ALSO INSIDE:
The Official Pullout Guide to Rhythm N’ Blooms
YEP, WE FINALLY USED “-PALOOZA” IN A HEADLINE
APRIL 7, 2016 KNOXMERCURY.COM V.
2 / N.14
BY KEVIN RIDDER
Your guide to lots and lots of Knoxville’s spring festivals
NEWS
Urban Agriculture Initiative Breaks Ground with Old City Gardens
JACK NEELY
A Couple of Moments From the Festival That’s Changing Knoxville
ART
Sculptor Jason Sheridan Brown’s Views of the Appalachian Landscape
OUTSIDE INSIDER
10 Well-Earned Tips for Photographing the Great Outdoors
Presented by:
&
APRIL 26 - MAY 1 Celebrating the Music of Film
OPENING FILM
THE SMART STUDIOS STORY
A SONG FOR YOU: THE AUSTIN CITY LIMITS STORY
Wednesday, April 27, 9 PM Scruffy City Hall
Sunday, May 1, 7 PM Scruffy City Hall
HEADLINING FILM
HEADLINING BAND
This documentary reveals the pivotal Midwest link to the global rise of 1990’s Alternative Rock and the unassuming recording studio at its center.
A front-row seat and backstage pass to the greatest performances of the longest running music show in television history.
BORN TO BE BLUE
BEN SOLLEE
A re-imagining of jazz legend Chet Baker’s musical comeback in the late ‘60s.
Born and raised in Kentucky, cellist Ben Sollee mixes Appalachian, R&B and classical stylings.
Friday, April 29, 9 PM Regal Cinemas Downtown West
Saturday, April 30, 10 PM Scruffy City Hall
Full schedule and passes at scruffycityfilmfest.com Sponsored by:
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 7, 2016
April 7, 2016 Volume 02 / Issue 14 knoxmercury.com
CONTENTS
“ Everything being a constant carnival, there is no carnival left.” —Victor Hugo
NEWS
12 New Soil
14 F estivalpalooza!
COVER STORY
Knoxville was not always a festive town. In fact, if you weren’t partial to funnel cakes and saw-blade art, then you might have found yourself without much to do. Now there are so many festivals in the area that’s it nearly impossible for the human mind to contain them all. So our intern Kevin Ridder has done it for you!
Mayor Madeline Rogero’s April 1 press release announcing an “exciting new urban agricultural initiative” in the Old City sounded like a April Fool’s Day trick. Is there even arable soil in the Old City not covered by buildings and pavement? As it turns out, yes there is—and the plot of land will be called Old City Gardens. Eleanor Scott makes a visit.
Join Our League of Supporters!
It’ll feel really good. Find out how you can help at knoxmercury.com/join.
DEPARTMENTS
OPINION
A&E
4 Letters to the Editor 6 Howdy
8 Scruffy Citizen
22 Program Notes: Matthew Everett
10 Small Planet
24 Music: Matthew Everett talks with
Start Here: Believe It or Knox!, Public Affairs, Quote Factory PLUS: “Ghosts in the Machine” by L. M. Horstman
46 ’Bye
Finish There: Kaliscopes by Kali Meister, Crooked Street Crossword by Ian Blackburn and Jack Neely, Spirit of the Staircase by Matthew Foltz-Gray
Jack Neely sneaks into a private Big Ears performance by Philip Glass and Laurie Anderson. Patrice Cole shares the great strides KUB has made in distributing our biosolids.
CALENDAR sums up last weekend’s Big Ears experience and Andrew Gresham shares his intimate photos.
26 Spotlights: Glenn Jones
Jarius Bush about the Knoxville rap scene.
25 Art: S. Heather Duncan visits
sculptor Jason Sheridan Brown’s studio and his ecological artwork.
April 7, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 3
LETTERS Delivering Fine Journalism Since 2015
UT TORCHBEARERS SPEAK OUT
An open letter to Tennessee legislators: As University of Tennessee alumni and Torchbearers, we write with concern and unease as the Tennessee Legislature attempts to restrict personal, intellectual, and social growth through the defunding of campus diversity initiatives (HB 2066/SB 1902, HB 2248/SB 1912, HB 2629/SB 2653). We applaud UT students and our former teachers who have come together to protect a campus, state, and future in which people of all identities can thrive with equitable resources, security, and representation. This letter expresses our strongest opposition to any legislation that limits UT’s ability to provide a safe and inclusive learning environment to all students, faculty, and staff. In our time on campus, we experienced and witnessed acts of racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, religious intolerance, and other forms of oppression. We were also exposed to scholarship and dialogue on race, class, disability, sexuality, gender, religion, and other identities. We lived and studied on a campus where we could hone our critical thinking, learn to recognize our privileges, and openly oppose prejudices. This has prepared us for lives and careers that require us to consider the safety and quality of life of all people. Our University of Tennessee equipped us with life skills essential to responsible social and civic engagement. We have integrated these skills into our professional lives as architects, lawyers, CPAs, community organizers, and public health scientists. We have also brought these skills into our
personal lives as family members, community members, and participating citizens. We are disappointed by the Legislature’s attempts to deprive the students who come after us of the same social and educational opportunities. With the threat of funding cuts to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, individual and institutional discrimination will go unaddressed. A flagship university, UT attracts scholars, athletes, faculty, and partnerships from all over the world. The proposed bills and the ideological archaism that enabled them would permit a university culture that condones the structural and overt discrimination we have seen and continue to see across our country. Defunding UT’s diversity initiatives jeopardizes the reputation of both UT and the state of Tennessee as places for scholarship and social progress. We thus urge our state legislators not to advance any budget cuts or limitations to UT’s Office for Diversity and Inclusion. More fundamentally, we call on our legislators to be proactive in supporting a university culture that fosters an open exchange of ideas without the threat of censorship. In solidarity with our alma mater, we also ask Chancellor Cheek and President DiPietro to denounce HB 2629/SB 2653—which would amend the state budget to strip funds from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion— and any future legislative actions that intend to restrict campus diversity initiatives. We also urge UT administrators to improve efforts to address the demands put forth by the UT Diversity Matters Coalition and prioritize the campus perspective of marginalized students. Finally, we call on UT alumni,
fellow Torchbearers, and all Tennesseans to support students, faculty, and Vice Chancellor Rickey Hall, who are actively working to maintain an inclusive and enriched UT community. Most urgently, we encourage individuals to contact their state legislators. We remind legislators of their civic duty to serve all who live and work in Tennessee, regardless of identity. Kelly S. Absher, ’05 Daniel Aycock, ’13 Erin Bernstein, ’09 Jenny Bledsoe, ’11 Gregory Cox, ’95 Elliott DeVore, ’11 Lisa Dicker, ’14 Eric Dixon, ’13 Amanda Fortner, ’10 Mamar Gelaye, ’96 Chandra M. Hayslett, ’97 Mike Hodge, ’89 Dr. Lynn Liao Hodge, ’89 Stephen R. Kennedy, ’97 Catherine Harrison King, ’96 Lindsay Lee, ’14 Samuel Mortimer, ’10 Terry Nowell, ’14 James Pizzirusso, ’98 Monica (Harper) Reckley, ’05 Kenna Rewcastle, ’15 Taylor Reynolds, ’09 Boyd Richards, ’99 Julia Ross, ’15 Nia Sherif, ’13 Maria (Williams) Tackett, ’09 Jayanni Webster, ’12 Akshitha Yarrabothula, ’13
CORRECTION
In our March 24 cover, “Flip or Flop” by Clay Duda, we forgot to note that some of the images used in the story were actually photo illustrations rather than unedited pictures.
“With the threat of funding cuts to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, individual and institutional discrimination will go unaddressed.”
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 7, 2016
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
SOMETIMES DISCOVERY STARTS WITH A PATH. Just inside of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, awaits YOUR OWN OUTDOOR AMUSEMENT PARK. We offer miles of hiking trails to unwind and enjoy everything the outdoors has to offer. From stream side trails, wilddower elds, hardwood forests and vast wilderness areas; the options are endless in the Peaceful Side of the Smokies. You’ll discover that you’re going to need a longer stay.
Join us in celebrating the National Park Service Centennial this year, by signing up to be a part of the “Smokies Centennial Challenge – Hike 100” program. The goal is to complete 100 miles in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park during 2016. The challenge is available for all ages, levels of tness and experience and with over 900 miles of trail options to choose from, you may wonder where to start. Begin with our hikes scheduled with Little River Trading Company:
• April 7th – Indian Flats Falls • April 23 – Earth Day Hike
• May 3 – Walker Sister’s Cabin Hike with Robin Goddard – A Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse Experience
For more information on hikes scheduled throughout the year, visit these websites: w w w.Smok yM ountains.org or w w w.LittleR iverTrading.com
April 7, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 5
HOWDY QUOTE FACTORY
GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE BY L. M. HORSTMAN
No one can say for certain if ears were indeed bigger or more open this year, but there were assuredly more of them.
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 old-time music on record. Introducing…
—Rolling Stone’s Christopher R. Weingarten reviewing last weekend’s Big Ears Festival and its large crowds, noting that “the secret is definitely out.” He also gave the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra its first write-up in Rolling Stone, remarking that its performance of John Luther Adams’ Become Ocean made it look like “a giant sea anemone.”
PUBLIC AFFAIRS
4/7 LECTURE: ROBERT MORGAN THURSDAY
4/9 CHALK WALK
SATURDAY
7 p.m., Bijou Theatre (803 S. Gay St.). Free. Robert Morgan, author of Gap Creek and The Road from Gap Creek, delivers this year’s Wilma Dykeman Stokely Memorial Lecture—and the subject is Wilma Dykeman. Dykeman wrote about the Appalachian South in novels, nonfiction, and as a News Sentinel columnist. On Friday, Morgan will also lead a forum on Dykeman at UT’s John C. Hodges Library, 10-11:30 a.m.
4/8 SYMPOSIUM: MINDFULNESSTN FRIDAY
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Bijou Theatre (803 South Gay St.). Free. So stressed out that your body is wracked with inexplicable pain, just like an alt-weekly editor? Here’s the symposium for you: MindfulnessTN seeks to “raise awareness of mindfulness meditation-based research and its impacts on health and wellbeing.” Its list of presenters is impressive. Info: mindfulnesstn.com.
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Market Square & Krutch Park. Free. You know spring is here—for sure—when Dogwood Arts unleashes scores of artists armed with colorful chalk to redecorate downtown’s sidewalks. (If we have bad weather, the walk will be moved to Sunday, April 10.) Info: dogwoodarts.com.
4/11 STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP BOOK SALE MONDAY
8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Pellissippi State Magnolia Avenue Campus (1610 E. Magnolia Ave.). Free. Ah, who doesn’t like a used-books sale? You never know what you might find, whether treasures of the printed word or recorded music. And this book sale has an added bonus: All proceeds from the sale go toward student scholarships at the community college. The sale continues on Tuesday.
Believe It or Knox!
Illustration by Ben Adams
Robert Love Taylor became governor of Tennessee AFTER HE DEFEATED HIS OWN BROTHER, REPUBLICAN ALFRED TAYLOR, IN THE ELECTION! Robert “Our Bob” Taylor settled in Knoxville, and was later elected to the U.S. Senate. Also an inspirational speaker, he was at 6
KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 7, 2016
BY Z. HERACLITUS KNOX
the height of his popularity when he died suddenly in Washington in 1912. An estimated 40,000 MOURNERS attended his burial at Old Gray Cemetery! Despite that legendary turnout, about 25 years later, Taylor’s family had his body exhumed and moved to the family plot in Johnson City—but the empty plot in Old Gray still bears the name TAYLOR! Installed in early 1982, just in time for the World’s Fair, the Sunsphere’s glass panes are infused with ACTUAL GOLD DUST! Founded with a mobile-home dealership on Clinton Highway in Knoxville in 1966, Clayton Homes, now based in Maryville and owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway corporation, is in terms of quantity THE LARGEST HOMEBUILDER IN AMERICA!
T
he St. James sessions may have produced some of the rarest and most obsure music of the era, and many of the musicians who recorded are still unknown. These unknowns include Bess Pennington, a folk guitarist and vocalist, and Odessa Cansler, a blues singer. These two performers were likely a result of their times: if you were female and wanted to have a life in music, you needed to tread lightly--there was a social stigma attached to women performing publicly. In addition, as musicians, women singers were often marginalized, seen as interpreters, not creators, of music. Bess Pennington may have been from Pennington Gap,
Bess Pennington St. James Sessions Recordings: If You Think I’m Not Worthy (1930) Jack and May (1930)
VA, and made the trip to Knoxville to record two sides at the St. James sessions. Odessa Cansler, a Knoxvillian who recorded two unreleased blues songs, is also a mystery. Both represent talents that may have lacked the encouragement so often needed to pursue a life in music. The Great Depression didn’t help, either. And a girl’s gotta eat. To be continued…
Odessa Cansler St. James Sessions Recordings (unreleased): Change Your Mind Blues (1929) Killing Your Man Blues (1929)
To hear the music of these artists performed live, go to Knoxville Stomp May 5-8, brought to you by the Knoxville Public Library’s Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound.
Mercury Tosca full page color.pdf 1 3/29/2016 4:44:26 PM
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April 7, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 7
SCRUFFY CITIZEN
Old Becomes New A couple of moments from a festival that’s changing Knoxville BY JACK NEELY
I
t was, more than ever before, a festival of tips on smartphone apps. Attendees got alerts about surprise performances and sold-out shows. The tip I got was strictly analog, a word from a friend in a corner bar. What I heard was that Friday night there would be, at the oldest church in Knoxville, something to witness. Though tempted by some other shows, I was just curious enough to walk down to First Presbyterian. At the top of the marble steps, I tried the main front door, and found it open. Hearing agreeable sounds inside, I slipped into the interior door, into the sanctuary. Inside were five people. One was a trim old man in black playing an old brown grand piano up in the front of the sanctuary. Near him was an eccentric-looking middle-aged woman with an electronic fiddle. Both were in black. The woman was Laurie Anderson, one of the idols of my youth. When I was 23, I played her ironic crypto-minimalist album, Big Science, so often I can still recite most of it. The old man was Philip Glass. He is one of the most famous composers in the world. I knew him because he looked like Philip Glass and was playing a classic riff with descending chord changes. They were rehearsing. I sat in the back at first, hoping they wouldn’t notice. When a young woman brought in a Lenny’s bag with some coffee in cardboard cups, it broke the spell, they seemed friendly and relaxed, and
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 7, 2016
I slipped up to the eighth pew. They weren’t just practicing, they were composing. I could barely hear what they were saying. A godlike voiceover came through the speaker. There in the same big room where my grandparents went to church every Sunday, Glass and Laurie Anderson were improvising to Allen Ginsberg’s “Wichita Vortex Supra.” It was part of the show. I wanted to meet them, just to say I did. What do you say to Philip Glass? It was a minimalist dilemma. I sat there and thought, and came up with nothing. With Laurie Anderson, I’m pretty sure I would just stutter in C sharp. So I sat there quietly, hoping I wouldn’t be revealed as a spy. I watched for an hour and a half. They were in the thick of it, intent on their project, oblivious to an agog stranger. They wanted to get their Big Ears performance exactly right. It’s important to musicians. It’s a rare musicians’ festival, a weekend where geniuses don’t have to pretend they’re ordinary. And it’s important to the city. Organized by AC Entertainment and subsidized by the Aslan Foundation, Big Ears does more for the global profile of my hometown than any collegiate sports program ever does. Music writers write about cities more than sportwriters do. While waiting to get in the Bijou, one well-traveled visitor told me he knew of no place in America with so
many good music venues so close together. I mentioned Chicago, New York, and he said no, he knew those places. Three of the six buildings that impressed musicians from around the world this past weekend are buildings we almost demolished. The other three were once threatened. Thank a preservationist. One of the new ones this year is called, for the time being at least, Mill and Mine, suddenly one of downtown’s biggest venues. My first peek at it was at noon on Saturday, to see a percussionist from California, Steven Schick. The show was more interesting than you’d ever expect a solo percussionist to be. He had a few conventional drums, a drum big enough to raise sharks in, some comeand-get-it triangles, and the biggest gong I’ve seen outside of a B movie. Sometimes the show was so quiet you could notice other people’s respiration. Sometimes so loud you worried about your aural health. Slowly it became fascinating, as was the space. Much bigger than it looks from the outside—a “hangar,” as someone said—it was one of several buildings built in the 1920s for the cutting-edge automotive trade. I wandered around, as a few others did, too, like ghosts. Gutted in a fire a couple of years ago, developers David Dewhirst and Mark Heinz reimagined it, replacing the old-fashioned wooden ceiling just as it was, with fans and skylights, but added a mezzanine balcony. The couple hundred people in there for the Schick show all responded differently. Some lay flat on their backs on the new hardwood floor, as if in a meadow. Some sat
cross-legged in yoga poses. Some crept around the room, quiet as thieves. Some, too proud to tiptoe, boldly clomped. For me it was a fine introduction to a historic space I’d never encountered before. And when I stepped outside, Knoxville, presented in such interesting accretions of irregular rectangles in the bright April sunshine, struck me as a beautiful thing. I returned at midnight for an exuberant jazz funk band led by Mr. Kamasi Washington, and it was a different place altogether, a big crazy party room. The name Mill and Mine comes from the motto of the last tenant, Industrial Belting and Supply, which was on the premises for about 40 years. Before that, there were cars and trucks in here, being sold, being serviced. The name may confuse older folks, who remember the Tennessee Mill & Mine building, a very large building on State Street that was torn down in the late ‘90s, for a justice center that was never built. The new Mill and Mine is on a perfect block, historically, for something like Big Ears, a cultural portal. Depot Street was always where we greeted the new. Right across the street is the train station. Depot Street is where we welcomed Buffalo Bill, Lily Langtry, P.T. Barnum, Carrie Nation, Helen Hayes, Al Jolson, Anna Pavlova, Walter Damrosch, General Tom Thumb, several presidents, and all manner of oddities traveling on flatcars, from the real Liberty Bell to an occasional sperm whale, arriving a little the worse for wear and available for viewing for anyone with a dime. It’s a historic block. Last weekend it seemed historic again. ◆
Three of the six buildings that impressed musicians from around the world this past weekend are buildings we almost demolished. The other three were once threatened. Thank a preservationist.
Earning a master’s degree in public administration opens the doors to a wide range of public service careers, including government administration, community or nonprofit management, and government relations.
Master of Public Administration (MPA) Designed for working professionals with online and evening classes. Available in Knoxville, classes held at the LMU-Duncan School of Law.
AHSS@LMUnet.edu
www.LMUnet.edu
1.800.325.0900, ext. 6203 April 7, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 9
SMALL PLANET
What’s in a Name? Sludge has come a long way since the 1980s BY PATRICE COLE
M
arketing and advertising professionals know the power of words. What you call something and the way you describe it go a long way toward building aversion, acceptance, or outright yearning for that thing. Somewhere along the way in the past 25 years, wastewater treatment professionals have learned to wordsmith the tools and products of their trade. One possible result is that something that used to be a source of citizen complaints has locally become the recipient of national awards. The process most commonly used these days to treat municipal wastewater was developed by a couple of United Kingdom engineers early in the 20th century. They called the process “activated sludge,” and it uses beneficial bacteria and other microorganisms to clean up the water by absorbing the contaminants as food. The “sludge” part reflects the image of something collecting at the bottom of a container of some sort, which is exactly what happens in the clarifier of a typical wastewater treatment plant. The microbes that have just settled out of the water are pumped back to the aeration basin where they get some air and are “reactivated” to resume eating and reproducing. Eventually there’s extra sludge that must be removed from the system. Those wee beasties that have given their all are pumped to a digester, the tank where they will die
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 7, 2016
for lack of food. Time and heat in the digester kill most of any pathogens that remain. After most of the water is removed, the solids look and smell a lot like rich, brown soil. Once upon a time, the landfill was the destination for most of this stuff that we now call “biosolids,” an equally descriptive but more appetizing name than “sludge.” But its value as fertilizer was obvious, and some municipalities and utilities started applying biosolids to pasture land they owned or where rural landowners would allow it. It made sense—it saved a lot of money and landfill space, and it turned a waste into a resource with beneficial use. Sometimes, though, the sight of certain kinds of trucks with certain logos going down rural roads would provoke suspicion and perceptions that, in turn, prompted angry calls to certain government offices. It could be tough to convince a caller that raw sewage wasn’t being spread around next door. Then, as now, TDEC regulated land application of biosolids, and EPA was and still is encouraging its beneficial use. More than 25 years ago the guidelines for land application were much the same as now. The biosolids must have very low levels of heavy metals, pathogens, and other contaminants so as not to pose a risk to human health and the environment. The application site must be relatively flat and have certain kinds of soil.
Buffers must be maintained around waterways and other sensitive areas. Soil must be periodically tested to make sure there’s no build-up of metals or certain other chemicals. Even so, it was an uphill slog back in the 1980s to get broad public acceptance of the practice. Even TVA took a stand against it in refusing to allow a utility district to apply biosolids to land leased by TVA to the utility district. TDEC and EPA assurances that the biosolids and the site were ideal for land application failed to allay TVA’s fears of future environmental liability. Fast forward to 2016, and KUB’s biosolids are in big demand. KUB has land-applied biosolids for decades, but in 2011 it got some serious bragging rights in the form of platinum certification by the National Biosolids Partnership. KUB’s program is one of only 34 in the nation with the highest NBP certification, and it’s the only one in Tennessee besides Chattanooga. The certification process is totally voluntary and costs KUB additional time in rigorous reviews and third-party audits, but it provides that much more reassurance to the public and the area farmers who collectively receive close to 30,000 tons of biosolids each year, saving them about $90,000 in fertilizer costs. The platinum certification was renewed in 2014, and that same year the Kentucky-Tennessee Water Environment Association presented KUB with an award for Beneficial Use of Biosolids. KUB’s biosolids are registered as a fertilizer with the state Department of Agriculture, and 100
percent of those biosolids are recycled on hay and pasture lands. The demand outstrips the supply. A lot goes into making sure this end-product of wastewater treatment is as clean as it needs to be for beneficial use. Beginning with the end in mind, KUB’s industrial pre-treatment program makes sure that no industrial or other source of wastewater is sending enough heavy metals, oils, or certain other chemicals to the sewer to build up and persist in the biosolids. The other concern for quality is that the biosolids have very few disease-causing organisms. KUB produces Class B biosolids, which must be monitored for quality every 60 days, but KUB monitors more frequently than that. They also use a third-party contractor, Synagro, to get the biosolids to farmers and use best management practices to land apply. Farmers say biosolids improve their soil, and they are saving big by not needing to buy commercial fertilizer. At least 20 farms in Jefferson, Knox, and Loudon counties receive KUB biosolids, and KUB reports little or no public objection. We will probably never know how much difference the semantic switch from “sludge” to “biosolids” made in gaining public acceptance of its beneficial use, but it’s certainly a nicer name for something that does so much for us. ◆ Patrice Cole taught biology, ecology, environmental planning, and sustainability at the University of Tennessee and Pellissippi State Community College. Small Planet examines local issues pertaining to environmental quality and sustainability.
Once upon a time, the landfill was the destination for most of this stuff that we now call “biosolids,” an equally descriptive but more appetizing name than “sludge.”
Historic April Dogwood month offers plenty of opportunities for contemplating our unique past. Friday, April 8, is the 119th anniversary of the worst fire in Knoxville history. The “Million Dollar Fire” of 1897 started behind the Hotel Knox, on the 400 block of Gay Street, killed at least four people and leveled several of the city’s biggest businesses. It spared only the Sanford, Chamberlain, & Albers wholesale-drug business--now known as Tailor Lofts and 5 Bar--and, at the other end of the block, the Century Building. These two remain as the oldest buildings on the long block. Midcentury Modern architecture will be the featured subject of Knox Heritage’s free monthly series, Preservation Network, on Saturday, April 9, at 10 a.m., at Historic Westwood, 3425 Kingston Pike, part of the American Institute of Architects’ Architecture Week. A talk by architectural designer Brian Pittman will precede an optional driving tour of especially notable midcentury modernist architecture in the area.
East Knoxville. The popular air show included an aerial race and a “bomb throwing.” When McCurdy determined the infield to be too short to assure safety for the promised passenger rides, he held that part of the days-long festival at then-remote Holston Island, which could be reached only by mule cart and ferry. The first two passengers, winners of a Knoxville Journal & Tribune “popularity contest,” were Mellie Cole, of Luttrell Avenue, and 17-year-old Joseph Wood Krutch, who would later become a nationally known author.
Photographer Jim Thompson was a teenager when he took this, one of his earliest and most famous photographs, of the devastation left to the 400 block of Gay Street after the “Million Dollar Fire” of 1897. The fire stopped at the Sanford, Chamberlain, and Albers building, now known as Tailor Lofts, in the background. Most of the buildings were rebuilt within months.
On Saturday, April 16, the East Tennessee Chapter of the American Institute of Architects sponsors, as part of its annual Architecture Week, a historic downtown architectural walking tour led by journalist and author Jack Neely, this one emphasizing downtown churches. The tour begins at 9:00 a.m. at the Bank of America parking garage on Locust Street, just south of Main Street. It’s free and open to the public.
This weekend is Rhythm N’ Blooms, April 22 is the 201st birthday of Thomas a three-day music festival centered along Humes (1815-1892), arguably Knoxville’s first Jackson Avenue, the old railroad frontage historian. Son of an Irish immigrant, he became Image courtesy of the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection. street which is lined with industrial buildings a journalist, editor of a succession of local http://cmdc.knoxlib.org of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. For newspapers, and then--although he’d once the first time, the newly renovated Jackson gone to Princeton to study to be a PresbyteriTerminal building will be open as part of the an minister--he became the Episcopal rector at St. John’s. In 1842, Humes gave festival. Journalist and author Jack Neely will be leading musical history a speech on the history of Knoxville, at a time when much of it had already walking tours on Saturday, April 9, and Sunday, April 10, at 2:00, starting at been forgotten. At the end of the Civil War, Humes was elected president of the Jig & Reel. For more information, www.rhythmnbloomsfest.com East Tennessee University, and during his time in office it evolved into the University of Tennessee. In 1888, he published a book called The Loyal MountainOn Wednesday, April 13, Bradley Reeves, co-founder of the Tennessee eers of Tennessee, which is considered one of the best contemporary accounts of Archive of Moving Image and Sound, will give a free noon “Brown Bag” lecture the Civil War in Knoxville. UT’s Humes Hall is named in his honor. at the East Tennessee History Center. Accompanied with film, his talk will be “Knoxville’s WNOX Radio: The Cradle of Country Music” emphasizing On April 27, 1865, the riverboat Sultana exploded in the Mississippi River, Knoxville as a melting pot of musical culture in the 1920s and later. America’s worst maritime disaster, with a bigger death toll even than the Titanic, sometimes estimated to have been as high as 1,800. Hundreds of the victims Friday, April 15, is a day that should mean something to anybody who ever were freed Union soldiers from East Tennessee who had been prisoners of war buys an airline ticket. It’s the 105th anniversary of the first airplane passenger in the Deep South, and one of the nation’s largest and oldest memorials to the ride in Knoxville. Pilots J.A.D. McCurdy and Lincoln Beachey, both well known Sultana disaster is in South Knoxville’s Mount Olive Cemetery, off Maryville Pike. in aviation history today, held an “Aviation Meet” at Cal Johnson’s Racetrack in It was dedicated a century ago this July 4. 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 April 7, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 11
Photo by Eleanor Scott
New Soil Knoxville urban agriculture initiative breaks ground with Old City Gardens BY ELEANOR SCOTT
M
ayor Madeline Rogero’s April 1 press release announcing an “exciting new urban agricultural initiative” in the Old City sounded like a April Fool’s Day trick. Is there even arable soil in the Old City not covered by buildings and pavement? As it turns out, yes there is: In a lonesome corner behind Knox Rail Salvage where East Depot Avenue dead ends at the high concrete wall of James White Parkway, a little over a half-acre of land sat for years, an odd grassy area surrounded by the hardscape of downtown. The hardware store that once stood there was torn down in the mid-2000s to make way for the parkway construction. Now it’s the site of Old City Gardens, the city’s newest, and closest-to-downtown community garden, which had its ceremonial ground breaking Friday morning. Old City Gardens is a partnership between Brenna Wright, owner of Knoxville’s flagship urban farm, Abbey Fields in Parkridge, and Old City landlords Jenny and Randy Boyd, who own the property. Inspired by the Fenway Victory Gardens in Boston, the Boyds expressed interest in starting an urban farm downtown,
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 7, 2016
and connected with Wright through Jeffery DeAlejandro, chef at OliBea, the Old City breakfast restaurant that uses Abbey Fields produce in its dishes. Wright and Abbey Fields farm manager Daniel Aisenbrey will maintain Old City Gardens in exchange for a large market garden plot. They plan to use this garden plot to grow produce to sell to downtown restaurants with a farm-to-table element. Twenty-eight 4 feet by 25 feet raised-bed garden plots are available for community gardeners to rent for $100 a year. That price might seem steep considering most neighborhood community garden plots rent for around $10 a year, but Wright explains that Old City Gardens will have more infrastructure and management than most other community gardens. The Boyds’ plans include a pavilion, picnic tables, a washing station, two sheds with tools available for gardeners’ use, and a black chain-link fence enclosing the space. Wright says the higher price pays for this infrastructure, higher downtown property taxes, the water used, and regular garden maintenance. Also,
Abbey Fields’ staff will often be available on site to help community gardeners with farming advice. All renters’ fees go back into maintaining the garden. For the Boyds, the garden is not a straight-up money-making venture, but more an effort to provide a pleasant destination, and the opportunity for urbanites to grow a few of their own vegetables and flowers. Randy Boyd (who also happens to be the state’s Commissioner of Economic and Community Development) says he hopes the gardens will allow people living downtown to “hang out in a tranquil place, enjoy the community, and become a stronger community for it.” This sentiment ties in with development-supported agriculture, a concept gaining ground among real estate developers that an urban farm is an attractive feature for residents and makes an area more desirable. With the current redevelopment of Regas Square into condos and retail, the newly opened music venue Mill and Mine, and the recently renovated White Lily Flats nearby, Depot Street may soon by a lively corridor of upscale life and commerce. Wright believes people living in lofts and condos downtown with limited access to greenspace may value the garden experience more than residents of the country or suburbs. She envisions downtown dwellers walking over to visit in the mornings, coffee in hand, checking out the plants, speaking with the gardeners, and experiencing a little piece of verdant agricultural land, a rarity in their urban setting. Old City Gardens continues the goal of the Rogero administration to establish urban farms for personal use and profit, in an effort to remove blight, use land wisely, and provide fresh, local food. Last spring, City Council passed new zoning ordinances drafted by the Office of Sustainabil-
ity, establishing zoning regulations to facilitate urban farms and gardens. “It hasn’t been easy, some people were against urban agriculture, if you can believe it,” Rogero says. She adds that Old City Gardens will be a positive model for doubters to get a better understanding of what an urban farm can be. Speaking of doubters, some people in the community raised concerns over possible soil contamination, a problem encountered by the Birdhouse Community Garden in Fourth and Gill. Wright says the next step for Old City Gardens is getting the soil tested for heavy metals. The big three they will test for—mercury, lead, and arsenic—can contaminate food grown in the soil. Wright, who studied soil science at UT, does not expect to find contaminated soil on the site. She says the history of the land does not raise any red flags that would indicate the presence of high levels of toxins—no house with lead paint, no petrol station. Instead, a brick-and-mortar building was torn down, and fill dirt was trucked in. If unacceptable levels of toxins are found, Wright says they can be removed through low-impact, low-cost methods of bio-remediation. Farm managers would plant deep-rooted non-food crops like sunflowers and native grasses that draw up heavy metals into their foliage, which can then be mowed and removed. In this scenario, Wright says Old City Gardens would exist as an area of beautification and research, demonstrating the possibility of land remediation through natural practices, sticking with the goals of building community and restoring the health of the soil. The farm managers hope to open Old City Gardens this spring. To rent a plot, contact Brenna Wright at abbey-fields.com/old-city-gardens. ◆
“It hasn’t been easy, some people were against urban agriculture, if you can believe it.” —MAYOR MADELINE ROGERO
Your
Sandwich
Moment good builder will tell you the most important part of your home is the foundation. A good SANDWICH builder will tell you that bread is the foundation for the best sandwich. Lucky for you, we’re pretty obsessed with bread. Since day one, Frussies’ success has been built on an assortment of homemade breads; 11 varieties to be exact. All made from scratch every day, including our famous Marbled Rye. A delicious marbling of light and dark rye, this tasty favorite is the foundation for the perfect Reuben… and any other deli classic. It has to be good to stand up to all the house-cured meat we pile on top.
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OUR STORY “The Little River is a lifeline that runs from the Smoky Mtn. National Park through Blount County and into Fort Loudon. Many locals who are familiar with the outdoors have experienced the Little River in some way. We wanted to bring a similar sense of nostalgia to our guests that walk in the door. We offer quality outdoor gear and clothing backed by staff with deep expertise, remarkable service and common adventures. We are not just a store, but a resource for our community to live a healthy, active lifestyle. As we celebrate our 20th year, we look forward to a future of environmental stewardship, community support, and shared outdoor experiences.”
Get ready for your next outdoor adventure here! 2408 E Lamar Alexander Pkwy Maryville Store Hours: M-Fri 9-7pm Sat 9-6pm • Sun 12-6pm 865.681.4141
725 Watkins Road Maryville Store Hours: M-Sat 10-7pm Sun 12-6pm 865.983.8095
www.littlerivertradingco.com April 7, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 13
BY KEVIN RIDDER
Your guide to lots and lots of Knoxville’s spring festivals
Knoxville was not always a festive town. In fact, if you weren’t partial to funnel cakes and saw-blade art, then you might have found yourself without much to do. Now there are so many festivals in the area that’s it nearly impossible for the human mind to contain them all. So we’ve done it for you!
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 7, 2016
DOGWOOD ARTS FESTIVAL DATES: All April (the Market Square festival is April 29-May 1) LOCATION: All over town TICKETS: Free WHAT IT’S CELEBRATING: A Knoxville staple for over 50 years, the Dogwood Arts Festival is back in bloom. With a plethora of events highlighting the artists residing in Knoxville and the natural sights and sounds around us, there’s bound to be a little something for everyone at this year’s festival. FEATURED EVENTS: Public art and museum exhibitions open up April 1 to kick off the first week of Dogwood Arts, from which Rhythm N’ Blooms crescendos into the weekend of April 8. During that same weekend, Knoxvillians and visitors alike can enjoy the sights of Knoxville’s Dogwood Trails from their bike seat in Bikes & Blooms. And starting on April 15, you can explore the nationally-recognized Dogwood Trails or take a walk through the open gardens. From April 29 through May 1, the festival comes to a close on Market Square with a weekend-long celebration of East Tennessee’s arts, culture, and natural beauty. However, you can still go for a stroll any time of the year on the Dogwood Arts Walking Trails, so don’t hang up your boots just yet. A NIGHT OF CREATIVITY AND SURVIVORSHIP: Dogwood Arts will be teaming up with Cancer Support Community on April 15 at Cherokee Mills to host Artitude, a fundraising event where patients and event supporters alike will learn how to design and create ebru scarves. And if you can’t make it out to the event, you can donate online at dogwoodarts.com/artitude to help cancer patients craft their own silk scarves. Tickets to attend this fundraising event are $40. MORE INFO: dogwoodarts.com
RHYTHM N’ BLOOMS DATES: April 8-10 LOCATION: Various locations on Jackson Avenue TICKETS: Weekend passes, from $75 general admission to $150 VIP WHAT IT’S CELEBRATING: Although Rhythm N’ Blooms had a modest start in 2010, it’s grown exponentially in the past
couple of years. As much about the city of Knoxville as it is about music itself, the festival blends a fantastic concert experience with the identity and spirit of East Tennessee’s rich music history. FEATURED ENTERTAINMENT: Mutemath, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Old 97’s, The Mavericks, The Black Cadillacs, and many more. WHAT’S NEW THIS YEAR: The Old City Courtyard is new to the RnB blueprint this year. Activities include a silent disco, a meet-and-greet with the Yee-Haw Brew Crew, a hammock village, and yoga on Saturday and Sunday. Also new to the program are the Lox Salon Secret Shows. The time and location will be on your schedule, but you’ll have to wait and see who’s playing. TIPS: If you’re strapped for cash but still want to see the shows, sign up to volunteer! For each four-hour shift you complete, you’ll get one free day-pass, in addition to a host of other benefits. Also, some venues have age restrictions, so be sure to take a look at Rhythm N’ Blooms’ website. MORE INFO: rhythmnbloomsfest.com
EARTHFEST DATES: April 16, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. LOCATION: World’s Fair Park TICKETS: Free WHAT IT’S CELEBRATING: Now in its 17th year, Knoxville’s annual EarthFest boasts environmentally friendly fun for the whole family. The event is zero-waste, meaning composting and recycling bins replace the catch-all trash cans. FEATURED ENTERTAINMENT: How About Never, Deadbeat Scoundrels, 3 Mile Smile, Natty’s Common Roots OTHER ATTRACTIONS: Kids of all ages are invited to participate in free Earth-friendly activities and crafts in the Youth Area. For those into green technologies, EarthFest will feature a Clean Fuel Vehicle Showcase with electric vehicles and alternative-fuel technologies. TIPS: On your way in, don’t forget to grab a scavenger-hunt card and get it stamped at different locations around the festival. Not only do you get to learn fun tips and trivia, you could also win some seriously cool prizes. Also, refillable water stations are available free of charge, so bring your own reusable bottle. MORE INFO: knox-earthfest.org
SCRUFFY CITY FILM AND MUSIC FESTIVAL DATES: April 26 to May 1 LOCATION: Scruffy City Hall, Regal Downtown West Cinema 8 TICKETS: General admission $40; VIP $100 WHAT IT’S CELEBRATING: This festival celebrates the musical heart and soul of film, and the composers and artists that make films sing. All films shown will have a special focus on music or sound in some fashion. FEATURED ENTERTAINMENT: A plethora of film awaits you at this year’s festival! Among the films shown will be narrative features and shorts, documentaries, music videos, animated shorts, trailers, webisodes and more; including six days of live music and
daily happy hour mixers. Film highlights include the Sundance favorite, Presenting Princess Shaw, as well as the Chet Baker story, Born to be Blue, starring Ethan Hawke. The headlining music act is Ben Sollee. TIPS: Check out the Knoxville Films website to see the full schedule of events. MORE INFO: knoxvillefilms.com/festival411
ROSSINI FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL STREET FAIR DATE: April 23, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. LOCATION: Downtown Knoxville on Gay Street and Market Square TICKETS: Free WHAT IT’S CELEBRATING: Now in its 15th year, April 7, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 15
The Royal Bangs, Tut. WHAT’S NEW THIS YEAR: Orange is a shade of green this year at Volapalooza. Powered entirely by renewable energy, Volapalooza will be hosting its largest lineup to date. Plus, with both the main stage and a stage featuring local musicians, a host of activities including a hookah tent, a silent disco, and an assortment of vegan-friendly food vendors, Volapalooza 2016 is shaping up to be bigger than ever. TIPS: Reserve your ticket ahead of time at knoxvilletickets.com to avoid the long lines. MORE INFO: volapalooza.utk.edu
BREWHIBITION CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL the annual Rossini Festival brings ataste of Europe to downtown by celebrating the color, fun, and excitement of opera and international culture. The festival hosts over 800 local and regional multicultural performers on five outdoor stages, in addition to over 100 food/beverage and artisan exhibits. Performers include opera singers from both the Knoxville Opera and the UT Opera, local and regional brass ensembles, jazz bands and dance troupes. FEATURED ENTERTAINMENT: SoulFul Sounds Revue will take the Pilot Flying J Main Stage from 8 to 10 p.m. performing a variety of R&B, soul, and funk hits by such greats as Jackie Wilson, Otis Redding, James Brown, and more. TIPS: Swing by the Constellation Brands Wines & Spirits of the World tasting or the Brewtopia Craft Beer Garden presented by the Casual Pint to explore the brews of the world. And not to worry, the little ones aren’t left out: the YMCA FunZone has plenty of interactive activities for the budding arts aficionado. MORE INFO: knoxvilleopera.com
SOUTHERN TEQUILA AND TACO FESTIVAL DATE: April 29, 6 to 9 p.m. LOCATION: Gander Mountain Parking Lot (11501 Parkside Dr.) 16
KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 7, 2016
TICKETS: Online advance: $35; At the gate: $40; VIP: $125; Designated Driver: $10 WHAT IT’S CELEBRATING: Now in its second year, the Southern Tequila and Taco Festival brings in some of the biggest names in tequila alongside the best tacos Knoxville has to offer! And as you satisfy your taco craving, you’ll also be helping a cause: proceeds from the festival go to Remote Area Medical. Founded in 1985, Remote Area Medical strives to bring quality, free healthcare to those who live out of range of hospitals. Largely staffed by volunteers, Remote Area Medical works to empower communities and generate a movement. FEATURED ENTERTAINMENT: Kelsey’s Woods TIPS: This event is 21 and older only. MORE INFO: southerntequilafest.com
VOLAPALOOZA DATE: April 29 LOCATION: World’s Fair Park TICKETS: Students who opted-in to Student Programs Fee: Free! General Admission: $15 advance, $25 at the gate; VIP: $50 in advance, $60 at the gate WHAT IT’S CELEBRATING: Vols have been celebrating the last day of spring classes with a bang ever since 2002. What started as a small end-of-semester party has quickly become the largest student-organized event on campus. FEATURED ENTERTAINMENT: Portugal. the Man, Raury, Niykee Heaton, Moon Taxi,
DATE: April 30 LOCATION: Old City Courtyard TICKETS: First Pour (1-6 p.m.): $65; Grand Tasting (2-6 p.m.): $45 WHAT IT’S CELEBRATING: With over 75 craft beers from Tennessee and surrounding areas, Brewhibition is a celebration not only of the end of Prohibition, but of the regional brewers born out of it. FEATURED ENTERTAINMENT: A beer aficionado’s paradise, Knoxville’s Brewhibition features the aforementioned 75+ craft beers, a beer cocktail station, mobile infusers who will be infusing everything from pecan pie to toasted coconut, a mixology bar, and special craft-beer tappings. OTHER ATTRACTIONS: Frog and Toad, and Kukuly and the Gypsy Fuego will provide a jazzy background while you satisfy your thirst. And taking hula-hooping to the next level will be the Beer City Hoopers performing throughout the day in the Old City Courtyard. TIPS: Come in your best 1920s outfit and you’ll have a chance to be voted the 2016 Brewhibition Dame or Sugar Daddy! MORE INFO: brewhibition.com
KNOXVILLE STOMP FESTIVAL OF LOST MUSIC DATE: May 5-8 LOCATION: Downtown Knoxville TICKETS: Majority of events: Free! VIP Pass: $78; Sugarlands Speakeasy
Party: $35; A Few of My Favorite Recordings featuring Dom Flemons’ Duo: $25 WHAT IT’S CELEBRATING: Knoxville Stomp is a unique festival celebrating the remastering and release of a recently recovered collection of recordings known as the Knoxville Sessions made in Knoxville’s own St. James Hotel in 1929 and 1930. The citywide festival will highlight Knoxville’s robust musical heritage, and the different voices that made it into what it is today. FEATURED ENTERTAINMENT: Dom Flemons, Joe Bussard, Amanda Petrusich, The Bearded, Bill and the Belles, Bradley Reeves of TAMIS. OTHER ATTRACTIONS: There’s going to be a ton of stuff going on at Knoxville Stomp, so check out more than just the music! Some of the most respected authors, scholars, and collectors in the world of record collecting and old-time music will speak at the East Tennessee History Center. While you’re there, you can peruse Come to Make Records, a museum exhibit chronicling Knoxville’s musical history. TIPS: Kick off the weekend at the Sugarlands Speakeasy Party at Historic Westwood, one of Knoxville’s most beautiful historic homes—1920sera music and cocktails will flow freely, so break out your boater hats and beaded dresses. MORE INFO: knoxstomp.com
VESTIVAL DATE: May 7, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. LOCATION: Candoro Arts & Heritage Center (4450 Candora Ave.) TICKETS: Suggested $5 donation at the gate WHAT IT’S CELEBRATING: For the 16th year in a row, Vestival is bringing the South Knoxville community together this Mother’s Day weekend for a day of live music, local craft and food vendors, dancing, and more at the historic Candoro Marble Building. Come and celebrate the rich heritage of Vestal and surrounding communities. Any and all proceeds generated from this event support the programming efforts of Candoro Arts & Heritage Center. FEATURED ENTERTAINMENT: Around a dozen bands will be playing on three stages at this year’s Vestival. In addition to that, Three Rivers Market will be providing a Mother’s Day Brunch at 11 a.m. while the kids are preoccupied with the plethora of activities including
puppets, acrobats, and magicians. MORE INFO: candoromarble.org
INTERNATIONAL BISCUIT FESTIVAL DATES: May 12-14 LOCATION: Downtown Knoxville TICKETS: Biscuit Boulevard: $10: Biscuit Bash: $75: Southern Food Writing Conference: $495 WHAT IT’S CELEBRATING: Begun in 2009, the International Biscuit Festival was envisioned by a group of local biscuit lovers who wanted to share Knoxville’s biscuit heritage with the world. What started as a fun gathering for friends and family has grown into a nationally recognized food festival. FEATURED ENTERTAINMENT: Kicking off the festival, a variety of biscuit-themed art will be showcased downtown at Coffee & Chocolate, Rala, and Pioneer House from May 6 through May 30. Other biscuit-themed attractions include a Mister and Miss Biscuit Pageant, a Biscuit Baking Contest, a Biscuit Songwriting Contest, and the annual Southern Food Writing Conference. TIPS: If you can’t make it to the Southern Food Writing Conference but still want to meet the speakers, head over to the Biscuit Bash where you can mingle with your favorite food personalities over music, moonshine cocktails, and—you guessed it—biscuits. MORE INFO: biscuitfest.com
CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL OF READING DATE: May 21, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. LOCATION: World’s Fair Park TICKETS: Free WHAT IT’S CELEBRATING: Help the kids start the summer off right with a full day of music, storytelling, arts, crafts, science exploration, food and fun. FEATURED ENTERTAINMENT: Here you can meet the authors of Ladybug Girl, Paperboy, Dragonbreath, and many others. Children’s singer-songwriter Molly Ledford will be performing during the day as well. WHAT’S NEW THIS YEAR: This year’s festival is a kick-off for the Summer Learning Club’s reading challenges. Participants in the club read a certain amount over the summer, and get some sweet prizes at the end.
TIPS: There will be free parking downtown. MORE INFO: knoxlib.org
SMOKY MOUNTAIN SCOTTISH FESTIVAL & GAMES DATES: May 21-22 LOCATION: Maryville College TICKETS: Early purchase (ends May 19), $10-$25; after May 19, full ticket: $50; Scotch Tasting at Sullivan’s: $75; Gold Patron Package: $100. Kids under 16 years old: free! FESTIVAL: You don’t have to be Scottish in order to enjoy this festival! Originally founded in 1981, this is now one of the oldest Scottish Festivals in the country, with dozens of pipe and drum bands filling the air with colorful sounds, vibrantly attired dancers performing traditional highland dances, sheepdog demonstrations, and a plethora of traditional Celtic food vendors GAMES: You can’t have a true Scottish festival without competition! Athletic events include a caber toss, stone put, and hammer throw; music events include competitions for bagpipers, drums, and full bands. And on Saturday, there will be a traditional highland dance competition. And don’t forget about the annual Clan Challenge! With a kilted mile run, battle-ax throw, ladies haggis hurl, and more, this is something you can’t miss. FOR KIDS: Kids under 16 get in free, and a supervised play area is provided for the little ones. There are also several parent-child activities to choose from. MORE INFO: smokymountaingames.org
BIKE, BOAT, BREW & BARK DATES: June 4-5 LOCATION: Volunteer Landing, Urban Wilderness TICKETS: Free WHAT IT’S CELEBRATING: Bike, Boat, Brew & Bark celebrates the best of what Knoxville has to offer. Whether you are a local, a tourist, an outdoor adventurer, a dog lover, a craft-beer enthusiast or any combination of the above, you’ll be able to discover something new! The Knoxville Visitor Centers will be open on Gay Street, Volunteer Landing, and at Outdoor Knoxville where staff can help guide
REGIONAL FESTIVALS BILTMORE BLOOMS
Dates: Through May 26 Location: Biltmore Estate (1 Lodge St, Asheville, N.C.) This spring festival introduces the season with a brand new exhibition called “Fashionable Romance: Wedding Gowns in Films.” More info: biltmore.com
4 BRIDGES ART FESTIVAL
Dates: April 16, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; April 17, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Location: First Tennessee Pavilion, Chattanooga Celebrating its 16th year, 4 Bridges Art Festival unites artists with serious art buyers from across the world—with awards totaling $15,000. More info: 4bridgesartsfestival.org
SWEETWATER 420 FESTIVAL
Dates: April 22-April 24 Location: Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta, Ga. The SweetWater 420 Festival combines music with positive awareness on sustainability. Performers include Kid Rock, Ludacris, Bastille, Awolnation, and the Roots. More info: sweetwater420fest.com
MERLEFEST (MERLE WATSON MEMORIAL FESTIVAL)
The most popular indie-rock bands in the land, from My Morning Jacket to Jane’s Addiction to the Decemberists. Plus: Eagles of Death Metal. More info: shakykneesfestival.com
SHAKEY BEATS MUSIC FESTIVAL
Dates: May 20-22 Location: Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta, Ga. This beat-oriented offshoot of Shaky Knees includes headliners Major Lazer, Odesza, Big Gigantic, and lots more. More info: shakybeatsfestival.com
TENNESSEE MEDIEVAL FAIRE
Dates: May 14-15, May 21-22, and May 28-30, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Location: Harriman, Tenn. Now you can live the legend of King Arthur and his Knights—and meet Guinevere and Merlin, to boot. More info: tmfaire.com or call 865-248-8414
HANGOUT FESTIVAL
Dates: May 20-May 22, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Location: Gulf Shores, Al. This easygoing music festival is packed with performers, from the Weekend to Alabama Shakes to Lenny Kravitz. More info: hangoutmusicfest.com
Dates: April 28-May 1 Location: Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, N.C. Created in 1988 in memory of Eddy Merle Watson, this fundraiser for Wilkes Community College celebrates “traditional plus” music. More info: merlefest.org
ATLANTA JAZZ FEST
BEALE STREET MUSIC FESTIVAL
Dates: June 9-12 Location: Manchester, Tenn. This year’s lineup is eclectic as ever, from Pearl Jam to LCD Soundsystem to Judd Apatow. More info: bonnaroo.com
Dates: April 29-May 1 Location: Tom Lee Park, Memphis Part of the Memphis in May International Festival, this music festival celebrates Beale Street’s history of blues and jazz with hefty headliners Beck, Neil Young, and Paul Simon. More info: memphisinmay.org
LAKE EDEN ARTS FESTIVAL
Dates: May 27-May 29 Location: Piedmont Park, Atlanta, Ga. One of the largest, free jazz festivals in the country. More info: atlantafestivals.com
BONNAROO
BREVARD MUSIC FESTIVAL
Dates: June 24-26 Location: North Carolina This is the 80th Anniversary Spectacular with special guest artist Amy Grant and Shostakovich 5. More info: brevardmusic.org
Dates: May 12-May 15 Location: 377 Lake Eden Road, Black Mountain, N.C. Over 10,000 people gather at the old Historic Black Mountain College’s site to enjoy music and FORECASTLE the beautiful Lake Eden’s scenery. Dates: July 15-17 More info: theleaf.org/the-festival Location: Waterfront Park, Louisville, Ky. Alt rock heroes Alabama Shakes, Avett Brothers, SHAKY KNEES MUSIC FEST Ben Harper, and plenty more. Dates: May 13-May 15 More info: forecastlefest.com Location: Centennial Olympic Park and International Plaza, Atlanta, Ga. —Hannah Hunnicutt
April 7, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 17
10,000 pounds of wings, a wing eating competition, a wing cooking competition, live music (lineup TBA), a kids corner, and a silent auction. TIPS: Bring a couple of lawn chairs and enjoy the food and music in World’s Fair Park. No pets are allowed. MORE INFO: bkwfestival.com
PRIDEFEST
you on your next adventure. KNOXVILLE POWERBOAT CLASSIC: Returning for the third year in a row, powerboats will be racing up and down the Tennessee river at Volunteer Landing all weekend. This event is part of the Powerboat Superleague, the nation’s oldest and most respected powerboat racing circuit for Formula Two and Formula Three boats, which go up to 100 mph. BIKE: Check out the boat races from your bike seat as you ride along the greenways, and continue on for a ride through Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness. BOAT: Grab your friends and watch the races from the water before you head out for the day. BREW: Grab a home-brewed specialty from any of Knoxville’s esteemed breweries. BARK: Plan an outing at the river with your four-legged friends. Afterward, head on over to Market Square for dinner, which has plenty of dog-friendly patios! Later on, you can tucker out the kids by taking them to watch the Smoky Mountain Dock Diving Dogs at the riverside. MORE INFO: visitknoxville.com
SECRET CITY FESTIVAL DATE: June 10-11 LOCATION: Oak Ridge 18
KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 7, 2016
TICKETS: Most events: Free! Headline Concerts: $22 until May 30, $25 after and at the gate. WHAT IT’S CELEBRATING: Originally known as the Azalea Festival, a small one day arts and crafts show that started in 1982 before evolving into Mayfest in 1990, the name was changed to the Secret City Festival in 2003 to showcase Oak Ridge’s nuclear history. FEATURED ENTERTAINMENT: Friday: The Charlie Daniels Band; Saturday: Grand Funk Railroad OTHER ATTRACTIONS: Activities include food, arts and crafts, a petting zoo, inflatables, water slides, and a World War II reenactment. TIPS: While parking is unavailable on festival grounds, there will be shuttles going to and from the offsite parking lots for those who need special transportation from their vehicle. MORE INFO: secretcityfestival.com
BIG KAHUNA WING FESTIVAL DATE: June 11, 12 to 8 p.m. LOCATION: World’s Fair Park TICKETS: Advance: $10; at the gate: $15; VIP: $150 DESCRIPTION: If you love wings, then this is the festival for you! The Big Kahuna Wing Festival will be featuring over
DATE: June 18 LOCATION: World’s Fair Park TICKETS: Free WHAT IT’S CELEBRATING: Founded in 2010, Knoxville’s PrideFest is an open celebration of music, entertainment and speakers focused on promoting equality and inclusion of all people. FESTIVAL ENTERTAINMENT: Cheryl Wright, Pop Rox, Coco Montrese, Derrick Barry, God Des & She, Knoxville Gay Men’s Chorus, Knoxville Opera PARADE: The annual PrideFest parade returns this year alongside the festival! Trophies will be awarded to the top three floats which use the festival’s theme of Love Won. Registration to participate in the parade ends June 15. TIPS: Check out the PrideFest website for a month’s worth of other activities around town. MORE INFO: knoxvillepridefest.org
BREWFEST DATE: June 18, 4 to 8 p.m. LOCATION: Outdoors near the Southern Railway Terminal (400 W Depot Ave.) TICKETS: $45 before May 31, $50 after; designated driver tickets: $20 (non-alcoholic drinks provided) WHAT IT’S CELEBRATING: Now in its sixth year, Knoxville’s annual BrewFest hosts a bundle of breweries from all over the region. Come enjoy a lovely summer afternoon with beers of all colors, styles, and flavors! You must be 21 or older and present a government issued ID to be admitted to the festival. While you’re drinking responsibly, you can help support a cause! All net proceeds of the festival benefit CureDuchenne, a charity dedicated to helping cure the devastating and lethal muscle disease affecting more than 24,000 children in the U.S. alone. TIPS: While there is parking available downtown, please consider using public transportation or a designated driver. Water will be provided, so drink lots of it. MORE INFO: knoxvillebrewfest.com
KUUMBA FESTIVAL DATE: June 23-27 LOCATION: Market Square, Morningside Park, Chilhowee Park TICKETS: Parade and African World Marketplace: free; concert TBA WHAT IT’S CELEBRATING: Now in its 27th year, Kuumba Fest brings African culture to the heart of Knoxville with a variety of activities. First, the Junkanu Parade marches down Gay Street accompanied by drummers, stilt walkers, and dancers. Then Market Square and Morningside Park are transformed into African markets, with lots of unique vendors. And Chilhowee Park often caps off the festivities with a live concert. TIPS: More details are yet to be announced, so be sure to check the festival website. MORE INFO: kuumbafestival.com
HOPS IN THE HILLS DATES: June 24-25 LOCATION: Downtown Maryville TICKETS: Friday Night Brew Crawl: $10; Saturday GA: $40; designated driver: $10; bundle: $80 WHAT IT’S CELEBRATING: Now in its second year, Maryville’s celebration of fermentation brings together over 20 local breweries and live music in the scenic gateway to the Smoky Mountains. FEATURED ENTERTAINMENT: The lineup will be announced on the Hop in the Hills website soon. OTHER ATTRACTIONS: Ever wanted to learn more about the art of microbrewing? Well, you’re in luck! There will be a multitude of seminars covering the science and agriculture of craft brewing given by experts in the field. The seminar schedule will be announced on the Hops in the Hills website in the near future. TIPS: This festival is 21 and older only.. MORE INFO: hopsinthehills.com
MEADOW LARK FESTIVAL AT IJAMS DATE: June 27 LOCATION: Ijams Nature Center TICKETS: $20 for a limited time
WHAT IT’S CELEBRATING: Meadow Lark Festival pairs Americana music with the beauty of Knoxville’s own urban nature center. With plenty of food, local artists, and fantastic music to go around, this is one festival you can’t miss! FEATURED ENTERTAINMENT: Keep watch on the Ijams website for the lineup announcement! TIPS: Parking is available at the Visitor Center and Mead’s Quarry and at the Tennessee School for the Deaf. Also, since the stage has lawn seating, make sure to bring a camp chair or lawn blanket to kick back and enjoy the music. Pets are not allowed at the festival. MORE INFO: ijams.org
FESTIVAL ON THE 4TH DATE: July 4th LOCATION: World’s Fair Park TICKETS: Free WHAT IT’S CELEBRATING: Come to World’s
Fair Park this July 4th to help celebrate Knoxville’s 225th birthday! FEATURED ENTERTAINMENT: Several local bands will be playing throughout the day in the park. Capping off the night, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra will be performing at 8 p.m., followed shortly by a dramatic fireworks display at 9:30. WHAT’S NEW THIS YEAR: In honor of Knoxville’s 225th anniversary, there will be several new additions to this year’s Festival on the 4th, including a carousel on the Festival Lawn and a “Water Wars” attraction to keep cool in the summer heat. TIPS: Free parking will be available in the 11th Street, Locust Street, Walnut Street, State Street, and Market Square garages, as well as the city’s Blackstock lot on Grand Avenue. ADA parking is available in the Fort Kid parking lot. Festivalgoers, don’t forget to bring sunscreen, hats, blankets and lawn chairs! Arrive early to stake your claim on the lawn. MORE INFO: knoxvilletn.gov
AND THEN THERE’S... FESTIVAL OF CULTURES
This family-friendly event features live music, multicultural exhibits, crafts and balloon art for children, and international foods. Friday, April 8, 4 p.m. • Pellissippi State Community College, Hardin Valley Campus (10915 Hardin Valley Rd.)
MAYA FESTIVAL
Related to the museum’s current special exhibition, “Maya: Lords of Time,” Maya Festival will present examples of traditional Maya dress, dance and music. Saturday, April 9. 1–4 p.m. • UT’s McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture (1327 Circle Park Dr.)
NAVY WEEK
Navy Week celebrates U.S. Navy sailors with a series of events, from a proclamation on Market Square (noon, April 11) to paratroopers descending on the Orange and White game at Neyland Stadium (2 p.m., April 16) April 11-17 • all over town
The Art of Management Dogwood Arts’ new director, Tom Cervone, tackles his first festival—and aims to change the group’s role in the community BY S. HEATHER DUNCAN
T
om Cervone began his first year as executive director of the Dogwood Arts Festival last August by making a little change that represents a bigger one. The nonprofit is in the process of dropping “Festival” from its legal name. The reason, Cervone says, is that Dogwood Arts actually organizes or runs so many events year-round— including the Rhythm N’ Blooms music festival, the huge winter House & Garden Show at the Knoxville Convention Center, the Knoxville Film Festival, and the Art in Public Places program that provides a rotating array of sculptures by city streets and parks as well as Tyson McGhee Airport. Even after researching Dogwood Arts Festival during the process of applying for the job, Cervone says, “I didn’t realize how much Dogwood actually did until I got here.” When asked during the job application process what Dogwood’s biggest strength and weakness was, his answer to both questions was the same: the brand. “It’s so iconic and grounded in this April celebration,” he says. “But traditions run deep here, and we want to respect the tradition of Dogwood, which is long.”
DEVOLUTION AND EVOLUTION
Inspired by an insult, the now-iconic Dogwood Trails were created in 1955. Visiting New York writer John Gunther declared in 1947 that “the scruffy little city on the Tennessee River” was “the ugliest city in America,” and the following decade saw a slew of similar judgments published in national magazines. Today, civic leaders strive to bring residents and visitors downtown. But
back then, because downtown was sooty and littered with garbage, the goal was the opposite: To get people out of the urban core to see the city’s prettier neighborhoods. (Remember, this was the dawn of the Age of the Car, and thus also the dawn of the suburbs.) Three Knoxville Garden Club members established the Dogwood Trails, which change every year and now number a dozen. In 1961, the first Dogwood Arts Festival came to Market Square as part of the celebration. Thanks partly to the involvement of the Foothills Craft Guild, it quickly attracted regional and national artists. But as downtown began to suffer in the 1970s and 1980s, the festival devolved into a glorified craft show that some compared to a rummage sale, offering painted pine cones and saws, and slightly embarrassing the populace. That began to turn around in the 1990s, and many credit Cervone’s predecessor Lisa Duncan with further enhancing the quality of the artwork as well as the festival’s music arm, Rhythm ‘n’ Blooms, which has come into its own. The art festival on Market Square attracted more than 100,000 visitors last year. Cervone says we won’t see any significant changes to what events these festivals include or how they operate this year. (“Nothing’s broken,” he emphasizes.) What he does want to change is Dogwood Arts’ role in the community, increasing its partnerships with other arts organizations and raising its profile so donors understand all that it supports. “When I decided to go for this job, I put every fiber of my being into it,” Cervone says. “I felt like I could help push Dogwood out more by partnering with other arts and culture brethren.” April 7, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 19
The Pittsburgh native says although he was attracted to the job because of his lifelong love for the arts—he has a master of fine arts from the University of Tennessee and managed its Clarence Brown Theater for 23 years—his primary focus initially is on Dogwood’s finances. While at Clarence Brown, Cervone earned a masters in business administration. “I learned what we needed to do to turn around Clarence Brown in terms of fundraising,” he says. He hopes to apply that knowledge and his experience from a decade working for a private utility company (eventually as human resources director) toward making Dogwood more financially sound. “I don’t want to go down like the Titanic,” he says. Federal tax forms show that Dogwood Arts is in the black, clearing $63,377 after expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015. With net assets and fund balances included, it had $147,599. But the organization had received just $3 million in donations over the previous five years combined. Cervone wants to increase that revenue stream so Dogwood Arts is less reliant on ticket and merchandise sales. A big fundraising campaign is probably in the cards, he says, because “we want to come to the end of the year with money we can put in the bank and not scoot by. We have some debt and no reserve. The goal is to establish a really strong annual fund and establish a cash reserve so we can be more creative and experimental.” But Cervone says he doesn’t anticipate paring back any of Dogwood Arts’ major events, although the Knoxville Film Festival will shrink by a day this year. The four-day event attracted 274 film entries from 34 states and 14 countries, but Cervone says attendance was poor for some of the screenings. The festival is a partnership between Dogwood and the Secret City Film Festival of Oak Ridge. The initial three-year agreement between the two ended last year, but Cervone says they recently signed a one-year continuation contract that includes collaboration with the UT film program. The future of the film festival depends on how things go at the three-day version slated for August. UT involvement may help. Cervone says close relationships he built during his years at UT with 20
KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 7, 2016
“The goal is to establish a really strong annual fund and establish a cash reserve so we can be more creative and experimental.” —Tom Cervone leaders in the art, theater, and music programs should give Dogwood Arts a chance to enhance and cross-market its offerings. For example, Dogwood puts on A Very Special Arts Festival at West High School in April for Knoxville students with disabilities, and Cervone hopes to add an acting or dance workshop to the mix through his contacts in the performing arts community. A higher-profile example could be an event “cohabiting” Rhythm N’ Blooms with Volapalooza, giving Rhythm N’ Blooms a presence on campus and bringing more college students to the downtown musical events. Cervone says he is interested in working with the university on a subsidy that could discount Rhythm N’ Blooms tickets for students. “Reaching out to UT is a natural partnership,” Cervone says. “How do we get that demographic—millennials—we really need, who are members of the audience of the future?” He acknowledges that since the Great Recession, Knoxville has donor
fatigue, but he says arts organizations need to partner better and compete less. “I would like to grow the pie instead of cutting it into 58 different pieces,” he says. His long-term vision is an even bigger collaboration. “Someday maybe Dogwood can be somewhat like a Spoleto,” he says. “We could coalesce with the Rossini Festival and Big Ears, with more performance art and music.” In the immediate future, Cervone hopes to raise Dogwood Arts’ profile with its upcoming move from an upstairs office on Gay Street to a storefront on Jackson Avenue, where it will have a gallery and be able to host small music and art events.
REPAIRING BRIDGES Before taking the job at Dogwood Arts last summer, Cervone spent short 18-month stints at his previous two jobs: as the first executive director of the Historic Tennessee Theater Foundation and as the director of UT’s
Professional Executive Master of Business Administration Program. Basically, Cervone says these were great opportunities but failed to satisfy his artistic passion. At the Tennessee Theater, he says, “I was booking the art but wasn’t able to build it,” because that job is contracted to AC Entertainment. While he ran the MBA program, he served on the boards of local arts organizations such as the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Greater Knoxville and the River and Rail Theater Company, but found they only whet his appetite for the arts. His ongoing involvement with so many arts groups offers opportunities to expand Dogwood’s year-round role in supporting the art community. Cervone says he hopes to hold a focus group of local artists to discuss how the organization can serve them better. And he is looking for ways to repair some “if not broken, charred” bridges. “I think there were hurt feelings in the last few years that people felt Dogwood didn’t support local artists,” Cervone says, mostly emerging from decisions about which artists would be displayed on Market Square during the festival. As Dogwood moved to enhance its aesthetic, some longtime local participants were dropped. Cervone says three local artists judged the applications this year, and the festival was able to bring back a few more of the local artists who had been involved in past years—although not all that applied. “We don’t want to lose the integrity of our aesthetic,” he says. “We don’t want to be ‘happy hands at home.’” He also says he wants to try harder to involve Knoxville artists in the Art in Public Places program (which receives little donor support and which few people even realize Dogwood runs). He says a young musician passing through Knoxville late last year noticed the complete lack of public art by Knoxvillians and wrote letters to him, his board, and other local leaders, taking them to task. A dozen new sculptures have been installed around downtown within the last few weeks, but none are by Knoxville artists. The Chattanooga-based artist who judged the entries this year was asked to focus on artists closer to home, Cervone says, and three Tennessee sculptors were among those included. But he acknowledges, “We have to work on that.” ◆
Downtown Knoxville, Tenne ssee’s
PORTUGAL. THE MAN RAURY NIYKEE HEATON MOON TAXI
FRIDAY, APRIL 29 WORLD’S FAIR PARK 5-11PM
WITH APPEARANCES BY: ROYAL BANGS, TUT, THREE STAR REVIVAL, AND ROOTS OF A REBELLION HEADPHONE DISCO with guest appearance by DJ A-WALL
tickets available at knoxvilletickets.com OPTED-IN UTK STUDENTS: FREE GENERAL ADMISSION: $15 (advance) $25 (door) plus applicable fees VIP: $50 (advance) $60 (door) plus applicable fees For more information or to arrange disability accommodations please contact the Center for Student Engagement at (865) 974-5455 or visit volapalooza.utk.edu
April 7, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 21
A&E
P rogram Notes
ANTHONY BRAXTON
Big Ears’ Ascension With its most popular edition yet, Knoxville’s adventurous music festival is no longer our best-kept secret
T
he biggest Big Ears yet wrapped up on Sunday afternoon at Ijams Nature Center with an immersive and stirring outdoor performance of Inuksuit, an hour-long piece of environmental music by the festival’s 2016 composer in residence, John Luther Adams. Dozens of percussionists (and one piccolo player!) were stationed around the trails near Mead’s
Quarry, striking up an elaborately timed chain reaction of drums, bells, triangles, more drums, xylophones, cymbals, and some untraditional instruments—I saw at least one conch and a hand-cranked air-raid siren. Hundreds of people with toddlers, dogs, and picnic baskets wandered around. The whole scene—the crowd, the 360 degrees of music, the sun-
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Music: Jarius Bush
KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 7, 2016
Art: Jason Sheridan Brown
Photo by Andrew Gresham
LAURIE ANDERSON
WILL OLDHAM shine, the bone-deep exhaustion after 72 hours of bleeding-edge music performances—generated some of the most intense and widespread good vibes I’ve ever felt in Knoxville. Even the parking lot, which was full an hour or more before the music started, mostly succumbed to the atmosphere of collective laid-back goodwill. Knoxville feels like a different city during Big Ears, AC Entertainment’s annual frenzy of avant-garde, off-thewall, left-of-center, ahead-of-the-curve music programming. This year the city felt more different than ever during the festival, with the addition of two new venues (the Mill and Mine, on Depot Street, AC Entertainment honcho Ashley Capps’ enterprise with preservationist developers David Dewhirst and Mark Heinz, and the Sanctuary, the former First Christian Church on Fifth Avenue, now owned
LAMBCHOP by Dewhirst and Heinz); the biggest crowd yet (a near-total sellout, with more than 8,000 people attending over three days, according to Capps); and more events than ever, including jam sessions, films, panel discussions, secret shows, surprise collaborations, spoken-word performances, and the free outdoor finale at Ijams. I saw and heard about 15 hours of music from Thursday evening to Sunday afternoon, from the chamber-Celtic folk of the Gloaming to the post-punk/traditional Greek lute music mashup of Xylouris White, from several sets of variously far-out jazz (the Anthony Braxton Trio, Mary Halvorson, Marc Ribot, and Vijay Iyer and Wadada Leo Smith) and the telepathic piano/bass/drums improv of the Necks to Sunn O)))’s intestine-shaking art-metal ceremony at the Tennessee Theatre. (That was very
P rogram Notes
SUN RA ARKESTRA
A&E
EIGHTH BLACKBIRD
ANDREW BIRD likely the loudest concert I’ve ever attended.) That’s only a fraction of the weekend schedule, but I can’t imagine absorbing anymore; I was at the upper limit of what I could handle without diminishing returns. Almost every single show exceeded my expectations, and those were generally high. And besides hours of some of the best music I hear live in a year, there are unexpected pleasures: watching Halvorson play from a seat right behind Braxton, her former teacher at Wesleyan University; seeing Will Oldham at a beer exchange on Gay Street; introducing my 74-year-old father to 21st-century classical music at Ijams; or watching a handful of local guitar heroes marvel at Ribot’s technique from church pews. Still, I missed some much-discussed performances that would have been at the very top of my list under
different circumstances: the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Adams’ elemental Become Ocean at the Tennessee Theatre; the legendary space-jazz outfit the Sun Ra Arkestra; three sets by the local new-music ensemble nief-norf; either of the two performances featuring improv harpist Zeena Parkins; Tuareg guitarist Bombino; the Chicago contemporary-music group eighth blackbird’s late-night session with Nico Muhly and Philip Glass sitting in; the psychedelic cosmic soul jazz of Kamasi Washington and his large band; or either of the sound installations at the Sanctuary or the Standard. (I also missed the Yo La Tengo Thursday drone/jam session, which inspired some serious grouching from fans who wanted to hear Yo La Tengo songs. Other listeners suggested an hour-long set of feedback and noodling was perfectly appropriate for
INUKSUIT the occasion. Either way, that band just has a hard time in Knoxville anymore.) The festival gets good reviews from national publications every year. This time, New York Times critic Ben Ratliff fairly gushes—“a rare, intuitive and ultimately anti-commercial vision, presented with purpose and first-rate sound on a thoughtful scale to a growing audience that isn’t even close to jaded about it,” he wrote on Sunday. Rolling Stone’s Christopher R. Weingarten, in his review, describes Big Ears as “the most adventurously programmed music festival in America.” The Guardian offered a 3,000word, three-day Big Ears diary. Billboard and Consequence of Sound weighed in, too, and there’s likely more to come. There were some new problems this year—several venues were filled to capacity on Friday and Saturday, with
long lines waiting to get in if anyone left, and Sunn O)))’s late start broke up some carefully crafted schedules on Saturday night. (The downpour on Thursday night wasn’t AC Entertainment’s fault.) Those are minor inconveniences, but it’s hard not to worry about the festival outgrowing its environment. “The days of cavalier show-hopping were replaced by long lines and strategic queuing,” Weingarten wrote in Rolling Stone. “Big Ears is not exactly the drone Coachella—but the secret is definitely out.” For now, though, it’s still one of the best things that happens in Knoxville, and, maybe surprisingly, something that I don’t think could happen anywhere else. —Matthew Everett
@KNOXMERCURY.COM
See daily photo galleries online. April 7, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 23
A&E
Music
In the Limelight Jarius Bush’s big dreams for Knoxville hip-hop BY MATTHEW EVERETT
F
or rappers in Knoxville, a new album or mixtape—no matter how good it is—is never quite enough. Making music is one thing; getting it heard is another. The city has never been as supportive of aspiring rappers and hip-hop producers and DJs as it has been of rock bands. “One thing I’ll say about hip-hop in Knoxville is that it’s definitely here, but a lot of people are stuck in their basements or bedrooms,” says Jarius Bush, a veteran of the local scene who founded the on-hiatus hip-hop/rock hybrid group the Theorizt and is set to appear at the Rhythm N’ Blooms Festival this weekend. (He performs and records as J-Bush.) “The biggest block for the community knowing more about it is the lack of venues and that artists don’t know how to book shows. But it’s definitely here and I see it really growing.” Bush, 28, hopes that his late-night appearance at the Americana- and indie folk-heavy Rhythm N’ Blooms on Friday night (12:15 a.m. at the Pilot Light in the Old City) is a small step forward not just for himself but also for the local hip-hop community in general. Bush and a small group of like-minded local hip-hop veterans— like DJ Wigs, Black Atticus, Mr. Kobayashi, and a handful of others— are currently working together as the Good Guy Collective to establish an infrastructure and build some shared creative momentum. Members of the collective took part last week in the Big Ears festival’s small program of spoken-word performances. “We support each other with equipment and we have a space to
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record our music,” Bush says. “It’s sort of like a record label but also just artists supporting each other. … I see us being a support unit for other artists in the community, helping artists get out in the city and touring, spreading our message.” Bush is bringing at least a few of his Good Guy colleagues to Rhythm N’ Blooms. DJ Wigs will be providing beats for the performance, and rappers Black Atticus and Mista will also be on stage. They’ll be playing songs from Bush’s solo mixtape Visions—a collection of positive ’90s-era throwback hip-hop in the style of A Tribe Called Quest, Black
Star, and Nas that Bush released in November—and tracks from an ambitious concept album he’s working on called Dreams of the Limelight. “I’ve been working on it for the last five years, and I’m still writing it,” he says. “It’s all about the whole idea of what the limelight is and having a dream to be in the limelight, but it’s also about identifying what that means to me—and it’s morphing over time, what that means. “The whole album is going to be inside a dream. It’ll be produced so it’s like going through your subconscious. I’m a big fan of Inception and The Matrix, so I’m finding ways to make it sound like it’s really a dream.” Bush’s dreams are big—he’s inspired by self-help and positive-thinking books that promote self-realization and other methods of unlocking personal potential. That’s the source of Visions, which was the result of a particular self-improvement project last year. “I made a vow to make music a bigger part of my life,” Bush says. “The biggest hindrance in getting where I want to go with my music is my lack of belief. I gave myself the task to create a vision board to
visualize what you want to see in your life—hence the album title. So it’s what I want to see in my life and I’m writing rhymes about it.” (The track titles on the mixtape run together to form a kind of mission statement, and the cover artwork is a collage of images from the vision board—a notice to “create your dream” alongside images of the New York skyline and Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.) As he’s worked on Dreams of the Limelight over the last five years, Bush says, his own dreams have changed. “There’s a sense of disbelief because we haven’t seen local artists have success,” he says. “We’ve seen it with the Dirty Guv’nahs but you just haven’t seen it in this style of music. There’s an ingrained disbelief in a lot of us. But there’s room to build here. I thought for a long time that I need to get signed so someone would carry me to success. One of the biggest myths I hear out here is that there’s nothing in Knoxville—if you want to make it in rap you can’t be in Knoxville. But that’s something I don’t necessarily believe. And making it is all relative. It means what you think it means.”
WHO
Rhythm N’ Blooms Music Festival: J-Bush
WHERE
Pilot Light (106 E. Jackson Ave.)
WHEN
Friday, April 8, at 12:15 a.m.
HOW MUCH
$35-$150
INFO
rhythmnbloomsfest.com
ABOUT RNB: PAGE 2 | WHO TO SEE?: PAGE 3 SCHEDULE & MAP: PAGES 4-5 | FESTIVAL INFO: PAGES 6-7
RHYTHM N’ BLOOMS 1
RHYTHM N’ BLOOMS is a festival that’s just as much about the city of Knoxville as it is about music. The festival honors the identity and spirit of our rich East Tennessee history while providing a premium listening environment for top-notch musical performances. Knoxville’s story has always been set to music. Rhythm N’ Blooms highlights that soundtrack and celebrates the crossroads of this city’s varied music history. Whether the music is nationally known or local favorites, Rhythm N’ Blooms only showcases the most preeminent artists. With the Great Smoky Mountains as our backdrop and The Historic Old City as our stage, we create a unique theater-like setting in our city that is sure to deliver a music festival experience that cannot be found anywhere else. The seeds of the Festival first began to take root in 2009, when Dogwood Arts sought to incorporate music into their longstanding arts celebration on Market Square. Free musical performances by local and regional artists served as a backdrop to the Art Fair and gave the public an opportunity to experience the sounds of bluegrass, country, and Americana over the course of the beautiful Spring weekend. These performances were branded under the name Rhythm N’ Blooms. The organization saw an opportunity to create a freestanding music festival event that could grow their audience, but knew they’d need help to bring it to fruition. The answer was right in front of them: a startup concert production and artist management company called Attack Monkey Productions, led by a longtime friend of Dogwood Arts who had years of experience with music festivals. An agreement was struck to have Attack Monkey craft the first stand-alone Rhythm N’ Blooms Festival, with the parameters being only that it incorporate roots music and showcase Knoxville’s cultural scene. The first year was challenging. The partnership between the two organizations began in late February, and the proposed festival dates were in mid-April giving little time to plan a three-day event with multiple venues and nationally touring acts. Still, once we made it to the first performance of the festival weekend we thought we were golden – until we received word that a volcano in Iceland had grounded international air travel and our headliner wasn’t going to make it to his performance!
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MUTEMATH
Still, with a little ingenuity, a lot of passion, and begging for quite a few favors, the first Rhythm N’ Blooms Festival threw down the gauntlet and made it clear that Knoxville had a new favorite spring festival. The audiences were small and the group of volunteers even smaller, but something special was sprouting. And the partnership between Dogwood Arts and Attack Monkey Productions had proven to be a good one (one that exists to this day). As we enter our seventh year, Rhythm N’ Blooms has grown tremendously – with thousands of attendees from all over the world coming to Knoxville to fall in love with the City (and, we hope, for locals to fall in love with it all over again). While our budgets are smaller than many festivals of our size, we’ve managed to attract world-class artists and build out an entire venue under an interstate. With a larger team working on the event throughout the year, we’re constantly seeking to add new experiences to the weekend (like this year’s Silent Disco, Secret Shows and more). But our core focus has remained the same: delivering artists who will deliver the best performances you’ll see anywhere, and shining a spotlight on our fair City.
ROBERT RANDOLPH & THE FAMILY BAND
THE MAVERICKS
WHAT’S YOUR FESTIVAL STYLE? KNOX HAMILTON
NEW(SWORTHY) NAMES
Discover the newest groups before they’re household names. Grab a front row seat for these up-and-comers, then tell your friends you saw them when.
J-BUSH
LOCALS ONLY
We have these local legends ready to make you proud to be a Tennessee Vol.
THE BLACK CADILLACS
DARLINGSIDE
One of Knoxville’s biggest exports, the Black Cadillacs bring their booming, bluesy indie rock back home.
KNOX HAMILTON
From his career-breaking debut in the Everybodyfields to more recent work with the Black Lillies, this home state hero has helped shape the sound of East Nashville.
Harmony-heavy folk music with fiddle, acoustic guitar, interlocking voices and the rootsy swoon of a modern-day Crosby Stills & Nash. Big sounds from Little Rock, with a name that reminds us a bit of the Scruffy City itself.
SAM QUINN
GUY MARSHALL
JAKUBI
Having grown from a husband-and-wife duo into a genuine band, Guy Marshall breathe new life into honky-tonk and folk music.
LIZ LONGLEY
Fiery, forward-thinking rhythms and rhymes from a hometown rapper who’s helping fortify Knoxville’s hip-hop community.
High-flying hip-hop, reggae and funky pop from a group of Aussies whose music takes aim at your feet as well as your heart. Strong, clear-eyed songwriting from a singer whose music tumbles from folk to rock.
J-BUSH
CORY BRANAN
COUNTRY (AND CITY) COWBOYS
These bands pitch their tent halfway between the intersection of country and rock & roll. Raise your glass and shake your… hips.
CORY BRANAN
Guitar slinger. Storyteller. With plenty of fingerpicking fire and wry wit, Branan has built his career on the road, proof that live shows from a so-called “No-Hit Wonder” can still pack plenty of punch.
AMERICAN AQUARIUM
Road warriors for a decade, Raleigh’s biggest exports have sharpened their bite with last year’s Wolves, an album that finds frontman BJ Barham singing raw, ragged coming-of-age anthems over dual lead guitars and swooning pedal steel.
DANIEL MILLER AND THE HIGH LIFE
East Tennessee’s own Daniel Miller rolls the various sounds of the Volunteer State bluegrass, country, southern rock into his own songs, driving them forward with plenty of guitar-heavy grit.
OLD 97’S
G. LOVE
JAM BANDS 2.0
RIVER WHYLESS
LILITH POWER
Dance to your soul’s (and soles’) content during these sets, where eclectic influences, global grooves and first-rate playing come together.
Looking to embrace your inner goddess? These leading ladies are giving the boys of Rhythm N’ Blooms a run for their money.
THE MAVERICKS
Global grooves and indie-pop melodies find equal footing in this band’s music, which takes a worldwide approach to Americana.
Globetrotting country stars who take influence from both sides of the border, mixing Latin influences and world rhythms into their unique twang.
ROBERT RANDOLPH & THE FAMILY BAND
A favorite of festivals nationwide for years brings their booming, bluesy gospel music back to Knoxville this spring, armed with funky fire and pedal steel power.
G. LOVE & SPECIAL SAUCE
THE RAGBIRDS
RIVER WHYLESS
During an NPR Tiny Desk Concert, these Ashevillebased coeds used a typewriter as a percussion instrument, adding a unique bounce to their fiddle-fueled folk songs. Expect similar outside-ofthe-box moves from their festival performance.
MATT HONKONEN
Knoxville-based folkie Matt Honkonen spreads his influences country-wide, strumming his guitar throughout songs that conjure up everything from the hazy beauty of the Smokies to the lush, rootsy sway of the Pacific Northwest.
CHRISTIAN LOPEZ
Since his mid-teens, this college-aged West Virginian rolls the sounds and sights of the South into his mix of Americana, folk and rebel country-rock. Bonus: he’s been working with Dave Cobb, the man behind recent albums by Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson.
THE CRANE WIVES
For more than two decades, these champions of “Philadelphonic soul” mix funky folk, acoustic blues and hip-hop, carve out a sound that’s built on grooves and good times.
These Mitten State musicians mix tradition with forward-thinking songwriting, a combination that ensures makes their Americana songs sway, swoon and more often than not surprise.
KOA
BANDITOS
Founded by childhood friends who grew up in Colorado before relocating to Tennessee, Koa draws on influences as widespread as the band’s own roots, rolling soul, funk and rock & roll into a driving, danceable sound.
Fueled by train beats, Texas twang, Rhett Miller’s boozy bray of a voice, these four Texans are some of alt-country’s longest-running torchbearers.
Boogie rock & roll, swampy grooves, backwoods blues and some of the greatest beards in modern music come together in the music of the Banditos, six Alabama natives who are now operating their roots-rock business out of Nashville.
GET SOCIAL WITH US! #RNBKNOX RHYTHM N’ BLOOMS 3
4
Cripple Creek Stage
Cripple Creek Stage 5:00 PM 5:15 PM 5:30 PM 5:45 PM 6:00 PM 6:15 PM 6:30 PM 6:45 PM 7:00 PM 7:15 PM 7:30 PM 7:45 PM 8:00 PM 8:15 PM 8:30 PM 8:45 PM 9:00 PM 9:15 PM 9:30 PM 9:45 PM 10:00 PM 10:15 PM 10:30 PM 10:45 PM 11:00 PM 11:15 PM 11:30 PM 11:45 PM 12:00 AM 12:15 AM 12:30 AM 12:45 AM 1:00 AM 1:15 AM
Jackson Terminal
Barley’s Taproom
Pilot Light
Boyd’s Jig & Reel*
Old City Courtyard
Lox Salon
Cripple Creek VIP
The Ragbirds VIP Meet & Greet VIP Scotch Tasting
The Black Cadillacs
Old 97’s
Ed Snodderly Trio The Meadows Brothers
Cory Branan
Christian Lopez Band Mic Harrison & The High Score
Dave Eggar
Silent Disco
Secret Show
The Ragbirds Secret Show
Cory Branan Matt Honkonen
Banditos Electric Darling
Daniel Miller & The High Life
Secret Show
J-Bush
11:15 AM 11:30 AM 11:45 AM 12:00 PM 12:15 PM 12:30 PM 12:45 PM 1:00 PM 1:15 PM 1:30 PM 1:45 PM 2:00 PM 2:15 PM 2:30 PM 2:45 PM 3:00 PM 3:15 PM 3:30 PM 3:45 PM 4:00 PM 4:15 PM 4:30 PM 4:45 PM 5:00 PM 5:15 PM 5:30 PM 5:45 PM 6:00 PM 6:15 PM 6:30 PM 6:45 PM 7:00 PM 7:15 PM 7:30 PM 7:45 PM 8:00 PM 8:15 PM 8:30 PM 8:45 PM 9:00 PM 9:15 PM 9:30 PM 9:45 PM 10:00 PM 10:15 PM 10:30 PM 10:45 PM 11:00 PM 11:15 PM 11:30 PM 11:45 PM 12:00 AM 12:15 AM 12:30 AM 12:45 AM 1:00 AM 1:15 AM 1:30 AM 1:45 AM
Jackson Terminal
Barley’s Taproom
Pilot Light
Boyd’s Jig & Reel*
Old City Courtyard
Lox Salon
Creatives, Rise Up: Turning Your Passion Into Your Career
Yoga with Barre Belle Fitness
PR 101: Tell Your Story Through Media
Elliott BROOD
Green River Ordinance
Reclaiming Spaces: Adding Purpose To Your Community
Art Guitar Design Contest Awards
Paleface Anatomy of a Gig: Booking & Promoting 101
Jack Neely Music Tours
Secret Show Yee-Haw Brewing Company Brew Crew Talk
Secret Show
Liz Longley Crane Wives
The Lone Bellow
The Mavericks
Twin Limb David Ramirez
Daniel Miller & The High Life
Twin Limb
Christian Lopez Band
Silent Disco
American Aquarium
David Ramirez
Knox Hamilton
Secret Show
Secret Show Paleface
Dave Eggar
Cripple Creek Stage
Cripple Creek VIP
VIP Meet & Greet Sponsored by Sugarlands Distilling Co.
1:30 PM 1:45 PM 2:00 PM 2:15 PM 2:30 PM 2:45 PM 3:00 PM 3:15 PM 3:30 PM 3:45 PM 4:00 PM 4:15 PM 4:30 PM 4:45 PM 5:00 PM 5:15 PM 5:30 PM 5:45 PM 6:00 PM 6:15 PM 6:30 PM 6:45 PM 7:00 PM 7:15 PM 7:30 PM 7:45 PM 8:00 PM 8:15 PM 8:30 PM 8:45 PM 9:00 PM 9:15 PM 9:30 PM 9:45 PM 10:00 PM 10:15 PM 10:30 PM 10:45 PM 11:00 PM 11:15 PM 11:30 PM 11:45 PM
Electric Darling
Jackson Terminal
Barley’s Taproom
Pilot Light
Boyd’s Jig & Reel*
Old City Courtyard
Lox Salon
Cripple Creek VIP
Yoga with Barre Belle Fitness Dave Eggar
Knoxville Stomp
VIP Meet & Greet Sponsored by Sugarlands Distilling Co.
Jack Neely Music Tours
Jakubi Quiet Life
Secret Show
Jubal
Secret Show
Mutlu River Whyless Darlingside G. Love & Special Sauce
Mutlu
Boyd’s Old Time Jam
Silent Disco
Secret Show
Darlingside
Sam Quinn & Taiwan Twin
Robert Randolph & The Family Band
Quiet Life
Elliott BROOD
MUTEMATH American Aquarium
Guy Marshall Koa Caleb Hawley
Midnight Merry Go-Round: David Bowie Edition
Liz Longley (solo)
The Meadows Brothers
Silent Disco
*With special appearances by the Appalachian Hippie Poet throughout the day KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 12, 2015
March 12, 2015
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 4
THERE’S SO MUCH MORE TO DO!
R
HYTHM N’ BLOOMS will be staying up late this year, thanks to a first-time addition to the festival’s lineup: the SILENT DISCO. Occupying the Old City courtyard throughout the weekend (check the schedule for details), the disco will involve DJs, dance music… and a lot of headphones. By swapping out a loud sound system for individual pairs of wireless headsets, the Silent Disco offers all the music and movement of a club without violating any noise ordinances.
SILENT DISCO OLD CITY COURTYARD Friday, 6:30pm – 1:00am, Saturday, 4:00pm – 7:00pm & 11:00pm – 1:00am, Sunday, 3:00pm – 8:00pm COST: General Public: $5 Festival & Day Pass Holders: Free
6 RHYTHM N’ BLOOMS
That’s a big plus for a city-based festival like Rhythm N’ Blooms, where loud events are typically required to end by 10 p.m. With the Silent Disco now extending the festival’s curfew late into the night, this year’s event can offer the sort of all-day, immersive experience you’d otherwise find at rural festivals like Bonnaroo, without taking Rhythm N’ Blooms away from Knoxville’s city limits. The Old City Courtyard will be a busy place this year, with vendor booths, life-sized board games and a beer garden all sharing the area with the Silent Disco. Again, the goal is to reach beyond the usual boundaries of a city festival, while still benefitting the local merchants whose businesses line the area’s streets. Some of those streets will be closed this year, too, giving attendees a chance to stretch their legs in a traffic-free zone before grabbing a pair of headphones and dancing until last call. “With this year’s festival, we want to drive
business to the existing businesses in the area while also providing a new experience to our attendees,” says Chyna Brackeen. “The street closures, vendor booths, board games and Silent Disco are all part of an attempt to provide an immersive festival experience, while still being part of a cityscape and allowing attendees the opportunity to truly explore Knoxville’s Old City.” The Silent Disco isn’t the only non-musical event hitting the festival grounds this spring. Barre Belle Yoga will offer FREE YOGA CLASSES, kicking off the festvities in the Old City Courtyard on both Saturday and Sunday. Returning for another year are the WORKSHOPS which will be held at the Jackson Terminal on Saturday. Meanwhile, local historian Jack Neely will offer WALKING TOURS of sights that help tell the story of Knoxville’s music history, touching on everything from Bill Monroe’s old stomping grounds to the Market Square retail store that sold the very first Elvis Presley record.
YOGA WITH BARRE BELLE OLD CITY COURTYARD Saturday, 12:30pm Sunday, 1:30pm
MUSICAN’S CORNER JACKSON TERMINAL Saturday, 11:15am – 4:00pm See schedule for details.
MUSIC HISTORY WALKING TOURS BOYD’S JIG & REEL Saturday & Sunday, 2:00pm Meet outside Boyd’s Jig & Reel a few minutes before 2:00pm to secure a spot on the Walking Tour.
BIKES & BLOOMS
A Program of Dogwood Arts & Legacy Parks Foundation Looking for a fun, outdoor activity on Saturday and Sunday before music starts? Bring your bike and get ready to see Knoxville on two wheels! Note: There’s free bike parking at the Old City Courtyard. Bikes & Blooms is an April program of Dogwood Arts that’s co-produced with Legacy Parks Foundation. Experience the Dogwood trails the lean, green way – on a bicycle by way of an organized ride! This scenic 8-mile ride is led by Tennessee Valley Bicycles. Riders must wear helmets. Young riders must be skilled at on-road riding, suggested age 8 and up. No pre-registration required!
SOUTHBOUND RIDE: Saturday, April 9th, 10:00am NORTHBOUND RIDE: Sunday, April 10th, 10:00am Rides leave from TVB [214 W. Magnolia Ave]. (Right off the festival footprint) Rides are typically 2-3 hours and will have you back in time to enjoy the first band!
Free Bike Workshops at TVB at 9:30am! Bikes & Blooms is presented by Covenant Health of East Tennessee!
RHYTHM N’ BLOOMS 7
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8 RHYTHM N’ BLOOMS
Ar t
Art Rock
Jason Sheridan Brown makes sculpture out of the landscape BY S. HEATHER DUNCAN
A
bucket of coal sits next to a bucket of rock candy in sculptor Jason Sheridan Brown’s studio. Perhaps nowhere outside Santa’s workshop would you find this combination of work materials. But Brown’s sculptural collages use everything from utility flags to mirrors to comment on the landscape. After about a decade as a sculpture professor at the University of Tennessee, Brown gravitated toward a pivotal issue in the Appalachian landscape: coal mining, especially mountaintop-removal mining. “I’ve started looking at the way landscape is sacrificed for energy consumption,” Brown says. Many of his pieces use mountain silhouettes both above and below the surface, like a glacier, to illustrate how this mining process fl ips the landscape upside down. As a sculptor, Brown fi nds the shifting of so much material intriguing but disturbing—an impression dating to his childhood, when he saw open-pit iron-ore mines in Minnesota on family camping trips. Brown says he was grappling with how to incorporate his interest in ecological issues into his work when the Kingston coal ash spill occurred in 2008. He used Google Earth to trace the ridges between Kingston and a Tennessee mountaintop-removal site at Zeb Mountain, building a silhouette from the track. (Brown has received a grant for a graduate student to help
him refine this process, so he can make perfect copies of ridge lines using architectural software.) Brown’s creative process since then has not been limited to experimenting with materials and visual effects. He has also taken videos and interviewed residents in Kentucky and West Virginia towns scarred by mountaintop removal, and these heavily inform his works. “The most dramatic stories that struck me were families who economically couldn’t relocate and their water had been contaminated, or they lived under a ridge that was gone or where the noise of explosions and machinery were constant,” Brown says. “Even if they had been involved in mining, they had become disenchanted and conservation-minded.” In the long term, Brown says he’d like to work collaboratively with one of these communities on reclaiming their land through creative landscape design, as the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club has done at former marble quarries in Knoxville. Brown’s silhouettes of mountains or cities, often cut from materials like tar paper or reflective mylar, sometimes overlap with photos of coal slurry ponds and work zone signs. The mirrors invite viewers to see themselves in both the natural beauty and the destruction of the mountains. Other sculptures are free-stand-
A&E
ing, large objects that recall industrial structures and mountains rolled into one. In one example, an upside-down plastic rock hangs like a giant basket fi lled with coal. Brown’s focus on the removal of natural resources has increased his interest in getting closer to his materials—leading him to use more cast iron, for instance. One piece Brown made for a sculpture park in his home state of Minnesota resembles two rocks playing on a seesaw. But neither rock is a rock. The one on the ground is cast iron, and the one in the air is plastic made from petroleum. Both use natural resources to make facsimiles of nature (a commentary on all art, to an extent). The sand used for the casting molds—provided by the park—was basically recycled from natural-gas fracking operations, another natural-resource extraction process that alters the landscape and leaves pollution behind. In Brown’s studio, trusses composed of welded triangles are stacked next to white picket fencing. A statue of a transmission tower dwarfs them. The walls, which reach just halfway to the ceiling of the warehouse-like space, prop up everything: 8-foot mountain ranges made of mirrors, as well as ladders, birch branches, and the longest levels I have ever seen. Brown peels a rubber mold away from a foam rock. Work tables are strewn with a pile of screws, ball jars, maps, and objects that haven’t found their artistic home yet. He welds and fabricates larger pieces at another studio on the UT campus. Brown says no single set of materials can capture his attention for long. Last year Brown’s art was exhibited at several installations in Lexington, in a collaborative show related to the urban landscape at Striped Light in Knoxville, and in a show at the UT Downtown Gallery with the Land Report Collective, a group of far-flung artists whose work is related to landscape. Brown provided a statue for the Dogwood Arts Artitude auction on April 15 and is also working on a small show for the Central Collective in August made up of Instagram photos that act as a visual diary. (You can see examples on Instagram @jayguns865.) Check out his work at jasonsheridanbrown.com. ◆
CLASSICAL TICKETS start at just $15
NEXT WEEK!
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 April 7, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 33
CALENDAR MUSIC
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 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. THE DIRTY DOUGS • The Orangery • 6:30PM • FREE 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 Mutlu; Nashville band Koa; New York singer/songwriter Caleb Hawley; psychedelic folk band Twin Limb; and more. Visit rhythmnbloomsfest.com. • $35-$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 • 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 34
KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 7, 2016
Thursday, April 7 - Sunday, April 17
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 MAX ROSS • Vienna Coffee House (Maryville) • 7PM • FREE THE WILL YAGER TRIO • The Bistro at the Bijou • 9PM • Live jazz. • FREE 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 rhythmnbloomsfest.com. • $35-$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 bona fide 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
GLENN JONES Pilot Light (106 E. Jackson Ave.) • Tuesday, April 12 • 8 p.m. • $7 • 18 and up • thepilotlight.com
Believe it or not, you don’t have to be troubled, drunk, mad, failed, or dead to be an acoustic-guitar genius. Case in point, Glenn Jones. The Massachusetts-based instrumentalist is an evenkeeled, avuncular sort who seems impervious to public rages or blatant self-sabotage. His playing has been honed to arm-shaving sharpness over decades, but he disdains virtuosic flash. The cover art for his solo albums typically feature genial-looking creatures in bucolic settings— his new album, Fleeting (Thrill Jockey), sports a guitar-picking rabbit serenading a grinning yellow moon. He does a poor job of projecting alluring danger and darkness. But no one who has so thoroughly assimilated the music of John Fahey, Robbie Basho, and other cornerstones of American Primitive guitar music as Jones has can say that darkness has never touched them. (In a past life, as leader of the postrock band Cul de Sac, Jones made a prolonged stab at trying to make a collaborator of the intractable Fahey.) His songbook may have its sunny episodes, its hopeful tunes and balmy tones, but it also bears its share of somber melodies and chilly atmospherics—such as on the deep-holler reverb and minor key plaintiveness of Fleeting’s “Spokane River Falls,” which Jones performs on banjo. And Jones has a particular knack for making the harmonies of his pieces function as hooks every bit as much as the main tunes do. Beneath its often pacific surface, his music carries an undertow, and a burnished beauty that is both modest and profound. (Lee Gardner)
Thursday, April 7 - Sunday, April 17
up. • $5 CHARLIE KATT • Vienna Coffee House (Maryville) • 7PM • FREE PROJECT WOLFPACK • Paul’s Oasis • 9PM • 21 and up. • FREE HAROLD NAGGE AND ALAN WYATT • The Bistro at the Bijou • 9PM • Live jazz. • FREE 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. • $35-$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 Monday, April 11 MINK’S MIRACLE MEDICINE WITH LEAH GRAHAMS-JOHNSON • 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 VIENNA COFFEE HOUSE JAZZ TRIO • Vienna Coffee House (Maryville) • 5PM • FREE INTER ARMA WITH PYRRHON AND IMMORTAL BIRD • Pilot Light • 9PM • A trio of forward-thinking and experimental metal bands. 18 and up. • $10 RÜFÜS DU SOL WITH CASSIAN • The Concourse • 9PM • Presented by Midnight Voyage and WUTK. 18 and up. • $10-$15 Tuesday, April 12 SARAH POTENZA WITH LEW CARD • 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 TANNAHILL WEAVERS • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 8PM • $10 UT JAZZ BIG BAND CONCERT • University of Tennessee Natalie L. Haslam Music Center • 8PM • FREE THE MARBLE CITY 5 • Red Piano Lounge • 8PM GLENN JONES WITH JOSEPH ALLRED • Pilot Light • 8PM • $7 • See Spotlight on page 34. THE NINTH STREET STOMPERS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • The 9th Street Stompers are an outfit of well-dressed no-counts chopping on acoustic instruments and singing about life, death, love, and liquor. Hailing from Chattanooga, Tennessee, they cull up the musical scenery of an era when the lines between swing, gypsy jazz, blues, rockabilly, and tango weren’t nearly as hard and fast as the drinking and dancing. Wednesday, April 13 MATTHEW FRANTZ WITH THREE MILE SMILE • 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 FROG AND TOAD’S DIXIE QUARTET • The Crown and Goose • 6:30PM • Live jazz featuring a mix of original music, early jazz and more. • FREE TENNESSEE SHINES: TENNESSEE STIFFLEGS AND JUBAL •
CALENDAR
Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7PM • What’s this inaugural Knoxville Stomp festival (May 5-8) all about? We’ll preview the weekend of history and music with two Knoxville bands making music so old it’s new gain. The Tennessee Stifflegs (Frank Bronson, fiddle/vocals; Thomas McNair, guitar/vocals; Nathan Black, banjo/lap steel; and Tom Cook, upright bass) recently wowed the crowd of the 47th annual Jubilee Festival with their youthful spin on the old-time fiddle tunes they grew up hearing their fathers and fathers’ fathers play. Jubal, the duo of Taylor Kress and Bonnie Simmons, uses traditional string music as a base for rustic and haunting melodies and harmonies. • $10 JEREMY WRIGHT • The Bistro at the Bijou • 7PM • Live jazz. • FREE MARYVILLE COLLEGE JAZZ BAND SPRING CONCERT • Clayton Center for the Arts • 7PM • Directed by Will Yager, the band will perform “Blues in the Closet” by Oscar Pettiford; “So What” by Miles Davis; “Groove Merchant” by Jerome Richardson; “Song for my Father” by Horace Silver; “Doxy” by Sonny Rollins; “Equinox” by John Coltrane; and “Red Clay” by Freddie Hubbard. • FREE Thursday, April 14 MAX GARCIA CONOVER WITH CASH’D OUT • 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 NED VAN GO • Scruffy City Hall • 6PM DEEDEE BROGAN • The Orangery • 6:30PM APPLEBUTTER EXPRESS • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • FREE ERIN COBURN • Scruffy City Hall • 7:30PM MILAN MILLER AND THOMM JUTZ • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 8PM CASH’D OUT • The Concourse • 8PM • Over the past couple of decades, tribute bands have become big business in the world of concert promotion. And, not surprisingly, the more popular ones are the acts that are most authentic. Such is the case with Cash’d Out (Douglas Benson vocals, Kevin Manuel guitar, George Bernardo drums, and Stephen Rey bass), a San Diego based band, that channels Johnny Cash in about as close a manner to the real thing as it gets. 18 and up. • $12-$15 MAX GARCIA CONOVER • Preservation Pub • 8PM • 21 and up. • FREE JON DEE GRAHAM • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM Friday, April 15 ERIN COBURN WITH JON DEE GRAHAM • 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: KUKULY AND THE GYPSY FUEGO • Knoxville Museum of Art • 6PM • A native of Peru, Kukuly Uriarte has been a member of the Knoxville music community for several years now, and her band, The Gypsy Fuego, keeps growing in popularity as they perform in venues all around the Knoxville and Maryville area. Their music “knows no borders,” as it encompasses an international mix of Gypsy jazz, American swing “with a French accent,” and also Latin standards like Argentine tangos and Brazilian bossa novas. The “deluxe” 7-member Gypsy Fuego had a successful AA5 debut last summer, and they are back in full force. • $10 BRANTLEY GILBERT WITH MICHAEL RAY AND CANAAN
SMITH • Thompson-Boling Arena • 7PM • Brantley Gilbert is tearing up the road to country music with his upcoming album Just As I Am, which is already burning up the airwaves and ushering in summer with his first new work in four years. Like the album’s title, the songs are an expression of who he is at this time in his life. The rings, the chains, the faith, the no apologies—“If You Want A Bad Boy,” you’ll find one in Brantley’s first song on his new album. Love him or not, his latest offering is Just As I Am and it is an album of unforgettable memories—for him and everyone who hears it. • $34.75-$39.75 THE HACKENSAW BOYS • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • FREE THE CLASSIC Q BAND • Vienna Coffee House (Maryville) • 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 SCOTT MILLER WITH RAYNA GELLERT AND BRYN DAVIES • Laurel Theater • 8PM • Naturalized Knoxvillian Scott Miller’s genuine interest and identity with the lore of the South and the Civil War, along with his intelligent and take-no- prisoners lyrics, set him apart from other roots rock artists and have propelled him to national and international prominence. • $19 MATT BEDNARSKY • Preservation Pub • 8PM • 21 and up. • FREE GENEVA • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 9PM BETHANY HANKINS • The Bistro at the Bijou • 9PM • Live jazz. • FREE TOWN MOUNTAIN • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • In much the same way that iconic southern dishes such as Louisiana gumbo or Brunswick stew can include any number of flavorful ingredients, so too does bluegrass music rely on a recipe that can vary wildly, depending on who’s doing the cooking. For Asheville, North Carolina-based bluegrass band Town Mountain, the key ingredient of the musical stew that is their career-defining fifth album, Southern Crescent, is the same confident – yet entirely embraceable – swagger that has distinguished the group since they first formed in 2005. The new album is due out on April 1, 2016 on LoHi Records. LANEY JONES AND THE SPIRITS • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE OH! JAZZ DUO • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 10PM THE GILLS WITH MY FEVER AND MIKE MAINS AND THE BRANCHES • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. • $5 MINNESOTA WITH KAMINANDA AND SPOOKY JONES • The Concourse • 10PM • 18 and up. • $12-$15 Saturday, April 16 VERLON THOMPSON • 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 GREEN RIVER WITH THE JASON STINNETT BAND • The Shed at Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson • 6PM • A tribute to Creedence Clearwater Revival. • $15 FORT DEFIANCE • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • Fort Defiance is high-energy folk trio from Nashville, Tennessee, born from the solo careers of multi-instrumentalists Jordan Eastman and Laurel Lane. The two met in early 2014, and began touring together just three weeks later; living in the back of Eastman’s truck and playing shows across the country. The pairing of Lane’s Dolly-esque southern charm with Eastman’s heartfelt lyrics and passionate stage performance was quickly met with great response; inspiring them to “start April 7, 2016
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CALENDAR a real band” and recruit drummer, washboard player and long-time friend, Dave Martin. • FREE GEOFFREY LOUIS KOCH • Vienna Coffee House (Maryville) • 7PM • FREE OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW WITH MARGO PRICE • Tennessee Theatre • 8PM • Old Crow Medicine Show started busking on street corners in 1998 New York state and up through Canada, winning audiences along the way with their boundless energy and spirit. They eventually found themselves in Boone, North Carolina where they caught the attention of folk icon Doc Watson while playing in front of a pharmacy. He invited the band to play at his festival, MerleFest, helping to launch their career. Shortly thereafter the band was hired to entertain crowds between shows at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN. It’s been over fifteen years since these humble beginnings. The band has gone on to receive the honor of being inducted as members of the Grand Ole Opry, and have won two Grammy Awards: “Best Folk Album” for Remedy (2014) and “Best Long Form Music Video” for Big Easy Express (2013). Additionally, their classic single, “Wagon Wheel”, received the RIAA’s Platinum certification in 2013 for selling over 1,000,000 copies. • $39.50-$49.50 FREEQUENCY • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • Acoustic Americana. KITTY WAMPUS • Paul’s Oasis • 9PM AURELIO VOLTAIRE • The Concourse • 9PM • As a musician, he is a songwriter whose music can best be described as a collection of murder ballads, tongue-in-cheek exercises in the macabre, with just enough bawdy songs about Star
Thursday, April 7 - Sunday, April 17
Trek and Star Wars to keep a convention audience rolling in the aisles. Many know him for his songs “Brains!” and “Land of the Dead” from the Cartoon Network show “The Grim Adventures of Billy And Mandy”.Aurelio Voltaire’s live shows, whether solo or with his skeletal orchestra, are full of stories and games. Many describe his shows as sitting around a fire while an old friend regales you with tales, presuming that old friend drinks a liter of rum a night, dates zombie prostitutes and wrestles Krakens. All ages. • $10-$15 THE JAILHOUSE REVIEW • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 9PM THE CHUCK MULLICAN JAZZ BONANZA • The Bistro at the Bijou • 9PM • Live jazz. • FREE JENNIFER NICELY WITH ALTERED STATESMEN • Pilot Light • 10PM • Jennifer Niceley has sometimes called her music country, just to have something to call it. “But it’s not accurate,” she says. “I wish I could just say, ‘I sing country music.’” But it doesn’t really fit any commercial genre. Acoustic guitar with original lyrics often gets lumped in the folk category, but Niceley’s singing voice has urbane jazz inflections, and the structure of most of her songs don’t follow familiar patterns, no verse-chorusbridge-chorus expectations. 18 and up. • $6 THE PEA PICKIN’ HEARTS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 10PM THE GREAT AFFAIRS AND ROOM SOUNDS • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. • $5 Sunday April 17 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 THE ROMEO KINGS • Star of Knoxville Riverboat • 4PM • Come join the Smoky Mountain Blues Society as they present some of the best known regional Blues Music artists performing on specialty cruises on the Tennessee River. From April through October, blues lovers will convene to celebrate this truly American art-form during a 3 hour Sunday afternoon cruise on the Star of Knoxville Tennessee Riverboat. Visit smokymountainblues.org. • $16-$20 PSYCHOSTICK WITH NEKROGOBLIN AND URIZEN • The Concourse • 8PM • What happens when two best friends who grew up listening to Weird Al and Pantera decide to start a band combining crunching riffs and laugh-outloud lyrics? Psychostick happens, happened, and continues to happen. • $15-$17 OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW WITH MARGO PRICE • Tennessee Theatre • 8PM • $39.50-$49.50 KELSEY’S WOODS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM • The new album from Kelsey’s Woods, When the Morning Comes Around, has the full complement of roots-rock signifiers, from pedal-steel guitar, Hammond organ, and mandolin to songs about the open highway and references to Merle Haggard. And, of course, there’s more than one drinking song. Its country roots are evident, but there’s plenty of heartland rock—think Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, and John Mellencamp—in the mix, too, as well as echoes of everything from Bob Dylan and the
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 7, 2016
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Rolling Stones to the Black Crowes.
OPEN MIC AND SONGWRITER NIGHTS
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. VIENNA COFFEE HOUSE OPEN MIC NIGHT • Vienna Coffee House (Maryville) • 7PM • Visit viennacoffeehouse.net. • FREE 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 Tuesday, April 12 PRESERVATION PUB SINGER/SONGWRITER NIGHT • Preservation Pub • 7PM OLD-TIME JAM SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM •
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AP PE AP RI N RI L 2 HO L 9 TH U 30 T ( S H 1 E (1 2-7) 15)
CALENDAR Hosted by Sarah Pickle. • FREE Wednesday, April 13 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 14 VIENNA COFFEE HOUSE OPEN MIC NIGHT • Vienna Coffee House (Maryville) • 7PM • Visit viennacoffeehouse.net. • FREE SCOTTISH MUSIC SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM • Held on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month. • FREE Saturday, April 16 OLD-TIME SLOW JAM • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 4PM • A monthly old-time music session, held on the third Saturday of each month. • FREE
DJ AND DANCE NIGHTS
Friday, April 8 HOUSE IS WHERE THE HEART IS • The Concourse • 7:30PM • 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 Saturday, April 16 TEMPLE DANCE NIGHT • The Concourse • 11PM • Knoxville’s long-running alternative dance night follows Aurelio Voltaire’s show, with music by DJ Fallen, Z Is Not a DJ, and DJ Haujimm. 18 and up. • $5
CLASSICAL MUSIC
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 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
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CALENDAR arranged medley from Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Phantom of the Opera. Additional information about the orchestra can be found at facebook.com/scruffycityorchestra. • $5 Saturday, April 9 KSO POPS SERIES: THE MUSIC OF LED ZEPPELIN • Knoxville 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. Thursday, April 14 KSO MASTERWORKS SERIES: DVOŘÁK CELLO CONCERTO • Tennessee Theatre • 8PM • In April the KSO welcomes guest conductor Steven Jarvi to conduct Adam Schoenberg’s Finding Rothko, followed by Dvořák’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra featuring cellist Susie Yang. The program concludes with English composer Edward Elgar’s well-known Enigma Variations. Friday, April 15 KSO MASTERWORKS SERIES: DVOŘÁK CELLO CONCERTO • Tennessee Theatre • 8PM • In April the KSO welcomes guest conductor Steven Jarvi to conduct Adam Schoenberg’s Finding Rothko, followed by Dvořák’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra featuring cellist Susie Yang. The program concludes with English composer Edward Elgar’s well-known Enigma Variations. UT OPERA THEATRE: ‘DON GIOVANNI’ • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • Mozart’s opera buffa masterpiece. April 15-17. Visit music.utk.edu. • $20
Thursday, April 7 - Sunday, April 17
Saturday, April 16 UT OPERA THEATRE: ‘DON GIOVANNI’ • Bijou Theatre • 2:30PM and 8PM • Mozart’s opera buffa masterpiece. April 15-17. Visit music.utk.edu. • $20 OAK RIDGE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS: BEETHOVEN’S SYMPHONY NO. 9 • Oak Ridge High School • 7:30PM • The concert will open with Mozart’s delightful Divertimento in D for Strings and will conclude with Beethoven’s beloved and colossal Symphony No. 9. The Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra & Chorus will be joined for Symphony No. 9 by East Tennessee singers from Pellissippi State Chorus, South Doyle High School Choir, and Sound Company, as well as international guests, the Swiss Youth Choir “Stimmwerkbande.” The concert will feature Kevin Richard Doherty, Sarah Fitch, Andrew Skoog, and Katy Wolfe as the four vocal soloists. • $10-$25 Sunday, April 17 UT OPERA THEATRE: ‘DON GIOVANNI’ • Bijou Theatre • 2:30PM • Mozart’s opera buffa masterpiece. April 15-17. Visit music.utk.edu. • $20
THEATER AND DANCE Thursday, April 7 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 adventure. April 1-17. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 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 • 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 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 • 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 • 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 ARABIAN NIGHTS BELLY DANCE SHOW • Broadway Academy of Performing Arts • 7PM • $12-$17
A TBR Institution An AA/EEO College
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 7, 2016
CALENDAR 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 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 • For more information visit BookofMormonTheMusical.com. • $42-$82 Monday, April 11 THE WORDPLAYERS: ‘CANDIDA’ • The Square Room • 7:30PM • The WordPlayers presents a Staged Reading of Candida, a comedy by George Bernard Shaw on Monday, April 11 at 7:30 pm at The Square Room, 4 Market Square. Admission is free. For more information, please see www. wordplayers.org or call 865.539.2490. • FREE Wednesday, April 13 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘AN OPEN HAND’ • Clarence Brown Lab Theatre • 7PM • March 30-April 17. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. Thursday, April 14 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. Friday, April 15 MARYVILLE COLLEGE THEATRE: ‘SEUSSICAL: THE MUSICAL’ • Clayton Center for the Arts • 7PM • “Seussical,” by Tony winners Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Aherns, brings to life everyone’s favorite Dr. Seuss characters, including Horton the Elephant, The Cat in the Hat, Gertrude McFuzz, lazy Mayzie, and a little boy with a big imagination – Jojo. The colorful characters transport audiences from the Jungle of Nool to the Circus McGurkus to the invisible world of the Whos. April 15-17. Visit maryvillecollege.edu. • $15 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. Saturday, April 16 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘ANNIE JR.’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 1PM and 5PM • April 1-17. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 MARYVILLE COLLEGE THEATRE: ‘SEUSSICAL: THE MUSICAL’ • Clayton Center for the Arts • 4PM • April 15-17. Visit maryvillecollege.edu. • $15 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘AN OPEN HAND’ • Clarence Brown Lab Theatre • 7PM • March 30-April 17. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. Sunday, April 17 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘ANNIE JR.’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 3PM • April 1-17. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 MARYVILLE COLLEGE THEATRE: ‘SEUSSICAL: THE MUSICAL’ • Clayton Center for the Arts • 2PM • April 15-17. Visit maryvillecollege.edu. • $15 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘AN OPEN HAND’ • Clarence Brown Lab Theatre • 2PM • March 30-April 17. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com.
COMEDY AND SPOKEN WORD
Friday, April 8 TOMÁŠ KUBÍNEK: CERTIFIED LUNATIC AND MASTER OF THE IMPOSSIBLE • Clayton Center for the Arts (Maryville) • 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. Monday, April 11 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 ON THE MIC WITH MIKE • Scruffy City Hall • 7PM • Bee Valley Productions and Scruffy City Hall are proud to present an attention-deficit, topsy turvy take on the late-night talk show format. Mike Bartlett created the show as a way of marrying his passion for music and comedy. Originally developed as a web series for Bee Valley, the purpose is to showcase the abundance of talented artists in the Knoxville music scene. Each episode features unique interviews and performances from Knoxville’s best artists, as well as sketches, segments, games, and more. Visit beevalleyproductions. com/comedy/onthemicwithmike. Tuesday, April 12 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 Thursday, April 14 PIZZA HAS • Pizza Hoss • 8PM • On the second Thursday of the month, Pizza Hoss in Powell hosts a showcase featuring sets from some of the best comedians in East Tennessee along with selected up-and-coming talent.
PILOBOLUS DANCE THEATER
APRIL 19
8PM
TENNESSEE
THEATRE
Central Ticket Office Opted-In UTK Students: FREE UTK Faculty/Staff: $5 Ticketmaster General Admission: $10* plus applicable fees
go.utk.edu April 7, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 39
CALENDAR Each month one of the hosts of Rain/Shine Event productions (Shane Rhyne, Matt Chadourne, Tyler Sonnichsen, and Sean Simoneau) serves as your guide to introduce you the best of our region’s comedy scene. • FREE Friday, April 15 THE FIFTH WOMAN POETRY SLAM • The Birdhouse • 6:30PM • The 5th Woman Poetry slam is place where all poets can come and share their words of love, respect, passion, and expression. It is not dedicated solely women but is a place where women poets are celebrated and honored. Check out our Facebook pages for the challenge of the month and focus for our poetry every month. Sunday, April 17 UPSTAIRS UNDERGROUND COMEDY • Preservation Pub • 8PM • A weekly comedy open mic.
FESTIVALS
Thursday, April 7 MELVILLE FESTIVAL • University of Tennessee • 3:30PM • After dying in relative obscurity, Herman Melville became recognized in the 20th century as an icon of American literature and the author of thought-provoking stories that address humanity’s pressing philosophical, ethical, religious and social questions. The University of Tennessee will celebrate his life and work with a public lecture, film screening, panel discussion and readings at the Melville Festival on Thursday and Friday, April 7 and
Thursday, April 7 - Sunday, April 17
8. All events are free and open to the public. Visit the Melville Festival website for a complete schedule of events and other information. • FREE Friday, April 8 PELLISSIPPI STATE FESTIVAL OF CULTURES • Pellissippi 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 Administration 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. Visit rhythmnbloomsfest.com. • $35-$150 MELVILLE FESTIVAL • University of Tennessee • After dying in relative obscurity, Herman Melville became recognized in the 20th century as an icon of American literature and the author of thought-provoking stories that address humanity’s pressing philosophical, ethical, religious and social questions. The University of Tennessee will celebrate his life and work with a public lecture, film screening, panel discussion and readings at the Melville Festival on Thursday and Friday, April 7 and 8. All events are free and open to the public. Visit the Melville Festival website for a complete schedule of events and other information. • FREE 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 benefiting 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. • $35-$150 UT MAYA FESTIVAL • McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture • 1PM • Event attendees will experience examples of traditional Maya dress, dance and music. They will have the chance to observe weaving techniques on the traditional Maya back strap loom; view examples of Maya weaving; see how tamales, an ancient Maya dish popular today, are made and sample homemade tamales and tortillas; and discover how cacao beans were turned into the famous chocolate drink and sample it for themselves. The program is free and open to the public. Reservations are not necessary. The festival is part of programming related to the museum’s current special exhibition, “Maya: Lords of Time,” which explores the Maya’s time-ordered universe through their intricate calendar system. • FREE 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. • $35-$150 Saturday, April 16 EARTHFEST • World’s Fair Park • 10AM • There will be over 60 exhibitors and attractions, and as always, it’s a free, zero-waste event for the whole family, including your pets. Over the past 17 years, EarthFest has become East
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 7, 2016
UT Medical Center Morrison’s Conference and Education Center (across from Cafeteria) 1924 Alcoa Hwy Knoxville, TN 37920 To reserve your space or for more information about this FREE seminar, please call: (866) 233-9368.
An educational series, sponsored by Coloplast Corp., designed to inform and empower. www.ColoplastMensHealth.com
CALENDAR Tennessee’s premier Earth Day event. And it’s not simply a celebration of the planet. From an interactive educational scavenger hunt and live music, to kid-friendly activities and a fuel-efficient car showcase, EarthFest has something for everyone. For more information, including a detailed list of sponsors, bands, onsite events and scavenger hunt prizes, visit www. knox-earthfest.org. • FREE
FILM SCREENINGS
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 Monday, April 11 THE BIRDHOUSE WALK-IN THEATER • The Birdhouse • 8:15PM • A weekly free movie screening. • FREE Tuesday, April 12 NOKNO CINEMATHEQUE: L.A. STORY • Central Collective • 7:30PM • With the help of a talking freeway billboard, a “wacky weatherman” tries to win the heart of an English newspaper reporter, who is struggling to make sense of the strange world of early-90s Los Angeles. Starring Steve Martin, Victoria Tennant, Richard E. Grant, Marilu
Henner, and Sarah Jessica Parker. NoKno Cinematheque is a free monthly film screening series held at The Central Collective and curated by Jody Collins. We’ll be curating a variety of films across all genres. Following along, and receive alerts, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ NoKnoCinematheque. • FREE
Three Rivers Market has been connecting East Tennessee with healthy local, natural, and organic foods since 1981.
Wednesday, April 13 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.
SPORTS AND RECREATION
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
UPCOMING EVENTS We specialize in local, organically-grown produce eggs from pastured hens from small, local farms fresh local dairy products free from artificial growth hormones grass-fed and humanely raised meats from local farms locally baked bread
www.sweetpbbq.com
a fresh salad and hot food bar made fresh daily featuring local and organic ingredients
FORLORN STRANGERS
APR 08
TANNAHILL WEAVERS
APR 12
Knoxville Stomp preview show with THE TENNESSEE STIFFLEGS & JUBAL
APR 13
Welcome to Knoxville! Rhythm ‘n Blooms?
LANEY JONES & THE SPIRITS
goes great with BBQ! Thursday, April 14
SongwriterS ~ i n t h e ~ Soul House Series
F E A T U R I N G
WRECKLESS ERIC plus hosts Tim & Susan Lee
sponsored by Lost & Found Records
6:00 pm • FREE
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Soul House on the Water 3725 Maryville Pike Knoxville (865) 247-7748
APR 15
Catering • (865) 306-2727 orders@sweetpbbq.com
Downtown Dive 410 W. Jackson Avenue Knoxville (865) 281-1738
ZOE NUTT Open daily 9 am - 10 pm 1100 N. Central St., Knoxville, TN 37917 www.threeriversmarket.coop
APR 17
FULL EVENTS CALENDAR AT JIGANDREEL.COM 865-247-7066 April 7, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 41
CALENDAR 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.
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 7, 2016
Thursday, April 7 - Sunday, April 17
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 COLOR ME RAD 5K • Knoxville Civic Coliseum • 9AM • Only 5K that will send you running through RAD color stations and leave you covered from head to toe in powders and gels of pink, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Not only will you be having healthy amounts of fun, but you’ll be getting your daily exercise in the process. • $45-$50 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 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. SMOKY MOUNTAIN HIKING CLUB: SMOKY MOUNTAIN RAILROAD TRAIL • 8AM • This is a don’t-miss look at a section of a historic Knoxville railroad route. The City of Knoxville has proposed establishing a graded foot trail on the old SMRR grade. The proposed trail would connect Mary Vestal, Charter E. Doyle, and Gary Underwood Parks. Our outing will begin at Doyle Park and end at Underwood Park. The leaders may also consider an out-and-back hike, due to the short mileage of this section, about 1.3 miles. It is rated as an easy off-trail,
CALENDAR due to non-graded wooded sections with uneven footing, and some short climbing up and down embankments. Meet at Charter E. Doyle Park, 5100 W Martin Mill Pike, Knoxville, 37920, at 7:45 AM and be ready to start at 8:00 AM. Leaders: Tim Bigelow, bigelowt2@mindspring.com and Michael Vaughn, mvaughn@knology.net. • FREE Monday, April 11 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 12 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 13 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 SMOKY MOUNTAIN HIKING CLUB: LITTLE RIVER TRAIL • 8AM • This hike will take the Little River Trail to Campsite 24 and return. Hike: 9 miles, rated moderate. Meet at Alcoa
Food City, 121 North Hall Road, at 8:00 AM or at the Little River trailhead at 8:45 AM. Leader: Ray Fuehrer, Ray. fuehrer@yahoo.com. • FREE Thursday, April 14 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 15 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 16 SAMMY DALE BREEDEN MEMORIAL GOLF TOURNAMENT • Gatlinburg Golf Course • 1PM • Enjoy a day of golf, fun, food and cash prizes at the Sammy Dale Breeden Memorial Golf Tournament hosted by Arrowmont board
Knoxville’s BEST live music venue 6 nights a week!
Happy Hour 3pm to 8pm Huge selection of Craft, Import & Local beer Locally roasted coffee
FRI 4/08 • 7pm / $8 - $10
Magdalene w/ A March Through May, Heartsick U.S., I, Divine, A Million Souls, & My Crimson Wish
SAT 4/09 • 8pm / $5
The Rhinos! w/ Stationflyby, & Garrett Ivey
TUES 4/12 • 8pm / FREE Open Mic Night at Open Chord
WED 4/13 • 8:15pm / FREE
Long-form improv comedy show presented by Full Disclosure Comedy
THURS 4/14 • 8pm / $5 Ese w/ La Basura Del Diablo & The Vads
OPEN CHORD GRAND RE-OPENING SAT 4/16 • 4pm FREE w/ Swingbooty
To celebrate the opening of our brand new bar, we're rolling out a brand new food & drink menu & throwing a HUGE party!
"Coolest venue in town! Not too big, not too small. Great sound system and audio engineers. Lights show, good food, cold beer and a music store in the back. Oh, and they give lessons, too. Seriously? I still can't believe this place is real." - Austin Hall of Sam Killed The Bear
8502 KINGSTON PIKE • (865) 281-5874 openchordmusic.com April 7, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 43
CALENDAR
Thursday, April 7 - Sunday, April 17
member, Margit Worsham. This tournament is in recognition of Sammy Dale Breeden who gave 50 years of service to the Gatlinburg golf community. Benefiting Arrowmont’s educational programs, the golf tournament supports Sevier County art programs including adult and children’s community classes, local resident scholarships and ArtReach.Bring a team or register individually - $100 per player or $350 per team of four. Cash prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, nearest to the pin, longest drive and $10,000 hole-in-one competition. Free lunch and drinks will be provided at 11:30 am. Tee off is at 1:00 pm. Complementary cold beer, moonshine, soft drinks and snacks are available throughout the tournament. Email Anne May at amay@arrowmont.org or call 865-436-5860 ex.28. • $100-$350 SMOKY MOUNTAIN HIKING CLUB: WHITE OAK SINKS • 8AM • It is time for a wildflower hike, and I can think of no better place than White Oak Sinks. We will meet at the Townsend “Y” parking lot and shuttle cars to the Schoolhouse Gap trailhead. This hike will be a casual walk, but some of the trail will be strenuous and the climb out of the Sinks may be steep depending on the route we take. The hike is about 8 miles and rated moderate. Meet at the Alcoa Food City, 121 North Hall Road, at 7:30 am or at the Townsend Y at 8:00 am. Leaders: JD Schlandt, trailhard@gmail.com and David Smith, dcshiker@bellsouth.net. • FREE
— we have mallets to share and will teach you the game. • FREE TRIDELTATHON • University of Tennessee • 8:30AM • The granddaddy of them all is back for its 32nd year. The TriDeltathon, the oldest running pool triathlon in the country, will again be run in the regular swim/bike/run format in 2016. Overall, age group, and relay awards, as well as special student pricing available. New for 2016—Soft cotton race shirts guaranteed to the first 300 registrants. Volunteer support, as usual, is provided by the ladies of Delta Delta Delta sorority, with proceeds going to East TN Children’s Hospital. SMOKY MOUNTAIN HIKING CLUB: NORRIS WATERSHED WILDFLOWERS • 1PM • Norris Municipal Watershed is a 2300-acre area that is the watershed of Clear Creek, the source of the city’s water supply. Our hike will begin at the Lenoir Museum (Norris Dam State Park) parking area, which is located about 1 mile downstream from Norris Dam on U.S. Hwy. 441. We will hike up Clear Creek Trail and then Dyer Hollow Trail which have an abundance of spring wildflowers. Meet at Lenoir Museum, 2121 Norris Freeway, at 1:00 PM. Leaders: Joe Feeman, jcfeeman@ comcast.net, and Debra Barton, dgbarton@comcast.net. • FREE
Sunday, April 17 KNOXVILLE HARDCOURT BIKE POLO • Sam Duff Memorial Park • 1PM • Don’t know how to play? Just bring your bike
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts 556 Parkway (Gatlinburg)
ART
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. 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. Bliss Home 24 Market Square MARCH 4-APRIL 30: Artwork by Lindsey Teague. Broadway Studios and Gallery 1127 Broadway APRIL 1-30: Artwork by Owen Weston. 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. Flow: A Brew Parlor 603 W. Main St. APRIL 1-30: The Art of Cynthia Markert: Representing 40 Years of Painting. 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. McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture 1327 Circle Park Drive
WE’VE GOT RHYTHM! WE’VE GOT BLOOMS! And we’ve got your Festival Ticket Hookup!
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outside the Cripple Creek main stage at Rhythm N Blooms this weekend to say hi, pick up one of our new Volunteer Radio bumper stickers, and register for tickets to Bonnaroo, Shaky Knees, and Hang Out Festival!
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 7, 2016
smart phone and iPad app.
CALENDAR JAN. 23-MAY 22: Maya: Lords of Time. ONGOING: The Flora and Fauna of Catesby, Mason, and Audubon and Life on the Roman Frontier.
are free and open to the public. Online registration is requested for Morgan’s lecture on April 7, at knoxfriends. org/robert-morgan. • FREE
Pellissippi State Community College 10915 Hardin Valley Road MARCH 28-APRIL 15: Annual student juried art exhibition.
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
LECTURES, READINGS, AND BOOK SIGNINGS
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
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY 45
CALENDAR 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
46
KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 7, 2016
Thursday, April 7 - Sunday, April 17
2,200 miles of America’s most famous footpath and his new book, Two Tents: Twenty-one Years of Discovery on the Appalachian Trail.. • FREE Monday, April 11 JIM HASKELL: ‘TWO TENTS’ • John T. O’Connor Senior Center • 10AM • 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.. • FREE UT COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN 2016 LECTURE SERIES • 5:30PM • The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Architecture and Design will host internationally renowned architects and designers as guest lecturers during the 2016 spring semester. • FREE Thursday, April 14 NANCY MCENTEE: ‘MOSLEY BLOUNT: COLONIAL FIRST LADY OF TENNESSEE’ • Gourmet’s Market • 6:30PM • Come to Holly’s Gourmet Market and hear all about Dr. McEntee’s new book “Mosley Blount: Colonial First Lady of Tennessee.” This exciting new work examines the life of William Blount’s wife, Mary Mosley Grainger Blount. To RSVP please call or email us. GEORGE HOLZ • University of Tennessee • 7:30PM • George Holz will be speaking on Thursday, April 14th at 7:30, in the College of Nursing Auditorium at UT. His lecture is
sponsored by the School of Journalism and Electronic Media. Holz studied at UT for two years in the mid seventies and was a Daily Beacon and yearbook photographer during that time. For further information, contact Professor Rob Heller (rheller@utk.edu). • FREE Friday, April 15 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
FAMILY AND KIDS’ EVENTS
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 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
Thursday, April 7 - Sunday, April 17
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 Tuesday, April 12 CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY KID TO KID: FUN WITH A PURPOSE • Cancer Support Community • 3:30PM • Your children will gain coping skills and have opportunities to talk about a loved one’s cancer diagnosis while also having fun. Please call before your first visit and RSVP. 865-546-4661 for more info. All Cancer Support Community programs are offered at no cost to individuals affected by cancer.
CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS
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. For more
CALENDAR
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 Monday, April 11 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Tennessee Valley 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 AARP DRIVER SAFETY SMART DRIVER CLASS • South Knoxville Senior Center • 7:45AM • Call (865) 382-5822. BACKPACKING BASICS FOR WOMEN • REI • 6PM • Let’s face it. When it comes to backpacking, there are questions and concerns that are unique to women. Join an REI backpacking expert for answers, tips and gear recommendations just for you. • $20 Tuesday, April 12 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 CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY NUTRITION AMMUNITION • Cancer Support Community • 12PM • Call (865) 546-4611. All Cancer Support Community programs are offered at no cost to individuals affected by cancer. ARTS AND CULTURE ALLIANCE PACKING AND SHIPPING ARTWORK WORKSHOP • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 12PM • Join us as we welcome Mike C. Berry, artist and gallery manager of the University of Tennessee’s Downtown Gallery, who will discuss how to properly package artwork for shipment, whether for sales or exhibition. The presentation is $5 for members of the Arts & Culture Alliance and $8 for non-members. Please register in advance via PayPal at http://www. knoxalliance.com/development.html, by phone at 865-523-7543, or by e-mail to sc@knoxalliance.com. • $5-$8 Wednesday, April 13 NIA CARDIO-DANCE WORKOUT TECHNIQUE CLASS • Broadway Academy of Performing Arts • 6PM • Email emilybryant24@yahoo.com. Blending dance arts, martial arts, yoga and healing arts in a 55-minute mindful fitness fusion. CLIMBING FUNDAMENTALS • River Sports Outfitters • 6PM • Come learn the basics of climbing every second and fourth Wednesday of the month. Space is limited so call 865-673-4687 to reserve your spot now. Class fee $20. Visit riversportsoutfitters.com/events. • $20 Thursday, April 14 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 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 AARP DRIVER SAFETY SMART DRIVER CLASS • Asbury Place • 1PM • Call (865) 382-5822. KNOX COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS: “GINSENG” • Humana Guidance Center • 3:15PM • Join Master Gardener Janie Bitner (who is also a volunteer in the GSMNP) to learn some of the history of ginseng, why it is protected and what is so special about the ginseng in GSMNP. Call 865-329-8892. • FREE HANDS-ON BIKE MAINTENANCE: MOUNTAIN-BIKE SUSPENSION TUNING • REI • 6PM • Suspension tuning can make a huge difference in your riding experience. In this class, we’ll discuss common suspension terminology, manipulate externally adjustable settings, and let you feel the changes with some classroom-based on-bike demonstrations. Feel free to bring in your bike for reference. • $65 UT ARBORETUM: LANDSCAPING WITH NATIVE PLANTS • University of Tennessee Arboretum • 6:30PM • Horticulturalist Hank Bruno has an extensive background as a horticulturalist and has a longtime interest in native April 7, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 47
CALENDAR plants. Celebrating 51 years in 2016, this program is one of many lectures and activities that will be offered this year by the UT Arboretum Society. The program is cosponsored by the UT Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center. To learn more about the Arboretum Society, go to www.utarboretumsociety.org. For more information on the program, call 483-3571. • FREE Friday, April 15 AARP DRIVER SAFETY SMART DRIVER CLASS • Asbury Place • 1PM • Call (865) 382-5822. Saturday, April 16 IMPROV COMEDY CLASS • The Birdhouse • 10:30AM • A weekly improv comedy class. • FREE WRITING A NEW WAY: BLOGGING YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS • Central United Methodist Church • 3PM • Join the Knoxville Writers’ Guild and Alan Sims, AKA Knoxville Urban Guy, as he shares his story of a lifetime of writing in which for decades he failed to find the success he sought. Follow his journey into the world of digital content through successes and failures to ultimately achieve an elusive goal for writers: writing full-time and earning actual money along the way. Check out Alan’s website at: http://Insideofknoxville.com. • $35-$40 ELI MASON COCKTAIL WORKSHOP • Central Collective • 7PM • The crowd-pleasing family of cocktails known as Sours are built on a simple but powerful formula: Liquor + Sour + Sweet. Come practice your Sour fundamentals in this hands-on class taught by the founder of Eli Mason — Nashville’s friendliest purveyor of fine cocktail mixers. • $20
Thursday, April 7 - Sunday, April 17
Sunday, April 17 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 KITCHEN HERB GARDEN WORKSHOP • The Central Collective • 2PM • Join Kathy Burke Mihalczo, owner of Erin’s Meadow Herb Farm, for this spring gardening workshop. Participants will plant a patio herb garden to take home. and enjoy. • $38
MEETINGS
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 worshiping, 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 Monday, April 11 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 12 ATHEISTS SOCIETY OF KNOXVILLE • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 5:30PM • Weekly atheists meetup and happy hour. Come join us for food, drink and great conversation. Everyone welcome. • FREE KNOXVILLE CIVIL WAR ROUNDTABLE • Bearden Banquet Hall • 8PM • Scott Mingus, author of 17 Civil War books, including a biography of Confederate General William “Extra Billy” Smith which won the 2013 Nathan Bedford Forrest Southern History Book Award and the James Robertson Jr. Literary Prize, will lecture on The Louisiana Tigers in the Gettysburg Campaign. SLecture only cost $5, students free. Dinner at 7PM, $17 including lecture. RSVP BY NOON Monday April 11th, 865-671-9001. • $5-$17 Thursday, March 14 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
THE SALVATION ARMY cordially invites you to join us for the SECOND ANNUAL
CITY OF HOPE
Gala
Presented by:
TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2016 AT 6 P.M. Knoxville Marriott Guests will enjoy dinner, testimonials of those who have received hope from The Salvation Army and an inspirational message from special guest speaker Former Vietnam POW, Retired Capt. William (Bill) Robinson. Bill is the longest-held enlisted prisoner of war in American history. He was one of the first enlisted members to receive the Air Force Cross in addition to being awarded the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, POW Medal and two Purple Hearts.
For tickets or more information, visit: SalvationArmyKnoxville.org Funds raised through the City of Hope Gala help sustain the local programs and services of The Salvation Army.
48
KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 7, 2016
C e n t e n n i a l
FLORENCE THE MACHINE
O l y m p i c
P a r k
&
I n t e r n a t i o n a l
MY MORNING JACKET
P l a z a
JANE’S ADDICTION (PERFORMING RITUAL DE LO HABITUAL)
AT THE DRIVE-IN · THE 1975 · DEFTONES · WALK THE MOON
THE DECEMBERISTS · YOUNG THE GIANT · THE HEAD AND THE HEART HUEY LEWIS NEWS ( ) · FOALS · SILVERSUN PICKUPS BLOC PARTY · THE KILLS · EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY S T. PA U L & T H E B R O K E N B O N E S · C O L D WA R K I D S · G H O S T SLOWDIVE · PHOSPHORESCENT · SHAKEY GRAVES · HOUNDMOUTH T H E B L A C K A N G E L S · S AVA G E S · AT L A S G E N I U S · D E E R T I C K AGAINST ME! · THE SWORD · EAGLES OF DEATH METAL · BARONESS CRYSTAL FIGHTERS · JJ GREY & MOFRO · FRIGHTENED RABBIT WOLF ALICE · PARQUET COURTS · BRIAN FALLON · THE STRUTS WILD NOTHING · THE FRONT BOTTOMS · UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA DREW HOLCOMB NEIGHBORS · THE DEAR HUNTER · THE VACCINES MURDER BY DEATH · THE ORWELLS · NOAH GUNDERSEN · STRAND OF OAKS HOP ALONG · LANY · KALEO · FOXING · SAINTSENECA · SON LITTLE JULIEN BAKER · COIN · OUGHT · DAY WAVE · ALL THEM WITCHES CAVEMAN · BEACH SLANG · DAVID RAMIREZ · JULY TALK · NOTHING CRAIG FINN · DIET CIG · MATT VASQUEZ · ALEX G · BARNS COURTNEY THE HIP ABDUCTION · POLYENSO · TWIN LIMB · ADIA VICTORIA THE SHELTERS · THE JAPANESE HOUSE · BASKERY
CALENDAR for more information. • FREE STFK SCIENCE CAFE • Ijams Nature Center • 5:30PM • Dr. Michael Guidry, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Tennessee, will be our guest presenter at the STFK Science Cafe for the topic of Gravitational Waves. Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves, and his theory was confirmed just last year. Come join our discussion about this phenomenon and how scientists detected it on Earth. While the adults are discussing gravitational waves at an adult level, children age 5-12 who attend with their parents are invited to the Kid’s Cafe that takes place in the next room. If you plan to attend, please RSVP by calling Ijams Nature Center at (865)577-4717 extension 110, or by sending an e-mail message to rsvp@knoxsciencecafe.org. • FREE CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY LEUKEMIA, LYMPHOMA, AND MYELOMA NETWORKER • Cancer Support Community • 6PM • This drop-in group is open for those with leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and myeloproliferative disorders and their support persons. Participants will be able to exchange information, discuss concerns and share experiences. Call 865-546-4661 for more info. All Cancer Support Community programs are offered at no cost to individuals affected by cancer.
Farragutalanon.org. • FREE Sunday, April 17 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 worshiping, 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 RATIONALISTS OF EAST TENNESSEE • Pellissippi State Community College • 10:30AM • The Rationalists of East Tennessee focus on the real or natural universe. The group exists so that we can benefit emotionally and intellectually through meeting together to expand our awareness and understanding through shared experience, knowledge, and ideas as well as enrich our lives and the lives of others. The Rationalists do not endorse or condemn members’ thoughts or actions. Rather it hopefully encourages honest dialogue, analytic discussion, and responsible action based on reason,
Saturday, April 16 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@
mid century
radio
O I D A R AM Tune in now! www.1120wkce.com
2016 Season Opener
Saturday April 9th 10:30 am Journey by steam train along the Tennessee River, watch a Civil War style baseball game played by the Knoxville Holstons at the historic Ramsey House.
2560 University Commons Way, Knoxville, TN 37919 865-524-9411 • www.threeriversrambler.com
April 19, 2016 Join us on Tuesday, April 19 for our 1st Annual Paws on the Table, an event benefiting homeless animals in our community. Sponsored by Knoxville Mercury. When you dine out at one of our participating restaurants, 15% of your meal purchase will go directly to HSTV and our efforts to care for and place some of the area’s neediest animals.
Old City Wine Bar
Market House Cafe
Sapphire
5 Bar
The Coop Cafe
Dazzo’s Pizzeria
Sweet P’s Downtown Dive
Don Gallo
Zoës Kitchen
Stir Fry Cafe
Meksiko Cantina
La Parilla
Bistro At The Bijou
Pete’s Coffee Shop
El Chico Cafe
Aubrey’s
The French Market
Sunspot
Pero’s On The Hill
Barley’s
Northshore Brasserie
Froyoz
The Grill At Highlands Row
Senor Cactus
Visit our website for an updated list!
HumaneSocietyTennessee.com
April 7, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 49
CALENDAR compassion, and factual accuracy. Visit rationalists.org. • FREE
ETC.
Business
Product awareness
Thursday, April 7 KNOXVILLE SOUP • Dara’s Garden • 6PM • SOUP is an exciting community-focused project sponsored by the South Knoxville Alliance (SKA) and is open to the public. It is a combination of a dinner and a showcase of proposals for community-based projects from which attendees will choose the winner.So how does SOUP work? For a suggested donation of $5, attendees will receive a simple dinner of soup, salad, bread, dessert, and a vote. Diners will hear short presentations from up to four different individuals or groups who have a project idea they are either implementing or need funds to implement. Toward the end of the evening, the ballots are counted and the winning project is awarded 100 percent of the funds raised at the door that evening. For more information about Knoxville Soup, please visit KnoxvilleSOUP.org or email contact@KnoxvilleSOUP.org. • $5
Company goodwill
There’s never been a better time to “go public.”
Friday, April 8 THE HIVE FLEA • The Hive • 10AM • A weekend sale of vintage furniture and decor.
WUOT_Ad_5.5x4.25_WhyWUOT_KnoxMerc.indd 1
9/7/15
Clarence Brown Theatre Ticket Giveaway
WIN TICKETS TO SOUTH PACIFIC!
2 pair of tickets available for the Apr. 27th performance. Name a song from this classic and send your name, phone and email to contests@knoxmercury.com 2 winners chosen at random will be notified on Mon. Apr 18th. Brought to you by:
*Disclaimer: Winners will be chosen at random by the Knoxville Mercury from weekly submissions. Winners will be notified in advance. (1 pair of tickets per winner.) NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. Must be a legal U.S. resident, 18 years of age or older, and not be a sponsor or an employee, family member, or household member of a sponsor. Once notified, winner has 24 hours to respond. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. Sponsor: Knoxville Mercury, 706 Walnut Ave., Suite 404, Knoxville, TN 37902.
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 7, 2016
Saturday, April 9 THE HIVE FLEA • The Hive • 10AM • A weekend sale of vintage furniture and decor. KNOXVILLE GARDEN CLUB TALAHI SALE • Lakeshore Park • 9AM • The Knoxville Garden Club hosts this sale every 9:52 AM year and this year Blount Mansion will be setting up its own table. We will have different kinds of vegetables able that were grown on the Blount Mansion site. Thursday, April 14 KNOXVILLE SQUARE DANCE • Laurel Theater • 8PM • Jubilee Community Arts presents Knoxville Square Dance with live old-time music by The Helgramites and calling by Stan Sharp, Ruth Simmons and Leo Collins. No experience or partner is necessary and the atmosphere is casual. (No taps, please.) • $7 Friday, April 15 CENTRAL BAPTIST CHURCH BEARDEN’S 2016 CHILDREN’S CONSIGNMENT SALE • Central Baptist Church Bearden • 9AM • The sale includes infant to junior sizes in clothes and shoes, infant/toddler accessories, games, and toys, and more. We also offer maternity clothes. This year the proceeds from the sale will be donated to the West Hills Elementary School Back Pack Program which provides weekend meals for students whose households are food insecure. • FREE WOMEN IN STEM SYMPOSIUM • University of Tennessee • 8AM • The Symposium celebrates ground-breaking female students and faculty and their research in STEM fields. This year’s event will feature research presentations by students and faculty, a panel discussion on women in the STEM workforce, and a career fair with local STEM employers. The Symposium is free and open to the public. Visit the Women in STEM website for more information about the Symposium at http://cfwstem. weebly.com/. • FREE Saturday, April 16 OPEN ART STUDIO: PIONEER HOUSE AND CAMP NEVERNICE • Pioneer House • 10AM • Pioneer House and Camp Nevernice will offer a rare glimpse into their working art
studio. Linocut carving, letterpress printing and encaustic beeswax painting demos. Visit www.pioneer-house.com or campnevernice.com. • FREE UT ARBORETUM PLANT SALE • University of Tennessee Arboretum • 9AM • The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society’s 50th annual Spring Plant Sale will gather the best of four local nurseries in one location. The “Members Only” sale will be on Friday evening, April 15th from 5-7 p.m. Memberships may be purchased at that time for this “early bird” shopping opportunity. To learn more about the Arboretum Society, and the UT Arboretum Endowment Fund, go to www.utarboretumsociety.org. For more information on the plant sale, call 483-3571. • FREE WINTER FARMERS’ MARKET • Central United Methodist Church • 10AM • Nourish Knoxville’s Winter Farmers’ Market features vendors from the Market Square Farmers’ Market at a special indoor market held every other Saturday in the 4th and Gill Neighborhood. Customers will be able to shop for pasture-raised meats, eggs, winter produce, herbs, plants, honey, baked goods, artisan foods, soap, quality handmade crafts, and more! EBT accepted! Children’s Activities: Children and their parents are invited to participate in a variety of children’s activities at each of our markets. Activities will vary from vegetable tastings, story time to a wide range of art & craft projects. Please remember, all children must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Outdoors: Food trucks will be set up selling a variety of tasty lunch/brunch options as well as serving locally roasted, freshly brewed coffee. • FREE CENTRAL COLLECTIVE GOOD SPORT DAY • Central Collective • 12PM • Here’s the deal. You purchase a ticket to a mystery event. Show up to The Central Collective at the specified date and time, and be ready for anything. Good Sport Level: 2/5 (shouldn’t push you too far out of your comfort zone) • $6 Sunday, April 17 OPEN ART STUDIO: PIONEER HOUSE AND CAMP NEVERNICE • Pioneer House • 10AM • Pioneer House and Camp Nevernice will offer a rare glimpse into their working art studio. Linocut carving, letterpress printing and encaustic beeswax painting demos. Visit www.pioneer-house.com or campnevernice.com. • FREE ACRO YOGA WORKSHOP • Dragonfly Aerial Arts Studio • 3PM • Explore partner stretching, Thai massage, therapeutic flying, and inversions with acro instructor Rebekah Lührs. Rebekah is a certified yoga instructor who has been doing AcroYoga since 2011. After several years of teaching both in the US and internationally, she is excited to be offering weekly acro classes in Knoxville. • $50
Cathedral Arts Presents
The Choir of Saint Thomas Church
LET US GUIDE YOU COMING APRIL 14: The Ultimate Guide to Outdoor Recreation in the Knoxville Region The Knoxville Mercury is all about discovering Knoxville and the nearby region—its culture, history, issues, and personalities. And with Get Out and Play, we and the Legacy Parks Foundation invite you to (re)discover the recreational wonders that abound in our area. GET YOUR OWN COPY IN NEXT WEEK’S ISSUE! Coming soon to local schools, hospitals, doctors’ offices, hotels, and more.
The Ultimate Guide to Outdoor Recreation in the Knoxville Region
Parks, Trails 222 & Greenways to enjoy year-round!
The internationally acclaimed choir has toured throughout the U.S. and Europe with performances at Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral in London, Kings College, Cambridge, Windsor, Edinburgh, St. Albans and the Aldeburgh Festival. In 2004, the choir toured Italy, and performed for a Papal Mass at the Vatican.
Thursday, April 21st at 7:30 p.m. St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral 413 West Cumberland Avenue Knoxville, Tennessee 37902 865.525.7347
Tickets on sale now!
Easily find something fun to do near YOU!
A PUBLICATION OF
PRODUCED BY
General admission: $25 in advance, $30 at the event *Special reserved seating: $50 Tickets available at www.stjohnscathedral.org or www.facebook.com/stjohnscathedralmusic
knoxmercury.com
presented by:
Contact us for distribution: charlie@knoxmercury.com or 865-313-2059
April 7, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 51
OUTDOORS
Out side Insider
Photos by Kim Trevathan
Wild-Eyed 10 well-earned tips for photographing the great outdoors BY KIM TREVATHAN
W
e heard the owl around noon on a bright spring day, its melancholy call an insistent melody against the louder mockery of crows. I knew what would happen next because I hadn’t brought my camera. As we crossed the bridge over Melton Creek on the Point Trail in the Obed, a shadow passed over us and the barred owl landed on a branch 15 yards downstream, in full sunlight, and stared at us for 10 minutes.
WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY TIP #1:
Leave your camera at home and you’ll see something extraordinary. Since this is the time of year many start pondering how to capture the glory of the outdoors, whether it’s blooms or bumblebees or mountain vistas, I thought I’d offer up what I’ve learned from years of trying to frame memorable outdoor experiences and from hanging out with professional photographers. 52
KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 7, 2016
TIP #2:
Be still, be patient. I like to shoot from a kayak (or canoe) because I think it minimizes my intrusiveness into the wild and helps me be quiet and sneaky. On Notchy Creek, off Tellico Lake, a bald eagle, perched 50 feet above me in a dead sycamore, tolerated my gliding right underneath him on the water from maybe 100 yards away, over a period of an hour or so. I kept shooting the whole time. Trickster, he timed his exit from the branch so that I missed that shot. Photographing from a boat has its obvious risks, so having a dry bag handy is good practice, though if you’re like me, you want the camera ready to use, out of the dry bag. So far, I’ve been lucky.
TIP #3:
Drew Crain, a biologist at Maryville College, also teaches a wildlife photography course during our January
term. His biggest piece of advice is “to get a different perspective than the eye normally goes to.” This means that instead of standing up and shooting down at the salamander, get on the ground, as low as you can, and capture a perspective out of the ordinary.
camera. A few days later, Harris returned to the same spot and found a bobcat staring at him from a log, as if waiting for his return. He got his photo, and Crain says that it was perhaps the same cat, noting that animals tend to be territorial.
TIP #4:
TIP #6:
Choose a spirit animal and study it. I love the awkward majesty of the great blue heron, its croaky call, its yellow eyes and its swooping prehistoric flight. I’ve photographed enough of them to be able to time the moment when they decide to launch from their fishing spot, and I like to pan as they fly and take multiple shots with the motor drive. Usually at least one of the shots is in focus. Photographing the same animal repeatedly, you can’t help but learn about them.
TIP #5:
Find a sacred place and return to it repeatedly. Knowing how the light in a particular place differs according to season and time of day and remembering where the birds and the deer hang out takes some of the guesswork out of photography. Crain tells the story of his class spotting a bobcat (a rare sighting) on a trail in Cades Cove. The best student in his class, Kyle Harris, took multiple shots from 20 yards away, only to find that something had malfunctioned on his
Look for contrast in color. If it’s an overcast day, Crain says, he won’t take a picture of most birds against that sky. He’ll go into the woods and look for shots that offer contrasts in color, say between green foliage and brown or gray plumage. If there’s blue sky, he says he likes to be in open fields to frame birds against that brilliance. Though my dog Norm hardly qualifies as wildlife, he rivals any animal I’ve encountered for photogenic charisma, and last month I could not resist contrasting his black and tan coat against the bright green winter wheat of western Kentucky.
TIP #7:
Seek out photos that tell a story. One of Crain’s favorite shots took place in South Carolina’s Botany Bay, where he saw a spider web strung between two palm trees. No big deal there, but in the spider web was a fish. From this he deduced that the web had functioned as a fishing net, and at high tide, this spider, a giant lichen orbweaver, had snared an unusual prey.
OUTDOORS
TIP #8:
Be ready for the unusual. Notice I didn’t say “seek out,” because what’s unusual rarely appears when you’re prepared. If you spend enough time outdoors, chances are you’ll see odd things that merit a visual record. A few years ago, I was canoing with my Uncle David on Melton Hill Lake. It was a foggy summer morning, and we were close enough to the four-lane bridge between Solway to Oak Ridge to hear the constant whir of traffic. We were talking, but not much. We were on the far side of the lake from the boat ramp when something large crashed through the brush and plunged into the water. It was a buck, who had decided to swim across the lake, and he was within 30 yards of us. Seeing a deer swim was a rare sight for me, even rarer because he was so near. Alas, this was another day I’d left the camera at home, so you’ll have to take my word for it on this one.
TIP #9:
Look for the uncommon in the commonplace. The robin is an everyday songbird, and we’ve all seen thousands of them. I’ve rarely spent the time to frame one in a shot, but one very cold day last spring, on a hike around the Will Skelton Trail, I saw one perched on a branch of sumac that perfectly captured the
frigidity of the day. He was all hunched over and puffed up, and the sumac was glistening with a sheath of ice. In his posture and his gaze was what I interpreted as an attitude of disbelief at someone so stupid as to be walking around on two legs, featherless, without any specific intent on such an inhospitable day.
TIP #10:
Humans are good to have along for a lot of reasons, one being that they work great to create a sense of scale for the focal object of your photographs. It was great to have Drew Crain along with me fishing below Norris Dam so that I could frame him against the vastness of the wall of concrete that held Norris Lake above us as we cast our lines for trout in the tailwaters. Good luck photographing, which is as good an excuse as any to get outside and loaf. Like fishing and bird watching, it lends a legitimacy, if you need it, for aimless rambling in the wilderness, good for mind, body and spirit. ◆ April 7, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 53
’BYE
Kaliscopes
April: Get Focused Astrological Horoscopes That Reflect You BY KALI MEISTER ARIES
Happy birthday, Aries. April has you focused on relationships. If you are looking for love, Aries, this is your month. The second week of April, Saturn loses influence on how you view relationships and you are allowed a time to let down your walls and boundaries. You will also be full of energy this month, but take some time toward the end of the month to relax and recover from that burst of energy.
TAURUS
April is a time for you to reassess your plans for this year and get focused. It would seem the last three months have not gone your way at all. This is because you are not completely sure what you want for yourself right now. But this is actually a perfect time for you to focus on your intuition because this is a time for you focus on you. Taurus, I don’t have to tell you that your are guilty of putting yourself behind everything else in your life. If you can focus on yourself, everything around you will flow better and the people around you will benefit from your personal growth.
GEMINI
Last month was about your public image and now April is about taking charge, Gemini. This is the month for you to jump into the leadership role. It is time for you to take a chance on a new job or a promotion with your current employer, or to even go for that job you always wanted but were afraid to apply for. It is a time for you to be fearless in competition. Do not shy away from any challenge because April is the month for you to achieve the possible. Dream BIG, act BIGGER. Everything you touch turns to gold, but do not expect to be at the center of attention for your efforts and work. You are not interested in socializing right now, and it is a perfect time for you to focus on hidden talents and skills that you have let sit on a back-burner. Rediscovering these old skills will bring you great joy and will fulfill you more than being in the spotlight. April is a time for you to say and express what you feel because you can be guilty of not expressing your genuine feelings.
BY MATTHEW FOLTZ-GRAY
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 7, 2016
CANCER
LEO
This is a time for forgiveness, Leo. Let go of some pain from the past that you are holding on to. You are giving off an aura of positivity this month and it exudes in your ability to be graceful. Your love life will benefit from this. You will be a part of or initiate a grand gesture of romance and love. This is a time for you to jump at love in a very big way. Some advice though: Be very deliberate in your actions. Even when taking a risk, make sure it is a very calculated one.
VIRGO
You will be feeling anxious to get outside these days. Being an Earth sign draws you to nature and this month is the time to book a camping trip or possibly rent a rustic cabin in the ’Burg. You will enjoy using your love for nature to get back your sense of independence. You have been burdened with stress about your finances. Well, guess what, Virgo? The end of the month has you wide open for financial growth. The good thing about Virgos is that when they have personal gain, they enjoy sharing that gain with those they love.
LIBRA
April is a time for you to focus on financial gain. You need to thoroughly evaluate where your money is going and consider investing in creative ways and in projects. This is not risky if you
assess the benefits the investment holds. You just need to get yourself out of the mindset that creativity is not marketable—there is money to be made in your vision and your artistic eye.
SCORPIO
Your domestic issues and social life are in the forefront this month. Focus on your charming self because it will get you everything you need right now. You must be more flexible in your manner because you need to understand that all that you thought your domestic life and social self was about is now going to transition into something unfamiliar. In the long run, it will set you up for the professional goals you have had on a back-burner for a long time.
SAGITTARIUS
You are happy this month and it is a good to time focus all that positive emotional health on your group of friends. April is the month for you to be the shoulder to lean on and the friend that listens and gives the best advice. But mostly, this month you will be creating joy just by example. Being out in the Universe will benefit your spiritual growth because being a beacon for happiness has power in the world.
CAPRICORN
If you feel everything is lining up for you in your career you are correct. The extra work you put into March will pay
’BYE off this April. In fact, the potential for a promotion or a change of job that brings you more money looks positive for you this month. So, Capricorn, do not be afraid to show your work in a way that is visible to those around you. You are doing profound things in ways that are helpful to those you work with. Be big. Be bold. Your dependability and intelligence will put you in the spotlight for this month, and you deserve it.
AQUARIUS
The Moody Complex is not Knoxville’s only emotional paradox—because you are feeling emotionally touchy this month. The best you can do right now is to be aware that this is not the time to make unbiased decisions. You should spend this month addressing what it is that has you feeling so touchy and on the verge of a hissy fit. Look toward your inner circle to ask who might not be
BY IAN BLACKBURN AND JACK NEELY
taking your needs or desires seriously. You need handle it privately with the person who has not validated your needs.
CLASSIFIEDS
Support the Knoxville Mercury and sell your stuff by purchasing an ad in our classifieds section.
FOR SALE
PISCES
Mercury has entered your third house and will be staying a little longer than usual. This means you need to focus on communication. April is a month for you to see what you can learn from conversations with the people you come across on a daily basis. Strangers will have profound life advice for you this month, so be open to short conversations with the person waiting in line for their daily fix of coffee or chocolate. Smile at people you walk past on the street. For more information about Kali Meister or to schedule a personal reading contact her through her website at kalimeister.com.
Place your ad at store.knoxmercury.com
$5 NEW YEAR’S SALE, local and handmade, unique and modern, repurposed vintage beads, hand-painted geometric necklaces, and more. etsy.com/shop/triciabee
SERVICES
COUNTRY STAR DELIVERY These boots are made for walking your deliveries faster than a speeding bullet! Affordable. Call 615-500-0329. or www. countrystardelivery.com
COMMUNITY
DANE KRISTOF, The popular Nashville psychic and clairvoyant that the tabloids call,” the Seer of Music Row,” is accepting appts. for when he is in Knoxville this month. One Nashville paper said, “This guy’s the real deal. He starts by telling you little known things that only you could know not to impress you but to add validation to the reading.” Call (615)4294053 for a Knoxville appt. –www.DaneKristof.com.
ADVERTISE HERE!!! PLACE YOUR AD AT STORE.KNOXMERCURY.COM
COCO PEBBLES - is a 1 year 6 month old Terrier, American Pit Bull/Mix! She is spayed, bubbly, chatty, and would be great in a home with kids! Visit Young-Williams Animal Center or call 865-215-6599 for more information.
MISCHIEF - is a 3 year old male domestic shorthair cat who loves treats and toys! Visit Young-Williams Animal Center or call 865-215-6599 for more information.
COOKIE - is a 3 year old female domestic shorthair mix. she is as sweet and fun as her name! Visit Young-Williams Animal Center or call 865-215-6599 for more information.
BEN - is a 2-year old energetic Labrador retriever/mix. He is so happy to be alive and makes new friends every day. He is a happy go lucky, joyful sweet Visit Young-Williams Animal Center or call 865-2156599 for more information.
April 7, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 55
APRIL 8-10, 2016
KNOXVILLE, TN AND