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The Big Ticket

Jonathan Hall & the Wicked Cohorts
Releasing their self-titled CD of original Southern rock. Thursday, Sept. 9, 10 p.m. Patrick Sullivan’s. $5 or free with CD purchase.

Ann Arbor Film Festival
Some of the best short films out there. Thursday, Sept. 9 and Friday, Sept. 10, 7-9 p.m. Knoxville Museum of Art. Free.

Grand Opening of the Emporium Center for the Arts and UT Downtown Gallery
Celebrate art downtown. Friday, Sept. 10, 5 to 8 p.m. Emporium Building, 100 S. Gay Street. Free.

Tennessee Valley Fair
Greasy food and fast rides. Friday, Sept. 10 thru Sunday, Sept. 19, Chilhowee Park. $8 general adult, $4 children 6-11.

The Westside Daredevils w/ Kamuy
They only get better with age. Friday, Sept. 10, 10 p.m. The Spot. Free.

MetroFest
Knoxville bands of yesterday and today. Saturday, Sept. 11, 4 to 10 p.m. Market Square. Free.

The Knack
Muh-muh-muh my Sharona. Wednesday, Sept. 15, 8 p.m. Tennessee Valley Fair. Free w/ fair admission or $5 for a reserved seat.

The Rev. Horton Heat w/ Joe Buckyourself and Scott Biram
Crazy things could happen. Wednesday, Sept. 15, 8 p.m. Blue Cats. $12.

Buster Williams
Without a doubt, legendary jazz giant Buster Williams has been, since the early ‘60’s, the premiere choice in acoustic bassists throughout the jazz world. Deemed by most critics, fans and fellow musicians as “God of the double-bass,” Williams is idolized by millions for both the creative intensity of his music and the unique signature style of his fast-paced, pizzicato-string plucking. With a long and impressive history as a sideman for notables like Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Specs Wright and Dexter Gordon, Williams has absorbed an endless amount of influence, growth and notoriety, as well as awards, prestigious grants, Hollywood soundtracks and a Grammy in 1979. His most recent creation, the quintet Something More, is the genius product of all of his past achievements and has been mystifying audiences everywhere from the hippest venues of downtown New York, to ragtime festivals in Moscow, to the underground jazz scene of Japan. To witness Buster Williams play live—to hear and watch him pluck the strings of that massive, beautiful instrument—is a historic event to be remembered and chronicled forever in the most sacred part of your mind. (Noah Bowman)
Buster Williams w/ Lenny White • Thursday, Sept. 9, 8 p.m. • 4620 Jazz Club • $20 general, $10 students.

Ramsey House Plantation
Join thousands of history-loving folk in a two-day trip into the 19th century as Ramsey House Plantation holds its 40th annual Ramsey House Country Market and Festival. Entertainment dots the grounds of the historic plantation, emphasizing the preservation of traditional music and crafts.
Craft demonstrations and sales tents will display basket and lace making and chair-caning. Carriage rides tour some highlights of the 100-acre plantation and children’s activities including pumpkin carving, face painting or a ride on a classic carousel. Fans of traditional Southern music can tap their toes to old-worldly Celtic derivations, soulful gospel or backcountry bluegrass tunes, including the sounds of Drops of Brandy, Lone Mountain Station, Flat Creek Boys and others. Proceeds will be used to continue funding preservation of the decorative art collections in the plantation house, the farmland, and the upkeep of the house’s museum and the historic gardens that flourish on its grounds. Tours of the house are also available for $5. (Melissa Elkins)
Ramsey House Country Market and Festival • Ramsey House Plantation, 2614 Thorn Grove Pike • Saturday, Sept. 11, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 12, 12 to 5 p.m. • $5 per car. House tours are $5 for adults, free for children under 10.

Guitar Shorty
Guitar Shorty, aka David Kearney, is one of those long-lived blues artists whose achievements far exceed his recognition factor. Mentored by Willie Dixon in the 1950s, and a protégé of (or sideman to) the likes of Otis Rush, Ray Charles, B.B. King, Sam Cooke and a host of other R&B luminaries, Shorty was a formative influence on the likes of Buddy Guy, not to mention a young Army Airborne Ranger named James Marshall Hendrix in the early ‘60s.
After years of relative anonymity, Shorty’s status as a perennial sideman finally began to change in 1990 when he recorded his own My Way or the Highway for the JSP record label. Shorty’s star has been on the rise ever since, through a series of records that have showcased his musical versatility as well as his gritty vox and fiery chops. His latest Alligator Records release Watch Your Back, his sixth since his JSP debut, offers a tough, over-amped take on Chicago-style blues, a roughneck riff-fest that falls just this short of rock ‘n’ roll. Go see why Guitar Shorty is considered a bluesman’s bluesman. (Mike Gibson)
Guitar Shorty • Monday, Sept. 13, 9 p.m. • Preservation Pub • Free.