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The Big Ticket

Friends Across the Mountains Telethon
Donate money to preserve the Smokies. Thursday, Aug. 14, 7-8 p.m. on WBIR TV Channel 10.

As You Like It
Shakespeare comedy presented by the Tennessee Stage Company. Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, Aug. 15-31, 7 p.m. Market Square. Free.

Nan Citty and the Blues Voice
Celebrate the release of their CD Keep on Lovin'. Friday, Aug. 15, 9 p.m. Brackins. and Sunday, Aug. 17, Star of Knoxville Riverboat.

Fifth Annual Benefit Concert & Auction with Short Bus, No Drummer Required, Doug Shock Band, Landeo & Special Guests
Regular players at The Spot play to benefit the Cystic Fybrosis Foundation. Saturday, Aug. 16, 7 p.m. The Spot. $5.

Jennifer Daniels
Energetic and endearing songwriter from Chattanooga. Saturday, Aug. 16, 8:30 p.m. New City Cafe

The 17th Floor
A seven-piece hip-hop band with serious dance skills. Wednesday, Aug. 20, 9 p.m. Blue Cats. $8 door or $6 w/ college ID.

Cordero
Latin rock dance band. Wednesday, Aug. 20, 9 p.m. Pilot Light. $5.

North Mississippi Allstars with Tift Merritt
Hip rockers joined by a country crooner. Thursday, Aug. 21, 6-9 p.m. Sundown in the City. Donations requested.

The Gin Blossoms
Their bio reads like the plot of a rock 'n' roll soap opera: member changes, alcoholism, depression, suicide, break-up and reunion. Was anything ever right with the Gin Blossoms? Well, from the perspective of a young woman in the early '90s, everything was right about the band—their catchy tunes, emotional vocals, their longish hair. Did anyone listening to local radio in 1993 not know the words to "Hey Jealousy?" It's still haunting the air waves 10 years later, along with the band's other singles, like "Found Out About You" and "Allison Road," from the band's hit record New Miserable Experience, which was re-released in 2002 with a whole disc of bonus material. The version of the Gin Blossoms playing at Blue Cats Aug. 17 is a group who reunited on New Years Eve 2001. It's hard to keep up with who, exactly, was an original member, so don't get hung up on that. Doug Hopkins, who wrote the band's early radio hits, killed himself in 1993. And an early guitarist Phillip Rhodes didn't rejoin the group after their 1997 break-up. But founding member Bill Leen plus Jesse Valenzuela and vocalist Robin Wilson, who's been busy with his own project, the Gas Giants, will deliver the pop singles like time has stopped and you are young again. (Paige M. Travis)
THE GIN BLOSSOMS WITH THE MIKEL GRUBB BAND * SUNDAY, AUG. 17, 8 P.M. * BLUE CATS * $10 ADV./$12 DOOR

Jim Lauderdale with BR549
Nashville music gets trashed a lot because so much of it is schmaltzy tripe. But there are plenty of heartfelt tunes and genuine musicians to be found in the Music City. Case in point are these two Nashville acts. Lauderdale is one of the better county songwriters in Nashville, and he's not afraid to mix things up. Last year's Lost in the Lonesome Pines was recorded with the legendary Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys; this year's The Hummingbirds with the folk-rock group Donna the Buffalo from Ithaca, N.Y. The group BR549 emerged in the mid-'90s as part of the wave of retro-county acts with a disdain for everything modern country had become. Nashville is of course still churning out too much maudlin, overproduced crap. But luckily we don't have to listen. (Joe Tarr)
SUNDOWN IN THE CITY * JIM LAUDERDALE, BR549, AND MATT KING * THURSDAY, AUG. 14, 6 P.M. * OLD CITY COURTYARD * DONATION OF $3 REQUESTED

Party of Helicopters
Party of Helicopters offers solid evidence that indie rock—even so-called "noisy" indie rock—doesn't have to sound like shit. The Kent, Ohio, band conceives an admixture of art rock, metal overtones, catchy songs and underground attitude and sets it ablaze with tuneful vox and dense, deftly employed guitars. Reefer-rockers, emo kids, and art terrorists alike count themselves among POH's cadre of enthusiasts.
Its latest album, Please Believe It on Velocetter Records, put off purist critics with its savory tones and slick, swirling arrangements; apparently, sounding good isn't such a good thing in some quarters. But for those of us with less "discriminating" tastes, Please is a refreshing minty blast in an indie-rock milieu too often overcome by the sludgy halitosis of thrift-store-found sounds and shoddy production values. Don't miss. (Mike Gibson)
PARTY OF HELICOPTERS W/ THE PRIDS, THE FANGS AND COMEDY OF JAZZ-E * SATURDAY, AUG. 16, 9 P.M. * PILOT LIGHT * $6

Feast with the Beasts
No, you won't be fed to the animals at Feast with the Beasts, the Knoxville Zoo's ninth annual fundraiser. And you won't have to eat the same tasty morsels as the tortoise, elephant or red panda, either. As a human participant, you can enjoy people food provided by more than 50 area restaurants, and drink adult beverages if you're over 21. You can also hear music by the Kim Baxter Band, Landeo, and St. Somewhere. Or, if you prefer, become the singer at the Cotton Eyed Joe karaoke area. With the shindig there at the zoo, you can talk with the animals (but don't brag about how good the food is.) The event is casual, but if you feel the call of the wild, you can wear tails. (P.M.T.)
FEAST WITH THE BEASTS * A FUNDRAISER FOR THE KNOXVILLE ZOO * SATURDAY, AUG. 16, 7-11 P.M. * $50 PER PERSON ADVANCE, $60 DAY OF EVENT