Brother, Can You Spare a Building?

Knoxville scenester malcontents Dave Whittaker and Jesse Courtney, fed up with the current state of their musical surroundings, are holding a second meeting for their music scene co-operative on Tuesday, April 6 at 2 p.m. at Stefano's Cumberland Avenue location. At the first meeting a couple of weeks back, 20 locals gathered to vent their frustrations and to come up with solutions to the persistent problem of the lack of venues for local and out of town bands. The group came out of the meeting planning to open their own co-operative venue.

Whittaker has contacted representatives from AC Entertainment and the defunct 619 Broadway venue to come and share their experiences with the group at the next meeting. While the group needs ideas, they are looking more toward people who are willing to back up their words with action and commitment than toward those with a tendency to shoot off at the mouth and sit on their hands.

Whittaker, Courtney, and company plan to look at property in the downtown area for this prospective co-operative establishment in the very near future. Ideally, it would host any and every genre that comes its way, and even hopes to fill the all-ages matinee void left by the death of the Mercury Theatre.

Not Dead Yet

After a four year burial, Knoxville's popular gloom 'n' doom/quasi-goth rockers Immortal Chorus have rejoined the world of the undead with a new album on the way. Unlike other resurrected local bands with greatly altered lineups, the Chorus features all original members from the band's first incarnation: Steve Britton on bass and vocals, Kevin Miller on guitar and Joel Stooksbury on drums.

The band's third album, Noble Cause, is at the pressing plant and should be ready for release around late April. "The album represents six months of work in my cold, roach-infested basement," says Britton. "This time out the lyrics are a lot better because they're not as focused on depression. They're more about philosophy—naive stuff like good vs. evil.

"We quit playing about four years ago because I had no inspiration whatsoever," continues Britton. "So for the last three or four years I've been stewing and brewing, thinking of new ideas. I think bands are like people—they should take a long nap every now and then."

Britton says the guys tossed around several band names before settling with the old, tried and true Immortal Chorus moniker. "The main reason we considered giving it a new name is because I didn't want to have to play all of our old stuff. I'm not saying we won't play a couple of the old tunes, but there's enough new material where it won't be the oldies hour when we play." No dates are set, but the band hopes to begin playing out locally around May.

Dream Date

Architectural rockers New Brutalism just completed a dream recording date where their imposed structure was aided with some sonic engineering by none other than the group's hero, Steve Albini. The band just finished recording 10 tracks at Chicago's Electrical Audio with Albini and Bob Weston, both members of the über-postpunk art rock band, Shellac. The tracks will be released on a full length album before the year is out.

Currently, the band is on hiatus while guitarist Matt Hall is in Poland continuing his architecture studies. In his absence, drummer Carey Balch and bassist Dave Basford are working on side projects and recording other bands. New Brutalism will regroup in June for some local dates and touring.

The Great White (North) Wonder

A few songs into his set at Bird's Eye View last Saturday, Canadian singer-songwriter Fred Eaglesmith asked the soundman for some monitor adjustments. "Give me more on all the vocals and guitars," he said. "Kind of like rock 'n' roll. Hell, it is rock 'n' roll." And it was. With nothing more than a couple of acoustic six-strings, a mandolin, and a Mad Max-ish washboard player, Eaglesmith put on the rowdiest show this town has seen yet in '99. Showcasing both his funny bone ("My Baby's Got Big Hair") and his bittersweet folkiness ("Water in the Fuel"), Eaglesmith made a persuasive case that he belongs in the top ranks of modern roots rockers. Note to Bird's Eye: bring him back soon. Note to everybody else: go see him.

Road Trip

Ex-Dynamo Humm-er Will Fletcher will be heading to the great state of Pennsylvania in mid-April to toss together some tracks for CMC Records, which is based in Boston. The plan is to record eight tracks, cut it to four for the short attention spanned A&R folk, then release the full eight locally in early May. "I think what they're trying to do," Fletcher says, "is get some big production and use this as kind of a fishing expedition, if you will. Well, we're ready to f—-kin' fish."

Syllabus for April 1-7

Thursday: The Compleat Works of Willm Shakspr (Abridged) at Clarence Brown Lab Theatre. It's like the Cliff Notes version of each and every Bard play—but funny.

Friday: Rockin' on the River with Mike Crawley and the MacDaddies. Can you mix beer and Dramamine?

Saturday: Judybats with subbluecollar and Beeswax at Moose's Music Hall. Pop Pavement with a chick singer twist.

Sunday: Lisa Horstman's show at The Tomato Head. Whimsical drawing from the Metro Pulse art directing genius.

Monday: T. Strickland Band at O'Charley's. Like the Indigo Girls but indigenous.

Tuesday: Norman Mailer at UT Student Center. Hey, maybe this great writer will buy the whole room a round.

Wednesday: Blues Jam at Sassy Ann's. Color me indigo.

—Zippy "Scott Miller. Scott Miller. Scott Miller." McDuff