Metro Pulse/Music/Eye on the Scene

The Last Kanaka

In his trademark black beret, Howard "Louie Bluie" Armstrong, who began his professional career as a street musician in Knoxville in the 1920s, played to a packed Laurel Theater Saturday night, a show the likes of which the 100-year-old joint has never seen. The show followed a series of honorary events in his childhood home, LaFollette.

Showing remarkable energy, the 91-year-old Armstrong played two sets and an encore, two-and-a-half hours in all, swapping his fiddle for a mandolin, and even a guitar (on "Good Morning, Judge"), singing, by turns, in German, Mexican, Hawaiian, and what he called "my Tennessee Chinese." Backed by guitar, bass, and drums, Armstrong took the lead on every one of more than 20 songs, doing most of the singing, Armstrong played a few blues, a few old-time gospel numbers, lots of jazzy pop songs from the '20s and '30s ("Sweet Sue," "Lady Be Good," "Darktown Strutter's Ball," "Summertime") and even one German waltz, but gave it all the signature he's known for. He obviously enjoys the mandolin, playing and even spinning it on "La Cucaracha" and his signature tune, "Louie Bluie's Rag," but on the fiddle he seemed like a man possessed, sometimes picking the tune, sometimes sawing at it furiously, seeming to gain energy as the night wore on. He finished with an appropriate encore, "You'll Never Find Another Kanaka Like Me." We don't expect to.

His astonished guitarist, Bruce Millard, thought it was the best show Armstrong had played in years. A public-television crew from Boston was there to witness the event, which may be the closing scene of an almost-finished upcoming documentary. In the audience were a wide range of other remarkable musicians, from well-known Idaho folksinger Rosalie Sorrells, who came as a guest of Guy, Candie, and Evan Carawan, to young avant-garde violinist Carla Kihlstedt of the San Francisco band, Tin Hat Trio—whose ages, combined, wouldn't equal Armstrong's. They later played a slow, fascinating, continentally melancholy show at the Tomato Head. It was maybe Armstrong's equal in diversity of styles, if not in pep.

With still another violin style showcased by the KSO around the corner, it made us believe in the possible diversity of a rejuvenated fiddling festival, like (or maybe at not like) they had here a century ago.

F.Y.EYE

A look at Knox's electronic scene by special correspondent Electroboy:

Big record companies aren't happy with Internet music, and it's easy to see why. Forget programs like Napster that offer fans access to the latest Britney Spears tune for about what it's worth—the real threat to record labels comes from the vast number of independent musicians out there whose music is often as good as, and nearly always more interesting than, anything the big labels are pushing.

Knoxville is home to a lot of these musicians, and is getting a reputation as a great web-music town. On the local electronic music scene, no one is more prolific than the Knightman, who has produced several CDs over the past year or so. His latest is E-Lek-Trik, which represents something of a departure from his earlier, goth/industrial influenced work. E-Lek-Trik is more beat-derived, classic techno, somewhat reminiscent of Underworld or early Moby. You can hear it for free (and buy the CD for an absurdly cheap six bucks—I told you the labels were right to be nervous) at http://www.mp3.com/knightman. Recommended tracks: "Electro-Boogie" (the name says it all) and "Woovoo Groove" (Swedish-sounding trance).

On a very different note, you can hear tracks from Sassy Ann's Blue Jam live CD at http://bluejam.iuma.com and see if you agree with Listen.com, which called Sassy's Jam crowd "perfect party music" from "one of the best bar bands on the Internet." The tracks feature Sara Jordan, Labron Lazenby, Mike James, Mark Caldwell, Joe King, and a host of other local luminaries. Sadly, Sassy's management doesn't want to sell the CD over the web, but you can pick it up in many local stores.

Go.

Thursday: Donna the Buffalo at Moose's. Slather yourself in patchouli and do the hippy dance.

Friday: Pick one: Muriel Anderson (fingerstyle guitar) at Palace Theatre; Gran Torino (funk rock) at Boogies; and Shaken Babies with Pegasi 51 and The Clintons (rock of many sorts) at The Longbranch.

Saturday: Pick one: Cigar Store Indians (Hot-rod hillbilly tunes) at The Pilot Light or Lovejoi (Rock 'n' roll a la Slobberbone) at Patrick Sullivan's.

Sunday: Tina Turner with Joe Cocker at Thompson-Boling; if you can't get tickets for Grandaddy/Elliott Smith.

Monday: Omar Tyree signing his books at UC Auditorium.

Tuesday: David Northington (piano virtuoso) with the UT Symphony at UT Music Hall or Sean Na Na (indie darlings, not a '70s greaser band) at Tomato Head.

Wednesday: Dent, opening for Sweep the Leg Johnny, at The Pilot Light. We won't have Dent to kick around much longer...

—Emma "When it rains, it rains men" Poptart