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The Big Ticket

First Friday
Finalize the week in style with art, food and entertainment. Friday, May 7, 5-9 p.m. Market Square.

Lucero w/ The Rockwells and Leslie Woods & Dark Mountain Orchid
Tennessee rocks! Friday, May 7, 9 p.m. Blue Cats. $8 door, $6 w/ college ID.

Bijou Theatre Benefit w/ Nathan Best
Performing songs from his stint with the O’Jays and Fairfield Four. Friday, May 7, 7:30 p.m. Bijou Theatre. $18-$22.

Hector Qirko Band
The best in blues. Friday, May 7, 5:30-8 p.m. Knoxville Museum of Art. $6 general, $3 KMA members and students w/ ID.

The Dining Room
A humorous exploration of life in the upper-middle class. Opening Friday, May 7, 8 p.m. Theatre Central. Continues Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m. and Sundays, 7 p.m. thru June 5. $10 general, $5 students w/ ID.

Saturday Farmers’ Market and Second Saturday Arts & Crafts Market
The premiere event with fresh produce, plants, crafts, art, jewelry, entertainment and more. Saturday, May 8, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Market Square.

Trevor Lamont w/ Mic 1, Kevin Nowell and David White
National and local DJs create a big city dance club atmosphere. Saturday, May 8, 11 p.m., Fairbanks. Free from 11 p.m.-12 a.m.; $10 thereafter.

Hip Hop Showcase
Fluid Engineers joined by Explicit N SMO, Untied Crates and Klassic Cinema. Sunday, May 9, 9 p.m. Long Branch Saloon. $5.

Steve Winwood
Note: Steve Winwood has cancelled due to a death in the family. There will still be a Sundown concert, however.
In High Fidelity, Jack Black’s record store clerk postulates whether an influential artist should be held responsible for musical crimes committed later in his career. Steve Winwood fell by the wayside in the ‘80s creating radio-friendly, adult-contemporary pop fluff—a far cry from his work with the Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, and Blind Faith. However, with About Time, Winwood seems to have come full circle with a disc of fun, funky, quality organ playing that takes itself just seriously enough not to weigh it down. His recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction as a member of Traffic and a Jammys Lifetime Achievement Award recognize Winwood for his past success and acknowledge an artist on top of his game who finally got his groove back. (Clint Casey)
Steve Winwood w/ Jodie Manross • Thursday, May 6, 7 p.m. • Sundown in the City on Market Square • Free

Buzz Cason
Fame and celebrity are fascinating subjects, particularly when the topic is the early days of rock ‘n’ roll. Buzz Cason was there in the late ‘50s—touring the country with The Casuals, one of Nashville’s first rock bands—and he’s been in the biz ever since. Cason’s autobiography, Living the Rock ‘n’ Roll Dream: The Adventures of Buzz Cason chronicles his early days of playing on top of concession stands at drive-in theaters, sneaking into Hatch Show Print to create their own posters and scamming free meals before their gigs. Along the way, Cason has worked and played with musicians whose names are dropped with pride and fondness—Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, Kenny Rogers, Conway Twitty, Kris Kristofferson and Jimmy Buffett. The book, prefaced by Brenda Lee, is full of pictures and mementos from Cason’s 40 years worth of adventures. His isn’t a rags-to-riches story or a drugged-out Behind the Music melodrama, but it is a tale of success and a nice ride through rock history. (Paige M. Travis)
Buzz Cason • Performing, reading and signing his autobiography • Friday, May 7, 7 p.m. • Borders • Free

Vestival: The South Knoxville Arts and Heritage Festival
Vestival is truly an event of community spirit. Hippies dance and drum in close range of Baptist church bake sales adjacent to booths distributing political pamphlets. And it all occurs on the site of one of SoKno’s most unique and historic buildings: the Candoro Marble Co. Now in its fourth year, the Vestival begins with a Mother’s Day brunch at 11 a.m. and continues with eight hours of eclectic entertainment on three stages. Just a few highlights include The Ghosts, the Gypsy Hands belly dancers, The New Randall Brown Quartet, Vine Middle School African Dancers, the LoneTones, plus jazz, folk, country and Americana performers. If Lollapalooza is too freaky and Bonnaroo is too far away, Vestival might be about your speed. It’s just the kind of festival we need around here to bring friends and neighbors together. (P.M.T.)
Vestival • Saturday, May 8, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. • Candoro Marble Co. at the corner of Maryville Pike and Candora Ave. • $2 donation suggested