Light It Up

The Old City will soon have a new nightclub—Pilot Light—which will cater to unusual rock and electronic bands, both local and out-of-town.

Jason Boardman and Leigh Shoemaker will fire up the Pilot Light in what used to be Futopia, at 106 E. Jackson Ave. The decor and atmosphere are still being developed, but Boardman says it will be a low-key place catering to unusual musical and art performances. "It's going to be just a small comfortable bar, centered somewhat around live music performance," he says. "Hopefully, stuff that doesn't have any live outlet in Knoxville."

Boardman, who is a member of Dark Logik, says the bar is opening in part because there are so few places for local bands to play in Knoxville. "We'll try to steer away from things that you can hear everywhere else," he says. "We're looking for interesting music that would demand a little more attention."

This would include original rock bands, electronic and art projects, he says.

If everything goes well, the club will be open by the end of the month, Boardman says.

Local CD Review

HQ Band
South

We figure Hector Qirko's tired of hearing people mispronounce his name; this local blues stalwart's new CD is coming out under the title HQ Band. It's called, simply, South.

Qirko, a standout guitarist known for his deft touch, has been playing his jazz-inflected blues in local nightclubs for more than 20 years, and is also known as the leader of R.B. Morris's local band, the Irregulars. (His work graces Morris's most recent CD, Zeke And the Wheel.) Overall, South is a strikingly diverse showcase of instrumental talent, but most of the songs feature Qirko's plaintive vocals, too.

South is Southern, all right, with some electric blues and boogie-funk pieces like "Fireball"—but it goes much deeper South than we expect him to, crossing the Tropic of Cancer to turn up Latin-tinged songs like "Celina," which is a bright sort of rumba (or is it a mambo?) and "Long Cold Night," a reggae/ska dancer with women's voices.

Qirko has South American roots, and he's bringing them forward as never before; about half the songs on the CD have some Latin flair. "Cause Of It All," is windshield-wiper electric blues, with horns that add a Cuban tinge.

Qirko's guitar is prominent on each cut, of course, but there's also a good deal of brass in here, thanks mostly to well-known saxman/clarinetist Dirk Weddington, who works out a saxophony take on Van Morrison's "Satisfied."

You might listen to a minute or two of cut #5 before realizing you know this song well. It's a jazzy version of the Beatle's classic "She's a Woman," with a vaguely Latin finish and chiming guitars.

Qirko wrote most of the songs on this CD, but one of the covers we're especially grateful for is "(Listen To Me) Louise," one of R.B. Morris' catchiest—and funniest—songs, about a lover whose suspicions are aroused by telltale signs: "I heard that backdoor screen... Hell, he ain't fixin no washing machine." The song's also one of Morris' older ones, though he rarely plays it anymore, and it has not appeared on any of his four albums. Until Qirko rendered it for this CD, it had never appeared on a commercial recording.

Qirko's signature instrumental "Image-free" is one song longtime Qirko fans would recognize, but they might be startled by some aspects of this version, supplemented by scat singing, apparently by Weddington. Local legend Terry Hill helps out on guitar.

The CD closes with "The Last Time," a slow, urban blues with cat-foot bass. It's the piece David Lynch will use when he does his inevitable Knoxville movie.

Play South for someone who knows Qirko's live shows, just to see how long it takes them to guess who's playing. We tried that, and the unsuspecting quarry didn't even guess all these songs were by the same artist. They thought we'd just found a really cool radio station.

All-Ages No More

Last Sunday saw yet another in a string of winning shows at the tiny Electric Wizard on the strip. The show featured an interesting blend of punk variants that mixed different factions to good effect. Flu 13 made its triumphant return to Knoxville after over a year. Plenty of devotees of the band were in attendance to experience the its mix of emo and hardcore styles. The band had plenty of the predictable starts and stops and contrasting quiet and loud sequences, all underscored with a strong melodic sensibility. The band really rocked, proving once again that tunes are more important than stylistic clichés.

The volume increased considerably with a ferocious set by thrash punk champions, the Slugboys. The band bashed out several new tunes and old favorites while its hardcore fans moshed relentlessly. Toward the end of the Slugboys set, the festivities were interrupted by a visit from a couple of police officers. The cops checked for evidence of underage drinking, asked that the taps be closed down, and then allowed the show to continue. So the Slugboys managed to play a few more tunes, sounding really tight and angry. The new two-guitar lineup is obviously working out very well for the band.

Finally, Richmond, Va.'s The Exploder rounded out the evening, playing a heavy, melodic set that could most aptly be described as post-hardcore. The most interesting thing about the band was that it rarely used the 4/4 time signature. Instead, most of the tunes were in 6/8, which proved to be a great tempo for its brash, head-nodding tunes. After its set, the audience was clamoring for more.

The harsh news at the end of the evening was there will be no more shows at the Electric Wizard. The diminutive arcade has changed hands and the new management isn't exactly wild about having loud, screaming rock bands every Sunday night. And the visit from the men in blue was the final nail in the coffin for the popular series of all ages shows hosted by local impresario Dave Whitaker. This is quite a blow to the always embattled all-ages scene.

"I had a few other shows booked, and right now I have no idea if they're gonna happen or where I could put them," says Whitaker. "I just want everybody to know that I'm looking for another place and that I'll continue booking shows as soon as I can. Actually, I'm kind of surprised that the shows lasted as long as they did at the Wizard. We had a good run."

Radio FYI

If you (yes, you) want to have an input into the aural landscape of Knoxville radio, you can contact new station on the block 106.7 WXVO at 531-2000 or [email protected]. That is all.

—Zippy "Public Servant" McDuff