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The Big Ticket

Dave Matthews Cover Band
Their last Knoxville show before the band calls it quits. Friday, May 14, 9 p.m. Blue Cats. $5.

Hard Knox Blues All-Star Jam
Bringing together the best blues artists in town. Friday, May 14, 5:30-8 p.m. Knoxville Museum of Art. $7 general, $4 KMA members and UT students w/ ID.

Gatlinburg Scottish Festival and Games
Encouraging your inner Scotsman for 23 years. Friday, May 14 thru Sunday, May16, Mills Park. $15 adults, $5 children 5-12. Go to gsfg.org for info.

Black Tie & Blue Jeans Party
The Throwbacks and Jodie Manross perform at this annual benefit for the American Heart Association. Saturday, May 15, 7:30 p.m. Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. $50.

Measured in Labor: The Coal Creek Project
The final weekend of this moving original play by the Actors Co-op. Thursday, May 13 thru Saturday, May 15, 8 p.m. Black Box Theatre. $12 general, $8 students, seniors. All tickets $5 on Thursdays. Call 909-9300 for reservations.

Califone w/ Dixie Dirt
Featuring Tim Rutili of Red Red Meat. Wednesday, May 19, 10 p.m. Pilot Light. $7.

Raymond Chorneau

With a seemingly small number of strokes, North Carolina painter Raymond Chorneau creates dreamlike scenes of personal encounters. His faceless, elongated figures stand silent but not emotionless against vibrant backgrounds. As red, purple and orange hum with electric contrast, the paintings’ characters lean toward or away from each other, playing out familiar selections from our bodies’ vocabulary—a shrug, a nod, a half-turn. Chorneau works in oil and wax on canvas and paper, layering color and texture to create shadows, depth upon two-dimensional surfaces. Uncluttered by objects or minute details, the paintings sooth the eye, like landscapes of cornfields or expanses of ocean. (Paige M. Travis)
Recent works by Raymond Chorneau • Hanson Gallery • Thru June 8 • Call 584-6097 for info.

Fluid Engineerz

Hip-hop is arguably the most groundbreaking, popular genre of the day, but at least around here, it doesn’t get a lot of attention live. The result is a truly underground scene, one that relies on artists tinkering in their basements, word of mouth, house parties and CD-Rs passed from friend to friend. Tonight, you can see the result of the labors of Fluid Engineerz, as they perform and sell their new CDs New School Suspension, Vol. 1. The Knoxville trio consists of Science O’Mega, producer/DJ/MC and Dynamic and Black Atticus, two MCs. O’Mega samples and scratches a wide range of music, including blues, soul, jazz and classical, while Dynamic and Black Atticus—whose rapping styles are distinct but complimentary—trade verses. It’s all in the vein of intellectual, underground hip-hop, inspired by the likes of Blackalicious, The Roots, Talib Kweli, Mos Def. But you can still dance, should the mood strike you. “We took a while to come out with the album, but we’re at a level where we’re confident with our material,” says Science. (Joe Tarr)
Fluid Engineerz CD release show with Cesar Comanche and Edgar Allan Flow • Saturday, May 15, 9 p.m. • The Pilot Light • $5

Deke Dickerson
With a bellyful of fried chicken and an eyeful of The Dukes of Hazzard, Deke Dickerson plays fast, twangy, bendy rockabilly licks that smack of Beach Blanket Bingo and Pulp Fiction soundtracks. Hillbilly’s answer to the Nuge, Dickerson also plays a double-neck guitar and sings the praises of the female anatomy on “Poontang.” He’s been touring since he was 17, and his upcoming Preservation Pub gig is a coup for the watering hole, and Knoxville. With his Ecco-Fonics, he insists that he keeps his three musical styles distinctly separated—rock ‘n’ roll, rockabilly, hillbilly—though it’s often tricky to distinguish. Dickerson swings through Market Square on a nationwide tour that’s certain to include stopovers at Kentucky Fried Chicken along the way. (Clint Casey)
Deke Dickerson • Preservation Pub • Friday, May 14, 10 p.m. • $3