Vol. 3, Issue 4 Feb. 23, 2017 by Knoxville Mercury

Look inside for DISH , Our Guide to Finding Great Plates

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FEBRUARY 23, 2017 KNOXMERCURY.COM V.

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NEWS

Humana’s Pull-out From ACA Adds Urgency to Health-Care Forum

JACK NEELY

The Slow Rebirth of Sevier Avenue, and Honeybee Coffee’s Historic Building

PRESS FORWARD

Carpetbag Theatre’s Five Decades of Uncovering East TN’s Untold Stories

OUTDOORS

Do Group Runs and Craft Beer Really Go Together? Why, Yes, They Do!

A witty and fast-paced farce packed with memorable characters! A young woman, her handsome lover, and their friends plot to escape a controlling guardian in this hilarious Restoration comedy. Will a nosey nobleman ruin the plan or save the day?

KNOXVILLE MERCURY February 23, 2017

Feb. 23, 2017 Volume 03 / Issue 04 knoxmercury.com

CONTENTS

“ To announce that there must be no criticism of the president… is morally treasonable to the American public.” —Theodore Roosevelt

NEWS

12 Emergency Meeting

16 East Side Eats!

COVER STORY

Straight up: If you have a hankering for soul food, there’s only one part of town that offers the real deal: East Knoxville. From bona fide chitlins to truly homemade fried chicken, head east. But that’s not the only cuisine of note to be found here—in fact, you can find a wide variety of delicious dishes at one-of-a-kind restaurants, from longstanding icons to new favorites.

Humana’s announcement last week that it would no longer offer individual coverage in the Affordable Care Act marketplace in Tennessee has further galvanized activists trying to salvage some semblance of affordable health insurance. And a local ACA town-hall meeting takes on even more urgency, Thomas Fraser reports.

PRESS FORWARD

14 Carpetbag Theatre

PLUS

22 DISH A Knoxville Foodie’s Guide to Finding Great Plates, by Dennis Perkins Help Support Independent Journalism! Nobody said this would be easy. Turns out there’s a good reason why! But if you appreciate our effort to provide a locally owned media voice for Knoxville, consider pitching in. Find out how you can help: knoxmercury.com/donate.

In our new series highlighting people working toward a better Knoxville, Matthew Everett talks with Carpetbag Theatre founder and director Linda Parris-Bailey about the troupe’s 50 years of uncovering East Tennessee’s untold stories.

DEPARTMENTS

OPINION

A&E

4 Letters 6 Howdy

8 Scruffy Citizen

24 Program Notes: Sweet Years

28 Spotlights: The Necks, Theatre

46 ’Bye

9 Perspectives

25 Inside the Vault: Eric Dawson

OUTDOORS

Start Here: Dumpster Dive, Public Affairs, and Local Life by Marissa Highfill

Finish There: Restless Native by Chris Wohlwend. Plus: Crooked Street Crossword by Ian Blackburn and Jack Neely, Spirit of the Staircase by Matthew Foltz-Gray, and Mulberry Place Cryptoquote by Joan Keuper.

Jack Neely visits Sevier Avenue’s Honeybee Coffee Company, and discovers its building’s unusual history.

Joe Sullivan grades the Knox County Schools superintendent candidates.

10 Architecture Matters

George Dodds offers an architectural—and poetic—view of walls. YUGE walls.

CALENDAR unveils a new album and video, and Metal Hero Records releases Knox Ferox on vinyl. offers an appreciation of the Dumpster-diving rescue work by James Jones.

26 Movies: Lee Gardner reassess

the art of Tony Conrad via the documentary Completely in the Present.

Knoxville Downtown: Clybourne Park, Moon Taxi, Mardi Growl Parade and Festival

44 Voice in the Wilderness

Kim Trevathan decides to get to the bottom of the whole fun-run/ craft beer connection.

27 Classical Music: Alan Sherrod is thrilled by KSO guest conductor Mei-Ann Chen.

February 23, 2017

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 3

LETTERS Delivering Fine Journalism Since 2015

WHY THE ACA EXISTS

In the summer of 2006, my best friend Terri began experiencing abdominal pain. She ignored it. When she could no longer ignore it, she tried treating it with over the counter medications. Terri was self-employed, a single mother to a child with diabetes, and without health insurance. She had been without health insurance for a decade, since her divorce. When the pain grew to the point she could no longer stand it, she found a clinic with a sliding scale and went. It was the week before Christmas, the week before her 48th birthday on Christmas Eve. That afternoon, the clinic called her at home and told her to report to the hospital emergency room immediately. She did and was rushed into surgery. Terri had a tumor in her colon so large it was blocking her entire bowel. When the surgeons opened her up, they found tumors wrapped around her uterus and ovaries, on her liver, and her stomach. The surgeons did what they could, stitched her up and told her to go home and settle her affairs, she had less than six months to live. Terri found a good oncologist and a clinical trial kept her alive for another two and half years. She died in the early summer of 2009, just before the Affordable Care Act was introduced in Congress. My best friend died because she lacked access to regular check ups and cancer screenings. When she died, I vowed she would be the last American to die because they were too poor to see a doctor. The Affordable Care Act was passed by the U.S. Senate on Christmas Eve, 2009, on Terri’s 51st birthday. I wept as I watched the signing ceremony. I knew the bill had flaws but it was the first step toward making sure every American had access to the healthcare they needed. I knew what it was like to have no choice but to go without healthcare insurance. Before the recession, I worked in a family business. I paid for my own health insurance. But in 2003, I had a series of heart attacks, at the age of 33. I learned I had a rare red blood cell mutation that caused blood 4

KNOXVILLE MERCURY February 23, 2017

clots. My insurance premiums doubled, and then they doubled again, in the next two years. Eventually, I had no choice but to drop the insurance. In the winter of 2011, at the age of 41, I found a lump in my left breast. I was looking for my next job, a single mother with a child in college, and without health insurance. I pushed the thought of serious illness out of my mind. In April, when I could no longer ignore what was happening, I went through the process of trying to find a doctor who would see me soon, as a new patient, without insurance. I had a yard sale to raise the money. It took two months to find a doctor I could afford and a timely appointment. It was June and the lump in my breast had doubled in size and had adhered to the side of my breast. On June 30, breast cancer was confirmed and I was accepted into TennCare. More tests came and the diagnosis was Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer. The cancer had spread to my spine. If treatment wasn’t effective, I had less than a year. Treatment was effective and I am still alive, five and a half years later. But cancer is going to kill me, eventually. Because I did not have access to regular check ups and health screenings, my disease wasn’t found sooner. I’m not going to be around to take care of my parents as they get older or be around to see my daughter get married and raise a family. I’m not going to be around to start a successful business or create jobs. All because I was too sick and too poor to afford health insurance. I love my country. I love my community. I served in the military during a war. I taught Sunday School and volunteered for charities. I know if we work together, if we work with compassion and love toward all, we can solve the health care puzzle. We can make it affordable for all and open to all. Let me be the last American to die because I couldn’t afford health insurance. Kelly Gregory Hendersonville, Tenn.

VOTE FOR LIFE

The recent March for Life in Washington should be more aptly called the “March for Life Until You’re Born.” Being pro-life is much more than just being anti-abortion. Pro-life is also about a strong protection of the environment (including a serious effort to combat global warming), protection of other species and avoiding extinctions, and providing health care for all of our society, especially those least able to take care of themselves. Consequently, I am still somewhat surprised and disappointed that many of those that claim to be “pro-life” overwhelming vote for candidates that do not value life once you are born. I would encourage those “marching for life” to think about life more broadly and begin voting accordingly. Mark Shipley Knoxville

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR GUIDELINES

• Letter submissions should include a verifiable name, address, and phone number. We do not print anonymous letters. • We much prefer letters that address issues that pertain specifically to Knoxville or to stories we’ve published. • We don’t publish letters about personal disputes or how you didn’t like your waiter at that restaurant. • Letters are usually published in the order that we receive them. Send your letters to: Our Dear Editor, Knoxville Mercury 618 S. Gay St., Suite L2 Knoxville, TN 37902 Send an email to: editor@knoxmercury.com Or message us at: facebook.com/knoxmercury

EDITORIAL EDITOR Coury Turczyn coury@knoxmercury.com SENIOR EDITOR Matthew Everett matthew@knoxmercury.com CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Jack Neely jack@knoxhistoryproject.org STAFF WRITERS S. Heather Duncan heather@knoxmercury.com Thomas Fraser thomas@knoxmercury.com CONTRIBUTORS Chris Barrett Catherine Landis Ian Blackburn Dennis Perkins Hayley Brundige Stephanie Piper Patrice Cole Ryan Reed Eric Dawson Eleanor Scott George Dodds Alan Sherrod Lee Gardner Nathan Smith Mike Gibson April Snellings Carey Hodges Denise Stewart-Sanabria Nick Huinker Joe Sullivan Donna Johnson Kim Trevathan Tracy Jones Chris Wohlwend Rose Kennedy Angie Vicars Joan Keuper Carol Z. Shane MULTIMEDIA ASSISTANT Jeffery Chastain

DESIGN ART DIRECTOR Tricia Bateman tricia@knoxmercury.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Charlie Finch CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS David Luttrell Shawn Poynter Justin Fee Tyler Oxendine CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS Matthew Foltz-Gray PHOTOGRAPHY INTERN Marissa Highfill

ADVERTISING PUBLISHER & DIRECTOR OF SALES Charlie Vogel charlie@knoxmercury.com SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Scott Hamstead scott@knoxmercury.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Michael Tremoulis michael@knoxmercury.com

BUSINESS BUSINESS MANAGER Scott Dickey scott.dickey@knoxmercury.com

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 618 South Gay St., Suite L2, Knoxville, TN 37902 knoxmercury.com • 865-313-2059 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR & PRESS RELEASES editor@knoxmercury.com CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS calendar@knoxmercury.com SALES QUERIES sales@knoxmercury.com DISTRIBUTION distribution@knoxmercury.com

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Robin Easter Tommy Smith Melanie Faizer Joe Sullivan Jack Neely Coury Turczyn Charlie Vogel The Knoxville Mercury is an independent weekly news magazine devoted to informing and connecting Knoxville’s many different communities. It is a taxable, not-for-profit company governed by the Knoxville History Project, a non-profit organization devoted to exploring, disseminating, and celebrating Knoxville’s unique cultural heritage. It publishes 25,000 copies per week, available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. © 2017 The Knoxville Mercury

February 23, 2017

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 5

HOWDY DUMPSTER highlights DIVE Weekly from our blog Read more at knoxmercury.com/blog NEW UTK CHANCELLOR Appearing before broadcast, digital, and print journalists at the Tyson Alumni Center, University of Tennessee-Knoxville Chancellor Beverly Davenport sidestepped some prickly questions about diversity funding and the General Assembly. She did, however, lay out her vision for the roughly 27,000-student university as a leader in sustainability research.

LOCAL LIFE | Photo by Marissa Highfill The Cattywampus Puppet Council presented Giant Puppetmaking 101, a workshop at the Birdhouse community center, last Saturday. Cattywampus received a Burning Man Global Art Grant to help produce the Appalachian Puppet Pageant, which will be part of the 2017 Dogwood Arts Festival on Saturday, April 29. In preparation, the group has been conducting workshops for teachers, community leaders, and any other individuals who want to participate in the parade. The next workshop (Thursday, March 9 at Muse Knoxville) is full, but you can get on the wait list at: cattywampuspuppetcouncil.com. More photos at knoxmercury.com.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS

2/24 DUNCAN ‘TOWN HALL FOR ALL’ RALLY 2/26 ‘CLYBOURNE PARK’ TALKBACK FRIDAY

4:30-6 p.m., U.S. Rep. Jimmy Duncan’s office (800 Market St, Suite 110). Free. Yep, those church-going, immigrant-loving kooks are at it again—daring to request meetings with Rep. Jimmy Duncan. They must be insane! Because why would any rational person possibly question the dismantlement of public safeguards like banking or environmental regulations, or the loss of health insurance? And then there’s… sorry, too much to list here.

KNOXVILLE MERCURY February 23, 2017

SUNDAY

5:30 p.m. Theatre Knoxville Downtown (319 N. Gay St.). $15 (for the performance) A dark comedy about race? That would be Bruce Norris’ Pulitzer- and Tony-winning Clybourne Park, which picks up from A Raisin In the Sun in 1959 and contrasts that scenario by flash-forwarding to 2009 in the same neighborhood. After their performance on Feb. 26, the cast and crew will discuss the play with the audience. Info: theatreknoxville.com.

3/4 BAKER CREEK PRESERVE WEED WRANGLE SATURDAY

9 a.m.-noon, Baker Creek Preserve (3700 Lancaster Dr. SE). Free. Legacy Parks and the Knoxville Garden Club seek volunteers to help make our Urban Wilderness even awesomer! The second annual Weed Wrangle aims to remove invasive plant species at Baker Creek Preserve. Bring gloves, water, and any digging or cutting tools you might have. Info: info@legacyparks.org.

RHYTHM N’ BLOOMS’ LINEUP The full Rhythm N’ Blooms lineup is finally here. Now in its eighth year, the festival continues to add to its layered lineup with a dash of soul, some raucous flatpicking, a ’90s-themed Midnight Merry-Go-Round, and even more Americana. In a nod to its folksy beginnings, the lineup was unveiled with a performance by Knoxville-based singer/songwriter Erick Baker, who kicked things off with an intimate set on the top floor of the Old City’s Lonesome Dove. KOOKS GATHER PEACEFULLY About 200 people—galvanized to action when Rep. John J. Duncan Jr. declined to host a town meeting, citing “extremists, kooks and radicals” and “sore losers”—gathered Feb. 10 outside his downtown Knoxville office seeking an audience with their congressman. Only a handful of people, including “Kookfest” organizer Sarah Herron of Indivisible East Tennessee, were allowed into the tightly secured Howard H. Baker Jr. federal courthouse on Market Street. The congressman was not present.

3/7 2017 ORCHID AWARDS DINNER TUESDAY

6 p.m., The Standard (416 W. Jackson Ave.). $85. Keep Knoxville Beautiful celebrates the citizens who’ve done their part to make Knoxville more attractive, from restoring old buildings to creating lovely outdoor spaces. The fundraiser features dinner, the Old City Buskers, and special brews by Balter Beerworks. Tickets: keepknoxvillebeautiful.org/orchid-awards.

K NOXVILLE IN LATE WINTER S e v e r a l s e a s o n a l r e a s o n s t o c e l e b r at e .

of Depot Street. The violent and complicated clash between rail construction workers and lawenforcement off icers occurred mostly on West Depot, between Gay and Broadway. Precipitated by a crew tearing up pavement for a new streetcar line before the developer had obtained the necessary permissions, the riot resulted in one dead, several injured, and the incarceration of the developer, William Gibbs McAdoo—who later became U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, and a U.S. senator from California!

To begin with, this fortnight (that’s two weeks) contains the birthdays of two of Knoxville’s bestknown African-American musicians. Sunday, Feb. 26 is the 127th birthday of Ida Cox, the great jazz singer of the 1920s and ’30s, known for her own compositions like “Wild Women Don’t Have the Blues.” Born in small-town Georgia, she spent much of her life touring, but moved to Knoxville in the 1940s, singing every Sunday at the Patton Street Church of God. She was living in Knoxville when she made her only full record album, Blues for Rampart Street, at the age of 65. And Saturday, Mar. 4 is the 108th birthday of Howard “Louie Bluie” Armstrong, the fiddler and mandolinist whose 1930 recordings with the Tennessee Chocolate Drops were re-released in a 2016 box-set compilation called The Knoxville Sessions. That collection earned a Grammy nomination this year just for its extensive liner notes, which stand out in part because of the great stories of Knoxvillearea musicians like Armstrong. He considered LaFollette home, but lived in Knoxville in the ’20s and early ’30s, when he made his first recordings and his first radio broadcasts. He is the subject of Campbell County’s annual Louie Bluie Festival.

Please Help! The Knoxville Histor y Project is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit whose mission is to research, disseminate, and promote Knoxville history. The KHP provides talks, historic tours, research, and other assistance to local groups of all sorts. The KHP also sponsors this page in the Mercury, largely with donor support. We need your help to renew it for another year. Knoxville in 1886, from a bird’s-eye perspective, shows Depot Street and the rail yards at top, and Gay Street at an angle at upper right. The building marked “E” is Tennessee’s first durable public library, the original Lawson McGhee, now known as the Rebori Building. Market Square, which then featured a long, low market house, is visible at center right.

Italian composer Gioachino Rossini never visited Knoxville, but had a surprisingly lively inf luence on the city. In 2002, he became the honoree of one of Knoxville’s most popular and imaginative annual events, the Knoxville Opera’s Rossini Festival. He was born on February 29th, 1792—so his birthday appears only once every four years. But somewhere around the end of this month, he would turn 225. Rossini and Knoxville were very close to the same age. Wednesday, March 1 is the 120th anniversary of the riot known as the Battle

We have begun a fundraising campaign, with the help of our new director of development, Paul James. Originally from England, Paul has authored books and essays about Knoxville history, notably his 2010 pictorial history, Ijams Nature Center. For years, he was Ijams’ development director and executive director. We have worked together on several occasions over the years, and are very pleased to have someone of his depth of knowledge and development experience working with us.

If you like what we do, please send donations to Knoxville History Project, 516 West Vine Ave., #8, Knoxville, TN 37902, or see our new website, knoxvillehistoryproject.org. To inquire about sponsorships, please call (865) 337-7723. All donations are tax-deductible.

The Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection, Lawson McGhee Library Image courtesy of Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection • cmdc.knoxlib.org

Source

T h e K n ox v i l l e H i s to ry P r o j ec t, a n o n p r o fi t o r g a n iz at i o n d e vot e d to t h e p r o m ot i o n o f a n d ed u c at i o n a b o u t t h e h i s to ry o f K n ox v i l l e , p r e s en t s t h i s pag e e ac h w e e k to r a i s e awa r en e s s o f t h e t h em e s , p er s o n a l i t i e s , a n d s to r i e s o f o u r u n i q u e c i t y. L e a r n m o r e at

knoxvillehistoryproject.org

o r em a i l

jack@knoxhistoryproject.org

February 23, 2017

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 7

ley’s, run by a neighbor and his wife. The longest tenant, by far, moved in in 1939, and it was Charlie’s Cafe. Charlie was Charlie Goan. It was a home-cooking refuge for the working men at East Tennessee Packing Co., home of Selecto meats, and the repair shop of the East Tennessee Coach Co., the interstate bus line. The Rose Lumber Yard was along the river, with handy barge access. Model Laundry, boasting it used 60,000 gallons of water a day, was next door. Back then, Power Equipment was still located nearby, as was the South Side Coal Co. and a bottling company that produced Grapette and Orange Crush. Sevier Avenue had its own diverse economy. Mr. Goan served three meals, but specialized in breakfast. The most expensive thing on his menu was the ham and eggs, 40 cents. But he also served Knoxville’s specialty of the 1930s, the Full House, a homemade tamale dunked in a bowl of chili, for 20 cents, and homemade pie ala mode. High on the front is the name McMurry. A name on a facade doesn’t always tell you much about a building. Sometimes it’s just the name of some now-obscure financier. In this case, it says a lot. Born in Blount County and a Maryville College grad, Andrew R. McMurry was the older brother of Ben McMurry, the architect who co-founded Barber McMurry. A.R. McMurry was a building contractor whose best-known projects were planned here in the Honeybee building. One of them was the original St. Mary’s Hospital, the nucleus of the medical center, a handsome brick building that’s still visible in glimpses. McMurry was here when the firm built the

SCRUFFY CITIZEN

A Green Shoot The slow rebirth of Sevier Avenue, and a historic building’s surprising connection to modern Cedar Bluff

he Honeybee Coffee Company, at 700 Sevier Ave., is the sort of thing I’d expected would happen right away after then-Mayor Bill Haslam’s announcement of South Side waterfront development. It’s been a decade ago now. Deals have been slow to work out. Some, like the prescribed removal of some industrial plants, haven’t worked out at all. But the scale’s comfortable. There are some interesting old buildings, like the unusual South Knoxville Baptist Church, with its square steeple, and the “Model Laundry” building with the dates 1914 and 1925. Now it’s Knoxville Bolt & Screw. The river’s right there, and despite a few blank businesses designed for a suburban industrial park, Sevier Avenue’s a pleasant place to be. It’s easy to walk, at least until you try to get to Gay Street. Sevier intersects with Gay, and booming downtown is just around the corner. It seems far away. South Knoxville has been connected by a river bridge since the Civil War, but always seemed so remote people called it South America. In parades, over a century ago, South Knoxvillians sometimes dressed like gauchos. Sevier Avenue is a 10-minute walk from the courthouse. It’s not necessarily a safe 10-minute walk. The city has neglected its sidewalks over there for half a century. Before it intersects Gay, Sevier Avenue splits into two one-way streets around a craggy knoll with concrete ruins of something. The lower part of it has always seemed like a

KNOXVILLE MERCURY February 23, 2017

narrow mountain road, with a blind curve where cars come at you suddenly, often at bootlegger speeds. When that happens, I’ve found, your best option is to leap down the kudzu slope and hope you don’t annoy the plus-size groundhogs. For downtowners in suicidal moods, it’s a convenient amenity. Pedestrians aren’t specifically accommodated yet; there are no crossing signals over there and the only crosswalks, old ones now fading, figure you’re turning right, toward the defunct hospital—not left, toward Sevier. Last year, the city relined that suicide curve with some bike lanes, and they do improve things measurably, assuming bicyclists don’t mind an occasional pedestrian’s impertinence. Honeybee’s building dates to about 1924. What’s now 700 Sevier Ave. was originally 502 Island Home Pike. The city rechristened it “Sevier Avenue” in 1927—maybe because it leads over toward Sevierville Pike, or maybe in patriotic honor of Knoxville’s Revolutionary hero, John Sevier, parts of whom are buried over in the courthouse lawn. Squint your eyes and you can see his obelisk among the trees. Now on the corner of Jones Street, 700 Sevier Ave. was not originally on a corner at all. In the early 1930s, Jones Street punched through, granting this building street-corner status. It was home to several businesses over the years. For most of its history, it has made room for a couple of residential apartments upstairs. For a few years it was a cafe called Atch-

Photo by Coury Turczyn

BY JACK NEELY

downtown YMCA and Holston Hills Country Club and parts of the Broadway viaduct, now scheduled to be replaced. Andrew was in his 50s, during the time his office was here, when he married a young woman of 26. Kaptola Warlick, from Talking Rock, Ga., had moved to Knoxville to attend a business college, and got a job as the Knoxville Journal’s first female advertising representative. As wife of a successful contractor, she quit her job and became known as an expert on roses. The McMurrys eventually settled on 52 acres of old farmland near Cedar Bluff. Kaptola McMurry was a widow in 1966 when the city assessed her acreage for almost $450,000. She was shocked. Why, that would be almost $10,000 an acre, her lawyers declared. When she died in late 2006, it was worth more than $20 million. Her death at age 105 set off a series of lawsuits, but eventually resulted in multiple modern commercial developments and lots of parking lots on the northwest corner of Kingston Pike and Cedar Bluff. That’s one reason newspaper readers might recognize centenarian landowner Kaptola McMurry’s name. But she knew this building on Sevier Avenue, with her last name high on the front, when she was young and it was new. Today, in the 1924 McMurry building on Sevier Avenue, young people drink imported coffee, locally roasted, and work, or play, on laptops. They look different from the working men who crowded into Charlie’s Cafe when the whistles blew. But they may be their great-grandchildren. ◆

PERSPECTIVES

Class Leader Critiquing the candidates for Knox County Schools superintendent BY JOE SULLIVAN

he Knox County school board’s superintendent search committee is due to decide next week on the top two or three candidates for the post from among six finalists. Those chosen will be interviewed by the full board and speak at public forums on March 6-7, with the selection of a new superintendent to follow later in March. However, it’s already clear to me which of the six finalists is best qualified. In saying that, I recognize that I’ll be subject to criticism for jumping the gun because I don’t have the benefit of the psychological test results or online interviews to which the finalists have been subject and which might possibly change my view. The search committee will be reviewing these at its meeting on Feb. 21. But that’s after the deadline for my column in this week’s issue, and the Mercury won’t go to press again until March 8. So I’ve chosen to weigh in now. Before doing so, a few prefacing remarks are in order to provide a frame of reference. Based on comments received at public forums before launching the search last fall, the school board all but ruled out candidates from afar to succeed the embattled Jim McIntyre, who came here from Boston. “That was overwhelming from our public forums,” board member Terry Hill stated in a recent television appearance. “I think it’s a little unfortunate to have such a

barrier, but the public is emphatic about that.” If the public school firmament in Tennessee were stable, that would be most unfortunate in my view. But the landscape is in a state of flux. Student proficiency assessments have become a moving target; teacher evaluations based on them are convoluted; and provision for ranking each public school with a single letter grade seems simplistic. Pressures are also mounting to divert funds from public schools to pay the tuition of students who opt to attend a private school instead. So I put a premium of having a superintendent who is conversant with all these issues and with the powers that be in Nashville who will shape their outcomes. That said, the process of elimination by which I rule out most of the six finalists for Knox County superintendent proceeds as follows (with some perplexity as to why the two from out-of-state are on the list at all): • Terry Compton, for the past four years, has been the superintendent of a very small district in New Jersey and prior to that was superintendent of an even smaller one in Kentucky. I have no reason to doubt that she’s been a very good one. But the scope of her responsibilities bears little resemblance to what’s entailed in managing a school system with nearly 60,000 students and a budget of more than $450 million.

• Stuart Greenberg, for the past five years, has been the chief academic officer of Leon County Schools in Florida with an enrollment of 35,000 students. Prior to that, he held posts in the Florida Department of education, headed a reading research center in Tallahassee and served for than 20 years in progressively more responsible positions in Broward County’s huge school system. Greenberg’s skills might well be adapted to a superintendency. And if he weren’t from out-ofstate he’d be on my short list. • Duran Williams, for the past 10 years, has worked for the Tennessee Education Association and presently serves as its Knox County field representative. His only school administrative experience was as the principal of Cosby High School, a position from which he was removed in 2007. Williams’ presence on the list is a testament to the political clout of the Knox County Education Association. In a guest column in the Shopper, KCEA President Lauren Hopson observed that “I am frustrated with the negative spin that the upcoming BOE sessions will look like a teachers’ union meeting. To that I say, ‘Why shouldn’t they?’” To which Williams might well say “Amen.” • Bob Thomas is a 44-year veteran of Knox schools who has held the title of assistant superintendent-administrative services since 1990. But of late it’s been purely titular. Bob Thomas is a fine person who has always tried to be helpful in responding to my questions over the years. So it’s painful to me to have to say this, but he isn’t qualified to be superintendent. Most of his former administrative responsibilities have been transferred to Chief Operating Officer Russ Oaks, a position created to assume them. Others now report directly to the superintendent. And Bob Thomas isn’t oriented toward the academic side of things. • Jon Rysewyk was the rising star in Knox County Schools until he left in 2014 to become the director of the county’s first charter school, Emerald Academy. As principal of Fulton High School between 2008 and 2012, he is credited with a transformation that included a near-doubling of the graduation rate. He then served as the school system’s director of innovation and school improvement. And this January, just as the deadline for superintendent applications was

approaching, he returned as interim chief academic officer. Interim Superintendent Buzz Thomas declined to speak with me about the timing of the appointment or the fact it only lasts until Thomas leaves office in June. His spokesperson insists it wasn’t a contrivance and that he didn’t want to bind his successor. But it’s no secret that the school board is averse to charter schools, and the search committee didn’t include Rysewyk on its original list of finalists. • Dale Lynch has been the superintendent of Hamblen County Schools since 2001, a remarkable tenure. While the system is much smaller than Knox County’s, its 10,000 students and budget of close to $100 million represent a near comparable administrative challenge. In 2014, Lynch was named the state’s superintendent of the year by the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents, and he’s also served a term as TOSS’ president. Holding a position that’s notorious for wearing out one’s welcome or burnout, Lynch keeps going strong. “He goes to work early and stays late. He’s a team builder who has worked well with the board, the staff, the teachers, and his passion is for the students,” says longtime Hamblen school board member and former chairman Roger Greene. After some initial hesitance to speak about Lynch, the TEA’s field representative serving Hamblen County, Jennifer Gaby, volunteers that, “I have a very good relationship with him.” When the chair of the Knox search committee, Amber Rountree, was asked in a television interview what the board was looking for in a new superintendent, she responded that, “I think the best way to summarize…is that we’re looking for a servant leader.” Not being familiar with the term, I initially winced at her answer, thinking it meant something akin to servitude. But then I read in a 2014 article about Lynch that he credited much of his success to “learning the significance of servanthood. I think leadership is all about helping and serving others.” That’s when I had an aha moment and said to myself that we’ve got a perfect fit here. And if Lynch could get Rysewyk to continue to serve as his chief academic officer, it would be a proverbial win-win for Knox County. ◆ February 23, 2017

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 9

ARCHITECTURE MATTERS

Size Matters Walls: Mending, Rending, Ending BY GEORGE DODDS

Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it, And spills the upper boulders in the sun, And makes gaps even two can pass abreast… —“Mending Fences,” Robert Frost, 1914

There may be times and places when, “Good fences make good neighbors.” To be educated as an architect is to know the ways and whys of walls, to know their power and their limitations. To be wise, architect or not, is to know when building a wall is “just another kind of out-door game,” especially when “we do not need the wall…” For anyone keeping track of the Executive Orders flurrying out of the Oval Office, or the several Twitter accounts used by this new POTUS with the Improbably Long Ties (ILT), size continues to be an itch in need of

ohn F. Kennedy invited Robert Frost to his inauguration; he read “The Gift Outright.” Consistent with all Republican presidents before him, our new 45th president’s inauguration was conducted without poetry of any kind. Had Frost still been living on Jan. 20, 2017, albeit at the overly ripe age of 142, it’s enlivening to imagine him reading again, this time a selection from North of Boston (1914). Facing west, the Washington and Lincoln Memorials in the distance, his shock of white hair rain matted, his voice tin against a leaden sky, a crowd respectable in size if not in manner would have heard the poet laureate caution, this business of building walls can also be:

Images courtesy of U.S. National Archives

…just another kind of out-door game, One on a side. It comes to little more: There where it is we do not need the wall: He is all pine and I am apple orchard. My apple trees will never get across And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.

KNOXVILLE MERCURY February 23, 2017

constant scratching. He scratches at the size of his election victory, his inaugural crowd, and of course, The Wall he’s been glossing about since he announced his candidacy, at times and in places incomprehensibly inappropriate for most of humankind, Hence, owing to our new president’s insatiable desire to build a “yuge” wall with an “enormous beautiful doorway” separating the southwestern United States from northern Mexico, international border politics now border on matters architectural. Walls are curious things. In the practice of architecture, they are among the most important elements an architect manipulates; they define a place, give it character, and distinguish one place from another. In the most general sense, this is an architect’s principal job—to make the edges of things, their borders, adjacencies, and orchestrating how one passes among them. The ancient Romans used a plow at the start of a building project for a wall of great size. As all great walls were sacred for them, it was sacrilege to transgress its boundary (Romulus’ fratricide of Remus for example). During this process, the plow was lifted and carried to the other side of any future doorway. Our English word

portal comes from this very act—from the Latin portare—to carry. Taking a page out of the Roman Empire’s playbook, as with any Trump® Organization development, virtually all of the funding for his “Very Yuge Wall” (VYW) is expected to come from places outside the organization— otherwise known as Other People’s Money (OPM). For the Romans, it was plunder (and a bit of trade). In the case of the VYW, there have been several sources (at the time of this writing) under consideration: Mexico paying the entire amount (with a bridge loan from the U.S. Treasury), or covering the cost with a 20 percent tariff on Mexican imports. In both cases, the OP in the OPM scenario is the American taxpayer. Tariffs, after all, are taxes by another name. As professors of mathematics at MIT demonstrated back in October 2016, ever since candidate Trump first floated the idea, there has been much speculation about what this wall is going to be. How tall? What will it be made of? Will it carry advertisements? Will it be big enough to house activities, such as condos, casinos, or Left: The Berlin Wall being reinforced near the Brandenburg Gate (undated). Right: President John F. Kennedy delivering his “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech (June 26, 1963).

Left: Ronald Reagan speaking at the Brandenburg Gate (June 12, 1987). Right: “Ich bin ein Berliner,” Israeli West Bank barrier wall, November 2007.

rhetoric, uninformed jingoism, numerically challenged economics, and not-so-veiled racism—but the size of those Improbably Long Ties. Honestly, where does that thing go when he sits down? Does Reince Priebus hold it for him? Is there a discrete pocket in his over-sized suits just for tie-tucking? You could probably bridle a horse with one of those things. But the size of his ties, much like the dimensions of the Very Yuge Wall, are really just a bit of old-school misdirection, to distract us from his more malignant executive orders. Many of us are old enough to remember the evening of Oct. 20, 1973, when Solicitor General Robert Bork, acting under the orders of President Richard Nixon, fired the Watergate special prosecutor, Archibald Cox. The White House illuminated behind him, CBS White House correspondent Dan Rather began his report on the firing something to the effect: “As it turns out, it didn’t happen during one Night of Camp David, or Seven Days in May, but one night in October.” For 45, it all started early in the morning of Nov. 9, 2016—which will go down in history as the first real open democratic election in which the Russians have participated. It crested at 9 in the evening, Jan. 30, 2017 with the firing of Acting Attorney General Sally Q. Yates, permitting the full implementation of an executive order, issued three days earlier, that barred refugees and citizens from seven Muslim nations from entering the United States for 180 days. Trump is no longer A Face in the Crowd; until

annually in the United States. Long before the election, candidate Trump was accused of purposefully pandering to the less informed among us with “Bad Math.” If anyone is counting, those MIT mathematicians projected the cost of all of this to be approximately $30 billion (2016). That is without the Tennessee marble, which would look lovely, of course, and take some of the sting out of the whole thing. If this country does need a VYW to protect us from those that would undermine essential American values, despoil our image on the world stage, and put our armed forces, diplomats, and simple tourists at even greater risk in dangerous places, then perhaps that wall needs to be built, not between Mexico and Texas, but around 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. After which it should be deemed a National Twitter-free Zone, at least until 2020. Sure, it will be a bit intrusive in the Federal enclave, but that Tennessee marble will make a yuge difference. Within his Twitter-free fortress, freed from constant twitches, the 45th president may find better use for those famously small hands of his. It’s a matter of record that he made their size, and pendulous body parts, foreground issues in the Republican nomination race, reminding us all that size matters in places and at times we least expect, nor want to know. Even the size of his ties has become an issue of late. There was a collective sigh of relief when GQ finally criticized the one thing about Mr. Trump it was impossible to accept. Sure, there is the nationalistic

this equus ferus is bridled, he is the crowd. Chinese warlords began building the Great Wall of China thousands of years ago, long before there was a China, long before it looked much as it does today. You would think that the time for building walls of this sort, whether it’s between Israel and the West Bank, or along the Rio Grande, had long since passed. Twenty-five years after the rending of the Berlin Wall, it’s difficult to fathom a civilized society that does not reject building or mending such things. One would have hoped we ended forever the senseless race for profits garnered by the few who secure the many contracts in the name of security, only to leave us all more vulnerable than before this other “kind of out-door game” began. Walls are curious things. The world would be a much simpler place if “good walls” really made “good neighbors.” Yet, if the United States is an “apple orchard” and our neighbor to the south is “all pine,” why build a wall at all? Apples don’t eat pine, nor pine, apple. Good neighbors know when to build a good wall, and when one ought to choose another route altogether.

…Before I built a wall I’d ask to know What I was walling in or walling out, And to whom I was like to give offense. Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, That wants it down. ◆ George Dodds is the Alvin and Sally Beaman Professor of Architecture at the University of Tennessee. Architecture Matters explores issues concerning the human-made environment in Knoxville and its environs.

Photo courtesy of Marc Venezia

a clubhouse for an adjacent 36-hole golf course? Will there be valet parking and will it be wide enough to become the sort of tourist attraction that the Chinese have in their “TenThousand-Mile Long Wall”? Could it be clad in Tennessee marble and if so, is there enough marble left hereabouts to cover the whole thing? By the end of this enterprise, East Tennessee may look more lunar surface than Smokey Mountains. The border between the two countries is just short of 2,000 miles. It’s been estimated that this project would require approximately 12.5 million cubic yards of reinforced concrete, which is about 5 percent of all of the concrete produced annually in the United States each year. Leaving aside, for a moment, the matter of steel, it requires 1,389,000 truckloads of concrete, 83 times as much used in the construction of One World Trade center, which essentially had a continuous line of concrete trucks feeding it 24 hours a day over the course of five years. For those unfamiliar with building projects, this potential wall makes the Great Pyramids of Giza seem like something you might clear up with a good washing and some Clearasil®. Did I mention this concrete would need to be steel-reinforced? Some estimates calculate the VYW would need as much as 7.5 million tons of steel reinforcement bars, or almost 10 percent of all the steel rebar produced

February 23, 2017

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 11

Remote Area Medical’s Feb. 4 free clinic at Chilhowee Park gathered a record turnout of over 1,200 people seeking care.

Photo by Marissa Highfill

Emergency Meeting Humana’s announced pull-out from the ACA marketplace adds urgency to health-care forum BY THOMAS FRASER

umana’s announcement last week that it would no longer offer individual coverage in the Affordable Care Act marketplace in Tennessee has further galvanized activists trying to salvage some semblance of affordable health insurance. Some 40,000 people in the Knoxville area alone could still be eligible for federal health care subsidies under the ACA next year, but have no insurance carrier, according to Sen. Lamar Alexander’s office. Simply put: If you live in Knoxville and have health insurance through the state ACA marketplace, or individual coverage from Humana, you will lose it as of Jan.1, 2018 and have to buy it at a potentially inflated cost elsewhere. Humana is the only Knoxville-area carrier participating in the plan. Former state Rep. Gloria Johnson, who has organized with allies to protect the ACA—which President Donald Trump and other Republicans have sworn to dismantle—places blame squarely on Congress. “Not only are they throwing families into chaos, but also insurance companies,” Johnson says. The state’s refusal to expand Medicaid also plays a large part in the exits of insurance companies from the Tennessee exchanges, as does confusion surrounding the drumbeat of “repeal and replace” on Capitol Hill. “All the numbers have demon-

KNOXVILLE MERCURY February 23, 2017

strated [the ACA] is working in states that have expanded Medicaid,” Johnson says. “I see people playing politics without listening to constituents. I can’t believe they would put their constituents at risk like this.” Johnson has helped organize a panel to discuss the future of the ACA. The forum, called “ACA – Repeal, Replace or Repair?” is planned for Thursday, Feb. 23., 6-8 p.m., at Whittle Springs Middle School in Knoxville. WATE-6 anchor Lori Tucker will moderate the free discussion with a panel of area health care and policy experts. Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero is listed as a sponsor of the event, and issued a statement urging attendance. “This is not a partisan issue or a partisan meeting, nor is it a rally or protest,” Rogero says. “It is a chance for the public to express their concerns and hear from experts about the future of affordable health care.” The panel was scheduled before the Humana decision was made public and is not meant to be a platform for protest, says organizer Randy Kurth, a retiree who has prostate cancer and is three years away from qualifying for Medicare. “We want a very civil environment where people can just get information,” Kurth says. And while no U.S. congressmen or senators have agreed to attend, “the word is getting out there, the buzz is going on. Health care is a huge part of your budget. We expect

we’re going to fill that place up.” Kurth is not on the ACA exchange, but points out “a lot of decision-making right now in Congress is going to affect all insurance.” Knoxville state Rep. Eddie Smith also says it’s important to realize that Humana will no longer sell individual insurance, period, whether it’s on the exchange or not. “We have to be clear they didn’t just pull out of Obamacare, but individual plans in Knoxville,” Smith says. He and Sen. Richard Briggs are sponsoring legislation, House Bill 69, that would, working within TennCare, request a federal “block grant” of all expanded Medicaid coverage offered under the ACA. While efforts to expand Medicaid within the state were rejected by the GOP legislative super-majority, Rep. Martin Daniel, also of Knoxville, says the federal Medicaid injection would be “presumably free from so many rules and regulations” as stipulated in the ACA. But such a move would require finalization of the ACA overhaul that so far apparently has little traction in Congress. “The ball is in their court, that’s for sure,” Daniel says. “They need to make a move.” Humana announced its departure from the exchanges last week immediately after its efforts to merge with Aetna were ultimately denied by a federal court that upheld a Justice Department refusal to approve the merger. A Humana spokesperson didn’t respond to a request for comment, but the company maintains in a statement on its website that the cost of coverage for unhealthy enrollees was jacking its payouts to an unsustainable degree. In industry parlance, it is suffering from “an unbalanced risk pool.” “Humana has worked over the past several years to address market and programmatic challenges in order to keep coverage options available wherever it could offer a viable product.… All of these actions were taken with the expectation that the company’s Individual Commercial business would stabilize to the point where the company could continue to participate in the program. However, based on its initial analysis of data associated with the company’s healthcare exchange membership following the

2017 open enrollment period, Humana is seeing further signs of an unbalanced risk pool.” Alexander, chairman of the Senate health committee, urged Congress to act in a statement responding to Humana’s decision. He reiterated some stop-gap recommendations to preserve coverage he originally offered during a Congressional hearing earlier this month: continue cost-sharing subsidies; reduce special enrollment periods; adjust grace periods so insurance plans are paid for their services; repeal or loosen age-rating restrictions; give states more flexibility to define “essential health benefits;” and allow the use of ACA subsidies to purchase plans outside of ACA exchanges. “I think the question the American people want to know, particularly if they’re among the 11 million people in the exchanges or the 18 million in the whole individual market is, well: What are you going to do about that?” Alexander said. ◆

WHAT

Town Hall Meeting: ACA – Repeal, Replace or Repair?

PANELISTS

Jerry Askew, Vice President of External Relations, Tennova Healthcare

Dr. Carole Myers, Associate Professor of Public Health, University of Tennessee College of Nursing

Matthew C. Harris, Ph.D, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Haslam College of Business, University of Tennessee

Richard Henighan, Nurse Practitioner and advocate for Tennessee Health Care Coalition Michael Holtz, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

WHERE

Whittle Springs Middle School (2700 White Oak Lane)

WHEN

Thursday, Feb. 23, 6–8 p.m.

That short walk from home to the bus stop can slash your risk of cardiovascular disease by up to 50%. In 2017, ride the bus more.

#KATReSolution

Cars can be expensive. Americans who ride public transit save about $9,634 annually. Ride the bus more and feed your piggy bank. 301 Church Ave., Knoxville, TN 37915 • T 865.637.3000 • katbus.com

Bistro The

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Top Brunch Lively traditional farm to table American cuisine. Vegetarian and Vegan options available.

Live Jazz Weekly 807 South Gay Street • Downtown Knoxville (865) 544-0537 • thebistroatthebijou.com M: 11a-9p | T-Th: 11a-11p | F: 11a-12a | Sat: 10a-12a | Sun: 10a-9p February 23, 2017

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 13

CATEGORY: ARTS & CULTURE

Carpetbag Theatre BY MATTHEW EVERETT

ew community theater organizations focus as intently on the word “community” as Carpetbag Theatre has for almost five decades. The Knoxville-based professional, nonprofit company is dedicated to telling the stories of people hidden by official history—black, gay, and poor people, among others, who have been written out of textbooks and ignored or overlooked by the mainstream culture. This weekend, Carpetbag will stage Between a Ballad and a Blues, the company’s 2008 musical about the life of East Tennessee blues and jazz pioneer Howard “Louie Bluie” Armstrong. It’s the first of six scheduled productions over the next three years to celebrate Carpetbag’s 50th anniversary in 2019. Between a Ballad and a Blues will be held at the Clayton Center for the Arts (502 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville) from Thursday, Feb. 23, through Sunday, Feb. 26. Visit carpetbagtheatre.org or claytonartscenter.com for info. Tickets are $20/$15 for seniors and students.

Why is the 50th anniversary celebration spread over three years?

During out 40th anniversary, we tried to get everything into the same year, and it was very stressful. We wanted to remount our original productions, so this time we thought doing two a year and featuring six of them was the way to go, and the way to build up to the 50th anniversary in 2019. 14

KNOXVILLE MERCURY February 23, 2017

Photos by Marissa Highfill

The local community theater company celebrates five decades of uncovering East Tennessee’s untold stories

LINDA PARRIS-BAILEY Carpetbag Theatre executive and artistic director and playwright in residence

Why are you starting with Between a Ballad and a Blues?

It’s one of the most recent productions. It has a more regional appeal, and it has more music. And it’s a production that we’ve been doing excerpts from at the Louie Blue festival for nine years. We wanted it to be familiar; we wanted people who’ve whetted their appetite along the way to see the full production.

What made you want to write about Howard Armstrong?

The first time I ever heard Howard Armstrong was an NPR interview back in the late ’70s. I heard this amazing storyteller. I heard a local story. And I also heard a story about diversity that I don’t think people talk about in East Tennessee. I think people really didn’t know about communities in East Tennessee

where there were large numbers of immigrants. When you have different immigrant communities coming together in a small space, there’s always exchange. Where I grew up, in Queens, N.Y., there were ethnic neighborhoods and people speaking different languages all around you. So there was something familiar about Howard’s story. And I fell in love with the music. So between the music and the story, Howard had me at hello, as they say. He was so charismatic—I had to know more.

So it’s something you’d been working on for a long time by the time you actually wrote it down?

Yes. There was a period of time when it just rolled around in my head. For every story, you have to find the right time. What’s interesting about the timing of Between a Ballad and a Blues is that we had been working on it for a couple of years and then we heard about the Louie Bluie Music and Arts Festival in LaFollette. I thought, well, that’s interesting. There must be some energy around this now. And I think there was. There was an energy around Howard’s story at the time.

How does Howard’s story relate to Carpetbag Theatre’s mission?

Well, first of all, Carpetbag’s mission is to reveal hidden stories. I think Howard and people like Howard are the unsung heroes of music. Howard liked swing, he liked jazz, and I think what happened is he crossed genres, so he was an innovator. And he’s not given credit for that. It’s one of the hidden stories of East Tennessee—these guys were together, they were playing on the road, and then they went to Chicago and had some success there. But it was all about knocking on doors, knocking down doors, pulling on doors. It was always a struggle for them as musicians. That struggle, that hidden story, that lack of recognition— all of that is our mission at Carpetbag. And we do plays with music. That’s what we do. Music is really part of our aesthetic.

Sometimes people dismiss or complain about art with political perspectives—

that it’s preachy or heavy-handed. What’s your response to that?

All art expresses a point of view. In that sense, all art is political, right? I think there’s an intention in all art. What happens is, people sometimes have an issue with the intention. If my intention is to empower disempowered people, then there are going to be some people who don’t want those people empowered, and then it’s going to be “bad” art. For us, the culture of a people has to do with their political views, their views of the world. We’re not ashamed or embarrassed to say our art is purposeful in terms of bringing people information they don’t have, honoring our community and its traditions, and other communities’ as well. No matter how you frame it, if it speaks to the people it’s intended for, and it’s aesthetically pleasing to them, then it’s good art.

You mentioned hidden stories as one of the main parts of your mission. I imagine there are enough around here to keep you busy for the rest of your career. It does keep us busy. There are so many stories that are untold, particularly in communities of color, poor communities, rural communities. Our next project is dealing with rural communities in upper East Tennessee and the brick-making industry in the African-American community. So we’ll continue to tell those untold stories. And some of them are so interesting and fascinating. So we’ve got lots of material. ◆

CARPETBAG THEATRE

1323 N. Broadway 865-544-0447, carpetbagtheatre.org

PROGRAMS

Local and touring professional theater productions, drama programs for at-risk youth, and mentoring programs for disenfranchised women.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Buy tickets! Revenue from Carpetbag’s 50th anniversary performances supports its programs and larger mission.

February 23, 2017

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 15

KNOXVILLE MERCURY February 23, 2017

Photo by Marissa Highfi ll

JACKIE’S DREAM 2223 McCalla Ave. • 865-219-5789 • jackiesdreamcafe.com • Sun.: noon-6 p.m., Tue.-Thur.: 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Fri.-Sat.: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

108 Fern St. • Thur.-Sat.: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Willie Slater’s Burlington Fish Market is easy to miss. It has no name on its Fern Street facade, and it’s open only three days a week. Inside, redolent with the smell of fresh fish and fryer fat, the store shows its age; rows of fresh bass, sea trout, whiting, catfish, croaker, tilapia, and flounder rest on ice behind a cloudy display window. His older customers—“you wouldn’t believe how many have died,” he says of his client base—mainly buy the fresh, uncooked fish, delivered weekly from points along the East Coast by Inland Seafood. Younger folks these days don’t want the odor of fish preparation to permeate their homes, he says. They want their fish cooked for them, and Slater, typically clad for work in Marines fatigues (though he was an Army veteran) is happy to oblige. As he prepares an order, the lively and friendly 79-yearold man chats about life and work one late winter day. He still moves about 200 pounds of fish a week through his shop, but business is slower than it used to be, he says, chalking it up to the relatively recent wide availability of fresh seafood at major supermarkets. A young man walks in from Fern Street and looks around, unsure what to make of the place. He politely leaves, but Slater shrugs and turns his attention back to his fryer. He only offers slaw alongside his

fish, and he only fries it onsite. “We just try to keep it real simple,” Slater says. And that he does, and it is simply delicious. He prepares two slices of white bread with mustard and tartar sauce and pulls the breaded tilapia from the fryer. He drapes it over a bread slice, and tops the fillet with a generous shake of hot sauce—“tell me when,” he says. He finishes off the sandwich with sliced onion. The simple yet delectable sandwich, enjoyed with a cold Coke, makes it easy to imagine you’re eating lunch while swinging your legs from a dock on a Lowcountry tidal creek. The crispy fillet is a perfect companion to the soft bread, and the delicate tilapia flavor is amped up a bit by the hot sauce and onion. If you prefer baked fish, you’ve got to haul home your own dressed fish—Slater recommends baking it with margarine and lemon pepper. He mentions an upcoming vacation with his wife, Penny, to Savannah and Charleston. And yes, he plans to eat his fill of fish. “I love seafood,” he says. “I love it.” And it shows in every piece of fish he fries. (Thomas Fraser)

Photo by Marissa Highfill

Photos by Thomas Fraser

BURLINGTON FISH MARKET

She’s known as “Miss Jackie,” and no one is more deserving of the Southern courtesy title than Jackie Booker Griffin, who brought the homegrown and home-cooked lovefest known as “Jackie’s Dream” to the core of East Knoxville. Lithe and quick, even after more than 20 years on the Knoxville restaurant scene, Griffin doesn’t look like a grandma. But she learned from her own grannies in Oliver Springs, and her restaurant operates with all the best practices of heritage country cooking: fresh ingredients whenever possible, hand chopping, fresh braising and frying, no heat lamps. The dining room, too, is freshscrubbed and squeaky clean, with checkerboard linoleum-top tables and simple, upbeat quotations on the wall. Two urns of lemonade and sweet tea stand next to the gleaming stainless cook’s window where you can watch the chef in action. Where better to enjoy a lavish lunch or early supper of fresh fried catfish or a special like oxtail stew? The clientele here, well, let’s just say a diverse crowd is savvy enough to appreciate the wonder of grandmotherly cooking. There’s suit-and-tie pastors and bean counters, purple hair and ball caps, jeans and beauty parlor coiffures inside, and parked Bimmers, monster trucks, and a CAC shuttle bus unloading customers outside. The staff is bustling and hospita-

ble. A typical lunch shift includes workers singing a couple of tuneful refrains when Whitney comes on; helping a customer with a crossword; wrapping silverware and patting shoulders and giving hugs and smiles for all. The servers are quick on their feet and when it’s time to settle on an order, they’ll talk you through it. So it is that those who enjoy the restaurant’s take on the Nashville staple known as “Hot Chicken” are soon sitting in front of a fresh-fried plateful, liberally doused with a house-made hot sauce that also occupies squeeze bottles. A bread-andbutter pickle adorns the chicken, smooth crisp slaw comes on the side, and long-simmered white beans are on the other side but could make a meal in themselves. This is never going to be “health food” in the strictest sense, but it’s always wholesome. The side dishes on a typical day are more effort than some modern home cooks put in to a month’s worth of cooking, from the seasoned turnip greens to the touch-ofmustard potato salad to fried cabbage. The desserts. “Don’t get me started” isn’t the motto, but it should be. There’s a rotation, all house-made, but don’t plan on any one in a given day because everyone else loves them as much as you do. Just a few highlights of the dessert menu include red velvet with a so-sweet-your-back-teeth-will ache frosting, fresh fruit cobblers, and a turtle cake concoction. And this invention of Miss Jackie’s place probably tops them all: a Honey Bun Cake of a sheet cake soaked in addictive glaze. Catch it if you can before a server sends the last slice to that table near the door. (Rose Kennedy)

February 23, 2017

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 17

This is a cash-only yellow-walled and red-roofed shack of a restaurant that sits near the corner of Beaman and Magnolia just up from the entrance to Chilhowee Park. It serves Filipino food fast and, sometimes, with a little attitude. The menu includes panci, adobo, lumpias, lumi noodles, and, oddly enough, chop suey. You’ll probably want to take your food to go, and get some extra napkins on the way. It’s affordable, sometimes a little greasy, often a little salty food. But it’s also pretty good. I don’t know if it’s a Filipino specialty, but this place serves a pretty mean brownie, too. (Dennis Perkins)

LUNCH HOUSE 3816 Holston Dr. • 865-637-5188 • Mon.–Fri.: 6 a.m.–3 p.m., Sat: 6 a.m.–2:30 p.m. At first sight, the Lunch House owns a modest grandeur. It’s almost Colonial in appearance, at least from afar; it sits above Magnolia a bit, and that small slope adds to its stately quality. Once you’re closer and note the security bars on the windows, that impression softens and by the time you’re inside, all these mistaken notions evaporate: You’re clearly in a home cookin’ kinda place. For over 20 years, the Lunch House has been one of East Knoxville’s iconic meeting places; a spot where folks of all incomes and

KNOXVILLE MERCURY February 23, 2017

get-messy kind of pizza—and all the better for it. Once you’re here, you’d better go ahead and get some spaghetti—it’s all good, but if you’re undecided go with the pepperoni and Parmesan option. And then, if you tell people you’ve been here, they’ll want to know about the onion rings, too, so better not look uniformed. Sit in your car or take it home, but do not try to eat this food while driving—it’s too a serious distraction for anyone who loves to eat. (D.P.)

PIZZA PALACE 3132 E. Magnolia Ave. • 865-524-4388 • visitpizzapalace.com • Tue.–Sat.: 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Sun.: 11 a.m.–10 p.m.

Photos by Dennis Perkins

Photo by Tricia Bateman

3225 E Magnolia Ave. • 865-522-5276 • phillippineconnection.com • Mon.–Sat: 11 a.m.–10 p.m.

The Lunch House also serves fried cornbread; some folks might call them hoe cakes. It’s a simple batter that gets cooked into a thin, round disk. Really, there’s not much to it, but it’s a delectable way to use butter and even a little jam, or perhaps you’ll want to tear and drop it into a side of pinto beans—though, if that’s your aim, you’re probably better off getting regular cornbread. The plates are plentiful and filling, but don’t deny yourself some dessert, regardless of whether you smear your fried cornbread with preserves. This place has cobbler that rivals the excellent creations of any sweet, Southern church lady I’ve ever met, and I’ve been to more than my fair share of church suppers. It’s a delicious mess of toothsome crust and sweet, gooey fruit. The blackberry is the stuff that dreams are made on, though the peach is pretty good, too. And if you don’t add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, there’s something the matter with you. And, bring cash. (D.P.)

backgrounds mingle for the very worthwhile, hot, and homemade Southern cooking. The menu features breakfast stuff and sandwiches from pimento cheese to a Big Zoe burger (a double with cheese and a fried egg), but it’s the daily specials that keep the place hopping at mid-day. The food is fundamental Southern diner, meat-and-three fare. Fried chicken livers are available daily as is steak and gravy, but kraut and ribs and metts and beans only show up on their appointed days. Until I started writing this, I had no idea that I’ve only ever been to the Lunch House on Wednesdays—because that’s the only day that my favorite special is listed on the menu: Salmon Patties. These are honest to goodness salmon patties made, I’m pretty sure, from canned salmon just like my mom used to make—and they are just as fine. I like mine with the Lunch House’s exceptional mashed potatoes and gravy, which are both clearly homemade by someone who has the right touch. I order green beans when I’m feeling really hale and hearty—because, here, they are the melt-in-your-mouth, cooked-til-they-nearly-fall-apart, very well-seasoned green beans of Southern lore.

This place is the stuff of legend. Since 1961, East Tennesseans having pulling up to munch on onion rings, Greek salad, pizza, even spaghetti while sitting in their cars watching the world go by. The place is iconic not because it got the attention of the Food Network and buffoonish host Guy Fieri, but because—like many of Knoxville’s legendary restaurants—it was founded by Greek immigrants only a few generations ago. Along with families like Regas, Brinias, and Chronis, the Peroulas clan has been responsible for a large swath of Knoxville’s good eats. At this immigrant-founded establishment, folks far and wide not only experienced their first taste of Greek salad but also ate their first slice of really good pizza. You want to know how to define the American dream? Grab one of these pies. Now, do not look for cauliflower, roasted red peppers, or Castelvetrano olives to top your pizza. It’s an old-fashioned, your-hands-are-gonna-

RED FEZ DELI 3201 E. Magnolia Ave. • 865-523-1071 If you drive by this place with only your eyes for a guide, you’ll likely want to drive on by. It looks like a big, old (very old) cinderblock on end. But for drive-thru food, the place is pretty tasty. Plus, there’s worthwhile falafel here. It’s pleasantly spicy and the pita stuffing includes a couple of dill chips. That combo is a new one on me, but I loved it both in terms of the dilly addition and the different crunch against the crispy chickpea batter. Again, it’s a cash business, and be prepared to wait—it seems like almost everything is cooked to order. (D.P.)

Photo by Dennis Perkins

PHILIPPINE CONNECTION

Photo by Rose Kennedy

Photo by Tricia Bateman

CHANDLER’S

4033 Holston Dr. (at the intersection of MLK near the flea market) • Thur.-Sat.: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. (may vary) Tammy McBath, the proprietor of the eponymous Tammy’s Fried Green Tomatoes truck, spends plenty of time pondering ways to achieve her ultimate dream: How to freeze or otherwise preserve the peppery fried green tomatoes she sells from a trailer in a parking lot in Burlington at the intersection of Martin Luther King Avenue and Holston Drive. She thinks she could tap a vast market for her unique featured product, but their sogginess is the bane of her existence. She can’t figure out a way to keep them dry after they thaw. She offers a moderately spicy sample of her immaculately breaded fried tomatoes, and urges their quick consumption lest they get…soggy. “My dream is to ship them all over the world,” she says while frying chicken and tomatoes and fish and serving up her mango tea. She is helped on occasion by her niece, Shykea, who made herself a peanut and jelly sandwich during a lull in business on a recent sunny day. Her aunt’s food truck has been in business about five years and serves between 50 and 75 plates per day. As anyone who has tried to make fried green tomatoes in their kitchen knows, it’s not an easy proposition despite its apparent ease. They need

to be cooked with care, and properly breaded to ensure a good texture. But these are like none you’ve had—and they don’t cost $10 a plate as they are in restaurants that have co-opted and fancified the traditionally rural Southern dish. You can slather them with hot sauce or ketchup, or just eat and enjoy them in all their sublime simplicity. They melt in your mouth— but let them cool first. Also on the menu is fried fish, hot dogs, and delectable wings that fall right off the bone. It’s all takeout, obviously, meaning many of her customers scarf her grub in the parking lot. Her mango tea is an unusual but delectable nectar blending flavors both tropical and Southern. The food truck has a deep backstory. McBath is proof that necessity is the indeed the mother of invention—and business savvy. “You want a story?” she says after warming to a reporter from a perch at her counter through a sliding window. She was married to a man who operated a dry-cleaner; they had two children. They were 6 and 12 years old when their father died of prostate cancer. She set up a fryer on a street corner to make ends meet, she says, selling fried green tomatoes and fish. Both her children went to college; one is now an English teacher and the other a project manager for TVA. She looks from underneath elegant braids at a late-afternoon line forming in downtown Burlington at her aromatic food truck, and the Burlington entrepreneur says, somewhat softly: “That’s my story.” (T.F.)

Don’t ever change, Chandler’s! If you push open the swinging door and join the cafeteria-style line today, co-owner Charles Chandler or one of his kin will probably be back there ladling out luscious mac ’n’ cheese or tending to an order of ribs, just as they were yesterday and last week and way back to when they opened in 2000. This deservedly popular spot has been featured on ESPN’s Taste of the Town and local celebrities wait on line with the rest of us, but they still keep it down-home and comfortable. The menu is “living the good life” soul food, including crispy-tender-freshest-ever fried chicken that will alter your life if you let it; cabbage with a signature seasoning years in the making; specials like moist meatloaf and savory salmon patties; and hard-to-find

LEMA’S WORLD FAMOUS CHITLINS 3931 Holston Dr. • 865-523-8314 • Thu.–Sat.: 3 p.m.–9 p.m. Lema’s is situated in a fascinating little strip that sits on Holston Drive, a road that begins or ends (depending on your perspective) just about a block

Photos by Dennis Perkins

Photo by Thomas Fraser

TAMMY’S FRIED GREEN TOMATOES

3101 E. Magnolia Ave. • 865-595-0212 • chandlersstore.com • Sun.: noon-6 p.m., Mon.: 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Tue.-Thur.: 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m., Fri.: 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Sat.: noon-8:30 p.m.

delicacies like pig’s feet and chicken livers and collard greens (and not just on New Year’s). The soundtrack is another constant: a shuffle of Charles’ expansive gospel music collection. ’Bout the only thing that changes at Chandler’s is the family—the grandkids, who stop by almost daily, are growing up tall. Nice to know that another generation is watching and waiting their turn to keep up the epic barbecue, banana pudding, and sweet potato casserole traditions. (R.K.)

February 23, 2017

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 19

KNOXVILLE MERCURY February 23, 2017

cadets, chitlins represent a merit badge of the highest order. They aren’t cheap (and you’ll want to bring cash): A small serving with a corn muffin, called the Big Sis, starts at $15. For a mere $1.50 more you can have a full dinner, which includes a scoop each of spaghetti in tomato sauce and coleslaw. There are six serving sizes that top out with the Big Papa meal at $75.50. I don’t know how that’s packaged, but Big Sis comes in a little Styrofoam to-go box—and you can open up your box and add hot sauce or Tiger seasoning and whatever else is on the counter, if you like. I did taste them with and without hot sauce, and they seemed accurately and well prepared; but they weren’t my cup of tea. I will say that I really enjoyed a large slice of Lema’s creamy and not-too-sweet sweet potato pie, which is also a very good reason to find Holston Drive. (D.N.)

HABANEROS 4704 Asheville Hwy. • 865-247-0391 • habanerostn.com • Mon.-Thur.: 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Fri.-Sat.: 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. One of two Knoxville locations, this Habaneros is tucked into a nondescript spot on Asheville Highway, just down from its intersection with the oldschool suburban Holston Hills neighborhood. Habaneros is distinct as the only sit-down Mexican restaurant for miles, but is the same as its peers all over Knoxville with its abiding affection for Corona, Mexican pop tunes, and refried beans on lunch combos. What sets it apart is an equal enthusiasm for Titans football, entrees made creative with savory chorizo or pineapple, and no fewer than 11 tequilas available for shots. They bake Mexico City-style flan fresh daily, an effort well worth a quick right into the Habaneros parking lot before traffic takes you across the Holston River and into hotel and concrete business building territory. (R.K.)

Photos by Rose Kennedy

west of the restaurant and briefly runs between Magnolia and Martin Luther King Avenues until MILK ends just as you pass Lema’s. You can’t miss the restaurant’s vibrant red facade and bold lettering—what you can miss is the “open” sign. Lema’s is only open three days a week for a total of 18 hours of service—unless it’s not. Lema’s is a specialty restaurant. The menu board indicates that there’s a fish dinner and some soul dogs available, but what people seek out at Lema’s is that most infamous of soul foods: chitlins. Properly spelled chitterlings, they are hog intestines, and Lema’s proclaims in their very name that their version of the dish is world famous. If you’ve paused to visit Google to confirm what you’re reading, you may have already learned that the essential quality that you look for in chitlins is cleanliness. And, as you might imagine, that takes some doing. In fact, there’s a little sign behind the counter of Lema’s that says something to the effect that the greatest compliment on Earth is to eat another man’s chitlins. And in homes where chitlins are made, young eaters—like the restaurant’s single Yelp reviewer—are advised never to eat anybody else’s chitlins but mom’s. Still, Lema’s is known for its cleanliness—though, honestly, if my late friend (and excellent cook) Stanley Scandrick hadn’t vouched for the place, I don’t think I would have been so brave. If you’re planning an early visit to Lema’s, say for a late lunch, they’ll pack your food as if to go. There’s some seating in a separate room, to the left of the counter where you order, and the friendly lady behind the counter won’t mind if you want to sit down; but a sign says that it’s for evening seating. Even so, if you’re stopping in for your first taste of this rare delicacy, you’re probably better off taking them with you until you know you like them. For the uninitiated, the first bite can prove to be a challenge. Chitlins are a difficult food. If you grew up eating them or have learned to appreciate them, then you’ll find that Lema’s traditional preparation results in clean, very tender, and well-seasoned chitlins that you’ll enjoy eating. And there are folks in the world who consider them a delicacy worth seeking out. Or if you’re one of those “let’s try everything” food

SCOTT’S PLACE 4700 Asheville Hwy. • 865-525-7771 • Mon.-Sat.: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Don’t judge a place by its signage— Scott’s Place is actually named after a former owner’s kid; and the iconic dripping vintage ice cream cone looming large out front comes from its days as the Burlington-area Kay’s Ice Cream. Nowadays you can still find hand-dipped ice cream there, but no one named Scott. Instead, it is Susan Saah behind the counter and son Fred Saah at the grill, wielding a spatula and vast shakers of Tiger Seasoning.

IF YOU’RE ONE OF THOSE “LET’S TRY EVERYTHING” FOOD CADETS, CHITLINS REPRESENT A MERIT BADGE . OF THE HIGHEST ORDER.

It’s the kind of burger joint where guys start stories addressed to “fellers,” and they mean the whole room. A couple of older men sip coffee and quip from a table front and center. The server calls people “dear” as she’s relaying fried pickles and three-tier cake slices to Formica-topped tables. The walls are plastered with Motown posters and the music comes from mounted boom-box speakers—some ’70s, a little country maybe. While people do probably stop in just to drink in the small-town atmosphere, most are here for Scott’s top sellers: the burgers and the Steak in a Sack. The Steak in a Sack is something Susan and husband George added 11 years ago, which is when they bought the same place where Susan used to serve ice cream as a teen. Susan’s eyes glow with pride when she describes it: “It’s got all fresh vegetables—onions, peppers, mushrooms— and Swiss cheese.” The burgers are freshly ground and patted meat; melting cheese and the works. They make three sizes the

CARDIN’S DRIVE-IN 8529 Asheville Hwy., Mascot • 865-933-3251 • Sun.-Thur: 7 a.m.-11 p.m., Fri.-Sat.: 7 a.m.-midnight A refreshing antidote to sterile order boards and canned-voice drive-thrus, Cardin’s only looks like a ’50s throwback. It wasn’t started until 1997, but it has all the feel of a Happy Days set. The drive there from Knoxville is delightful: 7-8 miles down a piece of Asheville Highway showcasing charming foothills, red barns and cottage industries with unlikely names, like Four Way Barbershop. At the unassuming site thronged with cars of every vintage, you, ah, pull into the unlined parking lot at an angle suggesting you want service. You may not be able to get a clear view of the menu board from all the spots, so get out of the car if you’re undecided. And make it quick—an upbeat woman in casual clothes will come to the car almost as soon as you’ve stopped to get your order. As in, you roll down your window and she writes it down. No

LOOK FOR OUR NEXT ISSUE ON MAR. 9!

Photos by Rose Kennedy

same way, with the smallest being a quarter-pound, but the Big C burger is the star. It’s one full pound of meat for a mere $6.69. Fred jumps in to remind her that the buns are custom-made at Quality Bakery down the road. Alongside, most get crinkle-cut fries that are golden and crispy. The Big C burgers aren’t what you’d think, either. They’re not a novelty to be consumed on a very special occasion or an item to cross off one’s bucket list. “We sell them during the day, every day, all day,” says Susan with a sweet smile. At lunch, people start showing up a few minutes before the official opening bell at 11 a.m. and by noon there’s competition for seats. Seems like the whole of Holston Hills pours in, along with a bunch of tradesmen. Working the cash register, Susan greets each person in her gentle Southern drawl and seems to know everyone, from a student with dreadlocks to an old-timer with a ball cap and faded jeans. The sign outside has letters falling off, but no one seems to mind. Susan and George expect Fred will take over the business one day. He says he probably won’t change the menu much. And he definitely would never change the name. (R.K.)

buzzers, no speakers, no apps (though you can pay with a credit card). Or you park the fam at one of the picnic tables and sashay up to the same order window the servers use. It is fun, like mini-golf and Friday Night Lights and bowling. Even grouchy teens look cheerful at Cardin’s, and seniors, bikers, and families who appear to be on the way to a museum or cheer practice pack the place, too. Dare we say it’s the only non-franchise drive-in in the area that serves breakfast? Good breakfast on the go, with crispy bacon and yes, biscuits and gravy! You can even just order a side of the gravy and they will bring the whole shebang right to you, car-side. The rest of the day, it’s all retro all the time, and mighty tasty, too. Fried bologna sandwich, onion rings, burgers, chipped ham, canned soups, fried oyster platter, all there. The carhops and cooks work in cheery synchrony, not one Northern accent in the bunch. They’re the only ones who have learned owner Wilma Hillard’s milkshake methods by heart, and they are right to brag about the fresh fruit concoctions and the plentiful hot fudge.

Would Wilma have to kill you if you learned the secret recipes? “It’s a good possibility,” jokes Lena Nail, who’s worked the window at Cardin’s about two years, sometimes with the help of her daughter, Sarah Lowery. But they are serious about Cardin’s banana split, which could single-handedly revive the art with its traditional pineapple and strawberry syrups and real whipped cream. “It’s the best banana split anywhere,” says Nail. Of course, there aren’t any pictures of the banana split or the burgers or anything else. Who needs those fancy airbrushed promo photos anyhow? A 10-inch swirling frozen custard cone for $1.29 delivered with a smile speaks for itself. (R.K.)

Remember, we’re publishing every other week this winter to give us time to work on new content, design updates and sales initiatives. In the meantime, check out one of our new endavors, Press Forward, on page 14.

MORE EASTSIDE DINING DESTINATIONS Jarman’s Barbecue (3229 E Magnolia Ave.) Smoke Box (2827 E Magnolia Ave.) Smokin’ J’s B-B-Q (5200 Rutledge Pike) Wok & Roll (2828 E Magnolia Ave.) February 23, 2017

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 21

BREAKFAST

bite that demands a knife and fork. Okay, I guess you could skip the fork, but you’ll be really messy—and happily so.

Quail Egg Biscuit

LA ESPERANZA Photo by Tricia Bateman

2412 Washington Pike, 865-637-9292 Sun.–Thur.: 8 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri.–Sat.: 8 a.m.–11 p.m.

KNOXVILLE MERCURY February 23, 2017

Photo by Coury Turczyn

135 S. Gay St., 865-333-5776 sugarmamasbakeryknoxville.com Mon.: 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Tue.-Thur.: 7 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri.: 7 a.m.–11 p.m., Sat.: 9 a.m.–11 p.m., Sun.: 12 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

If you’ve ever asked yourself “Where can I find a good ______ in this town?” then this is the restaurant guide for you.

MEXICAN

Chilaquiles

Photo by Tricia Bateman

ASIA KITCHEN

Walker Springs Plaza Shopping Center 8511 Kingston Pike, 865-670-9858 Sun.-Mon.: 11 a.m.–10 p.m. The easygoing atmosphere of this little restaurant in a market is accented by the mingled sounds of English and Spanish conversation, which contributes a happy side of harmony to every dish served. But the summit of fun eating here is the simple but astounding chilaquiles. If you love nachos, then fasten your seat belt, amigo, it’s gonna be a tasty ride. Fried tortilla chips are tossed into a pan of salsa and cooked briefly before being finished with cheese and, perhaps, some chicken or beef. The quick cooking changes the chips’ texture, creating a chewy, cheesy, gooey

APPETIZER

Artichoke Fritti

Photo by Dennis Perkins

Dish is our non-comprehensive, highly curated, very specific recommendations for fine meals.

Actually, the name of this dish as listed on the menu is “Fragrant Eggplant with Ground Meat,” but it’s a classic hot pot—so better avoid any instinctual urge to grab the bowl. But what matters is inside, a plentiful treasure trove of eggplant. It possess some of the aubergine’s trademark earthy flavor, but mostly it’s silky and sweet—in a dish that’s fragrant with ginger, garlic, green onion, and chili. The chili, though present, is a supporting flavor that gives a little lift to each bite and combines with the other spices to make the pot a heady, luxurious, and lingering experience for both the nose and the tongue. The pork contributes to the sweetness and folds into each bite with sumptuous ease. Served bubbling straight from the oven in a pot large enough to share, this is Chinese food as we should have it every day.

SUGAR MAMA’S BAKERY

BY DENNIS PERKINS

Or, if you just want to try something new, then here you go.

Eggplant Hot Pot Situated smack dab in the middle of the 100 Block of Gay Street, Sugar Mama’s offers a very pleasant breakfast option to the early downtown-bound eater. In addition to good Danish and a popular cinnamon roll, there are many savory options, too, including one of the most charming breakfast sandwiches in town. The quail egg and cheese biscuit is a rich little proposition; the soft, buttery, buttermilk biscuit is a touch sweet and marries nicely with the extra indulgence of three quail eggs, which feature a larger yolk-to-white ratio than a chicken egg—though the taste is much the same. It’s good morning nosh for sure.

A Knoxville Foodie’s Guide to Finding Great Plates

If you’ve ever wanted to discover a one-of-kind dish that could be your new favorite in town, then we have some suggestions.

ASIAN

The essence of the artichoke heart always reminds me of asparagus and sunshine, and at Emilia they capture all

16 Market Square, 865-313-2472 emiliaknox.com Sun: 5 p.m.–9 p.m., Tue.–Thur.: 5 p.m.–9:30 p.m., Fri.–Sat.: 5 p.m. 10 p.m.

Macaroni Pie

Photo courtesy of Boyd’s Jig & Reel

COMFORT

VEGAN

Lentil Meatloaf

A DOPO

516 Williams St., 865-321-1297 adopopizza.com Tue.–Sun.: 5 p.m.-close

FUSION

Photo by Charlie Vogel

SANCTUARY

101 S Central St., 865-247-7066 jigandreel.com Tue.–Sun.: 3 p.m.–3 a.m.

PIZZA

Beetroot Pizza

KAIZEN

416 Clinch Ave., 865-409-4444 knoxkaizen.com Tues.–Fri.: 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m., 5 p.m.–10 p.m., Sat: 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m., 5 p.m.–12 a.m.

151 N. Seven Oaks Dr., 865-200-8042 sanctuaryvegancafe.net Sun: 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Wed.–Fri.: 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Sat: 2 p.m.–9 p.m.

BARFOOD

Crostini de Fungi

4620 Kingston Pike, Ste #2, 865-313-2493 theredpianolounge.com Wed.–Sun.: 5 p.m.–close

DESSERT

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Just saying the name of this delight can be enough to entice even the most rational eater to order dessert first. Pudding, in the argot of the U.K., is a generic word for dessert—and this is a very traditional British sweet. A soft square of bread pudding gets a good soak in a decadent toffee sauce and crowned with a fat dollop of whipped cream. For all that, it’s neither overwhelming nor cloying, and artfully arranged strawberry slices perk up each bite with a bright burst of red fruit flavor.

CROWN AND GOOSE

123 S Central St., 865-524-2100 thecrownandgoose.com Sun.: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., Mon.–Thur.: 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri.–Sat.: 11 a.m.–11 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Red Piano Lounge

Hot Chicken may have captured the hearts of fire-eaters far and wide, but Kaizen’s twist on the popular dish merits its own band of groupies. Chef Jesse Newmister takes a fried chicken thigh and dresses it with Sambal chili paste for a slight tang and moderate burn. The house-made pickles are a tasty and refreshing complement, but it’s the soft and white steamed bun that stands in for a slice of white bread, delivering the punchline to a culinary joke while providing a unique chew and pillowy blanket for each bite.

BOYD’S JIG & REEL

RED PIANO LOUNGE

Let’s be clear: You will not mistake this for your mom’s traditional meatloaf. But, if you can get past such comparisons, this offering makes an enjoyable entree into vegan cuisine. Though not a slave to meat mimicry, the texture is surprisingly meaty, with an exterior that gives the same satisfying chew that you’d get from the well-done edges of mom’s best effort. The loaf is quite good by itself, but in context of the whole plate it becomes a real winner. Fluffy mashed potatoes are slathered in a thick tamari-infused gravy that, when piled high on a fork with a big bite of that meatloaf, is about as excellent a comfort-food moment that you can imagine. The tamari brings the additional advantage of a good umami wallop, which gives meaty satisfaction without the meat.

Nashville Bun If you have Puritan leanings, steer clear of this dish because it’s a sin to feel this good while eating. The magical combination of macaroni and cheddar cheese gets a powerful bump when combined with Benton’s bacon— especially when it’s all tucked neatly under the cover of flaky puff pastry. You’ll dance a little jig and reel yourself from the carb rush, but it’s worth it because each and every bite hits all the right notes for comfort food: It’s warm, nourishing, and reminiscent of every sweet mom and grandma on the planet.

aioli, and shaved Parmesan give crostini a real oomph that’s good fuel for the snacky tippler. It’s filling, yes, but the savory combo and mushrooms and parm makes a mouthwatering moment that will have you reaching for another Negroni before you can say, “Play it again, Sam.”

Photo by Dennis Perkins

EMILIA

In a town that has more good pizza than humans should be allowed access to, A Dopo has a nifty niche not only in terms of its blistered and smoky sourdough crust, but also with unique and noteworthy flavor sensations. Their beetroot pizza is a mouthful of fascinating combinations. It’s a white pie with a base of mascarpone and gorgonzola that make a masterful blend—mascarpone’s sweet and almost buttery personality serves as a foil to the gorgonzola, which remains slightly and pleasantly piquant while revealing its own inert sweetness. Together, they make a delectable bed for tender, roasted beets that look like tomatoes and taste like garden candy. The result is earthy, sweet, perky, and alluring.

Photo by Dennis Perkins

that flavor and roll it up into a delightful little fritter. The satisfying crunch of the golden-brown orb yields to a soft and silky core that’s entirely too easy to eat. The plate arrives with a very agreeable lemon and caper aioli, which tastes just like Italy on a sunny day. Despite the artichoke’s putative petulance with wine pairing, these happy bites are actually quite nice with a little vino— and even better with one of Emilia’s very well considered cocktails.

Photo by Dennis Perkins

Crostini is one of those snacks that you never remember loving as much as you do until you taste them again. Maybe it’s because toasted bread doesn’t linger in the memory, but there’s a good reason why they remain on menus: they’re satisfying, filling, and easy to make. The substance of the bread helps make them excellent bar nosh, but at Red Piano the addition of cremini mushrooms, garlic

SHARE A PLATE! Got some favorites you’d like to share? Let us know at: editor@knoxmercury.com Or post them on our Facebook page: facebook.com/knoxmercury February 23, 2017

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 23

A&E

P rogram Notes

No Holding Back Sweet Years unveils a new album and an off-the-wall video to go with it

ith its intriguing, albeit seedy history as a brothel, the top floor of the Bijou Theatre may seem like either an awesome or a bizarre setting for a music video. Local rockers Sweet Years (guitarist Dakota Smith, drummer Zach Gilleran, and bassist Travis Bigwood) went with the former for their upcoming video for the supercharged “Fireproof,” from the new Sweet Years album, Coat Guts—and it pays off. Created by writer and director Brandon Langley, of Knoxville’s Mistakist Productions, the video coincides with the upcoming release of the new album, which was recorded

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Inside the Vault: WBIR and WNOX

KNOXVILLE MERCURY February 23, 2017

by local sound engineer Blake Cass. “He’s incredible,” Smith says of Cass. “He’s very attentive and really puts the work in.” Langley and Smith started tossing around ideas for the video back in August. Smith, who also plays in Knoxville’s Royal Bangs, reached out after watching the pair of videos Langley created for that band, both of which premiered on Rolling Stone’s website. “We didn’t want to do a classic video in which the band emulates their live performance,” Smith says. “So we started talking about tone and images. After agreeing on those we

ended up with a loose story that I think is really perfect for the recorded material.” “It was very much this organic back and forth,” Langley says. “We decided early on that we weren’t going to hold anything back—that if anything we came up with was good, it would stick, and all of the bad ideas would fade away.” Shot across three distinct locations, the video starts in the claustrophobic halls of the Bijou, with a single steadicam shot following Smith around a maze of off-the-wall obstacles. Both Smith’s intense commitment to character and Langley’s dedication to achieving a seamless shot grip viewers from the get-go, shifting between unsettling and whimsical. “I had been kind of experimenting with this roller-coaster idea,” Langley says. “Basically, bringing the viewer along for the ride without having any direct cuts in the video. I wanted to always keep the camera in front of Dakota while he was singing. There are so many details and distractions in that first shot that no one is going to notice everything the first time. Dakota is always the center of attention.” Langley worked with his longtime partner, director of photography, and editor, Andrew McGary, on the video, and a team of volunteers and onscreen talent. He and Smith point out that the camaraderie on set was palpable and that the end product shows it. “The video is full of local artists, musicians, actors, and production champions who all dedicated their time to make this thing,” he says. “It really makes us feel good about this time and place.” The video and album release will take place on Saturday, Feb. 25, at Pilot Light. The show starts at 10 p.m. with opening acts Psychic Baos and Palatheda. Admission is $5. 18 and up. —Carey Hodges

Classical Music: Guest Conductor Mei-Ann Chen

Heroes of Metal Vinyl enthusiast highlights East Tennessee doom scene with new compilation Matt Hundley had no experience in the music industry when he decided to start a record label. In fact, he hadn’t even been to a concert in more than 15 years before his girlfriend took him to see Texas stoner-rock/hipster metal band the Sword at the International in May. “On the way out, Nick from the local band Realm was handing out free CDs,” Hundley says. “I was blown away. I kept their CD in my player for months and just listened to it over and over. I started thinking to myself, ‘Man, it is a shame more people can’t experience these guys.’ “I wanted more people to hear it. Eventually I started thinking—local bands, vinyl. Nobody else is doing this. Maybe I could make it happen. I was too naïve and enthusiastic to think it couldn’t be done. After talking to a few bands and finding them equally enthusiastic, I decided to just make a jump into it and become a record publisher.” Now Hundley is the proprietor of Metal Hero Records, which has just released Knox Ferox, a limited-edition vinyl-only compilation of six East Tennessee bands from the heavier end of the spectrum: Realm, Stone Hogan, Season of Arrows, Navajo Witch, Bones of Mary, and Wampus Cat. It’s available for $25 at Lost and Found Records, Basement Records, and Saint Tattoo, and online at metalherorecords.com. The bands will sell copies at their shows. Only 500 copies were printed, and when they’re gone, that’s it. Hundley says a second volume is already in the works, and a couple of local punk compilations may follow. “I would love to see more people around the country, hell, even the world, listen to this music,” Hundley says. “These are talented musicians. This music is as good as anything you’ve heard coming from mainstream labels. … I think if more small labels popped up and brought local scenes forward, especially on vinyl, it would allow for this music to get into the hands of people who are passionate about it. I’m not knocking digital music. It’s great to have 1,200 songs on an SD card, but vinyl has a life of its own. It’s physical. It’s timeless. It will be here after we are gone. That shouldn’t be the privilege of a major label band. Local bands deserve that, too.” —Matthew Everett

Movie: Tony Conrad: Completely in the Present

Inside the Vault

Broadcast History James Jones’ singular obsession with local TV and radio BY ERIC DAWSON

recently received a Facebook message from a former coworker, Dave Phillips, who told me his father, Mack, was cleaning out a house that had a lot of records, some of which might be of interest to the Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound. Looking up the house’s Fountain City address, the neighborhood seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place why. Once we drove into the neighborhood, I remembered that I’d seen this same house before. Years ago, TAMIS cofounder Bradley Reeves told me about James Jones, a broadcast enthusiast wellknown among local television technicians for collecting audio, video, photos, and ephemera from local radio and television stations. Jones procured a lot of it through dumpster diving. (People discard historical artifacts all the time, not realizing they might one day be important.) Reeves knocked on his door one day to ask him about his collection, but Jones wasn’t interested

in talking. Reeves pointed out his house to me one day when we were in the neighborhood, noting that it was probably full of untold local history. It was, but I doubt even those who knew Jones best would have predicted it would yield as much as it did. Inside were hundreds of boxes stuffed with books, magazines, newspapers, and all manner of audiovisual items in every conceivable format. Among shoe boxes full of VHS tapes with an unpredictable assortment of network television shows were reel-to-reel audiotapes, correspondence, memos, license renewals, slides, photographs, radio scripts, newspaper clippings, ratings records, and thousands of pages of detailed program logs and ephemera from multiple local radio and television stations, dating from the 1930s to the ’80s. Through these materials one can review the history of WNOX, WROL, WTSK, WATE, WBIR, and other stations, including their transition from radio to television.

Some of the more interesting items are WBIR and WNOX’s FCC proposals for television broadcast licenses. WBIR’s proposal is contained within four thick, spiral-bound books that include their entire proposed weekly program schedule. Some of these likely never aired, but it’s interesting to see how many programs were devoted to education and civic engagement, including shows produced in cooperation with Knox County public schools, TVA, the University of Tennessee, Lawson McGhee Library, and veterans’ organizations, including a Saturday evening program featuring two hours of folk music and Americana and “a daily discussion of happenings in the woman’s world.” The types of programs we might find today on public or community-access television stations were airing daily on one of only three commercial stations in town in 1956. WNOX never made the transition to television, losing its licensing bid to rival WROL in 1953. But WNOX’s proposal included some interesting ideas, including Tennessee Playhouse, a Sunday afternoon show devoted to UT’s Clarence Brown Theatre; Art in Your Life, an art-education show hosted by UT’s C. Kermit Ewing; and, most intriguing, an hour-long show “in cooperation with the two negro colleges of East Tennessee,” Knoxville College and Morristown College. Jones worked at WSJK for years, at some point retiring to look after his aging and ailing mother. In recent years he, too, became ill, and his friend and neighbor, Mack Phillips, helped look after him until Jones’ death in

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December 2014. Friends leaving messages on the online guestbook for Jones’ obituary remember him as a shy man who long had an interest in radio and was an avid collector of TV and radio memorabilia. “Jim had a fascination with and passion for broadcasting since childhood,” one wrote. “He and a number of his friends created their own radio station at a neighbor’s house and from that group came one of East Tennessee’s broadcast veterans.” Jones’ house was a testament to his love of broadcasting. In addition to the audio and video materials, it was packed with numerous books on the subject. He seemed to especially love syndicated old-time radio shows; along with the reel-to-reel audiotapes of airchecks by local DJs and broadcasts of UT football games were hundreds of such shows. Many of the tapes labeled with local call letters also turned out to have old-time radio programs—recordings of WNOX shows from the 1960s were taped over with episodes of Fibber McGee and Molly or Amos and Andy. But it’s always best to focus on what’s been gained rather than what’s lost. Jones’ interest and obsession led him to amass an unparalleled collection of local radio and television history. What he saved from the landfill was salvaged a second time by Mack and Dave Phillips. Researchers of local media history owe them all a huge debt. ◆ Inside the Vault searches the archives of the Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound for nuggets of lost Knoxville music and film history.

Even those who knew James Jones best would not have predicted the untold local history in his collection.

February 23, 2017

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 25

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Movie

Here and Now A new documentary brings filmmaker and musician Tony Conrad’s career into focus BY LEE GARDNER

ony Conrad is perhaps the most important American artist that you’ve probably never heard of. The new documentary Tony Conrad: Completely in the Present starts establishing that fact right away, with rough video footage of Conrad setting up some audio equipment on a New York sidewalk. Conrad pauses and points to a building across the street. In his top-floor apartment there in the 1960s, he casually notes, 20th-century avant-garde film landmarks The Flicker and Flaming Creatures were created. And the Velvet Underground formed there, too. One of the wonders of Completely in the Present, and of Conrad’s life and work, is that such revelations don’t stop coming. Conrad would be

KNOXVILLE MERCURY February 23, 2017

notable to history for his Zelig-like connections to the musical avant-garde of the ’60s alone, but he also spent part of the decade revolutionizing experimental film. He enjoyed a long and fruitful midlife career as a video/ conceptual artist and educator at SUNY Buffalo, followed by a late-inlife return to music that elevated and cemented his reputation. (He was set to perform at Big Ears in 2016, but canceled due to illness. He died a few weeks later.) Director Tyler Hubby’s film is constructed from many of the same building blocks as more rote music docs (talking heads, archival material, etc.), but thanks to ample participation from Conrad, and some obvious inspiration from his prankster spirit, it rarely fails to delight.

The son of a traditional portrait painter from Baltimore, Conrad studied mathematics and computers at Harvard but fell into Manhattan’s downtown demimonde in the early ’60s. His mathematical background helped pry loose any attachment to the niceties of Western musical tradition, and he joined forces with La Monte Young, John Cale, and others in the seminal Theater of Eternal Music, an experimental collective that obsessed over a handful of droning tones, sometimes for hours, and in the process established the foundation of American musical minimalism. “I wanted to end composition,” Conrad says in the film, but his conceptual purity clashed with Young’s hunger for credit and control. Their lifelong dispute over the Theater of Eternal Music’s all-but-hidden legacy forms one of the documentary’s subplots. From there he embarked on a series of artistic shape-shifts that would define his career, even if they confounded people’s understanding of his work. Conrad and Cale joined Lou Reed in the pre-Velvets teeny-bopper band the Primitives, but Conrad soon left music behind. He applied his conceptual brilliance to the nature of film to create The Flicker, a series of black and white frames that created a stroboscopic, and psychoactive, effect. Having married and started a family, he began a series of faculty appointments at colleges, though he specialized in “how not to” make films rather than rote instruction. He connected with a new generation of artists, such as Tony Oursler and Mike Kelly, for a raft of ambitious film and video projects, but he also took time to make public-access television shows that ran man-on-the-street interviews and helped grade-schoolers with their homework. He clearly applied his wised-up but joyful antiauthoritarianism to everything he did. Hubby’s film benefits from Conrad’s extensive participation, which helps render an in-depth portrait. Hubby never mentions the artist’s penchant for Day-Glo clothing; it simply becomes apparent over its many, many appearances. Completely

in the Present spends enough time with its subject, in fact, that it captures the impishness behind Conrad’s patrician demeanor and even a few moments of vulnerability peeping out from behind his madcap grin and booming voice. It also picks up a few minor tricks from the master, cuing jumps in the narrative with “fast forward” and “rewind” graphics. Best of all, Completely in the Present concludes with something of a happy ending. Eventually, Conrad came back to music, and the musical world—at least the underground portions of it—came back to him. La Monte Young still controls the recordings of their seminal work together, but Conrad returned to recording and performing and made the essential power of his music, and his innovation, evident, and not just as an avant nostalgia act. The drone that he helped start a half century ago continues to resonate through contemporary music, even now that he’s gone. Hubby’s film indicates that we may just be beginning to understand the breadth and depth of his achievement. ◆

WHAT

The Public Cinema: Tony Conrad: Completely in the Present

WHERE

Pilot Light (106 E. Jackson Ave.)

WHEN

Tuesday, March 7, at 7:30 p.m.

HOW MUCH Free

INFO

publiccinema.org

Classical

Mutual Delight Guest conductor Mei-Ann Chen leads a joyous KSO through an inspired and eclectic program BY ALAN SHERROD

rom the fi rst moment guest conductor Mei-Ann Chen stepped onto the stage of the Tennessee Theatre last week for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s February concerts, one sensed it would be a memorable evening. Chen rushed energetically to the podium, beaming a huge smile and projecting a genuine delight to be there. By the end of the evening, the audience and orchestra had demonstrated that the delight was mutual. With hardly a pause, Chen launched into Mikhail Glinka’s bright and ebullient Overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila with an attention-getting tempo and crispness of attack. Along with that conductorial precision, Chen was also precise in her musical point of view throughout the evening. A demonstratively supportive leader, she allowed the ebb and flow of dynamics to breathe, yet augmented that support with clearly visible cuing of solos and instrumental sections. Having left the audience breathless, Chen reminded the audience of the realities of classical music in 2017: “It takes a village to raise an orchestra,” she said. In the meantime, the Steinway grand piano had risen from the depths of the orchestra pit. Chen was then joined by the soloist for the evening, the 28-year-old French pianist Lise de la Salle. Although Chen described her as a “rising international star,” de la Salle had been something of a child prodigy, making a concert debut at age 13. In truth, de la Salle plays with the natural fluency of someone who

has been innately comfortable with the piano from an early age. De la Salle was on hand for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, a work that has the deceptively complex influence of Mozart and Haydn but also Beethoven’s own blossoming genius. De la Salle sculpted the passages of the opening Allegro con brio movement and its cadenzas with remarkably fluid ease, careening through Beethoven’s intriguing key variations. Oddly, the slow Largo was less attention-grabbing—and emotional—than it should have been, the gorgeous delicacy rarely emerging from the otherwise precisely played passages. On the other hand, Gary Sperl gave the movement’s clarinet solos riveting substance. De la Salle recovered the audience’s attention with the Finale movement’s humorous melodic twists and rowdy, dance-like rapidity. The

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twists and turns of the fi nal passage are Beethoven at his most clever and inventive. Chen opened the second half of the concert with a work new to most listeners, but really not new at all: Florence Price’s 1953 jewel Dances in the Canebrakes, as orchestrated by William Grant Still. Consisting of three sections—“Nimble Feet,” “Tropical Noon,” and “Silk Hat and Walking Cane”—the work owes its delightful atmosphere and addictive rhythmical fl ights to Price’s original piano work and its enticing instrumental color to Still’s orchestration. Price is best known for her 1933 Symphony in E Minor, the fi rst orchestral work by a female African-American composer performed by a major American orchestra. The evening’s diverse program took yet another turn with the concluding work: Igor Stravinsky’s 1919 Suite from The Firebird, music drawn from the composer’s fi rst ballet collaboration with the Ballet Russes in Paris. It was in this magical, fairy-story work that one recognized Chen’s ability to plumb the depths of an orchestra’s potential and inspire joy and energetic performance from the players. However, Chen’s work for the evening continued well beyond that last vibrant passage, which intensifies into magnificent triumph. The maestro insisted on ovations for every soloist and section. Perhaps we have become too stingy; inspired playing deserves encouragement. The parking lot will still be there. ◆

ARAM

The

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

NEXT MONTH

LEFKOWITZ PLAYS BRAHMS March 16 & 17 • 7:30 p.m. Aram Demirjian, conductor Gabriel Lefkowitz, violin DVORÁK: Scherzo capriccioso SIBELIUS: Spring Song; GRAINGER: Irish Tune from County Derry (“Danny Boy”) MAXWELL-DAVIES: Orkney Wedding with Sunrise; BRAHMS: Violin Concerto Sponsored by Brogan Financial Retirement & Legacy Planning

COMING IN APRIL

GOLKA PLAYS CHOPIN April 20 & 21 • 7:30 p.m. Aram Demirjian, conductor Adam Golka, piano Sponsored by John H. Daniel

COMING IN MAY

BEETHOVEN’S 5TH May 18 & 19 • 7:30 P.M.

Guest conductor Mei-Ann Chen projected genuine delight to be

Sponsored by The Trust Company

CLASSICAL TICKETS start at just $15!

onstage with KSO. CALL: (865) 291-3310 CLICK: knoxvillesymphony.com VISIT: Monday-Friday, 9-5 February 23, 2017

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 27

CALENDAR MUSIC

Thursday, Feb. 23 BRANDON FULSON • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 6PM • FREE CINDY ALEXANDER • The Open Chord • 8PM • $8-$10 FIRESIDE COLLECTIVE • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM THE ALLEN THOMPSON BAND • Preservation Pub • 10PM MARGO PRICE • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • It only takes Margo Price about twenty-eight seconds to convince you that you’re hearing the arrival of a singular new talent. “Hands of Time,” the opener on Midwest Farmer’s Daughter, is an invitation, a mission statement and a starkly poetic summary of the 32-year old singer’s life, all in one knockout, self-penned punch.Visit margoprice.net or ticketmaster.com. • $18 THE NINTH STREET STOMPERS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 8PM Friday, Feb. 24 ALIVE AFTER FIVE: ROUX DU BAYOU • Knoxville Museum of Art • 6PM • Led by Paul Gregoire from Dulac, Louisiana, Roux du Bayou plays authentic cajun, zydeco, swamp pop, mardi gras music, and more. Visit knoxart.org. • $5-$10 WOMEN’S EQUITY FOUNDATION LEADING LADIES • Vienna Coffee House (Maryville) • 6PM • FREE HAZEL WITH RAVINER, THE MONDAY MOVEMENT, DANGER SCENE, AND KERCHIEF • The Open Chord • 7PM • Indie synth pop from Knoxville and Nashville. • $8-$10 FROG AND TOAD’S DIXIE QUARTET • The Crown and Goose • 8PM • FREE DAN + SHAY • Tennessee Theatre • 8PM • The duo – Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney – have literally been obsessing over the song selection for their aptly titled sophomore album Obsessed. Visit tennesseetheatre.com.” • $25-$49 CARY MORIN • Preservation Pub • 8PM PORCH 40 • Brackins Blues Club ( Maryville) • 9PM DIRTY POOL • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 9PM CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT WITH FIRESIDE COLLECTIVE • Scruffy City Hall • 9PM AFTAH PARTY • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM RAMAJAY INTERCOASTAL • Wild Wing Cafe • 10PM THE BEARDED • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM ANNABELLE’S CURSE WITH TIME SAWYER • Preservation Pub • 10PM MOON TAXI • The Mill and Mine • 9PM • $25-$45 • See Spotlight on page 33. JACKSON EMMER • Saw Works Brewing Company • 7PM • FREE ADEEM THE ARTIST WITH SANZ ENGLISH • Modern Studio • 8PM • $7-$10 MOJO: FLOW WITH KRISTEN FORD • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 9PM SPAG HEDDY WITH FISHERMEN, BAHT, AND KING SHOTTA • The Concourse • 10PM • 18 and up. • $10-$15 Saturday, Feb. 25 THIS SIDE OF 49 • Vienna Coffee House (Maryville) • 6PM • FREE DIERKS BENTLEY WITH COLE SWINDELL AND JON PARDI • Thompson-Boling Arena • 7:30PM • Seven albums into one of country music’s most respected and most unpredictable careers, award-winning singer/songwriter

30 28

Spotlight: Clybourne Park

KNOXVILLE MERCURY February 23, 2017

Thursday, Feb. 23 - Sunday, March 12

Dierks Bentley continues to grow. His latest evolution comes in the form of Riser, his 2014 album. • $34.75$54.75 FATHER MISTY AND THE BIG ROCK • Preservation Pub • 8PM DEMON WAFFLE WITH SENRYU, MOJO:FLOW, AND KRISTEN FORD • The Open Chord • 8PM • Ska-pop from Atlanta. All ages. • $8-$10 THE MATTHEW HICKEY BAND • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 9PM FISH STICKS • Brackins Blues Club ( Maryville) • 9PM SWEET YEARS • Pilot Light • 10PM • Sweet Years’ sound falls somewhere between early Merge Records alt-punk and earnest Polyvinyl-style arpeggiation. They’re celebrating the release of their debut album and a new video. 18 and up. • $5 • See Program Notes on page 24. THE GO ROUNDS WITH HOLY GHOST TENT REVIVAL • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM THE BLAIR EXPERIENCE • Wild Wing Cafe • 10PM THE WAY DOWN WANDERERS • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM THE COVER LETTER • Preservation Pub • 10PM ABBEY ROAD LIVE • Scruffy City Hall • 10PM • A tribute to the Beatles. MOON TAXI • The Mill and Mine • 9PM • $25-$45 • See Spotlight on page 33. DRAKEFORD WITH TRAVIS BIGWOOD AND AUBREY MULLINS • Modern Studio • 8PM • $7-$10 MATT WOODS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 9PM MODERN MEASURE WITH PROJECT ASPECT • The Concourse • 10PM • 18 and up. • $5 Sunday, Feb. 26 SUNDAY JAZZ BRUNCH • Downtown Grill and Brewery • 11AM • Knoxville’s coolest jazz artists perform every Sunday. • FREE SHIFFLETT’S JAZZ BENEDICT • The Bistro at the Bijou • 12PM • Live jazz. • FREE WINTER JAM 2016 • Thompson-Boling Arena • 6PM • Since its formation by NewSong in 1995, The Winter Jam Tour Spectacular has featured many of the top names in Christian music, including TobyMac, Third Day, Newsboys, Steven Curtis Chapman, Lecrae, Skillet, and more, • $10 FLAW WITH RIGHTEOUS VENDETTA, SOURCE, AUTUMN REFLECTION, AND FALLINGAWAKE • The Open Chord • 7PM • All ages. • $12-$15 BEN FOLDS • Bijou Theatre • 7:30PM • Throughout his career, Folds has created an enormous body of genre-bending musical art that includes pop albums as the front man for Ben Folds Five, multiple solo rock albums, as well as unique collaborative records with artists from Sara Bareilles and Regina Spektor, to Weird Al and William Shatner. Visit knoxbijou.com or benfolds. com. • $40 THE BROCKEFELLERS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM LOUIE LOUIE • Pilot Light • 9PM • 18 and up. • $5 VERTIGO: AN EVENING WITH ANDY HARNSBERGER • Modern Studio • 6PM • Join us on for an interactive concert featuring renowned marimba clinician, recitalist and composer Andy Harnsberger. CHAPTER SOUL • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. Monday, Feb. 27 THE BLUEPRINT • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM SWEET LEAF • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up.

Spotlight: Moon Taxi

Tuesday, Feb. 28 WRECKLESS ERIC WITH TIM LEE • Pilot Light • 8PM • Wreckless Eric began his recording life on Stiff Records in 1977 with his enduring hit Whole Wide World when he was little more than an ex-teenage art student. Eventually he sidestepped the mechanics of stardom to become Britain’s biggest underground household name,

much loved and much misunderstood. 18 and up. • $7 CHARLIE BALLANTINE • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM THE NECKS • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • The Necks are one of the great cult bands of Australia. • $21.50 • See Spotlight on page 28. Wednesday, March 1

THE NECKS Bijou Theatre (803 S. Gay St.) • Tuesday, Feb. 28 • 8 p.m. • $21.50 • knoxbijou.com or thenecks.com

Here’s what happens at a performance by the Australian improv trio the Necks: One of the band members—either Chris Abrahams (keyboards), Tony Buck (percussion), or Lloyd Swinton (bass)— begins playing, quietly, a short, deceptively simple repeating figure, a riff or beat that lasts just a few measures and then repeats, again and again; the others join in, and over the course of an hour or so, the music builds, winds, shifts, and swells, and then it stops. And then they do it all over again. It sounds so simple and even familiar—the trio’s music has credibly been compared to that of Steve Reich, Can, and late Miles Davis. But what the Necks can achieve in an hour on stage is profound and singular. The music that Abrahams, Buck, and Swinton have developed over the last 30 years is hypnotic and cathartic—a puzzle with emotional resonance, an intellectual exercise that can bring you to tears, both virtuosic and deeply moving. The band manipulates time—a single improvisation can stretch out for an eternity, and when it’s over, it feels like no time has passed at all. The Necks have an impressive discography—more than a dozen studio albums, dating back to 1989, four live albums, and various soundtrack appearances and collaborations. Most of their albums follow the same pattern as the band’s live sets, with a single 60-minute track. (In the studio, they often add synthesizers, electric guitars, and other effects.) The latest, Unfold (available digitally now, and out on vinyl in March), is about as accessible as a Necks album is likely to get. It’s the Necks’ version of a pop record—four sides, four separate pieces, each 15 or 20 minutes long. (Matthew Everett)

Spotlight: Mardi Growl

CALENDAR KJO JAZZ LUNCH: THE SMOOTH SOUNDS OF JAZZ GUITAR WITH CHAD VOLKERS AND FRIENDS • The Square Room • 12PM • Join guitarist Chad Volkers and friends as they explore the smoother side of the guitar in jazz. • $15 FROG AND TOAD’S DIXIE QUARTET • The Crown and Goose • 6:30PM • • FREE TENNESSEE SHINES: THE DARRELL WEBB BAND • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7PM • Part of WDVX’s weekly live-broadcast concert series. • $10 THE GROWLERS • The Mill and Mine • 9PM • Cult Records is proud to present City Club, the new long player from California scuzz rockers The Growlers. • $18-$20 Thursday, March 2 JIMMY AND THE JAWBONES • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 6PM • The WDVX 6 O’Clock Swerve is weekly musical trip with talented regional artists featuring live performances and insightful interviews in a living room atmosphere. • FREE FAUX FEROCIOUS • Pilot Light • 9PM • 18 and up. • $6 THE DEAD 27S • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM Friday, March 3 KENNY ROGERS WITH LINDA DAVIS • Knoxville Civic Coliseum • 7:30PM • Grammy Award-winning superstar and Country Music Hall of Fame member Kenny Rogers has enjoyed great success during his storied career of nearly six decades, which will be celebrated during his Final World Tour: The Gambler’s Last Deal. • $61.50$108.50 WDVX ALL-DAY LIVE MUSIC PARTY • WDVX • 12PM • WDVX’s Blue Plate Special series returns with an all-day lineup of performances, starting with the official BPS set by the Women in Jazz JamFestival Band and Ameranouche and followed by the Jenkins Twins, Roxie Randel, Jared and the Mill, Guy Marshall, and a First Friday performance by Robby Hecht. • FREE KELLE JOLLY AND THE WILL BOYD PROJECT WITH THE WOMEN IN JAZZ JAM FESTIVAL BAND • Modern Studio • 7PM • Vocalist Kelle Jolly and saxophonist Will Boyd are two of East Tennessee’s most celebrated jazz musicians, and will be joined by the Women in Jazz Jam Festival Band. • $10 ROSE HAWLEY • Vienna Coffee House (Maryville) • 7PM • FREE THE DELTAS • The Open Chord • 7:30PM • Old school R&B and beach music. All ages. • $8 JOSEPH WITH KELSEY KOPECKY • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • Joseph is a bewitching band of three sisters from the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Expect honest words and genetically perfected harmonies. The band’s full length album I’m Alone, No You’re Not is out now. Visit knoxbijou. com. • $19.50 THE CORKLICKERS • Laurel Theater • 8PM • The North Carolina based Corklickers were formed over forty years ago at the height of the 1970s old-time revival. • $13 FROG AND TOAD’S DIXIE QUARTET • The Crown and Goose • 8PM • FREE RUNAWAY GIN: A TRIBUTE TO PHISH • The Concourse • 10PM • 18 and up. • $10 GUY MARSHALL • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM THE ANDALYN LEWIS BAND • Wild Wing Cafe • 10PM JARED AND THE MILL • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. THE ROACH EATERS WITH ERIN TOBEY AND THE MIDDLE CHILDREN • Pilot Light • 10PM • 18 and up. • $5 HAMMOND EGGS • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE Saturday, March 4 RYE BABY WITH MAYDAY MALONE • WDVX • 12PM • Part of

WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-a-week live-broadcast lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • FREE THE WEST KING STRING BAND • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • FREE ATTILA WITH NEW YEARS DAY, BAD OMENS, AND CANE HILL • The Concourse • 7PM • It’s been far too long since a heavy metal band could get the party started the way Attila can. All ages. • $18-$20 SNAKE CHENEY WITH MOCCASIN COWBOY • Bar Marley • 8PM • $5 FALLOIR WITH AELUDE, HOLD CLOSE, AND SLEEP IN • Purple Polilla • 8PM • Musical explorations from Knoxville, Missouri, and New Jersey. • $5 TALL TALL TREES WITH ZACK MILES • Modern Studio • 8PM • The man behind Tall Tall Trees is Mike Savino, a pioneer in the the world of experimental and psychedelic banjo music. • $8-$10 CYPHER: A HIP-HOP SHOW • The Birdhouse • 9PM • Open mic for the first half of the night, then two featured artists to close out the night. 18 and up. SOUTHERN CITIES • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM THE BARSTOOL BLACKOUTS • Wild Wing Cafe • 10PM GRANDPA’S COUGH MEDICINE • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM Sunday, March 5 SUNDAY JAZZ BRUNCH • Downtown Grill and Brewery • 11AM • Knoxville’s coolest jazz artists perform every Sunday. • FREE SHIFFLETT’S JAZZ BENEDICT • The Bistro at the Bijou • 12PM • Live jazz. • FREE WEBB WILDER AND THE BEATNECKS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM • Long before there were Kings of Leon, Keys of Black or Whites of Jack in Music City there was Webb Wilder, a riddle-spewing prophet of roots rock and roll. A bluesy blast of baritone bombast. Equally versed in two glorious worlds, rock and roll. • $5 SALIVA WITH FAITH AND SCARS • The Open Chord • 8PM • All ages. • $15-$20 CASH’D OUT: A TRIBUTE TO JOHNNY CASH WITH THE HEISKELL HOWLERS • The Concourse • 8PM • 18 and up. • $10 Monday, March 6 MIGHTY MUSICAL MONDAY • Tennessee Theatre • 12PM • Wurlitzer meister Bill Snyder is joined by a special guest on the first Monday of each month for a music showcase inside Knoxville’s historic Tennessee Theatre. • FREE THE WEST KING STRING BAND WITH BELLE OF THE FALL • WDVX • 12PM • FREE BRIAN DOLZANI • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • JIMMY EAT WORLD • The Mill and Mine • 8PM • Before Jimmy Eat World entered the studio to record their ninth full-length album, Integrity Blues, the members of the multiplatinum Mesa, AZ rock band did something they’ve never done in over two decades. “We took a little break,” smiles lead singer and guitarist Jim Adkins. ”As an album, Integrity Blues is about trying to overcome that personal struggle instead of getting upset with what life could be that it isn’t.” • $28-$32 Tuesday, March 7 STEVEN PELLAND WITH 7 MILE MUSHROOM • WDVX • 12PM • FREE THAT ONE GUY • The Concourse • 8PM • 18 and up. • $10-$12 CAPTURED BY ROBOTS! WITH CRISWELL COLLECTIVE AND STEAKS • Pilot Light • 9PM • C!BR has been touring the world since 1997, playing thousands of dive bars for

www.TennesseeTheatre.com

February 23, 2017

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 29

CALENDAR millions of drunk humans. • $10 CIRCUS NO. 9 • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • Wednesday, March 8 JENNIFER “JAY MAC” JONES WITH KEVIN DALTON AND THE TUESDAY BLOOMS • WDVX • 12PM • FREE FROG AND TOAD’S DIXIE QUARTET • The Crown and Goose • 6:30PM • FREE CALEB HAWLEY • Modern Studio • 8PM • Caleb Hawley is a multifaceted singer and songwriter, currently residing in Harlem of New York City. Citing his two greatest influences as Randy Newman and Prince, he leaves a lot of room for possibility in the genre spectrum. • $10-$12 PINK MEXICO WITH NUDE PARTY • Pilot Light • 9:30PM • 18 and up. • $6 Thursday, March 9 THE FARMHOUSE GHOST WITH JESS NOLAN AND KATIE PRUITT • WDVX • 12PM • FREE THE WOOKS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 6PM • FREE GET THE LED OUT • The International • 8PM • 18 and up. Visit internationalknox.com. • $20 TANNER RUTHERFORD WITH DOGWOOD TALES AND THE DAWN DRAPES • The Open Chord • 8PM • $5 THE WOOKS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • THE HEAD AND THE HEART WITH MT. JOY • The Mill and Mine • 8PM • It wasn’t that long ago that the members of Seattle’s The Head and the Heart were busking on street corners, strumming their acoustic guitars, stomping their feet and singing in harmony as they attempted to attract the attention of passersby. That unbridled energy informed their earliest original material, which was

Thursday, Feb. 23 - Sunday, March 12

honed in local clubs before eventually being captured on the band’s 2011 debut album for hometown label Sub Pop. • $37-$41 Friday, March 10 THE WOMEN IN JAZZ JAM FESTIVAL • Local jazz musician Kelle Jolly presents the second annual Women in Jazz Jam Festival. Contact Kelle Jolly at (865) 622-7174 or at womeninjazzjamfestival@gmail.com, or visit www. womeninjazzjamfestival.com for more information. JIMMY AND THE JAWBONES WITH MATT URMY • WDVX • 12PM • FREE KELLE JOLLY AND THE WOMEN IN JAZZ JAM FESTIVAL BAND • Knoxville Museum of Art • 6PM • The AA5 winter series concludes with the premier performance of the 2nd annual week-end long Women in Jazz Jam Festival, coordinated by Kelle Jolly. This evening’s performance will feature an as yet unannounced lineup of fabulous female jazz musicians and singers will perform. Visit knoxart.org. • $10-$15 FROG AND TOAD’S DIXIE QUARTET • The Crown and Goose • 8PM • FREE BEN SOLLEE • Modern Studio • 8PM • Infowars is an invigorating collaboration between long-time percussionist Jordon Ellis and folk-pop cellist Ben Sollee that recaptures the live sounds and ideas experienced throughout their time on the road together. • $15-$18 TRAVIS MEADOWS • The Open Chord • 8PM • $15-$20 BIG COUNTRY’S EMPTY BOTTLE • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM MIC HARRISON AND THE HIGH SCORE • Barley’s Taproom

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY February 23, 2017

and Pizzeria • 10PM • For those who don’t know, Mic Harrison is the beer-swilling, big-hearted blue-collar guitarist, singer, and songwriter who moved to Knoxville from a West Tennessee sawmill back in the early 1990s, taking a spot beside songwriter extraordinaire Scott Miller as co-frontman of local Americana standouts the V-roys. Harrison and the band are celebrating the release of Vanishing South. Visit micharrison.com. • $5 Saturday, March 11 THE WOMEN IN JAZZ JAM FESTIVAL • Local jazz musician Kelle Jolly presents the second annual Women in Jazz Jam Festival. Contact Kelle Jolly at (865) 622-7174 or at womeninjazzjamfestival@gmail.com, or visit www. womeninjazzjamfestival.com for more information. ANDREW ADKINS WITH BRI MURPHY • WDVX • 12PM • FREE LOCUST HONEY • Laurel Theater • 8PM • L$15 ANNANDALE WITH THE DEAD DEADS AND AMONG THE BEASTS • The Open Chord • 8PM • All ages. • $8-$20 THE DREAD SCOTS • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM J.D. WILKES • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • FREE Sunday, March 12 THE WOMEN IN JAZZ JAM FESTIVAL • Local jazz musician Kelle Jolly presents the second annual Women in Jazz Jam Festival. Contact Kelle Jolly at (865) 622-7174 or at womeninjazzjamfestival@gmail.com, or visit www. womeninjazzjamfestival.com for more information. SUNDAY JAZZ BRUNCH • Downtown Grill and Brewery • 11AM • Knoxville’s coolest jazz artists perform every Sunday. • FREE SHIFFLETT’S JAZZ BENEDICT • The Bistro at the Bijou •

12PM • Live jazz. • FREE MAIL THE HORSE • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM • FREE EVE TO ADAM WITH MESSAGE FROM SYLVIA, MEDICINE MAN, AND SOMETHING WICKED • The Open Chord • 8PM • All ages. • $12-$15

OPEN MIC AND SONGWRITER NIGHTS

Thursday, Feb. 23 SCOTTISH MUSIC SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM • A proud tradition, Scots love nothing more than music and drink. The drink is strong and the music is steeped in the history of the green highlands and rocky cliffs. Visit jigandreel.com. • FREE Monday, Feb. 27 MONDAY BLUES • Bar Marley • 8PM • Live every Monday, blues, jazz, funk, reggae and jam musicians from all over Tennessee meet at a backwater crossroad to sit in and show what the blues are made of. • FREE Tuesday, Feb. 28 PRESERVATION PUB SINGER-SONGWRITER NIGHT • Preservation Pub • 7PM • 21 and up. Visit scruffycity.com. 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

CALENDAR in. Just grab an instrument off the wall and take a seat. Hosted by Sarah Pirkle. Visit jigandreel.com. • FREE Wednesday, March 1 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. Visit Facebook.com/BrackinsBlues. • FREE SECRET CITY CYPHERS • The Open Chord • 8PM • Secret City Cyphers is Knoxville’s premier open mic-style event that allows emcees, poets, singers, musicians, dancers, comedians, visual artists, and others to not only have a place to showcase their talent, but a place to network with other artists, and build their fan base. Please remember the 3 SCC rules: No disrespecting anyone; no violence; and limited vulgarity. Other than that,

everything’s game. • $5 Thursday, March 2 IRISH MUSIC SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM • Held on the first and third Thursdays of each month. Visit jigandreel.com. • FREE BREWHOUSE BLUES JAM • The Open Chord • 8PM • Join Robert Higginbotham and the Smoking Section for the Brewhouse Blues Jam. Bring your instrument, sign up, and join the jammers. We supply drums and a full backline of amps. Sign-ups begin at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 4 KNOXVILLE STEEL GUITAR JAM • The Open Chord • 12PM • Just what it sounds like—bring your steel guitar and sit in with your fellow players from all around Knoxville. • FREE OPEN CHORD OPEN MIC NIGHT • The Open Chord • 7PM • Both solo performers and bands are welcome to perform.

THEATRE KNOXVILLE DOWNTOWN: CLYBOURNE PARK Theatre Knoxville Downtown (319 N. Gay St.) • Through March 5 • $15 • theatreknoxville.com

Clybourne Park is Theatre Knoxville Downtown’s most ambitious production in recent memory—a daring Tony- and Pulitzer-winning comedy/drama that re-examines a midcentury American stage classic, with unexpected results. Bruce Norris’ 2010 play tackles half a century of racism and economic injustice by expanding on the events in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun. The first act of Clybourne Park imagines the reaction of the white residents of a middle-class Chicago neighborhood when they learn a black family—the Youngers, the family at the heart of Hansberry’s play—is moving in. The second act takes place in 2009; now, a young white couple moving into the same neighborhood faces resentment and resistance from the black residents who have lived there for decades. Conversations about zoning and codes mask anxieties about race, gentrification, and history. Directed by Ed White and starring Malik Baines, Jennifer Bolt, Greg Congleton, Myasha Dunham, Bill Householder, Christina Perkins, and Keegan Tucker. A talkback session with the cast and crew will be held after the performance on Sunday, Feb. 26. (Matthew Everett)

February 23, 2017

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 31

CALENDAR Signups start at 6 p.m. • FREE

DJ AND DANCE NIGHTS

Friday, Feb. 24 SOUTHBOUND FRIDAYS • Southbound Bar and Grill • 9PM • With DJ Eric B. RETRO WEEKEND DANCE PARTY • Hanna’s Old City • 9PM • Hanna’s Retro Weekend dance party with DJ Ray Funk is where you will hear all of your favorite 80’s and 90’s dance hits. So get down to Hanna’s in the Old City this weekend to party like it is 1999. Saturday, Feb. 25 SOUTHBOUND SATURDAYS • Southbound Bar and Grill • 9PM • With DJ Eric B. Friday, March 3 SOUTHBOUND FRIDAYS • Southbound Bar and Grill • 9PM • With DJ Eric B. RETRO WEEKEND DANCE PARTY • Hanna’s Old City • 9PM • Hanna’s Retro Weekend dance party with DJ Ray Funk is where you will hear all of your favorite 80’s and 90’s dance hits. So get down to Hanna’s in the Old City this weekend to party like it is 1999. Saturday, March 4 SOUTHBOUND SATURDAYS • Southbound Bar and Grill • 9PM • With DJ Eric B.

Thursday, Feb. 23 - Sunday, March 12

CLASSICAL MUSIC

Saturday, Feb. 25 KNOXVILLE CHORAL SOCIETY: CHORAL MUSIC FOR BRASS, PERCUSSION, AND ORGAN • West Hills Baptist Church • 6PM • This concert explores the power and majesty achieved by the combination of the Knoxville Choral Society, accompanist Danny Brian on the 22 rank Randall Dyer Pipe Organ, and some of the finest brass and percussion instrumentalists of the area. Selections will include works by Ralph Vaughan Williams, John Rutter, Mack Wilberg, and Z. Randall Stroope. • $5-$15 Saturday, March 11 KSO POPS SERIES: MUSIC OF THE EAGLES • Knoxville Civic Auditorium • 8PM • The people who brought you recent tributes to Queen and Led Zeppelin return for an evening of the Eagles’ greatest hits with live orchestra. A peaceful, easy feelin’ is guaranteed with the best of “Hotel California,” “Desperado,” “One of These Nights,” and “On the Border.”

THEATER AND DANCE

Thursday, Feb. 23 CARPETBAG THEATRE: ‘BETWEEN A BALLAD AND A BLUES’ • Clayton Center for the Arts (Maryville) • 7:30PM • Between a Ballad and a Blues, a play with music from award-winning playwright Linda Parris-Bailey, tells the story of African-American-Appalachian renaissance man

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY February 23, 2017

Howard “Louie Bluie” Armstrong, one of the most celebrated string-band musicians in the history of American music. Feb. 23-26. Visit carpetbagtheatre.org. • $20 • See Press Forward on page 14. CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘THE BUSY BODY’ • Carousel Theatre • 7:30PM • A young woman, her handsome lover, and their friends plot to escape a controlling guardian in this hilarious Restoration comedy. Will a nosey nobleman ruin the plan or save the day? Feb. 22-March 12. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. THEATRE KNOXVILLE DOWNTOWN: ‘CLYBOURNE PARK’ • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 8PM • Clybourne Park is a razor-sharp satire about the politics of race. In response to Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, playwright Bruce Norris set up Clybourne Parkas a pair of scenes that bookend Hansberry’s piece. Feb. 17-March 5. Visit theatreknoxville.com. • $15 • See Spotlight on page 31. Friday, Feb. 24 TENNESSEE CHILDREN’S DANCE ENSEMBLE: ‘SOARING’ • Knoxville Civic Auditorium • 8PM • Looking for something to enliven your spirit, delight and inspire you? Something the whole family will enjoy? Then be there when the Tennessee Children’s Dance Ensemble opens its 2017 touring season with an eclectic array of dances showcasing the varied work of ten different choreographers. TCDE encourages you to soar along with them in a mood that ranges from light and joyful, to dramatic and intense. Feb. 24-25. • $26 CARPETBAG THEATRE: ‘BETWEEN A BALLAD AND A BLUES’ • Clayton Center for the Arts (Maryville) • 7:30PM • Feb.

23-26. Visit carpetbagtheatre.org. • $20 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘THE BUSY BODY’ • Carousel Theatre • 7:30PM • Feb. 22-March 12. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. THEATRE KNOXVILLE DOWNTOWN: ‘CLYBOURNE PARK’ • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 8PM • Feb. 17-March 5. Visit theatreknoxville.com. • $15 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST JR.’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 7PM • Based on the original Broadway production that ran for over thirteen years and was nominated for nine Tony Awards, and the Academy Award-winning motion picture, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr. is a fantastic adaptation of the story of transformation and tolerance. Feb. 24-March 12. Visit childrenstheatreknoxville.com. • $12 Saturday, Feb. 25 TENNESSEE CHILDREN’S DANCE ENSEMBLE: ‘SOARING’ • Knoxville Civic Auditorium • 2:30PM and 8PM • Feb. 24-25. • $26 CARPETBAG THEATRE: ‘BETWEEN A BALLAD AND A BLUES’ • Clayton Center for the Arts (Maryville) • 7:30PM • Feb. 23-26. Visit carpetbagtheatre.org. • $20 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘THE BUSY BODY’ • Carousel Theatre • 7:30PM • Feb. 22-March 12. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. THEATRE KNOXVILLE DOWNTOWN: ‘CLYBOURNE PARK’ • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 8PM • Feb. 17-March 5. Visit theatreknoxville.com. • $15 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST JR.’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 1PM and

CALENDAR 5PM • Feb. 24-March 12. Visit childrenstheatreknoxville. com. • $12 Sunday, Feb. 26 THEATRE KNOXVILLE DOWNTOWN: ‘CLYBOURNE PARK’ • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 3PM • Feb. 17-March 5. Visit theatreknoxville.com. • $15 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘THE BUSY BODY’ • Carousel Theatre • 2PM • Feb. 22-March 12. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. CARPETBAG THEATRE: ‘BETWEEN A BALLAD AND A BLUES’ • Clayton Center for the Arts (Maryville) • 4PM • Feb. 23-26. Visit carpetbagtheatre.org. • $20 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST JR.’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 3PM • Feb. 24-March 12. Visit childrenstheatreknoxville.com. • $12

Tuesday, Feb. 28 SHEN YUN • Tennessee Theatre • 7:30PM • There was a time when the world was full of magic and splendor, as if all on Earth existed in harmony with Heaven. You could see it in the arts, feel it in the air, and hear it in the beat of a drum. Visit shenyunperformingarts.org/knoxville/ tennessee-theatre. • $73-$123 Wednesday, March 1 SHEN YUN • Tennessee Theatre • 7:30PM • There was a time when the world was full of magic and splendor, as if all on Earth existed in harmony with Heaven. You could see it in the arts, feel it in the air, and hear it in the beat of a drum. Visit shenyunperformingarts.org/knoxville/ tennessee-theatre. • $73-$123

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MOON TAXI The Mill and Mine (227 W. Depot Ave.) • Friday, Feb. 24, and Saturday,

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Feb. 25 • 9 p.m. • $25-$45 • themillandmine.com and ridethemoontaxi.com

Moon Taxi formed in Nashville during the time the band members spent at Belmont University, but they’ve treated Knoxville like their true home base over the past decade. The progressive indie-rock quintet—which includes Knox native Wes Bailey on keyboards—has gauged its success over the years by the status of the Knoxville venue they’re playing, from their formative days at Patrick Sullivan’s to their headlining spot last year at the Tennessee Theatre. It’s fitting that their upcoming 10th anniversary gig is extra eventful—after you’ve reached the city’s highest-profile venue, you’re forced to up the ante. The band will perform a pair of back-to-back dates at the Mill and Mine as part of its inaugural Heart of the Valley winter ball, a dress-up event for which fans are encouraged to dress up with corsages and pocket squares. Adding to the celebratory atmosphere, Moon Taxi is still surging on the success of its fourth album, Daybreaker, a big-budget affair featuring production from rock veteran Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Modest Mouse, Dawes) and the band’s slickest, hookiest songs to date. With opening acts ELEL (Friday) and Los Colognes (Saturday). (Ryan Reed)

February 23, 2017

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 33

CALENDAR

Thursday, Feb. 23 - Sunday, March 12

CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘THE BUSY BODY’ • Carousel Theatre • 7:30PM • Feb. 22-March 12. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com.

something new and different, but ends up finding himself in the same situation, again and again… and again. Visit claytonartscenter.com. • $16.50-$29.50

Thursday, March 2 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST JR.’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 7PM • Feb. 24-March 12. Visit childrenstheatreknoxville.com. • $12 THEATRE KNOXVILLE DOWNTOWN: ‘CLYBOURNE PARK’ • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 8PM • Feb. 17-March 5. Visit theatreknoxville.com. • $15 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘THE BUSY BODY’ • Carousel Theatre • 7:30PM • Feb. 22-March 12. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com.

Saturday, March 4 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST JR.’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 1PM and 5PM • Feb. 24-March 12. Visit childrenstheatreknoxville. com. • $12 THEATRE KNOXVILLE DOWNTOWN: ‘CLYBOURNE PARK’ • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 8PM • Feb. 17-March 5. Visit theatreknoxville.com. • $15 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘THE BUSY BODY’ • Carousel Theatre • 7:30PM • Feb. 22-March 12. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com.

Friday, March 3 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST JR.’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 7PM • Feb. 24-March 12. Visit childrenstheatreknoxville.com. • $12 THEATRE KNOXVILLE DOWNTOWN: ‘CLYBOURNE PARK’ • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 8PM • Feb. 17-March 5. Visit theatreknoxville.com. • $15 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘THE BUSY BODY’ • Carousel Theatre • 7:30PM • Feb. 22-March 12. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. WALNUT STREET THEATRE: ‘LAST OF THE RED HOT LOVERS’ • Clayton Center for the Arts (Maryville) • 7:30PM • America in the 1960s, an era that encouraged love, was populated by “Mad Men” and “Mod Women” trying to navigate the new normal. In this freshly conceived production of Neil Simon’s classic Last of the Red Hot Lovers, true comedy ensues when a modern man in the hip sixties looks for

Sunday, March 5 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST JR.’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 3PM • Feb. 24-March 12. Visit childrenstheatreknoxville.com. • $12 THEATRE KNOXVILLE DOWNTOWN: ‘CLYBOURNE PARK’ • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 3PM • Feb. 17-March 5. Visit theatreknoxville.com. • $15 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘THE BUSY BODY’ • Carousel Theatre • 2PM • Feb. 22-March 12. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. Thursday, March 9 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST JR.’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 7PM • Feb. 24-March 12. Visit childrenstheatreknoxville.com. • $12 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘THE BUSY BODY’ • Carousel

Theatre • 7:30PM • Feb. 22-March 12. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com.

COMEDY AND SPOKEN WORD

Thursday, Feb. 23 ELECTRIC PHEASANT POETRY SLAM • Scruffy City Hall • 8PM • Electric Pheasant Dreamland, while nominally a slam-poetry event, is open to all comers — poets, spoken word performers, performance artists. Monday, Feb. 27 FRIENDLYTOWN • Pilot Light • 7:30PM • Visit facebook. com/friendlytownknoxville. 18 and up. • FREE Tuesday, Feb. 28 EINSTEIN SIMPLIFIED • Scruffy City Hall • 8PM • Visit einsteinsimplified.com. • FREE OPEN MIC STAND-UP COMEDY • Longbranch Saloon • 8PM • FREE Friday, March 3 FIRST FRIDAY COMEDY • Saw Works Brewing Company • 7PM • A monthly showcase featuring local and touring stand-ups comics. • FREE THE OOH OOH REVUE • Cocoa Moon • 10PM • Knoxville’s exciting monthly fun and sexy variety show. Visit oohoohrevue.com. 18 and up. • $10

UT PARALEGAL STUDIES CERTIFICATE PROGRAM The UT Paralegal Studies Certificate Program curriculum has been updated to better train you in the aspects of paralegalism most in demand.

Monday, March 6 FRIENDLYTOWN • Pilot Light • 7:30PM • Visit facebook. com/friendlytownknoxville. 18 and up. • FREE Tuesday, March 7 EINSTEIN SIMPLIFIED • Scruffy City Hall • 8PM • Visit einsteinsimplified.com. • FREE OPEN MIC STAND-UP COMEDY • Longbranch Saloon • 8PM • FREE Wednesday, March 8 FULL DISCLOSURE COMEDY • The Open Chord • 8PM • FREE Thursday, March 9 PIZZA HAS • Pizza Hoss • 8PM • FREE

FESTIVALS

Friday, Feb. 24 48TH ANNUAL JUBILEE FESTIVAL • Laurel Theater • 7PM • Jubilee Community Arts showcases some of the finest practitioners of mountain music across the generations, home grown in our own back yard. Friday and Saturday night we will have old time string bands and song and plenty of jamming in the basement. The festival concludes with Old Harp Singing on Sunday. This year’s performers include the John Alvis, David Lovett, the Tennessee Stifflegs, Leah Gardner and Peggy Hambright, the Knox County Jug Stompers, Y’uns, Pickett State Ramblers, Kelle Jolly, Roy Harper, Bill and The Belles, Mike and Marcia Bryant and the Mumbillies. • FREE-$13

Bach or Basie?

LEARN MORE You’re invited to attend a free information session at the UT Conference Center in downtown Knoxville. Please call 865-974-0150, e-mail utnoncredit@utk.edu, or go online to make your reservation.

Your music, your choice.

Tuesday, March 7 6-7:30 p.m. Course # 17WIP300R-1

Your classical and jazz station.

www.utnoncredit.com

FIX THIS BASTARD 34

KNOXVILLE MERCURY February 23, 2017 WUOT_Ad_4.625x5.25_ClassicalJazz_KnoxMerc.indd 2

9/17/16 5:00 PM

Thursday, Feb. 23 - Sunday, March 12

CALENDAR

DISBILITYHOOD ART, MUSIC, AND POETRY NIGHT • The Birdhouse • 7PM • Disabilityhood is an exhibition of work by artists living and creating within the identities of disability or chronic illness. Suggested donation is $5-$20. Saturday, Feb. 25 OLD CITY WHISKEY FESTIVAL • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 12PM • We will take over all 3 rooms in the pub to give you a unique and intimate Scotch whisky experience. On arrival you will be greeted with a delicious whisky cocktail and have a chance to mingle with other whisky lovers. Visit jigandreel.com. • $100 48TH ANNUAL JUBILEE FESTIVAL • Laurel Theater • 7PM • FREE-$13 Sunday, Feb. 26 48TH ANNUAL JUBILEE FESTIVAL • Laurel Theater • 2PM • FREE-$13 Friday, March 10 THE WOMEN IN JAZZ JAM FESTIVAL • Local jazz musician Kelle Jolly presents the second annual Women in Jazz Jam Festival. Contact Kelle Jolly at (865) 622-7174 or at womeninjazzjamfestival@gmail.com, or visit www. womeninjazzjamfestival.com for more information. Saturday, March 11 THE WOMEN IN JAZZ JAM FESTIVAL • Local jazz musician Kelle Jolly presents the second annual Women in Jazz Jam Festival. Contact Kelle Jolly at (865) 622-7174 or at womeninjazzjamfestival@gmail.com, or visit www. womeninjazzjamfestival.com for more information. Sunday, March 12 THE WOMEN IN JAZZ JAM FESTIVAL • Local jazz musician Kelle Jolly presents the second annual Women in Jazz Jam Festival. Contact Kelle Jolly at (865) 622-7174 or at womeninjazzjamfestival@gmail.com, or visit www. womeninjazzjamfestival.com for more information.

FILM SCREENINGS

Sunday, Feb. 26 THE PUBLIC CINEMA: ‘FIRE AT SEA’ • Knoxville Museum of Art • 2PM • The first documentary to ever win the top award at the Berlin International Film Festival, Fire at Sea takes place in Lampedusa, a once peaceful Mediterranean island that has become a major entry point for African refugees into Europe. Visit publiccinema.org. • FREE SLOW FOOD TENNESSEE VALLEY MOVIE AND POTLUCK NIGHT • Ijams Nature Center • 5PM • Join us for a community pot luck dinner and a screening of the movie Just Eat It, a film documentary about food waste and food rescue. • $5 Thursday, March 2 KNOXVILLE HORROR FILM FESTIVAL: CELEBRATION OF KONG • Scruffy City Hall • 7:30PM • Yet another new King Kong movie is hitting theaters soon, so we thought now was a great time to celebrate our favorite giant ape. • FREE Tuesday, March 7 THE PUBLIC CINEMA: ‘TONY CONRAD: COMPLETELY IN THE PRESENT’ • Pilot Light • 7:30PM • Visit publiccinema.org. • FREE • See review on page 26.

MARDI GROWL PARADE AND FESTIVAL Downtown • 9 a.m.-2 p.m. • Free • downtownknoxville.org/bark and mardigrowl.org

If your dog loves bling—or, perhaps more likely, lots of attention and canine companionship— he’ll find plenty to wag his tail about at the 10th annual Mardi Growl festivities next week. It’s much more than a parade: For the first time this year, Young-Williams Animal Center’s biggest annual fundraiser includes a week of events offered in partnership with downtown businesses. Both Mardi Growl and the shelter have grown and changed substantially over the last decade. The same year the first Mardi Growl was held, Young-Williams began offering a spay-neuter program to the public, with free or reduced prices for low-income residents. Since then, the center has spayed or neutered almost 61,000 animals. Thanks to this program and the shelter’s partnerships with foster and rescue groups, the number of homeless pets brought to the shelter has decreased by 35 percent since 2009, and euthanasia cases have dropped by 68 percent, says Courtney Kliman, Young-Williams’ marketing coordinator. That’s cause for celebration. Pooches and their pet humans can kick it off on Fat Tuesday with “Barc’hus,” when downtown restaurants will offer a variety of “N’awlins French” flavors and lots of Dogfish beer. Among the other activities that week are a Dogs’ Night Out at Mast General Store (Wednesday, March 3, from 5-8 p.m.) at Mast General Store (complete with dog-friendly coffee), a pet photo contest with shots courtesy Reddoor Studio on Market Square (March 3-4), and free doggie gelato at Coolato Gelato. It all leads up to Saturday, March 4, when more than 40 vendors will fetch up at the free festival on Market Square from noon to 2 p.m. (Young-Williams will also offer $10 microchipping and rabies vaccines.) But first, the main event: Pets parade from Willow Avenue at 11 a.m., many sporting their best feather boas, Mardi Gras beads, and other funky costumes. The noisy celebration winds through the Old City and down Gay Street before ending at Market Square, where prizes will be awarded for the most fabulous costumes and more. Preregistration is $15 per dog and lasts through Feb. 28; registration on the day of the event is $20 per dog. (S. Heather Duncan)

February 23, 2017

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 35

CALENDAR SPORTS AND RECREATION

Thursday, Feb. 23 CYCOLOGY BICYCLES THURSDAY MORNING RIDE • Cycology Bicycles • 10AM • Visit cycologybicycles.com. • FREE NORTH KNOXVILLE BEER RUNNERS • Central Flats and Taps • 6PM • Meet us at Central Flats and Taps every Thursday night for a fun and easy run leading us right through Saw Works for a midway beer. • FREE FLEET FEET GROUP RUN/WALK • Fleet Feet Sports Knoxville • 6PM • Visit fleetfeetknoxville.com. • FREE BEARDEN BEER MARKET FUN RUN • Bearden Beer Market • 6:30PM • Visit beardenbeermarket.com. • FREE Saturday, Feb. 25 BIKE ZOO SATURDAY ROAD RIDE • The Bike Zoo • 9AM • Visit bikezoo.com. • FREE WEST BICYCLES SATURDAY ROAD RIDE • West Bicycles • 9AM • Visit westbikes.com. • FREE FREEZIN’ FOR A REASON: SPECIAL OLYMPICS 2017 POLAR PLUNGE • University of Tennessee • 1PM • Join us and hundreds of other brave souls across the state for the coolest thing you’ll do in 2017. Whether you jump, run, or tiptoe in you’ll be helping us build a bigger, better and cooler community for 16,000-plus Special Olympics athletes. Sunday, Feb. 26 KTC WHITESTONE 30K AND TEAM RELAY • 8AM • A lovely, rolling, scenic and rural course that runs through the

countryside. Starts at the Whitestone Inn on Watts Bar Lake. Visit ktc.org. • $20-$45 Monday, Feb. 27 KTC GROUP RUN • Balter Beerworks • 6PM • Visit ktc.org. • FREE TVB MONDAY NIGHT ROAD RIDE • Tennessee Valley Bikes • 6PM • Visit tnvalleybikes.com. • FREE BEARDEN BEER MARKET FUN RUN • Bearden Beer Market • 6:30PM • Visit beardenbeermarket.com. • FREE Tuesday, Feb. 28 CYCOLOGY BICYCLES TUESDAY MORNING RIDE • Cycology Bicycles • 10AM • Visit cycologybicycles.com. • FREE Wednesday, March 1 SMOKY MOUNTAIN HIKING CLUB: SCHOOLHOUSE GAP • 8:30AM • This loop hike will include the Schoolhouse Gap, Turkey Pen Ridge, Finley Cane, and West Prong trails. Hike: 8.5 miles, rated moderate. Leader: Ray Fuehrer, Ray. fuehrer@yahoo.com. • FREE FLEET FEET WEDNESDAY LUNCH BREAK RUN • Fleet Feet Sports Knoxville • 12PM • Visit fleetfeetknoxville.com. • FREE KTC GROUP RUN • Runner’s Market • 5:30PM • Visit ktc.org. • FREE TVB EASY RIDER MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDE • Ijams Nature Center • 6PM • Call 865-540-9979 or visit tnvalleybikes. com. • FREE Thursday, March 2 CYCOLOGY BICYCLES THURSDAY MORNING RIDE • Cycology

Join Now! For more than a workout. For a better us. 36

KNOXVILLE MERCURY February 23, 2017

Thursday, Feb. 23 - Sunday, March 12

Bicycles • 10AM • Visit cycologybicycles.com. • FREE FLEET FEET GROUP RUN/WALK • Fleet Feet Sports Knoxville • 6PM • Visit fleetfeetknoxville.com. • FREE BEARDEN BEER MARKET FUN RUN • Bearden Beer Market • 6:30PM • Visit beardenbeermarket.com. • FREE NORTH KNOXVILLE BEER RUNNERS • Central Flats and Taps • 6PM • Meet us at Central Flats and Taps every Thursday night for a fun and easy run leading us right through Saw Works for a midway beer. • FREE Saturday, March 4 SMOKY MOUNTAIN HIKING CLUB: APPALACHIAN TRAIL MAINTENANCE • 7AM • For this work trip, we will do general trail rehabilitation north of the Cable Gap Shelter in the Nantahala National Forest. Leaders: Franklin LaFond, ox97game@aol.com and Pam Reddoch, preddoch@comcast.net. • FREE RUNNER’S MARKET SATURDAY GROUP RUN • Runner’s Market • 9AM • Visit runnersmarket.com. • FREE WEST BICYCLES SATURDAY ROAD RIDE • West Bicycles • 9AM • Visit westbikes.com. • FREE BIKE ZOO SATURDAY ROAD RIDE • The Bike Zoo • 9AM • Visit bikezoo.com. • FREE CATALYST ADAPTIVE CLIMB • River Sports Outfitters • 10AM • Join us the first Saturday of every month as we climb with Catalyst Sports. This event is for anyone with physical disabilities. All ages are welcome to come and climb our rock wall. • $10 Sunday, March 5 RUN FOR THE BEARDEN BULLDOGS 5K • Bearden High School • 1PM • $10-$30

When you join the Y, you’re committing to more than simply becoming healthier. You are supporting the values and programs that strengthen your community.

Your YMCA has nationally-certified personal trainers.

Schedule Your 1-on-1 Training Today!

ART

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts 556 Parkway (Gatlinburg) FEB. 15-APRIL 8: Back to Work, mixed-media sculpture by Jackson Martin. Visit arrowmont.org. Art Market Gallery 422 S. Gay St. JAN. 31-FEB. 26: Artwork by Ron Smith and Carl Gombert. FEB. 28-MARCH 31: Art Market Gallery members’ Group Show. An opening reception will be held on Friday, March 3, at 5:30 p.m. Visit artmarketgallery.net. Broadway Studios and Gallery 1127 N. Broadway THROUGH FEB. 25: Divergent and Bloom, artwork by Sam Artman and Lisa Luterno. Central Collective 923 N. Central St. MARCH 3-27: Wood/Metal/Clay/Cloth, an exhibit by Heather Ashworth, Katie Dirnbauer, Ellis Greer and Amanda Humphreys. An opening reception will be held on Friday, March 3, from 7-10 p.m. Visit thecentralcollective.com. Downtown Gallery 106 S. Gay St. FEB. 3-28: Intersections, glass art from Ball State University’s Glick Center for Glass. MARCH 3-31: Film and

Bob Temple North Y Cansler Family Y Lindsay Young Downtown Y West Side Family Y Davis Family Y

YMCAKnoxville.org 865-690-9622

CALENDAR video art by Kevin Jerome Everson. An opening reception will be held on Friday, March 3, from 5-9 p.m. 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. Emporium Center for Arts and Culture 100 S. Gay St. FEB. 3-24: Slovene Independent Biennial; Arts and Culture Alliance National Juried Exhibition; and Through My Eyes, by autistic artist Derrick Freeman. MARCH 3-31: Abingdon Arts Depot Juried Members Exhibition; The Art of Surrealism by Jose Roberto; artwork by Coral Grace Turner; and art by Joe Bracco. An opening reception will be held on Friday, March 3, from 5-9 p.m. Visit knoxalliance.com. Ewing Gallery 1715 Volunteer Boulevard FEB. 27-MARCH 19: 70th Annual Student Art Compeition Exhibit. An opening reception and award ceremony will be held on Monday, Feb. 27, from 6-8 p.m. Visit ewing-gallery.utk.edu. Knoxville Museum of Art 1050 World’s Fair Park Drive JAN. 27-APRIL 16: Outside In, new paintings by Jered Sprecher. FEB. 3-APRIL 16: Virtual Views: Digital Art From the Thoma Foundation. 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. Visit knoxart.org. See review onpage 23. McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture 1327 Circle Park Drive FEB. 3-MAY 7: Divine Felines: Cats of Ancient Egypt. ONGOING: The Flora and Fauna of Catesby, Mason, and Audubon and Life on the Roman Frontier. Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike FEB. 23-MARCH 23: Atomic Integration, photographs by Ed Westcott of the African-American experience during the Manhattan Project. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, Feb. 23, at 4:30 p.m. RALA 112 W. Jackson Ave. MARCH 3-31: Paintings by Sarah Moore.

FAMILY AND KIDS’ EVENTS

Friday, Feb. 24 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. • FREE Saturday, Feb. 25 BLOUNT COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY FAMILY STORY TIME • Blount County Public Library • 10:30AM • FREE MCCLUNG MUSEUM FAMILY FUN DAY: PURRS FROM THE PAST • McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture •

NICE TO MEAT YOU!

1PM • FREE BLOUNT COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY NERD GROUP • Blount County Public Library • 3PM • FREE BLOUNT COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY CHESS GROUP • Blount County Public Library • 10AM • For middle- and high-school students. • FREE Monday, Feb. 27 MCCLUNG MUSEUM STROLLER TOUR: KITTIES AND TODDLERS • McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture • 10AM • FREE

Introduce your taste buds to our NEW Flame Grilled 14 oz. Bone-In Ribeye with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Grilled Asparagus! Come on… don’t be shy!

Tuesday, Feb. 28 BLOUNT COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY LITTLE LEARNERS GROUP • Blount County Public Library • 10AM • Recommended for ages 3-5. FREE BLOUNT COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY LEGO CLUB • Blount County Public Library • 4PM • For grades K-5. FREE SENSORY STORY TIME • Blount County Public Library • 6PM • Open to children of all abilities but especially designed for the kids with special needs between the developmental ages of 3-5. • FREE BLOUNT COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS GROUP • Blount County Public Library • 5:30PM • FREE

LECTURES, READINGS, AND BOOK SIGNINGS

Thursday, Feb. 23 JEFF BAXTER AND PAUL SCHLACTER • University of Tennessee • 7:30PM • Jeff Baxter and Paul Schlacter, UT alumni and graphic design jurors for the 70th annual Student Art Competition, will be lecturing on their work in the McCarty Auditorium at the University of Tennessee’s Art and Architecture Building. The two designers have collaborated since their undergrad days at UT. Jeff currently works for Spotify and Paul is a designer for Google. • FREE ACA: REPEAL, REPLACE, OR REPAIR? • 6PM • A non-partisan grassroots citizen’s coalition concerned about the future of affordable healthcare is partnering with the Knoxville Health Care Campaign and the League of Women Voters Knoxville/Knox County to present an informational town hall for the public at Whittle Springs Middle School. • FREE Friday, Feb. 24 UT AFRICAN-AMERICAN READ-IN • University of Tennessee John C. Hodges Library • 12PM • Celebrate the written word of African-American culture at the University of Tennessee by attending the African-American Read-In. Students, faculty, staff and administrators are invited to read an excerpt from their favorite book by an African American author. If you are interested in reading, email Susan Groenke, director of the Center for Children and Young Adult Literature, at sgroenke@utk.edu to sign up for a time slot. • FREE Saturday, Feb. 25 SATURDAY MORNING PHYSICS • University of Tennessee • 10AM • FREE Sunday, Feb. 26 MCCLUNG MUSEUM CIVIL WAR LECTURE SERIES • McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture • 2PM • FREE Monday, Feb. 27 UT COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN 2017 SPRING

EVERYDAY WE’RE SHUCKIN’ EM 5200 Kingston Pike • 219-5714 (next to Nama Sushi Bar) A NAMA AFFILIATED CONCEPT

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY 37

CALENDAR LECTURE SERIES • University of Tennessee Art and Architecture Building • 5:30PM • The University of Tennessee College of Architecture and Design will host a variety of internationally renowned architects and guest lecturers during the 2017 spring semester. • FREE DWIGHT MCCARTER: ‘MEIGS LINE: CHEROKEE BOUNDARY’ • Blount County Public Library • 7PM • Dwight McCarter, author and retired backcountry ranger for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, will recount his rediscovery of a two-century-old disputed boundary between the U.S. and the Cherokee Nation and his search for the boundary line. • FREE Wednesday, March 1 RACE IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN • University of Tennessee John C. Hodges Library • 5:30PM • This panel discussion will promote conversation between faculty, students and community members regarding race and racism in Latin America and the Caribbean. • FREE Saturday, March 4 SATURDAY MORNING PHYSICS • University of Tennessee • 10AM • FREE Monday, March 6 UT WRITERS IN THE LIBRARY SERIES • University of Tennessee • 7PM • The University of Tennessee’s annual Writers in the Library series features novelists, poets, and nonfiction writers from around the region and visiting writers at UT, reading from and discussing their work in the auditorium of the John C. Hodges Library. Visit lib.utk. edu/writers/. • FREE

Thursday, Feb. 23 - Sunday, March 12

Tuesday, March 7 MICHAEL KNIGHT: ‘EVENINGLAND’ • Union Ave Books • 6PM • Book signing with author Michael Knight, reading from his new collection of short stories Eveningland. • FREE

CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS

Thursday, Feb. 23 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Balanced You Studios • 12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail. com. Donations accepted. KNOXVILLE CAPOEIRA CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 6PM • • $10 KNOXVILLE PERSONAL TRAINING PILATES • Beaver Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church • 6:30PM • Call (865) 622-3103 or visit knoxvillepersonaltraining.com. • $4 BEGINNER ACROYOGA CLASS • Breezeway Yoga Studio • 7:30PM • $15 BELLY DANCE LEVELS 1 AND 2 • Knox Dance Worx • 8PM • Call (865) 898-2126 or email alexia@alexia-dance.com. • $12 KNOX COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS: SO YOU WANT TO GROW ORGANIC • Humana Guidance Center • 3:15PM • For more information phone 865-329-8892. • FREE Saturday, Feb. 25 KNOX COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS: SPRING LAWN REPAIR • Bearden Branch Public Library • 1:30PM • Call 865- 588-

“Wild Women Don’t Have The Blues” In honor of Ida Cox, from Knoxville, born February 25, 1894, and writer of the song “Wild Women Don’t Have the Blues”

saturday February 25th 8:00pm (Doors open at 7PM) featuring:

Jenna Jefferson, Kelle Jolly, Jeanine Fuller, Chelsea Samples with Matt Coker & The Wild Man Band

Relix variety Theatre 1208 N. Central Street, Knoxville Admission: $15 at the door, $12 for KMA, SMBS, and KSDA members *All tickets available at the door

Brought to you by: 38

KNOXVILLE MERCURY February 23, 2017

8813 or visit knoxlib.org. • FREE

questions. • $5

Sunday, Feb. 26 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE BALLET BARRE CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 1PM • Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE: MODERN DANCE FOUNDATIONS CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 2PM • Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY MINDFULNESS-BASED STREET REDUCTION EIGHT-WEEK SERIES • Cancer Support Community • 4:30PM • This series is a systematic practice that involves focusing attention in the present moment in order to relax the body and calm the mind. 865-546-4661. • FREE

Tuesday, Feb. 28 KNOX COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS: SUCCESSFUL SEED STARTING • Karns Senior Center • 11AM • Call 865-9512653. • FREE GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Balanced You Studios • 12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail. com. Donations accepted. KNOXVILLE CAPOEIRA CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 6PM • Visit capoeiraknoxville.org. • $10 SHEBOOM!: A WEEKLY DROP-IN DANCE CLASS FOR ALL BODIES • Broadway Academy of Performing Arts • 6PM • We focus on getting de-stressed and mindful on the moment at hand. Wear work-out clothes or comfortable clothing to move in. • $10 NUTRITION ON AND OFF THE BIKE • Cycology Bicycles • 6PM • This event is for all women, whether just starting the lifestyle of cycling or you are a competitive cyclist or a triathlete. • FREE 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

Monday, Feb. 27 CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY: QUICK AND TASTY COOKING • Cancer Support Community • 12PM • Call 865-546-4661 for more info. HEART OF YOGA SERIES • Central Collective • 5:30PM • February is National Heart Health Month and what better way to celebrate it then with yoga? • $15-$50 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Balanced You Studios • 6PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail. com. Donations accepted. KNOXVILLE PERSONAL TRAINING BOOT CAMP • Beaver Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church • 6:30PM • Call (865) 622-3103 or visit knoxvillepersonaltraining.com. • $15 MONDAY NIGHT YOGA • Church Street United Methodist Church • 7PM • Contact Micarooni@aol.com with

Wednesday, March 1 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE OPEN LEVEL BALLET CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 6:30PM • Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 Thursday, March 2 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Balanced You Studios •

Thursday, Feb. 23 - Sunday, March 12

12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail. com. Donations accepted. CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY: KNIT YOUR WAY TO WELLNESS • Cancer Support Community • 1PM • Call 865-546-4661. KNOXVILLE CAPOEIRA CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 6PM • 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 BEGINNER ACROYOGA CLASS • Breezeway Yoga Studio • 7:30PM • $15 Saturday, March 4 AARP DRIVER SAFETY SMART DRIVER COURSE • Farragut Presbyterian Church • 9AM • Call (865) 382-5822. KNOXVILLE WRITERS’ GUILD WORKSHOP: THE HOW-TO AND WHODUNNIT OF CRIME WRITING • Central United Methodist Church • 10AM •. • $50 KNOX COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS: THE ABCS OF BLUEBERRIES • Cedar Bluff Branch Library • 10:30AM • Call 865-470-7033. • FREE SUBTLE BODY, RADIANT MIND: A YOGA AND MEDITATION WORKSHOHP • Breezeway Yoga Studio • 1:30PM • Presented by Ramesh Bjonnes and Radhika Banu Bjonnes. Connect with Patty to register: 865-951-6024 or pattyyogamail@gmail.com. • $60 Sunday, March 5 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE BALLET BARRE CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 1PM • Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE: MODERN DANCE FOUNDATIONS CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 2PM • Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 Monday, March 6 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Balanced You Studios • 6PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail. com. Donations accepted. 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 MONDAY NIGHT YOGA • Church Street United Methodist Church • 7PM • Contact Micarooni@aol.com with questions. • $5 Tuesday, March 7 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Balanced You Studios • 12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail. com. Donations accepted. KNOXVILLE CAPOEIRA CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 6PM • Visit capoeiraknoxville.org. • $10 SHEBOOM!: A WEEKLY DROP-IN DANCE CLASS FOR ALL BODIES • Broadway Academy of Performing Arts • 6PM • We focus on getting de-stressed and mindful on the moment at hand. Wear work-out clothes or comfortable clothing to move in. • $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 HANDS-ON CHEESEMAKING WORKSHOP • Central Collective • 6:30PM • Love the flavor and versatility of mozzarella cheese? You’ll love it even more when you make it fresh yourself. • $37 LADY PARTS: KNOXVILLE’S FEMALE BICYCLE MAINTENANCE CLASS • DreamBikes • 7PM • Lady Parts is an all female and femme bicycle maintenance class. It is a safe and

CALENDAR

inclusive space for women to learn about how to fix their bikes. • FREE Wednesday, March 8 CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY: HEALING THROUGH ART • Cancer Support Community • 1PM • No experience necessary. RSVP. Call 865-546-4661 for more info. CIRCLE MODERN DANCE OPEN LEVEL BALLET CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 6:30PM • Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 CLIMBING FUNDAMENTALS • River Sports Outfitters • 6PM • Visit riversportsoutfitters.com. • $20 Thursday, March 9 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Balanced You Studios • 12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail. com. Donations accepted. AARP DRIVER SAFETY SMART DRIVER COURSE • Halls Senior Center • 12PM • Call (865) 382-5822. KNOXVILLE CAPOEIRA CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 6PM • 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 BEGINNER ACROYOGA CLASS • Breezeway Yoga Studio • 7:30PM • $15 SECRET SHOWGIRL WORKSHOP SERIES: BEWITCHING THE BOA • Modern Studio • 7:30PM • Bewitch the boa and find your flair with some feathers and friends. Learn a sexy, sizzling boa mini-number and moves to make them swoon. • $10

MEETINGS

Thursday, Feb. 23 AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 6PM • Visit farragutalanon.org or email FindHope@Farragutalanon. org. • FREE ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS/DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILIES • The Birdhouse • 6PM • AContact Laura at 706-621-2238 or lamohendricksll@gmail.com for more information or visit the international ACA website at adultchildren.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 Friday, Feb. 24 INTERDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES ON REFUGEES, DISPLACEMENT, AND RESETTLEMENT: A UT CONFERENCE AND WORKSHOP • University of Tennessee • 9AM • A community event to bring together faculty and students from across the university to connect with community agencies, professionals, and volunteers that work with refugees. • FREE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE SCIENCE FORUM • Thompson-Boling Arena • 12PM • Visit scienceforum.utk.edu. • FREE Saturday, Feb. 25 AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 11AM • Visit farragutalanon.org or email FindHope@Farragutalanon. org. • FREE DC865 • Knoxville Entrepreneur Center • 2PM • DC865 is a group for hackers, sysadmins, developers, students and anyone else interested in information security. Our meetings start out with informal discussions and move

on to hands on learning through demos, CTFs, wargames and vulnerable images. Visit DC865.org for more information, or follow @defcon865 on Twitter. • FREE Sunday, Feb. 26 SUNDAY ASSEMBLY • The Concourse • 10:30AM • Sunday Assembly is a secular congregation without deity, dogma, or doctrine. Our motto: Live Better, Help Often, Wonder More. 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 Monday, Feb. 27 COMMUNITY DEFENSE WEEKLY MEETING • Tabernacle Baptist Church • 6PM • Community Defense of East Tennessee is a grassroots organization of community members who provide support for families and individuals facing charges in the criminal justice system. Contact us at communitydefenseET@gmail.com or (865) 214-6546. • FREE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN BIKE CLUB • Sweet P’s Barbecue and Soul House • 7PM • Visit ambc-sorba.org. • FREE Tuesday, Feb. 28 AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 11AM • Visit farragutalanon.org or email FindHope@Farragutalanon. org. • FREE ATHEISTS SOCIETY OF KNOXVILLE • West Hills Flats and Taps • 5:30PM • Visit meetup.com/KnoxvilleAtheists. • FREE THREE RIVERS! EARTH FIRST! • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM • Call (865) 257-4029 for more information. • FREE Wednesday, March 1 AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 11AM • Visit farragutalanon.org or email FindHope@Farragutalanon. org. • FREE Thursday, March 2 AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 11AM • Visit farragutalanon.org or email FindHope@Farragutalanon. org. • FREE CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY BREAST CANCER NETWORKER • Thompson Cancer Survivor Center West • 6PM • Call 865-546-4661 for more info. CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT GROUP • Cancer Support Community • 6PM • Call 865-546-4661 for more info. 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 KNOXVILLE WRITERS’ GUILD • Central United Methodist Church • 7PM • Additional information about KWG can be found at KnoxvilleWritersGuild.org. Friday, March 3 UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE SCIENCE FORUM • Thompson-Boling Arena • 12PM • Visit scienceforum.utk.edu. • FREE Saturday, March 4 SEEKERS OF SILENCE • Church of the Savior United Church of Christ • 9AM • Seekers of Silence is an ecumenical and interfaith gathering of men and women who come together to listen. Visit sosknoxville.org. • FREE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN • Bearden Branch Public Library • 10:15AM • With guest February 23, 2017

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 39

CALENDAR

Thursday, Feb. 23 - Sunday, March 12

• FREE

out a wonderful community organization. • FREE

Sunday, March 5 AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 11AM • Visit farragutalanon.org or email FindHope@Farragutalanon. org. • FREE

Wednesday, March 8 AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 11AM • Visit farragutalanon.org or email FindHope@Farragutalanon. org. • FREE LESBIAN SOCIAL GROUP OF KNOXVILLE • Kristtopher’s • 6:30PM • Just a casual gathering of women to socialize and plan activities. Meetings are the second and fourth Wednesday of the month. • FREE

Saturday, Feb. 25 NOURISH KNOXVILLE WINTER FARMERS’ MARKET • Central United Methodist Church • 10AM • Visit nourishknoxville. org. • FREE

Monday, March 6 COMMUNITY DEFENSE WEEKLY MEETING • Tabernacle Baptist Church • 6PM • Contact us at communitydefenseET@gmail.com or (865) 214-6546. • FREE WOMEN’S MARCH COALITION CONCLAVE: LET THE PEOPLE SPEAK TO POWER • University of Tennessee Alumni Memorial Building • 6PM • Our goal is to have people from all different ideologies, races, genders, and walks of life speak up about what their challenges and fears are about the current state of our government—local, state and federal. • FREE

Thursday, March 9 AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 11AM • Visit farragutalanon.org or email FindHope@Farragutalanon. org. • FREE 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 BLACK LIVES MATTER • The Birdhouse • 7:30PM • Visit blacklivesmatterknoxville.org. • FREE

speaker Anna Shugart, LCSW, director of Blount Memorial Hospital’s Emotional Health and Recovery Center. • FREE Al-Anon • Faith Lutheran Church • 11AM • Visit farragutalanon.org or email FindHope@Farragutalanon. org. • FREE

Tuesday, March 7 AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 11AM • Visit farragutalanon.org or email FindHope@Farragutalanon. org. • FREE ATHEISTS SOCIETY OF KNOXVILLE • West Hills Flats and Taps • 5:30PM • Visit meetup.com/KnoxvilleAtheists. • FREE THREE RIVERS! EARTH FIRST! • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM • Call (865) 257-4029 for more information.

ETC.

Thursday, Feb. 23 PINTS FOR A PURPOSE • Little River Trading Co. • 5PM • Pints for a Purpose will be held every fourth Thursday of the month. It’s a win-win event—good company, a chance to win awesome prizes, and of course enjoyment of delicious New Belgium Brewing beer all in efforts to help

Sunday, Feb. 26 HOLLYWOOD’S NIGHT OUT • Tennessee Theatre • 7PM • Young Variety in concert with Variety – the Children’s Charity of Eastern Tennessee will be hosting this event. All proceeds benefit Variety and their Kids on the Go! program. Guests will experience the red carpet and can participate in a green screen photo op like the Hollywood stars. • $35 MODERN STUDIO INDOOR CRAFT FAIR • Modern Studio • 11AM • Sculpture, jewelry, lamps and more at Modern Studio’s craft fair, featuring local and regional craftspeople. • FREE Thursday, March 2 THE PICKY CHICK SPRING CONSIGNMENT SALE • Knoxville Expo Center • 10AM • A three-day spring/summer pop-up children’s consignment sale event. • FREE FRIENDS OF THE SEYMOUR PUBLIC LIBRARY USED BOOK SALE • Seymour Public Library • 5PM • A fund-rasier to support the Seymour Public Library. • FREE Friday, March 3 THE PICKY CHICK SPRING CONSIGNMENT SALE • Knoxville Expo Center • 10AM • A three-day spring/summer pop-up children’s consignment sale event. • FREE

FRIENDS OF THE SEYMOUR PUBLIC LIBRARY USED BOOK SALE • Seymour Public Library • 10AM • A fund-rasier to support the Seymour Public Library. • FREE THE MOVING THEATRE: ‘BEER GIRL’ • A1 Lab Arts • 6PM • The Moving Theatre presents its second-ever First Friday gallery exhibition, centered around Beer Girl, by Walter Wykes, a sudsy ten-minute comedy performing three times throughout the evening. • FREE ARTXTRAVAGANZA ART SHOW AND SALE • Webb School of Knoxville • 2PM • ArtXtravaganza brings together more than 65 juried artists from across the Southeast and beyond. Guests have the opportunity to view and purchase 2,000-plus original artworks. • FREE Saturday, March 4 KNOXVILLE TOY SHOW • Modern Studio • 10AM • Enjoy vintage toys and comics at Knoxville’s premier toy show. • $5 SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCE • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 4PM • Visit jigandreel.com. • FREE ARTXTRAVAGANZA ART SHOW AND SALE • Webb School of Knoxville • 10AM • FREE Sunday, March 5 ARTXTRAVAGANZA ART SHOW AND SALE • Webb School of Knoxville • 11AM • FREE Tuesday, March 7 KEEP KNOXVILLE BEAUTIFUL ORCHID AWARDS • The Standard • 6PM • The Orchid Awards have been presented to Knoxville and Knox County’s most beautiful properties since 1979. • $85

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run a software-as-a-service startup in Knoxville called Cirrus Insight. My co-founder is the technical architect and I’m responsible for go-to-market strategy. As a result, I’m constantly trying to figure out the right mix of marketing, business development, and sales. Over the past five years, we’ve learned that the best tactics share one thing in common – authenticity. We try to convey who we are and what we stand for on our website, slide decks, and videos. But we’ve found that there’s really no better way to make a genuine connection with a prospective customer than through one-to-one conversation. My pitch goes like this: Customer: So where are you based? Me: We’re in Knoxville. Customer: (pauses) Me: It’s in Tennessee. Customer: I figured you were in San Francisco ... Me: My co-founder and our engineering team are based in California near Disneyland. The majority of our team including sales, marketing, and support are with me in Knoxville. Customer: Wow, that’s really cool. Are there a lot of software companies in Knoxville? Me: There are several and more are starting every day. It’s been a great place for us to launch and grow Cirrus Insight. Customer: You don’t have trouble finding talent? Me: Quite the opposite. We’re 15 minutes from the University of Tennessee, Maryville College, and Pellissippi State Community College. We’ve been able to find great people and build an amazing team.

Customer: Interesting. Me: And we’re just down the road from Oak Ridge National Lab which maintains the nuclear arsenal and has the second fastest supercomputer in the world. They also recently printed the first 3D car. Customer: They 3D printed a car?! Me: They’ve printed a Ford Cobra and a World War II Jeep. A company called Local Motors just built a microfactory which is going to print a half dozen cars a day. Customer: That’s incredible. Me: And Tour de France champion Greg LeMond is locating his carbon composites company in the area, which is great news because I’m a cyclist. Customer: Me, too. Is Knoxville a good place to ride? Me: We have a trail system called the Urban Wilderness which is awesome for mountain biking. And we’re next to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park which is great for cycling and hiking and camping. It’s the most visited national park in the country. Customer: I didn’t know that. I thought it’d be Yosemite or Yellowstone. Me: You should plan a trip! Customer: I might just do that. I have another question. What about capital? Did you raise money to start Cirrus Insight? Me: Ryan and I started it with a loan from family. We paid back the loan after a few months and focused on getting our first thousand customers. We then did a series of angel investments from friends, family, and customers which helped us hire our first employees four years ago.

Customer: How big is the company today? Me: We have a team of 64. Customer: That’s great growth. Me: Thank you! We’re aiming high. There are a lot of really successful companies in Knoxville. Local software company Ministry Brands was just sold for over a billion dollars; Pilot Flying J Travel Centers is #14 on the Forbes list of largest private companies in the country; Scripps Networks – which produces HGTV and Travel Channel – makes Knoxville the 3rd largest media market in the country; and Clayton Homes is the country’s largest home builder and was bought by Warren Buffet for $1.7 billion in 2003. Customer: Impressive! Me: And there are a bunch of hot startups. Proton Power is building hydrogen power plants that run off green waste; PerfectServe makes software for secure communications between doctors and nurses at hospitals; and Pronova is on the cutting edge of proton therapy for cancer patients. Customer: I’m really intrigued. You all have a great story. Let’s grab coffee at the next conference. BRANDON BRUCE is Chief Operating Officer for Cirrus Insight and was named Young Entrepreneur of the Year by the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce in 2016. He was also named to the 40 Under 40 list by the Knoxville Business Journal in 2015.

These columns do not represent the opinions of the Knoxville Mercury. February 23, 2017

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 41

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY 43

OUTDOORS

Voice in the Wilder ness

Photos by Kim Trevathan

Beer Run An investigation of the unusually popular pairing of craft brewing and running your ass off BY KIM TREVATHAN

unning through the dark, winding streets of Sequoyah Hills on a chilly February evening, I was struggling to keep pace with Chris Morton, owner of the Bearden Beer Market, and Maryville College colleague Noah Bowman, both of them foot-racing veterans. Bowman and I had shown up on the wrong day for the weekly fun run at BBM (Mondays at 6:30), but Morton gave us a private tour of one of the six runs, the OG Rope Swing. After a mile or so, I was gasping for breath and disoriented. “Hey, what’s that little duck pond over there?” I asked, pointing at the Tennessee River off Cherokee Boulevard, just after I’d talked about paddling the length of the river in 1998. My motivation for this torturous

KNOXVILLE MERCURY February 23, 2017

excursion? I was investigating the mysterious connection between running and cold beer, in particular the communities that seem to be forming at places like the Bearden Beer Market, where Morton offers a dollar off beers after a run of about 3 miles (5K). “Earn your beer!” Bowman said during one of the first uphill grades. Morton, who also co-owns Alliance Brewing Company, started the fun runs soon after opening BBM in 2010. He said he gets around 100 runners a week, and in 2015 tallied 5,000 for the year. This year, he’s on a pace to surpass that. Morton is more than a beer peddler. He is a true missionary for the sport of running, looking to incentivize runners, from beginners looking to lose a few pounds to

competitors in training. If you complete a race and bring the bib into the market, Morton will serve you a free pint. The market’s walls and ceiling are festooned with bibs. There is also a more competitive fun run every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Alliance Brewing Company, on Sevier Avenue near Ijams Nature Center and the South Loop trails of Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness. When Morton was the only employee at BBM, he used to go for short runs periodically, putting a sign on the door that said “Back in 10 minutes.” Instead of sitting around watching sports on TV, he encourages people to get outside and be active. Even after returning from fun runs, patrons of Morton’s beer garden can play basketball, cornhole, or bocce ball. After my duck pond comment, I began asking how much farther we had to go. When I run, only a couple times of week, I usually go a couple of miles, and that night, beyond my usual range, I was regretting the enchiladas I’d eaten for lunch. Morton said we didn’t have far to go, but in our way was a formidable obstacle: the Mellen Challenge, a quarter-mile hill that “everyone loves to hate.” It would be a stretch to call what I did “running” up Mellen, but Bowman and Morton seemed to approve of my

Left: A happy group of athletic beer-lovers at the Central Flats and Taps fun run, Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. Right: Bearden Beer Market owner Chris Morton converted donated cans into a “candelier” and put it in the Sierra Nevada Tasting Room. wheezing effort. Morton likes to gather members of the official Bearden Beer Market team, the Flying Pints, and finish strong in places like Asheville, but he holds back during fun runs to encourage newcomers or people who are struggling to maintain their pace and enjoy themselves. He said that if he keeps struggling runners in conversation, they don’t seem to realize how far they’ve been or how fast they’re going. Back at the market, teetering on a stool, I’ll have to say that the Founders IPA was one of the best beers I remember sipping.

With the private tour, I hadn’t experienced the true spirit of the running/beer drinking community, so after a day of rest I went to Central Flats and Taps in Happy Holler to try to keep up with the North Knox Beer Runners. What most intrigued me about this fun run was the scheduled stop at the halfway point for a beer at the Last Days of Autumn Brewing

OUTDOORS town to trail Photo by Noah Bowman

BUY ONE GET ONE FREE

Company. Will Sherrod, the leader of this group, told me he got the group run started about three years ago when he and one of the owners, Brian Howington (Howie), used to sit at the bar and muse about working off their beer calories. The first night of the fun run, he said, it was raining and he and Howie were the only participants. The night I went, there were around 40 runners: men and women, young and not-so-young, and a few fit dogs of indeterminate age. One guy was pushing a stroller with a toddler aboard. Another young woman was running in sandals. They would both pass me. Sherrod, who was a sprinter at Carter High School, said the runs starting at Central Flats and Taps are “laid back,” that people go at their own pace and even walk it if they want. Somebody in the group keeps an eye out for stragglers, he said. Approaching the halfway point and the free beer (a small sample), I was hurting. The run from two nights before had not miraculously whipped me into shape. The beer sample, which I consumed in a couple of minutes, didn’t hurt, but it didn’t help, either. On the second half of the run I was accompanied by Tyler Jones, who was preparing for the Knoxville Marathon, which would be his first. I ran alongside him and a kindergarten substitute teacher who said she was really

ON WINTER APPAREL *SOME IN-STORE RESTRICTIONS

UNCLE LEM’S MOUNTAIN OUTFITTERS Left: The author having a post-run beer at Bearden Beer Market. Right: Will Sherrod, leader of the Central Flats and Taps fun runs struggling on her run because of an exhausting week with her unruly class. Urging us on, Jones, slim and wiry, said he used to have to stop and rest after a mile. He loved this fun run, he said, because of the community and the culture around it. “It’s all downhill from here,” he said, pointing at our starting point below, where a free Blackhorse IPA awaited us. Bowman, who left me on my own for this run, said it best when describing the attraction of these groups: “I like running in races and fun runs because you’re with a large group of people, and there’s a cool collective energy to it, everyone moving in the same direction, a human tide.” Bowman called the Bearden Beer Market fun run one of the top 10 in the Southeast. Beer at the end of a run may not be as healthy as water, but it’s a better reward, I’d say. An article in Runner’s World, “The Health Benefits of Beer,” notes that “beer—in moderation—can be a perfectly acceptable option for after a run…[and] can even serve as a decent rehydrator.” ◆

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A writing instructor at Maryville College, Kim Trevathan is the author of Paddling the Tennessee River: A Voyage on East Water and Coldhearted River: A Canoe Odyssey Down the Cumberland. February 23, 2017

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 45

’BYE

R estless Nat ive

No Bull?

Big Red, who went to Minnesota and died BY CHRIS WOHLWEND

n the late 1960s, I met a fellow UT student who was an animal-husbandry major, specializing in beef cattle. He was a bit of a character, fancying himself a rancher. He was partial to cowboy boots and blue jeans and claimed to be an expert horseman. His cowboy getup, he assured me, was not just a necessity in the barnyard—women found it attractive. He also claimed expert knowledge of shorthorn cattle. And, I soon learned, the last assertion was not bull. At fair time, he talked me into going out to the livestock barns at Chilhowee Park, where he had a bull entered in competition. When we got to the stall housing his entry, he proudly pointed out the blue ribbon with his name on it. Then, as we walked around the pens, he spotted someone he knew. “Come on,” he said, “there’s another prize-winner you need to meet.” Soon, he was in the clutches of a tall female with a gorgeous head of red hair. “This is Big Red,” he said. Big Red, it turned out, was also an animal-husbandry major, and she, too, knew her way around beef cattle. Plus (and more importantly to us at

the time), she knew how to get a cooler full of beer into the fairgrounds. Soon, we were sitting on bales of hay in the back of her livestock trailer having a cold brew as the two of them caught up. Later, as my friend and I made our way back to Fort Sanders, he told me all about Big Red, how the pair of them had enjoyed a torrid fling several months earlier until he had ditched her. It was obvious that he regretted the break-up and that he would like to re-kindle the relationship. “Women like that—good-looking, interesting, and knowledgeable about cattle—are hard to come by,” he allowed. I could only agree. The next time I saw my friend, he was returning from a date with Big Red. “Yep,” he said. “Going great, me and her. I don’t know why I let her get away.” “You told me the break-up was your idea,” I reminded him. “Well, technically that’s true,” he admitted. I pushed him on the reason they had split, but he hemmed and hawed. Most I could get out of him was it had to do with a barroom

BY MATTHEW FOLTZ-GRAY

KNOXVILLE MERCURY February 23, 2017

www.thespiritofthestaircase.com

argument over a shorthorn-breeding arrangement. I didn’t see him for a while, so I assumed things were going well at the ranch. Then he showed up at my door one night, drunk. “It’s over with Big Red,” he said. “She sold her stock and left town. No forwarding address. I can’t find out where she went.” We continued the conversation at the Yardarm, and then I managed, with difficulty, to get him home. A couple of weeks later, he was back at my door. “I still can’t find Big Red,” he said. “I’ve been to all her hangouts: Bill’s Barn, Brownie’s, the Yardarm, all the Ag campus spots. No one seems to know what happened to her. I even went over to the apartment of her ex-boyfriend. He hadn’t seen her, either.” The next time I saw him, I asked after Big Red. He gave me a long look. “She went to Minnesota and died,” he finally said. His demeanor told me he wasn’t kidding.

Finally, he explained, he had run into one of her best friends, and she had given him the bad news. I pushed him for details, but he said that was all he had been told. “Mysterious,” he said. “Happened suddenly. I called her sister in Minnesota and she said that the doctors couldn’t figure out what she was sick from, and then she just died.” Another month went by before I saw him again. “Remember Big Red?” he asked. Sure, I said. “Well, she did go to Minnesota, but she’s alive and well.” What about the rumor of her death, I wanted to know. “She spread that story so I wouldn’t bother her,” he said. Is it going to work? “I think so—I told you she was smart. I reckon she’s way too smart for me.” ◆ Chris Wohlwend’s Restless Native addresses the characters and absurdities of Knoxville, as well as the lessons learned pursuing the newspaper trade during the tumult that was the 1960s. He now teaches journalism part-time at the University of Tennessee.

“Women like that—good-looking, interesting, and knowledgeable about cattle— are hard to come by,” he allowed.

’BYE BY IAN BLACKBURN AND JACK NEELY

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FOUNTAIN CITY-BRICK CRAFTSMAN, 2 BR 1Ba, HDWD flrs, arched doorways, from DineRm and Updated eat-in-kitchen, $74900. Patrick Michael 607-9548; Wood Realtors 577-7575.

MULBERRY PLACE CRYPTOQUOTE BY JOAN KEUPER Each letter takes the place of another. Hint: In this solution, “I” replaces “R”.

________ _ __ ___ _____ - _ ___ _____ _ _ _ __ EIVMPAHM R EN SPK CRCVU-CRFY UYELQ PC EHY, _ ____ _____ ____ ___ ___ ____ _____ R K EID Y LYOV, MEF Y WAV CY K HL EU MERL Q, ___ ____ __ __ _______ ____ ___ E S T IPPD V P W Y UPA S H Y L V ME S E S U _______ – ________ _____ __ – _______ K MRQDY U–T L R S DR S H , V PW EOOP– OM Y K R S H , _______– ________ ____________ __ ___ BL P CE SY– QK Y EL R S H QYOYQQRP S RQV R S E S U __ ___ ______ ______ __ _____ _____ P C V M Y OPV V P S QV E V YQ, P C CPLV U U Y EL Q. ______ _ _ ________ ______ — “ BEL QP S “ K . H. W L PK S IPK , Y T RV PL , _________ ____ ___ _____ __________ D S PJFRII Y K MRH E S T LY W Y I F Y SV RIE V PL

Place your ad at store.knoxmercury.com

LEASE QUEEN ANNE COTTAGE HISTORICAL OAKWOOD, 2 BR, 1 Ba, Formal Diningroom, Living Room, Entry Foyer. Just refurbished. $800/month References Credit checked. 2222 Harvey St. 865-254-7393.

4 ACRES W/ MOUNTAIN VIEWS! Red Ridge in South Knox, improvements include drive-way, utility water lateral, leveled building area and concrete pad. $34,900. Patrick Michael 607-9548; Wood Realtors 577-7575. PLACE YOUR AD AT STORE.KNOXMERCURY.COM

SELL YOUR STUFF

PICTURE PERFECT! S ee your “before picture” of your future historic handyman home in Parkridge at 2423 E. Glenwood Ave. Make your “after picture” by buying cheaply from a motivated seller. Call 865-588-1010.

COMMUNITY

BRAD PITT - is a sweet 1 year-old Terrier/Pitt Bull mix that’s ready to give you kisses! He loves for everyone to know his presence, and has tons of energy for playtime! Brad Pitt can be found at the Division Street location. Visit Young-Williams Animal Center / call 865-2156599 for more information.

HOODIE - I’m free! My adoption fee has been sponsored by my furry friend, Peggy! She knows I deserve a good home. I’m a curious black domestic shorthair mix. Come see me on Division Street! Visit Young-Williams Animal Center / call 865-215-6599 for more information.

CARNABY - is a lovable one year old, Terrier/Pitt Bull mix. He has a lot of energy to burn off, & he’s super smart! He knows how to sit, & he picks up well on new manners. Visit Young-Williams Animal Center / call 865-215-6599 for more information.

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February 23, 2017

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 47

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