Back to listings   The Big Ticket Zim Ngqawana South African jazz. April 24, 8 p.m. Preservation Pub. Free. Prophetix Atlanta's hip-hop gurus. April 24, 9 p.m. Blue Cats. $7. 18+. Lara St. John with the KSO Canadian violin phenomenon returns to Knoxville. April 25, 8 p.m. Tennessee Theatre. $16.50-$49.50. (291-3310) Philippe LeJeune French boogie-woogie piano master. Last of the Alive After Five Spring series. April 25, 5:30 p.m. KMA. Rizzudo w/ the Close Instrumental indie rock. April 26, 10 p.m. Pilot Light. $5. Scott Miller Knoxville's favorite foreign son plays solo. April 26, 8 p.m. Laurel Theatre. Sold out, but try to score tickets. Sunsphere Shots One-man performance piece by Daniel Roop. April 26-27, 8 p.m. Black Box Theatre, $6. Panthers w/ Paper Lions & the Centimeters Jagged guitar rock with oddball gems the Centimeters opening. April 27, 10 p.m. Pilot Light. $6 Nickel Creek Poppy bluegrass. Or bluegrass pop. April 28, 8 p.m. Tennessee Theatre. $25.50 Ween Rock's foremost goof-offs. April 30, 8 p.m. Tennessee Theatre. $20.50. Godsmack Nu-metal, alt-metal, whatever-metal. April 30, 7:30 p.m. Civic Auditorium. Call 656-4444 for tickets. Bonepony w/Marc Broussard One of those bluegrassy, world-music inspired jammy bands. May 1, 9 p.m. Blue Cats. $5. Betty Dylan Alt Country duo. May 2, 10 p.m. Patrick Sullivan's, 10 p.m. $5. 18+. Kevin Burke Master of the Irish fiddle. May 2, 8 p.m. Laurel Theater. $15. Holston River Festival Features local acts Hector Qirko & Don Cassell, Maggie Longmire, Louise Mosrie, and more. April 26, 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Holston River Park. Free. All ages. Tommy Womack & Danielle Howe Playing the Americana Café. May 4, 8 p.m. Patrick Sullivan's.

Metro Pulse's 10th Annual Best of Knoxville Celebration Yes, we admit it, we're tooting our own horn here. But really, it's not about us; it's about you. This is our night to acknowledge the many fine people, organizations, and well, things about Knoxville. And it's your night to have a party—on us. Yep, it's all on us (and, of course, on Jojo), fer free, except for the spirits. This year's festivities will be held at the Foundry. The River's Phil Williams will be on hand to emcee the proceedings as the four Best of the Best mega-category winners receive their honors. You can be there, cheering them on, while feasting on food samples from our winners, sampling a dash of wine with a nosh of cheese, guzzling some free beer (or purchasing other beverages at the cash bar), maybe dancing to the beautiful sounds of the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, hobnobbing with all the other wonderful Knoxvillians who come out, and just generally whooping it up. If you voted this year, you could also win $200 cash and a weekend getaway at a Maggie Valley cabin. No need to thank us, the pleasure's all ours. But you might want to express your appreciation to our sponsors: Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, Preservation Pub, Sweetwater Valley Farms Cheddar Cheeses, and Express Personnel Services. (Scott McNutt) METRO PULSE'S 10TH ANNUAL BEST OF KNOXVILLE CELEBRATION * THURSDAY, APRIL 24 * 5:30-9 P.M. * THE FOUNDRY, WORLD'S FAIR PARK * FREE Ween If John Lennon and Paul McCartney were brothers (who weren't really brothers) with an affinity towards pharmaceutical drugs and a fondness for obscenities, the product might sound a bit like Ween. Dean and Gene Ween (Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo) have mastered and mocked almost every musical genre, deftly crafting songs powerful enough to move you with insincerity or offend you with vulgarity. Because of their tendency in performance to change the setlist nightly and meander musically, the band has been embraced by a hippie fan base that only solidified with their Bonnaroo performance last summer. Supporting the recent Live at Stubbs release, Ween plays the Historic Tennessee Theatre for a nomadic, unwashed sea of peace and love. (Clint Casey) WEEN * WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 8 P.M. * TENNESSEE THEATRE * $20.50 (PLUS SERVICE CHARGES) Prophetix If you want hip-hop shows in Knoxville, now is the time to demonstrate your enthusiasm. Thanks to a dedicated group of hip-hop fans, Knoxville has been fortunate enough to get a handful of great shows over the past year. But if this one does poorly, the chances of getting other hip-hop concerts here dwindles. Tonight's Prophetix show is another great line-up. The Atlanta-based trio has four records to its name and has played with the likes of the Roots and had a remix on the Beastie Boys anthology DVD. Lil Sci (one half of Scienz of Life) teams up with Stacy Epps to bring a taste of hip hop from the Bronx. Representing Knoxville is the impressive Solid Earth Collective. If you'd like to have more of these acts in Knoxville, support this show. (Joe Tarr) PROPHETIX WITH SOL UPRISING (FEATURING LIL SCI OF SCIENZ OF LIFE & STACY EPPS) AND SOLID EARTH COLLECTIVE * THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 9 P.M. * BLUE CATS * $7 ($5 WITH COLLEGE ID)