what do you know about KNOXVILLE?

We're currently driving around randomly in pigeon forge. Man, this place is a trip. And we just left the Bass Pro hanger; the huge christmas tree decorated with stuffed animal heads was a bit disconcerting.

yeah pigeon forge is a special place...

thanks for all the great tips, y'all!

The extraordinary weather mean that we have to reached the big special trip today, as the joint is way too crowded.

eating chandler's RIGHT NOW

how's the pilot light club? was thinking of doing the new year's eve show there w/jack rose and some local band. what's the scene there?

just say pilot light. i think the "some local band" is my good friends the royal bangs, who will pack the place. the scene there is that its the best club in knoxville. little hole in the wall, treats bands great.

don't try and not pay for beer

bartender guide:

http://static.flickr.com/54/164948987_29850b6d94.jpg

(on the far left, ha cha CHAAAA)
bill warden: known as "hot bill" by the entire (female) staff of java (and me), this guy has a flowing red mane and beard and looks like a cross between a viking, a fantasy novel giant, and some kind of fleetwood mac. only dude i know who can wear a gauntlet without making it look try-hard. <3 this guy

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/137/341158942_b613eb327b.jpg

will fist: talked about elsewhere on this thread, but this dude is pretty much an institution at this point. generally works the door and always has a smile for everyone. has catchphrases like 'DO IT THE WAY" and is in probably 50 bands, seriously. a nut. a drunk nut. here is his guitar:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/60/167930102_3a38ccb048.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/62/164953938_c89972b028.jpg

(on the left)
eric lee: a tiny guy, we used to have a game based on him called "eric lee or homeless?" cause his style is exactly that of 90% of homeless men, though it doesn't show in this pic. pretty much a musical genius. you win if you can understand word one that comes out of his mouth.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/61/164953941_d05c453a1f.jpg?v=0

^Jason Boardman is the owner of the Pilot Light and is a Knoxville music scene hero and one of the A+ best men I have ever met. He barely keeps the club alive year after year, and does it simply because he cares about bands. He is one of the sub-curators of Big Ears, and part of that festival will occur @ Pilot Light. He drove me to see Shellac when I was a kid!

Also, all but one of those photos^ were taken at the Pilot Light.

ok it's actually the jan. 1 show w/damn creeps (who are they?) and jack rose.

oh man that big ears festival looks amazing!!! won't be able to make that, sadly.

i'm psyched.

haha damn creeps are ONE OF WILL FIST'S BANDS!

Hey, Knoxville! My mom was born in Maryville.

I was raised in Maryville! Ages 3-18.

That whole side of my family was from that area. Granddad was one of the first people to settle in Pigeon Forge, when there wasn't much there at all. I'm glad to see, over the last few years, that there's so much happening in Knoxville, which I visited every summer as a kid.

Aw, that's nice. <3

Have to get back sometime!

over the last few years of following this thread

any other recommendations for stuff w/in an hour or two of knoxville? music? sights? etc.?

some friends of mine went on a carnival cruise and described it as "floating gatlinburg"

you could rent motorcycles and ride "the dragon"

http://www.aartennessee.com/Dragon.htm

for an authentic knoxville experience you could spend a day in traffic on kingston pike

lol

amateurist asked: "any other recommendations for stuff w/in an hour or two of knoxville? music? sights? etc.?"

If you're still in TN this Thursday (Jan. 8), the amazing Shelley Hirsch will be playing a show in Chattanooga (an hour and a half drive from Knoxville). (If you make it, say hello - I'm playing in a duo that's opening the show.)

More details here:
http://www.myspace.com/shakingraylevisociety

in chattanooga?! whoa. i'm out of the area on tuesday, sadly.

harvest records in asheville is amazing. EVERYBODY in the area should visit.

does anyone know anything about basement records on chapman hwy in knoxville? we passed it driving, and i was curious, but there is no info at all online (save for the address) so i wonder if it's just crap.

it's fucking weird

DNW

Whatever happened to all the vinyl in those Ernest Tubb stores? I weep.

Oh man, who even knows.

Seriously, AM, you might find somthing you want in Basement but it's honestly not worth the trouble. It's horribly disorganized and what organization it DOES have is for the o_O files: "Black Music" is a category there, I crap you negative.

There used to be a fantastic used vinyl store in the same shopping center as Cat's on Kingston Pike but I dunno what happened to it. I got the Human League Fascination 12" and Bill Withers and a red Michael Jackson Thriller 7" there.

amateurist asking questions about Chapman Highway is kind of wild.

the g.f. is taking me to chik-fila-a tomorrow.

i was unimpressed by the big record store (forgot the name) on chapman. lost and found records had some good country vinyl, otherwise not so great. knoxville is a bad records town. i did have a nice time at the pilot light.

Disc Exchange, probably. Yeah it's hit and miss for sure.

GO TO KING TUT'S

it's in vestal on martin mill pike -

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-15020445R-king_tuts_grill-i

fuck a chik-fil-a

No way, I want one. Mail me it?

i went to king tut's. i wasn't super into the guy's schtick, but the food was fine. i was pretty peeved by the bill though-- $38 (incl. tax) for a greek salad and the sampler. rip off.

(shared with another party, but still way overpriced.)

what a h8er

i love mo's shtick. but it's true the place is partly performance, so you have to be in the mood for it.

hey amateurist were you at the pilot light jan 1?

yes, with the gf.

So was I!

amateurist i don't think you were in the right frame of mind

how do you mean?

he was in another state
another state of mind

Knoxville is purty.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3267/3206244085_255df76cc3.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3509/3207083692_1d42d7c8d7.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3256/3207082912_fa72a5b159.jpg

(I was testing out a Christmas camera, don't mind me...)

Aren't the bricks so RED on that building?