Results tagged “Hudson K” from Live Like This

Today's First Friday, so there's art, box wine, and fruit-and-cheese plates all over downtown. There's plenty more to do this weekend, though. Here are some highlights:



• Wendy Williams, the AVN Transsexual Performer of the Year for 2009, will be signing autographs at Rainbow Video in North Knoxville today at 5 p.m. Jesse Fox Mayshark interviewed Williams for this week's issue.

• The John Myers Band, led by the local veteran R&B singer John Myers (above), is performing at Knoxville Museum of Art's Alive After Five series at 6 p.m. The show is free. Jack Neely profiled Myers in 2007, and I reviewed his new CD this week.

• Royal Bangs play at Barley's Taproom tonight, with former Bang Brandon Biondi's band Coolrunnings--whose remix of Twin Sister's "All Around and Away We Go" was featured on Pitchfork earlier this week--opening.

• The Night of 1,000 Dollys, an annual celebration of all things Dolly, moves to Club XYZ in Happy Holler tonight. The party includes biggest hair, biggest boobs, and Dolly look-alike contests and late-night Dolly-themed drag shows. It's 21 and up and admission is $3, unless you have a Dollywood season pass or ticket stub, in which case you get in free. 

• Local "anti-pop" stars Hudson K celebrate the release of their debut album, Shine, at the new Relix Variety Theatre in Downtown North, on Central Street, on Saturday night at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10, which includes a copy of the disc. Janet Jay interviewed Hudson K singer/pianist/songwriter Christina Horn this week. 

• Cellist/singer/songwriter Ben Sollee, whose scheduled headlining performance at last month's Dogwood Arts Rhythm N' Blooms festival was canceled when volcanic ash stuck Sollee in Sweden, will hold a makeup performance at the Knoxville Botanical Garden on Sunday at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25-$75. The expensive seats include a reception with Sollee. Discounts are available for Rhythm N' Blooms passholders. Jack Neely interviewed Sollee here. 

Aftah Party, the local R&B/funk/hip-hop ensemble led by jazz pianist Donald Brown's sons Keith and Kenneth Brown, walked away with the grand prize at last night's final in the Square Room's Sound Off competition. It was a tight contest--Taylor Brown and Company finished a close second, and the two groups were exactly tied in the crowd response category.

Aftah Party nailed their performance with a dirty, funky, long version of Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle" arranged for a horn section. Their set started slow, with an original song very reminiscent of Bobby Brown ca. 1990, but by the end of "Welcome to the Jungle" the outcome seemed pretty clear.

Last night's Sound Off was the closest one yet, with local singer/songwriter duo the Songbirds squeaking by the boho indie band fronted by Joey English. (One other judge and I both had those two tied for first.)

The placements are based on a compilation of scores from the judges and a measure of crowd response from the soundboard. (Last night they were Benny Smith, Eric Nowinski, Jeff Cueller of AC Entertainment, and Chyna Brackeen of the Knoxville Botanical Garden, and me.) In each of the previous four contests, we pretty much knew who would win; the last two, won by Aftah Party and Hudson K, were apparent as soon as those bands finished playing. This time none of us could tell for sure, which made it one of the most interesting so far.

The Songbirds will advance to the final round on March 3 against Aftah Party, Hudson K, Taylor Brown and Company, and Vinyl Thief from Murfreesboro. Local emo rockers Seeing Skies have also been added to that bill as a wild card, thanks to them having the loudest crowd response. Joey English also announced that his band is heading out next week on a tour with Delta Spirit and the Willowz.  

Tonight's the final qualifying round of the Square Room's Sound Off competition, with the Songbirds, Matt Davis from Medford's Black Record Collection, Joey English, Ol' Sweet Lou, and Britta Adams facing off for a spot in next month's finals. Each band will play two originals and a Motown cover. Doors open at 7 p.m., the music starts at 8 p.m.

Aftah Party, Taylor Brown and Company, Hudson K, and Murfreesboro's Vinyl Thief have already secured spots in the final round, set for March 3. The winner gets a prize package that includes a recording session at Rock Snob Recordings, a slot on this summer's Sundown in the City, an EP, and a release show at the Square Room when it's ready. 

Looks like Hudson K's not the only local band asking fans to help pay for a new album. Randall Brown of Quartjar has announced his group's campaign to raise $2,000 for the recording, production, and distribution costs of a disc to be called 42.





There are five levels of donations, from $10--that gets you a copy of the disc when it's released--to $500, which gets you an autographed copy of 42, another of Quartjar's previous disc, Year of the Monkey, credit as a producer in the liner notes, and a concert within 4-5 hours of Knoxville.

Christina Horn of Hudson K says the band's long-awaited album, titled Shine, should be finished in time for late winter/early spring release. Horn says they've recorded all the tracks and are just about to start mixing "which could take anywhere from a couple of weeks until late February." (You can pitch in a donation here.)

Hudson K's playing at the Downtown Grill & Brewery on Friday, Jan. 22. Horn's playing piano with Michael Davis of at the February edition of the Square Room's Sound Off competition, and Hudson K's already made it to the finals of the contest in March.




Christina Horn of Hudson K by Tovah Greenwood