Metro Pulse/Music/Eye on the Scene

The Last To Know

Everyone who reads this column probably already knows this, but the news is too big (and sad) not to be commented on here. The Bitter Pills have broken up or are at least on hiatus.

Nathan Moses, keyboardist/singer, and Matt Juroff, guitarist/singer, have both moved out of Knoxville.

The band was one of the best and most promising Knoxville had to offer, playing an amped-up rock, inspired by both late '60s garage rock and vocal R&B groups. Moses and Juroff could not be reached for comment.

The news is another dark spot in what is shaping up to be a rough year for Knoxville bands. Gran Torino and Left Foot Down have both broken up and Dixie Dirt plans to leave town in the spring.

On The Bus

Saturday afternoon, Preservation Pub on Market Square was buzzing with friends and family members of Robinella & the CCStringBand. In the midst of their tour supporting Kasey Chambers, the band filmed a promotional video that included footage from an interview at Roy's Record Shop in Maryville and an invite-only performance at Preservation Pub. The band played "Tennessee Saturday Night" for a 20-person crowd of swing dancers, record industry types and pub employees. The song will be on the band's upcoming Columbia Records release, which was recorded in Woodstock, N.Y. Fiddle-player Billy Contreras, Cruz Contreras' brother, has been permanently added to the lineup, and the band now has their own bus to cart them from show to show. Cruz says the tour has been phenomenal. "Sony's freaking out because we've sold so many of our independent releases at the shows," he says.

Go.

Thursday: If virtuoso bluegrass is your thing, Bela Fleck is your man. He's playing at the Tennessee Theatre. It's not my thing, so I might go to game night at Brazo.

Friday: Todd Steed has a great new album about Knoxville out and he's playing with an all-star lineup that includes R.B. Morris, Hector Qirko, and Tim Lee at Blue Cats.

Saturday: Go for a hike in the woods. Take a thermos of tea or miso soup to warm yourself. And then take in the old mountain sounds of the Roane County Ramblers at the Laurel Theatre.

Sunday: The Voodoo Organist makes music that sounds weird. Whether it really is weird or not is for you to judge. Go see him at the Pilot Light.

Monday: Check out the new Phillip Noyce film, The Quiet American. Sneak a flask of whiskey into the theater with you.

Tuesday: Form a rock 'n' roll band.

Wednesday: Smash the state. Set up Knoxville's version of the Paris Commune. This too shall pass so raise your glass to change and chance/ and freedom is the only law shall we dance?/ So if you're feeling low stuck in some bardo/ I, even I know the solution: love, music, wine and revolution.

—Madame "L'amour À Trois" Georgie with Joe Tarr and Clint Casey