Matthew Everett: October 2009 Archives

I took a shot Wednesday at a particular club about a show that we didn't provide any coverage for because we didn't know it was happening. That wasn't really fair--it was a little mean, and the show was listed on its website in advance.

The club's management apparently thought our staffers would be looking there for info--that's how it was done until a few years ago. It was a lot easier just five or six years ago to keep up with all of Knoxville's entertainment options--there were far fewer of them than there are now. Now that there are dozens of clubs, bars, and theaters that offer live music every night, it's sometimes hard to keep up. We rely on musicians, promoters, and venue managers to provide information for our calendar and also so we can conduct interviews, write stories, get photos, and all the other stuff that goes into providing the coverage we do. Sometimes we (and mostly I mean me) miss shows, either because I don't look in the right spot or because the aforementioned people I rely on for info don't know how to reach me.

For clarity, the best way to get a listing in the Metro Pulse calendar is to send an e-mail to calendar@metropulse.com or submit an event directly to the website. (Full guidelines for submissions are here.)

 I do my best to know what's happening and when, but a little head's up is always appreciated. (And I'll try not to be so grumpy about this stuff.)

I don't want to name names (it's the one named below) but there's at least one club in town that apparently is way too popular and profitable to bother with promoting its shows. And by "promote" I mean just announce--you know, send an e-mail to let somebody know you're hosting a well-regarded '80s icon like Mitch Easter. (I did get a last-minute notice from somebody in one of the opening bands, but too late for any meaningful coverage.)

So, yeah, Mitch Easter (the dB's, Let's Active, and producer for R.E.M., Suzanne Vega, Game Theory, and more) is playing at Patrick Sullivan's in the Old City tonight. If you're not already occupied with Tennessee Shines or Warband/Stinking Lizaveta, it should be worth the trouble. Econopop opens.

A few updates from Catalyst since it closed last week:

• Hank Williams III and Assjack with Those Poor Bastards on Nov. 2 has been moved to Southbound in the Old City.

• Evol Intent on Oct. 28 has been moved to the Cider House.

• Crome Molly on Oct. 29 has also moved to Southbound.

It's a big weekend in Knoxville:

• The James Agee Film Festival starts tonight at the East Tennessee History Center and continues tomorrow at the Square Room and Sunday at the Bijou Theatre. Lots and lots of details courtesy MP editor Coury Turczyn here.

• Jonathan Sexton has a release show for his new CD New Day at the Square Room tonight with his band the Big Love Choir.

• The first Knoxville Horror Film Fest is tonight at Pilot Light.

• KSO at the Tennessee Theatre tonight.

• Comedian D.L. Hughley at Sidespltters Comedy Club.

• Angel Zuniga Martinez, formerly of Angel and the Love Mongers and long overdue for some MP coverage, is playing at Preservation Pub tonight with Kevin Hyfantis and Matt Urmy.

• Get an intro to Knoxville Rock Girls Camp at the Birdhouse on Saturday afternoon.

• Brewers' Jam at World's Fair Park on Saturday.

• Local deathcore kings Whitechapel at the Valarium.  

AC Entertainment's Charlie Jennings is featured in the December "Reader of the Month" column in Decibel magazine, which should hit stands in a week or two. The feature's not online, but Jennings cops to being a fan of Bela Fleck, praises Swedish metal, and discusses the resurgence of vinyl among indie labels. 

Fox News has this online news show called Strategy Room. Knoxville has an indie power-pop band called the Tenderhooks. Somehow the two have hooked up; the Tenderhooks are scheduled to perform on the show this afternoon at 1 p.m., according to a Facebook message from 'hooks drummer Matt Honkonen.



Doesn't make any sense to me, but I'll check it out.  

EDIT: Josiah Leming's opening for the Duhks, who are not '90s has-beens, as noted in the comments. Days of the New are scheduled for December 12 at 4620.

Josiah Leming seems to be taking the (very) long road to the superstardom some people predicted for him after his tearful stint on American Idol in 2007. (An entry on his MySpace blog this summer indicates that poor judgment may have something to do with it: "In the past year I've been a lot of places, seen a lot of people, had a lot of chances, and made very very very few right choices.") The Morristown native's debut album, expected to be released last year on Warner Bros., still hasn't materialized--a second EP came out with no press attention late last month--and he just finished a month-long tour opening for '90s used-to-bes Better Than Ezra.

He's playing 4620 Revisited in Bearden on Friday night, opening for more '90s used-to-bes in Days of the New.

(Any questions about how I feel about Leming's prospects can be answered here.)

Today's mail included this lovely 12-inch of the late, lamented Pink Sexies' first, self-titled EP:



It's a great record, and great-looking, too, reissued last year (with the bonus track "Promises, Promises") by the Memphis label Wrecked 'Em Wreckords, run by Funhouse associate and ex-Fort Sanders resident Michael Condon.

In case you don't remember, the Pink Sexies (the indomitable frontman Hamo Banham, guitarist Fred Rascoe, bassist Bill DeLeonardis, and drummer Jason Stark) were something of a live phenomenon in 2001/2002, known for a raucous show that obliterated the fourth wall separating performers and audience. They broke up around 2003. Here's a link to a profile I wrote of the band a few years ago; you can hear a few songs from their last record, Rock 'n' Roll Mustache Ride, at the Wrecked 'Em site.

Condon's shipment also included CDs from the Angel Sluts and Flesh Vehicle (led by Superdrag bassist Tom Pappas and featuring Mark Robertson from Th' Legendary Shack Shakers and Steve Latanation, who used to play drums for SoCal skatecore band Agent Orange), who'll be playing at 4620 Reinvented on Saturday, Oct. 24.  

A couple of sources close to the club have confirmed that Catalyst in the Old City has shut its doors. No word yet on whether it's permanent or temporary or whether upcoming shows--which include British dub guy Ott, Hank III, and a Halloween show by big beat duo the Crystal Method--will be moved to an alternate venue or simply canceled. A formal announcement from the owners is expected later this week.

UPDATE: Seems to be permanent. Some shows will be moved to the Cider Room and Southbound Bar & Grill. Some details here.

A couple of upcoming shows originally scheduled for World's Fair Park have been moved. The Zac Brown Band ("Chicken Fried") concert on Friday and the Allman Brothers Band's Tuesday show with Widespread Panic have both been rescheduled for the Knoxville Coliseum. 

The first round of the Square Room's Sound Off competition played out a lot like a sports movie, with a last-minute alternate winning over both the crowd and the judges.

Taylor Brown and Company filled in for the Butcher Boys, who were unable to make the show. Brown and his band had been the highest-ranked of the submissions that didn't make it on to the list of 25 finalists. They played last Wednesday night, and Brown's energetic frontman antics revved up the young, mostly college-age audience.

A few of the fans who'd come to support blooze rockers the Black Cadillacs disagreed--loudly, and vigorously--but in general the crowd liked Brown and Company's win. The winners edged out Kevin Hyfantis and the Bishop's Band, the Black Cadillacs, the Basement Lights, and Scott McMahan.

They'll go on to the final round in March. The next semifinal round takes place on Wednesday, Nov. 4, with Kamuy, Seeing Skies, Madre, the Enigmatic Foe, and Vinyl Thief. The winner receives a prize package including studio time at Rock Snob Recording, a CD release show at the Square Room, and a spot on next year's Sundown in the City. 

Get your fix of Matt Morelock while you can: The banjo enthusiast is stepping down as host of WDVX's Blue Plate Special series after 10 years to open a downtown music store.

Morelock Music will open at 403 S. Gay St. on Nov. 1, with a move up the street to 411 S. Gay St. to follow after renovations are complete. The store will feature instruments, gear, and lessons.

The guys at WUTK's Funhouse like loud guitars. Nick Raskulinecz produces records with loud guitars. So it's fitting that Raskulinecz, a Knoxville native (and ex-Hypertribe bassist) who's produced records by Funhouse-approved bands like Foo Fighters, Rush, Shadows Fall, and Superdrag, will call into the show tonight sometime between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Listen at 90.3 FM.

Raskulinecz's latest credit is the Alice in Chains' comeback record Black Gives Way to Blue, which Funhouse co-host Rob Levering says is "freaking awesome."

It's First Friday, so there's plenty to do all over downtown, the Old City, Downtown North, and even out in Bearden. One of the best bets is some horror-themed digital art on display at Organized Play, a new games-and-comics shop on Cumberland Avenue, just around the corner from Gay Street. The spot was recently home to the Deka Bakari gallery and, long before that, the Huddle House.

Down the street, Eric Lee (of Double Muslims and various other projects) has art on display at Lox Salon in the Old City. He'll also be performing some new music, reportedly in the style of cult singer/composer/reclusive weirdo genius Scott Walker, with Carey Balch, Will Fist, and MP art director Travis Gray.

On Saturday, check out Georgia rapper Pastor Troy at the Catalyst.

Local-boys-making-it-good Royal Bangs teamed up with Austin, Texas, pop outfit Oh No Oh My at the legendary Ardent Studios (home, most famously, to Big Star in the early '70s) in Memphis earlier this week for a quick recording for the Ardent Sessions series.

You can listen to it here.

The Bangs are following up their early September CD release show for Let It Beep by opening for tourmates Drummer at Pilot Light on Oct. 15.