bark is a side project of the Tim Lee 3, featuring Tim and Susan Lee on mostly bass-and-drums arrangements, embellished with some economical guitar lines—imagine Joy Division playing White Stripes songs. 18 and up. • $5 Tuesday, April 5 MIKE BAGGETTA WITH SAM BURCHFIELD AND WRENN • 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 MARBLE CITY 5 • Red Piano Lounge • 8PM MATT A. FOSTER • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • Foster plays a mountain banjo, harmonica, and the sole of his boot. It’s live, simple, and earnest. ROOTS OF A REBELLION • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. THE VERNS WITH TRASHES, DAVID DALTON, AND PERSONA LA AVE • Pilot Light • 10PM • 18 and up. Wednesday, April 6 KJO JAZZ LUNCH • The Square Room • 12PM • On the first Wednesday of every month, Knoxville Jazz Orchestra presents Jazz Lunch. Every month we will bring you a new performance to serenade you with a mix of classical and modern Jazz music. The schedule includes a tribute to Gene Harris with pianist Keith Brown (Oct. 7); Spirko & Boyd play the music of the Adderley Brother(Nov. 4); a tribute to Woody Shaw with Alex Norris (Dec. 2); Kayley Farmer sings the Rodgers and Hart songbook (Jan. 6); a tribute to Ethel Waters with Tamara Brown (Feb. 3); a tribute to Ahmad Jamal with Justin Haynes (March 2); and Mike Baggetta plays Patsy Cline (April 6). • $15 ANNE E. DECHANT WITH JERICHO WOODS • 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 March 31, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 47

CALENDAR ANDY MINEO • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • Up and coming Christian rap. • $25-$40 STONE BROKE SAINTS WITH CINDY ALEXANDER AND THE NEW APOLOGETIC • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • All ages. • $8 BAY STATION • Preservation Pub • 10PM • The collaboration of Kwame Copeland and Deborah Crooks in Bay Station finds the two accomplished California artists displaying both their literary chops and twang tendencies. Together, their sound nods to such influences as Tom Petty, Buddy & Julie Miller and Wilco. 21 and up. Thursday, April 7 DEBORAH CROOKS • 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 REAGAN BOGGS • Scruffy City Hall • 6PM FREEQUENCY • Seasons Innovative Bar and Grille • 7PM • Acoustic trio playing originals and eclectic tunes in three-part harmony. THE LOWEST PAIR • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • FREE KELLE JOLLY AND WILL BOYD • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 8PM PIANO WITH SWEET YEARS • Scruffy City Hall • 8PM TWIDDLE WITH ROSSDAFAREYE • The Concourse • 9PM • 18 and up. • $10-$15 RIFF RAFF • The International • 9PM • Yep. The Texas

Thursday, March 31 - Sunday, April 10

rapper the L.A. Weekly called “a controversial, wild-eyed rapper dripping in diamonds. … A virtual caricature of a hip-hop star, a lightning rod called both brilliant and a brain-dead minstrel act.” • $20-$50 THREE STAR REVIVAL • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • When soul and blues from the west collide with the country and americana of the middle to become inspired by the mountains and bluegrass of the East you get the sound of Three Star Revival. The music created, inspired, and nourished by the sounds of Tennessee. Friday, April 8 DOGWOOD ARTS FESTIVAL RHYTHM N’ BLOOMS MUSIC FESTIVAL • Rhythm N’ Blooms, part of the Dogwood Arts Festival, takes place every spring in various venues around downtown and the Old City. The lineup includes recent Grammy nominees the Mavericks; New Jersey funk/soul/gospel superstars Robert Randolph and the Family Band; Knoxville/Nashville big shots the Black Cadillacs; Brooklyn folk-rock duo the Lone Bellow; Philadelphia hip-hop/jam-band mad scientist G. Love and his backing band, Special Sauce; North Carolina heartland rockers American Aquarium; Australian roots experimentalists Jakubi; former everybodyfields frontman and current Black Lillie Sam Quinn; Midwestern folk- and world-music combo the Ragbirds; Florida singer/ songwriter Liz Longley; “no-hit wonder” Cory Branan; Arkansas neo-soul singer Knox Hamilton; Massachusetts folk quartet Darlingside; singer/songwriter David Ramirez; Americana trio Quiet Life; Southern rockers the Banditos; rock cellist/composer Dave Eggar; blue-eyed soul singer

It’s T-Shirt time in Tennessee!

435 Union Ave. | nothingtoofancy.com 48

KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 31, 2016

Mutlu; Nashville band Koa; New York singer/songwriter Caleb Hawley; psychedelic folk band Twin Limb; and more. Tickets for the festival are on sale now: $75 for general-admission weekend passes and $150 for VIP passes. Visit rhythmnbloomsfest.com. • $75-$150 RANI ARBO AND DAISY MAYHEM • 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 ALIVE AFTER FIVE: SOULFULSOUNDS REVUE • Knoxville Museum of Art • 6PM • Here is another band that we’re very excited about having back after they had a very successful AA5 debut last year. This 8-member old-school R & B band was formed by long-time R & B singer and songwriter, Lee Willis. He started singing and performing at the tender age of 14 and went on to be known as “Mr. Excitement” due to his high-energy stage act. Fast forward to the present, and with an exciting new band, Lee is still performing the songs made famous by Jackie Wilson, Same Cooke, Wilson Pickett, James Brown, and many more. • $10 FOLK SOUL REVIVAL • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • Based in Bristol, Va./Tenn., a.k.a. the birthplace of country music, Folk Soul Revival is one of southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee’s most beloved and sought after acts. • FREE AMOUR WITH A MARCH THROUGH MAY, HEARTSICK, I, DIVINE, A MILLION SOULS, AND MY CRIMSON WISH • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 7PM • All ages. • $8-$10 FROG AND TOAD’S DIXIE QUARTET • The Crown and Goose • 8PM • Live jazz featuring a mix of original music, early

jazz and more. • FREE JAY CLARK AND THE TENNESSEE TREE BEAVERS WITH DANIEL KIMBRO AND GREG HORNE • Laurel Theater • 8PM • With a style best described as a mixture of folk and bluegrass, Jay Clark’s handcrafted lyrics run the gamut of hard living, hard drinking, civil disobedience, and old-time religion. As the son of a Cumberland Presbyterian minister from Winchester, Tennessee, Jay’s devout religious upbringing is apparent in his songwriting. • $11 THE GRASSLAND STRING BAND • Preservation Pub • 8PM • 21 and up. • FREE AARON LEWIS • Cotton Eyed Joe • 9PM • The former frontman of Staind continues his new career as a solo country artist. • $20 REBEL MOUNTAIN • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 9PM SOUL MECHANIC WITH VOODOO ECONOMICS • Scruffy City Hall • 9PM LEFT FOOT DAVE AND THE MAGIC HATS • Brackins Blues Club (Maryville) • 9PM FORLORN STRANGERS • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE JAKE DECKER • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 10PM THE DEAD RINGERS • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. • $5 Saturday, April 9 DOGWOOD ARTS FESTIVAL RHYTHM N’ BLOOMS MUSIC FESTIVAL • Rhythm N’ Blooms, part of the Dogwood Arts Festival, takes place every spring in various venues around downtown and the Old City. Visit rhythmnblooms-

Thursday, March 31 - Sunday, April 10

fest.com. • $75-$150 THE JOHN BYRNE BAND • WDVX • 12PM • Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-a-week lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • FREE SKINNY MOLLY WITH J.C. AND THE DIRTY SMOKERS • The Shed at Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson (Maryville) • 6PM • Southern rock ‘n’ roll. • $15 RANI ARBO AND DAISY MAYHEM: “AMERICAN SPIRITUAL” • Clayton Center for the Arts (Maryville) • 7:30PM • In American Spiritual, Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem lead concert audiences in a bonafide revival. There’s no tent, no potluck dinner—and no preaching, unless you count the band’s uproarious and wise stories. Instead, this charismatic quartet administers songs and tales that explore and revive the human spirit. • $20 ROBIN TROWER • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • Robin Trower is an English rock guitarist who achieved success with Procol Harum during the 1960s, and then again as the bandleader of his own power trio. • $40 THE DISMEMBERED TENNESSEANS • Laurel Theater • 8PM • The Chattanooga based Dismembered Tennesseans, led by champion fiddler Fletcher Bright, were formed in 1945. They have performed country with bluegrass “sung from the heart through the nose.” Regulars at the Laurel Theater, Fletcher is joined by Ed “Doc” Cullis on banjo, bassist and vocalist Laura Walker, multi- instrumentalist Ansley Moses, guitarist and vocalist Bobby Martin, mandolinist Don Cassell, Brian Blaylock on mandolin and dobro, and Fletcher’s son George Bright on flat top guitar. • $11 A MAN CALLED BRUCE • Preservation Pub • 8PM • Bruce performs original Swamp-o-phonic roots, rock & blues in the style of a one-man band using high-quality drum tracks while playing guitar & harmonica. 21 and up. • FREE THE RHINOS! WITH STATIONFLYBY AND GARRETT IVEY • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • All ages. • $5 THE CHICA NEGRA WITH LA BASURA DEL DIABLO, THE BILLY WIDGETS, AND VILLAGE GREEN PEOPLE • Longbranch Saloon • 9PM • Local post-punk/garage/rock ‘n’ roll band celebrates the release of its debut CD. 18 and up. • $5 KITTY WAMPUS • The Rocks Tavern • 9PM SHORT TERM MEMORY • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 9PM TREETOPS • Scruffy City Hall • 9PM THE JAYSTORM PROJECT • Brackins Blues Club (Maryville) • 9PM THE TOMMIE JOHN BAND • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 10PM THE BURNIN’ HERMANS • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. • $5 Sunday, April 10 DOGWOOD ARTS FESTIVAL RHYTHM N’ BLOOMS MUSIC FESTIVAL • Rhythm N’ Blooms, part of the Dogwood Arts Festival, takes place every spring in various venues around downtown and the Old City. Visit rhythmnbloomsfest.com. • $75-$150 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 ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE WITH MOUNDS • Pilot Light • 9PM • Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. (and subsequent offshoots) is a Japanese psychedelic band, the core of which formed in 1995. • $12-$15 CALABASH • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. • $3

CALENDAR

OPEN MIC AND SONGWRITER NIGHTS

Saturday, April 2 NARROW RIDGE MUSIC JAM • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 7PM • Guests are invited to share their talents in a forum that provides equal time to all who wish to participate. Our music gatherings are always a great way to get to know our neighbors and to witness first hand the amazing talent that exists here in our beautiful valley home. This is a non-alcoholic event that is free and open to all ages. Bring your friends, family, musical instrument, a song, poem or story as well as good cheer. Contributions to the snack table are appreciated but not required (finger foods only, please). For more information call 865-497-2753 or email community@narrowridge.org. • FREE Tuesday, April 5 PRESERVATION PUB SINGER/SONGWRITER NIGHT • Preservation Pub • 7PM OLD-TIME JAM SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM • Hosted by Sarah Pickle. • FREE BARLEY’S OPEN MIC NIGHT • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 8PM OPEN CHORD SONGWRITERS NIGHT • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • Hosted by Karen Reynolds. Wednesday, April 6 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) • 9PM • A weekly open session hosted by Tommie John. • FREE Thursday, April 7 IRISH MUSIC SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM • Held on the first and third Thursdays of each month. • FREE BREWHOUSE BLUES JAM • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • 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. Sunday, April 10 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

A (soon monthly) community-oriented event consisting of yoga, flow, dance, play, art, and a clothing swap. With music by Gregory Alan Tarrants and J Mo. 18 and up. • $5

CLASSICAL MUSIC

Thursday, March 31 MARYVILLE COLLEGE CONCERT CHOIR: JOURNEY TO THE HEARTLAND • Clayton Center for the Arts (Maryville) • 7PM • $5 Friday, April 1 MARYVILLE COLLEGE CONCERT CHOIR: JOURNEY TO THE HEARTLAND • Clayton Center for the Arts (Maryville) • 7PM • $5 Sunday, April 3 READY FOR THE WORLD MUSIC SERIES: SCANDINAVIA • University of Tennessee Natalie L. Haslam Music Center • 2PM • The University of Tennessee’s Ready for the World Music Series brings renowned artists to perform and talk about musical styles and literature from diverse regions around the world. Faculty artists, guest artists, and music historians will discuss the classical music traditions from each of those regions; followed by a performance providing representative samples. Ready for the World: Scandinavia, featuring Espen Lilleslatten (violin), Elias Goldstein (viola), and Kevin Class (piano), will explore some of the most beloved works for chamber ensemble from that region. Audience members should delight in the elegant and charming works from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. • FREE OAK RIDGE COMMUNITY BAND/WIND ENSEMBLE: MUSIC OF AMERICA • Oak Ridge High School • 3:30PM • Make plans to hear the Community Band celebrate music written by American composers and music celebrating Americana. Featured guests will be soprano vocalist Lettie Andrade de la Torre and narrator Lucas Potter. Admission is $5 for all adults over age 18. For more information visit www. orcb.org or call 865-482-3568. • $5 Tuesday, April 5 UT CHORAL CONCERT • University of Tennessee Alumni Memorial Building • 8PM • FREE Thursday, April 7 PELLISSIPPI STATE SPRING INSTRUMENTAL CONCERT • Pellissippi State Community College • 7PM • The concert is free and will offer a wide variety of instrumental musical performances. The concert is part of The Arts at Pellissippi State, a year-long series that brings to the community cultural activities ranging from music and theatre to international celebrations, lectures and the fine arts. For more information, visit www.pstcc.edu/arts. • FREE

Friday, April 1 TEKNOX V27 • The Birdhouse • 10PM • Sounds of the underground, including techno, house, and more, with John Brinker (Delta Quadrant/Lifestyle Interiors) and Lou Rawls (Project7 Sound/Moog Music) from Asheville, N.C., and J Mo. BYOB. 21 and up. • FREE

Friday, April 8 SCRUFFY CITY ORCHESTRA INAUGURAL CONCERT • First Baptist Church • 7:30PM • Scruffy City Orchestra, Knoxville’s first and only community orchestra, will host their first concert with the program Old Friends, New Faces, featuring the new faces of the orchestra playing well-known selections from a variety of old friends, including the first movement of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, Elgar’s Nimrod from Enigma Variations, and an arranged medley from Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Phantom of the Opera. Additional information about the orchestra can be found at facebook.com/scruffycityorchestra. • $5

Friday, April 8 HOUSE IS WHERE THE HEART IS • The Concourse • 7:30PM •

Saturday, April 9 KSO POPS SERIES: THE MUSIC OF LED ZEPPELIN • Knoxville

DJ AND DANCE NIGHTS

March 31, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 49

CALENDAR

Thursday, March 31 - Sunday, April 10

Civic Auditorium • 8PM • If it’s been a long time since you’ve rock n’ rolled, take the stairway to heaven. Or the stairway to the Civic Auditorium – sure to be filled with a ‘whole lotta love’ as former Zebra lead singer Randy Jackson fronts a rockin’ tribute to Led Zeppelin.

adventure. April 1-17. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘AN OPEN HAND’ • Clarence Brown Lab Theatre • 7PM • March 30-April 17. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com.

THEATER AND DANCE

Saturday, April 2 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘ANNIE JR.’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 1PM and 5PM • April 1-17. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘AN OPEN HAND’ • Clarence Brown Lab Theatre • 7PM • March 30-April 17. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. TENNESSEE STAGE COMPANY: SHAKESPEARE ON THE SQUARE AUDITIONS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 1PM • The Tennessee Stage Company will hold auditions for the 2016 Shakespeare On The Square season on Saturday, April 2, from 1:00 – 3:00 pm and Sunday. April 3, from 1:00 – 5:00 pm at the Emporium Building, 100 S. Gay Street. Auditionees are requested to prepare two contrasting monologues, at least one classical, of no more than one minute each. Please bring two copies of a resume and standard theatrical headshot. All auditions are by appointment only. For appointments please call the Tennessee Stage Company at 546-4280 or by e-mail at tennesseestage@comcast.net.The two shows to be performed this summer are The Merry Wives of Windsor and King Lear. They will run from July 14 – August 14. Rehearsals will begin the end of May. For more information contact Tennessee Stage Company at 546-4280 or look at our web site at www.tennessees-

Thursday, March 31 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘AN OPEN HAND’ • Clarence Brown Lab Theatre • 7PM • Suppose someone is overly generous to you…offering something you couldn’t possibly repay. Do you reject their generosity and risk offending them? Or do you accept the gift and then stew over what might be demanded in return? We’ve all heard the phrase, “It’s better to give than to receive.” But what dark secrets may be camouflaged by our human need to share with others? This CBT-commissioned satire ventures into this territory with wit and bite, observing the contemporary anxieties between those with means and those with hopes, dreams and disappointment. March 30-April 17. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. Friday, April 1 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘ANNIE JR.’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 7PM • The irrepressible comic strip heroine takes center stage in one of the world’s best-loved, award-winning musicals. Based on the popular comic strip and adapted from the Tony Award-winning Best Musical, Annie JR. features everyone’s favorite little redhead in her very first

tage.com. • FREE Sunday, April 3 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘ANNIE JR.’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 3PM • April 1-17. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘AN OPEN HAND’ • Clarence Brown Lab Theatre • 2PM • March 30-April 17. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. TENNESSEE STAGE COMPANY: SHAKESPEARE ON THE SQUARE AUDITIONS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 1PM • The Tennessee Stage Company will hold auditions for the 2016 Shakespeare On The Square season on Saturday, April 2, from 1:00 – 3:00 pm and Sunday. April 3, from 1:00 – 5:00 pm at the Emporium Building, 100 S. Gay Street. Auditionees are requested to prepare two contrasting monologues, at least one classical, of no more than one minute each. Please bring two copies of a resume and standard theatrical headshot. All auditions are by appointment only. For appointments please call the Tennessee Stage Company at 546-4280 or by e-mail at tennesseestage@comcast.net.The two shows to be performed this summer are The Merry Wives of Windsor and King Lear. They will run from July 14 – August 14. Rehearsals will begin the end of May. For more information contact Tennessee Stage Company at 546-4280 or look at our web site at www.tennesseestage.com. • FREE Tuesday, April 5 BROADWAY AT THE TENNESSEE: THE BOOK OF MORMON • Tennessee Theatre • 7:30PM • The New York Times calls it

“the best musical of this century,” while The Washington Post says, “It is the kind of evening that restores your faith in musicals. Entertainment Weekly raves, “Grade A: the funniest musical of all time,” and Jon Stewart of The Daily Show calls it “a crowning achievement. So good it makes me angry.” It’s The Book of Mormon, the nine-time Tony Award winner including Best Musical from the creators of South Park. Contains explicit language. For more information visit BookofMormonTheMusical.com. • $42-$82 Wednesday, April 6 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘AN OPEN HAND’ • Clarence Brown Lab Theatre • 7PM • March 30-April 17. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. BROADWAY AT THE TENNESSEE: THE BOOK OF MORMON • Tennessee Theatre • 7:30PM • The New York Times calls it “the best musical of this century,” while The Washington Post says, “It is the kind of evening that restores your faith in musicals. Entertainment Weekly raves, “Grade A: the funniest musical of all time,” and Jon Stewart of The Daily Show calls it “a crowning achievement. So good it makes me angry.” It’s The Book of Mormon, the nine-time Tony Award winner including Best Musical from the creators of South Park. Contains explicit language. For more information visit BookofMormonTheMusical.com. • $42-$82 Thursday, April 7 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘ANNIE JR.’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 7PM • April 1-17. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12

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May 20, 21, 22 - ON THE BEACHES OF GULF SHORES, ALABAMA

Tune in to WUTK 90.3 The Rock for chances to qualify for the “Hang Out WIth the Rock” contest. The grand prize winner will receive TWO 3-day passes to the amazing HangOut 2016 Music Festival May 20-22 in Gulf Shores, Alabama! You can register to win a pair of passes at The Craft House, The Pint House, and T-Ho Fresh Vietnamese Kitchen at 815 Merchants Drive through April 21. Grand prize drawing live at The Craft House April 22.

45th Annual Goodwill Awards Banquet Wednesday, April 6 Hilton Downtown Knoxville Celebrating those who believe in the power of work. Tickets at gwiktn.org or 865.588.8567.

From YOUR festival hook-up in Knoxville, 90.3 The Rock!

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 31, 2016

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Thursday, March 31 - Sunday, April 10

BROADWAY AT THE TENNESSEE: THE BOOK OF MORMON • Tennessee Theatre • 7:30PM • The New York Times calls it “the best musical of this century,” while The Washington Post says, “It is the kind of evening that restores your faith in musicals. Entertainment Weekly raves, “Grade A: the funniest musical of all time,” and Jon Stewart of The Daily Show calls it “a crowning achievement. So good it makes me angry.” It’s The Book of Mormon, the nine-time Tony Award winner including Best Musical from the creators of South Park. Contains explicit language. For more information visit BookofMormonTheMusical.com. • $42-$82 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘AN OPEN HAND’ • Clarence Brown Lab Theatre • 7PM • March 30-April 17. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. Friday, April 8 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘ANNIE JR.’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 7PM • April 1-17. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘AN OPEN HAND’ • Clarence Brown Lab Theatre • 7PM • March 30-April 17. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. BROADWAY AT THE TENNESSEE: THE BOOK OF MORMON • Tennessee Theatre • 8PM • The New York Times calls it “the best musical of this century,” while The Washington Post says, “It is the kind of evening that restores your faith in musicals. Entertainment Weekly raves, “Grade A: the funniest musical of all time,” and Jon Stewart of The Daily Show calls it “a crowning achievement. So good it makes me angry.” It’s The Book of Mormon, the nine-time Tony Award winner including Best Musical from the creators of South Park. Contains explicit language. For more information visit BookofMormonTheMusical.com. • $42-$82 Saturday, April 9 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘ANNIE JR.’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 1PM a nd 5PM • April 1-17. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘AN OPEN HAND’ • Clarence Brown Lab Theatre • 7PM • March 30-April 17. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. BROADWAY AT THE TENNESSEE: THE BOOK OF MORMON • Tennessee Theatre • 2PM and 8PM • The New York Times calls it “the best musical of this century,” while The Washington Post says, “It is the kind of evening that restores your faith in musicals. Entertainment Weekly raves, “Grade A: the funniest musical of all time,” and Jon Stewart of The Daily Show calls it “a crowning achievement. So good it makes me angry.” It’s The Book of Mormon, the nine-time Tony Award winner including Best Musical from the creators of South Park. Contains explicit language. For more information visit BookofMormonTheMusical.com. • $42-$82 OAK RIDGE CIVIC BALLET ASSOCIATION: ‘THE CLASSICS IN BLACK AND WHITE’ AND ‘TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN’ • Oak Ridge High School • 2PM • “The Classics in Black and White” features excerpts from some of ballet’s most cherished works, and “The Tales of Hans Christian Andersen” features “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” “The Little Mermaid,” a special tribute to “Frozen,” and “The Ugly Duckling.” Tickets may be purchased at the door, or at www.orcba.org. • $15 Sunday, April 10 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘ANNIE JR.’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 3PM • April 1-17. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘AN OPEN HAND’ • Clarence

CALENDAR

Brown Lab Theatre • 2PM • March 30-April 17. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. BROADWAY AT THE TENNESSEE: THE BOOK OF MORMON • Tennessee Theatre • 2PM and 7:30PM • The New York Times calls it “the best musical of this century,” while The Washington Post says, “It is the kind of evening that restores your faith in musicals. Entertainment Weekly raves, “Grade A: the funniest musical of all time,” and Jon Stewart of The Daily Show calls it “a crowning achievement. So good it makes me angry.” It’s The Book of Mormon, the nine-time Tony Award winner including Best Musical from the creators of South Park. Contains explicit language. For more information visit BookofMormonTheMusical.com. • $42-$82

COMEDY AND SPOKEN WORD

Friday, April 1 FIRST FRIDAY COMEDY PRESENTS IAN ABER • Saw Works Brewing Company • 7PM • First Friday Comedy at Saw Works returns for April Fools’ Day with a headline performance from Atlanta’s Ian Aber. Ian was recently a finalist for NBC’s Stand Up for Diversity talent infusion program and will be a part of NBC’s NACA Tour in 2016. Also performing will be Atlanta’s Hayley Ellman. Knoxville comic Matt Chadourne is the host. • FREE THE OOH OOH REVUE SHOW • Cocoa Moon • 10PM • We’re looking to bring a little more OOH! to your First Friday evenings here in Knoxville. First Fridays are a magical night of celebrating our artistic and creative community, we encourage you to take in all the amazing artist exhibits at Knoxville’s unique downtown galleries and then come celebrate and round out your evening with a fabulous show filled with guys and dames, fun and games. This show features some of Knoxville’s best and emerging talent: singers, dancers, comedians, spoken word poets, burlesque and four chances each show to win some swanky prizes. It’s a variety show where each cast member brings a different sizzling act each month to entertain, delight, surprise and more. 18 and up. • $10 Sunday, April 3 UPSTAIRS UNDERGROUND COMEDY • Preservation Pub • 8PM • A weekly comedy open mic. Monday, April 4 QED COMEDY LABORATORY • Pilot Light • 7:30PM • QED ComedyLaboratory is a weekly show with different theme every week that combines stand-up, improv, sketch, music and other types of performance and features some of the funniest people in Knoxville and parts unknown. It’s weird and experimental. There is no comedy experience in town that is anything like this and it’s also a ton of fun. Pay what you want. Free, but donations are accepted. • FREE Tuesday, April 5 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 CASUAL COMEDY • Casual Pint (Hardin Valley) • 7PM • A monthly comedy showcase at Casual Pint-Hardin Valley featuring a mixture of local and touring comedians. Friday, April 8 TOMÁŠ KUBÍNEK: CERTIFIED LUNATIC AND MASTER OF THE IMPOSSIBLE • Clayton Center for the Arts (Maryvillle) • 7:30PM • Tomáš Kubínek was born in Prague and at the age of 3 was smuggled out of the country by his parents to escape the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. After two months in a refugee camp in Austria, the Kubínek family was granted asylum in Canada and it was there, in St. Catharines, Ontario, that Tomáš witnessed his first circus. He became passionately interested in clowns, circus, theater, and magic. The one and only Dr. Professor Kubínek is a comic genius, virtuoso vaudevillian, and all-round charmer who gives audiences an utterly joyous experience they’ll remember for a lifetime. Visit www. kubinek.com. • $15.50-$28.50 Saturday, April 9 NARROW RIDGE STORYTELLING • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 7PM • Narrow Ridge welcomes you to join us for an evening of storytelling facilitated by Brad Stocker. We will gather from 7 to 9 p.m. with an invitation for you to share a story of your own or to simply enjoy the stories of others. Stories may be fiction or nonfiction, personal stories or personal favorites. This is a free event, and all ages are welcome. For more information call 865-497-2753 or email community@narrowridge.org. • FREE Sunday, April 10 UPSTAIRS UNDERGROUND COMEDY • Preservation Pub • 8PM • A weekly comedy open mic.

FESTIVALS

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 51

CALENDAR includes one of the most accomplished American composers of the 21st century and a couple of dozen of the most acclaimed artists from around the world, many of them already living legends. • $49.50-$450 • See cover story on page 18. Saturday, April 2 BIG EARS 2016 • The latest edition of Big Ears, the polyglot festival of contemporary classical and other outside-the-mainstream music staged in downtown Knoxville by AC Entertainment every spring, promises to be just as impressive as previous versions. The lineup includes one of the most accomplished American composers of the 21st century and a couple of dozen of the most acclaimed artists from around the world, many of them already living legends. • $49.50-$450 • See cover story on page 18. Sunday, April 3 BIG EARS 2016 • The latest edition of Big Ears, the polyglot festival of contemporary classical and other outside-the-mainstream music staged in downtown Knoxville by AC Entertainment every spring, promises to be just as impressive as previous versions. The lineup includes one of the most accomplished American composers of the 21st century and a couple of dozen of the most acclaimed artists from around the world, many of them already living legends. • $49.50-$450 • See cover story on page 18. Friday, April 8 PELLISSIPPI STATE FESTIVAL OF CULTURES • Pellissippi

Thursday, March 31 - Sunday, April 10

State Community College • 4PM • The ninth annual Festival of Cultures. Music, dance, food and much more during this multicultural celebration. Located in the J.L. Goins Administation Building. • FREE DOGWOOD ARTS FESTIVAL RHYTHM N’ BLOOMS MUSIC FESTIVAL • Rhythm N’ Blooms, part of the Dogwood Arts Festival, takes place every spring in various venues around downtown and the Old City. The lineup includes recent Grammy nominees the Mavericks; New Jersey funk/soul/gospel superstars Robert Randolph and the Family Band; Knoxville/Nashville big shots the Black Cadillacs; Brooklyn folk-rock duo the Lone Bellow; Philadelphia hip-hop/jam-band mad scientist G. Love and his backing band, Special Sauce; North Carolina heartland rockers American Aquarium; Australian roots experimentalists Jakubi; former everybodyfields frontman and current Black Lillie Sam Quinn; Midwestern folk- and world-music combo the Ragbirds; Florida singer/ songwriter Liz Longley; “no-hit wonder” Cory Branan; Arkansas neo-soul singer Knox Hamilton; Massachusetts folk quartet Darlingside; singer/songwriter David Ramirez; Americana trio Quiet Life; Southern rockers the Banditos; rock cellist/composer Dave Eggar; blue-eyed soul singer Mutlu; Nashville band Koa; New York singer/songwriter Caleb Hawley; psychedelic folk band Twin Limb; and more. Tickets for the festival are on sale now: $75 for general-admission weekend passes and $150 for VIP passes. Visit rhythmnbloomsfest.com. • $75-$150 Saturday, April 9 UT SCHOOL OF MUSIC GALA • Cherokee Country Club • 6PM

• An evening of inspired, bigger-than-life music making, fine dining, and lively auctions benefitting School of Music student scholarships. MASKAPALOOZA! • Pollard Technology Conference Center (Oak Ridge) • 7PM • Join us at Maskapalooza!, the semi-formal fundraiser event for the Oak Ridge Playhouse. Wear your most creative mask or buy one at the door. Monetary prizes will be awarded for the best masks. It will be an evening of mystery and revelry with a couple of celebrity guests, heavy hors d’oeuvres provided by Birdwell Catering, a cash bar, live auction, and dancing to your favorite tunes. Tickets cost $50 each. Phone 865- 389-3410 or email mgray@grayteam.net for tickets. • $50 DOGWOOD ARTS FESTIVAL RHYTHM N’ BLOOMS MUSIC FESTIVAL • Rhythm N’ Blooms, part of the Dogwood Arts Festival, takes place every spring in various venues around downtown and the Old City. Visit rhythmnbloomsfest.com. • $75-$150 Sunday, April 10 DOGWOOD ARTS FESTIVAL RHYTHM N’ BLOOMS MUSIC FESTIVAL • Rhythm N’ Blooms, part of the Dogwood Arts Festival, takes place every spring in various venues around downtown and the Old City. Visit rhythmnbloomsfest.com. • $75-$150

FILM SCREENINGS

Monday, April 4 THE BIRDHOUSE WALK-IN THEATER • The Birdhouse •

8:15PM • A weekly free movie screening. • FREE Tuesday, April 5 PUBLIC CINEMA: ‘NO HOME MOVIES’ • Pilot Light • 7:30PM • “The filmic companion to Chantal Akerman’s (1950-2015) recently published literary self-portrait My Mother Laughs, No Home Movie is a sober, profoundly moving portrait of Akerman’s mother in the months leading up to her death, when she was mostly confined to her Brussels apartment. A Polish Jew who survived Auschwitz, Akerman’s mother suffered from chronic anxiety all her life, an affliction that fuelled much of her daughter’s creative output and helped shape Akerman’s thematic preoccupations with gender, sex, cultural identity, existential ennui, solitude, and mania.”—Andrea Picard, Toronto International Film Festival • FREE Wednesday, April 6 SCRUFFY CITY CINEPUB • Scruffy City Hall • 10PM • A weekly program of movie screenings from the Scruffy City Film and Music Festival, Knoxville Horror Film Festival, and more. Saturday, April 9 RE:DREAM: PURSUITS OF HAPPINESS • The Birdhouse • 7:30PM • Join East Tennessee PBS, ReDream and the Birdhouse for a community screening of several short documentaries dealing with the idea of the “American Dream” in the 21st century. Screenings are free and open to the public, followed by a town-hall style discussion. • FREE

Lectures, Film, A Staged Reading of Moby-Dick, and more! Go to:

english.utk.edu/melville for complete festival details! Supported by: -The Mildred Haines and William Elijah Morris Lecture Endowment -Hodges Better English Fund -Departments of Theatre and Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures -American Studies Program -UT Humanities Center 52

KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 31, 2016

Thursday, March 31 - Sunday, April 10

SPORTS AND RECREATION

Thursday, March 31 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, April 1 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 Saturday, April 2 UT UNIVERSITY HOUSING FAINTING GOAT 5K AND FUN RUN • University of Tennessee • 9AM • The University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s University Housing will host its second annual Fainting Goat 5K and Fun Run on Saturday, April 2. Check-in is at 7:30 a.m. at Fred D. Brown Jr. Residence Hall, 1817 Andy Holt Ave., and the race begins at 9 a.m. Proceeds from the race will benefit Heifer International, an organization whose mission is to work with communities to end world hunger and poverty and to care for the earth. Registration and additional race details are available at http://bit.do/faintinggoat5k. KTC COVENANT KIDS’ RUN AND 5K • World’s Fair Park • 5:30PM • Knoxville Marathon weekend starts Saturday night with the kids’ one-mile run and the 5K race. Visit knoxvillemarathon.com. UT ARBORETUM SOCIETY SPRING WILDFLOWER WALK • University of Tennessee Arboretum • 12:30PM • The UT Arboretum Society will hold a spring wildflower walk at Haw Ridge Park on Edgemoor Road in Oak Ridge. The parking lot is at the west end of the park. The walk is free and open to the public. Kris Light, an expert naturalist, educator and photographer will lead this fun, educational and easy walk. To learn more about this event or the UT Arboretum Society, go to www.utarboretumsociety.org. For more information on the walk, call 483-3571. • FREE Sunday, April 3 I BIKE KNX OPEN HOUSE BIKE CLASSES • Earth Fare (Bearden) • 2PM • Whether you haven’t been on a bike in years, only ride on greenways, or never learned to bike, we have a class for you! Our Open House–style instruction allows you to choose from any of these classes. Bring your kids and your friends —all to the same class. 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. (Your kids are welcome to come ride around while you are in class, even if they aren’t taking a

CALENDAR

class. There is a parking lot behind the shopping center with no traffic.) • $20 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 KNOXVILLE MARATHON AND HALF-MARATHON • World’s Fair Park • 7:30AM • The crown jewel of Knoxville’s running season highlights a weekend full of races for kids and adults as well as an annual health and fitness expo. Visit knoxvillemarathon.com. Monday, April 4 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, April 5 CYCOLOGY 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, April 6 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, April 7 CYCOLOGY BICYCLES THURSDAY MORNING RIDE • Cycology Bicycles • 10AM • Join Cycology Bicycles every Thursday morning for a road ride with two group options. A Group 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 Friday, April 8 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. riversportsoutfitters.com. • FREE Saturday, April 9 BREAKTHROUGH RUN FOR AUTISM • Regal Cinemas Pinnacle Stadium 18 in Turkey Creek • 8AM • 5K run and 1-mile fun run. • $25-$30 FOR THE ONE 5K • University of Tennessee • 8AM • The Bachelor’s of Social Work Organization is hosting a 5k on the University of Tennessee campus. Conceptualized and organized by students, this advocacy run is designed to create conversation; conversations that will give voices to victims. Four specific issues have each been assigned a color and host organization to allocate portions of the profits to: mental illness; domestic violence; sexual assault.; and substance abuse. DOGWOOD ARTS FESTIVAL BIKES AND BLOOMS • Tennessee Valley Bikes • 10AM • We’ve teamed up with Legacy Parks again this year to make Bikes & Blooms even better as we experience the Dogwood trails the lean, green way – on a bicycle by way of an organized ride! Both are scenic 8-mile rides led by Tennessee Valley Bikes. Riders must wear helmets. Young riders must be skilled at on-road riding, suggested age 8 and up. No pre-registration required.You will see the beauty of South Knoxville’s Dogwood Trails from the seat of your bicycle. Riders will enjoy views of the Tennessee River, the colorful gardens along Island Home Boulevard, and the forested greenway path to Ijams Nature Center before returning to downtown. Visit dogwood arts.com. • FREE TENNESSEE ASSOCIATION OF VINTAGE BASE BALL • Historic Ramsey House • 12PM • Vintage base ball, played according to the rules and customs of 1864, returns to Tennessee for its fourth season, offering 55 regular season matches in 2016. Since its inaugural season in 2013, the Tennessee Association of Vintage Base Ball has grown to include 10 vintage base ball clubs in Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga. As revived iterations of Tennessee’s historic base ball teams, TAOVBB member clubs combine living history with sport, organizing barehanded, Civil War-era base ball games to educate and entertain their communities. • FREE Sunday, April 10 DOGWOOD ARTS FESTIVAL BIKES AND BLOOMS • Tennessee Valley Bikes • 10AM • We’ve teamed up with Legacy Parks again this year to make Bikes & Blooms even better as we experience the Dogwood trails the lean, green way – on a bicycle by way of an organized ride! Both are scenic 8-mile rides led by Tennessee Valley Bikes. Riders must wear helmets. Young riders must be skilled at on-road riding, suggested age 8 and up. No pre-registration required.You will pass vibrant displays of dogwood trees and gardens as you depart from the Old City and head through 4th and Gill, Old North, and other historic neighborhoods in North Knoxville. After a stop for a refreshing drink at Three Rivers Market you will return to downtown. Visit dogwood arts.com. • FREE 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 KTC I.C. KING OF TRAILS RACE • I.C. King Park • 9AM • A March 31, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 53

CALENDAR delightful circuit of single-track trails, the system at I.C. King Park south of Knoxville offers many miles of winding, hilly footpaths. Frequented by mountain bikers as well as runners, the area is a hidden gem just five miles south of the University of Tennessee. And even in the wake of what we feared would be extensive disruption after a utility company gas line construction, the park has recovered, largely due to efforts of local mountain bikers and trail stewards but also an unexpected spirit of cooperation by KUB.As always, this year’s race will be limited to 100 runners, due to parking constraints and desire to not overwhelm the trail itself, and will be handicapped by age and gender. The course itself may be subject to modification from past years, so stay tuned. Visit ktc.org.

ART

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts 556 Parkway (Gatlinburg) MARCH 19-MAY 14: Not to Scale, artwork by Arrowmont artists in residence Charlie Ryland, Drew Davis Johnson, Julia Gartrell, Sarah Rachel Brown, and Skye Livingston. Art Market Gallery 422 S. Gay St. MARCH 29-APRIL 30: Artwork by Lisa Kurtz and Dennis Sabo. An opening reception will be held on Friday, April 1, at 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 31 - Sunday, April 10

Bennett Galleries 5308 Kingston Pike MARCH 15-APRIL 30: Masterworks From the Estate of Carl Sublett From the 1950s Through the End of the 20th Century. An opening reception will be held on Friday, April 1, from 5-8 p.m. Bliss Home 24 Market Square MARCH 4-APRIL 30: Artwork by Lindsey Teague. A reception will be held on Friday, April 1, from 6-9 p.m. Broadway Studios and Gallery 1127 Broadway APRIL 1-30: Artwork by Owen Weston. An opening reception will be held on Friday, April 1, from 5-9 p.m. Clayton Center for the Arts 502 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway APRIL 7-22: Dogwood Arts Festival Synergy Student Exhibition. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, April 7, from 5-9 p.m. Emporium Center for Arts and Culture 100 S. Gay St. APRIL 1-29: Dogwood Arts Regional Fine Art Exhibition, a juried show featuring artwork by more than 40 artists from the Southeast and beyond, and Whimsical and Reflective, paintings and drawings by Stephanie Robertson. An opening reception will be held on Friday, April 1, from 5-9 p.m.

Flow: A Brew Parlor 603 W. Main St. APRIL 1-30: The Art of Cynthia Markert: Representing 40 Years of Painting. An opening reception will be held on Friday, April 1, 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 MARCH 18-APRIL 16: Spring Blooms, featuring work by Jeanne Leemon, Ursula Brenner, Jose Luis Nunez, Bill Cook Jr., Dan Miller, and Louise Ragle. Pioneer House 413 S. Gay St. APRIL 1-30: Photos by Darrell Cecil Belcher. An opening reception will be held on Friday, April 1, from 6-9 p.m. 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

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 31, 2016

the Roman Frontier. Pellissippi State Community College 10915 Hardin Valley Road MARCH 28-APRIL 15: Annual student juried art exhibition.

LECTURES, READINGS, AND BOOK SIGNINGS

Friday, April 1 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 Monday, April 4 WRITERS IN THE LIBRARY: NIKKY FINNEY • University of Tennessee • 7PM • Nikky Finney will give a poetry reading at the University of Tennessee’s Writers in the Library on Monday, April 4, at 7 p.m. in the Lindsay Young Auditorium of the John C. Hodges Library. The reading is free and

CALENDAR open to the public. Finney is the author of five books, including Head Off and Split, the winner of the 2011 National Book Award in poetry, which addresses contemporary southern African-American life, the response to Hurricane Katrina, and the legacy of Civil Rights activism in our contemporary culture. Nikky Finney has attracted worldwide attention for her award-winning poems and her moving readings and presentations. She has been nominated for an NAACP Image Award, featured as a guest on Maya Angelou’s Black History Month Special and Def Poetry Jam, interviewed by NPR’s Talk of the Nation, and covered by periodicals from The Chronicle of Higher Education to Time. • FREE Tuesday, April 5 JAMES J. AIMERS: “RECENT RESEARCH ON THE MAYA COLLAPSE” • McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture • 7:30PM • The East Tennessee Society of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) and the McClung Museum present James J. Aimers of the State University of New York, Geneseo lecturing on “Recent Research on the Maya Collapse.” • FREE Thursday, April 7 ROBERT MORGAN • Bijou Theatre • 7PM • Robert Morgan, the acclaimed author of Gap Creek and The Road from Gap Creek, will speak about the impact of Wilma Dykeman’s fiction and non-fiction in his own work at the beginning of a two-day tribute to Dykeman on April 7 and 8. The events are sponsored by the Library Society of the University of Tennessee and the Friends of the Knox County Public Library.Morgan will deliver the Wilma Dykeman Stokely Memorial Lecture at the Bijou Theatre on Thursday, April 7, at 7 p.m. to honor Dykeman as a novelist, journalist, educator, historian, and environmentalist. The following morning, Morgan will lead a panel of experts on Appalachian literature and culture in a discussion of Dykeman’s far-reaching contributions to our region. The forum will be held in UT’s John C. Hodges Library, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., Friday, April 8. Both events are free and open to the public. Online registration is requested for Morgan’s lecture on April 7, at knoxfriends. org/robert-morgan. • FREE Friday, April 8 WILMA DYKEMAN PANEL DISCUSSION • University of Tennessee • 10AM • Robert Morgan, the acclaimed author of Gap Creek and The Road from Gap Creek, will speak about the impact of Wilma Dykeman’s fiction and non-fiction in his own work at the beginning of a two-day tribute to Dykeman on April 7 and 8. The events are sponsored by the Library Society of the University of Tennessee and the Friends of the Knox County Public Library.Morgan will deliver the Wilma Dykeman Stokely Memorial Lecture at the Bijou Theatre on Thursday, April 7, at 7 p.m. to honor Dykeman as a novelist, journalist, educator, historian, and environmentalist. The following morning, Morgan will lead a panel of experts on Appalachian literature and culture in a discussion of Dykeman’s far-reaching contributions to our region. The forum will be held in UT’s John C. Hodges Library, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., Friday, April 8. Both events are free and open to the public. Online registration is requested for Morgan’s lecture on April 7, at knoxfriends.org/robert-morgan. • FREE 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 Saturday, April 9 JAMES HASKELL: ‘TWO TENTS: TWENTY-ONE YEARS OF DISCOVERY ON THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL’ • Union Ave Books • 2PM • Book signing with James Haskell reading from Two Tents: Twenty-One years of Discovery on the Appalachian Trail. • FREE Sunday, April 10 CIVIL WAR BUS TOUR • McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture • 2PM • Join McClung Museum Civil War curator Joan Markel, for an exciting ride on the Union line and hear the powerful tale of the bloody Battle of Fort Sanders. Markel will point out important Civil War era sites around the Fort Sanders neighborhood and Knoxville from the comfort of a tour bus, complete with wine and snacks. To reserve your spot, please contact Stacy Palado at 865-974-2143 or spalado@utk.edu. • $40-$60 JIM HASKELL: ‘TWO TENTS’ • Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church • 3PM • His hair-raising encounter with an angry black bear in the Smokies will be one of his stories about the Appalachian Trail that author Jim Haskell will share with people in the Knoxville area in early April.Haskell, who lives in Ipswich, Mass., will tell four groups about his experiences of section hiking all 2,200 miles of America’s most famous footpath and his new book, Two Tents: Twenty-one Years of Discovery on the Appalachian Trail, April 9-11 in Knoxville, Oak Ridge and Kingston, Tenn.Two Tents has been favorably received by hikers and non-hikers alike. “You don’t have to be planning a hike on the Appalachian Trail to enjoy Two Tents; Jim Haskell gives you the highlights and much else beside. So put your feet up and relax,” stated the Maine Sunday Telegram in a December review. His trip to Knoxville will mark Haskell’s first promotional tour in the South. • FREE

FAMILY AND KIDS’ EVENTS

Saturday, April 2 BABYWEARING INTERNATIONAL OPEN HOUSE • New Harvest Park • 10AM • The event will feature family-friendly games, food, giveaways and prizes. $5 wristbands will be available for purchase to play unlimited games, and individual $1 tickets will be available for food and games as well. All proceeds from the event will benefit Babywearing International of Knoxville, a non-profit organization. Everyone is invited to attend to this public event. Volunteer educators will be on hand, along with a large carrier library, to help the public learn more about babywearing. Babywearing International, Inc. is a nonprofit organization which was founded in 2007 in order promote babywearing and support volunteer-run, non-profit babywearing groups. For more information about Babywearing International, please visit www.babywearinginternational.org. • FREE BIG ORANGE STEM SATURDAY • University of Tennessee • 9AM • Students (and their parents) can learn about careers in science, engineering, and math at a free STEM

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March 31, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 55

CALENDAR event on Saturday, April 2, on the UT campus. Big Orange STEM Saturday is aimed at high school and first-year college students. Participants will meet current STEM undergraduates and learn about unique UT programs that can advance their success in STEM fields. Pre-register at http://tiny.utk.edu/boss. • FREE KTC COVENANT KIDS’ RUN AND 5K • World’s Fair Park • 5:30PM • Knoxville Marathon weekend starts Saturday night with the kids’ one-mile run and the 5K race. Visit knoxvillemarathon.com. Saturday, April 9 MURPHY THE CELEBRITY DOG • CitiFid-O • 11AM • Murphy of the children’s book Murphy’s Heart will pawtograph copies of the book. Proceeds benefit animal rescue groups. Also, Noah’s Arc will have dogs for adoption. • FREE FAMILY FUN DAY: MAYA FESTIVAL • McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture • 1PM • Join us for free a free Family Fun Day at McClung Museum. We’ll host a Maya Festival with food, crafts, demonstrations and more as part of programming for our special exhibition, Maya: Lords of Time.All materials will be provided. The program is free and open to the public. Reservations are not necessary. • FREE DOGWOOD ARTS FESTIVAL CHALK WALK • Market Square • 8:30AM • The Chalk Walk comes back in its eighth year and remains one of the fan favorites among our visitors in April! The street painting festival, whose origination as a featured event of Dogwood Arts, drew inspiration from a 16th century Italian happening, turns Knoxville’s

Thursday, March 31 - Sunday, April 10

downtown sidewalks into a seemingly infinite canvas for the region’s most talented professional and student artists. If we have bad weather, the walk will be moved to Sunday, April 10. • FREE RANI ARBO AND DAISY MAYHEM: “RANKY TANKY” • Clayton Center for the Arts • 11AM • This humorous, energetic and participatory school/family show springs from Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem’s award-winning family CD, Ranky Tanky. Musically, the show travels through a century of American Roots music, from Georgia Sea Island songs to Texas swing, Nat King Cole, the Funky Meters, Cat Stevens and more; and the band will have kids (and grownups) clapping, singing, dancing, and inventing their own lyrics along the way. The band introduces each instrument on stage (kids are magnetized by Kessel’s 100% recycled drum kit) and underscores that you don’t need fancy equipment to make music — just good friends who are ready to play. • $15 Sunday, April 10 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 31

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 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 ROCK CLIMBING BASICS • REI • 7PM • Join REI for an introductory class in rock climbing. Participants will leave with an understanding of the different types of climbing, what gear is necessary and the basics on how to get started. Note: this is an informational class - not an on-the-wall climbing session. Visit rei.com/stores/ knoxville. • FREE PORTRAIT AND LIFE DRAWING SESSIONS • Historic Candoro DISCOVER DISCOVER

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 31, 2016

Marble Company • 2PM • Portrait and life drawing practice at Candoro Art & Heritage Center. $10. Call Brad Selph for more information (865-573-0709). • $10 A SPIRITUAL GATHERING • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 7PM • Come join a spiritual evening of classical Indian spiritual songs, meditation, and spiritual wisdom from Br. Ramanand, an amazing spiritual musician and monk from India. Br. Ramanand will give a spiritual talk, lead a meditations and sing classical Indian spiritual songs with traditional Indian musical accompaniment.Bramachari Ramanand has lived most of his life with the renown hugging saint Mata Amritanandamayi or Amma. Amma in India means mother. Read more about Amma at embracingtheworld. com or amm.org. • FREE Saturday, April 2 IMPROV COMEDY CLASS • The Birdhouse • 10:30AM • A weekly improv comedy class. • FREE AARP DRIVER SAFETY SMART DRIVER CLASS • Westminster Presbyterian Church • 9AM • Call 865-675-0694. KNOX COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS: DRIP IRRIGATION • All Saints Catholic Church • 10:30AM • Join the Extension Master Gardener team to get hands-on experience of putting together the pieces and parts for drip irrigation in raised beds and containers at the Charity Garden at All Saints. Please bring your garden gloves (and knee pads if you wish). This is an out of doors event, so check www. knoxcountymastergardener.org in the event of stormy weather. Call UT Extension at 865-215-2340. • FREE SHIFTING FREQUENCIES WORKSHOP • Shanti Yoga Haven • 1PM • Many are experiencing shifts in consciousness, “attunements” from ethereal sources which they believe will create evolutionary changes in human consciousness; others are preparing for global catastrophe. Learn how universal spiritual laws can help you create shifts in your own life and frequency, activating the awakening frequency to fill your life with wisdom, love, joy and inner peace regardless of what occurs on the material plane. Rasamayi is an internationally acclaimed and award-winning sound healer, who has taught frequency shifting principles in metaphysical venues nationwide. • $44 Sunday, April 3 YOGA AT NARROW RIDGE • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 9:30AM • Narrow Ridge invites you to join us every Sunday morning for yoga instruction from Angela Gibson. This class can be tailored to each individual’s ability level. For information call 865-497-2753 or email community@narrowridge.org. • FREE I BIKE KNX OPEN HOUSE BIKE CLASSES • Earth Fare (Bearden) • 2PM • Whether you haven’t been on a bike in years, only ride on greenways, or never learned to bike, we have a class for you! Our Open House–style instruction allows you to choose from any of these classes. Bring your kids and your friends —all to the same class. 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. (Your kids are welcome to come ride around while you are in class, even if they aren’t taking a class. There is a parking lot behind the shopping center with no traffic.) • $20 Monday, April 4 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Tennessee Valley

CALENDAR Unitarian Universalist Church • 5:30PM • Call 865-5772021 or email yogaway249@gmail.com. Donations accepted. 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. 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 WITH HOPE IN MIND CLASS • First Farragut United Methodist Church • 9AM • 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. To register, contact Cookie Spillers, 865-671-0703, or Joyce Judge, 865-966-4731. • FREE Tuesday, April 5 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail.com. Donations accepted. 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 Wednesday, April 6 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. Thursday, April 7 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 • For more information about the VITA program at UT Law, contact Morgan at 865-974-2492 or rmorgan2@utk.edu. • FREE PORTRAIT AND LIFE DRAWING SESSIONS • Historic Candoro Marble Company • 2PM • Portrait and life drawing practice at Candoro Art & Heritage Center. $10. Call Brad Selph for more information (865-573-0709). • $10 KNOXVILLE WRITERS’ GUILD • Central United Methodist Church • 7PM • Come laugh and learn with James Newport, founder of the Gatlinburg Improv Festival and

Paul Simmons, founder of Einstein Simplified. Come hear about writing for this renowned comedy style. A $2 donation is requested at the door. Current KWG members are welcome bring their literary works to sell at the meeting. • $2 Friday, April 8 MINDFULNESSTN • Bijou Theatre • 8:30AM • Raising awareness of mindfulness meditation-based research and its impact on health and well-being. Presenters from Harvard Medical School, Wake Forest, University of Pennsylvania, University of Utah, and Pacific University. Topics include: reduction of stress by using mindfulness-based meditation; benefits of mindfulness & yoga practices in the clinical setting; application of mindfulness-based therapy for chronic pain; mindfulness-based relapse prevention for veterans; neurological effects of mindfulness-based meditation. Visit www. mindfulnessTN.com to register. • FREE Saturday, April 9 IMPROV COMEDY CLASS • The Birdhouse • 10:30AM • A weekly improv comedy class. • FREE 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 RAIN BARREL WORKSHOP • Church of the Good Shepherd • 10AM • Would you like free water for your gardens? Come make your own rain barrel. The rain barrel workshop series is brought to you by the Water Quality Forum. Cost is $40 per barrel, and advanced registration is required. To register, please contact Kellie Caughor at the UT Water Resources Research Center at kcaughor@utk.edu or (865) 974-2151. • $40 Sunday, April 10 YOGA AT NARROW RIDGE • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 9:30AM • Narrow Ridge invites you to join us every Sunday morning for yoga instruction from Angela Gibson. This class can be tailored to each individual’s ability level. For information call 865-497-2753 or email community@narrowridge.org. • FREE

MEETINGS

Thursday, March 31 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 Saturday, April 2 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 March 31, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 57

CALENDAR 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 • Judith Rothermel, a memoir class instructor, legacy letter writer and legacy consultant and former Knox County Schools teacher, will present a writing session on “Legacy Letters: Sharing the Wealth of the Heart.” All are welcome. Seekers of Silence is an ecumenical and interfaith group seeking closer communion with God through silence. sosknoxville.org. • FREE Sunday, April 3 NARROW RIDGE SILENT MEDITATION GATHERING • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 11AM • Narrow Ridge invites you to join us for our Silent Meditation Gathering on Sundays. The gatherings are intended to be inclusive of people of all faiths as well as those who do not align themselves with a particular religious denomination. For information call 865-497-2753 or email community@ narrowridge.org. • FREE THREE RIVERS! EARTH FIRST! • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 7PM • Three Rivers! Earth First! is the local dirt worshipping, tree hugging, anarchist collective that meets every Sunday night on the second floor of Barley’s in the back room (when its available) to organize against strip mining, counter protest the KKK and Nazis, to clean up Third Creek and to fight evil corporations in general. Open meeting, rotating facilitation, collective model. Y’all come. Call (865) 257-4029 for more information. • FREE VEGETARIAN SOCIETY • Tennessee Valley Unitarian

Thursday, March 31 - Sunday, April 10

Universalist Church • 6PM • Jim Harb will demonstrate falafel making at the next regular meeting of the Vegetarian Society, followed by a potluck supper. • $4 Monday, April 4 GAY MEN’S DISCUSSION GROUP • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 7:30PM • We hold facilitated discussions on topics and issues relevant to local gay men in a safe and open environment. Visit gaygroupknoxville.org. Tuesday, April 5 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 Thursday, April 7 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 Saturday, April 9 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, April 10 NARROW RIDGE SILENT MEDITATION GATHERING • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 11AM • Narrow Ridge invites you to join us for our Silent Meditation Gathering on Sundays. The gatherings are intended to be inclusive of people of all faiths as well as those who do not align themselves with a particular religious denomination. For information call 865-497-2753 or email community@ narrowridge.org. • FREE THREE RIVERS! EARTH FIRST! • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 7PM • Three Rivers! Earth First! is the local dirt worshipping, tree hugging, anarchist collective that meets every Sunday night on the second floor of Barley’s in the back room (when its available) to organize against strip mining, counter protest the KKK and Nazis, to clean up Third Creek and to fight evil corporations in general. Open meeting, rotating facilitation, collective model. Y’all come. Call (865) 257-4029 for more information. • FREE 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

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Saturday, April 2 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 MABRY-HAZEN HOUSE PARK DAY • Mabry-Hazen House • 9AM • History buffs, community leaders and preservationists will team up with the Civil War Trust at more than 125 sites in 29 states to answer the call to service on Park Day. Celebrating its twentieth year, Park Day has attracted volunteers of all ages and abilities bound by their dedication to serving their communities at historic sites nationwide. Activities will include leaf and brush removal, mulching, and general spring-cleaning. Additional information about the event can be obtained by visiting www.mabryhazen.com or by calling 865-522-8661. Please RSVP by March 30. • FREE Friday, April 8 THE HIVE FLEA • The Hive • 10AM • A weekend sale of vintage furniture and decor. Saturday, April 9 THE HIVE FLEA • The Hive • 10AM • A weekend sale of vintage furniture and decor.

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY 59

’BYE

Sacred & P rofane

The Angel Crossing paths with a true man of God, Jeff Hill BY DONNA JOHNSON

eff Hill loved four things: God, his wife, Suzy, his grandkids, and antique cars. And I like to think he loved me a little bit. Certainly, he helped me far beyond the call of duty. This story is to honor and remember him, and to thank the church he so graciously represented, Fellowship Church on Middlebrook Pike, which sought as far as possible to follow God’s teachings in word and in deed. They did so with me. I was no different 10 years ago than I am now. Shopping was my passion, shopping was my undoing. I still had a car then and was constantly running out of gas, since I put the bare minimum into my small Toyota Corolla, preferring to spend my money on ever-increasing useless, shiny objects. The store Bombay was a favorite of mine at the time: strings of shiny beads, large wind chimes that were more like gongs calling Tibetan monks for prayer, and sarongs of brilliant yellows, purples, and reds— one of which I would wear out of the store along with a pair of multi-colored earrings that dangled to my shoulders. I would pile the rest of my purchases into the back seat and go flying down the highway with the windows down, colorful sarongs flapping behind me. I was able to forget for a few moments that I was three months behind on my rent and on the edge of eviction. As I sang “Angels We Have Heard on High” at the top of my lungs, I realized that I was, without a shadow of a doubt, running out of gas. I usually knew almost exactly how far I could go below empty without actually running out of gas, but in my Christmas glee I had miscalculated. I barely

KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 31, 2016

made it to the curb before the car stopped dead on Middlebrook Pike. I could see a gas station in the distance, but all my money was gone and I wasn’t about to leave all my fabulous merchandise in the car for some teen-age West Knoxville thugs to break in and steal it. So there I sat, smoking, thumping my fingers against the steering wheel, thinking about what I should do next. After about a half-hour, a man drove up in an old Mustang convertible and got out. “You look like you could use some help,” said the man, who was dressed in a white shirt and khakis. He had very kind eyes. “I happen to carry a gas can in my car. I’ll go and get you enough gas to get to the gas station. Then I’ll follow you to the gas station and we can fill your car up.” I was nonplussed. “Are you an angel?” I asked, partly in jest, partly in earnest. “Oh, no,” the man said. “I’m no angel. I’m just fortunate enough that God chose me to do His will. Right now, His will is for us to go and fill up your car.” “Well, thank you,” I stammered. He put out his hand. “I’m Jeff Hill,” he said. “I’m manage the finances of Fellowship Church over yonder.” I took his hand and told him my name. I knew of Fellowship Church— it was enormous, with many greenroofed buildings that stretched over a couple of blocks. An old roommate of mine went there. After he filled up my car, I followed him back to his church, where he asked me if I had been saved. “I’ve been saved several times,” I told him, having gone up the aisle to rededicate my life many, many times

in Fentress County at the First Baptist Church I was raised in. Jeff smiled gently at me and his eyes twinkled from behind his black-rimmed glasses. “You only need to be saved once,” he said softly. “How is everything else in your life going?” I began to cry and told him I was about to be evicted. If he saw all the newly bought, expensive merchandise in my car, he was kind enough not to comment on it. He simply got out a checkbook and wrote me a check for the amount of rent I was behind, approximately $1,800. “I can’t thank you enough,” I said. “I promise I will never ask you again.” “Now, we don’t know what the future holds for us, so you needn’t make rash promises,” he said in his ever-gracious way. All in all, over the course of five or so years, I “borrowed” $5,000 or so from the church. They never asked me to pay the money back and the church members were invariably kind and loving to me no matter what I did. During this period I had acquired several speeding tickets. Though I had a payee through the East Tennessee Human Resource Agency, it was pretty useless since she would give me the entire sum of my check at the beginning of the month, which I would then squander within hours. My ETHRA payee was supposed to be making payments on my traffic tickets and due to her failure to do so, a warrant was taken out on me, served, and I went straight to jail. No one could have been more surprised than me, and I sat stunned and not a little angry. For those of you who have never been to the Knox County jail, it is no picnic. You are stripped of your dignity as they strip you of your clothes and do a search to make sure you have no weapons or drugs stowed in the various crevices of your body. Because of my insubordination and, later, tears, I was put in solitary confinement with only a paper gown to wear, in a room that was freezing. Because of my weeping, I had to keep ripping off pieces of my paper gown to blow my nose, so that within a couple of hours I was practically naked. I sat

in a corner on the floor, rocking myself back and forth, trying to think of a way out of jail. I had not used my one phone call, so when they brought my dinner—a bologna sandwich on stale bread—I asked to use the phone. At 3 o’clock in the afternoon, three days before Christmas, the likelihood that Jeff Hill would be in his office was not great. Saying a small prayer before I dialed, I hoped for the best. Since all the secretaries had left for the Christmas holidays, it was Jeff himself who answered the phone. “Jeff, I’m in jail and I need $900 to get out. Can you help?” Ever being the compassionate person he was, he did not ask whether I had bounced another check, gotten arrested for drunk driving, or knocked an old lady down carrying her packages out to the car, but only, “Are you all right?” and then, “When do you need the money and where do I bring it?” “I need it now!” I hollered into the phone, and after a pause at the other end: “Oh, and Jeff, it has to be in cash.” My voice trailed off at this last. It was really too much even for God’s people. “I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Jeff said, and hung up the phone. True to his word, within two hours, Jeff arrived with nine crisp $100 bills. I and the clerk watched mesmerized as he counted the bills out and laid them on the counter. “Now,” he said firmly, “I’d like to take this young lady home.” Within minutes, Jeff was driving me to my apartment, even stopping to get me a lighter and a pack of cigarettes, though he grimaced at this. As I turned to wave back at Jeff, he had already vanished like the angelic being he was. It’s been years since I talked to Jeff Hill, at least in person, for he died a year later from colon cancer, going to be with his God as courteously and joyfully as he had lived his whole life. I shall never forget the kindness that he and Fellowship Church showed me. They were unfailingly gracious and loving toward me and exemplified the love of Christ in magnanimous ways. ◆

’BYE BY IAN BLACKBURN AND JACK NEELY

CLASSIFIEDS

Support the Knoxville Mercury and sell your stuff by purchasing an ad in our classifieds section.

FOR SALE

2009 BMW 650I CONVERTIBLE $31,885, Low Mileage, Convertible 650i, Excellent Condition 4.8L V8 Power. 2 locations! Call 865-977-1353 or 865-977-1063 or visit hepperlyautosales.com

2009 CHEVROLET COLORADO LT $13,981, 4x4, I5 Engine, Excellent Condition New Tires. 2 locations! Call 865-977 -1353 or 865-977-1063 or visit hepperlyautosales.com

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

$5 NEW YEAR’S SALE, local and handmade, unique and modern, repurposed vintage beads, hand-painted geometric necklaces, and more. etsy.com/shop/triciabee

2012 CHEVROLET SONIC LS $7,881, 35 MPG, Excellent Condition! Runs And Drives Great. 2 locations! Call 865-977-1353 or 865-977-1063 or visit hepperlyautosales.com

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2013 CHEVROLET SPARK 1LT $9,881, Factory Warranty! 37 MPG, Efficient, Economical, Every Thing You need For Getting Where you Want To Go! 2 locations! Call 865-977-1353 or 865-977-1063 or visit hepperlyautosales.com.

2011 HONDA ACCORD 2.4 SE $14,881. 1 Owner! Heated Leather Seats, Serviced At Rusty Wallace Honda. 2 locations! Call 865-977-1353 or 865-977-1063 or visit hepperlyautosales.com.

CLAUDETTE - is a 4 year old Female Beagle. She would be great with a home with kids. She is spayed & is up to date on all vaccinations! Visit Young-Williams Animal Center or call 865-2156599 for more information.

KARMA - is an American Pit Bull Terrier/ mix. She’s a gentle giant and huge goofball! She would be great for an active family! She has such a loving temperament. She is spayed & is up to date on all vaccinations! Visit Young -Williams Animal Center or call 865-2156599 for more information.

HOUSING

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COMMUNITY

MAKE MOTHER’S DAY EASIER This Mother’s Day, give the necessities to mothers in need. Help us give away diapers, wash cloths, socks, & more–in beautifully designed, cupcakeshaped packages–for free to local babies. To donate money for baby items, 100% of which are Made in the USA, please call 615-500-0329. Visit Rock A Bye Baby Cupcakes on FB. SCORE! FOR YOUR SMALL BUSINESS. Free counseling and mentoring for small business start-ups or existing businesses provided by volunteer professionals with extensive experience. For more information, call (865) 692-0716 or visit http://scoreknox.org/ PLACE YOUR AD AT STORE.KNOXMERCURY.COM

COTTON - is as sweet & soft as her name. She’s a Siamese / mix. She is spayed & is up to date on all vaccinations! Visit Young-Williams Animal Center or call 865-2156599 for more information.

OZZIE - is a 9 year old senior gentleman! He’s a Jack Russell Terrier/ mix. He loves to chat, & LOVES treats! He is neutered, and up to date on shots Visit Young-Williams Animal Center or call 865-215-6599 for more information.

MARY - is a Domestic Shorthair/Mix, Female Cat, who is 9 months old and as sweet as an be! Visit Young-Williams Animal Center or call 865-215-6599 for more information.

MAX - is a mellow, 5 year old Domestic shorthair/ mix. He loves toys & has great energy! He’d be great with kids! He is neutered, & up to date on all shots! Visit Young-Williams Animal Center or call 865-215-6599 for more information.

BEAR BEAR & ROXY - are best friends and must go home together! But came into YWAC with serious medical conditions. We were able to use our Animal Compassion Fund to perform surgery on bear bear, a 1 year old Retriever. Bear Bear had severe entropion. She could not keep her eyes open. Both eyes were corrected and now she can see and is no longer in pain! Roxy is a 1 yearold Boxer/mix. Both are up to date on shots, have been spayed and are ready to go to a loving home today! Visit Young -Williams Animal Center or call 865-215- 6599 for more information.

March 31, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 61

’BYE

Spir it of the Staircase

BY MATTHEW FOLTZ-GRAY

KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 31, 2016

March 31, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 63

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