WE GAVE IT OUR BEST SHOT SINCE 2015
JULY 6, 2017 knoxmercury.com V.
3/ N.17
For the first time in her music career, Hudson K’s Christina Horn is truly creating her own sound BY S HEATHER DUNCAN
A TennCare Snafu May Be Cheating the State’s Poorest
Centro Hispano Serves the Area’s Latino Community
The Artists of Vacuum Shop Studios Make a Statement
Looking for Bluegill, Bobcats, and Wild Hogs at Abrams Creek
2 knoxville mercury July 6, 2017
July 6, 2017 | Volume 03: Issue 17 | knoxmercury.com “If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.” —Orson Welles
HOWDY
6 The Laundromats of Knoxville by Jessica Tezak
OPINION
8 Scruffy Citizen
Jack Neely describes an unexpected medieval fair where the Knight of the Azure Field, the Knight of the Mirrors, and the Knight of Albion jousted.
10 Perspectives
Joe Sullivan surveys downtown Knoxville’s sudden influx of new hotels, and wonders whether supply will overcome demand.
A&E
22 Program Notes
New albums from local bands.
23 Art
Denise Stewart-Sanabria reviews a new group show by the artists of Vacuum Shop Studios.
24 Movies
April Snellings buckles up for Baby Driver.
CALENDAR
26 Spotlights
Wating for Godot and Steve Earle
OUTDOORS
COVER STORY
16 Self-Titled Knoxville musician Christina Horn’s experience making, marketing, and touring for Hudson K’s new self-titled record provides an example of the challenges and contradictions faced by today’s bands. With no record label, Hudson K has true creative control over its album. But in exchange, it’s stuck in charge of every mundane detail, too. S. Heather Duncan profiles.
NEWS 12 Lost Benefits
Tennessee health care and elder advocates say the state is illegitimately removing people from the Medical Savings Program it administers, causing hundreds— likely thousands—of elderly and disabled Tennesseans to lose part of the monthly Social Security payment they need to survive. S. Heather Duncan reports.
PRESS FORWARD
40 Voice in the Wilderness
Kim Trevathan searches for bobcats at Abrams Creek.
’BYE
42 News of the Weird by Chuck Shepherd
44 At This Point
by Stephanie Piper
46 Spirit of the Staircase by Matthew Foltz-Gray
47 Crooked Street Crossword
by Ian Blackburn and Jack Neely
47 Mulberry Place Cryptoquote by Joan Keuper
14 Centro Hispano
Centro Hispano de East Tennessee attempts to meet the educational, informational, and social needs of the region’s burgeoning Latino community. Carol Z. Shane talks with executive director Claudia Caballero.
Knoxville City Council 2017 Primary
We asked the 30 (count ‘em, 30!) candidates for City Council a bunch of issues-oriented questions. See what they had to say at knoxmercury.com. July 6, 2017 knoxville mercury 3
From the Editor
Goodbye, Knoxville A
fter more than two years, 108 issues, and a lot of really hard work, the Knoxville Mercury will publish its last regular issue on July 20. The reason is pretty simple: We were unable to raise enough money via advertisers, readers, and large donors to sustain long-term publication. We launched the Mercury out of a unique confluence of people and events: the shutdown of Metro Pulse and the ensuing outcry, the public’s interest in supporting a new effort, and the availability of some very talented people with direct experience in writing, editing, design, and advertising. Since March 12, 2015, we’ve accomplished quite a bit under challenging circumstances—publishing award-winning stories about Knoxville and East Tennessee, along with award-winning photography, illustration, and design; gathering a loyal audience of readers from a wide range of ages and backgrounds; and establishing a media resource that stands for smart ideas and communication in a time when disinformation (or lack of relevant information) appears to rule the day. But ultimately, all of those things cost more money to produce than we were bringing in. When the Mercury launched, we introduced an ownership model that was rather unique—a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the Knoxville History Project, that essentially owns a newspaper. (It took some expert lawyers and lots of paperwork to earn the agreement of the IRS.) We believed this would allow us to take a three-pronged approach to raising funds: traditional ad sales, direct donations from readers, and tax-deductible donations and grants to the KHP (which could in turn take out educational ads in the Mercury). It was a daring idea, and one we thought might help us overcome the headwinds facing the news media business, both nationally and locally. 1
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WE’RE BACK!
How’d we do it? Explanations inside.
MARCH 12, 2015
INAUGURAL ISSUE 1 / N.1
V.
NOT BAD, EH?
KNOXVILLE MERCURY March 12, 2015
It’ll get bigger and better. You should advertise.
But, while we were able to generate a lot of excitement for the paper at launch, with a successful Kickstarter campaign and large donations, we never found a way to spark that level of support year after year. The same goes for our base of business clients. Originally, we thought we’d be able to reattain the same levels of advertising revenue that Metro Pulse had enjoyed before it was closed by its owner, E.W. Scripps, in 2014. That alone would’ve covered all of our expenses to publish the paper with our micro-sized staff. But by the time we were able to launch the Mercury some six months later, the market had moved on—many business owners see print advertising as simply outdated compared to social media platforms. While we were able to enlist a number of long-term and short-term advertisers, we just couldn’t find enough of them. There has been no shortage of suggestions for other ways to raise money: subscription plans, ticketed events, auctions, advertorial publications, and more. We explored some of them as well as we could, for a few revenue bumps, but our staff has never been big enough to take on other large-scale efforts or side
businesses—we’ve had just enough people to publish stories about Knoxville. Some will argue that our stories should’ve been louder or grabbier or meaner—that’s what would’ve made the difference. But our mission from the start has been to tell unique stories that provide depth and context—to give you the why and how, not just the who and what to provoke your anger. We wanted to foment clarity and discussion. On that score, I think we have done well, though there are plenty of big stories I wish we could have pursued, if we had had the reporters to pursue them. (Cloning Heather Duncan was never a realistic option, unfortunately.) But here’s the most important thing: Together, we created a great paper. The Knoxville Mercury has been a true community effort, from the individuals who pitched in $5 to the major donors like former Metro Pulse publisher Joe Sullivan who believe Knoxville truly needs a locally owned, independent media—especially when its dominant news organizations are guided by out-of-town corporations. We showed that thoughtfully reported stories—not just clickbait headlines—can make a difference in the place we live. People will pay attention, and they do want to be informed. Progress can be made when we know the facts. Nobody said that devising a new business model for journalism was going to be easy. And it wasn’t. But we tried our best. We thank all of you who stood by us—freelancers, readers, advertisers, donors, online sharers and commenters, letter-writers, and interview subjects. It was a grand endeavor. —Coury Turczyn, editor P.S.: Donors to our recent fundraising drive can receive refunds; we’ll be sending you an email with details.
A Note From the Knoxville History Project The Knoxville History Project, which helped launch the Mercury, will continue. The mission of this 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which is run by a board of local educators and community leaders, is to research and promote the diverse history and culture of Knoxville. For the last two years and four months, the Mercury has been our largest and most effective endeavor, bringing Knoxville history and culture to the tens of thousands of Knoxvillians who deliberately sought it every week. Its cessation is a major disappointment. The Mercury is obviously a popular and highly regarded newspaper. (We know of no newspaper in history that has earned so many professional-journalism awards with such a small staff.) In its short history, the Mercury has performed an important service in public education. We would like to think that a properly capitalized effort, perhaps supported by a foundation or a wealthy individual, could sustain a newspaper like le ready to help any theyMercury, xvweilstand knoand whsuch effort to the extent that it serves our mission. s meantime, KHP is involved in 25 waInythe several educational projects concerning Knoxville’s history and culture, often in cooperation with other local educational institutions, and we’re developing more. If we can help you, or if you want to help us, please get in touch. Thanks for your support. —Jack Neely, director, KHP
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July 6, 2017 knoxville mercury 5
WHEN When you’re swallowing a pill full of radiation while sitting in a hospital room next to one of the kindest men you’ve ever met, a hospital worker who is holding your hand and who is crying because he has the same thyroid cancer you have, and he worries about the effect the radiation will have on his ability to have children if the time comes for him to swallow the pill… When you are so sick that you can’t hold your head up and finally a doctor listens, tells you that you’ve had thyroid cancer for approximately five years and you rage and scream the world down around you… When they say this is the “good” cancer and yet you know others are dying from it, and they’ve just issued guidance against screening for life-saving neck checks… When you become a preexisting condition… When, just in case, you go to the lawyer to draw up your will and your powers of attorney, then to the cemetery to pick out and pre-pay for your burial plot, and you put away the thought that you’re too young for this… When you lose almost every current friend because they’re scared of what’s happening to you and your erratic emotions and they’re sick of hearing how sick you are, but you don’t blame them because you want to run as far away from this as you can, too… When you hand-write letters to former friends or lovers to thank them for their kindness and the good things they did for you, even when you were a jerk, but you leave off your return address and leave out the fact that you have cancer because it’s too painful to think about them not writing back… When you start to lie on the floor every night, in the dark, begging, pleading and bargaining for your life with a God you’re so afraid of, and now believe is punishing you or teaching you a “lesson” and you’re too afraid to utter a bad word, think a bad thought, do a bad deed, give a bad look at another human being because if you just do the right thing, it will all go away and the punishment will stop… 6 knoxville mercury July 6, 2017
When your surgeon chooses to leave a small remnant of the tumor so that he doesn’t have to cut your vocal cord nerve and take away your ability to speak forever, and when your doctors are compassion embodied… When you’ve fought so long against the “cult of positivity” and you have to face the impact that hope and positivity can have on your mind, your body, your spirit because despair is a great redeemer… When you finally find the thyroid cancer support group, beautiful courageous people who show you you’re not alone, who know exactly what you’re going through, and who encourage you every day to arrest your falling apart, so that in time, you can do the same for others… When the counselor at the free-services cancer support community center helps you finally get the help you need because you don’t understand that your anxiety is too high even for a cancer patient, that Thyca can do this to you when you have limited capacity to regulate chemical or hormonal imbalances, and the helpers you find change your life… When your endocrine system starts to level out with life-saving medication… When you finally listen to your colleagues and start that Ph.D. and you set up a partnership across countries, and a scientist/doctor you worked with there and the professors you’ve just met here are willing to take a chance on you and your health inequalities research over the next five years, and you decide you’ll show up for your life just like they are showing up for your life… When you write “over the next five years” for the first time… When you’re walking or dancing or moving in some way and you start to really feel your body and the miracle of its movement and its natural endorphins, a numinous connection nothing else can produce in you, and for the first time in your life, you know your body is not the enemy… When you’re lying on the floor in the darkness with only the cats around you and you’re thanking God now instead and slowly and painfully
you start to feel there is love and comfort there and that this love is God, is all beliefs and none, all knowledge, all wisdom, all peace, in whatever way God appears or is uttered in people’s lives. When you can no longer go a second without being plugged into that love and joy and peace… When you reconcile that no matter what happens or what you did or what you ate or what you drank or what you didn’t do, it is not your fault you have cancer… When you can think of the future and take calculated or spontaneous risks, and see life ahead… When you vote for legislators who’ve been representing your community for nearly 30 years and who promise you they won’t take away coverage for preexisting conditions only to learn the hard truth that that is exactly what they voted for… When you start meeting the amazing people from all walks of life— politicians, doctors, nurses, teachers, journalists, secretaries, cleaners, farm workers, artists—who are working for health-care rights because they’re just like you and you raise your voice with them because you still have a voice and you’re not going down without a fight when there is so much and there are so many for whom to fight… Heather A. Davis Maryville
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
DELIVERING FINE JOURNALISM SINCE 2015 The Knoxville Mercury is an initiative of the Knoxville History Project, a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit whose mission is to research and promote the history of Knoxville. EDITORIAL EDITOR Coury Turczyn coury@knoxmercury.com SENIOR EDITOR Matthew Everett matthew@knoxmercury.com CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Jack Neely jack@knoxhistoryproject.org STAFF WRITERS S. Heather Duncan heather@knoxmercury.com CONTRIBUTORS Chris Barrett Joan Keuper Ian Blackburn Catherine Landis Hayley Brundige Dennis Perkins Patrice Cole Stephanie Piper Eric Dawson Ryan Reed George Dodds Eleanor Scott Thomas Fraser 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 Carol Z. Shane INTERNS Joanna Brooker Thomas Stubbs 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 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 publishes 25,000 copies per issue, available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. © 2017 The Knoxville Mercury
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ONLINE-ONLY from EXTRAS Excerpts knoxmercury.com CITY COUNCIL 2017 PRIMARY There are 30 candidates for Knoxville City Council’s five open seats. In an effort to learn more about their objectives and ideas, we sent each one a questionnaire on very specific issues facing the city. We will be adding more responses as we receive them.
BROOKS WON’T SEEK REELECTION Longtime State Rep. Harry Brooks announced last week he would not be seeking reelection for the state’s 19th District in 2018. Brooks, who turns 71 in September, made the announcement in front of a small crowd at Gibbs High School, one of four recipients of a donation consisting of Brooks’ former campaign funds.
THE LAUNDROMATS OF KNOXVILLE Photo Series by Jessica Tezak Volunteer Coin Laundry, Fort Sanders, July 1: From left, Xavier Goble (originally from Paintsville, Ky.) and Sarah Cooper (originally from New Hampshire) are roommates as well as science and technology graduate students at the University of Tennessee.
CITY LAUNCHES “GO VOTE! KNOXVILLE” Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero introduced the “Go Vote! Knoxville” voter-awareness initiative last week. Partnering with the Knox County Election Commission, the initiative will include a series of six public meetings, one in each of the city’s districts.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS
7/8 COMMUNITY CONNECTION INFO FAIR 7/10 SMART GROWTH AMERICA 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Beck Cultural Exchange Center (1927 Dandridge Ave.). Free.
10 a.m., City County Building, Small Assembly Room. Free.
7/17 MEETING: GO VOTE! KNOXVILLE
7/19 MEETING: RECODE KNOXVILLE
Knoxville Community Step Up and the Beck Center are gathering a variety of organizations to fill you in on the resources they provide to the public. Some of the participants include the American Job Center, CAC, the city’s Save Our Sons and Office of Neighborhoods, East Tennessee Community Defense, and Vet2Vet.
Smart Growth America, an anti-sprawl group that advocates for better neighborhoods, will be coming to town to help the city to integrate small-scale manufacturing into the Magnolia Avenue Warehouse District. Members of City Council will participate in a group interview as part of the process. Info: smartgrowthamerica.org and knoxvilletn.gov/blog.
Mayor Madeline Rogero is going on tour to promote voting in this year’s City Council elections. (There are 30 candidates vying in the Aug. 29 primary—check out our candidates survey at knoxmercury.com.) She and current Councilmembers will be hitting each district in a voting-awareness roadshow. Find the full schedule: govoteknoxville.com.
The city of Knoxville is hip-deep in the process of updating its zoning ordinances to modern standards, with an eye toward efficiency, sustainability, and walkability. Every month, the Public Stakeholder Advisory Committee gets together to review the project’s progress. Info: recodeknoxville.com.
SATURDAY
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MONDAY
MONDAY
5:30-7 p.m., Deane Hill Recreation Center (7400 Deane Hill Dr.). Free.
WEDNESDAY
10-11:30 a.m., City County Building, Main Assembly Room. Free.
HISTOR IC J U LY D o n’t m i s s t wo u n u s ual free e xh ib it s ab o u t Kn ox ville h i s to ry o n U T’s cam pu s
Clarence Brown, a UT (and Knoxville High) alumnus, was a successful and influential director during Hollywood’s Golden Age, straddling the silent and sound eras. Brown (1890-1987), who’s credited with technical innovations in film as well as discovering stars including Greta Garbo, grew up in the Old North / Happy Holler area. As a generous elderly alumnus, Brown endowed the university’s theater that bears his name.
Take advantage of the summer lull on the University of Tennessee’s campus to witness two very interesting exhibits about Knoxville history. “Fish Forks and Fine Furnishings” is at McClung Museum. The eclectic display of housewares and “consumer culture” offers a glimpse into the late Victorian era—America’s “Gilded Age,” ca. 1870-1900—but most of the objects on exhibit come from Knoxville sources, many of them from the collections of the founders of the museum: John Webb and Ellen McClung Green, who were young during this era. You may enjoy trying to stump your family members with the exhibit that invites visitors to guess the use of each of several dining implements. It’s there until Aug. 27. McClung Museum is open Monday to Saturday from 9 to 5; Sunday from 1 to 5. By the way, on Friday, July 21, at 11:30 a.m., McClung curator Cat Shteynberg, will be giving a free talk about the exhibit at an appropriate location, Westwood, 3425 Kingston Pike, perhaps Knoxville’s best-preserved late-Victorian home. Westwood is the headquarters of the vigorous preservationist nonprofit Knox Heritage. Their “Lost and Found Lunch” programs are held in the long room designed in 1890 to be Victorian artist Adelia Lutz’s studio. She painted there for 40 years. Joining Shteynberg in the presentation will be Kyle Schellinger of UT’s Theater Department. A simple buffet lunch is free. Parking is available next door at the Laurel Church of Christ.
Alex Haley (1921-1992), a West Tennessee native who lived in the Knoxville/Norris area in his later years and often lectured at UT, is represented here with an original manuscript for Roots, the bestselling book that became one of the most popular television series in American history. Also on display is a Mandinka drum Haley acquired while doing his research in Africa.
Film icon Greta Garbo, in this poster for Anna Christie (1930), preferred to work with Clarence Brown, the longtime Hollywood director who became a benefactor to his alma mater, the University of Tennessee. Brown left many of his personal artifacts to the UT’s Special Collections, which organized this exhibit at Hodges Library.
Actress Patricia Neal (1926-2010) was another graduate of old Knoxville High, where she began her remarkable career as an actress, which led to dozens of major motion pictures and an Oscar for Best Actress (in 1963’s Hud).
And there’s the original script for Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, which mentions Knoxville several times, perhaps in homage to his birthplace. The maverick director was born here in 1963.
From UT’s McClung Museum, it’s just a short walk away across McClung Plaza to Hodges Library. There you’ll find “Lights, Camera, Action,” an unusual exhibit celebrating Knoxville’s heritage in film. The compact but wide-ranging exhibit shows real artifacts from the lives and careers of multiple locals who once lived in Knoxville and made an impact on the silver screen. Several of them had associations with the university.
Source
Author and Knoxville native James Agee (19091955) was both a movie critic and screenwriter in his lifetime. His posthumous memoir, A Death in the Family, has inspired four different films, one for cinemas and three for national television broadcast. UT has many of Agee’s original manuscripts.
Be sure to experience the amazing interactive exhibit, a large touch-screen display with some clips from these motion pictures, including the startling UTcampus setting of A Walk in the Spring Rain (1970), starring Ingrid Bergman. The exhibit is there near the UT Special Collections department, and is available to view every day until 10 p.m., until late August.
The Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection, Lawson McGhee Library Image courtesy of John C. Hodges Library • lib.utk.edu
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
July 6, 2017 knoxville mercury 9
Scruffy Citizen | Perspectives
Honor and the Ladies The afternoon Suttree Landing hosted a jousting tournament
BY JACK NEELY
T
he ever-surprising riverside strip just recently known as Suttree Landing Park keeps surprising us. When that long-neglected patch emerged as a city park earlier this year, I’d assumed it was always either industrial or vacant. As we discovered recently, in the 1880s and ’90s, it hosted a half-mile horse-racing track that doubled as a bicycle-racing track, and later a collegiate track-meet venue. Flat space is at a premium in Knoxville, so naturally this one attracted multiple uses. If you’d happened by there on one particular warm day 134 years ago, though, you’d have found something completely different. You would have seen knights in colorful garb, astride powerful steeds, bearing lances. One was known as the Knight of the Azure Field, another the Knight of the Mirrors, another the Knight of Albion. They were all there, taking their turns, at full gallop, lances leveled toward their targets. It was the long-awaited day of the Tournament. Philip Smith, who works at Knox County Archives, found a retrospective feature about it in the public library’s Papers to Pixels amenity.
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Who knows how it started. There’s a suggestion that there may have been some jousting here before the Civil War. Knoxville was addled with visions of Sir Walter Scott, who romanticized knighthood in novels like Ivanhoe. One of Knoxville’s best-known mansions, Melrose, home of wealthy banker Thomas O’Conner— who had died in an infamous gunfight on Gay Street months before—was named for the home of Sir Walter Scott. Decades after his death, his romantic novels were still as popular. In 1883, the same year as the Tournament, Mark Twain denounced Scott as a primary culprit for what happened in 1861, in feeding the South a romantic and unrealistic ideal of aristocracy. Knoxville’s ruling class liked Scott fine. And naturally considered the city a fine place for an occasional tournament. It was a high point of the grand Music Festival of 1883, which featured several comic operas, including The Pirates of Penzance, performed at Staub’s Opera House. That Friday afternoon at 3, about 2,000 people filled the riverside grandstand. At the time, a wooden bridge crossed the river at Gay Street. Modern people know better than to ever walk that far,
of course. But by 1883 standards, it was an easy stroll. The 10 combatants, mostly young men in their 20s, too young to have fought in the Civil War, dressed as medieval knights, except for young businessman Frank McClung, who dressed in buckskin and called himself the Knight of Hiawatha. The three judges were esteemed local gentlemen: S.B. Luttrell and Bryan Branner, both recent mayors, plus E.J. Sanford, the Union veteran and businessman. Sanford had a unique judicial qualification nobody knew about. He was father of a future U.S. Supreme Court justice. In those days every event of any consequence required a poetic “oration.” Doing the honors was Capt. Alex Allison, a Confederate combat veteran and postwar druggist who in his later years became a newspaperman known for his turns of phrase. In a stirring speech that referenced Ivanhoe, Prince Rupert, Don Quixote, Paladin, the Shield of Minerva, and “the battle-axe of the Lion-Hearted Richard,” Allison gave homage to knighthood, describing how it inspired daring in both sides of the Civil War. But, he declared, it was a new era: “I hail you as the Knights-errant of the new Knighthood born of the Advanced Thought, the high endeavor, the aggressive reforms, the conciliation, the virtue, patriotism and intelligence of the busy, stirring, living present.” Still, Allison said, the theme and ideal of the riverside event was “Honor and the Ladies.” There was a bugler and a herald, who described the rules. Rather than actual jousting, which can be dangerous, the knights used their lances to spear rings suspended from three poles along a course. They had to be skewered at a full gallop, in less than seven seconds. There followed trials of horsemanship, which involved hurdles. When all the riding and lancing was done, two champions emerged in a dead-heat tie. They were cousins. One was the Knight of Hiawatha, Frank McClung. The other was the Knight of the Southern Cross, lawyer Hugh L. McClung. The latter was known for
his flair for the romantic. He’d later build the hilltop architectural vision known as Belcaro, above Fountain City. The two McClung rivals faced each other in some sort of horseback runoff. Hugh took the prize. That night saw a Coronation Ball at the Opera House, fitted with a dance floor. The coronation didn’t start until 10 p.m. Hugh crowned the fair Lillie L. Jones as his queen. After that late-night coronation, there was a big celebratory dance. Dozens attended, each as a different romantic character: Henry IV, Sinbad, Don Juan. One outlier came as Oscar Wilde, then a controversial Irish essayist still in his 20s. It went on until dawn. Horseback tournaments were at least an occasional feature of Knoxville high society for another 30 years or so. In years to come, Lon Mabry, whose father and two brothers had been killed in Gay Street gunfights, would be a tournament champ. We have tournaments today, of course, but they generally involve tennis or bridge. It’s just not the same. The dreamy mansions of the era, Melrose and Belcaro, have long since been torn down. But the champions of that day in 1883 are both remembered on a university campus half a mile downriver. UT’s McClung Tower is named for Hugh McClung’s daughter, who after a life of tragedy used her father’s estate to endow it. Hugh’s cousin and runner up at the riverside tournament is Frank McClung, Jr., who is the honoree of McClung Museum. And there’s an odd and probably meaningless coincidence. Today, the museum named for the contrary Knight of Hiawatha is the region’s best repository of Native American artifacts. Jack Neely is the director of the Knoxville History Project, a nonprofit devoted to exploring, disseminating, and celebrating Knoxville’s cultural heritage—not to mention publishing the Knoxville Mercury. The Scruffy Citizen surveys the city of Knoxville’s life and culture in the context of its history, with emphasis on what makes it unique and how its past continues to affect and inform its future.
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35TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Featuring Grammy Award Winning Singer /Songwriter
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July 27, 2017 • Knoxville Convention Center • 6:00pm For Tickets, call (865) 521-0000 or purchase online at www.secondharvestetn.org.
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July 6, 2017 knoxville mercury 11
Scruffy Citizen | Perspectives
Room Boom New downtown hotels proliferate as visitation grows
BY JOE SULLIVAN
A
previous column highlighted downtown’s budding resurgence as a place to work, complementing its ongoing growth as a place to live. Another important contributor to downtown’s overall vitality is its growing popularity as a place to visit. A key barometer of this growth is the dramatic increase in hotel occupancy and room rates, and perhaps even more dramatically the spate of new downtown hotels that it has spawned. For the 12 months ending in April of this year, occupancy rates at downtown’s six hotels rose to 65.7 percent from 63.2 percent in the comparable period a year before and 61.5 percent in the prior year. Average room rates over the same span went up to $126.70 in the current year from $120.68 and $114.40 in the two prior years respectively. (All of these data are gleaned from reports furnished to hotels by STR, the global compiler of hotel statistics.) The six hotels included with a total of about 1,400 rooms are the Crowne Plaza, Hampton Inn, Hilton, Holiday Inn, Marriott, and the Sheraton Cumberland House (although the latter two are just outside of downtown proper.) But their recent success has not come without competitive consequences. No fewer than five new hotels with a prospective total of about 700
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rooms are either just open, in the works, or on the drawing boards. The chic 70-room Tennessean that opened in April in a renovated former state office building on Henley Street is due to be followed in November by the 165-room Hyatt Place at the corner of Gay and Clinch that was once the home of the historic Farragut. A block to the south on the former News Sentinel site, work is well underway on a 232-room complex that will be part Residence Inn and part Courtyard by Marriott. A few blocks to the west, the same developer who is investing $25 million in the Hyatt Place (Rick Dover) has included plans for a 100- to 120-room Aloft Hotel in his winning proposal for mixed-use redevelopment of the former State Supreme Court site. And finally, just across the river, the developer of the former Baptist Hospital site envisions yet another 100- to 120-room hotel going up there within the next year or so. So what gives rise to all these surges? The robust growth in room demand is more readily explained than an almost perplexing 50 percent prospective spike in room supply. What’s classified as leisure travel has been the biggest contributor to the growth. As word has spread of downtown’s myriad new attractions, more and more visitors have been drawn to the city. That’s especially the case during the spring months when
festivals abound. Big Ears, Rhythm and Blooms, Dogwood, Rossini, and the International Biscuit Festival have all been drawing cards. And Visit Knoxville’s extensive promotion of the city for “three-day getaways” has contributed as well. “Our occupancy and room rates on the weekends are now higher than during the week, which is just the opposite of what used to be the case,” reports the Crowne Plaza’s veteran general manager, Ken Knight. He hastens to add that business travel, conventions, and other categories have all been growing as well. “Overall, occupancy is better than at any time since I moved here 24 years ago.” But is it better enough to support anything like the 50 percent increase in downtown hotel rooms that are coming on the market? Or will rising supply create its own demand? Knight doesn’t think so on either count. “People won’t come here just because we have more hotel rooms. With all this new supply, it’s inevitable that occupancy will drop and rates will drop. It’s not going to be good for business in the near term,” he says almost forebodingly. Another hotelier on condition of anonymity declares, “It scares the hell out of me.” Both the Tennessean’s owner, Nick Cazana, and the ubiquitous Rick Dover are convinced their properties will carve out upscale niches for themselves. The developer of the Baptist Hospital site, Vic Mills of Southeastern Development Associates, believes there’s a place for a new hotel with a lot of amenities there as well. “A large portion of our existing rooms have a lot of age,” he observes. Indeed, only the 85-room Hampton Inn and the 129-room Sheraton Cumberland House have been built since the 1982 World’s Fair. If there’s a potential odd man out, it could be the Marriott. Built in the early 1970s as a Hyatt Regency
adjacent to the then new—but now antiquated—Civic Auditorium and Coliseum, the Marriott would appear to be at a locational disadvantage. There have been published reports of a possible foreclosure sale. But neither the Marriott’s general manager, Dylan Walker, nor its owner, Kentucky-based Columbia Sussex, responded to phone calls or emails seeking comment. One thing that’s helped keep the Marriott going up to now is the fact that it’s the only hotel with that flag in or near downtown. Brand loyalty rewards are important in attracting guests, especially frequent business travelers. So when the new Courtyard by Marriott opens in downtown proper, it could pull a lot of business away from the old Marriott to the east. Hotel occupancy is by no means the only way to measure Knoxville’s visitor growth. For another, the Knoxville Convention Center reports an increase from 173 events with total attendance of 286,409 in 2014 to 194 events with total attendance of 348,694 in 2016. And Visit Knoxville continues to ramp up convention bookings for the years ahead. An annual analysis of the Economic Impact of Travel conducted for the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development shows that travel expenditures in Knox County topped the billion-dollar mark in 2015, the most recent year for which data is available. The total of $1.014 billion for that year was up from $988 million in 2014. So by just about measure, visitors are making a big and growing contribution to the city’s economic well being. Joe Sullivan is the former owner and publisher of Metro Pulse (1992-2003) as well as a longtime columnist covering local politics, education, development, health care, and tennis.
The robust growth in room demand is more readily explained than an almost perplexing 50 percent prospective spike in room supply.
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Veteran Thomas Radford (right) and his neighbor, Dawn Schneider, have been trying to untangle a bureaucratic mess that will result in Radford losing half his Social Security payment.
Photo by S. Heather Duncan
Lost Benefits Advocates say a TennCare snafu is cheating the state’s poorest BY S. HEATHER DUNCAN
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ennessee health care and elder advocates say the state is illegitimately removing people from the Medical Savings Program it administers, causing hundreds—likely thousands—of elderly and disabled Tennesseans to lose part of the monthly Social Security payment they need to survive. “This is a very serious problem we’re seeing across the state, with people who are finding out they are losing their benefits either from letters from Social Security or just a reduced check,” says Chris Coleman, an attorney with the Tennessee Justice Center, which uses lobbying, legal work, and individual assistance to pursue quality health care for the poor. “Because of TennCare’s mistake and just refusing to fix it, these people are losing a huge portion of their
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income.” When Knoxville resident Thomas Radford opened the letter saying his Social Security payment would drop by more than $200 in June and by almost half in July, he was shocked and bewildered. “I couldn’t believe it,” says Radford, a former Navy serviceman who lost both his legs to working conditions in a meat-packing plant. “It was like you’ve been shot and you don’t know it—and you look down and there’s the blood.” The reason, he learned, was that he had failed to submit “redetermination” paperwork to TennCare, which pays the Medical Savings Program (Medicare Part B) premiums and co-pays for low-income residents. The state is supposed to verify annually that those who receive this benefit
qualify financially. But due to the failed implementation of a computer system to manage the program, Tennessee hasn’t done this since about 2013, Coleman says. It has been trying to catch up, sending out packets with rolling deadlines for income verification. General TennCare enrollees received these last year, but Medical Savings Program recipients started getting them this spring. The trouble is, Radford—like two elderly sisters who are his neighbors, and many more—says he never received that paperwork to start with. State TennCare officials have reportedly said the packets were mailed out. But advocates believe many never were. “There has to be a systemic problem at TennCare,” says Coleman, who says his organization has been contacted by hundreds of people with the same story. Most have been living at the same address for years. “The numbers are just too big. They point to something other than just the mail didn’t show up,” he says. In an email, Kelly Gunderson with TennCare noted that program participants need to keep their addresses updated with the department. But if they think they have lost coverage in error, they can appeal and—depending on when the state receives the paperwork—may be able to receive back payments. In Knoxville, the Community Action Committee’s Office on Aging has fielded about 100 calls in the last month or so—double its normal monthly call volume—from elderly people who have lost their coverage or been notified of the impending loss without receiving the redetermination paperwork, says Peggy Ransom, who runs the Affordable Medical Options for Seniors program at CAC. “There are just too many people reporting they didn’t get the packet to be accidental,” Ransom says. “We are unaware of any ‘large number of seniors in Knoxville’ who
did not receive their packets and who lost their coverage,” Gunderson wrote. “We are, therefore, very interested in (and would very much appreciate) any additional information or details you can provide us about this so that we can look into it further.” The packet itself is very confusing, Ransom says—it’s about 100 pages long, goes back and forth between Spanish and English, and can only be rapidly resubmitted by fax. By definition, many of the people required to fill them out have disabilities or are very old. “I had a mom, daughter, and niece all in here trying to fill theirs out and they tried to do it, but they had gotten the pages out of order and all mixed up among them,” Ransom says. Many elderly people give up when they get to the pages with Spanish, feeling overwhelmed, she says. “Even those who understand and have a budget—without the Social Security, they can’t pay the rent,” Ransom says. She’s trying to connect more of them with food stamps and the Low-Income Heat and Energy Assistance Program (also administered through CAC) for help with utility costs while they await re-verification. Ransom says she hopes the Knoxville Community Development Corporation, which houses many affected seniors, will be willing to cut them some slack on late rent for a few months. Some who are affected receive notification from Social Security that their payments are about to change, as Radford was. Others only discover
“This is a very serious problem we’re seeing across the state, with people who are finding out they are losing their benefits either from letters from Social Security or just a reduced check.” —CHRIS COLEMAN, Tennessee Justice Center
• To have a new Medical Savings Program “redetermination” packet sent or to find out if you need one, call the Tennessee Health Connection: 855-259-0701 • Seniors struggling with redetermination may be able to receive some assistance from the Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee at 865-524-2786 or from the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (TNSHIP) at 877-801-0044.
it when they receive their first reduced check. Coleman says none seem to have been notified by TennCare that their Medical Savings Program enrollment has ended. Coleman says he has a client who was receiving about $500 in Social Security, and found out she’d lost her Medical Savings Program benefits only when a mere $36 Social Security check was deposited in her account. (She had to move in with her daughter, he says.) In a double-whammy, the Social Security Administration took a while to process the change, and is in many cases trying to recoup three month’s worth of payments at once. For Radford, that means he’s supposed to get only $663 next month—not enough to pay rent, electricity, phone, and cremation bills, plus groceries. He says he’ll try to cut lawns on his riding mower for extra cash, but that requires money for mower oil and gas. “It is a case of economic justice discrimination,” says Dawn Schneider, Radford’s next-door neighbor, who has been helping him try to unravel the mess. To start with, people need to get copies of their redetermination packets so they can fill them out. Each person has a distinctive bar code, so it has to be mailed to them and can’t be copied. It also can’t be filled out online. Ransom says residents are supposed to be able to get help with the process by calling Tennessee Health Connection, a contractor for the state that is supposed to provide customer service related to TennCare. But Coleman says wait times are often two to three hours, and even then,
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they can’t verify whether paperwork has been received, they don’t seem able to enter changed addresses in the system, and they give out information that contradicts what TennCare has said. Radford stayed on hold several hours waiting to get help from Tennessee Health Connection before his call was dropped. So Schneider took him to CAC, then the state human services department, but no one could help. Then she called all the Knoxville-area state senators and representatives, finally getting help from Sen. Richard Briggs, who put her in touch with someone at TennCare who sent out a new packet. But that was only the first difficulty. When the packet was filled out, it needed to be faxed in to meet a deadline after which the state would treat Radford as a new applicant, refusing to make the back payments he had lost. CAC would fax it, but emails show the TennCare official wouldn’t guarantee that it had arrived unless she received a copy of Radford’s fax verification. CAC’s machine didn’t provide one. Schneider took it to a bank, but because the bank encrypted its faxes, TennCare wouldn’t accept the fax. At this point Schneider called Briggs back and he came in person, picked up the paperwork, and delivered it to the TennCare office in Nashville himself on Thursday, she says. This whole process took about 20 days. In the meantime, Schneider and Radford visited two elderly sisters who are neighbors to check on whether they had received their packets. They hadn’t, and knew nothing about it. Now theirs are in the mail, says Schneider, who says she thinks the state is deliberately trying to reduce its Medical Savings Program expenses by dumping people his way. Coleman says the Tennessee Justice Center filed an information request with TennCare and the state Attorney General’s office two weeks ago to find out how many people have been terminated from the Medical Savings Program, and how many of those were terminated for failing to return their paperwork. He says there has been no response.
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July 6, 2017 knoxville mercury 15
PRESS FORWARD
Centro Hispano de East Tennessee
Claudia Caballero executive director
This family oriented nonprofit serves the area’s Latino community as an educational and social resource
W
ith a part-time staff of three, a full-time executive director, and lots of willing volunteers, Centro Hispano de East Tennessee attempts to meet the educational, informational, and social needs of the region’s burgeoning Latino community. Founded in 2005 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the organization served 120 children and 375 adults last year in specific educational programs, and thousands more through its information and referral services. Claudia Caballero, originally from Honduras, came on board as Centro’s executive director in July of 2016. Energetic and passionate, she’s dedicated to meeting the myriad needs of those newly arrived and those still adjusting. “We are an educational organization; we are a family organization,” she says. “We give the members of our Latino community the tools to understand their new community, and to become more involved with it. We help them to become the citizens they want to be.”
How do you help immigrants learn English—does it go beyond just language classes? Centro Hispano works really hard with those who are interested in learning English and those who have the time to come. You know, education can be a luxury for people. When you move to a place and you have three little kids and you have to pay the rent and feed them, and your partner is taking care 16 knoxville mercury July 6, 2017
of the kids and the house, you’re under a lot a pressure and a lot of stress. For those who can come to Centro Hispano—who have transportation, who have a family who supports them—they come together. While parents are learning English in the evenings, we take care of the kids. Volunteers run our evening classes, but during the day we have a paid instructor. Megan [Barolet-Fogarty, children’s programs coordinator] actually started as a volunteer. Once she became staff, she started to bring in stay-at-home moms and dads from the community. So we have a little kind of multicultural daycare. Most of these kids, this is their first experience outside of their home. Their moms are only down the hall, which means a lot.
What about school-age kids? When I took this job on last year I said, “Where are the teens? What is happening to them?” This next year we’ll be working very hard to create what are called “shadowing” experiences in the schools. There was a program in place at Fulton [High School] that we inherited, but it just didn’t run; something went wrong. We work with Project Grad; they said, “We’re American and black. The Latino kids don’t see themselves in us.” So I went to Fulton with Megan and we expected about 11 or 12 kids. We thought we’d be there about 45 minutes. We were there for three and half hours and we saw 60 children in the school system. That’s a little over
Photos courtesy of Centro Hispano
BY CAROL Z SHANE
half. And the first thing these kids wanted was to learn to speak English. They’re really struggling. Seeing others who look like you, who succeed—that’s really important. In the U.S. there are many things we take for granted. It’s easy for us to understand what’s out there in the world for us, what services are available. But many of the people we serve—they had nothing. So when we do after school programs and we say, “the world’s your oyster—you can study and learn,” they don’t know what’s out there for them. They think there are only two or three different things they can be. They have no perspective.
It sounds like the students aren’t the only ones who are learning. It’s a two-way street. I remember meeting with a teacher who was very frustrated because she had first-graders who couldn’t hold a pencil. She was like, “How does this happen?” and I said, “Well, a lot of these kids don’t even go to school until second or third grade. It’s very far away; they have to walk. There are towns that don’t have a school and you’ve got to go all the way to the next one, and if you have fields to cultivate—or school—you’re going to
CENTRO HISPANO DE EAST TENNESSEE 2455 Sutherland Avenue Knoxville, TN 37919 865-522-0052, centrohispanotn.org PROGRAMS • Adult education, including English as a second language, language and literacy, high school equivalency credentials prep classes • Children education, including an on-site after-school program, after-school programs at Lonsdale and Norwood elementary schools, and workshops on post-secondary educational options. • Workshops on legal rights, health care, finances, women’s wellness, and more. HOW YOU CAN HELP • Volunteer. Right now Centro is looking for a sewing instructor. There’s a variety of ways to volunteer, and you don’t have to speak Spanish. • Make a donation at centrohispanotn.org. • Put the Latino Awards, Centro Hispano’s one and only fundraiser, on your calendar. It’ll be a gastronomical extravaganza, with recipes/menu curated by Centro and prepared by the students of Pellissippi Culinary School, and it happens Aug. 26 at the Mill and Mine.
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go to the fields.” Here you have a classroom for every class. I went to a one-room school in Honduras where there were six grades under one teacher. And you didn’t move, you didn’t have to go anywhere. So when these kids have to move from one classroom to another it’s extremely confusing because they don’t understand. And the teachers are like, “Oh, I never thought of that.” There are “aha” moments for both sides. The teachers are so caring. I was almost in tears one day—a teacher from Norwood Elementary said, “I want to learn some Spanish. I want to tell these parents that I love their kids, that I’m concerned about their kids, that I’m here for them, and I want to say it in Spanish.”
How can East Tennesseans be more welcoming to the Latino population? You know, it’s not just “the Latinos and the Knoxville community,” it’s “the Latinos are part of the Knoxville community.” Down at the very bottom, I feel, everyone has the same values. Family is very important, religion, working hard and having an ethical code—these are things that the Knoxville community has always had and these are things that the Latino community has as well. We’re trying to create bridges—to develop relationships and opportunities where our families can go to events and activities in the community and feel welcome. There are free events downtown, but then, “do they know where to park, how to park, do
they know parking’s free, has anyone told them?” So that kind of stuff—just letting people know that this space is also theirs. Ijams, the Urban Wilderness, the Smokies—you know, “It’s not just the football field that’s yours.” My women’s wellness group started English classes last August; they had no English before that. We did a tour of Beardsley Farm, and the presentation was in English. They understood almost all of it and what they didn’t understand, they’d ask. The more we take people out to public areas, the more they feel like they belong there. Also, we want to give back. We’re working on Spanish classes. There are so many people in the community who have reached out to me—police officers, teachers, nurses, people from the nonprofit world. They want to learn Spanish so they’ll be able connect better. We’d love to start cooking classes here—we’re excellent cooks! We have amazing dishes! If you go to a Latino restaurant in Knoxville, it’s more Tex-Mex; it’s not original Mexican or Peruvian or Argentinian cooking. We can offer that—we have people from all over Latin America. It’s a way the people who are learning English can give back, and they really want to do that.
Anything else you’d like to add? No one leaves the difficult life they had in one of our countries and comes here to be invisible or to be looked down upon. People are working really hard to be good citizens.
Join us for a deep dive into the rise of fake news, the truth of search engines, the impact of nonstop breaking news, the decline of critical thinking and what we can do about it. Knox County Public Library is pleased to partner with author and Tarbell.org founder Wendell Potter and UT’s College of Communication and Information, School of Journalism and Electronic Media and School of Information Sciences.
Limited seating available. Please register at knoxlib.org/truth SUNDAY, JULY 23
FRIDAY, JULY 28
Merchants of Doubt (2014) - FREE
Symposium Sessions - FREE
2:00 | EAST TN HISTORY CENTER
8:00 - 5:00 | EAST TN HISTORY CENTER
A documentary that looks at pundits-for-hire who present themselves as scientific authorities. Moderator: Jesse Fox Mayshark, Communications Professional
THURSDAY, JULY 27 Lunch and Learn: East Tennessee in the Headlines - FREE
NOON | EAST TN HISTORY CENTER
Jack Neely looks back at major news events in East Tennessee. Pre-order or bring your own lunch.
Opening Reception and VIP Dinner - $35
8:00 Light Breakfast and Registration 9:00 Opening Remarks 9:15 How We Interact with the Internet & How It Interacts with Us Presenter: Diane Kelly, PhD UT’s CCI, School of Information Sciences 10:30 Evolution of News Presenters: Catherine Luther, PhD; Amber Roessner, PhD; Nick Geidner, PhD UT’s CCI, School of Journalism and Electronic Media Break for lunch
5:00 - 7:00 | EAST TN HISTORY CENTER
1:15 Fake News, Consumer Information/Profit Driven News and Confirmation Bias Presenter: Wendell Potter
Evening with Wendell Potter - FREE
2:30 Pushing the Boundaries of the First Amendment Presenter: Scott Barker, journalist
Join us for dinner and an intimate conversation with Wendell Potter.
7:00 - 9:00 | HISTORIC BIJOU THEATRE UT Torchbearer Wendell Potter is the New York Times best-selling author of Deadly Spin and Nation on the Take. Book signing to follow.
3:45 A Return to Critical Thinking: Solutions Panel of all presenters
July 6, 2017 knoxville mercury 17
For the first time in her music career, Hudson K’s Christina Horn is truly creating her own sound BY S HEATHER DUNCAN
Photos by Steve SoaringOak
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Photos by Steve SoaringOak
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he woman who just finished making a highly-electronic rock record, themed around the conflict between nature and technology, has been fighting technology for about three hours. Specifically, a tiny bent plug prong. It’s preventing her computer from connecting properly to other equipment so her band, Hudson K, can share the debut of its newest video live at the Pilot Light. Advertised to start at 8 p.m., the show also features performances by three bands, all to celebrate the kickoff of a pre-sale for Hudson K’s self-titled album. It’s 7:53, the sun is going down, there are two people in the bar besides front woman Christina Horn, and she is starting to come unglued. Seems like she might have to project directly from the laptop, by having a very tall person hold it up in the air. “I need a drink,” she says, but adds, “Something always goes wrong. It’ll work out.”
Horn doesn’t break a sweat. Her freakout is so subdued it’s mostly apparent in how tensely she holds herself as she strides back and forth in a stiff black leather jacket, dangly silver tassel earrings brushing her shoulders. Her plume of pink-streaked hair is swept into a ruffled spray. With the help of (extremely tall, but not holding the projector) Pilot Light owner Jason Boardman, she seems to get the situation resolved. The projector arrives wrapped in towels inside a vintage suitcase, and is rigged up to deliver the goods. Horn dives into her “backstage”—a canvas bag containing a mirror, baby wipes, a phone charger, two umbrellas, and fluorescent green ear plugs. In a few moments, she’s shouting. Her sister yanks the earplugs out and Horn bursts into laughter when she realizes her volume had been mis-adjusted for half-deaf musicians. The crisis has passed. After all, that kind of snafu is not uncommon
when you have no handlers or employees. Regional musicians like Horn must become skilled problem-solvers who can extend their onstage adrenaline to an enthusiasm for taking offstage chances. “You make every little decision, and it’s really stressful,” Horn says. Horn’s experience making, marketing, and touring for the band’s fourth record provides an example of the challenges and contradictions faced by today’s bands. With no record label, Hudson K has true creative control over its album. “This record just really sounds like us,” Horn says. But in exchange, it’s stuck in charge of every mundane detail, too. Musicians are dependent upon technology for distribution—yet technology makes it ever-harder to make money from distribution. Add to that being a woman in a man’s business, and you get another vintage suitcase full of outdated struggles.
It’s perhaps no coincidence that both Horn’s approach to music itself, and many of her songwriting themes, are about technology—and on a deeper level, about fear and overcoming it.
TURNING IT UP Although she loves performing live, Horn was nervous about showing the video. “Standing in a small room, while a bunch of people I like are watching this thing I made, is just horrifying for me,” she said the previous week. “I probably need a therapist at this point.” But Horn is willing to try anything. Writing, recording, and producing her own record and then marketing it herself? Yep. Remodeling her garage—behind a stucco house in North Hills that was previously owned by another long-time piano teacher— into a soundproof studio, with no previous experience? Check. Playing the part of an alien in a duet with the Knoxville Symphony? Sure. July 6, 2017 knoxville mercury 19
Photos by S. Heather Duncan
A frequent refrain in Horn’s explanations is, “I’d never done anything like that before.” It’s always spoken with enthusiasm. It took years to build that confidence. Horn and her drummer Nate Barrett say Hudson K’s latest record, which Horn produced, is the first that fully represents their layered electronic yet visceral sound. The video finally plays: Horn is meandering through run-down buildings, then into the woods, shedding trendy clothes and jewelry. “Mother Nature, you’re a cruel creator,” she sings, slathering herself with thick mud. Interspersed are silhouettes of Horn with a face made of leaves or filled with sky. Horn writes the songs and arranges all the electronic sounds and samples using a keyboard and her computer, calling them up during live performances with her keytar—basically, an elaborate remote control that looks like a cross between a guitar and 20 knoxville mercury July 6, 2017
a keyboard. That live energy kicks in when Horn steps onstage later, after shedding her jacket for a sleeveless shirt that shows off her muscles and a tattoo of gears. A group of UT professors and staff who play in a band called Cheese and the Worms sit together near the front to watch. They’ve never met Horn, but their dream is to open for all Hudson K’s Knoxville shows. “We like the open experiments she does,” says Matthew Gillis. “She’s an explosive performer.” As the first song launches, Horn triggers so much stage fog (lit a menacing, deep pink) that she can barely see her audience as she howls, “I come from the mud and a million stars above.” The audience weaves, trance-like. Many of the new songs require some digestion and are less bouncy than crowd favorite “Stuck on Repeat.” But they’re still driven by Barrett’s drumming and Horn’s gutsy, powerful voice,
interwoven with space-like synths and seasoned with a splash of punk energy. Later, when Horn announces, “We’re going to end our set with a few songs about death. Death makes us face life and really live it, right?” Gillis starts cheering, “Death! Death! Death!” The decade-old band has always offered a conceptual and musical mashup—even its name is a combination of the Hudson Valley in New York, where Horn grew up, and her adopted home of Knoxville. Hudson K has re-invented its sound on every record. In past years, Hudson K has included a cello, guitarist or bassist, and even another vocalist for what Barrett calls a more acoustic “coffeehouse” feel. Over time the band pared down to Horn and Barrett, who have played together since 2005. Horn started experimenting with all the sounds she could get from her keyboard, while the live drums keep the sound urgent.
“This album was sort of us turning up,” Barrett says. “The piano virtuoso is still in there, and we’ve always prided ourselves on the arrangements. But we’re expressing a combination of our love of the use of electronics while making it more of an instrument… as opposed to all this digital. We don’t want to be an ’80s throwback.” Barrett calls Horn “a one-man army” whose songwriting ability powers the band. “At the end of the day, it’s mostly her vision. It’s kind of a tennis game, and she always serves,” Barrett says. “I listen to her ideas and translate them to percussion. A lot of the time that’s a big of a challenge, because she has a digital bathtub full of Legos, but that keeps me on my toes.” This record is the first that Horn produced herself, recording at newly-local Top Hat Studios. Founded by husband-wife team John Harvey and Mary Podio, Top Hat moved to Knox-
points out that many people don’t have CD players any more and most computers no longer have disk drives. Most young people are listening to music on Spotify. Horn says the band makes one hundredth of one cent on each Spotify play, and about half the proceeds from iTunes sales, which have dropped in popularity. The best bet seems to be selling vinyl as a souvenir of a concert. “My vinyl records are the pieces I really cherish,” Horn says. “I think that’s why people buy vinyl, is the urge to collect what you love.” Top Hat emerged at the moment when computers were making recording more accessible without highly specialized, expensive equipment. “Everybody has turned into their own record label,” Podio says. “But then you also have the problem of there being so many things out there, it’s really hard to get noticed. It’s a double-edged sword, I suppose.” Bands have struggled with how to promote themselves, with crowdfunding being the most recent trend, Podio says. Horn had to handle all the logistics, and is grateful for the help of friends in the music community like prominent local drummer and bassist
Susan Lee, who helped design the band’s website and crowdfunding page as well as the album cover: a silhouette of Horn studded with a computer chip pattern. There have been many complications. At one of the band’s first television appearances, the station botched the sound feeds and Horn says the performance sounded terrible. As she prepped for the tour to help promote the album in July, Horn realized she needed to replace all the van’s tires at the same time several key Saturday night shows were canceled. The cancellations arose from the risks a band faces when booking distant shows with no publicist. Horn started looking for Northeastern tour bookings in December, but found many venues wouldn’t return her cold calls. So she had to arrange gigs mostly through partnerships with local bands known to the clubs. Recently some of those bands were offered more lucrative gigs and ditched their shows with her. “That’s the part that makes me want to shed tears,” Horn says. “Touring as a small independent band with no publicist, you’re getting $50 at the end of every night, driving through the night and sleeping in the
van…. But if you want to get your music out there, there’s no better way than getting on the road.” A few days before the end of the album pre-sale campaign, the band had only met about half its goal. Brainstorming ways to build social media buzz, Horn invented the concept of a Facebook Live variety show/telethon, featuring musical performances, interviews and a panel of women in the Knoxville music scene. After several false starts, it helped the band meet 99 percent of its pre-sale goal by the next morning.
GIRLS IN THE BOYS CLUB Many of the songs Hudson K performs from the new album seem to embody a contradiction between the subject and the delivery. Horn’s voice distorts to a metallic, robotic edge as she sings, “We’ve always been wild.” She dances with sinuous arms and slinky hips while conveying a physical aggression. This tension between flirtation and anger is no accident. She tells the audience, “This song I wrote about being female. Many females will probably relate. The rest of you… I love you.” Then she growls toward a chorus that chants, “If we continue to
Photo by Steve SoaringOak
ville from Austin, Texas late last year. (Hudson K’s next local concert—not counting the sold-out album release show July 6 at the Pilot Light—will be Aug. 10 at the same venue as part of a summer series that combines Knoxville and Austin bands to celebrate Top Hat’s 20th anniversary.) Many first albums are self-titled. Although “Hudson K” is the band’s fourth trip to the studio, “This is the first one that I didn’t take any shit,” Horn declares. In particular, she says, her last producer, Jason Rubal with Pennsylvania-based Seven Wave Studios, would not let her in on the mixing of Ouroboros and the Black Dove and refused to make any changes afterward. After that experience, Top Hat was a perfect fit. “Our philosophy is to make people as comfortable as we can, and they’ll do the rest,” says Podio. “All the people that we work with have been burned by record labels at one point. When we opened, it was kind of the beginning of the end of the old music business, and a lot of artists coming to us were doing it specifically to take hold of their own experience.” Barrett says the self-producing was a necessary step. “Working with a producer is a great experience if you had the right producer, but you know it’s one more thumb print that goes onto the record,” he says. “This record is really important to just really show what we can do.”
PAY ME MY MONEY DOWN Podio points out the trade-off for today’s regional artists: You get to make the creative decisions, but you’re stuck with all the housekeeping tasks too. For example, to promote Hudson K, Horn personally wrote, stuffed, and mailed letters to everyone who bought her last record, also through a crowdfunding campaign. This time Hudson K treated it as a “pre-order” via pledgemusic.com, with options to buy CDs, one of 300 red vinyl albums, or band swag and experiences. But since the album was recorded in March, Hudson K was on the hook for the costs no matter how it sold. That’s no small risk, because fewer people are buying CDs. Barrett July 6, 2017 knoxville mercury 21
Photos by Steve SoaringOak
obey, we continue to be prey.” This is the first Hudson K record that didn’t make Horn either feel that she had been rather lost, or been some kind of prey. “I have so much baggage, especially with men, in this industry,” she says. “This record was me going: [she kicks a foot into the air at the level of her face] Fuck you!” During the Facebook Live telethon, Horn hosted nine local female artists and musicians for a conversation in her living room about women in the music business. First, local jazz favorite Kelle Jolle played “Pay Me My Money Down” on the ukulele. Then the women discussed the pitfalls of behaving with macho bravado to hold their own with the men surrounding them (and to avoid getting attacked on dark streets after gigs, which some had experienced). Horn talked about her understanding from childhood that she would have to choose between a creative life and 22 knoxville mercury July 6, 2017
having a family—a choice men rarely face. “We have to remind young women that we’ve been fighting and we’re still fighting,” Horn said. “Because it’s not equal. It’s not equal.” As a UT student, Horn recalls being the “only girl” in the jazz ensemble, and all her professors were male. She says she constantly encounters sexism when playing clubs. The sound guys—“they’re all guys,” she notes, “it’s in the name”—assume she’s just a singer and that they need to consult Barrett about inputs and electronics. “Every time I walk on stage, I have to deal with male ego,” Horn says. “I have all this baggage of distrust, and I’d like to not feel that way. I go in on the offensive, assuming I’m going to be taken advantage of and made to feel like shit.” Barrett has become more aware of what women in the industry face. “I have to realize that I get passes on things: I don’t have to worry about
getting hit on at the clubs or walking behind the clubs,” he says. “These things do happen, with people in the audience all the way up to management. It’s disgusting and it’s there.” He’s also seen the band consigned to the “girl ghetto,” with venues only interesting in booking Hudson K for a night of all-girl bands. “It’s like, ‘Let’s give the girls a chance,’ and that’s kind of insulting to me,” Barrett says. “It makes almost the same statement if you just book us with good bands.” Horn wrote on her “She Persisted” blog that working with a female sound engineer for the first time was liberating after being “advised” by a male “expert” to change her sound. (Only 5 percent of sound engineers are women, Horn notes.) Not only is Podio talented in her own right, but “I didn’t have to worry about her trying to sleep with me.” It had happened before. A man in a position of power over a previous
Hudson K record propositioned Horn, after the band had recorded but before the product had been delivered, upping the pressure. She says he had also puffed up his resume when he first offered to work with her. The whole experience left her feeling entrapped and less confident. “He made me feel ‘discovered,’” Horn says. “When I went alone to meet him the first time, I had a weird feeling, but I didn’t go with my gut.” She sighs. “It always goes back to listening to my own voice.” With Podio, Horn writes, “I want to say that she allowed me to do one simple thing that I’ve wanted to do my entire life: Trust myself and my own voice and talent. “DAMN. Isn’t that everything?” Hudson K can be purchased at hudsonkmusic.com. Orders will be handled via pledge until the band returns from its tour; those who pre-ordered will get their albums first.
Genre-Bending on the Mothership M having musical conversations with the locals. The aliens are depicted by electronic instruments played by local musicians, who auditioned. Under music director Aram Demirjian, the symphony has also been incorporating pieces that cross genres an effort to attract non-traditional audiences. Horn is in her dimly-lit studio in front of a life-size mosaic of a nude woman, watching the YouTube video on her computer to practice her entrance and experiment with the notes and sounds of her solo. (The metallic yet gentle pings of an Asian stringed instrument? A 1980s vibe?) Her riff is much more stripped-down than the version on her audition tape, which she decided was too fussy. Horn thought her initial rehearsal with the orchestra the previous day didn’t go well. “I couldn’t hear them and they couldn’t hear me,” she says. “They were looking at me like I was an alien.”
Fitting, in this case. But Horn is no stranger to classical music. She first came to Knoxville to earn her bachelor’s degree in music and a master’s degree in pedagogy and literature at the University of Tennessee, and she teaches about 30 students piano and keyboard. Horn worries about what to do
Photos by Bill Foster
any aspects of Hudson K’s new self-titled record have come together because of Christina Horn and Nate Barrett’s camaraderie with other musicians in Knoxville, a city often praised for having a musical community more supportive than competitive. Horn believes in cross-pollinating the musical landscape through relationships with bands in other cities and musicians outside the rock scene. That’s part of why she invited two bands from out of town to open for her video release party, one having been vouched for by the other. “It’s all about trust and developing relationships,” Horn says. “That’s how every good thing has happened for me in music.” On a day in May, she’s in her studio prepping to play a solo with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra in “Mothership,” a piece written by composer and d.j. Mason Bates for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra. It depicts the journey of a ship docking on alien planets, then
with herself onstage until her solo begins. “I wanted to be lowered from the ceiling, and [Demirjian] just kind of laughed at me,” she says. But she’s still mulling ways to embrace the role. “Believe it or not, there are many Pinterest pages devoted to alien makeup,” she says sifting through them with a glazed look. “Maybe I should just go for it.” But the next night, she wore an understated swirl of silver across her face when she strutted to the front of the orchestra in a sequined blazer and silver stiletto boots. Her pink hair streak was braided next to her scalp, exposing her half-shaven head. The music of “Mothership” pulsed with suspense, xylophone tweaking until the docking beep. Horn bent into her keytar solo, which seemed to echo the beeps and play with a bluesy reverb—different from what she had practiced the day before. In the audience, some of the gray-haired regulars nodded along, while others looked skeptical (and a few sneered). “For me, this is the penultimate, where I can bring electronics back into the type of music I started with and still love,” Horn says. “Aram and I talked about how do we combine the ‘classical’ music world and rock. But it’s all just music. Instruments and computers, they’re all just tools for getting a sound.” —S.H.D
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Program Notes | Art | Movies
Smoky Jack
The Adventures of a Dog and His Master on Mount Le Conte PAUL J. ADAMS EDITED BY ANNE BRIDGES AND KEN WISE
Summer Hits
Mount Le Conte
PAUL J. ADAMS EDITED BY ANNE BRIDGES AND KEN WISE
New singles by Knoxville bands Senryu and Siphon foreshadow albums to come SENRYU The Jaws of Life
Lucky Joe’s Namesake The Extraordinary Life and Observations of Joe Wilson EDITED BY FRED BARTENSTEIN
Roots Music in America Collected Writings of Joe Wilson EDITED BY FRED BARTENSTEIN
U T P R E SS .O R G Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE PRESS 24 knoxville mercury July 6, 2017
The local indie/art-pop band Senryu has been relatively quiet the last few years, as its frantic workaholic frontman and songwriter, Wil Wright, has pursued other projects, principally the wizard-rap persona Lil Iffy and the electronic R&B act Peak Physique. But Senryu—Wright, drummer Steven Rodgers, bassist Dan McCormack, guitarist/keyboard player Andres McCormack, and utility player Zachary Fallon—is back this summer. In late June, the band unveiled “Still That Soldier,” the first single from its 18th (!) album, The Jaws of Life, set for release on Aug. 5. “Still That Soldier” is vintage Senryu, a brief spurt of guitar pop that mixes up Brian Eno, Built to Spill, and Guided by Voices. The Jaws of Life is Senryu’s first release since 2014. In a recent Facebook post, Wright explains that the
band took a different approach to these songs, which are inspired by “the minutes immediately before and after a person dies, the final expectations followed by immediate knowing.” Unlike the band’s previous efforts, which have been have conceived, written, recorded, mixed and mastered, and packaged within weeks or a few months, Wright and his bandmates took their time. “This record would only move at its own pace,” he writes. The band will play a release show at Pilot Light on Aug. 5.
SIPHON The Grand Loop Eric Sublett, the drummer for local prog-rock band White Stag (in March, Mercury music writer Ryan Reed praised the band’s mix of “tech/death metal bellows, jazz-fusion grooves, pastoral flutes, post-rock textures, and drone” on their debut album, Emer-
gence), also records solo electronic ambient music under the name Siphon. He’s released three sets of music—two EPs and the full album A Fragment of Observation—since November; his second full album, The Grand Loop, is coming soon. There’s no official release date yet, but there is some remarkable cover art—a painting of a fantasy landscape that bridges Yes cover artist Roger Dean’s futuristic phantasmagorias and vintage Dungeons and Dragons illustration. “Walls,” from The Grand Loop, is a step forward from A Fragment of Observation, while retaining the same intimate, atmospheric mood. The earlier album featured Sublett playing drums and keyboards and adding electronic textures; “Walls,” at least, is entirely electronic, with a dubby sensibility descended from the U.K. scene of the mid ’00s. —Matthew Everett
Program Notes | Art | Movies
Vacuum-Packed Artists from Vacuum Shop Studios make a statement at the Emporium Center
BY DENISE STEWART-SANABRIA
I
n the four years since its founding, in 2013, the turnover of artists in the Vacuum Shop Studios has been very low. The roster has been made up of both recent bachelor’s and master’s degree recipients from the University of Tennessee—all of them female. The association between female artists working in an old vacuum cleaner store sounds like a horrible archaic joke on ideas about woman’s work, but is instead just a random set of circumstances of who needed space at any given point in time. The studios’ current artists will have work on display this month in a group show at the Emporium Center. Jessie Van de Laan, one of the co-founders of the Vacuum Shop Studios, works in a variety of media, from printmaking to fiber, and often combines them in ethereal installations. The works she has on display in this exhibit are fiber art translations of her abstract spatial prints and drawings. She works with overlapping transparent washes on paper, reminiscent of interior spaces that can be interpreted as geologic and anatomical. When the images get retranslated to fiber, she uses a huge variety of fabrics, from felt to organza. In “Fibrous Integument 2,” a tiny cluster of luminous beads shine like mica particles in a dull striation of stone. Both Kelly Hider and Erin Mullenex masterfully embellish the surfaces of photographs and vintage prints, respectively, to present a
reinterpretation of the original images. Hider uses her own photography and vintage found photographs; the surface decoration defines the hidden meanings in an image. Her recent work uses glitter-flocking embellishments, which, when used in clusters, resemble patterned wallpaper. In “May Baby,” a diagonally cropped photo removes the center of the frame so that only the head and lower appendages of a seated woman in an overexposed photo are visible. Her eyes peer over the dress that flows over her knees. The flocking is carefully applied on the skirt, appearing to be the same as the pattern of the cloth, and subsequently flows off the right edge, where it floats bodiless over the background. The dissection of the figure and the presence of pattern as apparition are unsettling. Mullenex has included four of her “Audubon” series. The ornithology prints from John James Audubon’s classic folio are enhanced by Mullenex’s collaged overlays. “Jetstream” uses colorful cutouts of earth’s atmospheric currents with directional arrows as additional compositional structures. “Audubon: Affected Areas” uses cut swirls of translucent paper with drawn bird-flocking patterns over his “Carolina Turtle Doves” print. Also known as mourning doves, the birds somehow manage to survive despite having tens of millions of their members shot yearly as game birds. The empty areas in the flocking
drawing seem to suggest these losses. The four painters in the group are an interesting mix of contrasts. Heather Hartman creates smooth panels of flawless myopic images of light effects. The dreamy images conjure up overexposed landscape photos. The four-panel piece included in the exhibit is especially atmospheric. Eleanor Aldrich handles paint more as a sculptural media. In fact, she adds so much commercial construction adhesive and caulking in her work that you have to guess what it is you are looking at. She experiments with combinations of materials like a chemist in a lab. She will pipe on beads of caulking, straight out of an application gun, as a linear drawing tool. Thickly applied paint will become bas-relief when she pulls a tiling trowel though it. “Girl With a Seagull Tattoo” used both methods with rich results. Deborah Rule and Chelsea Nunn are the youngest members of the group. Rule’s reductionist paintings on stretched paper appear to be simple abstract experimentations with water media, but their titles instantly reveal their content. Each one is a statement on various forms of birth control. “Once a Day” shows the 28 circles of pills in the grid found in a case of classic birth control pills. “Five Years”
is a pattern of repeated IUD shapes. “Three Weeks” creates an illusion of 17 bas-relief NuvaRings. The final artist in the exhibit produces work well known in Knoxville. Ashton Ludden is the resident artist of our local Trader Joe’s and produces all the hand painted signs in the store, both permanent and seasonal. She also was commissioned to produce the poster for the 2017 Market Square Farmers Market that has been sold in a limited-edition print. The prints she chose for the exhibit are from a series exploring human relationships with other species. Why do we treat a pet as a creature with rights almost equal to humans and another mammal as just food? Her commercial sign-style lithograph, “Summer Savings,” finds a polar bear on a tiny iceberg. “Out of Stock” features a detailed illustration of a single African elephant strolling to the right of the picture plane, with a tiled grid of silhouettes in the background showing the same species walking in the other direction. It is an elegant and simple depiction of a possible extinction. It is always a pleasure to find a group exhibit in which so much of the work is informed by not only intelligent consideration, but considerable skill.
WHAT Eight Artists of the Vacuum Shop Studios WHERE Emporium Center for Arts and Culture (100 S. Gay St.) WHEN July 7-28, with an opening reception on Friday, July 7, from 5 to 9 p.m. HOW MUCH Free INFO knoxalliance.com or vacuumshopstudios. wordpress.com
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Program Notes | Art | Movies
Be My Baby Edgar Wright combines car chases and a pitch-perfect soundtrack in Baby Driver
BY APRIL SNELLINGS
I
n a way, it feels strange to applaud an Edgar Wright film for its originality. The director of Shaun of the Dead and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World has endeared himself to fans by synthesizing whole stories from pop-culture references and affectionate genre deconstruction; the winking familiarity of his movies has always been a big part of the fun. Maybe I was alone in thinking it was starting to wear a little thin, though, and that Wright, a gifted cinematic stylist and snappy writer, was selling himself short by constantly referencing other people’s work. The solution, it turns out, wasn’t to ditch his trademark habit of remixing cultural touchstones, but to simply make a lateral slide into another type of nerdy preoccupation.
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With the joyous musical caper flick Baby Driver, Wright finds his groove in the story of a boyish wheelman who obsessively choreographs every aspect of his life to the tunes humming in his ever-present earbuds. For practical purposes, it’s to drown out the chronic tinnitus that has afflicted Baby (Ansel Elgort) since the childhood auto accident that killed his mother. But music also serves as the lens through which Baby filters all of his experiences, and a way for him to have a modicum of control over a life dictated by the needs and demands of the people around him. Mostly that’s Doc (Kevin Spacey), an Atlanta kingpin to whom Baby is indebted. The preternaturally talented young getaway driver has been chipping away at his debt
through a sort of indentured servitude: Doc plans elaborate heists with an ever-rotating crew of stick-up artists, and Baby makes sure they stay one neck-snapping peel-out ahead of the police. After he finally balances the ledger that binds him to Doc, Baby gets roped into one final gig with a potentially enormous payoff— enough that he’ll be able to ensure the well-being of his kindhearted foster father, Joe (C.J. Jones), and hit the road with his wholesome waitress girlfriend, Debora (Lily James). Unfortunately for Baby, he doesn’t eat, sleep, and breathe genre films like some of Wright’s other protagonists. If he did, he’d know that the ol’ “one last job” shtick portends disaster exactly 100 percent of the time, especially when you throw in a
few swaggering psychopaths (including Jamie Foxx, Jons Bernthal and Hamm, and Eliza González), Die Hard levels of firepower, and what appears to be the entire Atlanta Police Department motor pool. Like most of Wright’s filmography, Baby Driver is a slick mashup of seemingly incongruous genres, and it’s packed with nods to other movies—everything from Walter Hill’s existential gearhead favorite The Driver to Singin’ in the Rain. But it’s music that drives the film. Chase scenes are choreographed to the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion’s “Bellbottoms” and the Damned’s “Neat Neat Neat”; an elegant, single-take credits sequence finds Baby gliding through the streets of Atlanta to Bob and Earl’s “Harlem Shuffle” as the song’s lyrics come to life in the sets, props, and backdrops that surround him. The plot even hinges on an awesomely weird cameo by ’70s hit-machine songwriter Paul Williams (“We’ve Only Just Begun,” “An Old Fashioned Love Song”), and it’s all set to an inspired, 35-song soundtrack that’s as diverse as Wright’s cinematic interests. It’s a musical without the song-and-dance numbers. (Elgort does dance, and it’s wonderful.) It’s also a pulsing, eye-popping action movie that opts for visual grace and raw thrills over the big-budget spectacle of recent Fast and Furious installments. Wright, along with cinematographer Bill Pope and a cavalcade of stunt performers and effects pros, choreographs the increasingly violent set pieces the way other filmmakers might stage a musical number, with guitar strings and drum beats syncing with squealing tires and gunshots. It’s an idea that Wright has played with before, most notably in Shaun’s famous “Don’t Stop Me Now” scene and the Mint Royale music video that served as a sort of road test for Baby Driver. This time he stretches the conceit to feature length, and the result is as taut as a perfectly tuned bass string. The plot might be a mixtape of noir and chase-scene clichés, but Baby Driver is loaded with so much energy and visual inventiveness that it plays like an entirely new composition.
PRIESTS
Thursday, July 6 — Sunday, July 23
MUSIC Thursday, July 6 REBECCA LOEBE WITH DEAR BROTHER • 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 DOR L’DOR • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 6PM • The Six O’Clock Swerve is a weekly musical trip featuring live performances and insightful interviews in a living room atmosphere. The show’s conversational, relaxed and informed interviews and performances is unlike other live-music shows. • FREE THE YOUNG FABLES • The Shed at Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson (Maryville) • 7PM • FREE SONS OF TEXAS WITH ANNANDALE, BELFAST 6 PACK, AND INWARD OF EDEN • The Concourse • 8PM • 18 and up.
Visit internationalknox.com. • $5 DEVAN JONES AND THE UPTOWN STOMP • Barley’s
Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 8PM LAUREN ARP • Wild Wing Cafe • 9PM • FREE THE TOO’S • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • The Too’s are a close knit four piece americana band from Fayetteville, Ark. A group with diverse influences, The Too’s have a familiar yet unpredictable sound. • FREE WATER SEED • Preservation Pub • 10PM
Friday, July 7 FOLK SOUL REVIVAL WITH CHELSEA LOVITT AND THE BOYS •
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 LADY D • Wild Wing Cafe • 6PM • FREE WESLEY PELLE • Vienna Coffee House (Maryville) • 6PM • FREE FROG AND TOAD’S DIXIE QUARTET • The Crown and Goose • 8PM • Jason Thompson’s band doesn’t play bebop, the mainstay of the American saxman for more than half a century. He prefers to do something different. Frog and Toad can sound more old-fashioned than bebop, with Dixieland and ragtime tunes. But then, in the same set, they’ll sound more modern than bebop, with funk or fusion, or something original he wrote last week. • FREE MICHAEL LOGEN WITH ELIOT BRONSON • Open Chord Music • 8PM • Blending elements of folk and pop, Michael Logen’s work brings the poetry and lyrical
depth of the folk tradition into the infectious melodies and subtle grooves of a pop singer/songwriter. All ages. Visit openchordmusic.com. • $10-$12 LAVISH BOARS • Pilot Light • 9PM • 18 and up. • $5 HILLBILLY JEDI • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 9PM FOLK SOUL REVIVAL • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • Based in Bristol, Va., a.k.a. the birthplace of country music, Folk Soul Revival is one of southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee’s most beloved and sought after acts. Performing original roots-rock, the quintet’s distinct, radio-ready sound and back-porch instrumentation have garnered success with high profile gigs opening for the likes of Travis Tritt, Jason Isbell, Eric Church, Justin Townes Earle, Dr. Ralph Stanley, and more. • FREE THE DEAD RINGERS • Preservation Pub • 10PM BEFORE THE STORM • Wild Wing Cafe • 10PM • FREE ANGELA PERLEY AND THE HOWLIN’ MOONS • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • Armed with electric guitars, swooning vocals, and songs that split the difference between rock & roll and dreamy psychedelia, Angela Perley & the Howlin’ Moons pack the biggest punch of their career with Homemade Vision. Like the band’s debut, Hey Kid — an album whose kickoff track, “Athens,” earned Perley an International Songwriting Award in 2014 — Homemade Vision was recorded in the Howlin’ Moons’ hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Many of the songs were dreamt up somewhere along the highways and backroads that crisscross America, though, coaxed into life by a group of roots-rock road warriors who regularly play more than 100 shows a year. As a result, Homemade Vision is the sort of wide-ranging record that creates its own geography, building an imaginary place where the influences of David Gilmour, Tom Petty, Led Zeppelin, and Nebula all intersect. • FREE
Saturday, July 8 COREY LEITER WITH LAURA RABELL • 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 KNOX COUNTY SECOND SATURDAY CONCERT SERIES • 6PM • Knox County is expanding its Second Saturday Concerts series this summer as the parks and recreation department continues to host live entertainment for the whole family at The Cove and now also at New Harvest Park. The free concerts, held
Photo by Audrey Melton
Spotlights 30 Steve Earle 34 All Campus Theatre: Waiting for Godot
THE WEEKS AHEAD Friday, July 7
FIRST FRIDAY Wander the central city’s galleries for an impressive range of local and regional art— paintings, photographs, pottery, sculpture, in styles from the traditional to the mind-bending.
ANGELA PERLEY AND THE HOWLIN’ MOONS Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10 p.m. • Free • The Howlin’ Moons, from Columbus, Ohio, will play hard-charging psychedelic Americana from their 2016 album, Homemade Vision. Tuesday, July 11
THE PUBLIC CINEMA: SLACK BAY Pilot Light • 7 p.m. • Free • The free world-cinema screening series the Public Cinema returns for a one-off screening in the Old City of French director Brunot Dumont’s 2016 absurdist comedy. Slack Bay, set in a small French seaside town in 1910, follows an eccentric family caught up in the investigation of a string of tourists who have disappeared. Saturday, July 15
STRFKR The Mill and Mine • 8 p.m. • $21-$23 • The Portland indie/synth-pop band’s leader, Joshua Hodges, retreated to the desert to write songs for 2016’s Being No One, Going Nowhere; the result is a sturdy but danceable exploration of what it means to be a real person in the 21st century. With Reptaliens.
JONAH PARZEN-JOHNSON Pilot Light • 10 p.m. • $6 • 18 and up • Solo synthesizer and baritone sax might not sound like the most subtle instrumentation, but Brooklyn composer and multi-instrumentalist Jonah Parzen-Johnson turned the setup toward melody and intimacy on his 2015 album Remember When Things Were Better Tomorrow. Monday, July 17
CONOR OBERST The Mill and Mine • 8 p.m. • $26-$31 • The prolific indie/folk singer-songwriter Conor Oberst, was a late-’90s prodigy—he was just 18 when the Bright Eyes album Letting Off the Happiness catapulted him to underground stardom. Now he’s approaching 40, seven albums deep into his mature solo career, and settling into his role as a middle-aged legacy act with aplomb. With Twin Limb. Tuesday, July 18
PRIESTS WITH CAPS AND LYDIA MAJOR Pilot Light • 9:30 p.m. • $11 • 18 and up • On their debut album, Nothing Feels Natural, the Washington, D.C., band Priests channel the best of late ’70s and early ’80s post-punk—jittery, impassioned political rock for dancing. $1 from each ticket will be donated to Casa Ruby, a D.C.-based advocacy group for the LGBTQ immigrant community.
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July 6 – July 23
June through August on the second Saturday of each month, run from 6 to 8 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own blankets or lawn chairs. Please note that no alcohol is allowed. The lineup at the Cove includes the Jennings Street Band (June 10), Kitty Wampus (July 8), and Vinyl Tap (Aug. 12). The lineup at New Harvest Park includes the Relentless Blues Band (June 10), Wild Blue Yonder (July 8), and Crawdaddy Jones (Aug. 12). • FREE RIVERS DRIFT • Vienna Coffee House (Maryville) • 6PM • FREE RECKLESS KELLY • The Shed at Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson (Maryville) • 7:30PM • $20 QUARTJAR WITH BLACK VELVET DOGS • Pilot Light • 8PM • 18 and up. • $5 3DC: A CELEBRATION OF THREE DOG NIGHT • Open Chord Music • 8PM • 3DC - Three Dog Celebration is the creation of Michael “Mickey” McMeel former drummer of Three Dog Night. 3DC represents all the fun, memories and excitement that swept us up during those wonderful times in the 1970’s. All ages. Visit openchordmusic.com. • $10 DAVID STOUT • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 9PM MCGILL AND THE REFILLS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • Mike McGill has been a full time singer/ songwriter and musician for the past 15 years. From entertaining in Gatlinburg with the band White Oak
Flats, the founding member of the classic county band The Drunk Uncles, the Honky Tonk band the Barstool Romeos, and the lead singer and electric guitar player for The Cathouse Prophets. • FREE GIRL CRUSH • Wild Wing Cafe • 10PM • FREE MAMA LOUISE • Scruffy City Hall • 10PM THE BURNIN’ HERMANS • Preservation Pub • 10PM BIG COUNTRY’S EMPTY BOTTLE • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE
Sunday, July 9 J. LUKE • Wild Wing Cafe • 6PM • FREE ERA 9 WITH DEAD HORSE TRAUMA AND CROWNS • Open
Chord Music • 7PM • All ages. Visit openchordmusic. com. • $10 STEVE EARLE AND THE DUKES WITH THE MASTERSONS • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • If you ever had any doubt about where Steve Earle’s musical roots are planted, his new collection, So You Wannabe an Outlaw, makes it perfectly plain. “There’s nothing ‘retro’ about this record,” he states, “I’m just acknowledging where I’m coming from.” So You Wannabe an Outlaw is the first recording he has made in Austin, Texas. Earle has lived in New York City for the past decade but he acknowledges, “Look, I’m always gonna be a Texan, no matter what I do. And I’m always going to be somebody who learned their craft in Nashville. It’s who I am.”In the 1970s, artists such as Waylon Jennings,
Willie Nelson, Johnny Paycheck, Billy Joe Shaver and Tompall Glaser gave country music a rock edge, some raw grit and a rebel attitude. People called what these artists created “outlaw music.” The results were country’s first Platinum-certified records, exciting and fresh stylistic breakthroughs and the attraction of a vast new youth audience to a genre that had previously been by and for adults. In the eighties, The Highwaymen was formed by Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings. Their final album “The Road Goes On Forever” released in 1996 began with the Steve Earle song “The Devil’s Right Hand.”Steve Earle’s 2017 collection, So You Wannabe an Outlaw, is an homage to outlaw music. “I was out to unapologetically ‘channel’ Waylon as best as I could.” says Earle. “This record was all about me on the back pick-up of a Fender Telecaster on an entire record for the first time in my life. The singing part of it is a little different. I certainly don’t sound like Waylon Jennings.” • $35-$50 PALE ROOT • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM • FREE STUMP TALL DOLLY • Preservation Pub • 10PM
Monday, July 10 THE MASTERSONS • 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 LOVEWHIP • Preservation Pub • 10PM NELSON/SMITH/TILLMAN • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM BEN SHUSTER • Wild Wing Cafe • 10PM • FREE
Tuesday, July 11 LARRY ODHAM AND MATT COWE • 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 PHIL LEADBETTER AND RICHARD BENNETT • Wild Wing Cafe • 5:30PM • FREE MATT NELSON, GARRIT TILLMAN, AND JAKE EDWARD SMITH
• Pilot Light • 6PM • A free live improv showcase. 18 and up. • FREE MARBLE CITY 5 • Market Square • 8PM • Vance Thompson’s small combo, featuring members of the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, performs on Market Square May 9-Aug. 29. Visit knoxjazz.org. • FREE RELENTLESS BLUES • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM
Wednesday, July 12 TRAVIS BIGWOOD WITH DOUG WILHITE • WDVX • 12PM • Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-a-week live-broadcast lunchtime concert series featuring
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SATURDAY, AUGUST 19TH TOWNSEND VISITORS CENTER TOWNSEND, TN • 3PM-9PM
July 6 – July 23
local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • FREE FROG AND TOAD’S DIXIE QUARTET • The Crown and Goose • 6:30PM • Jason Thompson’s band doesn’t play bebop, the mainstay of the American saxman for more than half a century. He prefers to do something different. Frog and Toad can sound more old-fashioned than bebop, with Dixieland and ragtime tunes. But then, in the same set, they’ll sound more modern than bebop, with funk or fusion, or something original he wrote last week. • FREE TENNESSEE SHINES: I DRAW SLOW • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7PM • A live weekly radio show broadcast from the Old City with host Paige Travis, celebrating East Tennessee’s musical and broadcasting heritage by featuring top-notch musicians from near and far, interviews, spoken-word artists, and other surprises. • FREE MIKE SNODGRASS • Wild Wing Cafe • 8:30PM • FREE
Thursday, July 13 DANE PAGE WITH HARRISON B. • 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 SHAYLA MCDANIEL • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 6PM • The Six O’Clock Swerve is a weekly musical trip featuring live performances and insightful interviews in a living room atmosphere. The show’s conversational, relaxed and informed interviews and performances is unlike other live-music shows. • FREE ALEXA ROSE • Preservation Pub • 8PM TITANOS WITH OROGENS, LATE., AND SPARK THE FOREST • Modern Studio • 8PM • An evening of heavy, atmospheric soundscapes presented by Modern Studio and Elder Magick Records. • $5 K TOWN DUO • Wild Wing Cafe • 9PM • FREE TRAVERS BROTHERSHIP • Preservation Pub • 10PM
Friday, July 14 NICK DITTMEIER AND THE SAWDUSTERS WITH OLIVER THE CROW • 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 COEL SITZLAR • Wild Wing Cafe • 6PM • FREE HARRY AND BRITTANY MCCARTTHY • Vienna Coffee House (Maryville) • 6PM • FREE ALIVE AFTER FIVE: TAMARA BROWN • Knoxville Museum of Art • 6PM • A musical tribute to the Grammy-winning Amy Winehouse, who died tragically at an early age, plus some of the girl groups of the ‘60s that Winehouse admired. • $5-$10 FROG AND TOAD’S DIXIE QUARTET • The Crown and Goose • 8PM • Jason Thompson’s band doesn’t play bebop, the mainstay of the American saxman for more than half a century. He prefers to do something different. Frog and Toad can sound more old-fashioned than bebop, with Dixieland and ragtime tunes. But then, in the same set,
they’ll sound more modern than bebop, with funk or fusion, or something original he wrote last week. • FREE ANNABELLE’S CURSE WITH HANDSOME AND THE HUMBLES AND THE COMPANY STORES • Scruffy City Hall • 8PM MEGAN AND HER GOODY GOODIES • Barley’s Taproom and
Pizzeria (Maryville) • 9PM THE POP ROX • Wild Wing Cafe • 10PM • FREE INDIGHOST • Preservation Pub • 10PM FOUR LEAF PEAT • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE
Saturday, July 15 SWAMP RATS WITH FRICTION FARM • 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 BARBRAS • Vienna Coffee House (Maryville) • 6PM • FREE SWAMP RATS • Crafty Bastard Brewery • 7PM • Swamp Rats is a punk inspired bluegrass/folk act on tour from South Florida. THE DIRTY DOORS: A TRIBUTE • Open Chord Music • 8PM • All ages. Visit openchordmusic.com. • $12-$15 STRFKR WITH REPTALIENS • The Mill and Mine • 8PM • Being No One, Going Nowhere. The title of STRFKR’s fourth album may seem bleak at first. But hold it in your head a minute, feel its weight, and you may recognize the phrase for what it is: a goal. In the era of the personal brand—amid the FOMO Age—it’s increasingly hard to shed a stifling sense of self, or to just be in the moment that you’re in. Well, consider this an invitation to get blissfully insignificant. That’s what STRFKR founder Joshua Hodges aimed to do when he exiled himself to the desert to create this record, but he returned with his most significant work yet: a set of darkly glistening dance songs rife with sticky beats, earworming hooks, philosophical heft, and bittersweet beauty. • $21-$23 LIZ BRASHER • Preservation Pub • 8PM GEORGIA ENGLISH • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 9PM JONAH PARZEN-JOHNSON • Pilot Light • 10PM • The analog synth revival shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. While noise heads, avant dance-music producers and horror-movie soundtrack aficionados have been doing much of the knob twiddlng, the instruments also show up in more unlikely places. Jonah Parzen-Johnson has recently taken to playing them alongside his baritone saxophone. Synthesizers in jazz are nothing new, of course. Miles Davis’ and Herbie Hancock’s various groups throughout the 1970s covered an amazing amount of ground with these instruments, creating music that still sounds more adventurous than most of what came in their wakes. But the solo nature of Parzen-Johnson’s work makes for an unusual listening experience. He plays both instruments live simultaneously, with no overdubbing or looping. Often, this results in melodic, soulful sax playing over repetitive synth lines reminiscent of Terry
www.TennesseeTheatre.com
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Riley. It can get kind of drone-y and dissonant, but it’s largely devoid of the skronk and overplaying that a lot of younger solo sax players seem to favor. The music is more traditionally pleasant-sounding than not, which is not always something you can say about experimental music. The title of his new album, Remember When Things Were Better Tomorrow, and a backstory about Parzen-Johnson’s desire to inspire others to resist nostalgia may or may not help you navigate what he’s trying to get at musically. Regardless, there is an intimacy and cohesiveness to the album that suggest the labor and thought that went into it and make it a compelling listen. 18 and up. • $6 DEMON WAFFLE • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • FREE STEVE RUTLEDGE AND THE GROOVE EVOLUTION • Wild Wing Cafe • 10PM • FREE HAMMOND EGGS • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE WHAT SO NOT • The International • 10PM • 18 and up. • $18-$22
Sunday, July 16
8PM • Fiddle music for the soul, from the soul. • FREE THE JON HATCHETT BAND • Preservation Pub • 10PM
J. LUKE • Wild Wing Cafe • 6PM • FREE TRAVIS LINVILLE • Open Chord Music • 7PM • It’s a quiet
Monday, July 17
confidence, an air of authority limited to only the most studied artists, a commanding irreverence woven with a thread of vulnerability. There’s something inexplicably authentic about Oklahoma’s Travis Linville, and it’s carried him from dive bars and classrooms to “The Tonight Show” and esteemed theaters and festivals across the globe.Linville is legendary regionally for his work in the now-defunct Burtschi Brothers and for his behind-the-scenes influence—including recording John Fullbright’s “Live at the Blue Door” and teaching guitar lessons to a young Parker Millsap. The “Oklahoma Gazette” rightly ca...lled him a “godfather of modern Oklahoma folk” and noted that his success opened doors for a state teeming with talent: a mentor and contemporary for other Oklahoma acts like Fullbright, Millsap and John Moreland. All ages. Visit openchordmusic.com. • $8-$10 BAREFOOT SANCTUARY • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria •
GRANT MALOY SMITH WITH TRAVIS LINVILLE • 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 CONOR OBERST WITH TWIN LIMB • The Mill and Mine • 8PM • Conor Oberst joined his first band at the age of 13 and has been releasing music since 1993. Over the next two plus decades, he’s released cassette-only recordings, split 7-inches, and a dozen albums of uncommon insight, detail, and political awareness with his band Bright Eyes, under his own name, as a member of Desaparecidos, as leader of the The Mystic Valley Band, and with the Monsters of Folk supergroup. 18 and up. • $26-$31 NELSON, SMITH, TILLMAN TRIO WITH THE YAGER NELSON DUO • Pilot Light • 9PM • 18 and up. • $5 JACK AND THE BEAR • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria •
10PM BEN SHUSTER • Wild Wing Cafe • 10PM • FREE THE PUNKNECKS • Preservation Pub • 10PM
Tuesday, July 18 HOLLIE HAMMEL AND KAYCIE SATTERFIELD • Preservation
Pub • 8PM SHAWN TAYLOR WITH HOLLIE HAMMEL AND KAYCIE SATTERFIELD • WDVX • 12PM • Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate
Photo by Chad Batka
Steve Earle Bijou Theatre • Sunday, July 9 • 8 p.m. • $35-$50 • knoxbijou.com or steveearle.com Steve Earle’s basically been playing the outlaw his entire career, from the outsider country of Guitar Town and Copperhead Road and the dark post-addiction and jail acoustic excursion Train a Comin’ to his politically engaged output during the 21st century. But So You Wanna Be an Outlaw, his new album, is his first direct nod to official outlaw country, as engineered by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson in the 1970s. It’s the most conspicuosly country album Earle has recorded in years, bolstered by snarling guitar and bouncing bass lines borrowed from Jennings and vivid portraits of men on the edge. The highlight, though, is “This Is How It Ends,” a grown-up country-pop gem about divorce co-written with Miranda Lambert, who also shares vocal duties with Earle. (Matthew Everett)
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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 LOST FIDDLE STRING BAND • Wild Wing Cafe • 5:30PM • FREE MARBLE CITY 5 • Market Square • 8PM • Vance Thompson’s small combo, featuring members of the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, performs on Market Square May 9-Aug. 29. Visit knoxjazz.org. • FREE PRIESTS WITH CAPS • Pilot Light • 9:30PM • Nothing Feels Natural represents a major step forward for Priests. It’s the band’s most stylistically diverse set of songs to date, expanding on their lo-fi post-punk bona-fides with ideas drawn from pop, R&B, and industrial noise. Thematically, Nothing can be understood as a series of vignettes — nine stories that crystallize into a bigger picture about the economics of human relationships, the invisibility of feminized labor, and the dual purpose of art for both the group and the individual. 18 and up. Visit thepilotlight.com. • $11
Wednesday, July 19 AVON DALE WITH ROLLFAST RAMBLERS • 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 FROG AND TOAD’S DIXIE QUARTET • The Crown and Goose
• 6:30PM • Jason Thompson’s band doesn’t play bebop, the mainstay of the American saxman for more than half a century. He prefers to do something different. Frog and Toad can sound more old-fashioned than bebop, with Dixieland and ragtime tunes. But then, in the same set, they’ll sound more modern than bebop, with funk or fusion, or something original he wrote last week. • FREE TENNESSEE SHINES: BILL MIZE • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7PM • A live weekly radio show broadcast from the Old City with host Paige Travis, celebrating East Tennessee’s musical and broadcasting heritage by featuring top-notch musicians from near and far, interviews, spoken-word artists, and other surprises. • $10 THE LUCKY DUTCH • Preservation Pub • 8PM KACEY CHAMBERS • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • Australian singer-songwriter Kasey Chambers embarks on the US leg of her international tour in support of her eleventh studio album Dragonfly. The album debuted in Australia at #1 on the ARIA Albums Chart as well as being #1 on the ARIA Top 50 digital albums, Top 40 Country Albums, Top 20 Australian Artist Albums and Top 20 Australian Artist Country Albums. The album’s official U.S. release is set for later this spring.Dragonfly, her acclaimed double album and follow up to 2014’s Bittersweet, features special guests Keith Urban, Ed Sheeran, Paul Kelly, Grizzlee Train, Harry Hookey, Vika and Linda Bull, and Foy Vance. The first disc of Dragonfly was produced by ARIA Hall of Famer Paul Kelly at The Sing Sing Sessions, while the second was produced by Chambers’ brother Nash Chambers at The Foggy Mountain Sessions. • $35 MIKE SNODGRASS • Wild Wing Cafe • 8:30PM • FREE MILKSHAKE FATTY • Preservation Pub • 10PM
Thursday, July 20 MIA ROSE LYNN WITH BILLY AND THE GYPSY OUTLAWS • 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 MARSHAL ANDY SMALLS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 6PM • The Six O’Clock Swerve is a weekly musical trip featuring live performances and insightful interviews in a living room atmosphere. The show’s conversational, relaxed and informed interviews and performances is unlike other live-music shows. • FREE T FOR TEXAS, T FOR TENNESSEE • Pilot Light • 7PM • The owners of Top Hat Recording Studio present a weekly summer series of shows pairing artists from Austin, Texas, and Knoxville. The lineup includes March and Beauty and Peak Physique (July 20); Jeremy Nail and J.C. Haun (July 27); Jon Dee Graham and R.B. Morris (Aug. 3); Seela and Hudson K (Aug. 10); Michael Fracasso and Greg Horne (Aug. 17); Forrest Jourdan and the Barstool Romeos (Aug. 24); and the Adv Of … and Bark (Aug. 31). • $5 THREESOUND • Preservation Pub • 8PM EMERSON BIGGENS • Wild Wing Cafe • 9PM • FREE
July 6 – July 23
NELSON/SMITH/TILLMAN • Barley’s Taproom and
Pizzeria • 10PM
Friday, July 21 BEN SHUSTER • Wild Wing Cafe • 6PM • FREE SISTERS OF THE SILVER SAGE • Vienna Coffee House •
6PM • FREE ALIVE AFTER FIVE: BOYS’ NIGHT OUT • Knoxville Museum
of Art • 6PM • Carolina beach music and blue-eyed soul. • $10-$15 FROG AND TOAD’S DIXIE QUARTET • The Crown and Goose • 8PM • Jason Thompson’s band doesn’t play bebop, the mainstay of the American saxman for more than half a century. He prefers to do something different. Frog and Toad can sound more old-fashioned than bebop, with Dixieland and ragtime tunes. But then, in the same set, they’ll sound more modern than bebop, with funk or fusion, or something original he wrote last week. • FREE PEOPLE ON THE PORCH • Preservation Pub • 8PM THE STEEL CITY JUG SLAMMERS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 9PM ASCULTATION WITH SODTM, FUTURE DZ, ALEX FALK, AND NIKKI NAIR • Pilot Light • 9PM • 18 and up. • $5 THE BREAKFAST CLUB • The Concourse • 9PM • $10 THOMAS WYNN AND THE BELIEVERS • Barley’s Taproom
and Pizzeria • 10PM STEPHEN GOFF • Wild Wing Cafe • 10PM • FREE ROOTS OF A REBELLION • Scruffy City Hall • 10PM DANIMAL PLANET • Preservation Pub • 10PM JEREMY PINNELL • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE
Saturday, July 22 JEREMY PINNELL WITH LETTERS TO ABIGAIL • 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 BROOKS DIXON • Vienna Coffee House • 6PM • FREE DEAD EFFECT: A TRIBUTE TO THE GRATEFUL DEAD • Open Chord Music • 8PM • All ages. Visit openchordmusic. com. • $12-$15 JENNIFER JANE NICELY WITH CASPER ALLEN • Pilot Light • 8PM • 18 and up. • $7 LETTERS TO ABIGAIL • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 9PM SOULFINGER WITH FREEKBASS • Preservation Pub • 9PM • 21 and up. THE BLAIR EXPERIENCE • Wild Wing Cafe • 10PM • FREE KING OF MARS WITH BLOND BONES • Scruffy City Hall • 10PM BRENDAN JAMES WRIGHT AND THE WRONGS • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE
Sunday, July 23 SMOKY MOUNTAIN BLUES SOCIETY BLUES CRUISE • Star of
Knoxville Riverboat • 4PM • Join the Smoky Mountain Blues Society as they present some of the best-known local, regional, and nationally touring blues artists during specialty cruises on the Tennessee River. From
April through October, blues lovers will celebrate this American art form during a three-hour Sunday afternoon cruise on the Star of Knoxville Tennessee Riverboat. This year’s lineup includes the Tommie John Band (April 23); Few Miles On (May 21); Mighty Blue (June 25); the Stella Vees (July 23); Cheryl Renee (Aug. 27); Albert Castiglia (Sept. 24); and John Nemeth (Oct. 15). Call (865) 525-7827 or visit tnriverboat.com/ blues-cruises-2. • $16-$20 J. LUKE • Wild Wing Cafe • 6PM • FREE THE SUITCASE JUNKET • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM • From the salvaged sounds of American juke joints, back porches, honky tonks, and rock clubs, The Suitcase Junket conjures an entirely new sound on his essential rock collection Pile Driver. • FREE AVANTIST • Preservation Pub • 10PM
Thursdays of each month. Visit jigandreel.com. • FREE
Friday, July 14 OLD-TIME STRING BAND JAM • John T. O’Connor Senior
Center • 1:30PM • An opportunity for local acoustic artists, 50 years or older, to gather and jam. Don’t play? No worries, come in just to listen and enjoy a good time. Every Friday. For more information call 865-523-1135. • FREE
Tuesday, July 18
OPEN MIC
OLD-TIME JAM SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM • The musicians sit together and pick and strum familiar tunes on fiddles, guitars, and bass. Open to all lovers and players of music. No need to build up the courage to join in. Just grab an instrument off the wall and take a seat. Hosted by Sarah Pirkle. Visit jigandreel.com. • FREE
Thursday, July 6
Wednesday, July 19
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 • Open Chord Music • 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.
BREWHOUSE BLUES JAM • Open Chord Music • 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. BRACKINS BLUES JAM • Brackins Blues Club (Maryville) • 9PM • A weekly open session hosted by Tommie John. Visit Facebook.com/BrackinsBlues. • FREE
Friday, July 7
Thursday, July 20
OLD-TIME STRING BAND JAM • John T. O’Connor Senior
IRISH MUSIC SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM • Held on the first and third Thursdays of each month. Visit jigandreel.com. • FREE
Center • 1:30PM • An opportunity for local acoustic artists, 50 years or older, to gather and jam. Don’t play? No worries, come in just to listen and enjoy a good time. Every Friday. For more information call 865-523-1135. • FREE
Tuesday, July 11 OLD-TIME JAM SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM • The musicians sit together and pick and strum familiar tunes on fiddles, guitars, and bass. Open to all lovers and players of music. No need to build up the courage to join in. Just grab an instrument off the wall and take a seat. Hosted by Sarah Pirkle. Visit jigandreel.com. • FREE
Wednesday, July 12 BRACKINS BLUES JAM • Brackins Blues Club (Maryville) • 9PM • A weekly open session hosted by Tommie John. Visit Facebook.com/BrackinsBlues. • FREE
Thursday, July 13 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. Whether lyrics or no lyrics, every song tells a story. The hills of East Tennessee are a home away from home for this style. Pull up a chair to listen or play along. Held on the second and fourth
Friday, July 21 OLD-TIME STRING BAND JAM • John T. O’Connor Senior
Center • 1:30PM • An opportunity for local acoustic artists, 50 years or older, to gather and jam. Don’t play? No worries, come in just to listen and enjoy a good time. Every Friday. For more information call 865-523-1135. • FREE
DJ & DANCE NIGHTS Thursday, July 6 WAX ATTACK • Hexagon Brewing Co. • 6PM • DJ Paul
spins old-school dance music—all vinyl, no computers, no CDs, a total digital detox. • FREE
Friday, July 7 COLLABS • The Concourse • 9PM • With Dialectic Sines,
Alex Falk, Saint Thomas LeDoux, Nikki Nair, Abra, and J Mo. 18 and up. Visit internationalknox.com. • $5
Sunday, July 9 THE INTERNATIONAL LAYOVER BRUNCH • The Concourse • 12PM • Enjoy good eats, refreshing libations, and the most appropriate afternoon tunage in the company of this city’s most dedicated loafers. All ages. • FREE
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Thursday, July 13 spins old-school dance music—all vinyl, no computers, no CDs, a total digital detox. • FREE
COMEDY & SPOKEN WORD
but you get to make the suggestions. Show starts at 8:15, get there early for the best seats. No cover. Visit einsteinsimplified.com. • FREE
Saturday, July 15
Friday, July 7
THE DELIGHTS • Bearden Beer Market • 7:30PM •
TEMPLE DANCE NIGHT • The Concourse • 9PM •
THE OOH OOH REVUE • Modern Studio • 9PM • Knoxville’s
Knoxville’s long-running alternative once night. 18 and up. Visit facebook.com/templeknoxville. • $5
exciting monthly fun and sexy variety show. We are classy cabaret, song, dance, comedy and bedazzling burlesque, every First Friday. This show features some of Knoxville’s best and emerging talent: singers, dancers, comedians, spoken word poets, burlesque artists and so much more. It’s a variety show where each cast member brings a different sizzling act each month to entertain, delight, surprise and more. It’s an evening designed to make you say “ooh!” Visit oohoohrevue.com. 18 and up. • $10
WAX ATTACK • Hexagon Brewing Co. • 6PM • DJ Paul
Sunday, July 16 THE INTERNATIONAL LAYOVER BRUNCH • The Concourse •
12PM • Enjoy good eats, refreshing libations, and the most appropriate afternoon tunage in the company of this city’s most dedicated loafers. All ages. • FREE
Thursday, July 20 WAX ATTACK • Hexagon Brewing Co. • 6PM • DJ Paul
spins old-school dance music—all vinyl, no computers, no CDs, a total digital detox. • FREE
CLASSICAL MUSIC Thursday, July 13
Monday, July 10 FRIENDLYTOWN • Pilot Light • 7:30PM • A weekly comedy night named after the former red-light district near the Old City. Visit facebook.com/friendlytownknoxville. 18 and up. • FREE
PINT-SIZED OPERA • Saw Works Brewing Company •
Tuesday, July 11
7PM • Marble City Opera will perform live on the second Thursday of each month. Visit marblecityopera.com. • FREE
EINSTEIN SIMPLIFIED • Scruffy City Hall • 8PM • Einstein
Simplified Comedy performs live comedy improv at Scruffy City Hall. It’s just like Whose Line Is It Anyway,
Wednesday, July 12 Short-form comedy improv.
Thursday, July 13 WHISKEY GUN COMEDY • Pilot Light • 9PM • Local
readers’ poll winner Jeff Blank hosts his Whiskey Gun comedy tour and showcases some of the best new local comics. 18 and up. • $5
Monday, July 17 FRIENDLYTOWN • Pilot Light • 7:30PM • A weekly
comedy night named after the former red-light district near the Old City. Visit facebook.com/friendlytownknoxville. 18 and up. • FREE
Tuesday, July 18 EINSTEIN SIMPLIFIED • Scruffy City Hall • 8PM • Einstein
Simplified Comedy performs live comedy improv at Scruffy City Hall. It’s just like Whose Line Is It Anyway, but you get to make the suggestions. Show starts at 8:15, get there early for the best seats. No cover. Visit einsteinsimplified.com. • FREE
Saturday, July 22 KEVIN MCDONALD • Modern Studio • 7:30PM • An
evening of hybrid comedy and styles with some of Knoxville comedy artists of various flavors and featuring the one and only Kevin McDonald of The Kids in the Hall and so much more. Comedic storytelling, a “live interview” segment, sketch comedy and wild improv with a few improv talents of Knoxville. 21 and up. • $15-$25
THEATER & DANCE All Campus Theatre Modern Studio WAITING FOR GODOT • Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for
Godot tells the story of two men, Estragon and Vladimir, as they wait by a barren tree for the arrival of someone named Godot. While waiting, they quarrel, dance, contemplate suicide, eat, sleep, and discuss philosophy, religion, life, and death. • July 8-9 • $15
Broadway at the Tennessee Tennessee Theatre • tennesseetheatre.com MAMMA MIA! • Inspired by the storytelling magic of
ABBA’s songs from “Dancing Queen” and “S.O.S.” to “Money, Money, Money” and “Take a Chance on Me,” Mamma Mia! is a celebration of mothers and
SUMMER SIZZLES AT THE Y Become a member today! Mention this ad and we’ll waive the joining fee! Lindsay Young Downtown Y Bob Temple North Side Y West Side Family Y Cansler Family Y Davis Family Y
YMCA of East Tennessee YMCAknoxville.org 865-690-9622
32 knoxville mercury July 6, 2017
July 6 – July 23
daughters, old friends and new family found. • July 7-8 • $38-$78
Flying Anvil Theatre flyinganviltheatre.com THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK MUSICAL • Flying
Anvil Theatre kicks off its first season in its new space in Rocky Hill with the 2005 Off-Broadway smash country-rock and blues musical about agoraphobia, adultery, ‘80s nostalgia, spray cheese, road kill, hysterical pregnancy, a broken electric chair, kleptomania, strippers, flan, and disco. • July 21-Aug. 20 • $22-$35
family’s genderqueer teen and the son of a local fisherman, Binoche and company ratchet the slapstick up to eleven. It’s no wonder director Bruno Dumont (Li’l Quinquin, Camille Claudel 1915) cites Peter Sellers, Monty Python, and Laurel and Hardy as cinematic influences for his delightful foray into winking, absurdist farce. Visit publiccinema.org. • FREE
Friday, July 14 SUMMER MOVIE MAGIC SERIES: ‘THE PRINCESS BRIDE’ •
Tennessee Theatre • 8PM • Part of the Tennessee Theatre’s summer movie series, which runs through Aug. 27. Visit tennesseetheatre.com. • $9
Oak Ridge Playhouse orplayhouse.com
Sunday, July 16
MAME • Celebrate the kick-off of the Playhouse’s 75th
Tennessee Theatre • 2PM • Part of the Tennessee Theatre’s summer movie series, which runs through Aug. 27. Visittennesseetheatre.com. • $9 BIKE-IN MOVIE SERIES: ‘BACK TO THE FUTURE’ • The Mill and Mine • 9PM • $9
Anniversary with one of Broadway’s biggest, brassiest musicals. It’s the height of the Roaring 20s and the indomitable Auntie Mame becomes the guardian for her 10-year-old nephew, Patrick. While her life is turned up-side-down and many of her priorities change, Mame stays true to her mantra: “Life is a banquet!” • July 14-30
The WordPlayers wordplayers.org LITTLE WOMEN: THE MUSICAL • This classic novel and
SUMMER MOVIE MAGIC SERIES: ‘THE PRINCESS BRIDE’ •
Monday, July 17 BIRDHOUSE WALK-IN THEATER • The Birdhouse • 8:15PM •
The Birdhouse Walk-In Theater hosts free movies every Monday night. Each month carries a different theme and provides free popcorn. Contact us about screening ideas: birdhousewalkin[at]gmail.com. • FREE
musical adaptation showcases how boldly the March sisters lived during the tragic Civil War era. Filled with adventures, there’s heartbreak and a deep sense of hope, and the struggle of these little women to find their own voices mirrors the growing pains of a young America. July 14-16 • $12.50-$22.50
SPORTS & RECREATION
FILM SCREENINGS
KNOXVILLE OPEN WATER SWIMMERS THURSDAY NIGHT SWIM • 5:30PM • We meet for open water swims in the
Friday, July 7 BIKE-IN MOVIE SERIES: ‘HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS’ • The Mill and Mine • 8PM • $9
Monday, July 10 BIRDHOUSE WALK-IN THEATER • The Birdhouse • 8:15PM •
The Birdhouse Walk-In Theater hosts free movies every Monday night. Each month carries a different theme and provides free popcorn. Contact us about screening ideas: birdhousewalkin[at]gmail.com. • FREE
Tuesday, July 11 PUBLIC CINEMA: ‘SLACK BAY’ • Pilot Light • 7:30PM • The
bourgeois and extremely eccentric Van Peteghem family–among them Juliette Binoche, Fabrice Luchini, and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi–have settled in for another summer at their cliff-top villa overlooking the picturesque Slack Bay. Their leisurely rhythm of sunbathing and seaside constitutionals is soon interrupted by the arrival of two bumbling inspectors investigating a string of tourists gone missing (and serving full-on Keystone Kops).As the macabre mysteries mount and love blossoms between the
Thursday, July 6 CYCOLOGY BICYCLES THURSDAY MORNING RIDE • Cycology
Bicycles • 10AM • Visit cycologybicycles.com. • FREE
Tennessee River near the Star of Tennessee Riverboat. Kayak support is provided by our partner Billy Lush Board Shop. Swimmers please ask a friend (adult) to pilot for you or volunteer to kayak some of the time too. After the swim we head to a local restaurant for food and drink and to say thanks to the pilots. • FREE FLEET FEET GROUP RUN/WALK • Fleet Feet Sports Knoxville • 6PM • Visit fleetfeetknoxville.com. • FREE NORTH KNOXVILLE BEER RUNNERS • Central Flats and Taps • 6PM • Meet us at Central Flats and Taps every Thursday night for a fun and easy run leading us right through Saw Works for a midway beer. • FREE RIVER SPORTS GREENWAY SOCIAL RIDE • River Sports Outfitters • 6PM • Visit riversportsoutfitters.com. • FREE CYCOLOGY INTERMEDIATE GROUP MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDE • I.C. King Park • 6PM • Every first and third Thursday of the month until Nov. 5. Visit cycologybicycles.com. • FREE ECHELON BICYCLES THURSDAY ROAD RIDE • Echelon Bicycles • 6:15 PM • Join Echelon Bicycles every Thursday evening at 6:15 pm for a 30+ mile road ride at an average pace of 18 mph, with regrouping. • FREE CEDAR BLUFF CYCLES THURSDAY ROAD RIDE • Cedar Bluff Cycles • 6:20 PM • Visit cedarbluffcycles.com. • FREE July 6, 2017 knoxville mercury 33
July 6 – July 23
BEARDEN BEER MARKET FUN RUN • Bearden Beer Market
• 6:30PM • Visit beardenbeermarket.com. • FREE STANDUP PADDLEBOARD YOGA • Ijams Nature Center • 6:30PM • Visit riversportsoutfitters.com. • $25
Saturday, July 8 DREAMBIKES COMMUNITY BIKE RIDE • DreamBikes • 4PM
• The community ride is an inclusive bike ride designed for bicyclists of all ages. Family friendly,
slow pace, and usually about 5 miles. • FREE WESTSIDE Y TRI • West Side YMCA • 8AM • This West Knoxville favorite is a great beginner race, with a short 200-yard swim, two-lap seven-mile bike ride through the West Hills neighborhood, and a flat 4K run on the West Hills greenway. Overall, age group, and relay awards. Visit racedayevents.com. WEST BICYCLES SATURDAY ROAD RIDE • West Bicycles • 9AM • Visit westbikes.com. • FREE
All Campus Theatre: Waiting for Godot
BIKE ZOO SATURDAY ROAD RIDE • The Bike Zoo • 9AM •
Visit bikezoo.com. • FREE KNOXVILLE BICYCLE COMPANY SATURDAY RIDE • Knoxville Bicycle Company • 9AM • Visit Facebook.com/ KnoxvilleBicycleCo. • FREE STANDUP PADDLEBOARD YOGA • Concord Park • 9:30AM • Visit riversportsoutfitters.com. • $25 CITY LIGHTS NIGHT PADDLE • Volunteer Landing • 8PM • Come see the sun set over the downtown Knoxville skyline and light up the water at dusk with LED lights mounted to your paddleboard. The city lights make for an epic night paddle along the river front. Board rental includes LED light. Call 865-332-5874 or email info@ blboards.com.
Sunday, July 9 KTC BAKER CREEK BLITZ • Knoxville Urban Wilderness •
8AM • Visit ktc.org. • $15
Modern Studio (109 W. Anderson St.) • Saturday, July 8, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, July 9, at 2 p.m. • $15 • modernstudio.org
Monday, July 10
Playwright Samuel Beckett was famously puzzled by the cloak of mystery that surrounds his most famous play, Waiting for Godot, which has sent audience members out into the cold night scratching their heads for more than 60 years. Beckett maintained that the play was no great cypher. “Why people have to complicate something so simple, I can’t make out,” he once said.
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
He never took it upon himself to explain this great simplicity, however, so we search for Becket’s obscure meaning the only way we can: by continuing to perform his great masterpiece. And a what masterpiece it is. When a production of Godot works, it’s a wonderful thing to behold, and All Campus Theatre’s production, which opened last month at Modern Studio and continues this weekend, works very well indeed.
Tuesday, July 11
If you’ve never waited for Godot yourself, you should know up front that he’s not coming, and that’s not even the point, anyway. The show’s premise is that two men, Vladimir (played in ACT’s production by Kristian Buckner) and Estragon (Ethan Copeland), have an appointment with a certain Godot, and are thus obliged to await his arrival at the arranged meeting place, a remote clearing marked by a single tree. While doing so, they are happened upon by Pozzo (Scott Serro), a local well-to-do, and his mostly mute manservant, Lucky (Daniel San Roman). After Pozzo and Lucky depart, a young boy (Jackson Burnette) sent by Godot approaches and explains that his employer cannot join them today but surely will tomorrow. When our heroes dutifully return the next day, they encounter the same cast of characters, with Godot again sending his regrets and promising to join the pair the next day.
KTC GROUP RUN • Balter Beerworks • 6PM • Visit ktc.org.
• FREE
SMOKY MOUNTAIN WHEELMEN TUESDAY MORNING COUNTRY CRUISE • Howard Pinkston Branch Library •
9AM • FREE CYCOLOGY BICYCLES TUESDAY MORNING RIDE • Cycology Bicycles • 10AM • Visit cycologybicycles.com. • FREE WEST HILLS FUN RUN • West Hills Flats and Taps • 6PM • FREE ECHELON BICYCLES TUESDAY ROAD RIDE • Echelon Bicycles • 6:15 PM • FREE CEDAR BLUFF CYCLES TUESDAY ROAD RIDE • Cedar Bluff Cycles • 6:20 PM • Visit cedarbluffcycles.net. • FREE BIKETOPIA TUESDAY ROAD RIDE • Biketopia • 6:30PM • Visit biketopia.com. • FREE
Wednesday, July 12 KTC GROUP RUN • Runner’s Market • 5:30PM • Visit ktc.
This string of circumstances, mind you, is only important insofar as it enables Vladimir and Estragon to engage in a string of philosophical revelries, pinging endless questions, observations, and ideas off of one another. The rest of the characters, in turn, function as catalysts for what is essentially a continuous two-and-a-half-hour conversation, presenting their own personal slices of reality for the protagonists to explore, then departing when they have exhausted their value as objects of study. Far be it for me to try and solve the mystery of Waiting for Godot, but this production left me thinking that the play is a reflection of life, of the whole human experience. Like Vladimir and Estragon’s ceaseless musings, life befuddles more often than it enlightens, and the forces that govern our existence, as unseen as Godot, often seem inordinately determined to give us the runaround. Yet we continue, compelled, it seems, by nothing more than our inescapable humanity. For better or worse, we are, as Estragon put it, “incapable of remaining silent.” (Thomas Stubbs)
34 knoxville mercury July 6, 2017
org. • FREE TVB EASY RIDER MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDE • Ijams Nature Center • 6PM • Call 865-540-9979 or visit tnvalleybikes.com. • FREE WEST BICYCLES WEDNESDAY ROAD RIDE • West Bicycles • 6:10 PM • Visit westbikes.com. • FREE
Thursday, July 13 CYCOLOGY BICYCLES THURSDAY MORNING RIDE • Cycology
Bicycles • 10AM • Visit cycologybicycles.com. • FREE KNOXVILLE OPEN WATER SWIMMERS THURSDAY NIGHT SWIM • 5:30PM • We meet for open water swims in the
Tennessee River near the Star of Tennessee Riverboat. Kayak support is provided by our partner Billy Lush Board Shop. Swimmers please ask a friend (adult) to pilot for you or volunteer to kayak some of the time
too. After the swim we head to a local restaurant for food and drink and to say thanks to the pilots. • FREE FLEET FEET GROUP RUN/WALK • Fleet Feet Sports Knoxville • 6PM • Visit fleetfeetknoxville.com. • FREE NORTH KNOXVILLE BEER RUNNERS • Central Flats and Taps • 6PM • FREE RIVER SPORTS GREENWAY SOCIAL RIDE • River Sports Outfitters • 6PM • Visit riversportsoutfitters.com. • FREE ECHELON BICYCLES THURSDAY ROAD RIDE • Echelon Bicycles • 6:15 PM • FREE CEDAR BLUFF CYCLES THURSDAY ROAD RIDE • Cedar Bluff Cycles • 6:20 PM • Visit cedarbluffcycles.com. • FREE BEARDEN BEER MARKET FUN RUN • Bearden Beer Market • 6:30PM • Visit beardenbeermarket.com. • FREE STANDUP PADDLEBOARD YOGA • Ijams Nature Center • 6:30PM • Visit riversportsoutfitters.com. • $25
Saturday, July 15 DREAMBIKES COMMUNITY BIKE RIDE • DreamBikes • 4PM
• The community ride is an inclusive bike ride designed for bicyclists of all ages. Family friendly, slow pace, and usually about 5 miles. • 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 KNOXVILLE BICYCLE COMPANY SATURDAY RIDE • Knoxville Bicycle Company • 9AM • Visit Facebook.com/ KnoxvilleBicycleCo. • FREE STANDUP PADDLEBOARD YOGA • Concord Park • 9:30AM • Visit riversportsoutfitters.com. • $25 CITY LIGHTS NIGHT PADDLE • Volunteer Landing • 8PM • Come see the sun set over the downtown Knoxville skyline and light up the water at dusk with LED lights mounted to your paddleboard. The city lights make for an epic night paddle along the river front. Board rental includes LED light. Call 865-332-5874 or email info@ blboards.com.
Monday, July 17 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, July 18 SMOKY MOUNTAIN WHEELMEN TUESDAY MORNING COUNTRY CRUISE • Howard Pinkston Branch Library •
9AM • FREE CYCOLOGY BICYCLES TUESDAY MORNING RIDE • Cycology Bicycles • 10AM • Visit cycologybicycles.com. • FREE WEST HILLS FUN RUN • West Hills Flats and Taps • 6PM • FREE ECHELON BICYCLES TUESDAY ROAD RIDE • Echelon Bicycles • 6:15 PM • FREE CEDAR BLUFF CYCLES TUESDAY ROAD RIDE • Cedar Bluff Cycles • 6:20 PM • Visit cedarbluffcycles.net. • FREE BIKETOPIA TUESDAY ROAD RIDE • Biketopia • 6:30PM •
July 6 – July 23
Visit biketopia.com. • FREE
Wednesday, July 19 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 WEST BICYCLES WEDNESDAY ROAD RIDE • West Bicycles • 6:10 PM • Visit westbikes.com. • FREE
Thursday, July 20 CYCOLOGY BICYCLES THURSDAY MORNING RIDE • Cycology
Bicycles • 10AM • Visit cycologybicycles.com. • FREE KNOXVILLE OPEN WATER SWIMMERS THURSDAY NIGHT SWIM • 5:30PM • We meet for open water swims in the
Tennessee River near the Star of Tennessee Riverboat. Kayak support is provided by our partner Billy Lush Board Shop. Swimmers please ask a friend (adult) to pilot for you or volunteer to kayak some of the time too. After the swim we head to a local restaurant for food and drink and to say thanks to the pilots. • FREE FLEET FEET GROUP RUN/WALK • Fleet Feet Sports Knoxville • 6PM • Visit fleetfeetknoxville.com. • FREE NORTH KNOXVILLE BEER RUNNERS • Central Flats and Taps • 6PM • FREE RIVER SPORTS GREENWAY SOCIAL RIDE • River Sports Outfitters • 6PM • Visit riversportsoutfitters.com. • FREE CYCOLOGY INTERMEDIATE GROUP MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDE • I.C. King Park • 6PM • Every first and third Thursday of the month until Nov. 5. Visit cycologybicycles.com. • FREE ECHELON BICYCLES THURSDAY ROAD RIDE • Echelon Bicycles • 6:15 PM • FREE CEDAR BLUFF CYCLES THURSDAY ROAD RIDE • Cedar Bluff Cycles • 6:20 PM • Visit cedarbluffcycles.com. • FREE BEARDEN BEER MARKET FUN RUN • Bearden Beer Market • 6:30PM • Visit beardenbeermarket.com. • FREE STANDUP PADDLEBOARD YOGA • Ijams Nature Center • 6:30PM • Visit riversportsoutfitters.com. • $25
Saturday, July 22 DREAMBIKES COMMUNITY BIKE RIDE • DreamBikes • 4PM
• The community ride is an inclusive bike ride designed for bicyclists of all ages. Family friendly, slow pace, and usually about 5 miles. • FREE WEST BICYCLES SATURDAY ROAD RIDE • West Bicycles • 9AM • Visit westbikes.com. • FREE BIKE ZOO SATURDAY ROAD RIDE • The Bike Zoo • 9AM • JVisit bikezoo.com. • FREE KNOXVILLE BICYCLE COMPANY SATURDAY RIDE • Knoxville Bicycle Company • 9AM • Visit Facebook.com/ KnoxvilleBicycleCo. • FREE STANDUP PADDLEBOARD YOGA • Concord Park • 9:30AM • Visit riversportsoutfitters.com. • $25 CITY LIGHTS NIGHT PADDLE • Volunteer Landing • 8PM • Come see the sun set over the downtown Knoxville skyline and light up the water at dusk with LED lights mounted to your paddleboard. The city lights make for an epic night paddle along the river front. Board rental
includes LED light. Call 865-332-5874 or email info@ blboards.com.
MAY 25-AUG. 27: The Finer Things: Consumer Culture in the Gilded Age
ART
Rala shoprala.com
Art Market Galleryartmarketgallery.net JULY 4-28: Recent works by artist Marjorie Horne and clay works created by 11 Art Market Gallery artists will be on display. July 4-28. An opening reception will be held on Friday, July 7, at 5:30 p.m.
Broadway Studios and Gallery broadwaystudiosandgallery.com JULY 7-29: Trois Extraordinaires, photographs and paintings by Lennie Robertson, Mallory Bertrand, and Natalie Ricker. An opening reception will be held on Friday, July 7, from 5 to 9 p.m.
Central Collective thecentralcollective.com JULY 7: Jody Collins: Look Up // Look Down
Clayton Center for the Arts (Maryville) claytonartscenter.com JUNE 1-SEPT. 1: Stone, Mesh, and Metal, by University of Tennessee printmaking faculty members Beauvais Lyons, Althea Murphy-Price, and Koichi Yamamoto. A reception will be held on Sept. 1 from 5-8 p.m.
Downtown Gallery downtown.utk.edu THROUGH JULY: Rob Heller: Living On: Tennesseans Remembering the Holocaust. A reception will be held on Friday, July 7, from 5-9 p.m.
Emporium Center knoxalliance.com JULY 7-28: Knoxville Photo 2017; The Eight Artists of the Vacuum Shop Studios; Christine Parkhurst: Diverse Clay: Pots and Poems; Silas Reynolds: In the Moment; and artwork by Tracey Crocker. An opening reception will be held on Friday, July 7, from 5-9 p.m. See review on page 24.
Fountain City Art Center fountaincityartcenter.com JUNE 9-JULY 6: Fountain City Art Guild Annual Spring and Summer Exhibit and Sale
Knoxville Museum of Art knoxart.org MAY 5-JULY 23: Gathering Light: Works by Beauford Delaney From the KMA Collection; FEB. 3-JULY 16: Virtual Views: Digital Art From the Thoma Foundation.
McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture mcclungmuseum.utk.edu
THROUGH JULY: Artwork by Harry Underwood. An opening reception will be held on Friday, July 7, from 6 to 9 p.m.
Striped Light stripedlight.com JULY 7: Welcome Distraction, new work on paper and fabric by Sarah Shebaro.
White Oak Gallery withbearhands.com JULY 7-AUG. 29: Photography by Emily Brewer. An opening reception will be held on Friday, July 7, from 5 to 7 p.m.
FAMILY AND KIDS’ EVENTS Saturday, July 8 WDVX KIDSTUFF LIVE • WDVX • 10AM • Sean McCol-
lough’s weekly kids’ music show hosts a live studio audience on the second Saturday of each month. Visit wdvx.com. • FREE
Sunday, July 9 KMA ART ACTIVITY DAY • Knoxville Museum of Art • 1PM • Every second Sunday of each month, the KMA will host free drop-in art activities for families. A local artist will be on-site to lead hands-on art activities. • FREE
Tuesday, July 11 MCCLUNG MUSEUM ALL THAT GLITTERS KIDS CAMP • McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture • 9AM • For ages 4–6. Campers will delve into the world of art from the Gilded Age using the newest exhibition, Fish Forks and Fine Furnishings, as inspiration. July 11-13. Visit mcclungmuseum.utk.edu. • $40 KNOXVILLE BOTANICAL GARDEN SECRET GARDEN CAMP • Knoxville Botanical Garden • 9AM • Calling all young gardeners and adventurers ages 6-12—it’s time to register for the Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum’s summer camp. Join the staff of UTIAs “Every Child Outdoors” Youth Garden for fun in the garden and exploration of the vast KBGA grounds. Your child is sure to gain a bountiful harvest of knowledge and enthusiasm for the great outdoors, a value far exceeding the $30 per day (only $25 for members) you will be investing. Lunch is included each day. For more information or to register your child, visit knoxgarden. org. • $30
Saturday, July 15 MCCLUNG MUSEUM FAMILY FUN DAY • McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture • 1PM • Not all that glitters is gold. Learn about how people used materials to keep up appearances in the Gilded Age. July 6, 2017 knoxville mercury 35
July 6 – July 23
Activities and crafts will use the newest exhibition, Fish Forks and Fine Furnishings: Consumer Culture in the Gilded Age, as inspiration. • FREE
Monday, July 17
LECTURES, READINGS, & BOOK SIGNINGS
MCCLUNG MUSEUM FOSSIL CAMP • McClung Museum of
Tuesday, July 11
Natural History and Culture • 9AM • For ages 9–11. Focusing on dinosaurs, mosasaurs, mastodons, and many other extinct animals as campers excavate, study real fossils, and practice the science of paleontology. July 17-21. Visit mcclungmuseum.utk.edu. • $110
KNOXVILLE CIVIL WAR ROUNDTABLE • Bearden Banquet
Tuesday, July 18 KNOXVILLE BOTANICAL GARDEN SECRET GARDEN CAMP •
Knoxville Botanical Garden • 9AM • Calling all young gardeners and adventurers ages 6-12—it’s time to register for the Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum’s summer camp. Join the staff of UTIAs “Every Child Outdoors” Youth Garden for fun in the garden and exploration of the vast KBGA grounds. Your child is sure to gain a bountiful harvest of knowledge and enthusiasm for the great outdoors, a value far exceeding the $30 per day (only $25 for members) you will be investing. Lunch is included each day. For more information or to register your child, visit knoxgarden. org. • $30
Hall • 7PM • Featuring notable historians and other Civil War experts. Call (865) 671-9001 for reservations. • $3-$17
Wednesday, July 12 ARTHUR BOHANON: “PRINTS OF A MAN” • East Tennessee
History Center • 12PM • Arthur Bohanan will discuss his new book, Prints of a Man, detailing his career of 55 years in the criminal justice field. A curious mind and a high school interest in fingerprints took him from Sevier County to the top of his profession as a forensics specialist, inventor, and crime solver with awards and honors too numerous to list, he is perhaps best known for his invention of a method to take fingerprints from a dead body and for his work to identify bodies from the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. • FREE
Sunday, July 23 FEMINISM INTO FILM BOOK SERIES • Lawson McGhee
Public Library • 1:30PM • Join us to discuss Margaret
Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, the first in our Feminism Into Film four-part reading series. Pick up a bookmark at the event for details on the whole series. Attend any or all of the first three book discussions and vote on the fourth title. The Feminism Into Film series continues with The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Sunday, July 25); The Mothers (Sunday, Aug. 20); and the winner of a readers’ vote (Sunday< Aug. 20). • FREE
CLASSES & WORKSHOPS Thursday, July 6 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Balanced You Studios •
12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@ gmail.com. Donations accepted. LIFE DRAWING AND PORTRAIT PRACTICE SESSIONS • Historic Candoro Marble Company • 12:30PM • Portrait and life drawing practice at Candoro Art and Heritage Center. Call Brad Selph for more information at 865-573-0709. • $15 KNOXVILLE CAPOEIRA CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 6PM • This class is an hour of student-led training and review of Capoeira skills and exercises. Come prepared to sweat. Visit capoeiraknoxville.org. • $10
BEGINNER BELLY DANCE • Mirage • 6:30PM • Call (865) 898-2126 or email alexia@alexia-dance.com. • $12
Friday, July 7 NARROW RIDGE YOGA • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 9AM • Come stretch, sweat, breathe and release with us every Tuesday and Friday morning with yoga instruction from Angela Gibson. This class can be tailored to each individual’s ability level. Wear loose, comfortable clothing. It’s a good idea to wear layers on cold mornings so you can shed them as your body warms up. You’ll need a yoga/pilates mat (or any other non-slip rug or mat). Bring a towel to wipe your brow and some water to rehydrate your body. We happily offer this program free of charge but do appreciate donations to support the work of Narrow Ridge. For more information call 865-497-3603 or emailcommunity@narrowridge.org. • FREE
Saturday, July 8 KNOX COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS • Cedar Bluff Branch
Library • 10:30AM • Join Master Gardeners Vickie Smith and Barbara O’Neil to learn the various ways to give your plants the water that they need, without running up a giant water bill. • FREE PADDLEBOARD 101 • Volunteer Landing • 10AM • We cover all the basics of SUP in this introductory class. No experience required. Equipment overview, safety
GET OUT AND PLAY!
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Is your copy of last year’s guide to area greenways, parks, and trails as tattered as ours? Need a new copy to keep in your car for quick reference? We’ve updated it for 2017 and made it available for purchase in our online store for only $3.95 + shipping.
The Ulti Recreationmate Guide to Out doo in the Kno xville Reg r ion
248
Parks, Trai ls, & to enjoy ye Greenways ar-round! Easily find fun to do something near YOU!
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July 6 – July 23
and awareness of the conditions, balancing, correct stance, four different paddle strokes, steering and turning, proper paddling form, and more. Visit billylushboards.com. • $40
Sunday, July 9 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE BALLET BARRE CLASS • Emporium
Center for Arts and Culture • 1PM • This open-level barre class is designed to help students build and maintain strength, flexibility, and coordination for ballet technique. This is a great class for beginning and experienced students alike. Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE: MODERN DANCE FOUNDATIONS CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 2PM •
This class is open to anyone interested in building their creative and technical capacity as a dancer. No previous experience in dance is required. Class will include modern dance technique as well as structured improvisation and movement exploration. Beginning dancers will learn new skills and vocabulary while more advanced dancers will have the option to increase the challenge when appropriate in order to strengthen their technical foundation. Improvisation exercises incorporated throughout the class will give students the opportunity to explore foundational concepts in modern dance in a creative and individualized way. Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 GOURD BIRDHOUSE CLASS • Ijams Nature Center • 2PM • Learn about gourds and make a gourd birdhouse perfect for the small songbirds around the yard. Kids under 10 welcome with an adult. • $25
Monday, July 10 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Balanced You Studios •
6PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail. com. Donations accepted. MONDAY NIGHT YOGA • Church Street United Methodist Church • 7PM • Cost is $5, with first class free. Bring a mat and strap. In the class we stretch, bend and relax with low light and music. It is suitable for beginners and all levels. No advance registration required. Contact Micarooni@aol.com with questions. • $5
Tuesday, July 11
12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@ gmail.com. Donations accepted. KNOXVILLE CAPOEIRA CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 6PM • Capoeira originated in Brazil and is a dynamic expression of Afro-Brazilian culture. It is an art form that encompasses martial arts, dance, and acrobatic movements as well as its own philosophy, history, culture, music, and songs. Visit capoeiraknoxville.org. • $10 BELLY DANCE FUNDAMENTALS • Knoxville Arts and Fine Crafts Center • 6:15 PM • With Sandy Larson. • $12.50 ADULT BALLET • Knoxville Arts and Fine Crafts Center • 7PM • With Sandy Larson. No experience necessary. • $14
Wednesday, July 12 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE OPEN LEVEL BALLET CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 6:30PM • This is a basic ballet class open to students of all levels of experience and ability. Students will learn new steps, build coordination and flexibility, and learn choreography. Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED MODERN DANCE • Tennessee Conservatory of Fine Arts • 7PM • We are a local 501(c) (3) non-profit dance company that strives for excellence in dance through artistic exploration, professional training and original performances. We offer opportunities in most aspects of dance production and arts administration, and create outreach programs in and around our community. We offer adult modern dance classes in Knoxville every Wednesday evening, with some exceptions during the summer months. • $10 TENNESSEE VALLEY BIKES YOGA • Tennessee Valley Bikes • 6:15 AM • Join us Wednesday mornings for an hour and 15 minutes of yoga. Cost for each class is $12 but if you ride your bike in the cost is reduced to $10. There is no subscription or membership required. • $10-$15 CLIMBING FUNDAMENTALS • River Sports Outfitters • 6PM • Come learn the basics of climbing every second and fourth Wednesday of the month. Space is limited so call 865-673-4687 to reserve your spot now. Class fee $20. Visit riversportsoutfitters.com. • $20
NARROW RIDGE YOGA • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy
Thursday, July 13
Center • 9AM • Come stretch, sweat, breathe and release with us every Tuesday and Friday morning with yoga instruction from Angela Gibson. This class can be tailored to each individual’s ability level. Wear loose, comfortable clothing. It’s a good idea to wear layers on cold mornings so you can shed them as your body warms up. You’ll need a yoga/pilates mat (or any other non-slip rug or mat). Bring a towel to wipe your brow and some water to rehydrate your body. We happily offer this program free of charge but do appreciate donations to support the work of Narrow Ridge. For more information call 865-497-3603 or emailcommunity@narrowridge.org. • FREE GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Balanced You Studios •
AARP DRIVER SAFETY CLASS • East Tennessee Medical
Group • 8AM • Call 865-984-8911. 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 • This class is an hour of student-led training and review of Capoeira skills and exercises. Come prepared to sweat. Visit capoeiraknoxville.org. • $10 WINE-MAKING CLASS • Ijams Nature Center • 6PM • Learn to make wine. We will sample homemade wine , snack and make a gallon of wine. Fun and easy. Must be over 21 years old. • $50 July 6, 2017 knoxville mercury 37
July 6 – July 23
BEGINNER BELLY DANCE • Mirage • 6:30PM • Call (865)
Sunday, July 16
898-2126 or email alexia@alexia-dance.com. • $12
CIRCLE MODERN DANCE BALLET BARRE CLASS • Emporium
Friday, July 14 NARROW RIDGE YOGA • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy
Center • 9AM • Come stretch, sweat, breathe and release with us every Tuesday and Friday morning with yoga instruction from Angela Gibson. This class can be tailored to each individual’s ability level. Wear loose, comfortable clothing. It’s a good idea to wear layers on cold mornings so you can shed them as your body warms up. You’ll need a yoga/pilates mat (or any other non-slip rug or mat). Bring a towel to wipe your brow and some water to rehydrate your body. We happily offer this program free of charge but do appreciate donations to support the work of Narrow Ridge. For more information call 865-497-3603 or emailcommunity@narrowridge.org. • FREE PADDLEBOARD 101 • Volunteer Landing • 10AM • We cover all the basics of SUP in this introductory class. No experience required. Equipment overview, safety and awareness of the conditions, balancing, correct stance, four different paddle strokes, steering and turning, proper paddling form, and more. Visit billylushboards.com. • $40 DRAMATIST GUILD OF AMERICA THEATER WORKSHOP • The Birdhouse • 10AM • Free, but donations are encouraged. • FREE
Center for Arts and Culture • 1PM • This open-level barre class is designed to help students build and maintain strength, flexibility, and coordination for ballet technique. This is a great class for beginning and experienced students alike. Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE: MODERN DANCE FOUNDATIONS CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 2PM •
This class is open to anyone interested in building their creative and technical capacity as a dancer. No previous experience in dance is required. Class will include modern dance technique as well as structured improvisation and movement exploration. Beginning dancers will learn new skills and vocabulary while more advanced dancers will have the option to increase the challenge when appropriate in order to strengthen their technical foundation. Improvisation exercises incorporated throughout the class will give students the opportunity to explore foundational concepts in modern dance in a creative and individualized way. Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10
Monday, July 17 KNOX COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS • Davis Family YMCA • 1PM • Join Master Gardeners Vickie Smith and Barbara O’Neil to learn the various ways to give your
plants the water that they need, without running up a giant water bill. • FREE GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Balanced You Studios • 6PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail. com. Donations accepted. MONDAY NIGHT YOGA • Church Street United Methodist Church • 7PM • Cost is $5, with first class free. Bring a mat and strap. In the class we stretch, bend and relax with low light and music. It is suitable for beginners and all levels. No advance registration required. Contact Micarooni@aol.com with questions. • $5
Tuesday, July 18 NARROW RIDGE YOGA • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 9AM • Come stretch, sweat, breathe and release with us every Tuesday and Friday morning with yoga instruction from Angela Gibson. This class can be tailored to each individual’s ability level. Wear loose, comfortable clothing. It’s a good idea to wear layers on cold mornings so you can shed them as your body warms up. You’ll need a yoga/pilates mat (or any other non-slip rug or mat). Bring a towel to wipe your brow and some water to rehydrate your body. We happily offer this program free of charge but do appreciate donations to support the work of Narrow Ridge. For more information call 865-497-3603 or emailcommunity@narrowridge.org. • 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 • Capoeira originated in Brazil and is a dynamic expression of Afro-Brazilian culture. It is an art form that encompasses martial arts, dance, and acrobatic movements as well as its own philosophy, history, culture, music, and songs. Visit capoeiraknoxville.org. • $10 BELLY DANCE FUNDAMENTALS • Knoxville Arts and Fine Crafts Center • 6:15 PM • With Sandy Larson. • $12.50 ADULT BALLET • Knoxville Arts and Fine Crafts Center • 7PM • With Sandy Larson. No experience necessary. • $14
Wednesday, July 19 AARP DRIVER SAFETY CLASS • John T. O’Connor Senior
Center • 12PM • 865-382-5822. CIRCLE MODERN DANCE OPEN LEVEL BALLET CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 6:30PM • This is a basic ballet class open to students of all levels of experience and ability. Students will learn new steps, build coordination and flexibility, and learn choreography. Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED MODERN DANCE • Tennessee Conservatory of Fine Arts • 7PM • We are a local 501(c) (3) non-profit dance company that strives for excellence in dance through artistic exploration,
SOLUTION TO CRYPTOQUOTE For hundreds of years [Cherokee indians] hunted, fished and farmed in the hills they called “shaconage” – the place of blue smoke. The mist that originally gave the [Great Smoky Mountains] their name is caused by transpiration – the process by which plants exhale vapor through their leaves. That is the blue smoke the Cherokees talked about. — Jennie Ivey, W. Calvin Dickinson, Lisa W. Rand. Tennessee Tales The Textbooks Don’t Tell. (Johnson City, TN. The Overmountain Press, 2002)
38 knoxville mercury July 6, 2017
July 6 – July 23
professional training and original performances. We offer opportunities in most aspects of dance production and arts administration, and create outreach programs in and around our community. We offer adult modern dance classes in Knoxville every Wednesday evening, with some exceptions during the summer months. • $10 TENNESSEE VALLEY BIKES YOGA • Tennessee Valley Bikes • 6:15 AM • Join us Wednesday mornings for an hour and 15 minutes of yoga. Cost for each class is $12 but if you ride your bike in the cost is reduced to $10. There is no subscription or membership required. • $10-$15
Thursday, July 20 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Balanced You Studios •
12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@ gmail.com. Donations accepted. AARP DRIVER SAFETY CLASS • John T. O’Connor Senior Center • 12PM • 865-382-5822. KNOXVILLE CAPOEIRA CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 6PM • This class is an hour of student-led training and review of Capoeira skills and exercises. Come prepared to sweat. Visit capoeiraknoxville.org. • $10
Friday, July 21 NARROW RIDGE YOGA • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy
Center • 9AM • Come stretch, sweat, breathe and release with us every Tuesday and Friday morning with yoga instruction from Angela Gibson. This class can be tailored to each individual’s ability level. Wear loose, comfortable clothing. It’s a good idea to wear layers on cold mornings so you can shed them as your body warms up. You’ll need a yoga/pilates mat (or any other non-slip rug or mat). Bring a towel to wipe your brow and some water to rehydrate your body. We happily offer this program free of charge but do appreciate donations to support the work of Narrow Ridge. For more information call 865-497-3603 or emailcommunity@narrowridge.org. • FREE
Saturday, July 22 KNOX COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS • Bearden Branch
Public Library • 1:30PM • Join Master Gardeners Barbra Bunting and Tracy Polite-Johnson to learn various ways to deal with weeds without exhausting yourself or resorting to lots of chemicals. • FREE PADDLEBOARD 101 • Volunteer Landing • 10AM • We cover all the basics of SUP in this introductory class. No experience required. Equipment overview, safety and awareness of the conditions, balancing, correct stance, four different paddle strokes, steering and turning, proper paddling form, and more. Visit billylushboards.com. • $40
Sunday, July 23
maintain strength, flexibility, and coordination for ballet technique. This is a great class for beginning and experienced students alike. Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE: MODERN DANCE FOUNDATIONS CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 2PM •
This class is open to anyone interested in building their creative and technical capacity as a dancer. No previous experience in dance is required. Class will include modern dance technique as well as structured improvisation and movement exploration. Beginning dancers will learn new skills and vocabulary while more advanced dancers will have the option to increase the challenge when appropriate in order to strengthen their technical foundation. Improvisation exercises incorporated throughout the class will give students the opportunity to explore foundational concepts in modern dance in a creative and individualized way. Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10
MEETINGS Thursday, July 6 ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS/DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILIES • The Birdhouse • 6PM • A 12-step meeting for
adults who grew up in alcoholic or dysfunctional homes. The group offers a safe space for emotional healing. 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 • The Knoxville Writers’ Guild exists to facilitate a broad and inclusive community for area writers, provide a forum for information, support and sharing among writers, help members improve and market their writing skills and promote writing and creativity. A $2 donation is requested. Visit KnoxvilleWritersGuild.org.
Sunday, July 9
are intended to be inclusive of people of all faiths as well as those who do not align themselves with a particular religious denomination. For more information call 865-497-3603 or emailcommunity@ narrowridge.org. • FREE ATHEISTS SOCIETY OF KNOXVILLE • West Hills Flats and Taps • 5:30PM • Weekly atheists meetup and happy hour. Come join us for food, drink and great conversation. Everyone welcome. Visit meetup.com/ KnoxvilleAtheists. • FREE HARVEY BROOME GROUP OF THE SIERRA CLUB • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 7PM • The Sierra Club is a national, member-supported environmental organization that seeks to influence public policy in Washington D.C., in the state capitals, and locally through public education and grass-roots political action. The Harvey Broome Group is based in Knoxville and focuses on Knox County and 17 surrounding counties in East Tennessee. The Harvey Broome Group undertakes important conservation issues, offers year-round outings to enhance appreciation of the outdoors, and presents monthly programs that range from experts in environmental issues to entertaining speakers who have explored our world. • FREE
Wednesday, July 12 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
Thursday, July 13 ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS/DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILIES • The Birdhouse • 6PM • A 12-step meeting for
adults who grew up in alcoholic or dysfunctional homes. The group offers a safe space for emotional healing. Contact Laura at 706-621-2238 or lamohendricksll@gmail.com for more information or visit the international ACA website at adultchildren.org. • FREE
SKEPTIC BOOK CLUB • Books-A-Million • 2PM • The book
Sunday, July 16
club of the Rationalists of East Tennessee meets on the second Sunday of every month. Visit rationalists. org. • FREE OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS • Sacred Heart Cathedral • 4PM • Offering a Big Book study. This open meeting welcomes all who want to stop eating compulsively. For more info call or text (865) 313-0480 or email OASundayknoxville@gmail.com. • FREE
RATIONALISTS OF EAST TENNESSEE • Pellissippi State
Monday, July 10 GAY MEN’S DISCUSSION GROUP • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 7:30PM • We hold facilitated discussions on topics and issues relevant to local gay men in a safe and open environment. Visit gaygroupknoxville.org.
CIRCLE MODERN DANCE BALLET BARRE CLASS • Emporium
Tuesday, July 11
Center for Arts and Culture • 1PM • This open-level barre class is designed to help students build and
NARROW RIDGE SILENT MEDITATION GATHERING • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 10:30AM • The gatherings
Community College • 10:30AM • The Rationalists of East Tennessee focus on the real or natural universe. The group exists so that we can benefit emotionally and intellectually through meeting together to expand our awareness and understanding through shared experience, knowledge, and ideas as well as enrich our lives and the lives of others. The Rationalists do not endorse or condemn members’ thoughts or actions. Rather it hopefully encourages honest dialogue, analytic discussion, and responsible action based on reason, compassion, and factual accuracy. Visit rationalists.org. • FREE OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS • Sacred Heart Cathedral • 4PM • Offering a Big Book study. This open meeting welcomes all who want to stop eating compulsively. For more info call or text (865) 313-0480 or email OASundayknoxville@gmail.com. • FREE
July 6, 2017 knoxville mercury 39
July 6 – July 23
Monday, July 17
Friday, July 7
GAY MEN’S DISCUSSION GROUP • Tennessee Valley
LAKESHORE PARK FARMERS MARKET • Lakeshore Park •
Unitarian Universalist Church • 7:30PM • We hold facilitated discussions on topics and issues relevant to local gay men in a safe and open environment. Visit gaygroupknoxville.org.
3PM • Offering a wide variety of hand-picked produce, artisan breads, grass-fed beef, natural pork and chicken, farm fresh eggs and farm-based crafts. April 14-Oct. 27. Visit easttnfarmmarkets.org. • FREE
Tuesday, July 18
Saturday, July 8
NARROW RIDGE SILENT MEDITATION GATHERING • Narrow
OAK RIDGE FARMERS MARKET • Historic Jackson Square •
Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 10:30AM • The gatherings are intended to be inclusive of people of all faiths as well as those who do not align themselves with a particular religious denomination. For more information call 865-497-3603 or emailcommunity@ narrowridge.org. • FREE ATHEISTS SOCIETY OF KNOXVILLE • West Hills Flats and Taps • 5:30PM • Weekly atheists meetup and happy hour. Come join us for food, drink and great conversation. Everyone welcome. Visit meetup.com/ KnoxvilleAtheists. • FREE
8AM • FREE
Wednesday, July 19 THE SOUTHERN LITERATURE BOOK CLUB • Union Ave Books
• 6PM • Union Ave Books’ monthly discussion group about Southern books and writers. Visit unionavebooks.com. • FREE ORION ASTRONOMY CLUB • The Grove Theater • 7PM • ORION is an amateur science and astronomy club centered in Oak Ridge that was founded in April 1974 by a group of scientists at the United States Department of Energy facility in Oak Ridge. We meet on the third Wednesday of each month for coffee and conversation, and our program begins 15 minutes thereafter. • FREE
Thursday, July 20 ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS/DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILIES • The Birdhouse • 6PM • A 12-step meeting for
adults who grew up in alcoholic or dysfunctional homes. The group offers a safe space for emotional healing. Contact Laura at 706-621-2238 or lamohendricksll@gmail.com for more information or visit the international ACA website at adultchildren.org. • FREE
Sunday, July 23 OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS • Sacred Heart Cathedral •
4PM • Offering a Big Book study. This open meeting welcomes all who want to stop eating compulsively. For more info call or text (865) 313-0480 or email OASundayknoxville@gmail.com. • FREE
ETC. Thursday, July 6 NEW HARVEST PARK FARMERS MARKET • New Harvest
Park • 3PM • Held each Thursday from April through November, this market features locally grown produce, meats, artisan food products, plants, herbs, flowers, crafts and much more. Visit facebook.com/ newharvestfm. • FREE 40 knoxville mercury July 6, 2017
SEYMOUR FARMERS MARKET • Seymour First Baptist Church • 8AM • Visit seymourfarmersmarket.org. • FREE MARKET SQUARE FARMERS’ MARKET • Market Square • 9AM • The Market Square Farmers’ Market is an open-air farmers’ market located on Market Square in the heart of downtown Knoxville. Everything at the MSFM is grown or made by the vendor in the East Tennessee region. Products vary by the seasons and include produce, eggs, honey, herbs, pasture-raised meat, bread, baked goods, salsas, coffee, artisan crafts, and more. With interactive fountains, delicious local food, and surrounded by shops and restaurants, the MSFM is a perfect family destination. Visit nourishknoxville.org. • FREE MARYVILLE FARMERS MARKET • Founders Park • 9AM • The Maryville Farmers Market on Saturday runs from April 22-Nov. 18. The market has vegetables, fruits, potted bedding plants, herbs, honey, eggs, bread, jams, jellies, chicken, beef, lamb, pork and more from East Tennessee growers. • FREE
Tuesday, July 11 EBENEZER ROAD FARMERS MARKET • Ebenezer United Methodist Church • 3PM • The Ebenezer Road Market offers hand-picked produce in season, artisan breads and cheese, grass-fed meat and farm fresh eggs. April 11-Nov. 14. Visit easttnfarmmarkets.org. • FREE
Wedensday, July 12 MARKET SQUARE FARMERS’ MARKET • Market Square • 11AM • The Market Square Farmers’ Market is an open-air farmers’ market located on Market Square in the heart of downtown Knoxville. Everything at the MSFM is grown or made by the vendor in the East Tennessee region. Products vary by the seasons and include produce, eggs, honey, herbs, pasture-raised meat, bread, baked goods, salsas, coffee, artisan crafts, and more. With interactive fountains, delicious local food, and surrounded by shops and restaurants, the MSFM is a perfect family destination. Visit nourishknoxville.org. • FREE OAK RIDGE FARMERS MARKET • Historic Jackson Square • 3PM • The market offers seasonal vegetables, herbs, fruits and berries, honey, artisan bread and cheese, grass-fed beef and naturally raised chicken, pork and lamb, farm-based crafts, flowers and potted plants. April 15-Nov. 18. Visit easttnfarmmarkets.org. • FREE
Thursday, July 13 NEW HARVEST PARK FARMERS MARKET • New Harvest
Park • 3PM • Held each Thursday from April through November, this market features locally grown produce, meats, artisan food products, plants, herbs, flowers, crafts and much more. Visit facebook.com/ newharvestfm. • FREE REBEL KITCHEN: MY BIG FAT GREEK POP-UP • Central Collective • 6:30PM • Join us for this very special pop-up, as Chef Paul takes inspiration from his Greek heritage, and creates an amazing multi course dinner. So, gather up your friends and family to share a night of good food and community. Tickets are limited to 20. If there are any dietary restrictions, please notify us via email, so accommodations can be made. • $69.50
Friday, July 14 LAKESHORE PARK FARMERS MARKET • Lakeshore Park • 3PM • Offering a wide variety of hand-picked produce, artisan breads, grass-fed beef, natural pork and chicken, farm fresh eggs and farm-based crafts. April 14-Oct. 27. Visit easttnfarmmarkets.org. • FREE
Saturday, July 15 OAK RIDGE FARMERS MARKET • Historic Jackson Square • 8AM • The market offers seasonal vegetables, herbs, fruits and berries, honey, artisan bread and cheese, grass-fed beef and naturally raised chicken, pork and lamb, farm-based crafts, flowers and potted plants. April 15-Nov. 18. Visit easttnfarmmarkets.org. • FREE SEYMOUR FARMERS MARKET • Seymour First Baptist Church • 8AM • Visit seymourfarmersmarket.org. • FREE MARKET SQUARE FARMERS’ MARKET • Market Square • 9AM • The Market Square Farmers’ Market is an open-air farmers’ market located on Market Square in the heart of downtown Knoxville. Everything at the MSFM is grown or made by the vendor in the East Tennessee region. Products vary by the seasons and include produce, eggs, honey, herbs, pasture-raised meat, bread, baked goods, salsas, coffee, artisan crafts, and more. With interactive fountains, delicious local food, and surrounded by shops and restaurants, the MSFM is a perfect family destination. Visit nourishknoxville.org. • FREE MARYVILLE FARMERS MARKET • Founders Park • 9AM • The Maryville Farmers Market on Saturday runs from April 22-Nov. 18. The market has vegetables, fruits, potted bedding plants, herbs, honey, eggs, bread, jams, jellies, chicken, beef, lamb, pork and more from East Tennessee growers. • FREE
Tuesday, July 18 EBENEZER ROAD FARMERS MARKET • Ebenezer United Methodist Church • 3PM • The Ebenezer Road Market offers hand-picked produce in season, artisan breads and cheese, grass-fed meat and farm fresh eggs. April 11-Nov. 14. Visit easttnfarmmarkets.org. • FREE
Wednesday, July 19 MARKET SQUARE FARMERS’ MARKET • Market Square • 11AM • The Market Square Farmers’ Market is an open-air farmers’ market located on Market Square in
the heart of downtown Knoxville. Everything at the MSFM is grown or made by the vendor in the East Tennessee region. Products vary by the seasons and include produce, eggs, honey, herbs, pasture-raised meat, bread, baked goods, salsas, coffee, artisan crafts, and more. With interactive fountains, delicious local food, and surrounded by shops and restaurants, the MSFM is a perfect family destination. Visit nourishknoxville.org. • FREE OAK RIDGE FARMERS MARKET • Historic Jackson Square • 3PM • The market offers seasonal vegetables, herbs, fruits and berries, honey, artisan bread and cheese, grass-fed beef and naturally raised chicken, pork and lamb, farm-based crafts, flowers and potted plants. April 15-Nov. 18. Visit easttnfarmmarkets.org. • FREE
Thursday, July 20 NEW HARVEST PARK FARMERS MARKET • New Harvest Park • 3PM • Held each Thursday from April through November, this market features locally grown produce, meats, artisan food products, plants, herbs, flowers, crafts and much more. Visit facebook.com/ newharvestfm. • FREE
Friday, July 21 LAKESHORE PARK FARMERS MARKET • Lakeshore Park •
3PM • Offering a wide variety of hand-picked produce, artisan breads, grass-fed beef, natural pork and chicken, farm fresh eggs and farm-based crafts. April 14-Oct. 27. Visit easttnfarmmarkets.org. • FREE
Saturday, July 22 OAK RIDGE FARMERS MARKET • Historic Jackson Square •
8AM • The market offers seasonal vegetables, herbs, fruits and berries, honey, artisan bread and cheese, grass-fed beef and naturally raised chicken, pork and lamb, farm-based crafts, flowers and potted plants. April 15-Nov. 18. Visit easttnfarmmarkets.org. • FREE SEYMOUR FARMERS MARKET • Seymour First Baptist Church • 8AM • Visit seymourfarmersmarket.org. • FREE MARKET SQUARE FARMERS’ MARKET • Market Square • 9AM • The Market Square Farmers’ Market is an open-air farmers’ market located on Market Square in the heart of downtown Knoxville. Everything at the MSFM is grown or made by the vendor in the East Tennessee region. Products vary by the seasons and include produce, eggs, honey, herbs, pasture-raised meat, bread, baked goods, salsas, coffee, artisan crafts, and more. With interactive fountains, delicious local food, and surrounded by shops and restaurants, the MSFM is a perfect family destination. Visit nourishknoxville.org. • FREE MARYVILLE FARMERS MARKET • Founders Park • 9AM • The Maryville Farmers Market on Saturday runs from April 22-Nov. 18. The market has vegetables, fruits, potted bedding plants, herbs, honey, eggs, bread, jams, jellies, chicken, beef, lamb, pork and more from East Tennessee growers. • FREE
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Open till 3am Wed-Sat Open till 1am Sun, Mon, & Tue 1204 Central St., Knoxville 865.247.0392 flatsandtaps.com July 6, 2017 knoxville mercury 41
OUTDOORS
Voice in the Wilderness
Photos by Kim Trevathan
Summer Pursuits On the prowl for bluegill, bobcats, and wild hogs at Abrams Creek
BY KIM TREVATHAN
“I
’ve heard that socks and sandals are out,” I said to Terry Bunde as he dragged his kayak down a steep bank, slippery with loose shale, toward Abrams Creek. “I read it in Men’s Health.” I should have known better than to make fun of Bunde, who shrugged it off and focused on outfishing me and biologist Drew Crain on the first day of summer 2017. Chilhowee Lake, gradually being raised after dam repairs, was still off-limits, but Abrams, one of its tributaries, had reached a navigable level, though still 10 feet or so below
42 knoxville mercury July 6, 2017
its normal pool. (The reservoir itself reopened on July 1 at noon.) We had the feeling of exploring virgin territory, somewhere that few had boated or fished in the two years since the drawdown of Chilhowee Lake. Crain had heard from a friend who had paddled up Abrams the week before: He had not only fished an active bluegill bed, but had also seen a bobcat cross a log that had fallen across a tributary, Panther Creek. We brought fly rods and poppers in preparation for non-stop bluegill action. For some reason, Bunde, a retired
chemistry professor at Maryville College, brought a casting rod as well as his fly rod. Cue ominous music. Right away, as we paddled up the creek, maybe two-thirds its width at normal pool, I got the feeling that we were being watched, that we were intruding. Since I put in last and had to get my camera and fishing gear situated in my kayak, I was a hundred yards behind Bunde and Crain. Up on the right bank, I heard something crashing through the woods with enough force to break some goodsized branches. I got a glimpse of a piglet before it disappeared into the growth. “Hey guys, I just saw some wild hogs!” I had to yell at them a couple of times. Crain came paddling back to me, all excited and shushing me. He explained that the hogs were very skittish. They crunched around for a minute, but did not reveal themselves again. I was embarrassed about my wildlife photography faux pas, but really, it was the bobcat I wanted to photograph. Toward Panther Creek I paddled in search of the alleged bobcat, not having made a cast with my fly rod. I found where Panther Creek should have been, but it looked so much more narrow and overgrown in the low water that I had my doubts. Spanning the creek was the ideal log for the bobcat photograph, but one
From left, Drew Crain and Terry Bunde. Bunde started catching hybrid bass on his Beetle Spin lure.
key element was missing: the cat. About this time, Bunde was holding up his first fish, a bluegill. He’d caught it below the surface retrieving a Beetle Spin lure with his casting rod. Crain and I made obnoxious ratcheting noises as we drew out line from our fly reels and tossed our floating poppers toward the willows and weeds that had grown up since the drawdown. It looked like prime bluegill territory, very fishy, and every now and then, we could even smell them. A couple of hawks screeched repeatedly at us from a dead tree on the left side of the creek. Crain said they probably had a nest in there. He paddled on ahead of Bunde and me and would later claim he caught a small bluegill that he threw back. I got out ahead of Bunde, too, in hopes of tempting the bluegill with my bumblebee popper before Bunde came along with his Beetle Spin. At one point, I had to stop and wait for Bunde to untangle my bumblebee from my retractable rudder. I caught up with Crain at the point where the creek bottom came up and the rapids started in, maybe 2 miles from the put-in. When we saw Bunde again, he was pulling a fish out of the water, what he was calling a hybrid between a white bass and a
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striped bass (also known as a Cherokee bass). He looked surprised when he saw us. “I thought you guys were somebody else,” he said, thinking we were coming from the put-in. He’d gotten in such a fishing zone that he forgot which way was up. I tried a Wooly Bugger, a kind of wet fly that I made dart underwater by stripping line from the fly rod. No luck. Finally, I just dragged it behind the boat in a halfhearted attempt to troll. I started yakking at Bunde, who was 20 yards downstream from me and fishing hard, about the Chicago Cubs, a team that we had long rooted for. We were trying to remember which player had been accused of domestic abuse. Then Crain came back toward us from Panther Creek with his finger to his lips again. He’d just seen the wild hogs right next to the bank and wanted me to get up there with my camera and long lens. He hadn’t brought his own camera, which is a guarantee that you’ll see something extraordinary. Up the creek we went, silent as we could be. The hogs were gone. Apparently, my boring baseball gossip had driven them into the woods. Strike two! Bunde just kept on fishing. The last thing I heard was him complaining about the sharp dorsal fins of the bass he was catching. Crain and I
Terry Bunde took his catch home to clean and freeze for later.
refrained from commenting. The bobcat had not revealed itself, and the bald eagle we saw had been too far away for a decent shot. All I had were pictures of Bunde catching fish. In the photos were clues to his success. He had two rod holders on his kayak, convenient for trying different strategies. He wore these polarized goggles with bifocals built in to help him to tie on lures and also to protect his eyes from the backcasts of competing fishermen. He had a good-looking brimmed hat that probably helped him see fish. Later, he told me he had bought his reel for a dollar at a church community benefit sale and that the rod was a 50-year-old Eagle Claw trail rod that broke down into four pieces. Fish or no fish, experiencing Abrams Creek at this level gave us hints of what it must have been like before dams such as Chilhowee were built and the Little Tennessee and its tributaries flowed freely. If you go: socks are optional, thick rubber gloves for handling bass, de rigueur. 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.
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News of the Weird | At This Point | Cartoon | Puzzles
All-Knowing Ads! And all the other odd news that’s mostly fit to print ADVERTISERS ARE COMING FOR YOU The New York Times reported in May that the “sophistication” of Google’s and Facebook’s ability to identify potential customers of advertisements is “capable of targeting ads … so narrow that they can pinpoint, say, Idaho residents in long-distance relationships who are contemplating buying a minivan.” Facebook’s ad manager told the Times that such a description matches 3,100 people (out of Idaho’s 1.655 million).
GOVERNMENT IN ACTION! • Harry Kraemer, 76, owner of Sparkles Cleaning Service in London, Ontario, was alone in his SUV recently and decided to light up a cigarette based on his 60-year habit, but was spotted by Smoke-Free Ontario officers and cited for three violations. Since his vehicle was registered to his business, and the windows were up, the cab constituted an “enclosed workspace.” It took a long legal fight, but in May, the Provincial Offences Court cut Kraemer a break and dismissed the tickets. • The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) finally prevailed in federal appeals court in February in its Endangered Species Act designation that wetlands in Louisiana’s St. Tammany Parish should be preserved as a safe habitat for the dusky gopher frog. Landowners barred from developing the land pointed out that no such frogs have been spotted there for “decades,” but have been seen elsewhere in the state and in Mississippi. FWS concluded the St. Tammany area could be a place that dusky gopher frogs might thrive if they decided to return.
THE JOB OF THE RESEARCHER From the abstract of California State Polytechnic assistant professor Teresa Lloro-Bidart, in an April academic 44 knoxville mercury July 6, 2017
paper, comparing behaviors of native-California western gray squirrels and disruptive (to residents’ trash cans) eastern fox squirrels: “I juxtapose feminist posthumanist theories and feminist food study scholarship to demonstrate how eastern fox squirrels are subjected to gendered, racialized and speciesist thinking in the popular news media as a result of their feeding/eating practices (and) their unique and unfixed spatial arrangements in the greater Los Angeles region.…” The case “presents a unique opportunity to question and re-theorize the ontological given of ‘otherness’ that manifests in part through a politics” in which “animal food choices” “stand in” for “compliance and resistance” to the “dominant forces in (human) culture.”
THE CONTINUING CRISIS • Japan is in constant conflict over whether to become more militarily robust (concerned increasingly with North Korea) even though its constitution requires a low profile (only “self-defense”). When the country’s defense minister recently suggested placing females into combat roles, constitutional law professor Shigeaki Iijima strongly objected, initiating the possibility that Japan’s enemies might have bombs capable of blowing women’s uniforms off, exposing their bodies. The ridicule was swift. Wrote one, “I saw something like that in Dragon Ball” (from the popular comic book and TV productions of Japanese anime). • Took It Too Far: Already, trendy restaurants have offered customers dining experiences amidst roaming cats (and in one bold experiment, owls), but the art house San Francisco Dungeon has planned a two-day (July 1 and 8) experimental “Rat Cafe” for those who feel their coffee or tea is better sipped while rats (from the local rat rescue) scurry about the
room. Pastries are included for the $49.99 price, but the rats will be removed before the food comes. (Sponsors promise at least 15 minutes of “rat interaction,” and the price includes admission to the dungeon.)
BRIGHT IDEAS Organizers of northern Germany’s Wacken Open Air Festival (billed as the world’s biggest metal music extravaganza) expect the 75,000 attendees to drink so much beer that they have built a nearly 4-mile-long pipeline to carry 105,000 gallons to on-site taps. (Otherwise, keg-delivery trucks would likely muck up the grounds.) Some pipes were buried specifically for the Aug. 3 to Aug. 5 festival, but others had been used by local farmers for ordinary irrigation.
SMOOTH REACTIONS (1) Robert Ahorner, 57, apparently just to “win” an argument with his wife, who was dissatisfied with their sex life, left the room with his 9mm semi-automatic and fired four shots at his penis. (As he said later, “If I’m not using it, I might as well shoot it off.”) Of course, he missed, and police in Elkhorn, Wis., said no laws were violated. (2) In a lawsuit filed against an allegedly retaliating former lover, Columbia University School of Public Health professor Mady Hornig said her jilted boss tried repeatedly to harm her professional standing, even twice calling her into his office, dropping his trousers, and asking her professional opinion of the lesion on his buttock.
FINE POINTS OF THE LAW Convicted murderer John Modie, 59, remains locked up (on an 18-to-life sentence), but his several-hours-long 2016 escape attempt from Hocking (Ohio) Correctional Institution wound up unpunishable—because of a “technicality.” In May 2017, the judge, lamenting the inflexible law, found Modie not guilty of the escape because prosecutors had, despite numerous opportunities, failed to identify the county in which Hocking Correctional Institution is located and thus did not “prove” that element of the crime (i.e., that the court in Logan, Ohio, had jurisdiction of the case). (Note to prose-
cutors: The county was Hocking).
BLUFFS CALLED (1) In May, Charles Nichols III, 33, facing charges in Cheatham County, Tenn., of sex with a minor, originally was tagged with a $50,000 bail—until he told Judge Phillip Maxie to perform a sex act upon himself and dared Maxie to increase the bail. That led to a new bond of $1 million, then after further insubordination, $10 million, and so on until the final bail ordered was $14 million. (2) Jose Chacon, 39, was arrested in Riviera Beach, Fla., in May after allegedly shooting, fatally, a 41-year-old acquaintance who had laughed at Chacon’s first shot attempt (in which the gun failed to fire) and taunted Chacon to try again. The second trigger-pull worked.
DRUGS—IS THERE ANYTHING THEY CAN’T DO? (1) Sheriff’s deputies in Dade City, Fla., nearly effortlessly arrested Timothy Brazell, 19, for trespassing in May. Brazell (high on methamphetamine, he said) attempted to commandeer a stranger’s car by hot-wiring it, but only by uselessly connecting the wires of a voltage meter—and even though the key was already in the car. According to the owner, the door lock was jammed on the inside, and Brazell could not figure out how to open it. (2) On May 19, Carl Webb and his wife left a nighttime barbecue festival in downtown Memphis and headed home. They drove 14 miles on an interstate highway before a police officer pulled them over to ask if Webb knew there was a body on his trunk. The man was clinging to the lip of the trunk but was still unconscious (from drinking) and had to be jarred awake.
PEOPLE WITH ISSUES In May, Douglas Goldsberry, 45, was charged in the Omaha, Neb., neighborhood of Elkhorn with paying prostitutes to do his erotic bidding (“75 times” he used them, according to a police report)—to strip, baring their breasts while standing on the front porch of his neighbors across the street while Goldsberry watched and masturbated.
News of the Weird | At This Point | Cartoon | Puzzles
Grand Old Flag Coming to America
BY STEPHANIE PIPER
W
e need a new flag to hang on the front porch. The old one looks tired and no longer snaps smartly in the breeze. It’s almost Independence Day as I write this, and I’m wandering around humming George M. Cohan tunes and checking to see if Netflix has Yankee Doodle Dandy in its archives. Once, homebound with tonsillitis at age 12, I watched that movie six times. It was playing continuously on some local channel, and I memorized all the songs and most of the dialogue. For me, it’s not July 4th until I’ve heard Jimmy Cagney belt out “You’re a Grand Old Flag.” I indulge in a moment of nostalgia for the small-town Fourths of my childhood. My brothers marched in the parade, wearing their Cub Scout uniforms and accompanied by the slightly tinny high school band. The VFW turned out in force, including ancient veterans of the Spanish-American War who rode in a vintage Cadillac draped with bunting. After picnics and cookouts, there were fireworks on the golf course. The air smelled of hot dogs and trampled grass. Norman Rockwell would have felt right at home. Then I remember a much later Fourth, a family celebration that
coincided with my stepmother’s 50th anniversary of American citizenship. She grew up in Nazi-occupied Austria and helped her mother run the family farm when her brothers were drafted into the Wehrmacht. Her carefree youth ended abruptly. She continued her studies, but leisure time ceased to exist. She became her mother’s right hand, organizing the planting and the harvest, tending the livestock. Bombs fell nearly every night; she became an expert at picking up the distant hum of the planes and hurrying everyone into the cellar for safety. She recounted all this matter-of-factly, surprised when we asked her if it was hard or depressing. It was what happened, she said. We did what we had to do. Later, she went to the university in Vienna
She recounted all this matter-of-factly, surprised when we asked her if it was hard or depressing. It was what happened, she said. We did what we had to do.
and married an American serviceman and came to the United States. We drank toasts to celebrate her citizenship and the long road that brought her to us. When she rose to speak, there were tears in her eyes but her voice was strong. I studied a long time before I made this choice, she told us. I have lived under other kinds of government, and I can tell you from experience that this is the best. Please do not take it lightly. Our son-in-law came to America from Vietnam by way of an open boat and a refugee camp in the Philippines. His family worked tirelessly to make their way, sacrificing and saving to build a home and educate their children. After becoming an American citizen, our son-in-law attended the Air Force Academy and served his country with honor and distinction. When I hear the word patriot, it is his face I see. My own immigrant ancestors came from France and from Ireland. One was a wine compounder with a packet of handwritten secrets. One was a clerk with a passion for books. One day, long ago, they stood on windy docks at the edge of the Old World and made a choice: They would become Americans. They boarded ships and came to New York in the mid-19th century. They never met, and yet their lives converge in me. It was their choice that brings me here, to the flag aisle in a Home Depot in Knoxville, Tenn. I survey the merchandise and remember some lyrics from that old George M. Cohan song: Every heart beats true Under red, white and blue I think about our nation of immigrants. From the very start of this bold experiment called democracy, America has been home to people who came here from somewhere else to find something better. Messy, complicated, and often contentious, its heart beats true. I do not take it lightly. Stephanie Piper’s At This Point examines the mystery, absurdity, and persistent beauty of daily life. She has been a newspaper reporter, editor, and award-winning columnist for more than 30 years.
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News of the Weird | At This Point | Cartoon | Puzzles
BY MATTHEW FOLTZ-GRAY www.thespiritofthestaircase.com
46 knoxville mercury July 6, 2017
CLASSIFIEDS
Puzzles
Support the Knoxville Mercury and sell your stuff by purchasing an ad in our classifieds section.
CROOKED STREET CROSSWORD
HOUSING
BY IAN BLACKBURN AND JACK NEELY
ENVIRONMENTAL ECOLOGY CENTER LAND TRUST SITE NOW AVAILABLE FOR LEASE. Country land adjoining Narrow Ridge Center offers secluded home site for the ecoconscious. Access to Norris Lake. Remote place that is buildable; provides quiet haven. Protective conservation easements. Paths through 108-acres of shared dense community woods. Old shared community tobacco barn. 1-time payment - $19,750. 3.9 acres. 865 525-8877 blackfoxlandtrust.com narrowridgecenter.org PLACE YOUR AD AT STORE.KNOXMERCURY.COM
MULBERRY PLACE CRYPTOQUOTE BY JOAN KEUPER
Each letter takes the place of another. Hint: In this solution, “A” replaces “Y”.
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MIDNIGHT SUN - Hi! My name is Midnight Sun! Try to keep up with me! I love to run and play. I am a bundle of fun and would bring joy to your home. The freckle on my lip is similar to Marilyn Monroe, but way cuter! Just like her, I am sassy and strong. Visit Young-Williams Animal Center / call 865-215-6599 for more information.
MISS BOBBY - is a one year old female Manx mix. Visit YoungWilliams Animal Center / call 865-215-6599 for more information.
HONEY WAFFLES - Shelter life is not for me. I seem timid & mean behind bars, but that’s only because I’m scared. Once you get me out I’ll blossom in your arms. I just need a chance. I am young, fun, and love an active lifestyle. Visit Young-Williams Animal Center / call 865-2156599 for more information.
BLAIR - is looking for a cozy home to retire to. She is nine years old, & prefers somewhere relaxing. She likes being around women most. You will never feel lonely around Blair! Visit Young-Williams Animal Center / call 865-215-6599 for more information.
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Visit Knoxville & the Visit Knoxville Sports Commission would like to thank EVERYONE who helped make the 2017 USA Cycling Pro Road & Time Trial National Championships a TREMENDOUS success in Knoxville.
THANK YOU...
The City of Knoxville, Knox County, Knoxville Police & Knoxville Fire Departments, an INCREDIBLE group of VOLunteers, Sponsors, Partners & a VERY supportive COMMUNITY YOU helped us make this happen!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
We look forward to seeing you again NEXT year!