Boulder to Birmingham (to Knoxville)
Knoxville continues to get quite a stream of musical talent. Too much for an Urban Guy to afford. So an Urban Guy has to improvise. Emmylou Harris, who is an amazing treasure in American music came...
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Kuumba Ya My City, Kuumba Ya
I have to get on top of what is going on around here. I think I’m up on everything. I dare to leave my house without a camera and what happens? Kuumba breaks out on Market...
Spring in the City
The Whittle Building and the Andrew Johnson Building Remember what it felt like in Knoxville before the pavement started melting? Remember when you could walk around downtown and not be forced to swim through the humid...
All We Are is Busk in the Wind
There’s been quite a stir lately about busking in the city. While most cities of significant size have crossed this bridge long ago, this is just one more example of Knoxville being an old city that...
Things that make you go, well, to the Internet to try to figure it out
We had fun with the Blackberry car mystery. It’s time for another round of “who knows what in the world this is about?” It looks like a life preserver around the base of a tree, but...
Talking Trash, Talking People
Trash in cities has a long and interesting, if smelly history. For hundreds of years after the advent of cities people had to be careful walking down a street, ever watchful for falling garbage thrown from living quarters...
She’s Sixty-Eight but She Says She’s Fifty-Four
I really don’t have any idea how old she is – let’s say timeless and ageless. Maggie Longmire was born, has lived and performed in east Tennessee for long enough to seem like a natural part...
A Prophet and a Genie
“And I’ll call down thunder and speak the same And my word fills the sky with flameAnd might and glory gonna be my nameAnd men gonna light my way.” Words by John Perry Barlow; music by...
Sometimes a Drum Circle Isn’t Just a Drum Circle
As I ate dinner at Trios and watched the people passing by on a steamy Friday night, I noticed a couple carrying a drum. Then another couple walked past with a didgeridoo. Then I saw more with...
One More Cup of Coffee Before I Go (to the city below)
Evenings downtown have been downright pleasant lately if you’ve gotten out a little earlier to appreciate what heat and humidity really feel like. By around 7:00 a light breeze glides between the buildings, which also offer shade...
It Always Rises, but Will There Still be a Sundown in the City?
As I walked toward Market Square tonight, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this is probably the last Sundown in the City – at least in its current form. I’ll be honest: that makes me sad....
Where There are Dishwashers, Civilization Can’t be Far Behind
Boxes of Dishwashers on the Sidewalk in Front of the Daylight Building One of the obsessions with residents in the city is with what is happening at various spots along our daily treks. I’ll write about a...
Saturday Morning Biscuit Bust
The morning of the first International Biscuit Festival finally arrived. I didn’t have advanced tickets for the premium event (a sit-down biscuit bonanza) and I arrived around 10:20 for the main event, only to find that...
First Friday – Early June in the City
Downtown Knoxville celebrates the first Friday of each month by having stores extend their hours. Music pops up in the usual places such as outside on Market Square and inside bars and restaurants, and in more...