You Guys Are Lame

Tired. Tired tired tired. So damn tired. So unre-freakin'-mittingly tired of people bitching about Knoxville and then not showing up to support the cool things that happen. Case in point: the Africa Fete concert Saturday at the World's Fair Park. A triple bill of literally world-class performers making just 18 stops in the whole U.S.A., and one of them was right here in our own little amphitheater. (One of the other venues was a place called Central Park, which might be familiar to some of you big-city wannabes.) Maybe you hadn't actually heard any of their music, or even heard of them at all. That's kinda the point of the tour—to introduce American audiences to the huge range and deep talent pool of modern African music. Problem is, not enough people showed up for the introduction. The several hundred people who were there were appropriately enthusiastic, granted, but it's hard to imagine what the rest of y'all were doing that night that could've come anywhere close to the energy, spirit, and sheer musical wonder of this show.

What you missed: a relentlessly funky, percussion-heavy set by Zimbabwe's beret-bearing Oliver Mtuzkudi (who gamely showed up at the concert merchandise table afterward to pose for a bunch of pictures with fans); an incendiary, rump-shaking closing performance by Senegal's Baaba Maal, whose clear tenor voice floated above the frenetic Afro-pop grooves laid down by his 12-piece ensemble (overheard comment from awed dude to awed dudette: "Man, at a Phish show, they're lucky if they hit this level of intensity for 20 minutes out of the whole night. These guys come out and do it every single song."); and in the middle, the evening's undisputed highlight, a way-too-short set of hypnotic Afro-blues fusion by American Taj Mahal and a group of traditional Mali musicians featuring African harp virtuoso Toumani Diabate. Their epic, Africanized rendition of the country-blues standard "Georgia Buck" was like hearing 200 years of history come to life. Nobody wanted it to end. Respect due to AC Entertainment for booking the show. Don't be surprised if we don't get another one anytime soon.

But the Night Before...

A rabid crowd of middle aged rockers was in full effect at the Rock Never Stops concert the previous night at World's Fair Park. It turned out to be quite a show, and the audience was as much fun to watch as the bands.

I didn't catch much of opening group Slaughter, but did manage to hear the band storm through "Up All Night, Sleep All Day," which was enough. Vocalist Mark Slaughter was looking a wee bit pudgy, and the band sounded, well, a wee bit pudgy.

Quiet Riot was up next, managing to get a pretty good response from the crowd for its brief, hit-packed set. The amazing thing about the late '90s incarnation of the band is that lead singer, Kevin DuBrow has miraculously managed to grow his hair back. Dubrow was in the later stages of hair loss when the band first got popular in the mid '80s, but I guess the power of rock 'n' roll brought it all back for him. (Funny, I didn't know Rogaine worked that well.)

The big surprise of the evening was Night Ranger. Back in the day, the band's mix of pop/metal and Barry Manillow-esque ballads never did much for me, so I was surprised to find the band's set quite entertaining. The guys all looked pretty healthy, really about the same as they did 15 years ago. The key to Night Ranger's success was the great on-stage choreography and rock poses—neither guitarist missed a lick while doing all of the expected crotch thrusting, windmills, and divebombs.

Finally, Motor City Madman Ted Nugent took the stage and made good on his promise to rock. Apparently, all that hunting and the healthy lifestyle really has worked for him, because he still manages to play with the same sheer power and bravado he's always had. Nugent's band was easily twice as loud as the other groups, absolutely deafening for an outdoor show.

For me, the real fun of the show was watching the crowd. Nobody can play air guitar like a throng of beer-buzzed, fortyish men on heavy metal overdrive. The highlight of the evening was seeing a family of rockers: a big haired mom, a longhaired dad in skintight jeans, and a son in the exact same outfit. Watching rocker mom ask metal dad to "take him (the son) up front where he'll at least be around someone his own age," while she slipped over near the buses to get members of Quiet Riot to sign her cleavage was just too funny.

Rollin' on the River

Knoxville's newest online magazine, The Southerner, is having a launch party this Saturday, Aug. 28, on the ol' Star of Knoxville riverboat. The Southerner is the product of a couple of UT doctoral students and a cast of freelancers across the South, dedicated to exploring Southern issues and highlighting regional fiction (look for more about it in the next MP). Anyway, the launch party is open to the public and will feature Nashville's Delicious Blues Stew providing some rockin' cajun/zydeco/blues. The boat leaves the dock along the riverfront at 10:30 p.m. and will return at 1 a.m. Tickets are $12 at the gate.And Finally...

Mister Skinny, a two-year-old Knoxville-based band, will be holding a CD release party at its performance at Moose's Dance Hall on Sept. 2. The CD, a five track EP called, appropriately, The EP, is the band's first piece of recorded work. The EP showcases the wide variety of musical styles and influences that make up Mister Skinny's body of original work, and gives good evidence of their trademark rock/funk groove. Although Mister Skinny is not a cover band, it does cover artists as diverse as Buddy Holly, Frank Zappa, and The Artist Formerly Known as Prince. The band is made up of four former UT students: Carey Archer on keyboards and backing vocals, Davis Mitchell on guitar and lead vocals, Jeff Minyard on bass and backing vocals, and David Sharp on drums. Under the guidance of 26.2 Management (the same company behind Gran Torino), the group has scored opening and headlining gigs across the Southeast. Show up and give 'em a hand for getting this far in the fickle world of Knoxville music.

—Zippy "I'm Mad As Hell" McDuff