Vol. 2, Issue 45 Nov.17, 2016 by Knoxville Mercury

NOVEMBER 17, 2016 KNOXMERCURY.COM

YIKES! V.

NEWS

Community Groups Arise to Show Support for Knoxville’s Immigrants

THE MOURNING AFTER

Post-Election Analysis by Jack Neely, Joe Sullivan, and Catherine Landis

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CLASSICAL MUSIC

Pianist Emi Kagawa Mixes It Up in KSO’s Appalachian Spring

DONNA JOHNSON

A New Hair Color, a New Beginning? Well, That Was the Plan…

Blount Mansion, and the Dawn of Preservation This fall is the 90th anniversary of a watershed moment in historic preservation in Knoxville. In 1925, developers were planning the largest hotel ever built in East Tennessee, prepared in anticipation of the popularity of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Their much-hailed project, later to be known as the Andrew Johnson Hotel, overshadowed a small house that had been famous more than a century earlier. This frame house in poor repair was only barely remembered as the former home of territorial Governor William Blount (1749-1800), whose influence once stretched to the Mississippi River. A signer of the U.S. Constitution, Blount was also one of Knoxville’s founders. His wife, Mary Grainger Blount (1761-1801), reportedly insisted on the frame design of the house, with proper glass windows. It stood out among the log cabins and rough-hewn shacks that dominated 1790s Knoxville. However, by 1925, its plot of land, at the corner of State Street and Hill Avenue, was suddenly interesting to developers only for its acreage. Developers who may not have understood the house’s historical importance announced it would be down to make a parking lot for the new hotel.

even though as a woman she would not have been permitted to attend until she was almost 40. Temple was living in her home on Hill Avenue near Henley—recently renovated as a private residence, it still stands—when she heard of the likely fate of her down-the-street neighbor, Blount Mansion. As president of the DAR, she got that organization involved. According to the story, it was Temple’s personal check that saved Blount Mansion from the wrecking ball.

Ca. 1792 Blount Mansion, at 200 West Hill Ave., not long after its original renovation in the 1920s. Now regarded as a National Historic Landmark, it was Knoxville’s first building saved by preservationists.

But it became part of a broader-based effort that included Nashville state historian John Trotwood Moore and local historian E.E. Patton, who later became Knoxville mayor. In what was called the “Blount House Whirlwind Drive for Dollars,” hundreds donated, some as little as one dollar. (Although the term “Blount Mansion” began appearing during the fund drive, most called it “the Blount House” or “the Blount Home.”)

Image courtesy of Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection cmdc.knoxlib.org

A group of preservationists led by the Daughters of the American Revolution chose to take a stand unprecedented in Knoxville. Before 1925, historical buildings were almost always torn down without much fuss. A few years earlier, UT had torn down its original 1828 building, Old College. Despite efforts to save it as a memorial park, the last vestiges of famous Union Fort Sanders disappeared in the ‘20s. Although Knoxville had once advertised it as a historic site, Parson Brownlow’s famous house on East Cumberland was torn down about the same time, as was an old tavern believed to have served as Tennessee’s first capitol. A similar fate almost befell the old Blount house, the oldest frame house in the region. Leading the charge to save it was Mary Boyce Temple (1856-1929). Daughter of historically influential judge and author Oliver Perry Temple, she had led a privileged life, graduating from Vassar, the famous old women’s college just north of New York City, and traveling extensively around Europe. She had served as a commissioner representing Tennessee at the 1900 Paris Exposition. She organized the local patriotic organization Daughters of the American Revolution. She never married, but enjoyed a full life at the top of Knoxville society, and was a major supporter of the University of Tennessee,

Men and women pitched in to fix up the old house as they imagined it looked in the 1790s, when William and Mary Blount lived there, discovering an original mantel and restoring the once-famous rooms as they had been during the presidency of George Washington. They even tried to restore the Blounts’ gardens. “When spring comes,” a reporter predicted in fall, 1926, “fragrant lilacs will perfume the evening air, and hollyhocks glow in the noonday sun.” In the late fall of 1926, Blount Mansion was ready for visitors, and opened to the public on Dec. 4, 1926.

Today, Blount Mansion operates as a museum. It’s Knoxville’s only National Historic Landmark, a designation from the National Park Service that offers legal protection. A foundation, the Blount Mansion Association, funds maintenance of the house and grounds. The Blount Mansion preservation effort of the 1920s marked the beginning of effective historic preservation in Knoxville. Knoxville’s oldest house will be the subject of Knox Heritage’s monthly Lost and Found Lunch this Friday, Nov. 18, at their headquarters at Historic Westwood, 3425 Kingston Pike. Preservationist scholar David Hearnes, who became executive director of the Blount Mansion Association last year, will be speaking on the formation of that organization. The event is free, and even comes with a free lunch. For more information, see knoxheritage.org.

Source: Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection

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

KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 17, 2016

Nov. 17, 2016 Volume 02 / Issue 45 knoxmercury.com

CONTENTS

“All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.” —Edmund Burke

NEWS

8 District 13 Wrap

10 Lost Payday COVER STORY

In a 4-mile stretch of Chapman Highway, from the 3000 block to the 7000 block, there are at least seven pay-day lending storefronts registered with the state. That doesn’t include the multitude of pawn shops and car-title lenders. It’s a common urban American tableau: The number of pay-day lending storefronts is on par with fast-food restaurants in the 36 states, including Tennessee, where such businesses are allowed. In Knoxville, concerns about the potentially usurious nature of pay-day loans run so deep that local government has taken its own stab at regulation via zoning. And one local church is planning to launch an interest-free lending plan through a Christian finance ministry that could become a national model. Will it be enough to protect consumers in need?

CORRECTION: The movie review in the Nov. 10 issue misspelled the name of one of the codirectors of Hotel Dallas. It is Livia Ungur, not Ungar.

DEPARTMENTS

OPINION

A&E

Scruffy Citizen

Much Ado

Howdy Start Here: Dumpster Dive, Public Affairs, and PechaKucha Knoxville—each week, we run a slide from an interesting local presentation.

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

Jack Neely analyzes Knox County’s voting patterns in his quadrennial CAT scan. Catherine Landis believes it’s past time to respect facts—and our fellow human beings.

Perspectives Joe Sullivan offers some postelection remedies for the Affordable Care Act.

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Remember those predictions that Donald Trump might have a negative effect on local races further down the ballot by inspiring Republicans to stay home on election night? Well, the exact opposite happened in the 13th District House race. Democrat Gloria Johnson blames lower-than-expected turnout among district Democrats in her 154-vote loss to Republican incumbent Eddie Smith. Thomas Fraser and S. Heather Duncan report.

9 Love Trumps Hate

While anti-Donald Trump protests were held downtown or on the University of Tennessee campus last week, several community groups focused on finding ways to support progressive causes and marginalized community members have also arisen. S. Heather Duncan provides an overview.

CALENDAR Program Notes: Big Ears announces another preview party, this time at Pilot Light. And Carol Z. Shane introduces us to KSO pianist Emi Kagawa.

Spotlights: Darrell Scott, Rock of Ages: East Tennessee’s Marble Industry, and Knoxville Choral Society’s Appalachian Tales and Tunes

Music: Matthew Everett talks with Nik Turner about Hawkwind. Movies: April Snellings is late on Arrival. Books: Ryan McCormack explains why David Madden’s Sharpshooter is an essential Civil War novel on its 20th anniversary. November 17, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 3

HOWDY DUMPSTER highlights DIVE Weekly from our blog Read more at knoxmercury.com/blog PROVISIONAL BALLOTS DON’T CHANGE DIST. 13 OUTCOME Democratic candidate Gloria Johnson conceded the 13th District House race to incumbent Republican Rep. Eddie Smith Monday after learning there weren’t enough provisional ballots in the race to change the outcome. The Provisional Ballot Counting Board for Knox County determined that only 86 of the 597 provisional ballots were cast in the District 13 race. Smith earned 11,160 votes to Johnson’s 11,006 in the unofficial results of regular voting. Photo by Shawn Poynter

PECHA KUCHA NIGHT KNOXVILLE BRIGID KO DESIGNS | Brigid Oesterling | Presented Nov. 11, 2014 Designer Brigid Oesterling of Brigid KO creates couture costuming and clothing made primarily from recycled materials. Her focus has been to use inner tubes from cars, motorcycles, and bicycles. Not your typical recycled-wear, the recycled rubber material often has a leather look that the designer masterfully balances with other materials, often masking the identity of the inner tube. | Watch the 6-minute presentation at pechakucha.org/cities/knoxville

PUBLIC AFFAIRS

11/17 WORKSHOP: BEARDEN’S MIXED-USE 11/18 OPENING: ‘ROCK OF AGES’ ZONING THURSDAY

5:30 p.m., Public Works Complex (3131 Morris Ave.). Free. City Council is gathering to learn more about MPC’s plan to help Bearden transform itself into an “urban village”—integrating housing, shops, workplaces, schools, parks, and civic facilities within easy walking distance of each other. This is also a good opportunity to check out the city’s new, ultra-mod Public Works Complex! Info on the plan: knoxmpc.org/ mixed-use/bearden. 4

KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 17, 2016

FRIDAY

4:30-6:30 p.m., Museum of East Tennessee History (601 South Gay St.). Free. Celebrate the opening of the museum’s new exhibit, “Rock of Ages: East Tennessee’s Marble Industry.” Learn how our marble became an important part of East Tennessee’s economy in the 19th century, and why it was so prized by architects. After the reception, there will be a showing of “Quarry Project—Tennessee,” an exterior projection at the Knoxville Museum of Art, 7 p.m.

GRANTS BOOST EAST TENN. WINE East Tennessee wine makers along the newly-created Great Valley Wine Trail are set to receive three U.S. Department of Agriculture grants totaling about $325,000. The wineries will receive a three-year, $250,000 grant to increase marketing and opportunities for wine growers, the first of which will be a Nine Lakes Wine Festival at Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge, May 19-20. DAKOTA PIPELINE PROTEST About 50 local opponents of the planned Dakota Access oil pipeline across Sioux territory in North Dakota joined others across the nation Friday to protest the project. The Knoxville protest centered around SunTrust Bank downtown, and pipeline opponents called on the bank to divest its capital interest in the project.

11/19 HOLIDAY RETROPOLITAN CRAFT FAIR 11/21 SPEAKER: AUTHOR JULIE SALAMON SATURDAY

9 a.m.-5 p.m., Jackson Terminal (203 W Jackson Ave.). Free. So what if it’s still warm out, trees are still clinging to their leaves, and the acrid smell of forest fires fills the air? It’s time to pretend it’s winter again! And the Retropolitan Craft Fair is a fine way to start believing in the season, with 35+ makers, food trucks, vintage goods, mobile boutiques, and adult beverages. Info: facebook.com/retrocraftfair.

MONDAY

11 a.m., Hodges Library (1015 Volunteer Blvd.). Free. Former New York Times reporter and novelist Julie Salamon will discuss her bestselling biography Wendy and the Lost Boys: The Uncommon Life of Wendy Wasserstein. Wasserstein was the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning playwright best known for The Heidi Chronicles. Presented by The Fern and Manfred Steinfeld Program in Judaic Studies.

SCRUFFY CITIZEN

Our Quadrennial CAT Scan Precinct totals reveal some complexity behind the red BY JACK NEELY

ast Tuesday night at 8, a second or two after Knoxville’s polling places closed, the national news networks called the whole state for Donald Trump. Zero precincts were reporting, but the media just knew. Tennessee votes Republican. We were hardly mentioned after that. For more than a century, Tennessee was a swing state. Since 2004, though, it’s been predictable. Even when the GOP nominee is Donald Trump, he gets 61 percent here. Tennessee was the seventh most pro-Trump state in America. Knox County voted for Trump, too, 59 percent to 35. That’s not as surprising to the national media as it is to many local folks who claim they’ve never met a Trump supporter. Some friends, including at least one Republican, jumped to the wild conclusion that Knox County might go like other counties with populations of more than 400,000, and tilt for the Democrats. That didn’t happen. But just for the record, there’s some nuance here. Last Tuesday marked a rare moment that Tennessee was more Republican than Knox County was. If by only a couple of points. The last time that happened was in 2000. I don’t think it happened much at all before that. Knox County’s arguably the birthplace of Tennessee’s Republican Party. But at this red county’s core is a bluish-purple city. Every four years, precinct reports serve as a sort of CAT scan of our complicated political brain. As people who recruit tech professionals to Knoxville-based firms

would like the world to know, Democrats aren’t scarce here. In fact, the most extreme precincts in Knox County were the Democratic ones. The only two precincts in the county that favored either candidate by more than 90 percent were East Knoxville precincts, and they were for Clinton. Eastport School was Knox County’s most pro-Clinton precinct, and it was extremely so—91 percent for Clinton, 6.5 percent for Trump. Austin-East was close to that: almost 91 percent for Clinton, 6 percent for Trump. Eastport and Austin-East draw predominantly black voters, but in fact almost all urban precincts, roughly those within an hour’s walk of downtown, including the majority white ones, rich and poor, favored Clinton over Trump. This has been a national phenomenon for at least a few decades. Whether you’re talking about a state, a county, or a precinct, which is often about the same thing as a neighborhood, your presidential choice reflects how close you live to your neighbors. Higher-density neighborhoods, specifically those in the older parts of the city, tend to go Democratic. Outer suburbs and all rural areas—in East Tennessee there are no exceptions that I know about—go Republican. Even in a crazy election, that much turns out to be predictable. Of course, quite a lot of local voters didn’t like either Clinton or Trump. Well over 10,000 Knox Countians, about 6 percent of the total, favored a third-party candidate to either of the two major-party contend-

ers, knowing it was a hopeless gesture. Almost 4,000 Knox Countians couldn’t even find a third-party candidate they liked. Though often struggling with spelling, they wrote the names of presidential candidates who weren’t even running, ranging from Bill Haslam to Fidel Castro to Batman. Gary Johnson, the Libertarian, had his strongest Knox support in Fort Sanders, getting just over 8 percent; nationally, he registered less than 5. East Tennessee’s highest-density neighborhood may still have just a shade of its old bohemian reputation, and has always been friendly to fringe candidates. But Johnson also logged more than 7 percent at West High, where urban begins to turn suburban, and did almost as well at neighboring Pond Gap. Jill Stein, the Green Party nominee, registered less than 1 percent of the vote nationally, but Fort Sanders gave her a 2.6 percent showing. Still, she did best in the majority Democratic Fourth and Gill area, the mostly affluent neighborhood of Victorian houses. She got more than 4 percent there. Neither liberal nor conservative third-party candidates fare well in rural and far-suburban districts. Precincts outside of the city look dyedin-the-wool Republican, without obvious surprises beyond the degrees of their devotion. In the Democrat-Republican divide, Sharp’s Ridge forms a sort of firewall. South of the ridge, almost all precincts vote Democratic. North, they’re almost all majority Republican. That goes for Fountain City, but Republicanism gets even thicker when you cross Black Oak Ridge into Halls. You could do a geographical study of the effect of steep ridges on party loyalty. The most Republican parts of Knox County are always the parts that

border other counties. In the past, the far eastern part of the county, the Dry Gap and Seven Islands area, the low-density rural area that borders Sevier County, has been most Republican. They’re still more Republican than almost everybody. But this year, the Copper Ridge area of northwest Knox, bordering Anderson County and the Clinch River, trumps everybody. They voted 83 percent for Donald, with only 14 left for Hillary. The urban Democratic principle drives farther west than any other direction, perhaps reflecting the population-density principle. Bearden High, west of West Town, went for Clinton by more than four points. Cedar Bluff East favored Clinton by just under two points. One of the county’s most interesting anomalies is precinct 24Q. Sequoyah Hills, Bill Haslam’s childhood home, has a reputation as the old-money part of town, but that simplification ignores several hundred renters, including a good many students and old ladies on Social Security. Still, through the years, it proves itself reliably, if politely, conservative, usually picking the Republican by a narrow margin. In some ways, this year was no exception. Sequoyah chose our incumbent and very conservative Republican congressman by 21 points. By a narrow margin, Sequoyah also favored the Republican Eddie Smith in the tightly contested state House race. Usually, 24Q tips toward the Republican for president, too. Last week, though, Sequoyah favored Clinton by 12 points. In Knox County, it was rare evidence of splitting the ticket. Just saying. Executives in our big tech industries tell me it’s hard to recruit creative talent to red states. But precinct reports suggest Knox County has a place for everybody. ◆

You could do a geographical study of the effect of steep ridges on party loyalty.

November 17, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 5

MUCH ADO

R.E.S.P.E.C.T. It’s past time to respect facts— and our fellow human beings BY CATHERINE LANDIS

hen, on my first trip to New York City, I ordered a Coke at a deli, the man behind the counter asked me to say it again. “I’ve never heard that word in three syllables,” he said. That was 44 years ago, but I’ve never forgotten it, the first of many slights about where I come from and how I talk that I’ve had to grin away over the years. Nobody’s grinning anymore. It appears to have grown trendy to explain Trumpian outrage in part as an expression of marginalized people, particularly in Appalachia and the South, sick and tired of being treated like ignorant hillbillies, the butt of a national joke. As a Tennessean with a thick accent and deep Southern roots, I have felt the sting of being superficially judged. So I get it. I understand the impulse to get your back up, to turn feisty, to defend your own. I also understand the frustration over economic stagnation, opioid ravaged communities, and diminishing opportunities, the fear of change and losing control, the pain of shouting at the top of your lungs to a world that is not listening. But there’s a limit. Scientific American recently listed five settled facts that even “in the constantly growing and devolving world of science,” are no longer disputable, and these include evolution and climate change. Denying either lands you in the-world-is-flat territory. By all means, feel free to say you don’t “believe” in evolution, but do not expect to be taken seriously. Same for saying you “know” more than

KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 17, 2016

scientists who’ve spent entire careers studying climate change, or screaming you want the government to “keep its hands off your Medicare,” or claiming vaccines are a government conspiracy. What if someone tried to sell you on some guy riding a chariot with the sun in it across the sky from east to west every day? Same thing. You can’t have it both ways. There’s a lot of stupid that’s just plain stubborn, and you don’t get a pass because you’re quaint, scrappy, country folk. And don’t even think about calling this elitism. It’s not a cultural thing to know some basic facts about how the world works. It’s no badge of honor to hope your children don’t believe all that stuff they learn in science class. I understand it’s hard to combat motivated reasoning, the tendency to filter what we hear so that we select only what confirms what we believe, but while we can have different values, ideas, priorities, and solutions, we can’t have different facts. Facing this latest rude awakening to social and economic class that feels so raw and angry and disrespected, I keep reminding myself that this is an old story. When Thomas Sutpen in William Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom, came down from the West Virginia mountains where everybody was as poor as everybody else and so nobody felt “poor,” he ended up in Tidewater, Va., where he discovered that there existed a people who were owned by other people and that even those people lived in houses better than his

own. He understood for the first time who he was. White trash. It’s a story about humiliation, and one of the novel’s themes is the tragic tale of what Sutpen decides to do about it. How many times must this story be told? What might have happened if those who were treated like trash had found common cause with those who were bought and sold as slaves? What if together they had figured out their enemy was a group of people who used the time-tested tool of divide and conquer to prop up a social order founded on a belief that some people are worth more than other people? And what if the conned could figure out that people screaming “conspiracy theory” every time a scientist or other expert speaks is just another way to keep them stupid? I don’t know how to fix this. To those whose outrage stems from racism, misogyny, homophobia, or any other toxic bigotry, I have nothing to say but be prepared to fight and lose. For everybody else: If I could have one wish it would be to please recognize other marginalized people, because everybody wants the space to be heard. If people aren’t heard, they shout. And if they’re still not heard, they shout louder. Would it make a difference to acknowledge that a whole lot of people feel unheard? Would it make it easier to listen? Is it possible to understand that the way it feels to be called “stupid” is exactly the same way it feels to be gay and be called “depraved,” the way it feels to be black and be called “criminal,” the way it feels to be Latino and be called “illegal,” the way it feels to be Muslim and be called a “terrorist,” the way it feels to be transgender and be called “crazy,” the way it feels to be an atheist and be called “immoral,” the way it feels to be Native American and be called “irrelevant,” or the way it feels to be a woman and be called all manner of horrible things. Respect is a two-way street. Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. The newly elected president has never shown evidence that he understands this, but that’s no excuse for the rest of us. ◆ With Much Ado, Catherine Landis examines how political decisions and social trends affect the lives of the people around her. A former newspaper reporter, she has published two novels, Some Days There’s Pie (St. Martin’s Press) and Harvest (Thomas Dunne Books/ St. Martin’s Press).

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 CONTRIBUTORS

Chris Barrett Ian Blackburn Patrice Cole Eric Dawson George Dodds Thomas Fraser Lee Gardner Mike Gibson Nick Huinker Donna Johnson Tracy Jones Catherine Landis

Dennis Perkins Stephanie Piper Ryan Reed Eleanor Scott Alan Sherrod Nathan Smith April Snellings Joe Sullivan Kim Trevathan Chris Wohlwend Angie Vicars Carol Z. Shane

INTERNS

Hayley Brundige Maria Smith

DESIGN ART DIRECTOR Tricia Bateman tricia@knoxmercury.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Charlie Finch

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

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Matthew Foltz-Gray

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS Jack Neely Coury Turczyn Joe Sullivan 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

PERSPECTIVES

Health Scare A post-election Rx for the Affordable Care Act BY JOE SULLIVAN

hat’s most distressing to me about Donald Trump’s election is his vow to repeal the Affordable Care Act that has brought health care coverage to more than 20 million Americans who were previously uninsured. Republican majorities in Congress have already shown a bent to do so by voting for vetoed legislation to eliminate funding for the two main sources of this coverage: Medicaid expansion for those below or near the federal poverty line and subsidies to help those with incomes up to 400 percent of FPL to buy insurance on the ACA exchanges. These budgetary cuts can be accomplished with simple majority votes and would eviscerate the principle that every American is entitled to accessible and affordable health insurance. (Trump’s talk about making health insurance premiums or contributions to health savings accounts tax deductible is meaningless, or a cruel hoax, for those who can’t afford them to begin with.) On the other hand, it will take 60 votes in the Senate to do away with the foundation on which that principle is based: namely, a prohibition against denying anyone coverage or charging them more for it because of preexisting conditions. I find it hard to believe that many Republicans, let alone any Democrats, will vote to repeal it. Fortunately, following the election, Trump has done an about-face and says he now favors retention of this

prohibition. As it’s turned out, that foundation is having to bear more weight than was foreseen because the people signing up for coverage on the Obamacare exchanges are turning out to be older and sicker than originally supposed. As a result of losses incurred, the number of insurers offering coverage on the exchanges has gone down and premiums have gone up—by a national average of 22 percent for 2017. Because of the premium subsidies in the form of tax credits, the actual cost to most of the upwards of 10 million individuals covered on the exchanges hasn’t gone up by anything like that much. But erosion of insurer participation, a narrowing of physician networks on the part of those that remain, and the overall cost escalation clearly call for remedial action. It was thoroughly predictable from the outset that a venture as massive and complex as the ACA would call for hundreds if not thousands of course corrections derived from experience with its workings. But partisan governmental gridlock has thwarted them up to now. I’m not talking about fundamental changes such as a resort to the single payer or “Medicare for All” approach advocated in the presidential campaign by Bernie Sanders. Voters in Colorado overwhelmingly rejected this approach in a referendum on the November ballot. Nor is there any

traction for the “public option” approach advocated by Hillary Clinton and many other Democrats that would create a government-run insurance company to compete with private ones on the exchanges. Short of that, however, there are myriad possibilities for alleviating the problems that the exchanges have encountered that are worthy of consideration. To those who may say “why bother” if the exchanges are going to go away, bear in mind that this year’s defunding legislation wouldn’t have taken effect for two years in order to allow the Republicans time to come up with something to fulfill the second part of their “repeal and replace” mantra. The following list only scratches the surface of the possibilities: • Clinton has proposed a “Medicare for More” approach that would allow people in the 55 to 64 age bracket to electively “buy in” to that program in advance of their mandatory enrollment at age 65. This would encompass the very set of people with mounting health-care needs who are disproportionately weighting the risk pools on the exchanges that many younger, healthier people have shunned. Formulating a sound basis for a Medicare expansion so that it lessens rather than worsens the burdens on the exchanges will take a lot of doing, but it deserves to be considered. As a more modest step, the list of disabilities that qualify people below age 65 for Medicare could be expanded to include more “dread diseases.” (End-stage kidney failure and ALS are the only two at present.) • Coming at the problem from the other end of the age spectrum, there probably need to be more carrots and sticks for getting more healthy millennials to enroll on the exchanges. Granted, Trump and his fellow Republicans will be out to get rid of the ACA’s individual mandate to buy insurance or pay a penalty; but this, too, will take 60 votes in the Senate. The present penalty of the greater of $695 or 2.5 percent of income for remaining uninsured has not proven to be enough of an inducement to get a great many of these ”young invincibles” to start paying premiums instead. Also, people in their 20s are presently allowed to avoid the penalty by buying catastrophic risk coverage that can’t even be offered on the

exchanges, and this is an anomaly. • There is also a need to curb gaming of the system on the part of people who enroll temporarily in order to get costly treatment and then drop their coverage or just stop paying their premiums. One form of gaming, as described in a report on “Opportunities to Grow and Stabilize the Market” by the consulting firm Avalere Health, involves the use of grace periods. According to Avalere, “Grace periods allow for subsidized individuals, after paying the first month’s premium to continue to be enrolled for 90 days after failing to make a premium payment….The grace period provision may be particularly prone to abuse as it can allow individuals to pay nine months of premiums and maintain coverage for twelve months, enrolling again in coverage during the next (annual enrollment period).” Often overlooked amid the clamor over difficulties encountered by the ACA exchanges for covering individuals is the fact that the ACA’s implementation for the vastly larger market for employer-based health insurance has gone remarkably well. Employers with more than 50 workers must now provide coverage with the same essential benefits as individual plans. And more than 150 million Americans continue to get their benefits this way with only a 3 percent premium increase in 2016, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey. Predictions of widespread dislocations on the part of employers or workers have proved unfounded. It’s well nigh impossible to compare the cost of employer-based coverage and individual coverage on the exchanges because their respective benefits and out-of-pockets vary so widely. But if all of the ACA’s mandates can be implemented for the employer market without inflation or dislocation, it stands to reason that the individual market can be stabilized as well. This coming year’s premium increases alone may prove sufficient to sustain those insurers that remain on the exchanges. But restoration of more robust competition and choice is going to require a healthier mix of enrollees that starts with an all out effort to get more young people to sign up during the enrollment period for 2017 that’s now underway. ◆ November 17, 2016

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Photos courtesy of campaigns

District 13 Wrap

Strong county/SoKnox showing lifts Smith to another narrow win over Johnson BY THOMAS FRASER AND HEATHER DUNCAN

emember those predictions that Donald Trump might have a negative effect on local races further down the ballot by inspiring Republicans to stay home on election night? Well, the exact opposite happened in the 13th District House race. Democrat Gloria Johnson blames lower-than-expected turnout among district Democrats in her 154-vote loss to Republican incumbent Eddie Smith. Johnson conceded the 13th District House race to Smith late Monday morning after learning there weren’t enough provisional ballots in the race to change the outcome. This marked Johnson’s second excruciatingly close loss to Smith. Smith beat her by 182 votes to win her seat in 2014. The result was similar this election, though 10,000 more ballots were cast in the district than in 2014. Johnson says she plans to meet with Smith next week to discuss the race and the issues that were raised. She also blames unrelenting attack ads funded by the state GOP and its allies as a reason for her defeat. “We are going to have to review everything,” she says during a telephone interview this week following her concession. “Turnout was an issue. Democratic turnout wasn’t as great as it should have been.” In Knox County, 184,778 people voted (not counting the provisional ballots), upwards of 10,000 more than in 2012. Turnout was still about 4,000 less than the record turnout in 2008, when President Barack Obama was

KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 17, 2016

elected to his first term. Johnson says Democratic enthusiasm was squelched in the final days of the race by two announcements from Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey referencing accusations that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had deleted public emails and stored classified information on a private server. Clinton herself blamed Comey for her loss to Republican Donald Trump, who crushed Clinton across Knox County with 59 percent of the vote. Other Republican state House incumbents in the county, including Reps. Daniel Martin and Roger Kane, cruised to easy reelection. Johnson says attack ads on behalf of her opponent were also a factor in her defeat. “Negative mailers suppress the vote,” she says, despite her pushback against mailers that, in one instance, featured her face superimposed upon that of a “creepy clown” with background information she called false. Still, she muses: “That’s politics. … I’m going to organize and fight for the issues people care about.” Smith declared victory late in the evening of Nov. 8. “Earlier today my opponent called and conceded the race,” he says in a statement emailed on Monday. “I thanked her for a well run race and a vigorous campaign. With this, we move on to the real work, governing. I look forward to the legislative session resuming in January, and us continuing to make Tennessee the best place to live, work,

and play in the country.” A review of data from the 17 precincts in the 13th District indicates Smith did very well in South Knoxville and the county. Johnson carried reliably liberal districts in the city, though Smith was able to carve out Sequoyah Hills and some surrounding neighborhoods in his favor by a razor margin of 30 votes out of 2,198 votes cast in the race. Clinton won the precinct with 52 percent of the vote there. That’s the only precinct that both Smith and Clinton won. Elsewhere, as went Clinton, so did Johnson, and all other precincts in which Smith was victorious all broke for Trump. Both Johnson and Smith won their home precincts. Smith performed best in the University of Tennessee and South Doyle precincts, with 78 and 73 percent of the vote, though only a paltry 69 votes were cast in the race at UT. Johnson garnered 73 percent of the vote in Lonsdale; 62 percent in Bearden; and 58 percent at the Chickamauga precinct in North Knoxville. Johnson delayed her concession until provisional ballots were tallied. The Provisional Ballot Counting Board for Knox County met Monday morning and determined that only 86 of the 597 provisional ballots were cast in the District 13 race. Smith earned 11,160 votes to Johnson’s 11,006 in the unofficial results of regular voting. That means that even if all the provisional ballots in the district turn out to be legitimate votes—and all those voters chose Johnson—it still wouldn’t close Smith’s 154-vote lead. Knox County Administrator of Elections Cliff Rodgers says it may take until next week for election officials to check all the provisional voter registration records to be sure which should count. Legally, the county has until Nov. 28, when the election must be certified, but “I’m as ready to be done with it as everybody else,” Rodgers says. Provisional votes are cast by people who don’t appear to be registered in Knox County or don’t have photo identification. Those without photo ID have 48 hours to produce it so their vote can be counted. The others are researched with state election rolls to find out if they weren’t registered, were registered in another county, had been purged from voter

rolls after not voting in multiple elections, had felony convictions that stripped their voting rights, etc. “Based on past experience, I’d be surprised if half those (provisional ballots in District 13) are able to be counted,” Rodgers says. He added that in Knox County—contrary to popular wisdom—provisional ballots don’t usually skew Democratic, but tend to reflect the same party split as the broader results. Of the total provisional ballots, only 56 involved lack of photo ID. Six of those were counted after the voters returned with identification, Rodgers says. The ballots eliminated for lack of a photo ID are never opened, so he doesn’t know whether those tend to favor a particular party. Nationally, Democrats have argued that voter ID laws tend to have the biggest impact on poor minority voters who are more likely to vote for Democrats. Johnson filed an injunction in Knox County Chancery Court on Wednesday, demanding access to the names of people who cast provisional ballots because she wanted to help people who lacked ID on election day to get their votes counted. The lawsuit, which named the election commission and Rodgers, said that Rodgers had refused to produce the list of names or open the locked box of provisional ballots to create a list. Rodgers says state law prohibits him from opening the provisional ballots except in the presence of the counting board. “She asked me for a list I don’t have,” he says. Normally, the counting board meets following the 48-hour window in which voters can produce their IDs belatedly, Rodgers says. But because Friday was a holiday, the board couldn’t meet until this week. The board is composed of members of the two major political parties, who are approved by the election commission— usually the same people who count the absentee ballots on election night. Overall, Rodgers says this election went more smoothly in Knox County than did the last Presidential election, largely because 75 percent of voters took advantage of the greater number of early voting locations with longer hours. Unlike on Election Day, when voters can only vote at their precinct, there’s no wrong place to vote during early voting, which eliminates a lot of confusion and difficulty, Rodgers says. ◆

Photo by S. Heather Duncan

Photo by Charles Vogel

Love Trumps Hate

Groups form soon after the election to show support for Knoxville’s immigrants BY S. HEATHER DUNCAN

s the results of the U.S. presidential race rolled in early Wednesday morning, Hannah Houser was feeling hopeless. She thought of Yassin Terou, the bubbly Syrian-American owner of Yassin’s Falafel House on Walnut Street. “I was thinking, what’s a good way to make everyone remember they’re loved and welcome in Knoxville?” she says. “And Yassin always makes me feel that way.” So she used Facebook to invite all the other Knoxvillians who agreed to come to Yassin’s for a Love Trumps Hate Lunch to share the message of solidarity and respect while helping the Syrian immigrant’s business. “No matter what side the vote you’re on, last night made a lot of people very nervous and wonder what the future is going to hold,” Houser said while waiting for her falafel last week. “This is a way to say we’re here, and we support you, and we’re walking with you.” Trump won 59 percent of the vote in Knox County. The minority of Knox County residents who opposed Trump’s candidacy have grappled for the last week with how to shape their anger, fear, or unfocused energy into a positive force. Many say they are especially motivated by Trump’s stated campaign promises to ban Muslims, halt immigration, build a wall on the Mexican border, focus on deporting illegal immigrants, and ban abortion. In addition, Trump’s comments about women, reports of his sexual assaults, his mockery of a

disabled reporter, and his broad appeal to white racists (including the Ku Klux Klan, which has publicly celebrated his win) have alienated progressives. Several anti-Trump protests were held downtown or on the University of Tennessee campus, but another was canceled because organizers feared retaliatory violence. Houser’s simple Facebook event has expanded into the creation of several community groups focused on finding ways to support progressive causes and marginalized community members. The largest is Love Trumps Hate: Knoxville, founded by Houser soon after the Yassin’s lunch. After almost a week, the group had close to 7,000 members on Facebook. Houser and other coordinators plan to meet soon to discuss concrete goals and service opportunities arising from the group, which has also spawned some neighborhood-based groups like South Knox United. The group plans its first in-person meeting to talk and sign up for service opportunities at Tyson Park from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. The Love Trumps Hate: Knoxville Facebook page is becoming a clearinghouse for people offering their skills to local nonprofits like Bridge Refugee Services and to individuals such as a Syrian college student who needs legal help to extend his residency. The group has begun compiling a list of minority-owned businesses for locals who want to support them and discussed the possibility of a Love Trumps Hate

food tour to encourage dining at local immigrant-owned restaurants. A similar but somewhat more political Facebook group, Love Trumps Hate: UT, has shared information about Trump protests at the university and about an altercation that occurred at The Rock between minority students and Trump supporters. The UT group canceled a rally it had planned for Monday, citing concerns about Trump supporters’ “extreme reaction to peaceful protests” and saying that one of the group administrators had been physically harmed. In the wake of incidents at other universities, where female Muslim students were stripped of their hijab head coverings and other minorities were attacked, UT students and some faculty have also volunteered to escort anyone afraid of walking across campus alone, using the Twitter hashtag “GoWithMeUT.” A Twitter search doesn’t turn up any actual requests for help using the hashtag, although it was used to share many offers of assistance. Off campus, many say they are moving beyond their initial fear and resentment to action. Terou says his restaurant has seen three times its usual business in the last week as people, mostly non-Muslims, continue to show their support. He feels much better than he did Wednesday. “I was very scared in the morning, very sad. I had this moment of, Should I go to work?” He says he looked down at his 3-month-old daughter, born American but named in honor of his home city of Damascus. “I saw her. And I said yes.’” Although Knoxville’s Muslim community was frightened and shocked that day, and many women were afraid to leave their homes, Terou says they have since been encouraged. Flowers started turning up outside the Masjid Annoor mosque in

Knoxville. One bouquet was accompanied by an anonymous note stating: “I, and many others in Knoxville, stand with you. I am sorry about the results of the presidency. Our love for you is boundless. Please stay strong in these uncertain times.” “It’s time to forget what Trump was saying about minorities and about hate and to build a new bridge of love,” Terou says. But he’s also torn. “How can I teach my 6-year-old you have to respect everybody, no matter what they believe, when she hears everybody talking about her on TV?” Terou asks himself. He shakes his head. “I just want to tell my people we can never stop the love. We are under one flag now. We have to build our country. There’s no other option.” A week after the election, Terou has a lot of new customers. People have offered to escort his wife and anyone else wearing a hijab around downtown as protection. Many people have come in to his restaurant wearing safety pins to show that they are willing to intervene to protect the safety of minorities and women. As the safety pin symbol gains recognition, several artists at Purple Heart Tattoos are offering safety pin tattoos on Friday. They emphasize that the tattoos are intended as a message about safety and human rights rather than as a political statement about Trump—but that nevertheless, those who choose the tattoos may become targets. Terou says he knows of only one ugly comment or action toward anyone in Knoxville’s Muslim community this week: A woman yelled at someone’s elderly mother to “go back to your country.” With a chuckle, Terou says his friend’s mother just hollered the same thing back. (After all, anyone who isn’t Native American comes from an immigrant family.) “I thought the election might affect minorities and Muslims in the short term, but we got together and we are stronger than ever,” he says. “In the long term, if something should happen, I think it will make us stronger. That’s the good thing about Knoxville.” Ghada Ayesh, who stopped at Yassin’s for lunch the day after the election and took a turn holding Terou’s daughter, also took a positive stance. “Regardless, we support the country,” she says. “Living in diversity and being one family is the important thing.” ◆ November 17, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 9

illy Poplin knew his girlfriend was going to get burned. But what are you going to do when your fi nances are on fi re? She needed gas and groceries, and was in between paychecks. So the Maryville man with stylized, nonofficial dog tags 10

KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 17, 2016

hanging from his neck waited in a van in sweltering midsummer heat for her to secure a pay-day advance from Speedy Cash Loans on Chapman Highway. Cars rolled nearby along what is arguably one of Knoxville’s less attractive thoroughfares, past the shuttered Smoky Mountain Market near Fort Loudoun Lake, fast-food joints, title lenders, pawn shops, some half-empty shopping plazas. At the comparatively

robust Chapman Square, a Dollar Tree and Kroger stand behind the small check-cashing place, flanked by a Buddy’s BBQ. It’s a common urban American tableau: The number of pay-day lending storefronts is on par with fast-food restaurants in the 36 states, including Tennessee, where such businesses are allowed. Across the street, next to a company offering cheap, short-term mobile phone service, a couple,

arguing loudly, left another cash-advance storefront called Easy Money. It’s right by a First Tennessee Bank. “It’s not like you wanna do it,” Poplin says of the lure of quick, easy, and expensive loans. “I know you can stay caught in payments forever, especially if you do refi nancing. The interest is ridiculous.” But even knowing what’s at stake hasn’t stopped many customers from using “alternative financial services.” In a 4-mile stretch of Chapman Highway, from the 3000 block to the 7000 block, there are at least seven pay-day lending storefronts registered with the state: Check Into Cash, Tennessee Title Loans, Concord Finance, Advance America, Buckeye Check Cashing, Cash Express, American Cash Advance. That doesn’t include the multitude of pawn shops and car-title lenders. And the storefronts don’t always share the same name with the entities that register with the state— Buckeye Check Cashing, for example, operates as Easy Money. In 2014, there were more pay-day lending storefronts (15,766) than McDonald’s restaurants (14,350) in the U.S., according to the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, a regulatory group birthed in the fi nancial-institution reforms that followed the Great Recession. The bureau is proposing additional, federal restrictions on the lenders. The regulations would be binding and supersede state law, but their enforcement will likely be hamstrung in Congress given the anti-regulation, laissez-faire direction of the recent national election. Lenders are under scrutiny because such payday loans—formally

“It’s not like you wanna do it. I know you can stay caught in payments forever, especially if you do refinancing. The interest is ridiculous.” —BILLY POPLIN called “deferred presentments” by the state—can easily approach a 500 percent annual percentage rate when fees renew over time. Poplin’s girlfriend (who did not want to be named) plans to repay her loan with an income-tax refund that is months away. And while a customer at another quick-cash joint down the street was borrowing money for car repairs, most seek money for recurring expenses such as those Poplin’s girlfriend was trying to cover, according to the Center for Responsible Lending, a North Carolina-based consumer protection, policy, and research nonprofit. Forty percent of pay-day loans default, and 92 percent of Tennessee borrowers take out another loan within 60 days, according to the center. This is a Catch-22 system most detractors say locks already poor or undereducated people in a “debt slavery” cycle that’s nearly impossible to escape—if you can’t cover the cost of groceries, how do you expect to repay a loan that grossly inflates with interest each month? Some studies indicate that’s exactly the case: Most of those who take out such loans can’t cover the

repayment, even if a typical $400 loan is offered interest-free, with only service charges that are typically about $40. “If you borrow $300,” Poplin says, “you are going to pay back $600, $700.” He’s right: A $200 loan paid back over 12 months at 450 percent APR would mean total repayments of $720, according to Tennessee Citizen Action, a consumer-protection group that supports additional regulation of cash-advance companies. If the loans and fees are not paid back within a paycheck cycle, that is a typical interest rate—though some go higher—for such loans. Title loans, in which a borrower uses a vehicle for collateral, are also part of new federal rule-making processes, but pay-day lenders are the biggest target for federal-level reforms. In Knoxville, concerns about the potentially usurious nature of pay-day loans run so deep that local government has taken its own stab at regulation via zoning. And one local church is planning to launch an interest-free lending plan through a Christian fi nance ministry that could become a national model. Will it be enough to protect consumers in need?

noxville City Council this summer approved zoning restrictions on the proximity and location of such lenders, just as federal regulators moved into the fi nal phases of the rule that would establish stricter guidelines for the industry. City Council’s zoning action in July on alternative lending institutions targeted pay-day storefronts as well as check cashers, pawn brokers, and title lenders; it requires them to be at least 1,000 feet from each other and residential zones. The decision came despite a cautionary note from city Law Director Charles Swanson that the city may not have explicit authority to govern the location of those businesses. Chattanooga, Nashville, and Memphis, however, have zoning restrictions against pay-day lenders and similar businesses, and that seemed to assuage any constitutional concerns of Council members. That’s about the extent of restrictions that can be imposed on the industry by municipalities, and Knoxville’s existing 54 pay-day lending storefronts, as registered with the Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions, are grandfathered under the ordinance. The city’s zoning ordinance came after complaints from constituents that such alternative lenders were cropping up en masse along such thoroughfares as Chapman Highway, says South Knoxville City Council November 17, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 11

member Nick Pavlis, who carried the zoning amendment in Council. He says his main concern was a fear of slowly advancing blight brought on by the proliferation of such lending institutions in his district—and subsequent devaluation of nearby properties—but he also supports reforming the industry. Such reforms, however, are the purview of state and federal regulators, and local governments can do little but regulate the location of cash-advance storefronts. “Common sense tells me it could be beneficial to the consumer to have some sort of cap on the fees and interest charged by small-dollar lenders,” Pavlis says. “It’s just a trap people can never get out of. But we can’t do it locally.” Defenders of the multi-billion-dollar industry say it provides a valuable cash line that would otherwise be hard to come by; most banks don’t offer loans less than $1,000, and few other options exist, especially for those with a troubled credit history. Others say it is usury, and should be more strictly regulated, with more avenues to secure “small-dollar” loans. The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau tends to agree with the latter, and its Small Dollar Lending Rule would rein in, on a national level, some of the more questionable lending practices and require more prominent disclosure rules. The lending rule under consideration, which would apply to both purveyors of pay-day and title loans, 12

KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 17, 2016

“Common sense tells me it could be beneficial to the consumer to have some sort of cap on the fees and interest charged by small-dollar lenders. It’s just a trap people can never get out of. But we can’t do it locally.” —NICK PAVLIS, 1st District City Council member would require more diligent underwriting; reduce the ability of the borrower to refinance; restrict multiple efforts to cash borrower checks; and set interest caps on some loans. “The proposed rule would apply to certain short-term and longer-term credit products that are aimed at financially vulnerable consumers. The Bureau has serious concerns that risky lender practices in the payday, auto title, and payday installment markets are pushing borrowers into debt traps,” according to a press release announcing the rule-making process. The regulations would also force those offering such loans to determine whether the borrower can truly afford it. A study by the Center for Responsible Lending concluded that someone making $35,000 per year simply cannot afford to repay a $350 payday loan within a two-week period, even if it is offered without interest, when average housing, food, and other consumer costs are taken into consideration. The negative income mounts along with increased APR. This drives many borrowers to social safety nets such as food stamps, and leads them to

forgo child-support payments, according to the center. The bureau accepted public comment through early November. The rule would likely be in place by next summer. There will likely be a strong pushback, especially given Congress’ recent conservative tilt, though the CFPB is a regulatory agency whose rule-making doesn’t need specific congressional approval. But opponents of increased regulation could hamper the rule via purse strings. Congressional Republicans earlier this year already rejected efforts to change language in an appropriations bill that prevents the CFPB from regulating the alternative-lending industry, which collects at least $2.6 billion in excess fees annually. Payday lenders made $23.6 billion in loans in 2015.

ome consumer and Christian advocates are also proposing alternatives that would enable those in need to access small-dollar credit when economic catastrophe strikes. Not all loans to the poor and those in need of quick cash have to be accompanied by fees and interest,

they say. Knoxville will be the site of a Crown Ministries pilot program that will offer interest-free loans in conjunction with First Baptist Church. The program is set to begin in the fi rst quarter of next year. Chuck Bentley, CEO of Knoxville-based Crown Ministries, a Christian-based financial planning organization, equates pay-day and title lenders to the moneychangers Jesus Christ railed against in the Bible. He says such loans promote “debt slavery.” “Once you get into it, it’s like quicksand,” Bentley says. “The policy approach is a good approach but more needed steps include education at the grassroots level to avoid those loans and understand the trap they are getting into. We’re sympathetic to the plight of people in that trap. There is obviously a need for that type of lending.” And that’s where communities, churches, and “faith-based alternatives” to traditional lending practices can come in. Crown, a 40-year-old nonprofit 501(c)(3), will partner with First Baptist Church—on Main Street in downtown Knoxville—to provide capital, training, and guidance on how the congregation can help people in need of emergency cash. There would be no collateral or credit checks required. “We’re willing to take that risk for them,” Bentley says during a phone interview. “We’ll be looking at people who would need a cash loan,” to keep their electricity on, their children fed or for a residential deposit. The loans would be along the lines of $400, the amount of an average pay-day loan, he says. The Anglican Church in England has such programs in place. The church “will look at commu-

nity-based micro loans to help people (avoid) predatory lending,” says First Baptist Church Senior Pastor Tom Ogburn. The local effort could be a model for Crown Ministries to use across the country, Ogburn says.

here has already been pushback against stricter federal rules from the small-dollar-loan industry. The Bradford Group, a Nashville public relations firm, released an op-ed piece by Robert Sherrill, the owner of a commercial cleaning agency who testified in Congress in opposition to the proposed CFPB rules. He wrote that access to small-dollar loans helped him grow his business. His commentary appeared in The Tennessean, The Hill, and on conservative websites. “As most small-business owners know, starting your own company isn’t easy,” Sherrill wrote. “Cash isn’t always available to grow your company, and banks and credit unions don’t make loans less than $1,000 to people like me, or to anyone else for that matter… These loans saved my business and may have saved my life.” However, a disclaimer was appended to several of the stories (and was confi rmed by Bradford): About 25 percent of Sherrill’s business is with Advance Financial, a company that operates six pay-day lending storefronts in Knoxville. But Sherrill raises a point expressed by others: Where and how can the working poor access credit? The Center for Responsible Lending

“Once you get into it, it’s like quicksand. We’re sympathetic to the plight of people in that trap. There is obviously a need for that type of lending.” —CHUCK BENTLEY, CEO of Knoxville-based Crown Ministries reports that increased regulation in fact leads to a decline in the number of alternative fi nancial services available. “The CFPB, in its commentary, has stated that it is possible that a majority of such non-bank lenders will exit the market after the application of these rules,” Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions spokeswoman Alica Owen says in an email. “It is important to then determine what fi nancial institutions might be in a position to meet the demand of small dollar loans in Tennessee. “The Department believes that all credit, from whatever source, should be undertaken after careful consideration, and should be used responsibly,” Owen says. “We are mindful that many people have limited access to credit, and may have few choices in the event of unforeseen circumstances, such as a medical emergency or an unexpected vehicle repair, other than to seek an extension of credit from such licensed lenders.” One veteran of the industry agrees that small-dollar loans can be useful, but supports more regulation, especially restricting the number of outstanding loans per customer. Dana Estep, who

worked for two pay-day loan companies before retiring from the industry after 20 years, suggests creating a state database that lenders would be required to check to see how many loans a potential customer already has floating. “Basically, if you have a pulse, you can get a payday advance,” Estep says. Customers at most places fi ll out an application, provide an address, references, and a pay stub or bank statement. Credit scores don’t dissuade lenders. The lure is understandable, she says. In some cases, the fees are less than the cost of bouncing a check, provided the loan can be repaid on time. But if “you get caught in that vicious cycle” and try to ultimately walk away from the debt, collectors will come calling. Some companies are more aggressive than others in their approach, she says, citing an instance in which a lender called in a loan from the family of a dead customer. Estep says some companies pursue the bankrupt. In some cases in which lenders require a post-dated check, multiple overdrafts can accrue if the loan and fees are not repaid on terms. The proposed small-dollar loan regula-

tions would restrict that, and put in place an overarching set of federal rules. Meanwhile, regulations are patchwork and differ from state to state. Kentucky, for instance, has the database championed by Estep. Pay-day lending is banned in Georgia (where title-loan shops proliferated after the ban), North Carolina, and Arkansas. Alabama only allows a total of $500 in outstanding loans, and loans can only be renewed once. Tennessee allows three simultaneous outstanding small-dollar loans, but has no tracking database. Virginia caps interest at 36 percent, and restricts fees to 20 percent. “Are their practices deceitful? No. Are they questionable? Yes,” says Estep, who lives in Powell and now sells vintage clothing on Etsy. “When I walked away from it, I thought, ‘This is pretty crappy.’” Bentley, of Crown Ministries, sees reforms of the quick-cash industry as a moral imperative, and community groups and churches should take up the fight. If the pilot program with First Baptist is a success, it could serve as a model for other such community-based credit resources. “We see it as a Wilberforce-type movement,” Bentley says in reference to early English abolitionist William Wilberforce. This “debt slavery,” he says, “is a pandemic on a greater scale.” ◆ November 17, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 13

A&E

P rogram Notes

FROM THE PIT

Photo by Scott Hubener

Emi Kagawa KSO pianist

WU FEI

Joyful Noise Wu Fei and Shane Parish offer an early (and affordable) preview of next year’s Big Ears

ast month brought the much-anticipated details of next year’s Big Ears festival, with AC Entertainment’s unveiling of semi-mainstream anchors (Wilco, the Magnetic Fields) alongside the usual murderer’s row of renowned composers, virtuosos, and left-field sleeper acts. Aside from changes to its pricing tiers—prompted by customer feedback—and the official addition of a fourth day, Big Ears doesn’t appear to be messing with the formula that’s earned the festival international acclaim since its inception in 2009. But the manner in which the announcement was made added a welcome wrinkle to the festival’s local presence, offering a free offseason showcase featuring Julianna Barwick and Big Ears alumna Mary Lattimore.

15 14

Music: Hawkwind

KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 17, 2016

Whether the Big Ears brand will make more local appearances in advance of the March 23-26 festival remains to be seen. But curious music fans have a second opportunity to preview the Big Ears experience this Sunday at Pilot Light, with performances from Shane Parish and Wu Fei, two celebrated regional acts scheduled to return to Knoxville for next year’s festival. Parish is no stranger to Pilot Light’s stage, having crossed the mountain regularly with Asheville calculus-rock outfit Ahleuchatistas. (The duo is returning to Big Ears in 2017, following up on a furious 2010 appearance, in addition Parish’s scheduled solo performance.) But those familiar with that group’s noisy acrobatics may be caught pleasantly

Movies: Arrival

SHANE PARISH off-guard by Parish’s solo set, which consists of traditional folk songs specially arranged and reimagined for his incomparable guitar work. As described by Big Ears stalwart Mark Ribot, the accompanying album Undertaker Please Drive Slow, out Friday on John Zorn’s Tzadik Records, “finds Parish standing at the crossroads between playing the country blues and deconstructing? devolving? destroying? them.” Even more typical of Big Ears’ riches is the music of Nashville-byway-of-Beijing artist Wu Fei, whose skill on the 21-string, five-foot guzheng zither has attracted worldwide attention and led to collaborations with art music luminaries (Zorn, Fred Firth) and Americana stars (Béla Fleck, Abigail Washburn) alike. Though Wu’s prowess is on ready display at her YouTube channel—regularly updated with playful improvisations and “duets” with environmental sounds like a car wash or passing train—Sunday’s performance is likely to offer a taste of one of Big Ears’ most reliable pleasures: virtuosity that wrings universal joy from unfamiliar sounds. March can’t get here quick enough, but Sunday night should make the wait a little easier. The Big Ears 2017 preview with Wu Fei and Shane Parish starts at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 20, at Pilot Light. Admission is $7. 18 and up. —Nick Huinker

When Emi Kagawa sits down this week to play the piano part during the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring, she’ll be nestled in among the glockenspiel, cymbals, bass drum and snare. The piano is, after all, at least in some sense, a percussion instrument. “I’m happy when my part is big and meaningful to the mood or the character of the piece, not just adding sonorities here and there,” she says. Copland’s keyboard provides everything from the introduction’s plummeting staccato octaves to gouging accents to the sweetly cascading broken chords, doubled with the harp, that accompany the piece’s closing tune, “Simple Gifts.” Solo piano and orchestral piano are two very different animals, and the latter isn’t always immediately evident. That extra bite you hear when the woodwinds do the “Cha-Cha” in Bernstein’s West Side Story? It’s the piano, doubling the winds. That ring after the rest of the orchestra has cut off in Stravinsky’s Firebird? Piano again. Born in Osaka, Japan, Kagawa holds a doctorate in piano performance from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She also teaches at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, where she’s been on the faculty for the last eight years. She makes the long commute every week, and all in the name of love—her fiancé is KSO principal trombonist Sam Chen. Last month, Kagawa’s piano provided much of the dip and sway on Arturo Márquez’ sensuous Danzón No.4 when KSO presented an all-Latin program of chamber music at the Bijou. “In Latin music, every beat is not the same,” Kagawa says. “Every eighth note has a different weight. My part was entirely covered with the rhythm section; I had to play from beginning to end. The soloists were grooving. I loved it.” —Carol Z. Shane Knoxville Symphony Orchestra performs Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Suite and music by Ives, William Grant Still, and Jeff Midkiff at the Tennessee Theatre (604 S. Gay St.) on Thursday, Nov. 17, and Friday, Nov. 18, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $13-$88. Visit knoxvillesymphony.com.

Books: Sharpshooter

Music

Winds of Change Nik Turner explores the outer limits of rock with his iteration of the visionary band Hawkwind BY MATTHEW EVERETT

ik Turner was fired from the English sci-fi/prog/hard-rock band and traveling psychedelic circus known as Hawkwind, for the second and final time, in 1984. But he’s never been able to put his most famous association behind him; for more than 30 years, he’s recorded and toured in various Hawkwind knockoffs, playing Hawkwind songs with fellow former Hawkwind members and hired session players under names like Space Ritual (taken from the title of Hawkwind’s iconic 1972 live album) and XHawkwind, a stunt that got him sued by Hawkwind taskmaster Dave Brock. (Turner lost.) The original version of Hawkwind, formed in London in 1969, played a key role in the development of what’s called space rock—aggressive, druggy, science fiction-themed rock, equal parts avant-garde experimentalism and proto-heavy metal, usually associated with the less refined outer edges of the hippie community. With its early classic albums In Search of Space, Doremi Fasol Latido, Hall of the Mountain Grill, and Warrior on the Edge of Time, featuring battering-ram anthems like “Silver Machine,” “The Psychedelic Warlords,” and “Assault and Battery,” Hawkwind built a small but dedicated following. By the mid ’70s, though, a lack of commercial success, drugs, and heavy touring contributed to bad vibes and upheaval in the band. Turner was fired in 1976, then returned in 1982, during the band’s flirtation with a slightly more commercial style, but was fired

again two years later. Even now, more than a decade after Brock’s lawsuit, the struggle over the band’s name—and the larger philosophical question of what Hawkwind is, what it was, and what its legacy will be—is still going on, with no end in sight. Brock continues to record and tour with Hawkwind; he and Turner traded barbs in the prog-rock press and on social media this summer. “I feel that Hawkwind is very static now,” Turner says. “I don’t really feel it does anything. I’ve been listening to albums from the band for some time and I haven’t found anything more interesting going on except the same old riffs, and I find that a bit boring, really. I’d rather see them moving forward.” In a move that seems designed to provoke Brock, Turner’s current U.S.

tour is billed as Nik Turner’s Hawkwind, even though it’s just Turner, on saxophone and flute, backed by the San Francisco-by-way-of-Germany psychedelic band Hedersleben, who are also the tour’s opening act. “To use all this creative success we had to benefit people—that was what my idea of Hawkwind was,” Turner says, taking an expansive view of the band’s ownership. “It was there to benefit people, a sort of community project that was accessible and available and anybody could tap into it and be part of it and contribute to it. I still have that feeling and that spirit, but I feel like people in Hawkwind don’t have it. Dave decided that he owned the band. “It’s public property, that’s what I felt. I found it quite bizarre—what he did was trademark the name of the band without telling anybody and then sued me for using it. I thought we owned it and Hawkwind was public property and anybody who wanted to could own part of it or be part of it. I felt like all the people who were fans of the band were Hawkwind.” As an ex-Hawkwinder, Turner is in good company: Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister and Cream/Traffic/Blind Faith drummer Ginger Baker were also fired or left the band under contentious circumstances. Other former members went on to play with David Bowie, the Cure, and New Model Army. Turner has stayed busy with non-Hawkwind-derived music, too,

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collaborating with Genesis P-Orridge, Jello Biafra, the Stranglers, and, most recently, Public Image Ltd bassist Jah Wobble and Martin “Youth” Glover of the leftist industrial/post-punk band Killing Joke. Turner has also recorded more than a dozen solo albums, most of them inspired by his interest in aliens, ancient civilizations, and mythology. He recently contributed sax and flute parts to a new album by the eccentric avant-garde/industrial-rock guitarist Helios Creed, formerly of Chrome. It’s based on a theory developed in the 1970s by the speculative author Zecharia Sitchin about alien astronauts who visited Earth and created mankind. “The album is inspired by the Anunnaki, who were these giants who came to Earth before humans were here to mine for gold,” Turner says. “This is all garbled information—you don’t know if it’s true or not. But they got bored mining for gold so they decided to make a slave and that was Adam—they created man and woman to work for them. “It’s all sort of interesting information that you can’t prove or disprove. But it’s a good theory—as good as any, really.” ◆

WHO

Nik Turner’s Hawkwind with Hedersleben and the Holifields

WHERE

Open Chord Music (8502 Kingston Pike)

WHEN

Friday, Nov. 18, at 8 p.m.

HOW MUCH

$12/$15 day of the show

INFO

openchordmusic.com or nikturner.com

November 17, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 15

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Movies

Alien Encounter First-contact thriller Arrival emphasizes the science in science fiction BY APRIL SNELLINGS

or all our preoccupation with space travel and intergalactic showdowns, it’s remarkable how few science-fiction movies we make. You can’t swing a dead extraterrestrial at a multiplex these days without getting it stuck in someone’s interdimensional portal. But many of the ostensibly sci-fi flicks that have proved so appealing lately are more at home in the fantasy genre, leaving the true business of science fiction—considering how our lives and our world might be affected by technological advancements or new discoveries—feeling a bit underserved by mainstream movies. Arrival, then, couldn’t have come at a better time. The new first-contact yarn from eminently reliable Québécois director Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Sicario) lives up to its genre’s implied demand for visual spectacle, thanks to some bravura production design and eerily beautiful cinematography. But it’s even more determined to answer some of science

KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 17, 2016

fiction’s higher callings. It’s a cerebral and moving thriller about the transformative powers of communication and empathy, and it reminds us that exploration and discovery aren’t purely physical endeavors. On the surface, Arrival concerns itself with one of the most practical problems of alien contact: How would we even begin to communicate with beings so far removed from our own experience? Right off the bat, it gets something right—its aliens, usually seen drifting through ethereal fog behind an impenetrable barrier, are utterly, well, alien. We have no idea how to talk to them or discern the reason for the overnight appearance of a dozen monolithic vessels around the globe. The creatures, who receive human visitors into their ships every 18 hours, seem to be making an attempt at verbal communication, but their grunts and moans are indecipherable. Enter Louise Banks and Ian

Donnelly (Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner, respectively), a linguist and a physicist who are charged with devising some method of communication with the aliens. When we meet Louise during the film’s tear-jerking opening montage, she’s reeling from the death of her teenage daughter. In a voice-over, Louise tells us that she’s not sure she still believes in beginnings and endings. Her statement feels portentous, but its impact on the film’s narrative won’t become clear until the final act—long after Louise has been pressed into service as an interspecies interpreter. The U.S. government, represented by the dutiful Col. Weber (Forest Whittaker) and the eternally suspicious Agent Halpern (Michael Stuhlbarg), wants Louise and Ian to ask the visitors a simple question: What is their purpose on Earth? But with zero shared experience or points of reference, even such a simple interrogation is a monumental

undertaking that requires months of painstaking groundwork. How do we know if the aliens differentiate between collective and personal pronouns? Will they even understand what a question is? For Louise and Ian, armed only with whiteboards and dry-erase markers, first contact is a joyful scientific endeavor—they take pure delight in every word they teach or learn from the giant squid-knuckle creatures they playfully name “Abbott” and “Costello.” But the military and government types calling the shots have a predictably darker view of the interactions. There’s a loudly ticking clock looming over the proceedings— China is getting jittery and appears to be making arrangements for firststrike military actions against their local craft, prompting other countries to follow suit. Again, communication is the key; as each nation’s officials begin to horde the information gleaned from the visitors, their counterparts around the world are forced to make decisions based on increasingly incomplete data. In the end, Arrival isn’t quite willing to commit to the heady ambition of its first half. Just when some of us are leaning forward in our seats and thinking, “Yes! Tell me more about the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis of linguistic relativity!” it pulls back on the reins and gives itself over to a more mundane scientists-versus-the-military storyline. But it’s a relatively minor misstep in a movie that tackles bold ideas about science and language and genuinely cares for its characters. Though Arrival certainly stands on its own, it seems important to mention the source material: “Story of Your Life,” a 1998 short story by Ted Chiang. It’s an impressive piece of fiction that uses past, present, and future tenses to weave its story about the relationship between linguistics and quantum science, and one of Arrival’s neatest tricks is that Villeneuve and screenwriter Eric Heisserer manipulate the language of cinema in a similar way—when the movie’s biggest narrative twist is finally revealed, we realize it was never hidden in the first place. ◆

Books

Civil Discourse Twenty years later, David Madden’s Sharpshooter remains an essential guide to how we remember the Civil War BY RYAN MCCORMACK

he American Civil War, perhaps more than any other war fought by Americans, is a writer’s war. Hundreds of books have been published on the confl ict since 1865 —narrative histories like Shelby Foote’s three-volume The Civil War, rigorous academic studies like James McPherson’s Battle Cry of Freedom, countless biographies of figures like Stonewall Jackson, and analyses of famous battles like Shiloh and Gettysburg. They’re all different in scope and subject, but they share one important purpose: to provide a sense of moral clarity to a confl ict that killed 750,000 people. David Madden’s 1996 novel Sharpshooter, celebrating its 20th anniversary this month, is less well-known than the works of Foote or McPherson, but it stands as one of the most original and challenging books about the Civil War published in recent years. Madden resists the urge to craft a grand and encompassing narrative about the war, or to present a defi nitive judgment about it. What he gives instead is an honest assessment of the voices anyone who has written about it relies upon to reach such judgments. The esoteric form and literary voice of Sharpshooter are typical of Madden but unlike almost anything else written about the Civil War. That’s perhaps one reason why Sharpshooter hasn’t gained a wider following in the past 20 years. But it’s also why the novel is essential reading for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of how the Civil War has been written about. Madden, who was born and raised in Knoxville, has had a lifelong devotion to Civil War scholarship and literature. He was instrumental in the

formation of the United States Civil War Center at LSU in 1992 and edited several collections of essays about the Civil War in American literature. He is a connoisseur with deep knowledge of the confl ict and the literature discussing it. Sharpshooter masquerades as the memoir of a fictional solider named Willis Carr. Willis, a young man from a Unionist family in the mountains of East Tennessee, joins the Confederate army at 13 and serves as a sharpshooter under Gen. James Longstreet. He participates in several familiar engagements: the Peninsular Campaign, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, and the Wilderness. He even guards prisoners at the infamous Andersonville after spending a brief period there as a prisoner himself. When Willis returns to East Tennessee after the war, he tries to tell his story in order to make sense of his experiences. He spends most of the book wandering through the places he had been and speaking with others who seemed to share his fickle sense of memory. The way in which Madden presents us with Willis’ memoir highlights an important perspective about our knowledge about the Civil War. After the war, memoirs of both Union and Confederate veterans competed for what historian Sarah Gardner calls the “culturally sanctioned memory” of the Civil War. As a genre, the memoir was especially potent in creating a proxy through which the reader could experience the war, and perhaps better understand it. Who better to articulate the truth of that experience than those who fought the bloody confl ict on the ground? Sharpshooter is unique among

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Civil War novels in revealing the slippery connection between experience and truth. Willis fi nds his war memories fleeting and fragmented. Aspects of different engagements combine in a morass of sunken roads and churches that neither Willis nor the reader can tell apart. Only Willis’ memories of events with ties to East Tennessee are articulated with clarity: the 1861 burning of Lick Creek Bridge; a fever dream in the tower of Bleak House, during the 1863 siege of Knoxville; the sinking of the riverboat Sultana; Willis making acquaintance with a former slave at Andersonville. Even these incidents, as both we and Willis later fi nd out, are not quite what they seem. Through Willis’ blurred vision, Madden suggests something about our attempts to reconstruct the war through the eyes of others. Willis, as a sharpshooter, would seem to have the benefit of being, both literally and figuratively, above it all. But his elevated position obscures as much as it illuminates. In middle age, Willis fi nds that other sources are as unreliable as his memory. Oral narratives, written accounts, photographs, drawings—the very objects we depend on to elucidate historical events—only complicate his efforts. They are clouded by the limitations of the senses, the biases of memory, and the imprecision of language itself. He comes to recognize that they tell their own stories, each as incomplete as his own. We will never know the Civil War, Madden implies, from any closer than the sharpshooter’s perch. The real war, in all of its human catastrophe, can never happen the same way twice. It’s an experience we lack the tools to reconstruct. Still, these difficulties are no excuse to abandon the effort of understanding the Civil War. We must continue to use the tools we have to make people aware of it, and to make sure we never forget. As Madden once wrote, “Facts alone fail us, but emotion, imagination, and intellect, acting together upon the facts, make the facts stand up and speak.” ◆

ARAM

The

from ERA:BetheThere Beginning! New Music Director Aram Demirjian will conduct these upcoming concerts!

TONIGHT & TOMORROW

APPALACHIAN SPRING MIDKIFF MANDOLIN CONCERTO Thursday, Nov. 17 • 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18 • 7:30 p.m. TENNESSEE THEATRE Sponsored by Circle of Friends

A CLASSICAL CHRISTMAS Sunday, Nov. 27 • 2:30 p.m. BIJOU THEATRE Aram Demirjian, conductor Pellissippi State Variations Choir

This concert sold out last season, so be sure to order tickets early! Sponsored by Asbury Place Continuing Care Retirement Communities Presented with support from the Aslan Foundation

CLASSICAL TICKETS start at just $15!

CALL: (865) 291-3310 CLICK: knoxvillesymphony.com VISIT: Monday-Friday, 9-5 November 17, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 17

CALENDAR MUSIC

Thursday, Nov. 17 BRETT RATLIFF WITH THE MILAGRO SAINTS • 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 SOUTHERN CITIES • Scruffy City Hall • 6PM • Part of Wayne Bledsoe’s weekly Six O’Clock Swerve show on WDVX. • FREE BRETT RATLIFF • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 8PM THE MILAGRO SAINTS WITH ZUZU WELSH • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. MR. BILL WITH CIRCUIT BENT • The Concourse • 10PM • The best way to describe the music associated with this project is a mix of unlatched, glitchy breakbeats, heavy, swung-out bass lines and flawless edits with a large dash of palatable melodic content. 18 and up. • $10-$15 BASK WITH WAMPUS CAT AND SGNLNGS • NV Nightclub • 8PM • Progressive; heavy; psychedelic; Americana, have all been used to describe Bask. Truth is, we want rhythm heard for miles, melodies remembered for weeks and an honesty and sincerity felt to your bones. 18 and up. • $7 THE LACS • Cotton Eyed Joe • 9PM • The Lacs have been together since 2000 and Outlaw, which is their fifth album since signing with Average Joe’s Entertainment, is a watershed effort from The LACS that sonically broadens their musical scope and blends together every genre from traditional country and southern rock to rap and spoken word. • $10 Friday, Nov. 18 BOY NAMED BANJO WITH KATA HAY AND DAN O’ROURKE • WDVX • 12PM • Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-a-week lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • FREE ALIVE AFTER FIVE: LEFTFOOT DAVE AND THE MAGIC HATS • Knoxville Museum of Art • 6PM • French-horn infused blues and boogie. • $5-$10 ANDY SNEED • Vienna Coffee House (Maryville) • 7PM • FREE JOSHUA POWELL AND THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • FREE DARRELL SCOTT • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • $25 • See Spotlight. NIK TURNER’S HAWKWIND WITH HEDERSLEBEN • The Open Chord • 8PM • All ages. Visit openchordmusic.com. • $12-$15 • See preview on page 15. FROG AND TOAD’S DIXIE QUARTET • The Crown and Goose • 8PM • FREE COMMUNITY CENTER • Preservation Pub • 8PM • 21 and up. KINCAID • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 9PM KUKULY AND THE GYPSY FUEGO • The Bistro at the Bijou • 9PM • Live jazz. • FREE THE JUKE JOINT DRIFTERS • Brackins Blues Club ( Maryville) • 9PM THE CARMONAS • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE THE NICK MOSS BAND • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • $5 THE BLAIR EXPERIENCE • Wild Wing Cafe • 10PM • FREE SUMILAN WITH CALABASH AND MICAH SCHNABEL • Scruffy City Hall • 8PM DIVIDED WE STAND • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 9PM MICHAEL RAY • Cotton Eyed Joe • 9PM • 18 and up. • $10 Saturday, Nov. 19 DUANE RUTTER WITH THE WAR AND TREATY • WDVX • 12PM • Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-a-week 18

KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 17, 2016

Thursday, Nov. 17 - Sunday, Nov. 27

lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • FREE NICK DITTMEIER AND THE SAWDUSTERS • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • FREE GIRL POWER: CELEBRATING WOMEN IN MUSIC • The Open Chord • 7PM • Join us for the second night of our three-part Girl Power series, celebrating women in music. Featuring Mojo:Flow, hudson k, Hazel, Luchadora, and Kristen Ford. All ages. • $8 ADEEM THE ARTIST WITH DAJE MORRIS, LUKE BROGDEN, AND KIELY SCHLESINGER • Central Collective • 7:30PM • Each artist will perform a Joni Mitchell song along with a short set of originals. $1 from each ticket goes toward the Sioux tribe at Standing Rock. Visit adeemtheartist.com. • $6-$8 COUNTY-WIDE • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 9PM TOM JOHNSON • The Bistro at the Bijou • 9PM • Live jazz. • FREE THE BURNIN’ HERMANS • Scruffy City Hall • 9PM LETTERS TO ABIGAIL • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 9PM ELLIS DYSON AND THE SHAMBLES • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE GUY MARSHALL WITH MEOB • Pilot Light • 10PM • 18 and up. THE DOWNRIGHT BAND • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. TWO TONS OF STEEL • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM KATY FREE AND WENDEL WERNER • Red Piano Lounge • 6PM Sunday, Nov. 20 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 NICK MOSS BAND • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 7PM • All ages. • $6 STEVE VAI • Bijou Theatre • 7:30PM • Steve Vai is a virtuoso guitarist, visionary composer, and consummate producer who sculpts musical sound with infinite creativity and technical mastery. He’s touring in celebration of the 25th anniversary of his 1991 album, Passion and Warfare. • $39.50-$59.50 CICADA RHYTHM • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM WU FEI WITH SHANE PARRISH • Pilot Light • 8PM • 18 and up. • $5 • See Program Notes on page 14 ANDREW TUFANO • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up.

DARRELL SCOTT Bijou Theatre (803 S. Gay St.) • Friday, Nov. 18 • 8 p.m. • $25 • knoxbijou.com or darrellscott.com

Darrell Scott may be the hardest-working man in Nashville. In the 20 years or so he’s lived in the capital of country music, Scott has written hit songs for the Dixie Chicks and Travis Tritt, played on albums by Faith Hill, the Zac Brown Band, Suzy Bogguss, Mary Gauthier, Little Big Town, and Steve Earle, and been a regular member of Robert Plant’s 21st-century revival of the Band of Joy. Scott has also released 13 albums, including several collaborations with fellow Nashville session star Tim O’Brien.

Monday, Nov. 21 JOSEPH HOLT • WDVX • 12PM • Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-a-week lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • FREE THE ROUGH AND TUMBLE • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • FREE JOHN WHITLOCK • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. Tuesday, Nov. 22 RANDY MOORE • 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 WILD WING CAFE • 5:30PM • 16-year-old multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter Eli Fox is already a Knoxville veteran—he was a member of the teen folk-bluegrass band Subtle Clutch and currently plays in the Knoxville Banjo Orchestra. • FREE MARSHALL BELLEW • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • FREE STRAIGHT ARROWS • Pilot Light • 9PM • 18 and up. • $5

His latest is among his best, which is saying something. Like most of his solo work, The Couchville Sessions, released in May, navigates the territory where country, roots music, and rock ’n’ roll intersect. The album showcases Scott’s various strengths as a songwriter—the weightless country ballad “It’s About Time,” the mournful “Come Into This Room,” and the wry anthem “Down to the River” (“We won’t give a damn if it’s rock or country blues/Let’s all go down to the river at midnight”). As testament to his skill, Scott’s material stands solidly alongside covers of songs by Hank Williams (“Ramblin’ Man”), Johnny Cash (“Big River”), and Townes Van Zandt (“Loretta”). With Nashville Americana band Boy Named Banjo. (Matthew Everett)

Spotlight: Rock of Ages

Spotlight: Knoxville Choral Society

CALENDAR YHETI WITH LEVITATION JONES • The Concourse • 9:30PM • 18 and up. • $12-$15 The Lost Fiddle String Band • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM Wednesday, Nov. 23 TREVA BLOMQUIST • WDVX • 12PM • Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-a-week lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • FREE FROG AND TOAD’S DIXIE QUARTET • The Crown and Goose • 6:30PM • Jason Thompson’s band doesn’t play bebop, the mainstay of the American saxman for more than half a century. He prefers to do something different. Frog & Toad can sound more old-fashioned than bebop, with Dixieland and ragtime tunes. But then, in the same set, they’ll sound more modern than bebop, with funk or fusion, or something original he wrote last week. • FREE TENNESSEE SHINES: ROBBY HECHT AND CAROLINE SPENCE • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7PM • Across his four indie releases, Knoxville native and Nashville-based singer-songwriter Robby Hecht has distinguished himself as the second coming of James Taylor, a gentler Damien Jurado. WDVX’s Tennessee Shines features local, regional and national touring acts, plus poets and authors from the region. The show is broadcast live on WDVX FM and WDVX.com. • $10 MIKE SNODGRASS • Wild Wing Cafe • 8:30PM • FREE JANGLING SPARROWS • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. Thursday, Nov. 24 GUY MARSHALL • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. Friday, Nov. 25 SCOTT MCMAHON WITH SPARKLE MOTION • WDVX • 12PM • Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-a-week lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • FREE THE BETTER HALVES • Vienna Coffee House (Maryville) • 7PM • FREE JIMMY AND THE JAWBONES • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • FREE BROWNIE’S BLACK FRIDAY BLUES BASH • Relix Variety Theatre • 7PM • A showcase of Knoxville blues, in honor of Brownie McGhee (born November 30, 1915 in Knoxville), featuring The Tommie John Band with special guests Jenna Jefferson, “Blue” Barry Faust, Blair, Matt Coker, Dwight Hardin, Shawn Irwin, Bluegill, Buck Hoffman & Paul McQuade, and more. • $10-$12 FROG AND TOAD’S DIXIE QUARTET • The Crown and Goose • 8PM • FREE THE MATTHEW HICKEY BAND • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 9PM THE T. MICHAEL BRANNER CONCEPTET • The Bistro at the Bijou • 9PM • Live jazz. • FREE THE JAYSTORM PROJECT • Brackins Blues Club (Maryville) • 9PM BIG SMO • Cotton Eyed Joe • 9PM • So says Smo, whose growth as a force in American music cannot be denied. Having topped 50 million views on YouTube, sold more than 450,000 tracks and dominated both the country and rap charts, the charismatic Tennessee-bred artist, outdoorsman and family man draws fans from across all social boundaries. 18 and up. • $10 COUNT BASS D WITH BLACK ATTICUS • Pilot Light • 10PM • 2015 marked two decades since Count Bass D’s debut, Pre-Life Crisis, hit the scene. Since then, the “Rapper With the Most Chords” and “Fender Rhodes Scholar” has augmented his Hip Hop skills as a multi-instrumentalist

by truly mastering the art of sampling as well as the art of intellect. 18 and up. • $7 TEEN SPIRIT • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. EXIT ANNIE • Wild Wing Cafe • 10PM • FREE IF BIRDS COULD FLY • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE DANKSGIVING VII: HEROBUST AND OOKAY • The International • 10PM • Herobust, otherwise known as Hayden Kramer, is an electronic producer from Atlanta, Georgia. 18 and up. • $15-$22 Friday, Nov. 26 JOSEPH PUZEY WITH FAITH WILLIN’ • 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 KATY FREE AND WENDEL WERNER • Red Piano Lounge • 6PM WARD DAVIS • The Shed at Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson (Maryville) • 7PM • $10 CHRIS LONG • Vienna Coffee House (Maryville) • 7PM • FREE ZOE NUTT • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • Raised in Knoxville, and a graduate of the prestigious songwriting school at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, Zoë has a way of quieting a room and hushing those voices in our heads that make it hard to sit and listen, so that all you want to do is hear the next thing she is going to sing. • FREE NOVEMBER 2 REMEMBER • The Open Chord • 7PM • With Indie Lagone, Autumn Reflection, Falling Awake, and Clockwork Asylum. All ages. • $8 SOUTHBOUND • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 9PM MARK BOLING • The Bistro at the Bijou • 9PM • Live jazz. • FREE THE LONESOME COYOTES • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 9PM MAKOTO KAWABATA AND TATSUYA NAKATANI • Pilot Light • 10PM • Kawabata, the founder and leader of Japanese psychedelic adventurers Acid Mothers Temple, joins the acclaimed avant-garde percussionist Nakatani for a winter U.S. tour. Bet on a mind-expanding experience. 18 and up. • $5 ROMAN REESE AND THE CARDINAL SINS • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. BIG COUNTRY’S EMPTY BOTTLE • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE Sunday, Nov. 27 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 BROCKEFELLERS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM KIP BRADLEY AND THE COLQUITT BAND • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up.

OPEN MIC AND SONGWRITER NIGHTS

Thursday, Nov. 17 IRISH MUSIC SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM • Held on the first and third Thursdays of each month. • FREE Sunday, Nov. 20 FAMILY FRIENDLY DRUM CIRCLE • Ijams Nature Center • 3:30PM • Drumming for kids of all ages on the third Sunday of the month. Bring a drum or share one of ours. Bring a blanket or chair. Open to drummers of all ages November 17, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 19

CALENDAR and levels. Free and fun. • FREE OLD-TIME SLOW JAM • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 4PM • A monthly old-time music session, held on the third Sunday of each month. • FREE Tuesday, Nov. 22 PRESERVATION PUB SINGER/SONGWRITER NIGHT • Preservation Pub • 7PM OLD-TIME JAM SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM • The musicians sit together and pick and strum familiar tunes on fiddles, guitars, and bass. Open to all lovers and players of music. No need to build up the courage to join in. Just grab an instrument off the wall and take a seat. Hosted by Sarah Pirkle. • FREE Wednesday, Nov. 23 TIME WARP TEA ROOM OLD-TIME JAM • Time Warp Tea Room • 7PM • Regular speed old-time/fiddle jam every Wednesday. All instruments and skill levels welcome. BRACKINS BLUES JAM • Brackins Blues Club (Maryville) • 9PM • A weekly open session hosted by Tommie John. • FREE

DJ AND DANCE NIGHTS Saturday, Nov. 19

TEMPLE DANCE NIGHT • The Concourse • 9PM • Knoxville’s long-running alternative once night. 18 and up. • $5

Thursday, Nov. 17 - Sunday, Nov. 27

CLASSICAL MUSIC

Thursday, Nov. 17 KSO MASTERWORKS: APPALACHIAN SPRING • Tennessee Theatre • 7:30PM • Join the KSO for fabulous music of Copland and a little ditty on the mandolin. Jeff Midkiff will bring life to the Tennessee Theatre stage with his Mandolin Concerto, “From the Blue Ridge,” plus Copland’s Appalachian Spring. • $13-$83 • See From the Pit on page TK. Friday, Nov. 18 KSO MASTERWORKS: APPALACHIAN SPRING • Tennessee Theatre • 7:30PM • Join the KSO for fabulous music of Copland and a little ditty on the mandolin. Jeff Midkiff will bring life to the Tennessee Theatre stage with his Mandolin Concerto, “From the Blue Ridge,” plus Copland’s Appalachian Spring.• $13-$83 • See From the Pit on page TK. Saturday, Nov. 19 UT CHAMBER ORCHESTRA: ‘THE NUTCRACKER’ • Oak Ridge High School • 8PM • Visit music.utk.edu. Sunday, Nov. 20 UT CHAMBER ORCHESTRA: ‘THE NUTCRACKER’ • Oak Ridge High School • 2PM • Visit music.utk.edu. KNOXVILLE CHORAL SOCIETY: APPALACHIAN TALES AND TUNES • Tennessee Theatre • 6PM • For more information, please visit www.knoxvillechoralsociety.org. • $20 • See Spotlight on page 23. Sunday, Nov. 27 KSO CHAMBER CLASSICS: A CLASSICAL CHRISTMAS • Bijou

Bach or Basie? Your music, your choice.

bursts forth with the rhythm and stomp of the big band sound. Nov. 24-Dec. 11. Visit orplayhouse.com.

Theatre • 2:30PM • The Knoxville Symphony Chamber Orchestra will perform “A Classical Christmas” again this year at the Bijou Theatre just in time to get you and yours in the holiday spirit. This performance, conducted by James Fellenbaum, will feature some favorite holiday selections including Sleigh Ride, O Little Town of Bethlehem, and selections from Handel’s “Messiah,” plus many more. • $13.50-$31.50

Friday, Nov. 25 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘A CHRISTMAS CAROL’ • Clarence Brown Theatre • 7:30PM • Nov. 23-Dec. 11. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. OAK RIDGE PLAYHOUSE: 1940S RADIO HOUR • Oak Ridge Playhouse • 8PM • Nov. 24-Dec. 11. Visit orplayhouse.com. THEATRE KNOXVILLE DOWNTOWN: ‘SEASONAL ALLERGIES’ • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 8PM • Nine out of 10 people have seasonal allergies, but nobody has a case worse than Julia Shelby and her brother Peter. So get ready to laugh away your throat tickle, and clear your sinuses with a healthy dose of holiday fun. Nov. 25-Dec. 11. Visit theatreknoxville.com. • $15

THEATER AND DANCE

Wednesday, Nov. 23 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘A CHRISTMAS CAROL’ • Clarence Brown Theatre • 7:30PM • The tradition continues – anew! With a brand new look and a new adaptation, we return with a classic holiday favorite. Join us as Ebenezer Scrooge gets one last chance for redemption when he sees his past, present, and the possibilities for the future with four persuasive ghosts. Nov. 23-Dec. 11. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com.

Saturday, Nov. 26 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘A CHRISTMAS CAROL’ • Clarence Brown Theatre • 7:30PM • Nov. 23-Dec. 11. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. OAK RIDGE PLAYHOUSE: 1940S RADIO HOUR • Oak Ridge Playhouse • 8PM • Nov. 24-Dec. 11. Visit orplayhouse.com. THEATRE KNOXVILLE DOWNTOWN: ‘SEASONAL ALLERGIES’ • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 8PM • Nov. 25-Dec. 11. Visit theatreknoxville.com. • $15

Thursday, Nov. 24 OAK RIDGE PLAYHOUSE: 1940S RADIO HOUR • Oak Ridge Playhouse • 8PM • Just before Christmas 1942, a seedy little New York radio station—WOV—takes to the air to record a broadcast of The Mutual Manhattan Variety Cavalcade for the troops overseas. As the harassed producer copes with the lead singer who is often drunk, the second banana who dreams of singing a ballad, the sexy chanteuse who drives the men wild, and the delivery boy who just wants to be on the air, the show

Sunday, Nov. 27 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘A CHRISTMAS CAROL’ • Clarence Brown Theatre • 2PM • Nov. 23-Dec. 11. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. THEATRE KNOXVILLE DOWNTOWN: ‘SEASONAL ALLERGIES’ •

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Walk-ins welcome. www.summitmedical.com FIX THIS BASTARD 20

KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 17, 2016

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9/17/16 5:00 PM

Thursday, Nov. 17 - Sunday, Nov. 27

CALENDAR

Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 3PM • Nov. 25-Dec. 11. Visit theatreknoxville.com. • $15

poets, and anyone who wants to share, listen, or both. Held on the fourth Saturday of every month. • FREE

COMEDY AND SPOKEN WORD

FESTIVALS

Thursday, Nov. 17 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

Friday, Nov. 25 REGAL CELEBRATION OF LIGHTS • Krutch Park • 6PM • Lighting of the 42’ tree in Krutch Park Ext. Music, carolers,

train rides, pictures with Santa, face painting, marshmallow roasting and more. Market Street will have children’s craft activities, Home Depot’s Little Elves Workshop, and the opportunity to make cards to send to soldiers with ‘Cards for Heroes’ by the American Red Cross. Kids can enjoy a ride on a miniature train down Gay St. Come enjoy it all, there’s too much to list. Live music by the Blue Line Blues begins at 5:30pm, tree cere-

Friday, Nov. 18 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. Saturday, Nov. 19 SMOKY MOUNTAIN STORYTELLERS • Vienna Coffee House (Maryville) • 7PM • FREE Sunday, Nov. 20 UPSTAIRS UNDERGROUND COMEDY • Preservation Pub • 8PM • A weekly comedy open mic. Visit scruffycity.com. Monday, Nov. 21 ON THE MIC WITH MIKE • Scruffy City Hall • 7PM • Bee Valley Productions and Scruffy City Hall are proud to present an attention-deficit, topsy turvy take on the late-night talk show format. Visit beevalleyproductions. com/comedy/onthemicwithmike. FRIENDLYTOWN • Pilot Light • 7:30PM • A weekly comedy night named after the former red-light district near the Old City. Visit facebook.com/friendlytownknoxville. 18 and up. • FREE Tuesday, Nov. 22 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 OPEN MIC STAND-UP COMEDY • Longbranch Saloon • 8PM • FREE THANKS FOR NOTHING: A COMEDY SHOW • Last Days of Autumn Brewery • 8PM • Open mic followed by the comedy musings of the Borderland Comedy Club and topped off with your co-headliners, local comic and promoter J.C. Ratliff and from New Orleans, Johnny Azari . Show hosted by John Lee Grogan. • FREE Friday, Nov. 25 BILLY WAYNE DAVIS • Central Collective • 7:30PM • Join us for a post-Thanksgiving evening of comedy with Billy Wayne Davis, who’s touring the country to promote the upcoming release of his vinyl album, “Live at Third Man Records.” • $12 Sunday, Nov. 27 UPSTAIRS UNDERGROUND COMEDY • Preservation Pub • 8PM • A weekly comedy open mic. Visit scruffycity.com. POBOYS AND POETS • Big Fatty’s Catering Kitchen • 8PM • Poboys and Poets Knoxville is a spoken-word poetry-based open mic that invites lyricists, songwriters,

ROCK OF AGES: EAST TENNESSEE’S MARBLE INDUSTRY East Tennessee History Center (601 S. Gay St.) • Nov. 19-April 30 • Free-$5 • easttnhistory.com

Over the last few years, “marble” has replaced “scruffy” as the most marketable adjective in Knoxville. There are probably more new businesses and events with “marble” in their names than there have been since the turn of the 20th century. But what exactly does “Marble City” mean? You don’t need to do much more than just walk around downtown to get a sense of how important marble once was to Knoxville’s economy. The Post Office and Federal Building on Main Street and the old Custom House on Market Street—the back of what is now the East Tennessee History Center—are just the two most impressive architectural examples of East Tennessee’s once-proud marble industry. (In South Knoxville, the Charles Barber-designed Candoro Arts and Heritage Center, formerly the headquarters of the Candoro Marble Company, stands as the most notable local marble construction outside of downtown.) During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Knoxville marble was used in landmark buildings across the Southeast, from government buildings in Memphis and Nashville to the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. East Tennessee marble was especially popular in the grand new railroad terminals that appeared up and down the Eastern seaboard in the 19th century. Knoxville became known as “Marble City” in the 1880s or ’90s; businesses that had no specific relation to the industry—bars, banks, haberdasheries—adopted “marble” as part of their name. As the large-scale construction projects of the Gilded Age faded, so did the local marble industry—by the middle of the last century, the remaining marble companies in town were mostly making graveyard monuments. The East Tennessee History Center will celebrate the legacy of the marble industry with a new exhibit of photographs, illustrations, historical documents, and artifacts that opens this weekend and runs through April. An opening reception will be held on Friday, Nov. 18, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. (Matthew Everett)

November 17, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 21

CALENDAR mony begins at 6pm. • FREE

FILM SCREENINGS

Sunday, Nov. 20 NOKNO CINEMATHEQUE: ‘PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES’ • Central Collective • 7PM • A man must struggle to travel home for Thanksgiving with an obnoxious slob of a shower curtain ring salesman as his only companion in John Hughes’ holiday comedy classic starring Steve Martin and John Candy. • FREE Monday, Nov. 21 THE BIRDHOUSE WALK-IN THEATER • The Birdhouse • 8:15PM • A weekly free movie screening. Visit birdhouseknoxville.com. • FREE Sunday, Nov. 27 THE PUBLIC CINEMA: STARLESS DREAMS • Knoxville Museum of Art • 2PM • A haunting portrait of stolen childhood, Starless Dreams plunges us into the lives of seven young teenage girls sharing temporary quarters at a rehabilitation and correction center on the outskirts of Tehran. Visit publiccinema.org. • FREE

SPORTS AND RECREATION Thursday, Nov. 17

KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 17, 2016

Thursday, Nov. 17 - Sunday, Nov. 27

CYCOLOGY BICYCLES THURSDAY MORNING RIDE • Cycology Bicycles • 10AM • Visit cycologybicycles.com. • FREE NORTH KNOXVILLE BEER RUNNERS • Central Flats and Taps • 6PM • FREE FLEET FEET GROUP RUN/WALK • Fleet Feet Sports Knoxville • 6PM • Visit fleetfeetknoxville.com. • FREE RIVER SPORTS GREENWAY RIDE • River Sports Outfitters • 6PM • Visit riversportsoutfitters.com. • FREE Saturday, Nov. 19 SMOKY MOUNTAIN HIKING CLUB: SIX CEMETERIES HIKE • 9AM • This hike visits six cemeteries within the Park. Meet at Comcast on Asheville Hwy, 5720 Asheville Highway, at 7:45 AM for carpool or at Greenbrier Ranger Station at 9:00 am. Note that leaders will not be at the Comcast meeting location, but will meet everyone at Greenbrier. Leaders: Frank March, frankamarch@gmail. com and Robert Lochbaum, relochbaum@comcast.net. • FREE SECRET CITY HALF MARATHON AND 5K • Melton Lake Park • 8AM • Oak Ridge, a bustling city created virtually overnight in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, was shrouded in secrecy for most of the 20th century; only appearing on maps in the mid-1960’s. Today, Oak Ridge is on the map as a thriving city rich in cultural and recreational opportunities not to mention the cutting edge science and technology research for which the city is internationally known. Come to Oak Ridge and experience for yourself a one-of-a-kind Tennessee half-marathon and 5K event.

Sunday, Nov. 20 HUMANA 5K • World’s Fair Park • 2PM • Come rock a free 5K—Humana and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series have teamed up to create a 5K Tune Up Run Series this fall that is 100 percent free. Each race will include all the things you love about Rock ‘n’ Roll: bling, music, and loads of fun. Great things are ahead of you when your health is ready for them and Humana encourages you to #StartWithHealthy by running or walking a 5K. Visit runrocknroll.com/humana/humana-knoxville-5k/. • FREE Monday, Nov. 21 KTC GROUP RUN • Mellow Mushroom • 6PM • Join Knoxville Track Club every Monday evening for a group run starting at the Mellow Mushroom on the Cumberland Avenue strip on the University of Tennessee campus. Visit ktc.org. • FREE TVB MONDAY NIGHT ROAD RIDE • Tennessee Valley Bikes • 6PM • The soon to be famous Monday night road ride happens every Monday. We usually split into two groups according to speed. Both groups are no-drop groups. The faster group averages over 17 mph and the B group averages around 14 mph. • FREE BEARDEN BEER MARKET FUN RUN • Bearden Beer Market • 6:30PM • Come run with us. Every Monday year round we do a group fun run through the neighborhood. Open to all levels of walkers and runners. Everyone who participates earns $1 off their beer. Visit beardenbeermarket.com. • FREE Tuesday, Nov. 22 CYCOLOGY BICYCLES TUESDAY MORNING RIDE • Cycology

Bicycles • 9AM and 10:30AM • Join Cycology Bicycles every Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. and 10:30 am for a road ride with two group options. Weather permitting. Visit 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 Wednesday, Nov. 23 FLEET FEET WEDNESDAY LUNCH BREAK RUN • Fleet Feet Sports Knoxville • 12PM • Join us every Wednesday at for our lunch break run. All levels welcome. We’ll run 30-60 minutes. Visit fleetfeetknoxville.com. • FREE KTC GROUP RUN • Runner’s Market • 5:30PM • If you are visiting Knoxville, new to town, new to the club, or just looking to get more involved, this is the place to start. A festive and relaxed group get-together occurs every Wednesday afternoon at 5:30 p.m. at Runners Market. Visit ktc.org. • FREE TVB EASY RIDER MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDE • Ijams Nature Center • 6PM • On Wednesday nights we hit the local trails for an easy-paced mountain bike ride. Riders of all skill levels are welcome, and if you would like to demo a mountain bike from our shop this is a great opportunity to do so. Call 865-540-9979 or visit tnvalleybikes.com. • FREE Thursday, Nov. 24 HOT TO TROT 5K/10K/FUN RUN • Fleet Feet Sports Knoxville • 7:30AM • The Hot to Trot 5k, 10k and Fun Run are great ways to start your Thanksgiving Day. The 5K course starts on Parkside Drive in front of Fleet Feet

Thursday, Nov. 17 - Sunday, Nov. 27

Sports and runs through Turkey Creek area then loops back. The 10K course is a 2 loop course. The Fun Run is out and back on Parkside Drive total of one mile. • $20-$30 CYCOLOGY BICYCLES THURSDAY MORNING RIDE • Cycology Bicycles • 10AM • Join Cycology Bicycles every Thursday morning for a road ride with two group options. A Group does a two- to three-hour ride at 20-plus mph pace; B group does an intermediate ride at 15-18 mph. Weather permitting. Visit cycologybicycles.com. • FREE RIVER SPORTS GREENWAY RIDE • River Sports Outfitters • 6PM • Join us every Thursday night from 6-8 to ride the greenway with our bike shop staff. Riding is free, and bikes are available to rent for $10. Test out our bikes or bring your own and then enjoy a cold $2 pint back at our store afterwards. Visit riversportsoutfitters.com. • FREE KTC TURKEY TROT 5K AND LITTLE GOBBLER RUN • Downtown Knoxville • 8AM • Knoxville Track Club’s annual Thanksgiving Day race starts on Depot Avenue and tours downtown Knoxville. Visit ktc.org. Friday, Nov. 25 SMOKY MOUNTAIN HIKING CLUB: DADDY’S CREEK/CRAB ORCHARD • 9AM • You should forego the shopping crowds and join us as we hike the moderate 8-mile Daddy’s Creek/Crab Orchard section of the Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Scenic Trail State Park. Be prepared to leave Midtown Lowes parking lot at I-40 Exit 350 at 8:30 am or the Marathon gas station in Crab Orchard at I-40 Exit 329 at 9 AM. Leaders: Betty Glenn, glennbj@roanestate.edu and Diane Petrilla, petrillad@ gmail.com. For info on the Cumberland trail, visit www. cumberlandtrail.org. • FREE

CALENDAR

NOV. 4-26: States of Matter, pottery by Lisa Kurtz and paintings by Ginger Oglesby. Visit thedistrictgallery.com. Downtown Gallery 106 S. Gay St. NOV. 4-23: Guts Coming and Going, new video, sculpture, and installation work by Jessica Ann. Visit downtown.utk. edu. East Tennessee History Center 601 S. Gay St. NOV. 19-APRIL 30: Rock of Ages: East Tennessee’s Marble Industry. Visit easttnhistory.org. • See Spotlight on page 21. Emporium Center for Arts and Culture 100 S. Gay St. NOV 4-23: The Variety and Beauty of Friends, a group show featuring artwork by Mike C. Berry, Steve Bryan, Tina Curry, Eun-Sook Kim, Cynthia Markert, and Ericka Ryba; fiber artwork by Eun-Sook Kim; Here, There, and Beyond, photos by Marta Goebel-Pietrasz; photography by Brian R. McDaniel; and artwork by Marty Elmer. Visit knoxalliance.com.

Ewing Gallery 1715 Volunteer Boulevard NOV. 7-DEC. 11: The View Out His Window [and in his mind’s eye]: Photographs by Jeffrey Becton and The Lure of Main: Work by Carl Sublett and Holly Stevens. Visit ewing-gallery.utk.edu. Knoxville Museum of Art 1050 World’s Fair Park Drive NOV. 25-JAN. 8: East Tennessee Regional Student Art Competition. 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. McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture 1327 Circle Park Drive SEPT. 17-JAN. 8: Knoxville Unearthed: Archaeology in the Heart of the Valley. ONGOING: The Flora and Fauna of Catesby, Mason, and Audubon and Life on the Roman Frontier. Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike (Oak Ridge)

ART

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts 556 Parkway (Gatlinburg) OCT. 20-DEC. 13: Pigment of Our Imagination, mixed-media jewelry by Sam Mitchell and Aric Verrastro. NOV. 14-JAN. 14: Piecing Together a Changing Planet, a juried exhibition of 25 quilts highlighting climate change in America’s national parks. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, Nov. 17, from 6-8 p.m. Visit arrowmont.org. Art Market Gallery 422 S. Gay St. NOV. 1-DEC. 2 : Paintings by George Rothery and jewelry by Jenifer Lindsey. Visit artmarketgallery.net. Bennett Galleries 6308 Kingston Pike NOV. 4-26: Nothing Is Ordinary, paintings by Christine Patterson. Visit bennettgalleries.com. Broadway Studios and Gallery 1127 N. Broadway NOV. 4-26: Hope and Intuition, paintings by Jessica Payne and fiber art by Bailey Earith. Visit broadwaystudioandgalleries.com. Carson-Newman University Omega Gallery 1646 Russell Ave. (Jefferson City) OCT. 29-NOV. 30: Here and There, recent photos by Andrew Gresham. Visit cn.edu. The District Gallery 5113 Kingston Pike

KNOXVILLE CHORAL SOCIETY: APPALACHIAN TALES AND TUNES Tennessee Theatre (604 S. Gay St.) • Sunday, Nov. 20 • 6 p.m. • $20 • knoxvillechoralsociety.com

In the memorable guitar/banjo picking scene in the 1972 film Deliverance, filmmaker John Boorman brilliantly illustrated the confrontation of cultures in Appalachia, suggesting that music was perhaps the only real means of communication between the traditional and modern. Cultural communication remains hard to come by. However, Knoxville’s own music scene is a glowing testament that Appalachian roots music is alive and has gravity. Yet the historical and practical context of it is often hazy, blurred by modern life, existing only in the abstract for both urban and rural folks. To that end, the Knoxville Choral Society’s fall concert event seeks to find the underlying context in a program that interweaves choral and bluegrass music with storytelling. The concert is divided into three parts: “Life in the Mountains,” “Faith of the People,” and “Saturday Night Hoe-Down.” Among the many musical numbers are Stephen Foster’s “Nelly Bly” and some arrangements by John Rutter and Mack Wilberg, such as “Sourwood Mountain,” “Old Joe Clark,” and “Cindy.” Also on the bill is “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” by Dolly Parton. Joining the Knoxville Choral Society on stage will be the Trinity Boys, a Knoxville bluegrass band that will accompany the chorus on a few numbers and perform a set of their own. The “music of language” is also woven throughout the concert with notable storytellers Bill Landry and Charles Maynard there to make sense of it all. (Alan Sherrod)

November 17, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 23

CALENDAR NOV. 6-30: Artwork by Gary Dagnan. Visit oucc.org. Pioneer House 413 S. Gay St. NOV. 4-DEC. 31: Folk art, clothing, Nativa American artifacts, and more from the personal collection of Marty Stuart. Visit pioneer-house.com. Striped Light 107 Bearden Place NOV. 4-18: Amity, photos by Asafe Pereira. Visit stripedlight.com. Westminster Presbyterian Church Schilling Gallery 6500 Northshore Drive NOV. 8-JAN. 2: Paintings by Rebecca Mullen. Visit wpcknox.org.

FAMILY AND KIDS’ EVENTS

Thursday, Nov. 17 LITTLE LEARNERS • Blount County Public Library • 10:30AM • Recommended for ages 3-5. Interactive sessions focus on language acquisition and pre-literacy skills incorporating stories, music, motion, play, crafts and more. Visit blountlibrary.org. • FREE CHESS AT THE LIBRARY • Blount County Public Library •

Thursday, Nov. 17 - Sunday, Nov. 27

1PM • For middle and high school students, with coach Tom Jobe. Visit blountlibrary.org. • FREE LEGO CLUB • Blount County Public Library • 4PM • Visit blountlibrary.org. • FREE Saturday, Nov. 19 B.R.A.K.E.S. TEEN DEFENSIVE DRIVING PROGRAM • Chilhowee Park • 8AM • B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe), a non-profit offering free defensive driver training to teens and their parents, announced its scheduled visit to Chilhowee Park, Tennessee, November 19-20. B.R.A.K.E.S. classes are four hours, beginning with a classroom session followed by behind-the-wheel driving exercises including panic braking, crash avoidance and car control, and distracted driving avoidance, all free of charge and taught by professional instructors. Visit putonthebrakes.org. • FREE CHESS AT THE LIBRARY • Blount County Public Library • 10AM • For middle and high school students, with coach Tom Jobe. Visit blountlibrary.org. • FREE BLOUNT COUNTY NERD GROUP • Blount County Public Library • 3PM • Visit blountlibrary.org. • FREE S.T.E.A.M. KIDS • Blount County Public Library • 4PM • For grades K-5. Every week will be a different adventure, from science experiments to art projects and everything in between. Visit blountlibrary.org. • FREE JULIE SALAMON • Cedar Bluff Branch Library • 1PM • Julie Salamon, an American journalist and New York Times best-selling author, is the guest speaker for Jewish Book Month, an annual program sponsored by

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11/17/16 Foosball REGISTRATION starts at 5 p.m. each night. COMPETITION begins at 6:30 p.m.

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SIX WEEKS of FUN and

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12/01/16 Pinball

$10 entry fee for each event also gets you a raffle ticket. PLAY ONE, OR PLAY ’EM ALL! Each week is a mini-tourney to determine who squares off in the Championship event. A portion of the beverage sales will also benefit WUTK each night.

Streaming 24.7.365 at WUTKRADIO.COM KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 17, 2016

Sunday, Nov. 20 B.R.A.K.E.S. TEEN DEFENSIVE DRIVING PROGRAM • Chilhowee Park • 8AM and 1PM • B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe), a non-profit offering free defensive driver training to teens and their parents, announced its scheduled visit to Chilhowee Park, Tennessee, November 19-20. B.R.A.K.E.S. classes are four hours, beginning with a classroom session followed by behind-the-wheel driving exercises including panic braking, crash avoidance and car control, and distracted driving avoidance, all free of charge and taught by professional instructors. Visit putonthebrakes.org. • FREE Tuesday, Nov. 22 LITTLE LEARNERS • Blount County Public Library • 10:30AM

• Recommended for ages 3-5. Interactive sessions focus on language acquisition and pre-literacy skills incorporating stories, music, motion, play, crafts and more. Visit blountlibrary.org. • FREE DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS • Blount County Public Library • 5:30PM • Recommended for ages 10 and up but any age may join in the fun of this tabletop role-playing game by learning about the game and sharing your love of fantasy. Visit blountlibrary.org. • FREE Wednesday, Nov. 23 BABY AND ME • Blount County Public Library • 10:30AM • Recommended for ages 2 and under. These lapsit sessions for baby and caregiver feature short stories, action rhymes, music and pre-literacy tips and tricks for caregivers. Visit blountlibrary.org. • FREE Saturday, Nov. 26 CHESS AT THE LIBRARY • Blount County Public Library • 10AM • For middle and high school students, with coach Tom Jobe. Visit blountlibrary.org. • FREE BLOUNT COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY FAMILY STORYTIME • Blount County Public Library • 10:30AM • Recommended for ages 5 and under. Bring the whole family out for stories, songs, movement and activities that are fun for all ages and that help encourage important early literacy skills. • FREE BLOUNT COUNTY NERD GROUP • Blount County Public Library • 3PM • Starting this summer, students can learn the basic principles of computer programming, also known as coding. By participating in the newly-formed Blount County Nerd Group, students seventh grade and up

Your Downtown Experience Begins Here

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COOL RAFFLE PRIZES EACH NIGHT FOR PARTICIPANTS!

the Knoxville Jewish Alliance. For more information, please contact Deborah Oleshansky at (865) 690-6343 or doleshansky@jewishknoxville.org. For author biography and information: http://juliesalamon.com/. • FREE KNOX LIT EXCHANGE • Central Collective • 11:30AM • The Knoxville Literary Exchange is a free, monthly poetry and prose writing workshop open to high school age students. The workshop will focus on giving students the opportunity to engage in writing, share their writing, and receive encouraging feedback--all in a supportive, safe space. The Knoxville Literary Exchange meets every third Saturday in the fall (September, October, November, and December) and spring (February, March, April, May). For further information, please contact organizer Liam Hysjulien at KnoxLitExchange@gmail.com. • FREE

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CALENDAR can learn skills such as making simple games, developing professional websites and creating mobile apps. Visit blountlibrary.org. • FREE S.T.E.A.M. KIDS • Blount County Public Library • 4PM • For grades K-5. Every week will be a different adventure, from science experiments to art projects and everything in between. Visit blountlibrary.org. • FREE

LECTURES, READINGS, AND BOOK SIGNINGS

Thursday, Nov. 17 ZHAO MA: “FOREST MANAGEMENT WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE” • Howard H. Baker Center for Public Policy • 1PM • Ma is an associate professor of forestry and natural resources at Purdue University. • FREE PECHA KUCHA NIGHT KNOXVILLE VOL. 21 • The Mill and Mine • 6:30PM • PechaKucha 20x20 is a simple presentation format where you show 20 images, each for 20 seconds. Visit PechaKucha.org/cities/knoxville. • FREE Friday, Nov. 18 UT SCIENCE FORUM • Thompson-Boling Arena • 12PM • The University of Tennessee Science Forum offers a weekly lecture on current science, medical, or technology developments. Visit scienceforum.utk.edu. • FREE Sunday, Nov. 20 JULIE SALAMON • Arnstein Jewish Community Center • 3PM • Julie Salamon, an American journalist and New York Times best-selling author, will discuss her books and the craft of writing as part of Jewish Book Month, an annual program of the Knoxville Jewish Alliance, which celebrates Jewish authors who write on a variety of topics. The program is free and open to the community. For more information, please contact Deborah Oleshansky at (865) 690-6343 or doleshansky@jewishknoxville.org. For author biography and information: http://juliesalamon. com/. • FREE Wednesday, Nov. 23 BOOKS SANDWICHED IN • East Tennessee History Center • 12PM • The Friends of the Knox County Public Library’s monthly reading series this fall includes Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett leading a discussion on I Heard You Paint Houses: Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran and the Inside Story of the Mafia, the Teamsters, and the Last Ride of Jimmy Hoffa, by Charles Brandt (Oct. 19); Vrondelia Chandler of Project Grad and Jackie Clay of the Save Our Sons initiative on Rac(e)ing to Class: Confronting Poverty and Race in Schools and Classrooms, by H. Richard Milner IV and Tyrone Howard (Oct. 26); UT journalism professor Stuart Brotman on Free Speech: Ten Principles for a Connected World, by Timothy Garton Ash (Nov. 16); and Patricia Robledo, business liaison for the city of Knoxville, on The Book of Unknown Americans, by Cristina Henriquez (Dec. 7). • FREE Sunday, Nov. 27 BIRDHOUSE SUNDAY DINNER POTLUCK AND PRESENTATION • The Birdhouse • 6PM • Every month, the Birdhouse hosts a Sunday dinner program. It begins with a potluck dinner, followed by a speaker and presentation on a wide range of timely topics. Sunday dinner is always free and open to the public. Please bring a dish to share—but if you are for some reason unable to contribute food, please just bring yourself, and share in our feast. Children are especially welcome here. • FREE

CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS

Thursday, Nov. 17 AARP DRIVER SAFETY SMART DRIVER CLASS • John T. O’Connor Senior Center • 12PM • Call 865-382-5822. GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Balanced You Studios • 12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail. com. Donations accepted. PORTRAIT AND LIFE DRAWING SESSIONS • Historic Candoro Marble Company • 12:30PM • Portrait and life drawing practice at Candoro Art and Heritage Center. $10. Call Brad Selph for more information (865-573-0709). • $10 CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY: KNIT YOUR WAY TO WELLNESS • Cancer Support Community • 1PM • Whether you are a novice knitter or an old pro, you are invited to bring your own project or join others in learning a new one. Special attention will be provided to beginners interested in learning how to knit and experience the meditative quality of knitting. Supplies provided. Call 865-546-4661. All Cancer Support Community programs are offered at no cost to individuals affected by cancer. KNOXVILLE CAPOEIRA CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 6PM • Visit knoxvillecapoeira.org. • $10 KNOXVILLE PERSONAL TRAINING PILATES • Beaver Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church • 6:30PM • Every Tuesday and Thursday. First class is free. Call (865) 622-3103 or visit knoxvillepersonaltraining.com. • $4 ADULT COLORING SESSIONS • Blount County Public Library • 7PM • Remember the carefree joy of picking up your favorite crayon or marker and adding color to a beautiful picture? Experience the same fun and relaxation even though you are now an adult. For this program, sponsored by the Blount County Friends of the Library and coordinated by Jennifer Spirko, participants 16 and older can bring their own coloring books and materials or select from a variety of intricate adult coloring pages and utilize coloring supplies provided at the library. Held on the third Thursday of every month. • FREE BEGINNING ACROYOGA • Breezeway Yoga Studio • 7:30PM • This beginner level class is for those either brand new to AcroYoga or just starting out. Each class explores the foundations of the AcroYoga practice. • $15 BELLY DANCE LEVELS 1 AND 2 • Knox Dance Worx • 8PM • Call (865) 898-2126 or email alexia@alexia-dance.com. • $12 Saturday, Nov. 19 YOGA AT NARROW RIDGE • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 9:30AM • For information call 865-497-2753 or email community@narrowridge.org. • FREE CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY: MINDFULNESS IN EVERYDAY LIFE • Cancer Support Community • 10AM • Call 865-546-4661 for more info. All Cancer Support Community programs are offered at no cost to individuals affected by cancer. Sunday, Nov. 20 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE BALLET BARRE CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 1PM • Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE OPEN LEVEL MODERN TECHNIQUE CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 2PM • Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE IMPROVISATION CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 3:30PM • Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 ACROYOGA FOUNDATIONS CLASS • Dragonfly Aerial Arts November 17, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 25

CALENDAR Studio • 5:30PM • Visit acroknox.com. • $5 Monday, Nov. 21 RESTORATIVE YOGA • St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral • 5PM • Performance Training, Inc. offers yoga to St. John’s members and friends. This class is offered at a slower pace for those who want to learn to relax. It will focus on the restorative aspects of stretching and yoga. Participants can expect to learn about proper breathing and body posture as well as basic mindfulness practices. All ages and backgrounds are welcome to join. For more information or to reserve your spot, email sjc@ performancetraininginc.com. BEGINNER MODERN BELLY DANCE • Broadway Academy of Performing Arts • 6PM • Tribal fusion belly dance is a modern blend of traditional belly dance infused with hip-hop, modern dance, and more to create a new, unique dance form. Each class will include an invigorating warm-up designed to increase flexibility and strength followed by an overview of posture, isolations, and basic footwork. At the end of class we put the moves together in a fun and simple combination. No dance experience is necessary. • $13 KNOXVILLE PERSONAL TRAINING BOOT CAMP • Beaver Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church • 6:30PM • First class is free. Call (865) 622-3103 or visit knoxvillepersonaltraining.com. • $15 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Balanced You Studios • 7PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail. com. Donations accepted. BEGINNING CHEN-STYLE TAI CHI • Breezeway Yoga Studio •

KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 17, 2016

Thursday, Nov. 17 - Sunday, Nov. 27

8:15PM • An eight-week introductory-level training with Shifu Russell Sauls in the original form of Tai Chi. Chen style is significantly more dynamic than most other styles while expressing the mindful, fluid movement for which Tai Chi is famous. No experience necessary for this beginners’ series. Begins Monday, Oct. 10. $120 for the eight-week series. Visit breezewayyoga.com or email russellsauls@gmail.com for more info • $120 Tuesday, Nov. 22 OPEN PROFESSIONAL-LEVEL CONTEMPORARY DANCE CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 9:30AM • Taught by Harper Addison. First class is free. Class is designed to develop a well-rounded set of technical skills as well as encourage individual artistic expression. Her movement style and choreography highlight dynamic quality changes, level changes, and movement through space. • $10 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Balanced You Studios • 12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail. com. Donations accepted. TURKEY TROT YOGA • Central Collective • 5:30PM • This will be a fun, fast paced, Vinyasa style class that will help you to make room for gratitude and that extra slice of pie. Turkey Trot yoga is accessible for all levels of practice as modifications will be shown and yoga props will be available. Space is limited to 10. • $12 KNOXVILLE CAPOEIRA CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 6PM • Capoeira originated in Brazil and is a dynamic expression of Afro-Brazilian culture. It is an art form that encompasses martial arts, dance, and acrobatic

movements as well as its own philosophy, history, culture, music, and songs. Visit capoeiraknoxville.org. • $10 KNOXVILLE PERSONAL TRAINING PILATES • Beaver Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church • 6:30PM • Every Tuesday and Thursday. First class is free. Call (865) 622-3103 or visit knoxvillepersonaltraining.com. • $4 Wednesday, Nov. 23 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED MODERN TECHNIQUE CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 6PM • A rotation of core members and guest artists of Circle Modern Dance teach this class. They present a variety of modern and contemporary styles, including Bartenieff and release-based techniques. This class is primarily designed for students with a basic knowledge of modern dance technique and vocabulary, but is open to any mover who is willing to be challenged. Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 BEGINNER MODERN BELLY DANCE • Broadway Academy of Performing Arts • 6PM • Tribal fusion belly dance is a modern blend of traditional belly dance infused with hip-hop, modern dance, and more to create a new, unique dance form. Each class will include an invigorating warm-up designed to increase flexibility and strength followed by an overview of posture, isolations, and basic footwork. At the end of class we put the moves together in a fun and simple combination. No dance experience is necessary. • $13 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE OPEN LEVEL BALLET CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 7:30PM • This is a basic ballet class open to students of all levels of

experience and ability. Students will learn new steps, build coordination and flexibility, and learn choreography. Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 CLIMBING FUNDAMENTALS • River Sports Outfitters • 6PM • Come learn the basics of climbing every first and third Wednesday of the month. Space is limited so call 865-673-4687 to reserve your spot now. Class fee $20. Visit riversportsoutfitters.com/events. • $20 Thursday, Nov. 24 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Balanced You Studios • 12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail. com. Donations accepted. Saturday, Nov. 26 YOGA AT NARROW RIDGE • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 9:30AM • Narrow Ridge invites you to join us every Saturday morning for yoga instruction from Angela Gibson. This class can be tailored to each individual’s ability level. F or information call 865-497-2753 or email community@narrowridge.org. • FREE Sunday, Nov. 27 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE BALLET BARRE CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 1PM • This open-level barre class is designed to help students build and maintain strength, flexibility, and coordination for ballet technique. This is a great class for beginning and experienced students alike. Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE OPEN LEVEL MODERN TECHNIQUE CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 2PM • This class is open to all. Teachers cover basic technique

Thursday, Nov. 17 - Sunday, Nov. 27

and vocabulary for modern and contemporary dance. The class includes floor and standing work to build proficiency in alignment, balance, initiation and articulation of movement, weight shift, elevation and landing, and fall and recovery. Instruction is adjusted to meet the experience and ability of those in attendance. Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE IMPROVISATION CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 3:30PM • Our improv classes offer an introduction to dance improvisation as a movement practice, performance technique, and a tool for creating choreography. Class involves both structured and free improvisations aimed at developing creativity, spontaneous decision-making, freedom of movement, and confidence in performance. No dance experience is necessary—only the desire to move. Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 ACROYOGA FOUNDATIONS CLASS • Dragonfly Aerial Arts Studio • 5:30PM • Visit acroknox.com. • $5

MEETINGS

Thursday, Nov. 17 CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT GROUP • Cancer Support Community • 4:30PM • Call 865-546-4661 for more info. All Cancer Support Community programs are offered at no cost to individuals affected by cancer. ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS/DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILIES • The Birdhouse • 6PM • Contact Laura at 706-621-2238 or lamohendricksll@gmail.com for more information or visit the international ACA website at adultchildren.org. • FREE AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 6PM • Visit farragutalanon.org or email FindHope@Farragutalanon. org. • FREE BLACK LIVES MATTER • The Birdhouse • 7:30PM • #BlackLivesMatter is working for a world where Black lives are no longer systematically and intentionally targeted for demise. Visit blacklivesmatterknoxville.org. • FREE Saturday, Nov. 19 AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 11AM • Visit farragutalanon.org or email FindHope@Farragutalanon. org. • FREE NARROW RIDGE SILENT MEDITATION GATHERING • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 11AM • For information call 865-497-2753 or email community@narrowridge.org. • FREE Sunday, Nov. 20 RATIONALISTS OF EAST TENNESSEE • Pellissippi State Community College • 10:30AM • Visit rationalists.org. • FREE SMOKY MOUNTAIN CISV FUN DAY • Central United Methodist Church • 3PM • CISV educates and inspires action for a more just and peaceful world. Come learn more about CISV at our Fun Day. Join us for food, games, and more on our educational, volunteer, and travel opportunities. Contact smokymtncisv@gmail.com or visit www.smokymtncisv.org for more information. • FREE AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 5PM • Visit farragutalanon.org or email FindHope@Farragutalanon. org. • FREE Monday, Nov. 21 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.

CALENDAR

Tuesday, Nov. 22 ATHEISTS SOCIETY OF KNOXVILLE • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 5:30PM • Weekly atheists meetup and happy hour. Come join us for food, drink and great conversation. Everyone welcome. • FREE DER GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS STAMMTISCH • Los Amigos • 6PM • A weekly gathering for Germans and anyone interested in German culture and the German language. • FREE AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 7PM • Visit farragutalanon.org or email FindHope@Farragutalanon. org. • FREE THREE RIVERS! EARTH FIRST! • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM • Call (865) 257-4029 for more information. • FREE Wednesday, Nov. 23 KNOXVILLE WRITERS’ GROUP • Naples Italian Restaurant • 11AM • Guest speakers read from and discuss their work. All-inclusive lunch is $12.00. RSVP to 865-983-3740. AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 11AM • Visit farragutalanon.org or email FindHope@Farragutalanon. org. • FREE Thursday, Nov. 24 ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS/DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILIES • The Birdhouse • 6PM • Contact Laura at 706-621-2238 or lamohendricksll@gmail.com for more information or visit the international ACA website at adultchildren.org. • FREE AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 6PM • Visit farragutalanon.org or email FindHope@Farragutalanon. org. • FREE Saturday, Nov. 26 AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 11AM • Visit farragutalanon.org or email FindHope@Farragutalanon. org. • FREE NARROW RIDGE SILENT MEDITATION GATHERING • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 11AM • For information call 865-497-2753 or email community@narrowridge.org. • FREE Sunday, Nov. 27 SUNDAY ASSEMBLY • The Concourse • 10:30AM • To find out more, visit knoxville-tn.sundayassembly.com or email saknoxville.info@gmail.com. • FREE AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 5PM • Visit farragutalanon.org or email FindHope@Farragutalanon.org. • FREE

trying new things & meeting new people. Unless otherwise noted, these events are not programmed for children. Visit thecentralcollective.com. • $20 NATIONAL PHILANTHROPY DAY AWARDS LUNCHEON • Knoxville Marriott • 8AM • The centerpiece of the Great Smoky Mountain Chapter’s celebration of National Philanthropy Day is a luncheon honoring our area’s top philanthropists, volunteers and professionals, including the 2016 Legacy Award Winner Sharon Pryse. • $20-$35 FOOTHILLS CRAFT GUILD ANNUAL FINE CRAFT SHOW • Chilhowee Park • 10AM • Nov. 18-20. Visit foothillscraftguild.org. • $8 Saturday, Nov. 19 MARKET SQUARE FARMERS’ MARKET • Market Square • 9AM • The MSFM, a project of Nourish Knoxville, is an open-air farmers’ market located on historic Market Square in the heart of downtown Knoxville. Visit marketsquarefarmersmarket.org. • FREE FOOTHILLS CRAFT GUILD ANNUAL FINE CRAFT SHOW • Chilhowee Park • 10AM • Nov. 18-20. Visit foothillscraftguild.org. • $8 Sunday, Nov. 20 FOOTHILLS CRAFT GUILD ANNUAL FINE CRAFT SHOW • Chilhowee Park • 10AM • Nov. 18-20. Visit foothillscraftguild.org. • $8 Tuesday, Nov. 22 ACA ENROLLMENT • South Knoxville Community Center • 3PM • Navigators from Cherokee Health System will assist with ACA enrollment. • FREE Wednesday, Nov. 23 CAPITOL CHRISTMAS TREE • Downtown Knoxville • 4PM • For more than 50 years, a Christmas tree has graced the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol for the holiday season. The Payette National Forest, in partnership with nonprofit Choose Outdoors, will bring this special gift from Idaho to Washington, D.C. for the 2016 season, involving more than 25 communities along the way, including an appearance in Knoxville on November 23rd 4pm - 7pm on the Clinch Avenue Viaduct. • FREE

Send your events to calendar@knoxmercury.com

ETC.

Thursday, Nov. 17 THE SPINS • The Open Chord • 8PM • Vinyl Me, Please presents a monthly record night with giveaways, a preview of a newly released record, and live music performances. Visit openshordmusic.com. • FREE Friday, Nov. 18 LAKESHORE PARK FARMERS MARKET • Lakeshore Park • 2PM • Offering a wide variety of hand-picked produce, artisan breads, grass-fed beef, natural pork and chicken, farm fresh eggs and farm-based crafts. • FREE GOOD SPORT NIGHT • Central Collective • 7PM • 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. Past events have included: a live studio game show, an egg drop competition, a garden party in a castle, and a walking tour of North Knoxville. These are events for folks who are curious, adventurous, and like November 17, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 27

’BYE

Sacred & P rofane

My Life as a Brunette A change of hair color does not go as planned BY DONNA JOHNSON

n the midst of a despairing moment, I died my hair black. Whether this was an attempt to look younger or to try on an identity that was less worn from the consequences of my impulse-driven life, the result was a disaster. A complete and utter disaster. If I looked merely tired and worn with blond hair, then with black hair I could pass for the walking dead. Upon seeing me walk out of the bathroom with my new hair, my dog, Mallory, began circling me, growling and barking as though I were a complete stranger. When I looked at my reflection in the mirror, I inadvertently cried out in alarm, as though I had let a murderer into the house. As if that were not enough, I had done a poor job of coloring, leaving the whole bottom of my hair blond, so that it looked like I was wearing a huge acorn helmet. Walking over to Mallory, who now cringed against the wall in fear, I said, “It’s me, Mallory. It’s Mom,” though to be honest, I wasn’t sure if it was really me or the freakish person I looked to be in my new hair. Finally, I scooped up a reluctant Mallory and we sat rocking next to the window, thinking about things as they were, as they are, and as they will be—or if there is any difference between these three states of being. “Hair really shouldn’t be that important, should it, Mallory?” I asked. But it wasn’t just that my hair was a different color—it also couldn’t have been less compatible with my fair skin. Before, with blond hair, I looked wide-eyed and deceptively innocent; with dark hair I looked positively evil and ghoulish. So I began formulating solutions. I got on the KAT bus to visit my friend at Westview Towers. Maybe he would lend me money to get more hair dye so that I could just make my hair blond again. That would be the simplest

KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 17, 2016

solution. On his way down Kingston Pike, the bus driver stopped so he could get some doughnuts. Since I was starving, I got off and went into the store, too. Counting out my change, I showed my 75 cents to the cashier and asked, “Is there anything I can get with this?” She shook her head and said, “No, you cannot get anything with that.” Then she smiled at me, as though she were happy about the fact that I could not even afford to buy one doughnut. “Well, thanks anyway,” I stammered, and made my way out of the store, head down. Life can be humbling. As our journey resumed, I tried to think of some advantages to having black hair, i.e., looking like someone completely other than myself. One: No one I owed money to would be able to recognize me, so I could walk the streets unashamed and unfettered until I had the money to pay them back. Two: I could finally prove or disprove the question “Do blondes have more fun?” Thus far I was feeling like blondes definitely have more fun. As a brunette, I was seriously suffering from the need of an image overhaul. Once at my friend David’s apartment building, I trudged up the stairs and knocked on his door. Opening the door, he shrieked when he saw me. “What have you done to yourself now?” he asked, all tact and compassion. “You look awful. Really awful.” I walked over to his bed, above which an enormous poster of the Buddha hangs. Clearly my friend hadn’t gotten the message yet. “It’s not really that bad, is it?” I asked. “Oh, it is,” he said, patting me on the shoulder, his token gesture of Buddhist compassion. “It really is, and you’ve got to do something now.” I looked out the window and lit a

cigarette. “Put that out,” he said in alarm. “You know they have that smoking ban on here.” I lit the cigarette anyway and went into the bathroom to smoke it. “I was wondering if I could borrow $20 so that I could get some more hair color,” I called out to him. “I can pay you back in two days.” “I’m sorry,” he replied. “I’ve only got $20 left and I’ve got to buy gin, but you’re welcome to have all of that you want.” “To drink or to pour on my hair?” I asked. We drank it for a time and watched the sun go down in all its glorious colors of red, orange, and lavender. “Look at that!” we exclaimed in unison, then looked at each other and smiled. I went to the mirror on the wall next to the window and gasped with pleasure. “Look, David,” I said, and he looked at me. In the reflection of the

BY IAN BLACKBURN AND JACK NEELY

mirror, my hair was aflame with color. Deep auburn, palest gold, a sliver of purple. But the most amazing thing was that my face changed in the light from young to old and back again. While the light was gold, I might have been a child of 10 riding my bicycle down the streets of my youth; in the deep purple light, I might have been an elderly sage, holding all the secrets of the universe; in another light, my face seemed to disappear. “It’s a miracle,” David said. “It is,” I agreed. He went over and poured us more gin and tonics, which we drank out of pink plastic cups. “What shall we drink to?” he asked. “To all the love there is in the universe,” I said. And this we did, clinking our glasses together in celebration for all that was, that is, and will be. As if there is any difference. ◆

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 17, 2016

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY 31

Clay County, Kentucky, did not have clean drinking water. But it did have a group of engineering, nursing, and architecture students from the University of Tennessee, who found a solution. Meet Volunteers who are making a difference at volunteers.utk.edu.