Metro Pulse/Music/Eye on the Scene

Throw Your Pain in the River

Midnight July 31 came and went and 100.3 The River is still on the air. Kinda. Sorta. Maybe.

At a packed, tearful goodbye party at the ThInQ Tank last Thursday, the old River employees said goodbye and signed T-shirts. Citadel took over operation of the station and what's followed has been somewhat bizarre and confusing.

Shortly before the changeover, Ed Brantley, general manager for Citadel of Knoxville, announced that The River would live on, thanks to the bombardment of emails and phone calls and a petition drive. (Some were wondering if the whole thing was just a publicity stunt or an attempt by the radio corporation to test how popular the format is here.)

When the changeover first happened, it was as though The River was continuing without any DJs and few commercials. Since then much of The River's playlist has been dropped, although the format is somewhat similar. The station's new slogan is "The music lives on." Citadel has hired back a couple of on-air personalities but others are for now noticeably absent, including morning hosts Phil Williams and Frank Murphy. Benny Smith—host of the popular and innovative Americana Café and former promotions director—says he's negotiating with the new management. "I am talking to Citadel regarding possible employment at THE RIVER, but not sure if we can work it out," Smith wrote in an email. "We shall see, as I would like working with Mickey Dearstone [another former Greeneville alum] and someone I have respected for years. But I have many questions to be answered, and not sure if they can or will at this point. Not sure about The Americana Cafe', either, but I sure have had many people ask me what I will do with it. I want to be sure that the show has the in-station support first, and that they can grasp both the importance and appeal of Americana to the listeners, and to so many other people in East Tennessee. It has to 'fit' The River just as effectively now as it did before August 1, and I have already noticed some changes in their musical programming."

If you were looking for another sign of how popular the station was here's one: the station's farewell T-shirt sale raised $14,000 for Second Harvest. The T-shirts had the slogan, "The Day the Real Music Died."

The Show Must Go On

Although Theatre Central's operator, director and lovable curmudgeon Mark Moffett will be out of commission for the next few weeks as he recovers from surgery, the little downtown theater company known for its fast 'n' furious antics will keep the doors open and the comedy alive. Moffett has directed TC regular Ed White to helm the next production, Round and Round the Garden by Alan Ayckbourn, the third in the playwright's trilogy The Norman Conquests.

"I've been chomping at the bit in recent years wanting to direct," White says. "After so many years acting, I've got some definite opinions about how I'd run things that I've been wanting to try out." White has already cast most of the play with the same actors who appeared in TC's production of Ackbourn's Table Manners, including Margy Ragsdale, Mark Palmer, and Windie Wilson. White is "seriously considering" jumping into the Norman role again.

When the play opens in September, we hope Moffett will be well enough to sit back and enjoy the show as an audience member for a change.

Ambassadors of Rock

You might never see them play together on a local bill, but Senryu, The American Plague, and the Westside Daredevils will share a stage at the Midpoint Music Festival in Cincinnati, Sept. 24-27. The festival's line-up features almost 1,000 bands, including The Prids of Portland, Ore. and Cincy locals The Fairmount Girls and The Stapletons. Lead singer of Senryu Wil Wright told festival organizers, "Being selected for this event is a big honor. We're also glad that we're not the only Knoxville band playing. It's good to see other Knoxville bands being well-received out of town."

Go.

Thursday: AC Entertainment has made a point of trying to bring in some bigger acts for this year's Sundown in the City and they've done a decent job: who could deny the beauty of Southern Culture on the Skids or Junior Brown? But for my money this Sundown show is the best of the year and what do you know—it's a hometown boy, Todd Steed with the Suns of Phere. His latest album, Knoxville Tells, is as good a document of life in Knoxville since maybe Suttree (and you can hum along!).

Friday: Take a pilgrimage out west to see the Hip-Twangers at Prince Deli. Ask them for a vegetarian Reuben sandwich on rye with organic sauerkraut and tempe, and see what they say.

Saturday: There are a lot of good shows tonight, but aren't you tired of smoky bars? Why not take your honey (and a bottle of wine, natch) to the Korea House for a romantic evening. Beg Lucy to move the restaurant to Market Square. Then check out Russian Ark at Downtown West.

Sunday: Do some reading at the Pilot Light.

Monday: Deerhoof (at the Pilot Light) might be the best band to come to Knoxville all year! I'm not being bombastic either. I wouldn't steer you wrong, would I? I mean, there was that one time. But other than that?

Tuesday: Do laundry.

Wednesday: Call in sick and go hiking in the mountains.

—Madame "this magnificent bird will rise" Georgie with Joe Tarr and Paige M. Travis