Metro Pulse/Music/Eye on the Scene

Goodbye Charlie

Slow Blind Hill has had a spate of hard times this year. On March 13, trumpet player Charlie Box died from complications of diabetes and pneumonia. And bass player Eddy Roberts had triple by-pass surgery. Fortunately for Knoxville's blues fans, the band is not throwing in the towel. Roberts has recuperated and the band is practicing again. Their first gig back is set for 9:30 p.m. Friday, May 2, at Manhattans. They've been working with a couple of different horn players, including Tommy Fox and Scott Peterson, of Gran Torino.

Here's a review of their latest CD:

You Need to Come Back, delivers 10 original songs of its martini bar music: jazzy blues with a heavy emphasis on the clavinet and organ.

Slow Blind Hill markets itself as a hodgepodge of musical legacies, from that of B.B. King to Miles Davis to Robert Johnson. Demonstrating a variety of genres, the album contains the fingerprints of each of these artists. The musical divisions stretch from funk ("World's Goin' Crazy") to Latin swing ("Tsukas By Surprise") to standard blues ("Child, My Child" and "Cold, Cold Bed").

As the group's primary songwriter, lead singer Jaimie Cameron spins lyrics with an unusually broad focus in comparison to the introspective bluesmen Slow Blind Hill follows in the footsteps of. "You Need to Come Back" and "World's Goin' Crazy" offer different responses to the stressful times of the post-September 11 era, addressing issues many contemporary artists are content to ignore. In both the more solemn tunes, as well as the light-hearted numbers like "I'm Gonna Drink," Cameron shows off a knack for catchy hooks and creative phrasings.

The instrumental "2-3-4" and "Crunch Time" reflect the group's wide-ranging ability, and Cameron's vocals are a solid complement throughout the album. In roughly half the songs, Box is backed by a full horn section, often with striking results. With its long instrumental breaks and many solos, You Need to Come Back will provide enjoyable moments for fans of most any blues instrument.

Support the Victims

Another worthwhile show to check out is the Good-New Music Festival at The Pub (the one behind the Strip, not the one in Market Square). Part of the proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross to help families of war victims. The festival, which starts at 6 p.m., is novel for mixing of several music genres. Acoustic acts Chase Pattison, Casi Lea and Ben DeBerry will play, as will rock bands mikel grubb band and Little Sara's Orchestra, and the hip-hop acts, Dee Prince, Cartell Family and DJ GT.

Extracurricular

Steven Olexa, cartoonist for The Daily Beacon, won Scripps Howard Foundations' Charles M. Schulz Award for college cartooning. A senior at the University of Tennessee, Olexa produces two serial strips, Everyday Joe (about college life) and Fur-Bean (a story strip), as well as three editorial cartoons each week—or a staggering 13 a week.

The judges said of his work: "His refreshing drawing style, imaginative layouts, spare, well-chosen dialogue and good character acting combine to make his strips readable and inviting."

Olexa, who beat out cartoonists at Kent State and the University of Arizona, wins $5,000 for the prize.

You can view his cartoons on-line at dailybeacon.utk.edu/cartoons.php/.

Go.

Thursday: Go support hip hop in Knoxville and have a good time by seeing Prophetix at Blue Cats.

Friday: Randall Brown rocks. And he's funny. And a nice guy. Go check out his band, The New Randall Brown Quartet, at the Preservation Pub.

Saturday: The Holston River Festival at the (where else?) Holston River Park offers too many great acts to list here but will be worth your while.

Sunday: Make a big brunch with coffee, omelettes, sausage, toast, OJ—the works. Then pack a lunch and go play in the mountains.

Monday: Well, if you'd like to see some poppy bluegrass go see Nickel Creek at the Tennessee Theatre. But, if I were you, I'd go see the more authentic and homegrown Robinella at Preservation Pub.

Tuesday: Sleep in preparation of Ween.

Wednesday: Ween at the Tennessee Theatre.

—Madame "I couldn't face this heaven alone" Georgie with Patrick Corcoran and Joe Tarr