Saturday brought numerous events to the city. I had to come and go as we entertained the Urban family and mixed in a little college football. The weather also came and went as the temperatures dropped and rain fell intermittently. I saw the Race for the Cure off at 8:30 and by 8:45 we had a downpour. Fortunately, it held off more than it rained and generally downtown simply got coated with a light mist most of the day.
Philtoberfest: Masquerade on Market Square fell right during my obligations elsewhere, so I only caught bits of it. The parts I was able to attend were very good, but I think the crowd was a bit suppressed by the weather. I didn’t attend the finale of the night with King Super, so I suspect the largest crowds gathered without me.
I did get the chance to hear Hudson K with Christina Horn and Nate Barrett, also accompanied by Bob Deck on guitar and a trio of different dancers (Claire Metz Fenner, Ali Blaire and Jaia McClure) along the way. Hudson K’s music has always struck me as complex and interesting, the melodies good if unconventional and the show always an asset. They’ve gotten better at all of the above. This is a band with talent that deserves to be heard. Hopefully a new CD will be recorded soon and the vastly improved sound will be captured.
It’s much cheaper to make a CD today than it was to make an album years ago – but it’s still very expensive and generally, there is no record company to advance the money. Most bands need direct help from fans and Hudson K is no exception. They are currently attempting to raise $7,000 on indiegogo and you can help by advancing money for a CD, etc. Check it out here. It is a very worthy cause.
After their excellent set I took a few photographs of some of the revelers before taking a break back at the house. I’m always amazed at the percentage of people who allow random people like me to take their photograph. The percentage is somewhere around 99.99. I’ve taken thousands and thousands of pictures of people for this blog and I’ve had about four or five turn me down. Most of the time people act as if they are excited to have their picture taken and that really helps make my job easier.
The other band I did get a chance to hear was Tuatha Dea from Gatlinburg. What started out as a random group of friends gathering to play percussion grew into and fun rhythmic group starting to branch out more into public performances. They do cover songs, such as “Sympathy for the Devil” by the Stones with its great rhythms to semi-traditional Scottish songs. The music remains fun and engaging no matter the particular selection.
As I said, I didn’t have a late night in me and so I returned home. I really hate I missed the Band of Humans footage and other Phil Pollard tie-ins. He’s certainly missed and he’s still a presence on the Knoxville music scene. Thanks to Preservation Pub for setting up the celebration including the elaborate stage set up which had to cost a fortune. I’ll leave you with a little message from Christina Horn.