Vol. 2, Issue 15 - April 14, 2016

ALSO INSIDE

The Ultimate Outdoors Guide: Get Out and Play!

APRIL 14, 2016 KNOXMERCURY.COM

LET’S TAKE A HIKE V.

2 / N.15

THE RANGER Cassius Cash, the Smokies’ first African-American superintendent, aims to help the park evolve

BY CLAY DUDA

NEWS

What’s Behind the Wave of Anti-LGBT Legislation Around the Country?

JACK NEELY

A Guide to a New Restaurant’s Historical Sandwich Menu

INSIDE THE VAULT

Fiddler Newman Wise’s Musical Life After the St. James Sessions

STEPHANIE PIPER

Recalling (and Missing) the Lost Art of Penmanship

SATURDAY, MAY 14 3PM & 8PM SUNDAY, MAY 15 1:30PM www.TennesseeTheatre.com 2

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 14, 2016

April 14, 2016 Volume 02 / Issue 15 knoxmercury.com

CONTENTS

“ Conservation means development as much as it does protection.” —Theodore Roosevelt

NEWS

12 Jim Crow’s Return

16 The Ranger

COVER STORY

On any given day in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you might see Superintendent Cassius Cash leading a swarm of kids into a natural world they haven’t seen before. As the park’s first African-American superintendent, Cash seeks to make it more accessible to more people than ever before. But beyond his lofty goals of inspiring the next generation to love and support this park, Cash must also oversee its varied resources, hundreds of employees, and thousands of volunteers. It’s a constant balancing act of being both welcoming and prudent, accessible to millions of visitors yet accountable for protecting and promoting its natural splendor. Clay Duda talks with him about his first year on the job.

What do bathrooms, marriage counseling, and religious freedom have in common? They represent some of the many ways that states are finding to limit the rights of gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual people—or, depending on your point of view, protect the rights of (mostly Christian) religious people who object to them. Why is all this legislation landing now? S. Heather Duncan finds out.

Join Our League of Supporters!

Oh, go on—we make it easy for you! Find out how you can help at knoxmercury.com/join.

DEPARTMENTS

OPINION

A&E

4 Editor’s Note: Welcome to Get Out

8 Scruffy Citizen

22 Program Notes: Clay Duda

26 Spotlights: Margo Price, Christian

10 Perspectives

23 Inside the Vault: Eric Dawson

FOOD & DRINK

and Play!

6 Howdy

Start Here: By the Numbers, Public Affairs, Quote Factory PLUS: “Ghosts in the Machine”

by L. M. Horstman

44 ’Bye

Finish There: At This Point by Stephanie Piper, Crooked Street Crossword by Ian Blackburn and Jack Neely, Spirit of the Staircase

by Matthew Foltz-Gray

Jack Neely visits the Market House Cafe to discover his dream menu of historical names.

Joe Sullivan surveys the environment that led to UT’s Title IX lawsuit.

CALENDAR photographs the Rhythm N’ Blooms festival, and Coury Turczyn prepares for Record Store Day. follows the post-St. James session life of fiddler Newman Wise.

24 Classical Music: Alan Sherrod

previews UT Opera’s new take on Mozart’s classic Don Giovanni.

McBride and the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra

42 Home Palate

Dennis Perkins finds out what Babalu has to offer beyond the table-side guacamole.

25 Movies: April Snellings takes a

dark ride on the Midnight Special.

April 14, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 3

EDITOR’S NOTE Delivering Fine Journalism Since 2015

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 Donna Johnson Ian Blackburn Rose Kennedy Brian Canever Dennis Perkins Patrice Cole Stephanie Piper Eric Dawson Ryan Reed George Dodds Eleanor Scott Lee Gardner Alan Sherrod Mike Gibson April Snellings Carey Hodges Joe Sullivan Nick Huinker Kim Trevathan Chris Wohlwend

to Outdoor The Ultimate Guide xville Region Kno Recreation in the

Parks, Trails & Greenways ! to enjoy year-round ng Easily find somethi U! YO fun to do near

222

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

A PUBLICATION OF

CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS

Ben Adams Matthew Foltz-Gray

PRODUCED BY

I

Let Get Out and Play Be Your Guide

nside this issue is the very fi rst comprehensive guide to all the outdoor recreation opportunities in the Knoxville area and beyond: Get Out and Play.

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 natural wonders that abound in our area. Get Out and Play is an all-encompassing guidebook to the many parks, trails, greenways, and blueways available to Knoxvillians, Maryvillians, Oak Ridgers, and more. We live in a unique part of the country—and this is the guide that will show you how to enjoy it.

But more than that, Get Out and Play is also a community health

4

ADVERTISING

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 14, 2016

initiative. The Knox County Health Department’s recent Community Health Assessment cited the lack of physical activity as a priority health issue: Nearly 60 percent of residents reported a low activity level and 25 percent reported no weekly activity at all. And the Community Health Council selected “access to parks and greenways” as one of the four issues in their health improvement plan.

Abundant research links increased physical activity to improved health.

Physical activity can reduce the risk of obesity, which is a leading cause of diabetes and heart disease. Get Out and Play can be a first step among many to introduce you and your family to a healthier lifestyle.

Beyond this edition of the Knoxville Mercury, Get Out and Play will be distributed in local schools,

hospitals, doctors’ offices, hotels, and more—for a total of 125,000 copies.

All the user-friendly information was gathered by Legacy Parks and illustrated with maps by Alex Zendel of the Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission; art director Tricia Bateman created its delightful logo and overall design.

And all of it is brought to you— free of charge—by Get Out and Play’s sponsors: Blount Partnership, Covenant Health, the Great Smoky Mountains Regional Greenways Council, the Knox County Health Department, Maryville College Mountain Challenge, Navitat, Tennova, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and Visit Knoxville.

Grab your copy and let’s start a journey or two.

—Coury Turczyn, editor

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

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 14, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 5

HOWDY QUOTE FACTORY

GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE BY L. M. HORSTMAN

Irrespective of the legislation’s actual purpose, common sense compels the conclusion that designation of the Bible as the official state book in practice and effect conveys a message of endorsement.

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…

—State Attorney General Herbert Slatery’s opinion on making the Bible Tennessee’s “official book”—an opinion he issued last year. Breathlessly tackling yet more problems that don’t exist, the Senate approved the measure April 5; it now goes to Gov. Bill Haslam, who has previously stated he is not a fan.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS

4/14 LAUNCH PARTY: ALL OUT KNOXVILLE 4/19 FUNDRAISER: PAWS ON THE TABLE THURSDAY

6-10 p.m., Central Collective (923 N. Central St.). Free.

All Out Knoxville, a new LGBT networking and support organization, hopes to “foster a more active, accessible, and inclusive LGBT community.” Learn more about its activities and opportunities at this launch party. More info: alloutknox.com.

4/16 WINTER FARMERS’ MARKET SATURDAY

10 a.m.-2 p.m., Central United Methodist (201 3rd Ave.).

Free.

It’s the final Winter Farmers’ Market of 2016—be sure to stock up for that lull before the farmers’ markets rev up for spring. Nourish Knoxville will also be unveiling its new edition of the Local Food Guide. Info: nourishknoxville.org/winter-market.

TUESDAY

All day, all around town.

The Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley has enlisted the aid of over 20 local restaurants for a culinary fundraiser. All you have to do is go out to eat—breakfast, lunch, or dinner—and 15 percent of your purchase will go directly to HSTV and the organization’s efforts to care for animals in need. For the list of restaurants, go to humanesocietytennessee.com/paws-on-the-table.

6

Measures used to calculate an area’s environmental quality and natural livability, including mild and sunny winters, temperate summers, access to a body of water, topography variations, and low humidity.

1

Tennessee county ranks above average on the scale: Carter County in the northeast

7 p.m., East Tennessee History Center (601 S. Gay St.).

Free.

Scenic Knoxville, the nonprofit devoted to preserving Knoxville’s scenic resources, is celebrating its eight years of advocacy with this talk by the president of Scenic America (as well as an anti-blight activist in Philadelphia). Tracy will be addressing “Taking the Long View – A Vision for Realizing America the Beautiful.”

Get info or RSVP at info@scenicknoxville.org.

corner. According to the calculations, Ventura County in California is the most desirable place to live in the U.S.

1

County’s residents revolted after being labeled the ugliest in the country. Folks in Red Lake County, Minn. started an online petition and a #ShowMeYourUglyCounties hashtag to showcase the place’s natural wonder.

0

Shits given about this ranking. East Tennessee is pretty gosh darn beautiful, especially during spring.

—Clay Duda

Source: United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service: Natural Amenities Scale.

6

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 14, 2016

Carl Martin

WEDNESDAY

Knoxville the Beautiful Knox County’s rank out of 3,111 counties nationally on the USDA’s “natural amenities index,” earning it the title of “average.” The scale is supposed to be “a measure of the physical characteristics of a county area that enhance the location as a place to live.”

Roland Armstrong

4/20 GUEST SPEAKER: MARY TRACY

BY THE NUMBERS

1,008

Howard Armstrong

T

he Tennessee Chocolate Drops. The Armstrong Boys. Tennessee Trio.

They were all of that, and more. Howard “Louie Bluie” Armstrong, Roland Armstrong, and Carl Martin were popular Vine Street regulars when they came to the St. James Hotel to cut a record most of the band never got to hear.

The Armstrong brothers grew up in LaFollette, and Martin hailed from Big Stone Gap, VA. Together with Carl’s brother, Blind Roland Martin, they toured the country playing a wide variety of music, from pop to blues, in the 1920s.

Eventually they ended up in Knoxville, and responded to

a Brunswick Records talent search letter circulated to area musicians in 1929.

Excited about the prospect of making their first record, they came to the St. James for the sessions in the spring of 1930.

Their record was released at some point, but the band never heard it or saw any proceeds from it. Carl Martin said he eventually heard it years later, “but I had to pay for it, on the vendor.”

They continued to perform for years as Martin, Bogan, and Armstrong after adding guitarist Ted Bogan to the lineup. And in 1985 Terry Zwigoff’s film, “Louie Bluie,” celebrated their music and spirit.

To be continued…

Tennessee Trio/Tennessee Chocolate Drops St. James Sessions Recordings: Knox County Stomp (1930) Vine Street Rag (1930) 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.

It’s Architecture Week!

Knoxville is not famous for its architecture, but maybe it can be.

Thomas Hope, who was a furniture maker and planner of homes, is often described as Knoxville’s first architect. Originally from England, Hope (1757-1820) had lived in Charleston before he moved here in the 1790s. The designed the Ramsey House, the unusual 1797 stone house in the Forks of the River area. Hope also designed “Statesview,” which is visible off Peters Road in West Knoxville.

Indiana-born Bruce McCarty (1920-2013) came to Knoxville in the 1940s and quickly became Knoxville’s leader in modernist design. At first he designed imaginative modernist homes, especially in the booming new neighborhoods of West Knoxville. Later he became known for large public buildings, like Clarence Brown Theatre and the City-County Building.

The first to advertise himself as a commercial architect, however, was Joseph Baumann (18441920). The son of German immigrants, Baumann moved to Knoxville shortly after the Civil War and began both designing and building buildings for clients. Among those still standing are the 1876 Kern Building, on Market Square, and Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, on Vine Street.

Baumann formed a partnership with his much-younger, more formally trained brother, Albert B. Baumann, and the firm became known as Baumann Brothers. Among their accomplishments are Westwood, the 1890 home of Knox Heritage, and Knoxville High School (1910). Later, the younger Baumann formed a new partnership with his son, A.B. Baumann, Jr., who had studied under the famous architect Paul Cret. The new firm known as Baumann and Baumann left surviving work like the Andrew Johnson Building (1930), once the tallest building in East Tennessee, and the U.S. Post Office building on Main Street (1932).

McCarty was not the first modernist here. A few others, like Roland Wank and Alfred Clauss, who had studied at the Bauhaus, were here in the 1930s, to work for TVA. Clauss designed several striking modernist houses still standing in Knoxville.

A drawing of Church Street United Methodist Church, which is paradoxically on Henley Street, at Cumberland Avenue. Completed in 1931, it’s attributed to both Charles Barber, a local architect, and the nationally famous architect John Russell Pope. They worked together on the project, but which one was more responsible for the striking Gothic Revival design remains a matter of speculation.

Several nationally famous architects have done work in Knoxville. Washington-based Alfred Mullett (1834-1890) designed two very different buildings here: the 1874 Custom House at the corner of Clinch and Market (now the oldest part of the East Tennessee History Center); and Greystone, the 1890 house on Broadway that’s now the headquarters of WATE, believed to be his final project.

John Russell Pope (1874-1937) is another architect famous for his Washington work, including the Jefferson Memorial and the National Gallery of Art. In Knoxville, Pope first designed the Dulin house on Kingston Pike (later used as an art museum), and more than a decade later worked with Barber & McMurry on the Church Street United Methodist Church (1931).

Perhaps the most famous architect who ever Image courtesy of the lived in Knoxville was George Barber (1854-1915).

Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection.

Born in Dekalb, Illinois, he moved to Knoxville at the Other well-known architects and architectural http://cmdc.knoxlib.org peak of his career, in 1888. He became known for his firms who have done work in Knoxville include almost fanciful Victorian designs, which he sold by mail order. Today, J.W. Yost, of Ohio, who designed the main part of hundreds of Barber houses are maintained across the country, even on the St. John’s Episcopal Church (1892); Cleverdon and Putzel of New York, who West Coast, but the highest concentration of them is in Knoxville, especially designed the 1906 Arnstein Building at Market and Union; and Graven & in the Parkridge neighborhood, where the Barber family lived.

Mayger of Chicago, who designed the Tennessee Theatre (1928). New Yorkbased architects Harrie Lindeberg (1879-1959) and Francis Keally (1889-1978) George Barber’s son, Charles Barber (1887-1962), was co-founder of Barber both designed suburban homes on the west side of town before World War II. McMurry, which celebrated its centennial as an architectural firm last year. He designed churches, academic buildings, and residences, often with medieval The Knoxville Museum of Art (1990) was one of the last accomplishments of flourishes. Barber McMurry has evolved with the generations, known for much New York-based museum designer Edward Larrabee Barnes (1915-2004). of UT’s gothic-revival architecture, but the firm recently designed the much-admired modern Natalie Haslam Music Center at UT. The often outrageous New Yorker Peter Marino (born 1949), who worked with Andy Warhol, designed the Georgian Whittle Communications Building (1991), now the Howard Baker Federal Courthouse.

Knoxville native John Fanz Staub (1891-1981), moved to Texas early his career where his work is well known, especially in the Houston area. He did little work in his hometown, but two of his houses are extraordinary: the For the American Institute of Architecture’s Architecture Week, author old-English cottage Hopecote (1924), now part of UT, and the grand Williams Jack Neely will lead a free architectural tour of downtown churches on House (1940) on Lyons View.

Saturday, April 16, at 9 a.m., starting at Locust Street and Main.

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 14, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 7

SCRUFFY CITIZEN

Edible History Clip and Save: A guide to a new restaurant’s historical sandwich menu

BY JACK NEELY

S

aturday afternoon I found myself leading a tour of festival music-history pilgrims, and encountered a dilemma. It was 4, and Market Square was packed. I looked down one side and the other, and I didn’t think I could get all 40 of my charges, some of them new to town, through that mob without some significant attrition. So, I thought I’d surprise my guests with a bold and clever maneuver. We’ll just make an end run down the alley, I said. And we turned off Union into Strong’s, or Armstrong’s, Alley.

(There are historical reasons why it might be called either. A century ago, there was a clothing shop at number 34 called Armstrong’s. But in the 1880s, B.R. Strong’s amazing 250-foot-long dry-goods store offered entrances on both Gay Street and Market Square, with an enclosed “arcade” over the alley.)

It says something that this alley, a sometime knife-murder scene long avoided except by scullions, rats, the severely nauseated—and me, when I wanted to remove myself from circulation for a few minutes—was packed on a Saturday afternoon, too.

It was worse than West Town Mall.

The alley is now an art gallery, of course, lined with colorful and interesting murals. That’s part of the problem. But, as it happened, our group had to stop, mid-alley, for a bridal fashion shoot in progress. Even alleys aren’t safe anymore.

My hometown has changed in lots of ways. Some claim it’s unrecognizable compared to 25 years ago. But it’s pretty interesting that most of Knox-

8

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 14, 2016

ville’s rebirth is a logical growth of its own particular history. At the north end of that old alley is the back of a new place called Market House Cafe.

It’s just another downtown restaurant, maybe, but one thing about it makes it emblematic of my point.

Back in the ’90s I once proposed that Knoxville should have some distinctive dishes with distinctive names, derived from Knoxville’s history and culture. I’d seen it work elsewhere. But these things have to be intuitive, to come from the creators.

Sometimes something will pop up, like the Thunder Road Burger at Litton’s or the White Mule Ale at the Downtown Grill and Brewery. But few take that risk of local reference, and no one has ever taken the idea farther than the new Market House Cafe. The big menu board behind the counter offers an almost loony approach to local history in the names of its sandwiches.

Take the Gold Sun Greek Salad.

It’s an apt homage to the Gold Sun, one of the most durable restaurants in Knoxville history. It opened in 1908 in the space that’s now Blue Coast Burrito. For most of that century, the Greek-owned restaurant was famous for the fact that it never closed, and for the fact that they’d serve you pretty much anything you wanted, whether it was on the menu or not. Waiters were known to venture out into the market to accommodate special requests.

I have not yet tried the Tennessee Will-Ham and Cheese sandwich.

Playwright Tennessee Williams never lived in Knoxville, but his father,

aunts, and grandparents did, and his sister Rose spent summers here.

There are Knoxville fingerprints on his Southern gothic tragedies.

Classic Cornelius is a salad. We might assume it’s a reference to the rarely used first name of the title character of Cormac McCarthy’s Suttree; or to Tennessee Williams’ father, another Cornelius. Either way works equally.

Beauford Delaney Abstract Strata is named for Knoxville’s most famous abstract expressionist. Cal Johnson Biscuits and Gravy is named for the enterprising former slave who became a wealthy businessman with a chain of saloons and a string of thoroughbreds. Perez Dickinson’s Wondrous Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit is named for the 19th-century “merchant-prince” who was proud of his extraordinary farm in what he called his Island Home.

Streaking the Strip Turkey, Bacon, and Avocado is named for the day when, out of character or not, Knoxville became famous for being naked. Streaking was a national phenomenon in early 1974, but the West Cumberland Avenue area took it over the top, just in terms of mass nudity—and in a time when the city was craving distinction, Knoxville was declared the Streaking Capital of America.

Million Dollar Fire Fresh Made Salsa refers to the biggest fire in Knoxville history, the 1897 conflagration on Gay Street less than a block from this corner.

Calaboose Kale Salad is one of several dishes honoring the incarcerated. The calaboose, the street name for the Knoxville jail, was originally right across the alley from this cafe, in “City Hall,” which from 1868 until the early 1900s occupied the space where

Market Square’s stage is.

Kid Curry Chicken Salad is named for the Wild Bunch outlaw, aka Harvey Logan, who spent his last verified year and a half in the Knox County jail, before his 1903 escape. It does include curry, of course. McAdoo Macaroni Salad refers to a very different jailbird, lawyer-entrepreneur William Gibbs McAdoo, incarcerated on the Square in 1897 for his part in fomenting a deadly streetcar riot on Depot Street. McAdoo later became U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, and a U.S. senator from California, presidential candidate, and co-founder of United Artists. I bet he would have appreciated this salad.

I don’t know, but I bet the Bulletproof Cadillac Italian Macaroni Salad is named for a modern legend that a bulletproof Cadillac was discovered during the urban-renewal-era demolitions of the 1950s and ’60s, bricked into a garage on Central Street. It may have provided mob transportation to somebody, but it reportedly went on the fair sideshow circuit as Al Capone’s personal car.

That one’s the hardest to verify.

Let Us Now Praise Pimento Cheese is a James Agee reference, and All the Pretty Zucchini and Greens is another McCarthy reference.

It’s over the top, but I’m not complaining. It could have been worse: Let Us Now Praise Famous Mettwurst.

Cities of the Plain Biscuit. Or, evoking the Everly Brothers, who seem to be enjoying a revival, the Let It Be Meat sandwich. Or the alternative, Bye Bye Love Handles low-fat wrap.

Some of them may puzzle customers for years to come, but it doesn’t seem to get in the way of the Market House Cafe’s business. And it all seems healthy for a growing city that’s finally finding its heart. ◆

McAdoo later became U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, and a U.S. senator from California, presidential candidate, and co-founder of United Artists.

I bet he would have appreciated this salad.

DELIVERS

A DELICIOUS COUNTER

PUNCH TO ORDINARY CATERED PIZZA

Tired of the same old delivery pizza. Cater your next event from Hard Knox. We offer a complete catering menu including salads, appetizers, drinks and of course, our “Top Knox” award winning pizza.

Go to hardknoxpizza.com/catering for menu and details.

GEOTHERMAL HVAC • RADIANT FLOORING Stay comfortable, save money, and save our planet at the same time.

Bachelor of Fine Arts • Workshops www.acgeothermaltn.com

865-588-1333

clay • fibers • glass • metals • wood w w w.tnte c h . ed u /c raftc e nte r April 14, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 9

PERSPECTIVES

Hostile Environment How damaging are UT’s Title IX transgressions?

BY JOE SULLIVAN

V

ery shortly after UT football players A.J. Johnson and Michael Williams were accused of rape in November 2014, John Adams wrote a column in the News Sentinel urging discontinuation of what has virtually become a new Vol fight song.

That would be the “Third Down for What” chant to the strains of rapper Lil Jon’s “Turn Down for What” that blares on Neyland Stadium loudspeakers every time an opponent faces a third down. The Lil Jon video includes a vivid depiction of a man with an erection making repeated humping motions from inside his sweatpants. But this vulgarity pales by comparison with the lyrics of a contemporaneous Lil Jon collaboration, “Literally I Can’t,” that includes the lyrics “Girl I know you can. I don’t wanna hear no,” followed by repeated shouts to “Shut the f*** up.”

By the time the 2015 football season rolled around, Johnson and Williams had been indicted—and are still awaiting trial. But the “Third Down For What” anthem was back in force, meaning Adams’ admonition went unheeded.

The chant’s perpetuation is at least symbolically suggestive that there may be merit to a lawsuit alleging “a hostile sexual assault environment created and condoned by the UT administration and athletic department.” The suit seeks unspecified damages on behalf of eight “Jane Doe” plaintiffs who allege they were sexually assaulted by UT football and basket-

10

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 14, 2016

ball players over the past four years.

Last month an administrative law judge appointed by Chancellor Jimmy Cheek dismissed UT’s own disciplinary case against Johnson, ruling that the university no longer had jurisdiction because Johnson had been allowed to graduate before proceedings were initiated.

UT officials have said they were requested to hold off until the Knoxville Police Department completed its investigation. But guidelines promulgated by the federal Office For Civil Rights, which regulates Title IX, stipulate that, “A simultaneous police investigation does not remove a school’s responsibility to resolve a complaint” and that a school’s response should be “prompt and equitable.”

Yet it took until May 2015 for the university to start proceedings against Johnson—three months after he was indicted by a grand jury and five months after his graduation in December 2014. And what a graduation ceremony it was: The lawsuit complaint contains a picture that’s worth the proverbial thousand words, of a grinning Cheek and Johnson posing together in their caps and gowns.

Cheek was also at his cheekiest in a very different way in his May 2013 dealings with then Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Tim Rogers. By all reports, the chancellor chastised Rogers for what he believed to be punitive punishments, especially to

athletes, meted out by the Office of Student Judicial Affairs, which Rogers oversaw.

Rogers attempted to go over Cheek’s head in a memo to his nominal boss, UT President Joe DiPietro. The memo asserted in part that “Athletics enabled by way of the Chancellor’s directives and interference: (a) wields undue influence; (b) places our institutional integrity at peril; (c) places our students at peril.”

When DiPietro sided with Cheek, Rogers abruptly “retired,” saying his position had become “untenable.”

Rogers’ retirement coincided with the termination of the director of the Office of Student Judicial Affairs, Jenny Wright. A few months prior, Director of Athletics Dave Hart had verbally accosted Wright in front of Rogers and several other onlookers.

Wright has also attested that another Athletics Department administrator had warned her via email that “you can’t hide from us” and that “I can have your boss fired in an instant.”

Ironically, Wright’s termination was ostensibly for refusing to attend a meeting to address allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a student athlete on her part—which an independent investigation later found no evidence of.

Both Rogers and Wright are now collaborating with Nashville lawyer David Randolph Smith, who has brought the suit against UT. The civil damage suit under the Title IX gender bias law alleges that several of the plaintiffs were so traumatized by sexual assaults that they felt compelled to leave the university and suffered other emotional damage.

The primary standard for determining liability in such cases, as best I understand it, is a 1998 U. S. Supreme Court decision stating that “damages

may not be recovered under Title IX unless an official with authority to institute corrective action has received actual notice of and is deliberately indifferent to the… misconduct.”

This seems a very high bar for the plaintiff, and none have scaled it in any other Title IX case, of which there have been many. Indeed, the four dissenting justices in the 1998 decision, which involved the sexual abuse of a high school student, opined that “the court ranks protection of the school district’s purse above the protection of an immature high school student.”

Nonetheless, the 87-page complaint in the lawsuit against UT is replete with such assertions. Over and over, it contends the rape (of the various Jane Does) “was a causal result of UT’s deliberate indifference and policy decisions to create a hostile sexual environment. UT consciously disregarded the general and specific warnings by Jenny Wright and Tim Rogers.”

To be sure, both Cheek and Hart have gone to great lengths of late to profess a resolve to be protective of female students. “To claim that we have allowed a culture to exist contrary to our institutional commitment to providing a safe environment for our students or that we do not support those who report sexual assault is just false,” Cheek wrote in a recent email to faculty and students.

And he points to a new “Policy on Sexual Misconduct, Relationship Violence and Stalking” that was promulgated last August.

Rumors now abound that Cheek will soon retire. But that won’t keep him off the public hot seat when he’s called to testify if the suit goes to trial.

And if Lil Jon’s obscene rappings are emulated at UT football games again this fall, whoever is responsible for them should be sacked. ◆

The chant’s perpetuation is at least symbolically suggestive that there may be merit to a lawsuit alleging “a hostile sexual assault environment…”

CYCOLOGY “Opened in 1999, Cycology Bicycles came into being when our love of being in the woods expanded to mountain biking. Little did we know that that passion would also extend to the road and beyond. Put a few excited folks in a bike shop, and you build a force. Seventeen years later, we are hosting shop rides 3-7 times a week, including an All Women’s Ride series on its third year, with over 80 female participants! In the shop, we sponsor clinics on anything from maintenance and tire changes to bike etiquette and weather-appropriate outfitting. You’ll also find services like bike fitting, mountain, road or greenway rentals, and demo days at your favorite local trailhead.

Pull up at the Switchback Tavern, located in the bike shop, have a beer, and get to know us.”

Get ready for your next outdoor adventure here!

725 Watkins Road 2408 E Lamar Alexander Pkwy Maryville Maryville Store Hours: M-Sat 10-7pm Store Hours: M-Fri 9-7pm Sun 12-6pm Sat 9-6pm • Sun 12-6pm 865.983.8095 865.681.4141 www.cycologybicycles.com www.littlerivertradingco.com April 14, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 11

thinkstock

Jim Crow’s Return Tennessee, along with many other states, is being swept up in anti-LGBT legislation. Why now?

BY S. HEATHER DUNCAN

W

hat do bathrooms, marriage counseling, and religious freedom have in common?

They represent some of the many ways that states are finding to limit the rights of gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual people—or, depending on your point of view, protect the rights of (mostly Christian) religious people who object to them.

The trend is being driven by conservative frustration with last summer’s U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing gay marriage nationwide, says Frances Henderson, associate politics professor at Maryville College. States such as Tennessee that had essentially outlawed gay marriage were left with a limited ability to control its cultural acceptance—not to mention the growing flexibility toward transsexuals.

However, new laws addressing these issues in Indiana, Georgia, Mississippi, and North Carolina have been labeled discriminatory and caused an unprecedented backlash from businesses.

The Tennessee House had seemed to be edging away from this cliff the same week that North Carolina basically catapulted over it yodeling. But the General Assembly

12

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 14, 2016

this week finalized a law allowing counselors to refer away patients whose therapy goals conflict with the therapist’s “sincerely held principles.”

(Gov. Haslam’s office indicated in an email that he “is deferred to the will of the legislature on this bill as amended” but will review its final form before deciding whether to sign it.)

And last week a Tennessee House committee revived a bill dictating which bathrooms public school and college students can use—although that effort could flushed over its potential impact on federal education funding .

After so recently celebrating the Supreme Court victory, the LGBT community has found itself reeling from states legislators’ attempts to figure out some way—any way—to legally limit their rights, says Chris Sanders, executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project.

“Legislatures have really struggled with what they can do,” says Sanders, whose group advocates for LGBT rights. “And they’re throwing up a lot of options. Things that sounded good at beginning of session are maybe not sounding as good toward the end.”

Two types of laws are being

pursued most actively. One is about where transgender people use the bathroom. The other relates to protecting the “religious freedom” of individuals or groups—such as counselors, pastors, businesses, or entire service sectors—who want to refuse to serve someone based on their personal beliefs.

The Tennessee Legislature has approved, rejected, and is still considering bills that fall into both categories.

“Where very conservative Republicans control state legislatures, they see it as an opportunity to counteract what they perceive as legislating from the bench,” Henderson says.

IN THE PULPIT AND THE BATHROOM

One bill that failed to lift off in Tennessee this year would have stipulated that clergy, religious organizations, and their employees couldn’t be forced to perform services or provide facilities for events that conflict with their religious beliefs. (Gay weddings were the general target.) Representatives agreed this right already existed and cut off sponsor Andy Holt (R-Dresden) in mid-sentence to vote the bill down in committee.

Some thought the measure might allow any business to refuse to provide services based on its owner’s religious beliefs—as did the law in Indiana that prompted such outcry last year. After signing the law, Indiana’s Republican governor backpedaled by pressing his Republican legislature to amend it to protect LGBT rights.

Legislatures in Arkansas and Georgia passed similar bills protecting faith-based organizations that wanted to refuse to provide services.

But their Republican governors put on the brakes as the potential economic impact became clear. Arkansas-based Walmart objected to the law there, and Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson refused to sign it, sending it back to the legislature for a revision that basically mirrors federal law. When Georgia’s bill passed, filmmakers like Disney and AMC threatened to pull out of the state, which is the third leading filming location in the U.S. The NFL warned that it might nix Georgia’s chance to host future Super Bowls. Term-limited Republican Gov. Nathan Deal vetoed the bill.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, governors of North Carolina and Mississippi rushed to sign sweeping

anti-LGBT legislation last month.

In terms of an erosion (some say: attack) on LGBT rights, Mississippi’s new law is probably the most extensive passed so far. It protects individuals, religious organizations, businesses, and members of service professions—like counselors and those who supervise foster care and adoptions—when they take actions based on their religious objections to gay marriage or transgender people. It also protects those who enforce policies about gender-specific dress codes and bathroom use at schools or workplaces.

A growing list of cities (including Atlanta and San Francisco) and states (including New York) have banned official travel to North Carolina and/or Mississippi because of their new laws; rockers Bruce Springsteen and Bryan Adams canceled concerts in the states.

North Carolina’s bill began as a reaction to a Charlotte ordinance that would have allowed transgender people to use the bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity. The state legislature held a special session to pass a law that not only reverses that, but also strips people of the right to sue in state court over discrimination, and voids all local ordinances protecting LGBT rights or setting a higher minimum wage than the state’s. This funky combination of conservative strictures was introduced and passed in a matter of hours and signed the same day, with many legislators revealing that they didn’t even know what was in it until after the vote.

The fallout was immediate. Last week PayPal announced that because of the law, it is abandoning plans to open a global operations center in North Carolina that would have brought 400 jobs to Charlotte. The world-famous High Point furniture market has said it is receiving feedback that hundreds to thousands of visitors will not come this year because of the law. In one of the lowest blows to a basketball-crazed state, the NBA and NCAA are contemplating whether they will shift playoff games out of North Carolina.

Despite these ramifications, Tennessee and South Carolina are now considering bathroom bills, too.

Tennessee’s bill, sponsored by Republican Rep. Susan Lynn of Mount Juliet (who did not respond to an interview request) and Republican Sen. Mike Bell of Riceville, would Continued on page 14.

Ansel Adams & Advocacy: An Evening with the National Parks Conservation Association

April 28, 6–8 p.m.

Winston-Salem, NC | reynoldahouse.org/anseladams Ansel Adams: Eloquent Light has been organized by the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas.

Reynolda House gratefully recognizes the many generous sponsors who helped bring this exhibition to North Carolina, including Major Sponsors the Charles H. Babcock, Jr. Arts and Community Initiative Endowment, Jerome and Beverly Jennings, and Modern Automotive; and Contributing Sponsor Phoenix Packaging, Inc. Vernal Fall, Yosemite Valley, California, 1948 Photograph by Ansel Adams ©2016 The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas

RH_AA9.5x5.25C.indd 1

Coming in Spring 2016 RIVER’S EDGE APARTMENT HOMES RIVERSEDGEKNOX.COM

O

4/8/16 4:52 PM

AP PE AP RI N RI L 2 HO L 9 TH U 30 T ( S H 1 E (1 2-7) 15)

Coming in Spring 2016: the Urban Wilderness’s newest Class A apartment complex, located in the heart of the upcoming Rail Trail along the banks of the Tennessee River.

• • • •

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

LEASING OFFICE OPENS MAY 2, 2016

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

April 14, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 13

require that university and public school students use the restroom corresponding to the gender on their birth certificate.

That could pack a more powerful punch here than elsewhere, because Tennessee is the only state in the union—let that sink in—that provides no legal path for changing the gender on your birth certificate. Ever.

This is not the first time a bathroom bill like this has been floated in Tennessee, with supporters arguing that it would protect children from sexual predators. Still, previous versions never gained traction.

Several Republican representatives withdrew their support for this bill after hearing affecting testimony from transgender students, and the issue had been referred for summer study. But after pressure from the Family Action Council of Tennessee, a group headed by former state Sen. David Fowler that seeks to “defend a culture that values the traditional family,” the bill was reconsidered and then passed in a House education committee last week.

It could cost the state millions of dollars. Originally, the bill’s fiscal note predicted no impact, but it was revised to reflect that Tennessee could risk losing up to $1.2 billion in federal education funding—an opinion Attorney General Herbert Slatery affirmed Monday. The U.S. Department of Education has determined that Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination at educational institutions, also bans discrimination based on gender identity.

Because of the financial impact, Bell told the Senate Finance Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday that he wanted another day to digest Slatery’s financial analysis before pushing the bill forward. Because of the question mark about the price tag, the bill could join the stack of unfunded measures that won’t get attention until after the state budget passes, if at all. The American Civil Liberties Union, more than 75 Tennessee clergy members, and businesses such as major local employer Alcoa Inc. have written to oppose the bill. The Tennessean reports that Viacom (parent company of CMT) came out against it last week, followed by several country music stars, and the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. indicated several groups are already planning to cancel major conventions if the measure passes.

14

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 14, 2016

In an email, Gov. Bill Haslam’s office indicated he is concerned about the Title IX funding ramifications and he trusts local schools and school boards to make appropriate accommodations for students as needed.

Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero explained her opposition to the bathroom bill in a prepared statement Friday: “This bill would feed an atmosphere of intolerance that would negatively affect the lives of local families and students, and also could have damaging consequences for tourism and economic development.”

“I think Tennessee will lose opportunities if the bill continues through the state House,” Henderson says. But she predicts the backlash against Georgia and North Carolina will make Tennessee legislators think twice about sweeping legislation. “I think Tennessee is doing drip-drops,” she says. “I’m not convinced we’ll see a full-scale bill like in North Carolina, but I think we will continue to have bills that chip away” at LGBT rights.

The effort is partly fueled by political maneuvering during an election year, Henderson says. “I definitely think part of this is people trying to energize the base,” she says.

“Legislators are trying to show they are doing what they promised and doing things that are consistent with constituents’ core conservative values.”

Democratic Rep. Joe Armstrong of Knoxville says it’s also a function of Republicans being primaried from the right if they don’t follow the party leadership in lockstep.

“It seems like this is a Southern manifestation of trying to polarize people,” he says, adding that the divisive tone of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign (which swept the South) is permeating the General Assembly.

It’s important to note, though, that bills limiting transgender rights—particularly “bathroom bills”—aren’t confined to the South. Massachusetts, Missouri, and Kansas are among other states whose legislatures are considering them, according to the National Center on Transgender Equality. (The Kansas bill would even allow students to sue their school for $2,500 every time they see a transgender student in the bathroom.)

THE COUNSELING BILL

So far, the Tennessee Legislature has given its approval only to the most

narrow of the bills, the counseling bill. Armstrong voted against it in committee and on the House floor. He called the counseling measure “strictly a pandering bill,” saying the conservatism demonstrated in these bills “is echoing the Jim Crow laws of 100 years ago, limiting people’s freedoms.”

But he finds it much more tightly focused than the laws passed in other Southern states, so he doesn’t anticipate it will generate the same type of business backlash. He notes that the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce did not take a position on it. Chamber officials did not return a call seeking comment. (Interestingly, state chambers are rarely taking a stand on any of these bills.)

The counseling bill, sponsored by Republican Rep. Dan Howell of Georgetown and Republican Sen. Jack Johnson of Franklin, was opposed by every professional counseling group in the state as well as the national American Counseling Association.

Art Terasaz, director of government affairs for the American Counseling Association, called the proposal a “hate bill that will legalize discrimination against people who are seeking health care.”

Like the bathroom bill, the legislation is supported (and reportedly partly drafted by) the Family Action Council of Tennessee. Fowler and his group did not grant repeated requests for an interview but sent a press release stating: “The bill respects religious liberty and prevents the American Counseling Association from using Tennessee’s laws to promote government-compelled speech, contrary to the First Amendment. Government should never force any person to speak words to anyone that is contrary to their conscience.

Thankfully, 68 Tennessee Representatives still value that fundamental constitutional right.”

Previously, Tennessee law had basically adopted the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics, which already provides a process for referring a case to another counselor but does not allow it to be based solely on the counselor’s own “personally held beliefs.”

Opponents call that an open door to discrimination.

Insurance companies don’t allow discrimination by medical providers— whether they treat the body or the

mind—and changing state law this way might give insurance companies a reason to refuse to reimburse for mental health treatment, says Lisa Henderson, the legislative and public policy chairperson for the Tennessee Counseling Association and its incoming president-elect. In reality, this will probably just mean fewer people get the treatment they need, she says.

Amendments were proposed that would have forbidden counselors from refusing to treat a teen being bullied and forbidden counselors from charging a patient they refuse to treat, but these were tabled.

“Even someone from the association of religious counselors testified against it,” Armstrong says. “We’re heading down a slippery slope when licensing agencies are all against it and a small minority are pushing the bill, doing it for the purposes of a right-wing agenda. I certainly think we took a step in the wrong direction with this bill.”

Although discussion in the Legislature has focused on counseling for gay and transgender people, the law as written could affect access for many others whose “desired outcomes” don’t align with the counselors’ beliefs. In Tennessee, the only therapists Lisa Henderson knows who were worried about this were actually concerned about having to counsel someone considering an abortion. It’s possible focusing the discussion on sexual preference is cloaking what this bill is really about.

“The conversation in the legislature is, as I feared it would be, much more narrow than what it could be in reality,” Lisa Henderson says. “For them, it’s just LGBT right to care and counselors’ right to religious freedom.

Those are the hot topics in popular culture and not necessarily in therapy.

I’m watching it become less and less about therapy and more and more about right versus left.”

In this sense, the counseling bill may be like others that have gained traction in legislatures this year: It appears to address a narrow issue, yet in fact affects more “This is extremely stressful for (LGBT) people because it makes them wonder what’s coming next, and makes them wonder if marriage equality could be successfully undone if a Trump or Cruz got elected,” Sanders says. “People are scared.” ◆

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 14, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 15

THE RANGER Cassius Cash, the Smokies’ first African-American superintendent, aims to help the park evolve

BY CLAY DUDA

16

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 14, 2016

Photo by David Luttrell

Photo by David Luttrell

S

treaks of early morning sunshine cut through the trees, casting long shadows across the gravel parking lot as kids pile out of a bus near the start of the Little River Trail. Dew still clings to leaves and rocks. The forest is mostly still on this burgeoning spring day, the silence cut only by the dull roar of the Little River nearby. Today these 14 students, set loose from school for a week on spring break and brought in to explore these woods near Gatlinburg by the Boys and Girls Club of the Tennessee Valley, will get a guided tour of the outdoors from the man charged with overseeing this diverse, rippled landscape: Superintendent Cassius Cash, head of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

“How many of y’all have been to the park before?” he asks the kids,

thinkstock

many still groggy from the hour-anda-half bus ride from Powell. More than half of their hands go up—a good sign, Cash later says—but for some, today marks their first real hiking experience into the woods. When all’s said and done they’ll trek a little less than 5 miles along the rushing waterway, taking in sights and sounds of wildlife and waterfalls.

“I grew up in Memphis, and we didn’t have national parks close to Memphis,” Cash opens up. “So I was that kid that always watched scary movies, and where do bad things happen in scary movies? [he waits for a reply] The woods! That’s right. And I still meet a lot of kids today that are scared of the woods, and I want to change that.”

This is the first of many speeches Cash will give to varied groups of kids throughout the summer as he takes on his own challenge to “Hike April 14, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 17

Photos by Clay Duda

GSMNP Superintendent Cassius Cash talks with a group of kids from the Boys and Girls Club on the first hike of his ‘Hike 100’ initiative. He plans to walk 100 miles with different youth groups to celebrate the National Park Service’s centennial.

100”—that is, to hike 100 miles of park trails this year in celebration of the National Park Service’s centennial, its 100th birthday. Of course, the GSMNP isn’t quite that old (it was founded in 1934), but that matters less to Cash than connecting with the kids. It’s part of his vision for the future, and not just the future of this national park but also for future generations. By opening up a younger audience to the wonders of the natural world he hopes to instill a vested and lasting interest in preserving it.

“That’s part of what I promised to bring to the table when I interviewed 18

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 14, 2016

for this job,” he later says, and Hike 100 is a key part of that. It’s been a little more than a year since Cash took the helm of the GSMNP, the most popular national park in the country, a position his calls a “dream job.” He’s also the park’s first African-American superintendent, no small feat in a park system that employs only about two dozen minority superintendents overseeing its 410 units. His is an unlikely story that took a turn in college, when he landed an internship with the Forest Service, and over the past year he says he’s been surprised to learn the power of his story in connecting with people like himself: some minority, some inner-city, some just not given the opportunity to visit national parks and experience their allure. He thinks more people of different backgrounds would and should enjoy the woods that he’s come to love and has built a career on, and that’s the crux of his focus on the future.

Cash will put in 100 miles this year—and probably a lot more—but the most important thing to him is taking time to talk with these children and become their friend (a promise he makes to this group early on). Once their boots are kicking up dust on the trail he doesn’t waste time. He bounces from one young face to the next making small talk, prodding them about their outdoor experiences and what they mean to these young minds. But most of all he seems to listen, and throughout the three-hour hike, some kids start to open up. Over the summer he’ll walk through his hiking miles with 20 different groups of kids coming from an array of backgrounds. It’s not necessarily about just reaching out to more people of color, he says, but all demographics that may not know about or may not have access to the gem of a national park just a few minutes down the road from their homes in East Tennessee or Western North Carolina.

Beyond his lofty goals of inspiring the next generation to love and support this park, Cash must also deal with his daily administrative duties and management of the park, overseeing its varied resources, hundreds of employees, and thousands of volunteers. It’s a constant balancing act of being both welcoming and prudent, accessible to millions of visitors yet accountable for protecting and promoting its natural

splendor. If the Smokies were a bona-fide city, he’d be its 16th mayor.

B

efore Cassius Cash set off for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff to pursue a degree in medicine, he was a Boy Scout. And even before that he was just a kid who loved watching Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom in his family’s home in Memphis—his earliest memories of being intrigued by the outdoors. He’d later come to realize that those young life experiences, from a fascination with nature that was beamed through the living room TV to the plethora of merit badges he earned working his way up the ranks in Boy Scouts, were laying the groundwork for a career centered on the natural world.

It’s a cool spring day as he recounts his early life and the twists and turns that landed him in this pristine corner office, in a crisp green Park Ranger uniform, just off Highway 441 near Gatlinburg. This is the park’s headquarters, an unassuming one-story building lined with stone just outside of Gatlinburg. Cast-iron chandeliers hang above the wood-paneled lobby, a space that more closely resembles a living room than a waiting area, with three plush sofas and a coffee table centered on a fire place, just off of Cash’s office. Paintings capturing the mystic blue haze of the Smokies hang on the walls next to portraits of former superintendents, a cast Cash will likely someday join.

A light snow flutters outside the window, perhaps the last of the season, as Cash leans forward from his office perch, hands clasped in his lap. “Boy Scouts was my turning point, and when I talk to young kids a lot of times I talk about being a Boy Scout,” he says (Cash now serves on the local Boy Scout Pack Committee in Gatlinburg). “We had skill awards, and when I came back home years later my mom brought out my old belt with skill awards on it. It was like, ‘oh my God!’ It had badges for camping, community service, first aid, and a lot of other things. It was like a string of things that showed my career on that belt, the type of things I’m doing now.”

Even from a young age Cash, now 47, was intent on finding a career dedicated to helping others, much like his parents had done. His father was a detective with the Memphis Police

have been saying, ‘oh, I told you so!’—so I was determined to make it work, even though I was uncomfortable out there and still growing as a person. When you’re going through all that stuff you’re not saying all of these nice sound bites, but looking back it was one of the best and toughest decisions I ever had to make.”

Cash went on to receive his Bachelor of Science in biology from the historically-black University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff before aiming his career path in the woods. He later attended Oregon State University to study wildlife management in a non-degree program.

Over 18 years he held a variety of positions with the Forest Service, including posts as a wildland firefighter out West, district ranger in North Georgia, and a civil rights officer in Mississippi. In 2010 he joined the National Park Service, taking the helm as superintendent of Boston National Historical Park and Boston African American National Historic Superintendent Cassius Cash talks with a young girl during a March hike along the Little River Trail near Gatlinburg.

“ This is a place you can come to relax, but it is an economic driver when you see that arrowhead and logo in communities ...

We haven’t really talked about parks like that in the past.”

— Superintendent Cassius Cash, GSMNP

Photo by Clay Duda

Department, his mother a cosmetologist specializing in creating hair pieces for kids undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Both have since retired.

For a long time, he saw himself in the white lab coat of a doctor. “I thought that was the only way I could help people,” he says. But a college run-in with a recruiter from the National Forest Service triggered change, from a white coat to a green coat—the uniform worn by rangers in the Forest Service and Park Service, two federal agencies where Cash would work for decades to come. He takes pride in that uniform, checking his cuff links and brushing off dust as he sits down to talk.

It was his junior year as an undergraduate studying biology with a focus on pre-med when Cash caught wind that the National Forest Service was on campus interviewing for summer internships. He thought it would be a good chance to polish his interview skills, to brush up for future job applications, but as the interview got underway he was struggling to find ways to relate his medical background and urban upbringing to the wants and needs of the Forest Service—that is, until he brought up Boy Scouts.

“I didn’t have the typical upbringing, where people go out fishing and hunting and all those sorts of things, which is sort of the stereotypical person who likes to be outdoors,” he says. “It wasn’t until I started talking about being a Boy Scout and having some familiarity and comfort being outdoors that things [in that interview] started to turn around. The people that eventually picked me for that wildlife internship took a chance on me, and I took full advantage of that opportunity.”

Soon after, he was whisked from the casual life of a college student and plopped in a remote bunkhouse in the woods of Washington State, near the Canadian border. It was tough work and a big change from crashing on the couch and watching HBO, he says with a laugh, but he was determined to make it work, if nothing else so he didn’t have to go back home and face his mom.

“When I informed my mom I wasn’t going to be that doctor she’d been bragging to her girlfriends about, we probably went 10 rounds,” he says.

“But she finally caved in and I traveled out West. I didn’t want to go back to my mom and say I didn’t like it—she would

April 14, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 19

sation about my successes, my failures, and my challenges,” he says.

“I’ve really had to sit down and unpack that in a way that it makes sense to me, for me to be talking about myself and what I was actually thinking about going through all that stuff in my life. I’ve never had to do that with any other job, but people now want to hear it.”

T Photos by Clay Duda

A group of kids with the Boys and Girls Club of the Tennessee Valley hiked nearly five miles along the Little River Trail. For some it was their outing in a national park.

Site, where he worked until coming to the Smokies in February 2015.

Today he lives in Gatlinburg with his wife, Vonda, and daughter, Tasé.

His oldest daughter, Ciara Jenkins, lives in Colorado.

Cash is proud of his resume and his past work, although since taking his post at the Smokies he says he’s learned that most people, when they ask, are less interested in his work history than his personal story and life journey: how an inner-city kid from Memphis rose to a leadership position in a federal agency known for protecting pine trees.

“That’s really a different conver20

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 14, 2016

he National Park Service does a lot more than just protect pine trees, of course, as Cash can attest. For him, it’s more like overseeing a city. Last year the Great Smoky Mountains National Park welcomed about 10.7 million visitors, more than any other national park in the country. On its busiest days as many as 6,000 tourists may pile in, motoring along the winding mountain roads, fishing translucent streams, and trekking into the depths of a hilly wilderness.

Cash is happy to talk about the park’s success, resources it helps protect, and even some of the uphill challenges facing it in the years to come. A big one of those is the hemlock woolly adelgid, an aphid-like insect native to Asia that has been decimating eastern hemlock and Carolina hemlock trees in the park at a rapid rate since 2002. Known as the “redwood of the East,” hemlocks play an important role in maintaining a cool microclimate in mountain streams needed by some trout and other species for survival. The Smokies have been a battleground and a testing ground in the fight against these insects, and has benefited from researchers drawn to the area to study and hopefully eradicate the pests, Cash says. But the bugs continue to take a toll.

Infected hemlocks near trails may be treated with insecticidal soap or horticultural oils to stave off the insects; those off the beaten path or too tall to spray are targeted for systemic treatments, such as injections or soil drenchings of insecticides. More than 500,000 predator beetles who only eat hemlock woolly adelgid have been released into the forest, though their numbers have not grown large enough to turn the tide of the deadly bug. Today large patches of dead hemlocks dot the landscape, but Cash says the fight is far from over.

He’s well-versed in the biology of these hills, and still learns more every day, he says. He knows all about the health of various streams and fish habitats, a plethora of species of salamander found under rocks and logs in the waterways, and can recite progress his employees have made toward restoring those streams and opening them again to anglers. (For the first time last year, all streams in the park were reopened to fishing—a sign of health after decades of recovery work.) He is a wildlife biologist by trade, after all, but when Cash has the chance he prefers to lean toward words of inspiration instead of recounting textbooks and achievements.

“I really have to speak from value.

I can’t just speak from facts and numbers,” he says. “What are we going to do to ensure that this place we call East Tennessee remains bustling and beautiful, a place considered welcoming and friendly?

What are we going to do to ensure we don’t use luck as a strategy for the next 50 years? We all have a role in that, and that’s where I speak from.”

That goes well beyond the park staff of roughly 250 full-time employees and includes anyone and everyone with a vested interest in the park. In 2015 the park drew in an estimated $406 million in tourism dollars to the area, a lifeblood of revenue for nearly a dozen nearby towns on both the Tennessee and North Carolina sides of the mountains. Much like an urban center, the park is an economic driver for the region. “We haven’t really talked about parks like that in the past,” Cash says. “This is a place you can come and relax, but it is an economic driver when you see that arrowhead and logo in communities.”

His first year on the job has been a lot about listening to those communities, he says, figuring out where all the pieces fit, how people perceive the park fitting into their lives and livelihoods, and contemplating next steps to ensure both its natural beauty and the local economy it fuels survive to see the NPS’s next centennial.

“Working with communities has been a key, major part of my success this first year, and it continues to pay dividends,” he says. “I’m here to listen, learn, and build—and build together with the community, because this park is set up for the communities’ benefit.”

When you’re in charge of a park that so many people depend on, they are

to its most recent visitor survey in 2009. Employees of the Park Service are also predominately white, ranking the agency near the bottom in terms of diversity (259 out of 320 different federal agencies) in the yearly “Best Places to Work” report, a yearly calculation by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service.

Cash says it’s not about going after one group or the other, noting a big misconception he’s come up again is people figuring that since he is African-American he’ll be drawing more blacks into the park. Instead he’s going after a generation: the notoriously fickle, technology addicted, and sometimes jaded millennial, the most diverse generation in U.S. history, to pull them into the narrative of the National Park Service and hopefully help them discover the value parks and wilderness have to offer.

That means evolving and shifting along with changes in society, as a person and a park, and rethinking how some kids are approached and what their interactions are when visiting the park. As part of that, NPS has launched a campaign and website

called “Find Your Park” in hopes of reaching more, varied people.

“We continue to evolve with what’s happening and America and continue to help develop those stories,” Cash says, launching into a story from his time overseeing the cultural parks in Boston. His chief resource officer at the time discovered that about 30 percent of the soldiers who fought the battle of Bunker Hill were either Native American or African-American, yet the plaque commemorating that battle showed most all white soldiers.

“We were bold enough to take those up and show a different picture of who was up there on the hill and the significance of that battle. And you never know what starting point that might present for a kid of color who goes for the first time and see somebody who resembles them as part of the birth and founding of a country.

That’s pretty profound, and it’s things like that at the Park Service that allow me to grow as an individual and be part of something bigger.” ◆ Cash and kids pause for a group photo in front of a small waterfall along the Little River Trail.

Photo by Clay Duda

interested in what you’re doing and how it’ll impact them, Cash says.

He’s tasked with balancing conservation and stewardship, making sure pristine woodlands stay that way for people to enjoy “for the next 100 years,” he says, but also making them accessible so people can get outside and take it all in. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the few free park units in the country.

Charging an entrance fee could boost the resources needed to protect the park, though Cash says any move in that direction would have to be supported by the communities that depend on it. It may also help moderate the numbers of people flooding in each year and mitigate the damage they cause, lowering the cost of upkeep and maintenance. But he’s not convinced that’s the best path forward, instead focusing on educating visitors to better understand how to interact with nature and minimize their impacts.

“I mean, it’s amazing how many people you see litter that come through this national park,” Cash says, shaking his head. “We have to step up our game from not feeding the bears to explaining what happens to the bears when you do feed them. You have to understand there’s a sense of stewardship and I’ve got to believe there’s an interest in that [for all visitors] because otherwise they wouldn’t come here to see it.”

His short-term goal may be to better educate current visitors, but to ensure the park’s longevity also means reaching groups of people who are not currently frequenting the park, mostly young people from a variety of different backgrounds. The point isn’t to draw even larger numbers of people into the park, but to ensure that in years to come there are new faces interested in preserving it. The GSMNP does not have a detailed breakdown of visitors demographics like some other national parks since it is free and has no checkpoints to track who comes and goes. But the Park Service has recognized an issue in the small percentages of minorities paying visits to parks and recreation areas across the country. The Saguaro National Park near Tucson, Ariz. has struggled to attract more minorities despite a large Hispanic population living nearby. Tucson is about 44 percent Hispanic or Latino, but less than 2 percent of park visitors self-identified as Hispanic, according

April 14, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 21

A&E

P rogram Notes

Spring Fling

M

ore than 12,000 people descended on the Old City last weekend for Knoxville’s biggest music festival. Rhythm N’ Blooms, the Dogwood Arts Festival’s annual April Americana blowout, took over several venues in the historic downtown neighborhood—and even created a few new ones, like the Cripple Creek Stage under the James White Parkway, which hosted fest headliners Mutemath, the Mavericks, the Old 97’s, G. Love and Special Sauce, and Robert Randolph and the Family Band. Here are some of the weekend’s highlights, as captured by Clay Duda; visit knoxmercury.com for more photos.

THE BLACK CADILLACS

THE OLD 97S

THE LONE BELLOW

ROBERT RANDOLPH AND THE FAMILY BAND

23 22

Inside the Vault: Newman Wise

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 14, 2016

24

Classical Music: Don Giovanni

Record Store Day 2016 For a certain strata of music geek—the collector of physical media—Record Store Day is the best of times and the worst of times.

At first, there’s the tingly sense of anticipation: Twice a year, the RSD overlords manage to assemble an onslaught of (mostly) vinyl exclusives that inevitably contain at least one (or two or three) irresistible limited editions. This causes a month-long inner struggle as RSD approaches, beginning with Do I really want it? and ending with Yes, I do really want it! (For me, it was the last three Miles Davis box sets that impeccably reproduced his 10-inch EPs for Prestige.)

But then comes the realization that other collectors want that stuff, too. Which means you’ll actually have to compete for the items you desire—and hope that the record stores will have them in stock. This has caused no little grumbling among record collectors—who are, by nature, already among the most whiny of sub-nerds. RSD is too commercial! they cry out in online forums.

How dare they!

To which I say: Duh. Record Store Day exists to hustle people into independent brick-and-mortar stores to buy stuff they can’t get elsewhere.

Limited editions are supposed to be limited—so when you get one, you feel lucky. This creates excitement and reminds people of a time when new music releases were actually meaningful retail experiences rather than impersonal downloads. Some RSD editions may be better than others, but it is essentially a commercial institution that gets people thinking about local record stores. While price gouging or online flipping are legitimate problems, that’s the dark stuff of human nature you can’t control in a free-market economy (though RSD now asks owners to sign a Record Store Day Pledge to refrain from such douchey acts).

Luckily, in Knoxville, RSD is also a day-long celebration at an array of excellent record stores that other cities must surely envy. Here’s the rundown of festivities for Record Store Day on Saturday, April 16.

—Coury Turczyn

25

DISC EXCHANGE 2615 Chapman Hwy., 865-573-5710 discexchange.com Open: 9 a.m.

Bands: EmiSunshine • La Basura Del Diablo • Appalachian Surf Team • Mountain Like Wax • Roomsounds • the Automatic Stops Food and Drink: Alliance Brewery Brewing Co. • Smoky Mountain Snow • Oishii Knox Food Truck Tip: There will be drawings at 8:30 a.m. for Forecastle Festival—and early entry into the store—to support the Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley.

LOST AND FOUND RECORDS 3710 N. Broadway, 865-687-5556 knoxvillerecordstore.com Open: 10 a.m.

Bands: Honkonen (noon) • Headface and the Congenitals (1 p.m.) • Roach Eaters (2 p.m.) • the Shazam (3 p.m.) • Bark (4 p.m.) • Wreckless Eric (5 p.m.) • the Cancelled (6 p.m.)

Food and Drink: Yes! Tip: Nashville band the Shazam is pressing a limited-edition vinyl “Best of …” exclusively for Record Store Day at Lost and Found.

BASEMENT RECORDS 5009 Chapman Highway, 865-573-2182 basementrecordstn.com Open: 8 a.m.

Tip: WNFZ 94.3 FM (94Z) will be doing a live remote.

MCKAY’S 230 Papermill Place Way, 865-588-0331 mckaybooks.com Open: 9 a.m.

Tip: McKay’s usually gets a lot of RSD stock, including multiple copies.

RAVEN RECORDS AND RARITIES 1200 N Central St., 865-525-9016 facebook.com/ravenrr85 Open: 10 a.m.

Tip: Raven will give away a free V-roys CD with any purchase.

Also: Raven is partnering with the revamped Knoxville Uncorked to unveil its new vinyl outpost, complete with turntables. On RSD, DJs Earl Grae (Soultron) and Nikki Nair (Teknox) will be spinning wax. Live remote from WNFZ, 4:30-6:30 p.m.

WILD HONEY RECORDS 1206 Kenesaw Ave., 865-588-8823 wildhoneyrecords.com Open: 8 a.m.

Tip: Wild Honey’s owners are pulling “rare vintage import pressings” out of storage just for RSD.

Movie: Midnight Special

Inside the Vault

Wise Guy The St. James sessions were just one small part of fiddler Newman Wise’s musical life

BY ERIC DAWSON

T

he Wise String Orchestra recorded two sides for the Brunswick-Vocalion label at the St. James Hotel in 1929: “Yellow Dog Blues” and “How Dry I Am.” The former tune was written by “Father of the Blues” W.C. Handy; the latter is an Irving Berlin-penned novelty song that you could probably hum right now, even if you don’t recall when and where you ever heard it. They’re fine records, festive and fun numbers executed by the family string band of brothers George (guitar) and Isaac (banjo and mandolin) Wise and George’s son Newman (fiddle). The 78 record was the only known recording by the Wises, and for a long while little was known about their lives following its release.

Newman had two daughters whom we had some trouble tracking down, but in the fall of 2014 we found Sonia Clift, nee Wise, on Facebook. We contacted her and arranged a meeting with her and her sister Barbara to learn more about their father and his band.

Sonia has a copy of the 78 record—it’s unfortunately cracked—but she says her father never talked about recording it. That’s not altogether unusual among the children and grandchildren of sessions artists with whom we’ve spoken. Though making a record was an extremely rare opportunity at the time, for a variety of reasons many of the musicians didn’t share

memories of the experience with their families. In Newman’s case, this could be because he continued to fiddle throughout his life and recorded himself with his friends and family playing music. Maybe it seemed like a footnote in his life of making music.

Newman Wise was born in 1911 in Wise Springs, where Three Ridges Golf Course is now, between Tazewell and Washington pikes. He was something of a child prodigy, picking up the fiddle at age 7 and astonishing the gathered adults by recreating the music they had just played. At 16 he won a fiddling contest on Market Square, where he possibly encountered and competed against some of the musicians who would also record at the St. James hotel two years later. He played around town, including on the Mid-Day Merry-GoRound, but he never tried to make a go at a professional career, earning his living as a machinist at Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge.

In his later years he played regularly at Carl Bean’s Big Valley Barn in Clinton and at the Museum of Appalachia’s Fall Festival. There he struck up a friendship with string-instrument virtuoso John Hartford, who admired Newman’s playing. Toward the end of Newman’s life Hartford sent a letter thanking him for his friendship and for teaching him “some wonderful fiddle tunes.”

Recently, Sonia found some

A&E

cassette tapes, from the late 1970s and early ’80s, of her father and some friends playing tunes, including a tape credited to the Alcoa Musical Retirees.

They cover dozens of songs, but none of the numbers Wise recorded at the St. James appear. Oddly, I was rummaging through a box of cassette tapes at an estate sale a few months later (at 10 cents each, the format has really fallen from favor) when I came across a case that had “Newman and Edward Wise” written on it. It was another home recording from the early ’80s, this one with Newman and his brother. Along with Howard “Louie Bluie” Armstrong and Willie Sievers of the Tennessee Ramblers, both of whom continued to perform professionally into the 1990s, Newman Wise was probably the only other musician who recorded at the Knoxville Sessions of 1929-1930 to leave behind such a thorough record of his music in the decades that followed.

In 1986, the Knoxville News-Sentinel erected a sculpture in the shape of a treble clef at the corner of Summit Hill Drive and Gay Street, meant to commemorate Knoxville’s country music history. Accompanying the sculpture were bronze plaques displaying names of many musicians who lived and performed here over the years, including Newman’s. He was so touched by the monument that he wrote a letter to the Sentinel thanking them.

“This was installed in an area like a park with benches and walkways forming a very nice, peaceful area with trees and hedges, all of which was built to honor the many musicians in East Tennessee, some famous and some not so well known today as they were years ago,” Newman wrote.

“Several have passed on. This was a very noble act conceived by someone at the newspaper company. I have known quite a number of people named here, which includes my own name. … Most string musicians have had precious little recognition in this area over the years and I for one wish to thank the News-Sentinel for this noble project.”

Inside the Vault features discoveries from the Knox County Public Library’s Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound, a collection of film, video, music, and other media from around East Tennessee.

April 14, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 23

A&E

Classical Music

Man, Myth, and Legend UT Opera presents a new take on Mozart’s classic Don Giovanni

BY ALAN SHERROD

I

f the title of “World’s Most Interesting Man” is up for grabs, my vote goes to Lorenzo Da Ponte, the 18th-century librettist for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Born Emanuele Conegliano, in 1749, in the Jewish ghetto of Venice, Da Ponte took the name of his family’s bishop patron when his father converted the family to Catholicism. The bishop also insisted on an education in the priesthood for Lorenzo and his brothers.

Falling in love with both Italian literature and the societal hypocrisy and nighttime intrigues of 1770s Venice, the young priest Da Ponte was eventually exiled from Venice for both his moral dissolution and his philosophical writings,

24

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 14, 2016

which weren’t unlike those being espoused by the American Revolution.

Landing in the Vienna of Emperor Joseph II, Da Ponte came in contact with court composer Antonio Salieri, and, through him, met the spirited Mozart. Their first operatic project was The Marriage of Figaro, with Da Ponte adapting the controversial play by Beaumarchais. The pair, invigorated by the success of Figaro and drawn to each other by philosophical and artistic like-mindedness, next took on the fictional legendary seducer Don Juan. The tale of the libertine and his infamous demise had been a well-trod subject since the early 17th century,

when it first appeared in The Trickster of Seville and the Stone Guest, a play by the Spanish monk Tirso de Molino.

Mozart’s opera with Da Ponte’s libretto, Don Giovanni, premiered in Prague in 1787. Da Ponte outlived Mozart by almost 47 years, ending his days an immigrant in New York City, where he championed theater and culture, oversaw the first U.S. production of Don Giovanni, and became the first professor of Italian literature at what is now Columbia University.

Somewhat ironically, in the audience for the Prague Don Giovanni premiere was Da Ponte’s old friend and fellow Venetian and debauchee Giacomo Casanova. Casanova’s actual exploits were not unlike the affairs of the fictional character of Don Giovanni, albeit a bit less lethal. Although it has not been proven conclusively as fact, Casanova claimed in his writings that he had given suggestions to Mozart in Da Ponte’s absence for completing the libretto of Don Giovanni. Who better to give advice on amorous ruses and seduction than one of its masters?

The University of Tennessee Opera Theatre takes on Don Giovanni this weekend at the Bijou Theatre in four performances. James Marvel, director of UTOT, offers a few glimpses into how their production is approaching Da Ponte’s opera buffa story, a style that mixes comic and serious action.

“The visceral scenes are visceral, the comedic scenes are comedic,” Marvel says. “And the sincere and heartfelt scenes are straightforward and effective. The concept is guided by tradition with a bit of contemporary humor added in for good measure.”

The roles of Giovanni and his servant, Leporello, were set up as a contrast of serious and comic. “The role of Leporello is in that buffa tradition,” Marvel says. “We have embraced that tradition fully by emphasizing the comedic elements within the character.

“The role of Giovanni is wonderfully complex. He is a thrill-seeking sex addict hell-bent on living as dangerously and abrasively as possible. His darker appetites rule him utterly underneath his charming and gallant exterior. The

man, the myth, and the legend truly come to life in this vivid portrayal. He is capable of great tenderness and utterly sadistic brutality.”

Motivating Giovanni, of course, are the female characters Donna Anna, Donna Elvira, and Zerlina.

“Every female character is drawn to his magnetism despite their better judgment,” Marvel says. “Often their words tell one story while their actions tell another. Their words speak the text, while their actions convey the subtext.

Donna Elvira’s murderous rage is present within her text, and, despite taking it to somewhat comic extremes, the truth and the reality of her emotions drives the character utterly.”

Musically, Mozart reveals his opera buffa plan in the brilliant overture, beginning with crashing minor chords hinting at tragedy but later softening into comic lightness.

And the opera’s arias, spread over seven of the eight characters, reveal not only fury, as in Donna Elvira’s “Ah! chi mi dice mai,” but also comedy, as in Leporello’s “Catalog Aria,” in which in he attempts to list the Don’s amorous conquests.

The UT Opera Orchestra will be under the baton of conductor and music director Kevin Class. ◆

WHAT

UT Opera Theatre: Mozart’s Don Giovanni

WHERE

Bijou Theatre (803 S. Gay St.)

WHEN

Friday, April 15, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, April 16, at 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sunday. April 17, at 2:30 p.m.

HOW MUCH $20

INFO

music.utk.edu

Movie

A&E

CLASSICAL TICKETS start at just $15

TONIGHT!

JARVI

Music Director candidate

Ever-Lovin’ Light Jeff Nichols hits the big-time with heartland gothic sci-fi tale Midnight Special

BY APRIL SNELLINGS

A

s unlikely as it seems in the wake of Batman v Superman, it turns out that 2016 has in fact given us a Superman movie worth getting excited about. The possibly otherworldly figure at the center of Jeff Nichols’ Midnight Special doesn’t zip down in a spaceship flung from a doomed planet, and he never sports a costume, unless you count swimming goggles and noise-canceling headphones. But writer-director Nichols has made a fi lm that restores the thrills, mystery, sense of wonder, and, best of all, the hope that was so thoroughly scrubbed from the Man of Steel’s last two cinematic outings.

The parallels between Midnight Special and the fundamental Superman mythology definitely aren’t coincidental. When we first meet 8-year-old Alton Meyer (Jaeden Lieberher, whom you might remember from the good-natured Bill Murray flick St. Vincent), he’s draped under a bed sheet in a seedy motel room, poring over Superman comics with a flashlight. At first it seems that Alton is the victim of a kidnapping; AMBER Alerts blare from the television, and the two men who are holed up with him, Roy (Michael Shannon) and Lucas (Joel Edgerton), seem hard and hunted.

As the men whisk Alton away under cover of darkness, we learn that

Alton’s adoptive father, a cult leader played by Sam Shepard at his steeliest, is desperate to get the boy back for reasons that go far beyond fatherly concern. A gaggle of government agencies led by NSA brainiac Paul Sevier (Adam Driver) are also eager to fi nd Alton, who is somehow privy to top-secret national security data. It soon becomes apparent that his abductors are really his champions, even if their guns-and-muscle car methods make them fugitives.

It’s hard to say much more without revealing secrets best left discovered along the way. Midnight Special is intentionally murky, both figuratively and literally, for much of its running time. Light itself is problematic in this world—Alton can’t tolerate the stuff, so much of the action is confined to the hours between sunset and sunrise.

Nichols doles out information slowly, and is perfectly happy to leave many secrets altogether untouched. His filmmaking doesn’t invite passive viewing, so be prepared to work a little to figure out just what’s going on here, and to accept that not everything will be explained.

In many ways, Midnight Special represents a departure for Nichols. He flirted with supernatural drama in 2011’s Take Shelter, but this is his first venture into sci-fi—and his first into the

realm of studio financing. Comparisons to early Spielberg films are well justified, but this is a fantasy-adventure that only Nichols could make. It’s as much a moody work of heartland gothic as it is an E.T.-influenced entertainment, and it reassembles genre conventions in ways that make it hard to pin down. One minute it’s a paranoid chase movie, all stolen cars and safehouses, and the next it’s a quiet, affecting drama about people who, as one character points out, would’ve made a really nice family if life had dealt them different circumstances.

And it’s those characters, not the fi lm’s impressive visual FX or its occasional explosive action sequences, that propel the fi lm. Nichols has a gift for building a movie around the kind of people most screenplays wouldn’t even bother to name. He’s a champion of rumple and rust—a guy who possesses not only affection but also genuine respect for the ordinary people he thrusts into extraordinary circumstances.

That compassion and humanism extend to the strange little question mark at the center of the story.

Midnight Special isn’t about the things that make Alton different—it’s about the things that make him human and ground him in a world where he maybe doesn’t belong.

Above all, though, it’s a movie that is pointedly about faith—not in God, government, or religious leaders, but in one’s family and friends, and in the possibility of a better world than the one we’ve built so far. When the spectacle comes, it is, well, spectacular. But the real sense of wonder that shines through Midnight Special lies in its profound humanity. ◆

DVORÁK CELLO CONCERTO

TONIGHT & TOMORROW 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 14, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 25

CALENDAR MUSIC

Thursday, April 14 MAX GARCIA CONOVER WITH CASH’D OUT • WDVX • 12PM • 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 • 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 ESE WITH LA BASURA DEL DIABLO AND THE VAD • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • All ages. • $5 APPALACHIAN SURF TEAM WITH IS THAT A HAWK? • Asia Cafe West • 7PM • FREE THE AQUADUCKS • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up.

Friday, April 15 ERIN COBURN WITH JON DEE GRAHAM • WDVX • 12PM • 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. • $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. 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. • $34.75-$39.75 THE HACKENSAW BOYS • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM 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 LANEY JONES AND THE SPIRITS • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE 26

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 14, 2016

Thursday, April 14 - Sunday, April 24

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 KEVIN MCGUIRE • Red Piano Lounge • 6PM SPRING BREAKDOWN: EVERLEY WITH AMONG THE BEASTS, MEN AND MOUNTAINS, ILLUSTRIOUS, AND THE GUILD • The Bowery • 7PM • Over a year has passed since local post-hardcore band Everley took the stage, but they reunite for a one-night event with rising Knoxville talent in Among the Beasts, Alabama natives Men and Mountains, the young and brutal Illustrious, heavy players in The Guild, and releasing their first CD, These Vices. • $10 HIP-HOP FOR HUNGER • The International • 7PM • The Scarecrow Foundation’s annual event Hip Hop for Hunger benefiting Mobile Meals. 18 and up. • $10-$25 NIGHT OF THE CRUSHED SKULLS • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • Skull-crushing extreme underground metal. • $10 KILLROY • Brackins Blues Club (Maryville) • 9PM THE COVERALLS • Scruffy City Hall • 10PM • Knoxville’s long-running bar/wedding/special event favorites are masters of mood—they know what an audience wants, whether it’s Top 40 hits, Motown, classic rock, or jazz standards, and they deliver, on time, every time.

Saturday, April 16 VERLON THOMPSON • WDVX • 12PM • 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. • 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. 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. 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 • See Spotlight on page 26.

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 Trek and Star Wars to keep a convention audience rolling in the aisles. 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 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-chorus-bridge-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 JAZZSPIRATIONS LIVE • Red Piano Lounge • 7:30PM • Visit smoothjazzknoxville.com.

SWINGBOOTY • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • Local gypsy jazz band celebrates the release of its new “album”—a collection of audio and video files on a flash drive. • FREE CAPTAIN SUCK AND THE MEDIOCRE BAND • Brackins Blues Club (Maryville) • 9PM HANDSOME AND THE HUMBLES • Scruffy City Hall • 9PM 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 • See Spotlight on page 26.

MARGO PRICE Tennessee Theatre (604 S. Gay St.) • Saturday, April 16, and Sunday, April 17 • 8 p.m. • $39.50-$49.50 • tennesseetheatre.com

It’s a familiar story in Nashville—the overnight success that takes a decade. Margo Price has been writing songs and performing in Music City since 2003, when she dropped out of college to pursue her country-music dreams. Since then, she’s pitched songs to label execs, played crummy night clubs, waited tables, given tap-dancing lessons, spent a summer busking at a campground in Colorado, and suffered through the death of her infant son in 2010. That was a turning point; after recording three albums between 2010 and 2013 with the band Buffalo Clover (which featured, at various times, Sturgill Simpson and Kenny Vaughn), Price connected with Jack White in 2015 and recorded her debut solo album, Midwest Farmer’s Daughter, at Sun Studios in Memphis. Farmer’s Daughter was just what Price had been aiming for all those years—throwback honky-tonk with contemporary sass and a crack band, with echoes of classic Loretta Lynn.

Released in late March, on White’s Third Man Records, the album reached the country top 10 and landed Price on Saturday Night Live, putting her near the top of the current outsider country revival led by Simpson, Chris Stapleton, and Ashley Monroe. She’s opening for Old Crow Medicine Show’s two-night stand at the Tennessee Theatre this weekend, but it seems like just a matter of time before she’s headlining theaters on her own. (Matthew Everett)

29

Spotlight: Christian McBride

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

On sale Friday, 4/15 at 10am!

KNOXVILLE CIVIC COLISEUM

SUNDAY, SEPT 25 • 7pm PURCHASE TICKETS at All Knoxville Tickets Outlets, the Knoxville Civic Coliseum Box Office, knoxvillecoliseum.com OR CHARGE BY PHONE AT 865-656-4444.

shakybeatsfestival.com #shakybeats April 14, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 27

CALENDAR KELSEY’S WOODS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM. KATY FREE • Red Piano Lounge • 7PM JENNIFER KNAPP WITH ERIN MCKEOWEN • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • All ages. • $18-$22 STEPHANIE NILLES WITH CORTEZ GARZA • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up.

DAWES

W/ HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER

friday, april 22 • 8pm

Monday, April 18 EUGENE MIRMAN AND ROBYN HITCHCOCK • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • Eugene Mirman is a comedian, actor and hero who lives in Brooklyn, NY. He voices ‘Gene’ on Fox’s Emmy Award winning animated series Bob’s Burgers. He was on Flight of the Conchords, Adult Swim’s Delocated, and has had two comedy specials on Comedy Central. His latest comedy special is available on Netflix. Robyn Hitchcock is one of England’s most enduring contemporary singer/ songwriters and live performers. A surrealist poet, talented guitarist, cult artist and musician’s musician, Hitchcock is among alternative rock’s father figures and is the closest thing the genre has to a Bob Dylan (not coincidentally his biggest musical inspiration). • $25 CORTEZ GARZA WITH THE BRIAN SUTHERLAND BAND • WDVX • 12PM • FREE VIENNA COFFEE HOUSE JAZZ TRIO • Vienna Coffee House • 5PM • FREE UNIVERSAL SIGH • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • Universal Sigh is a melodic jazz fusion high energy rock show. The band features a two guitar attack anchored by a driving rhythm section. Universal Sigh’s music reflects a deep fondness for artists such as Radiohead, Snarky Puppy, and Umphrey’s McGee. • FREE VOO DAVIS • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up.

Tuesday, April 19 SARAH MORRIS WITH DAWN AND HAWKES • WDVX • 12PM • FREE KNOXVILLE JAZZ ORCHESTRA AND CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • Four-time Grammy-winning jazz bassist Christian McBride can be likened to a force of nature, fusing the fire and fury of a virtuoso with the depth and grounding of a seasoned journeyman. • $15-$33.30 • See Spotlight on page 29.

THE MARBLE CITY 5 • Red Piano Lounge • 8PM GENERATION OF VIPERS WITH YAUTJA • Pilot Light • 9:30PM • Hailing from the Appalachian mountains of East Tennessee, Generation of Vipers are a band that has always operated outside the normal trappings of “extreme” or “heavy” music. . 18 and up. • $5 PALE ROOT • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM UP THE CHAINS WITH SPEEDBUMPS • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up.

Wednesday, April 20 THE 5 A.M. RUMBLE STRIP • WDVX • 12PM • 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 LECRAE • Knoxville Civic Auditorium • 7PM • Lecrae is an American Christian hip hop artist, songwriter, record producer and actor. • $26-$49 TENNESSEE SHINES: GEOFF ACHISON • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7PM • Guitar virtuoso Geoff Achison’s infectious and inventive style has earned him fans around the world.

The Australian honed his skills with legendary Melbourne bluesman “Dutch” Tilders before embarking on an international campaign. • $10 THE CASEY GREEN TRIO • The Bistro at the Bijou • 7PM • Live jazz. • FREE GROOVE THERAPY • Red Piano Lounge • 7PM BEN HARPER AND THE INNOCENT CRIMINALS • Tennessee

28

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 14, 2016

Thursday, April 14 - Sunday, April 24

Theatre • 8PM • $52-$62 SECRET CITY CYPHERS • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • This is Knoxville’s premier open mic-style event that allows m.c.s, poets, singers, musicians, dancers, comedians, visual artists, and others to not only have a place to showcase their talent, but a place to network with other artists, and build their fan base. All ages. • FREE SAM BURCHFIELD WITH WRENN • The Square Room • 8PM • Sam Burchfield’s sound ranges from clever lyrical ballads like ‘Doctor’ to upbeat funky compositions such as ‘She Got Your Love’. Add in some banjo driven folk in songs like ‘Here Tonight’ and you’re almost there. • $8 THE FREEWAY REVIVAL • Scruffy City Hall • 9PM REALM • Pilot Light • 10PM • Heavy, head-nodding psychedelic rock that even people who don’t generally like heavy psychedelic rock would get into. And songs about Dune. • $5 JOSIAH ATCHLEY AND THE GREATER GOOD • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up.

Thursday, April 21 LEAH GRAMS-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 WARREN PINEDA AND JON MASON • Red Piano Lounge • 6PM THE BILLY WIDGETS • Scruffy City Hall • 6PM LAUREN ARP • The Orangery • 6:30PM RICKY MITCHELL • Asia Cafe West • 7PM • FREE JEREMIAH AND THE RED EYES • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • FREE R.B. MORRIS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 8PM THE BROTHERS OSBORNE • Cotton Eyed Joe • 9PM • From the very start, TJ Osborne was the brother with the voice.

He sang in a thick, low baritone, crooning like Johnny Cash long before he was even old enough to drive. Older brother John, on the other hand, was the family’s guitar shredder, his fingers capable of down-home bluegrass licks, arena-worthy rock riffs, country twang, and everything in between. Combined, the two Osbornes could play everything from traditional country music to rock & roll, creating a broad, full-bodied sound that would eventually fill the 11 songs on their major-label debut, Pawn Shop. 18 and up. • $10 DANGERMUFFIN WITH BURNED OUT, STILL GLOWING • Scruffy City Hall • 9PM MISS TESS AND THE TALKBACKS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM SWEET YEARS • Pilot Light • 10PM • Sweet Years, formerly Zack and Kota’s Sweet Life, celebrate the release of their new EP. 18 and up. • $5 FUTURE THIEVES • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up.

Friday, April 22 FREEQUENCY • Cru Bistro and Wine Bar • 8PM • Acoustic trio playing originals and eclectic tunes in three-part harmony.

DORI FREEMAN WITH WILD PONIES • WDVX • 12PM • FREE ALIVE AFTER FIVE: STREAMLINERS SWING ORCHESTRA • Knoxville Museum of Art • 6PM • This fabulous 17-member swing orchestra needs no introduction, as they are a perennial favorites at AA5. With male and female vocalists and power-packed rhythm and horn sections, they bring the classic music of Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Louis Prima, and more to life and ignite the dance floor. • $15 KBJAM • Vienna Coffee House • 7PM • FREE

K PHILLIPS • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM. • FREE NIC GAREISS AND MAEVE GILCHRIST • Clayton Center for the Arts (Maryville) • 7:30PM • $20 DAWES WITH HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER • Tennessee Theatre • 8PM • On All Your Favorite Bands , Dawes manage to transcend their well-documented Southern California influences to establish their own sound and themes, which range from the glass half full optimism of the first single, “Things Happen” and the minor-chord tension of “I Can’t Think About It Now” (featuring background vocals from Gillian Welch and the McCrary Sisters) to the soulful gospel of “Waiting for Your Call,” the rocking tongue-in-cheek lyrics of “Right On Time” and the epic, Dylan-esque set piece, “Now That It’s Too Late, Maria.” • $25.50 FROG AND TOAD’S DIXIE QUARTET • The Crown and Goose • 8PM • Live jazz featuring a mix of original music, early jazz and more. • FREE CAROLINA WRAY • Preservation Pub • 8PM • 21 and up.

THE TEMPER EVANS BAND • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 9PM HANNAH, KIMBRO, AND DEACON • The Bistro at the Bijou • 9PM • Live jazz. • FREE FISH STICKS • Brackins Blues Club (Maryville) • 9PM VINCE HARRIS • Red Piano Lounge • 9PM THE DELTA SAINTS WITH THE VEGABONDS • Scruffy City Hall • 9PM THE BURNIN’ HERMANS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • $5 HADLEY KENNARY • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 10PM YONAS WITH MONEY TREE MINI AND JAY STREETZ • The Concourse • 10PM • Hailing from New York City, Yonas is one of hip-hop’s most-hyped emerging artists. Known for his incredibly unique style, the 27 year old makes it known that he is unlike anyone else in the game. Fusing thought provoking content, with crossover music production, Yonas has begun changing the face of music.

18 and up. • $10-$15 BADLANDS • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up.

Saturday, April 23 TRAVIS HARRIS AND THE WEST COAST TURNAROUNDS WITH GEOFFREY LOUIS KOCH • WDVX • 12PM • FREE DRIVIN’ N’ CRYIN’ WITH THE BLACKFOOT GYPSIES • The Shed at Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson (Maryville) • 6PM • The ‘80s/’90s Southern college rock favorites are still at it. • $20 KATY FREE • Red Piano Lounge • 6PM THE SCRUFFY CITY JAM BAND • Vienna Coffee House • 7PM • FREE CALLAGHAN • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • London born, Nashville based Callaghan plays piano and guitar and delivers a vocal which earns frequent comparisons with artists like Sarah McLachlan and Emmy Lou Harris. • $12-$14 THE GEORGIA CRACKERS • Laurel Theater • 8PM • Before Hank Williams or Bill Monroe & his Bluegrass Boys, Georgia musicians such as Fiddlin’ John Carson, Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers, and many others pioneered the golden age of Hillbilly Stingbands. The Georgia Crackers faithfully recreate the vintage sound of the 1920s, while keeping alive the spirit of spontaneity and improvisation. • $14 WISEWATER • Preservation Pub • 8PM • 21 and up.

NUTHIN’ FANCY • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 9PM THE BISTRO AT THE BIJOU • 9PM • Live jazz. • FREE FEW MILES ON • Brackins Blues Club (Maryville) • 9PM THE BREAKFAST CLUB WITH SAME AS IT EVER WAS • The

CALENDAR

Knoxville’s BEST live music venue 6 nights a week!

Concourse • 9PM • $8-$10 KEITH BROWN AND THE KB3 • Red Piano Lounge • 9PM • CUMBERLAND STATION WITH ETHAN PARKER • Scruffy City Hall • 9PM THE ROUGH AND TUMBLE • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 10PM KANSAS BIBLE COMPANY WITH ROMAN REESE AND THE CARDINAL SINS • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up.

iron cauldron feverishly boiling the bones of horror rock, deathrock. and darkwave sensibilities. All ages. • $10-$15 ANDREW TUFANO • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up.

Sunday, April 24 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 JON STEELE QUINTET • Red Piano Lounge • 7PM THE BROCKEFELLERS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM THE NICK MOSS BAND • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 8PM • While other artists settle into a genre, Nick Moss has always been about discovering new sonic territory, new textures and new musical frontiers. His recording career spans decades and his albums are staples at blues radio worldwide, and are now in rotation at stations with jam and rock formats. All ages.• FREE ARGYLE GOOLSBY AND THE ROVING MIDNIGHT WITH LA BASURA DEL DIABLO AND BACK FOR BLOOD • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • Having spent nearly two consistent decades writing, releasing and touring music internationally with Blitzkid, Argyle Goolsby returns to conjure up the curtain on Argyle Goolsby and the Roving Midnight: a black

Thursday, April 14 VIENNA COFFEE HOUSE OPEN MIC NIGHT • Vienna Coffee House (Maryville) • 7PM • Visit viennacoffeehouse.net. •

OPEN MIC AND SONGWRITER NIGHTS

CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE WITH THE KNOXVILLE JAZZ ORCHESTRA Tennessee Theatre (604 S. Gay St.) • Tuesday, April 19 • 8 p.m. • $33.50 • knoxjazz.org

With its swelling brass sections and pounding drums, the arrangements of big-band jazz may not seem like a ready showcase for bass players—but Christian McBride is no ordinary bass player.

His varied inspirations made him an unpredictable prodigy right from the get-go: His father, Lee Smith, played bass for Philly soul groups like the Delfonics and for Latin jazz percussionist Mongo Santamaria, spurring him to pick up the electric bass at age 9. This being the ’80s, he began his musical journey by learning the bass lines to Hall and Oates’ “I Can’t Go for That” and advanced to the acoustic bass with Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.” Soon after, his great uncle introduced to him jazz bassists like Paul Chambers, Scott LaFaro, and Charles Mingus, and his course was set (with a significant detour into the realm of James Brown). But it was his apprenticeship under bass immortal Ray Brown that projected him into the jazz cosmos, where he has played with, well, everybody, from legends like Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, and Joe Henderson to contemporary stars Pat Metheny, Brad Mehldau, and Wynton Marsalis. (Not to mention plenty of pop stars and funkateers along the way.) And now, the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra. They will be performing The Good Feeling, McBride’s first big-band album, which demonstrates his prowess as a band leader and composer. (It won a Grammy in 2012 for Best Large Jazz Ensemble). Those seeking a classic big-band sound will not be disappointed by McBride’s joyful, swinging arrangements; but it’s when you hear his more “out-there” approaches in numbers like “Science Fiction” that you’ll hear tradition become new again. (Coury Turczyn)

Happy Hour 3pm to 8pm Huge selection of Craft, Import & Local beer Locally roasted coffee

THURS april 14 8pm / $5 • 18+

Ese w/ La Basura Del Diablo, & The Vads (horror rock)

FRI april 15 8pm / $10 • 18+ 5 bands (metal rock)

GRAND RE-OPENING!

sat april16 4pm - midnight / FREE all ages

grand re-opening party w/ 3 mile smile, mojo:flow, & swingbooty Retail Open 10:00 am till 9:00pm **15% off our lowest price on all in store items / Special pricing too low to advertise on select items.**

sun april 17 7pm / $15 adv - $22 day of all ages

Jennifer Knapp w/ Erin McKeown (folk rock) "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 14, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 29

CALENDAR 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

UPCOMING EVENTS LANEY JONES & THE SPIRITS

APR 15

ZOE NUTT

APR 17

Tuesday, April 19 PRESERVATION PUB SINGER/SONGWRITER NIGHT • Preservation Pub • 7PM OLD-TIME JAM SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM • Hosted by Sarah Pickle. • FREE Wednesday, April 20 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 ACOUSTIC OPEN MIC NIGHT • Asia Cafe West • 7PM • Bring an acoustic guitar and a few songs every Wednesday.

Sign-up sheet available 30 minutes prior to 7 p.m. start.

Three songs or 10 minutes per performer. • FREE Thursday, April 21 Vienna Coffee House Open Mic Night • Vienna Coffee House (Maryville) • 7PM • Visit viennacoffeehouse.net. • FREE Irish Music Session • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM • Held on the first and third Thursdays of each month. • FREE

DJ AND DANCE NIGHTS TENNESSEE SHINES PRESENTS:

JEFF ACHISON

APR 20

WILD PONIES

APR 22

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 Sunday, April 17 LAYOVER SUNDAY BRUNCH • The Concourse • 12PM • Enjoy good eats, refreshing libations, and the most appropriate afternoon tunage in the company of this city’s most dedicated loafers. We’ll be serving our normal brunch in all it’s glory, courtesy of Localmotive. Musical accompaniment by the likes of Slow Nasty, Psychonaut, and a rotating list of special guests. All ages. • FREE

SATURDAY, APRIL 23

HEROES AND VILLAINS: MARBLE CITY COMICON AFTERPARTY AND COSTUME BALL • The International • 9PM • 18 and up. Free with Marble City Comicon pass. • $5 Sunday, April 24

KELLEY MCRAE

APR 23

FULL EVENTS CALENDAR AT JIGANDREEL.COM 865-247-7066

30

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 14, 2016

Layover Sunday Brunch • The Concourse • 12PM • Enjoy good eats, refreshing libations, and the most appropriate afternoon tunage in the company of this city’s most dedicated loafers. We’ll be serving our normal brunch in all it’s glory, courtesy of Localmotive. Musical accompaniment by the likes of Slow Nasty, Psychonaut, and a rotating list of special guests. All ages. • FREE

Thursday, April 14 - Sunday, April 24

CLASSICAL MUSIC

Thursday, April 14 KSO MASTERWORKS SERIES: DVOŘÁK CELLO CONCERTO • Tennessee Theatre • 7:30PM • 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 • 7:30PM • 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 • See preview on page 22.

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 Thursday, April 21 THE SAINT THOMAS (NEW YORK) CHOIR OF MEN AND BOYS • St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral • 7:30PM • Each year, the Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys, which was under the direction of John Scott from 2004-2015, sing at nearly 200 choral worship services, including Choral Liturgies on Sunday mornings, Choral Evensong on Sunday evenings and on many Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings (September through May). The choir also sings at special liturgies throughout the year, including the Lessons and Carols each December and triduum liturgies in Holy Week. • FREE Saturday, April 23 READY FOR THE WORLD MUSIC SERIES: SOUNDS OF THE MIDDLE EAST • McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture • 2PM • The Arabesque Ensemble of Chicago will introduce Middle Eastern compositions that combine Eastern and Western sonorities and instruments. An exploration of how traditional Middle Eastern instruments naturally blend with Western instruments to create new and exciting forms for musical expression. • FREE MOBIUS TRIO • Episcopal Church of the Good Samaritan • 7PM • Described by the eminent Sergio Assad as “the

most inventive and exciting young guitar ensemble today”, Mobius Trio has made it its mission to fully integrate the classical guitar into the 21st century’s nascent musical lexicon. Visit www.knoxvilleguitar.org. • $15 Sunday, April 24 KSO CHAMBER CLASSICS: LEFKOWITZ PLAYS MOZART • Bijou Theatre • 2:30PM • April’s Chamber Classics concert includes Benjamin Britten’s Simple Symphony and Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major featuring KSO Concertmaster Gabriel Lefkowitz. The program concludes with Dvořák’s Serenade in E Major, a piece that evokes the old-world atmosphere of the musical performances on the castles of the late Baroque period.

THE EVELYN MILLER YOUNG PIANIST SERIES • University of Tennessee Natalie L. Haslam Music Center • 2:30PM • Join us in our 36th season for a series of three recitals by three internationally acclaimed pianists: Josh Wright (Feb. 21), Mayuki Miyashita (March 20) and Jiayan Sun (April 24).

Programs include classic and contemporary offerings for all audiences, from Bach and Beethoven to Chopin and Rorem. • $25

THEATER AND DANCE

Thursday, April 14 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 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 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. 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.

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON: THE FLORENCE REECE STORY’ • Pellissippi State Community College • 7:30PM • Do good works overcome evil, in the end? This is the ultimate question posed by “Which Side Are You On: The Florence Reece Story,” a fictional retelling of the life of an American social activist, poet and folksong writer. The daughter and wife of coal miners, she penned the song

National Park Service Centennial AIRSTREAM PENDLETON 2016 LIMITED EDITION

Don’t miss these regional hits

To celebrate 100 years of our National Park Service, Airstream is making only 100 of these magnificent travel trailers designed in collaboration with Pendleton Woolen Mills. For every Pendleton travel trailer sold, Airstream will donate $1,000 to the National Parks Foundation, to help preserve our great natural treasures.

Hiking Trails of the Great Smoky Mountains Second Edition

A Memoir of Food and Family

ken Wise

roBerT G. neTherlanD

$34.95 / Available Now

$29.95 / Available Now

Tuckaleechee Cove

A Passage through Time Boyce n. Driskell anD roBerT J. norrell $24.95 / Available Now

The Story of The Dulcimer

Cherokee National Forest Hiking Guide

Second Edition

Second Edition

ralph lee smiTh $24.95 / Available Summer 2016 Call 800-621-2736 to Preorder

Guide to the Vascular Plants of Tennessee

See it today at Tennessee's only Airstream dealer!

Southern Appalachian Farm Cooking

compileD & eDiTeD By memBers of The Tennessee flora commiTTee $49.95 / Available Now

eDiTeD By William h. skelTon $26.95 / Available Now

Smoky Jack

The Adventures of a Dog and His Master on Mount Le Conte paul aDams $24.95 / Available May 2016 Call 800-621-2736 to Preorder

call to order: 800-621-2736 or go online.

Facebook “f ” Logo

CMYK / .ai

u T p r e s s .o r G 4037 Airport Highway

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

Louisville, TN 37777 865-970-4085

chilhoweerv.com

Th e un i ve r s i Ty o f Tennessee press April 14, 2016

support the friends of the smokies

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 31

CALENDAR “Which Side Are You On?” which became a social justice anthem after Pete Seeger recorded the tune in 1940. April 15-24. Visit pstcc.edu. • $12 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.

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON: THE FLORENCE REECE STORY’ • Pellissippi State Community College • 7:30PM • April 15-24. Visit pstcc.edu. • $12 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.

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON: THE FLORENCE REECE STORY’ • Pellissippi State Community College • 2PM • April 15-24.

Visit pstcc.edu. • $12

Thursday, April 14 - Sunday, April 24

Monday, April 18 YELLOW ROSE PRODUCTIONS: ‘THE MARBLE MUSE’ • The Square Room • 7PM • Yellow Rose Productions will present a Staged Reading of “The Marble Muse”, a new play by Diane Baia Hale and 3rd Place Winner of the Henley Rose Playwright Competition for Women. A short question and answer session with the playwright, Diane Baia Hale, will immediately follow the reading. • FREE Wednesday, April 20 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘SOUTH PACIFIC’ • Clarence Brown Theatre • 7:30PM • From the haunting “Bali Ha’i” to the exquisite “Some Enchanted Evening,” this Rodgers & Hammerstein classic features some of the most beautiful music ever composed for the theatre. The Pulitzer Prize and 10-time Tony Award winner is set on a tropical island during World War II and tells the romantic tale of how the happiness of two couples is threatened by the realities of war and prejudice. April 20-May 8. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com.

Thursday, April 21 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘SOUTH PACIFIC’ • Clarence Brown Theatre • 7:30PM • April 20-May 8. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com.

Friday, April 22 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘SOUTH PACIFIC’ • Clarence Brown Theatre • 7:30PM • April 20-May 8. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com.

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON: THE FLORENCE REECE STORY’ • Pellissippi State Community College • 7:30PM • April

15-24. Visit pstcc.edu. • $12 OAK RIDGE PLAYHOUSE: ‘URINETOWN’ • Oak Ridge Playhouse • 8PM • This funny show with the funny name is a hilarious side-splitting take on greed, love, revolution - and musicals! Set in a time when water is worth its weight in gold, a Gotham-like city is facing a 20-year drought that leads to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. A hero decides he’s had enough, and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom! An irreverently humorous satire in which no one is safe from scrutiny.

April 22-May 8. Visit orplayhouse.com.

THEATRE KNOXVILLE DOWNTOWN: ‘BETRAYAL’ • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 8PM • Harold Pinter’s play tracks the course of an affair, but it does so backwards: it opens with a meeting between the two lovers some years after the affair ended; it finishes with the first erotically charged encounter between the two, nine years earlier.

The classic dramatic scenario of the love triangle is manifest in a mediation on the themes of marital infidelity, duplicity, and self-deception. Pinter writes a world that simultaneously glorifies and debases love.

April 22-May 8. Visit theatreknoxville.com. • $13-$15 Saturday, April 23 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘SOUTH PACIFIC’ • Clarence Brown Theatre • 7:30PM • April 20-May 8. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com.

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON: THE FLORENCE REECE STORY’ • Pellissippi State Community College • 7:30PM • April 15-24. Visit pstcc.edu. • $12 OAK RIDGE PLAYHOUSE: ‘URINETOWN’ • Oak Ridge

Playhouse • 8PM • April 22-May 8. Visit orplayhouse.com.

THE 5TH WOMAN • Carousel Theatre • 8PM • The 5th Woman production combines the beauty and grace of dance, the melodic harmony of song, visual art forms and the force that is spoken-word poetry to provide Knoxville with an opportunity to empower women and learn the struggles and oppression that women from all walks of life face. The cast consists of Queen Sheba, an international poet out of Atlanta, Taria “The Realest” Person, a creative writing graduate of the University of Tennessee from Atlanta, Kimbi “the Goddess” Tiez, a singer and poet from Greeneville, SC, Jasmine “Baby J” Newton, host of the 5th Woman Poetry Slam, and Daje Morris, singer/songwriter and poet, both from Knoxville. • $20 THEATRE KNOXVILLE DOWNTOWN: ‘BETRAYAL’ • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 8PM • April 22-May 8. Visit theatreknoxville.com. • $13-$15 Sunday, April 24 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘SOUTH PACIFIC’ • Clarence Brown Theatre • 2PM • April 20-May 8. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com.

OAK RIDGE PLAYHOUSE: ‘URINETOWN’ • Oak Ridge Playhouse • 2PM • April 22-May 8. Visit orplayhouse.com.

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON: THE FLORENCE REECE STORY’ • Pellissippi State Community College • 2PM • April 15-24.

Visit pstcc.edu. • $12 THEATRE KNOXVILLE DOWNTOWN: ‘BETRAYAL’ • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 3PM • April 22-May 8. Visit theatreknoxville.com. • $13-$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.

32

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 14, 2016

Downtown Knoxville, Tenne ssee’s

SUPPORT PROVIDED BY

DOGWOOD ARTS

@DOGWOODARTS

@DOGWOODARTS April 14, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 33

CALENDAR KNOXVILLE CHRISTIAN ARTS MINISTRIES: ‘EMMANUEL’ • Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church • 6:30PM

COMEDY AND SPOKEN WORD

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.

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.

Thursday, April 14 - Sunday, April 24

Monday, April 18 QED COMEDY LABORATORY • Pilot Light • 7:30PM. • FREE EUGENE MIRMAN AND ROBYN HITCHCOCK • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • Eugene Mirman is a comedian, actor and hero who lives in Brooklyn, NY. He voices ‘Gene’ on Fox’s Emmy Award winning animated series Bob’s Burgers. He was on Flight of the Conchords, Adult Swim’s Delocated, and has had two comedy specials on Comedy Central. Robyn Hitchcock is one of England’s most enduring contemporary singer/songwriters and live performers. A surrealist poet, talented guitarist, cult artist and musician’s musician, Hitchcock is among alternative rock’s father figures and is the closest thing the genre has to a Bob Dylan (not coincidentally his biggest musical inspiration).

• $25 Tuesday, April 19 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 21 THIRD THURSDAY COMEDY OPEN MIC • Big Fatty’s Catering Kitchen • 7:30PM • We will showcase local and touring talent in a curated open mic of 6 to 8 comics. The event starts at 7:30, and there is no charge for admission. The kitchen will be open as well as their full bar. • FREE AN EVENING WITH KEVIN SMITH • Bijou Theatre • 7:30PM • Pop culture fans rejoice! Director, actor, and podcast

Stay tuned to WUTK for the

“Bonnaroooooo!” shout out, or register at Central Flats & Taps in Happy Holler through May 11th for chances to be one of our 90 final Bonnaroo or Bust final qualifiers, making you eligible for our reverse drawing on May 17th to win a pair of guest access passes to Bonnaroo 2016!

Come celebrate 15 years of magic with Pearl Jam, Dead & Co., LCD Soundsystem, and more!

Info at wutkradio.com.

From YOUR festival hookup in Knoxville...

Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.

On the Air and Streaming 24.7.365 @ WUTKRADIO.COM or listen on your 34

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 14, 2016

smart phone and iPad app.

network founder Kevin Smith is coming to the U.S. Cellular Stage on Thursday, April 21. Tickets on sale Friday, March 4, at 10 a.m. • $37

FESTIVALS

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 Tennessee’s premier Earth Day event. Visit www. knox-earthfest.org. • FREE Saturday, April 23 ROSSINI FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL STREET FAIR • Downtown Knoxville • 10AM • As one of the Southeast’s most alluring cultural attractions, Knoxville Opera’s Rossini Festival International Street Fair brings a taste of Europe to East Tennessee by celebrating the color, fun, and excitement of opera and international culture. • FREE MARBLE CITY COMICON • Knoxville Expo Center • 10AM • Knoxville’s hometown comicon returns featuring Tennessee’s largest artist alley, largest cosplay contest, best vendor’s room, celebrities, and tons more. • $20-$99

FILM SCREENINGS

Monday, April 18 THE BIRDHOUSE WALK-IN THEATER • The Birdhouse •

8:15PM • A weekly free movie screening. • FREE Wednesday, April 20 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.

Sunday, April 24 PUBLIC CINEMA: CEMETERY OF SPLENDOR • Knoxville Museum of Art • 2PM • Soldiers with a mysterious sleeping sickness are transferred to a temporary clinic in a former school. The memory-filled space becomes a revelatory world for housewife and volunteer Jenjira, as she watches over Itt, a handsome soldier with no family visitors. Visit publiccinema.org. • FREE

SPORTS AND RECREATION

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 •

CALENDAR 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 • 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.Email Anne May at amay@arrowmont.org or call 865-436-5860 ex.28. • $100-$350 SMOKY MOUNTAIN HIKING CLUB: WHITE OAK SINKS • 8AM • 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 Sunday, April 17 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 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. Meet at Lenoir Museum, 2121 Norris Freeway, at 1:00 PM. Leaders: Joe Feeman, jcfeeman@comcast.net, and Debra Barton, dgbarton@ comcast.net. • FREE Monday, April 18 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 19

PORTUGAL. THE MAN RAURY NIYKEE HEATON MOON TAXI

FRIDAY, APRIL 29

COMING TO KNOXVILLE

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

29

LAST DAYS OF AUTUMN BREWING

STARTS AT

5:30

PM

ENTERTAINMENT FROM KUKELY AND GYPSY FUEGO

GYPSYCIRCUSCIDER.COM

@GYPSYCIRCUSTN

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 14, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 35

CALENDAR 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 20 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

ART

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts 556 Parkway (Gatlinburg) MARCH 19-MAY 14: Not to Scale, artwork by Arrowmont artists in residence Charlie Ryland, Drew Davis Johnson, Julia Gartrell, Sarah Rachel Brown, and Skye Livingston.

Thursday, April 14 - Sunday, April 24

MARCH 15-APRIL 30: Masterworks From the Estate of Carl Sublett From the 1950s Through the End of the 20th Century.

The Birdhouse 800 N. Fourth Ave. April 1-30: Artwork by Susan Jenkins.

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.

The District Gallery 5113 Kingston Pike APRIL 22-MAY 31: Along the Way, oil paintings by Kathie Odom. An opening reception will be held on Friday, April 22, from 5-8 p.m.

Art Market Gallery 422 S. Gay St. MARCH 29-APRIL 30: Artwork by Lisa Kurtz and Dennis Sabo.

Downtown Gallery 106 S. Gay St. APRIL 8-30: Japanese prints from the University of Tennessee permanent collection.

Bennett Galleries 5308 Kingston Pike

East Tennessee History Center

601 S. Gay St. APRIL 16-OCT. 30: Come to Make Records, a selection of artifacts, audio and video recordings, and photographs celebrating Knoxville’s music heritage and the 1929-30 St. James Hotel recording sessions. An opening reception will be held on Friday, April 16, at 6 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.

Envision Art Gallery 4050 Sutherland Ave. April 22-May 20: Find Ourselves, paintings and drawings by Sarah Moore. An opening reception will be held on Friday, April 22, from 5-8 p.m.

Ewing Gallery 1715 Volunteer Blvd.

APRIL 15-22: UT MFA thesis exhibitions by B.J. Alumbaugh, Jade Hoyer, Keeley Snook, and Ed Miller.

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 DISCOVER DISCOVER

T HTEH A E RAT RS T S

2015-16 SEASON FIND FIND US • FOLLOW US • LIKE US • FOLLOW US • US LIKE US

FACEBOOK FACEBOOK

TWITTERTWITTER

FIND US • LIKE US ClaytonArtsCenter.com ClaytonArtsCenter.com FOLLOW US

PM

DISCOVER T H E 7:30

ARTS

APRIL / 28 / 2016

MIKE FARRIS AND THE ROSELAND RHYTHM REVUE

Business

Product awareness

Company goodwill

Mike Farris’s vocal gift is simply the surface of a very deep well. An Americana Music Award Winner for New/Emerging Artist in 2008, followed by a Dove Award in 2010 and a 2015 GRAMMY® award for Best Roots Gospel Album. Overcoming addiction and finding a new normal brought Farris to Shine For All the People, the 2015 Grammy Award winner for Best Roots Gospel album which bears witness to the determination of putting one foot in front of the other and to the power of music to get you there.

There’s never been a better time to “go public.”

2015-16 SPONSORS

CLAYTON CENTER FOR THE ARTS on the campus of Maryville College 502 E. Lamar Alexander Pkwy.

Maryville, TN 37804

BOX OFFICE: 865-981-8590 ClaytonArtsCenter.com

36

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 14, 2016

WUOT_Ad_5.5x4.25_WhyWUOT_KnoxMerc.indd 1

9/7/15 9:52 AM

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 JAN. 23-MAY 22: Maya: Lords of Time. ONGOING: The Flora and Fauna of Catesby, Mason, and Audubon and Life on the Roman Frontier.

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

CALENDAR LECTURES, READINGS, AND BOOK SIGNINGS

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 (865)525-4374 or email info@ blountmansion.org. • $60 GEORGE HOLZ • University of Tennessee • 7:30PM • George Holz will be in the College of Nursing Auditorium at UT. 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 • FREE Monday, April 18 UT COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN 2016 LECTURE SERIES • University of Tennessee • 5:30PM • Charles Waldheim, John E. Irving Professor of Landscape Architecture at Harvard Graduate School of Design: “A General Theory.” • FREE Tuesday, April 19 DEBORAH L. MACK: “THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE: A PEOPLE’S JOURNEY. A NATION’S STORY.” • Knoxville Museum of Art • 6PM • Set to open on the mall in Washington in the fall of 2016, the new museum will be a place where all Americans can learn about the richness and diversity of the African American experience, what it means to their lives, and how it helped shape this nation. Please contact kfaulkner@knoxart.org or 865.525.6101 x 246 to make a reservation. Reserved seats will be held until 6pm. • FREE JOE HOLLOWAY: SEYMOUR RAILROADS • Seymour Public Library • 7PM • Railroad enthusiast Joe Holloway will speak about Seymour’s connection to the old Knoxville, Sevierville and Eastern railroad and show old photographs. • FREE Wednesday, April 20 SCENIC KNOXVILLE CELEBRATION RECEPTION AND PROGRAM • East Tennessee History Center • 7PM • Reception and Program to celebrate eight years of Scenic Knoxville advocacy and accomplishment in Knox County.

Featured speaker: Scenic America president Mary Tracy who will present: “Taking the Long View - A Vision for Realizing America the Beautiful.” Refreshments served.

Seating is limited. RSVP requested to: mgrieve1125@aol. com or info@scenicknoxville.org. Free event. • FREE

FAMILY AND KIDS’ EVENTS

Saturday, April 16 CELEBRATION OF THE YOUNG CHILD • Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge • 10AM • This event includes make and take crafts, a fire safety skit from the ORFD, child creative movement with National Fitness, Jim and the Wooden

Stars ventriloquist and performer, snacks and healthy living from Anderson County Health Department, and storytelling with Kath Fearing and much more.

Monday, April 18 MCCLUNG MUSEUM STROLLER TOUR: MAYAN FOLKTALES • McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture • 10AM • Join us for a morning out as our museum educator leads engaging gallery tours for parents and caregivers and their young ones. The event is free, but limited, and all attendees must register to attend online. Registration opens a month in advance and closes the day before the tour.http://www.eventbrite.com/e/mcclung-museum-free-stroller-tours-2016-17-registration-20728646941 • FREE

CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS

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 • 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 • 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. • $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 plants. 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

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 14, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 37

CALENDAR sought. Check out Alan’s website at: http://Insideofknoxville.com. • $35-$40 ELI MASON COCKTAIL WORKSHOP • Central Collective • 7PM • 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 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 Monday, April 18 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 •

Thursday, April 14 - Sunday, April 24

6:30PM • 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. To register, contact Cookie Spillers, 865-671-0703, or Joyce Judge, 865-966-4731. • FREE AARP DRIVER SAFETY SMART DRIVER CLASS • Valley Grove Baptist Church • 9AM • Call (865) 382-5822.

KNOX COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS: HOW TO BUY A HEALTHY PLANT • Davis Family YMCA • 1PM • Be alert when buying veggies, annuals, perennials, trees or shrubs. Join Master Gardener Barbara Emery to learn what to look for, how to look for it, and what to do when you get those items home. Call 865-777-9622. • FREE

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.

Tuesday, April 19 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail.com. Donations accepted.

AARP DRIVER SAFETY SMART DRIVER CLASS • Valley Grove Baptist Church • 9AM • Call (865) 382-5822.

KNOX COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS: HOW TO BUY A HEALTHY PLANT • Cansler YMCA • 11AM • Be alert when buying veggies, annuals, perennials, trees or shrubs. Join Master Gardener Barbara Emery to learn what to look for, how to look for it, and what to do when you get those items home. Call 865-637-9622. • FREE

MEETINGS

Wednesday, April 20 NIA CARDIO-DANCE WORKOUT TECHNIQUE CLASS •

Thursday, April 21 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 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

Thursday, April 14 SCRUFFY CITY ORCHESTRA • First Baptist Church • 7PM • Prospective members, especially string players, are encouraged to contact Alicia Meryweather at ScruffyCityOrchestra@gmail.com 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. 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 • Call 865-546-4661 for more info. All Cancer Support Community programs are offered at no cost to individuals affected by cancer.

Saturday, April 16 AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 11AM • Visit our local website at farragutalanon.org or email us at FindHope@ Farragutalanon.org. • FREE Sunday, April 17 NARROW RIDGE SILENT MEDITATION GATHERING • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 11AM • 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

The fu-face snorkel mask!

Breathe easier with the newest, hottest thing in snorkel gear.

Now at Ski/Scuba Center.

Dive with us in Bonaire July 10-17!

2543 SUTHERLAND AVE. 865-523-9177 • dive@skiscuba.com 38

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 14, 2016

ADVERTISING EQUALS SUPPORT. Thanks to our advertisers for their help in keeping our presses running. Let’s return the favor by supporting them.

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

The CBT is proud to offer ticket discounts to our military personnel!

Visit our website for an updated list!

HumaneSocietyTennessee.com Photo: Charolotte Munson as Nellie; by Elizabeth Aaron April 14, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 39

CALENDAR

Thursday, April 14 - Sunday, April 24

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, compassion, and factual accuracy. Visit rationalists.org. • FREE SLOW FOOD TN VALLEY SPRING POTLUCK DINNER • Knoxville Botanical Garden • 5PM • Slow Food TN Valley is hosting a community Spring Pot Luck Dinner on Sunday April 17 from 5:00-7:00. The event will take place in the Garden Room at the Knoxville Botanical Gardens with Executive Director of the Botanical Gardens, Jim Richards, as the guest speaker. Bring a favorite dish, which includes at least one local ingredient, to share or a $5-$10 donation. SFTV strives for zero waste at events, so please bring your own place settings. Water will be available, but otherwise it will be BYOB. Find more details at www.slowfoodtnvalley.com. Come celebrate spring and enjoy a leisurely meal with good people, good food, and good fun.

hour. Come join us for food, drink and great conversation.

Everyone welcome. • FREE

Monday, April 18 GAY MEN’S DISCUSSION GROUP • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 7:30PM • We hold facilitated discussions on topics and issues relevant to local gay men in a safe and open environment. Visit gaygroupknoxville.org.

Thursday, 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

Tuesday, April 19 ATHEISTS SOCIETY OF KNOXVILLE • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 5:30PM • Weekly atheists meetup and happy

Wednesday, April 20 CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY WOMEN WITH ADVANCED CANCER NETWORKER • Cancer Support Community • 1:30PM • Call 865-546- 4661 for more info. All Cancer Support Community programs are offered at no cost to individuals affected by cancer.

ORION ASTRONOMY CLUB • The Grove Theater (Oak Ridge) • 7PM • ORION is an amateur science and astronomy club centered in Oak Ridge. • FREE Thursday, April 21 SCRUFFY CITY ORCHESTRA • First Baptist Church • 7PM • FREE THE SOUTHERN LITERATURE BOOK CLUB • Union Ave Books • 6PM • Union Ave Books’ monthly discussion group about Southern books and writers. • FREE

ETC.

Friday, April 15

CENTRAL BAPTIST CHURCH BEARDEN’S 2016 CHILDREN’S CONSIGNMENT SALE • Central Baptist Church Bearden • 9AM • 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. Visit the Women in STEM website for more information about the Symposium at http://cfwstem. weebly.com/. • FREE GIVE ESPERANZA • Awaken Coffee • 6PM • A fundraising event featuring good food, drinks, and music from local artists Blond Bones and Nic Cagle to benefit International Medical Alliance of Tennessee. Funds raised will aid IMA in their efforts to complete the building of a surgery clinic in the Dominican Republic. • $30 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. For more information on the plant sale, call 483-3571. • FREE

Hundreds of Exclusive Limited Ed. Vinyl and CDs on

Sale 9am–9pm Saturday April 16th Only!

Raffle Drawings Saturday at 8:30am for “cool prizes including Forcastle Tickets and Early Store Entry to Shop.”

Bands Performing at the Disc Exchange on Saturday: EmiSunshine • La Basura Del Diablo • Appalachian Surf Team • Mountain Like Wax • Roomsounds • The Automatic Stops

Enjoys refreshments from: Crafty Bastard Brewery Smoky Mountain Snow Oishii Knox Food Truck

For a list of RSD album titles and band performance times go to www.discexchange.com

d Operated S n an inc e ow 1 gr

7 98

Ho me

40

Sign up for our e-letter & visit our digital store at discexchange.com

Trade in your old CDs, movies & vinyl for credit towards the purchase of new & used albums and movies

2615 Chapman Hwy | 573-5710 | discexchange.com Just South of the Henley St. Bridge Across from Shoney’s Mon-Sat 10a - 9p • Sun 12p - 7p Follow Us On Facebook & Twitter | Tickets Unlimited Outlet

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 14, 2016

HOW ABOUT NEVER DEADBEAT SCOUNDRELS NATTY’S COMMON ROOTS 3 MILE SMILE

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. • 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 ARTY PARTY FINE ARTS AND CRAFTS SHOW • Jim McNutt Design Studio • 10AM • Featuring live music, food, and door prizes.

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

and Broadway.

A vibrant district along Central Street

Visit Downtown North

MONDAY Central Originals for $5 after 7pm

Three Rivers Market has been connecting East Tennessee with healthy local, natural, and organic foods since 1981. consistently voted

TUESDAY 25% Off Bottles Of Wine WEDNESDAY Trivia Night & Pint Night THURSDAY Whiskey Night $1 off all

Happy Hour 3-7pm

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 a fresh salad and hot food bar made fresh daily featuring local and organic ingredients

Architectural Antics Architecturals

Art & Antiques

SPRING IS HERE Y‘ALL!

COME CHECK OUT OUR NEW GARDEN DECOR!

Stop in Late for Nightly Specials $6 Daily Lunch Specials Ever changing. Always delicious.

ONE OF A KIND GIFTS • STAINED AND LEADED GLASS YARD ART • POSTERS & PRINTS • UNIQUE DECOR

12pm-6pm Wed-Fri • 10am-5pm Sat 12pm-5pm Sun 865.414.4838 or 865.696.7777 820 N. Broadway • Knoxville TN www.architecturalantics.com 41

KNOXVILLE MERCURY January 7, 2016

Created only from the freshest local ingredients.

Open till 3am Wed-Sat Open till 1am Sun, Mon, & Tue 1204 Central St., Knoxville 865.247.0392 flatsandtaps.com

Open daily 9 am - 10 pm 1100 N. Central St., Knoxville, TN 37917 www.threeriversmarket.coop

Artist: Matt Burns

1020 N. Broadway 865-971-3983 www.sainttattoo.com

FOOD

Home Palate

Photos by Dennis Perkins

Guac ’n’ Roll Babalu Tacos & Tapas small-plates its way to success

BY DENNIS PERKINS

I

’ve never really been a fan of columns that begin with caveats, but it seems fair to mention that while I normally don’t accept comped meals from restaurants I’m reviewing, I did dine on Babalu’s dime during their pre-opening weekend. I also received a gift from them in the form of an ingratiatingly orange T-shirt emblazoned with an unfortunate reference to “Guacy Top.” It’s also fair to say that I was fully prepared to dislike the place. Not only was it a nascent chain (and one that yet again co-opted and fiddled with cuisine from our many neighbors south of the border), it was also seemingly designed to be a loud place for drinkers to get their party on—definitely not my cup of té.

42

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 14, 2016

And yet, despite being part of a larger conglomerate of restaurants (Eat Here Brands, which also owns Five Guys Burgers and Fries), Babalu gets a lot of things right and manages to keep its eye on fresh food that, at least most of the time, appeals to the eye, the palate, and the gullet.

Babalu’s signature starter—guacamole—is one of those rare moments in my restaurant experience that manages a seamless incorporation of both entertainment and taste. Made tableside, it’s a fresh and delightful overture that incorporates traditional ingredients and a surprising sprinkle of sun-dried tomato. The attention Babalu gives to ripening avocados deserves a mayoral fist bump all by itself.

Another starter, black-eyed pea

hummus, is likable if less exciting. It’s a dense dollop of dip that will probably appeal to folks who love this legume as much as I do. It arrives decorated with a little bit of attractive if ineffectual paprika oil and a handful of black-eyed pea “popcorn” that adds a nice crunch. If I were eating this at home, I’d be tempted to add some spice to brighten up the flavor. Still, I enjoyed it, but then almost anything could taste great if it came with Babalu’s tortilla chips that manage to be warm, crunchy, and well-seasoned despite the hour or crowd.

In fact, one of the best things about the restaurant is that during all of my visits the food has been remarkably consistent—even during a Saturday night rush. And after waiting for almost an hour for a table, a fulfilled expectation of quality is a welcome balm. My only complaint about that particular visit was that the aisles seemed to be swallowed by chairs and trays—a little too crowded for safety.

Such constancy really shines in the form of a fried oyster taco. It’s a delicate bivalve that gets equally delicate treatment from this often harried kitchen, so it arrives perfectly fried every time: warm and crispy and wrapped in a batter of nearly perfect texture. The taco is dressed with a

complimentary mix of hot-sauce slaw and radish that make nice highlights to the oyster. But the mix of delicacy and balance doesn’t hold true for every taco.

In the case of the tacos de pato, a bit of orange- and soy-braised duck all but disappears under a mountain of cilantro-vinegar slaw; even a soy sambal glaze barely manages an appearance. A filet of grilled redfish fares a little better though even its flavor is diminished rather than enhanced by a heap of Fresno pepper slaw, and I don’t recall even tasting the presence of jalapeño-poblano vinaigrette.

A shrimp and chorizo skillet however, doesn’t suffer from savor confusion as each element makes a flavorful impression. While in another dish this could be a harsh competition for attention, here it all works—the fiery bite of chorizo and the sweetness of shrimp make a kind of comestible yin and yang moment that gets a welcome textural support from crispy rice and the fresh crunch of a tri-pepper hash.

Unfortunately, a small plate of Mississippi Delta tamales didn’t fare so well. They arrived skinny, flat (almost pressed), and had a pliable texture without much in the way of distinguishing flavor. But to be fair,

Home Palate

FOOD SPECIALS FOR SUNDAY BRUNCH APRIL 17, 2016 ANNA’S ZEN BOWL

greek yogurt, matcha green tea powder, assorted berries, citrus zest, toasted oats THE OL’ SMOKEY

grilled mortadella, fried circle V egg, grilled tomato, smoked bacon, sweetwater valley buttermilk cheddar, dressed arugula, yellow mustard SLIDELL’S OMELET

tasso ham, grilled andouille, sautéed peppers and onions, basil, queso blanco, pico de gallo, fresh fruit, rosemary biscuit ESTRADA’S STRADA

kale, parmesan, potatoes, egg, roasted cherry tomato marinara, basil pesto SANFORD’S BENEDICT

rosemary biscuits, tasso gravy, roasted tomatoes and peppers, poached circle V eggs, cayenne hollandaise, fried potatoes

SATURDAY BRUNCH

BEGINNING MAY 21

2200 Cumberland Ave sunspotrestaurant.com 865.637.4663 BABALU TACOS & TAPAS 412 S Gay St., 865-329-1002 babalutacos.com Monday-Thursday: 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Friday-Saturday: 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Sunday: 11 a.m.–9 p.m.

Knoxville’s bar for tamale excellence is set pretty high.

Some of the best bites on this menu come from the side orders.

Local braised greens are tender but not sloppy and arrive in a broth (dare I say potlikker?) that is an excellent example of concentration without sodium overload. Mexican street corn, available on or off the cob, is a joyfully indulgent street food that combines grilled corn, mayonnaise (sometimes called aioli, depending on which server you have), and spices. Even the odd combination of a European potato recipe with an Asian glaze being served in a Latin-themed restaurant works, and I was taken by the garlic rostï potatoes with teriyaki glaze; the essence of the fi nely diced potato was

complemented, not drowned, by the intensity of the seasoning—which created a lovely, almost gooey web of good taste.

It’s also worth noting that Babalu offers a well executed version of grilled Caesar salad—if you’ve ever tried to grill romaine lettuce at home, you’ll appreciate this dish, which is garnished by batons of radish, a generous sprinkle of Cojita cheese, and piles of croutons that I would eat as a snack.

My quibbles aside, most of the people I talk to seem to really like everything Babalu, from the boisterous atmosphere to the menu that often tastes as good as reads. And honestly, it’s hard not to catch the Babalu spirit when things are really rockin’ in there.

It’s a communal, happy place where you’ll probably talk to a stranger whether you like it or not—and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. ◆

Join us Saturday mornings for gardening work shops • Now open d Sundays anurs o h d e d exten Mon - Fri

Learn more abou t wild birds with Li Cutrone, owner ofz Wild Birds Unlim ited

Saturday, April 16 10:30-11:30am

Stanley’s Greenhouse 3029 Davenport Road | 865.573.9591 M-F 8-6:30pm | Sat 9-5pm | Sun 1-5pm www.stanleysgreenhouse.com

April 14, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 43

’BYE

At This Point

The Write Stuff Recalling a lost art

BY STEPHANIE PIPER

R

emember penmanship? It’s a quaint term in this digital age, calling up images of inkwells and quills and parchment. Most of us who learned to read with Dick and Jane also learned to write with the Palmer Method of cursive, elegant loops and graceful capitals and forearm planted firmly on a wooden desktop. The low-tech equipment was a sharp No. 2 pencil and a sheet of lined paper.

When you achieved a certain level of competence, you graduated to a fountain pen.

Now it seems that the lost art still has merit. Recent research indicates that students who take class notes in longhand retain more of the information over time than laptop tappers.

The process of writing things down stimulates the brain and influences the way we collect our thoughts and transfer the spoken word to the page.

Laptop note takers tend to copy verbatim what they hear. The pen and paper contingent selects salient points and organizes them in order of importance.

This compelling argument for legible handwriting brings joy to my closet Luddite heart. It’s not that I disdain technology altogether. I use a computer every day. I text and email and check social media like a real, live citizen of the 21st century. Still, there

remains in me a longing for the sight of a handwritten letter among the bills and ads in my mailbox.

Handwriting is as personal and unique as a fingerprint. It tells a story in a way no electronic communication ever could, details a history in the shape and size of characters on a page.

Among my most prized possessions is a battered cardboard box of correspondence dating from my childhood. After my husband and a few irreplaceable photographs, it is the thing I would drag from a burning house.

The content of the letters documents the past. Here, on three tissue-thin blue airmail pages, is my mother’s account of her first trip to Europe. Here on heavy vellum is my father’s exhortation to me to work hard and still have fun in college, check enclosed. Here is my grandmother’s wish to me for happiness in our new house in Chicago, and here is a birthday card signed by my oldest son, telling me that I am the apple crisp in the TV dinner of life.

When I revisit this box, it is the handwriting that catches me by the throat every time. My mother’s elegant backhand slant was not an affectation, but a creative compensation for a left-handed child born at a time when lefties were viewed with suspicion. My father’s spiky, emphatic penmanship

There remains in me a longing for the sight of a handwritten letter among the bills and ads in my mailbox.

44

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 14, 2016

reflects a man for whom good enough was never the same as good, and clarity of expression the basic discipline of an educated person. My grandmother’s lacy copperplate hand recalls an orphan who spent hours at the convent next door to her childhood home, safe with the sisters who taught her how to write and how to live. My son’s cursive signature testifies to four years of parochial school in New York City, back when handwriting was still a category on the twice-yearly report card.

My own penmanship tells its own story: First the Palmer method at age 8, followed by a transfer to a new and reputedly better school where something called joined manuscript was the chosen way. Then five years with the nuns, who taught me italic script and gothic calligraphy and a connoisseur’s appreciation of Osmiroid pens and quality ink.

BY IAN BLACKBURN AND JACK NEELY

All that practiced perfection went out the window when I became a newspaper reporter. I developed my own sloppy shorthand, filling narrow lined notebooks with scrawls legible only to me.

Today, I write my column on a laptop, nervously hitting the Save button every few minutes. Sometimes I wonder if I would do better with a legal pad and a vintage Osmiroid. The text would never vanish in a single, devastating power surge or unexplained crash. The words might come more easily, flowing from mind to page in a single, fluid motion. Who knows? With a favorite pen, they might even write themselves. ◆ Stephanie Piper’s At This Point examines the mystery, absurdity, and persistent beauty of daily life. She has been a newspaper reporter, editor, and award-winning columnist for more than 30 years.

Be a winner with the Mercury and Cathedral Arts Presents

The Choir of Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, New York

Come celebrate 15 years of magic with Pearl Jam, Dead & Co., LCD Sound System and so much more!

Enter to win tickets to Bonnaroo!

(2 pairs of general admission weekend passes will be given away)

Enter any time between April 15th - May 8th.

Winners will be chosen on May 12th.

8502 Kingston Pike, Knoxville

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.

or

Thursday, April 21st at 7:30 p.m.

To enter, visit either:

Open Chord Music Boyd’s Jig and Reel 101 S. Central St, Knoxville

St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral 413 West Cumberland Avenue Knoxville, Tennessee 37902 865.525.7347

Tickets on sale now!

General admission: $25 in advance, $30 at the event *Special reserved seating: $50 Tickets available at www.stjohnscathedral.org or www.facebook.com/stjohnscathedralmusic *Disclaimer: Winners will be chosen at random by the Knoxville Mercury from all 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.

presented by:

April 14, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 45

’BYE

Spir it of the Staircase

BY MATTHEW FOLTZ-GRAY

46

KNOXVILLE MERCURY April 14, 2016

www.thespiritofthestaircase.com

CLASSIFIEDS

Place your ad at store.knoxmercury.com

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

FOR SALE

$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

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.

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.

HOUSING COUNTRY STAR DELIVERY Our Boots Were Made For Walking Your Deliveries Faster Than A Speeding Bullet! Affordable. Call 615-500-0329 in Knoxville www.countrystardelivery.com

NORTH KNOXVILLE’S PREMIER RENTAL HOMES pittmanproperties.com

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.

Young-Williams Animal Center wishes to acknowledge a generous gift from the estate of Norris L. Dryer, which allows the shelter to fulfill our mission of caring for homeless pets in our community.

For more information on giving gifts through estate planning, please contact Sophie at 865-215-6664.

www.young-williams.org April 14, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 47

Presented by:

&

APRIL 26 - MAY 1 Celebrating the Music of Film

PRESENTING PRINCESS SHAW

A SONG FOR YOU: THE AUSTIN CITY LIMITS STORY

Thursday, April 28, 9 PM Regal Cinemas Downtown West

Sunday, May 1, 7 PM Scruffy City Hall

HEADLINING FILM

HEADLINING BAND

The true story of the incredible Princess Shaw and the enigmatic composer Kutiman, who discovers her from the other side of the world.

The ultimate backstage pass to 40 years of incredible live music with performances from Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, Beck and more.

BORN TO BE BLUE

BEN SOLLEE

STARRING ETHAN HAWKE

A re-imagining of jazz legend Chet Baker’s musical comeback in the late ‘60s.

Born and raised in Kentucky, cellist and songwriter 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: