Best Local Music Release
Thus Always to Tyrants—Scott Miller and the Commonwealth
Scott Miller had quite a year in 2001—besides releasing two albums and touring relentlessly, the ex-V-roy somehow found time to break the hearts of women all over Knoxville by going and getting married. We don't have any matrimonial awards, though, so the achievement our voters chose to recognize the prolific Mr. Miller for was his official solo debut, Thus Always to Tyrants. Released on Sugar Hill (on the heels of his terrific, self-produced live acoustic album Are You With Me?), the disc found Miller pushing farther musically in all directions. The rock was harder (e.g. the Neil Young-ish "Across the Line" and the Replacements-ish "Goddamn the Sun"), the folk was folkier (the Civil War laments "Dear Sarah" and "Highland County Boy"), and darned if he didn't write a fine, post-ironic gospel tune as well ("Is There Room on the Cross for Me?"). Adding Knoxville street cred to the project were members of Superdrag and former Judybat Peg Hambright. The disc didn't get all the media buzz it deserved, but it did garner its share of raves, including a long feature on NPR and a spot on New York Times critic Neil Strauss' "Best Albums of 2001" list. Our only quibble with Strauss is that he called our Mr. Miller "this year's Ryan Adams." Ryan who?
Runner Up: Crazy Place—Jag Star
Best Bluegrass Band
Robinella & CC String Band
Runners Up: Pine Mountain Railroad, Sarah Pirkle and Jeff Barbra
Best Jazz Performer
Donald Brown
Runners Up: Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, Robinella & CC String Band
Best Blues Performer
Hector Qirko
Runners Up: Cheryl Renee, Blue Mother Tupelo
Best Rock Band
Gran Torino
Runners Up: Copper, Jag Star
Best Male Vocalist
Dave Landeo
Runners Up: Scott Miller, Kenny Chesney
Best Female Vocalist
Robinella
Runners Up: Jodie Manross, Maggie Longmire
Best Songwriter
Scott Miller
Runners Up: R.B. Morris, Will Wright
Best Rock Club
Blue Cats
For years, people complained that there just weren't any great club venues to see live music in Knoxville. As a result, Knoxville missed out on a lot of national acts who weren't big enough to play the Tennessee or Bijou and were too big for the Longbranch—acts like Freedy Johnston, Superchunk, John Scofield, Will Oldham, Michelle Shocked, the Cowboy Junkies, Yellowman, Jonatha Brooke, Zion I, the Sun Ra Arkestra. All of those groups have played Knoxville since Blue Cats opened. And the list goes on. The club is also friendly toward the finest local groups, offering them opening gigs and sometimes booking them as headliners. Of course, it isn't just the music—booked by AC Entertainment—that makes Blue Cats such a great venue. It's a comfortable atmosphere with friendly staff and manager. The acoustics are wonderful (the club finished second in the best concert venue category). And it's got one of the finest sound guys around, Robert Plumley, who has proven himself adept at handling rock, jazz, hip hop and folk. That Blue Cats won this category despite being in operation for less than a year shows what a void it's filled in Knoxville (together with the smaller, edgier Pilot Light across the street, which finished second). It shows you how badly Knoxville needed it.
Runner Up: Pilot Light
Best Jazz Club
Baker-Peters
Runners Up: Lucille's, Sassy Ann's
Best Gay Club
Carousel
Runners Up: Rainbow Room, Electric Ballroom
Best Dance Club
Fiction
Runners Up: Lord Lindsey, Cotton Eyed Joe
Best Club DJ
DJ Slink
Runners Up: DJ Storm, Boy Bill
Best Dive
Toddy's Back Door Tavern
Runners Up: Opal's, Tap Room
Best Strip Club
Last Chance
Runners Up: Mouse's Ear, Th' Katch
Best Concert Venue
Tennessee Theatre
Runners Up: Blue Cats, Bijou Theatre
Best Pool Table
Bailey's
Runners Up: Barley's, Breakers
April 25, 2002 * Vol. 12, No. 17
© 2002 Metro Pulse
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Music & Nightlife