Organized Play: Has Gaming Come to Knoxville?

Posted on January 27, 2012 Written by 1 Comment
Organized Play 131 S. Central, Old City, Knoxville, 2012

I’ve not been big on games since the days of the distant past when I would convince my younger brother he should sell me all his property when we played Monopoly. In the years since I’ve mostly played the occasional late-night domino game with my father and a pretty steady stream of chess online and, in recent years, with Urban Son-in-Law. I predate most of the computer game era, so that doesn’t hold a great attraction for me.


Attractive displays in Organized Play, Knoxville



I first noticed and took a quick walk through Organized Play when it was located at 221Cumberland Avenue just east of Gay Street in, what I’m told, was previously the space inhabited by Deka Bakari Gallery. It wasn’t so much my sort of thing. I haven’t collected comics in many years and computer games and Dungeons and Dragons never caught my interest.

















Once I began writing this blog I’ve tried to think in larger terms than my own narrow interests and I’ve taken a second look at things that didn’t so much interest me before. Organized Play took its comic books, graphic novels, computer and board games and moved to the Old City where you will find them at 131 S. Central Street with expanded hours from their previous incarnation.



Morgan Hardy, Organized Play, Old City, Knoxville

Owner Morgan Hardy will likely greet you at the door and offer to help you find what you are looking for. He tells me the the Old City is a good fit for his business which seems to attract a younger audience. It includes the aforementioned items and games such as Warhammer, which seems to be quite the thing and many other games both new and traditional. Wednesday appears to be release day for new comics, so you can get them while they are hot.

Games new and traditional

It’s not unusual to walk by late in an evening and see a group gathered around a table playing an elaborate board game, faces intense and concentration obvious. There are worse things we could all do than play games with friends new and old around a table. Of course, Preservation Pub also hosts trivia games and Rita’s on the square has board games often in use. Maybe we’ve become a gaming town. Go by and meet Morgan and buy yourself a game for these long winter nights.

This weekend there are four events built around the pre-release of Dark Ascension. I do not have any idea what that means, but if you do, there is probably an event for you this weekend. I’ll just take a little pleasure in knowing that on a cold snowy night if I get the jones for a good game of monopoly, I know where I can buy the game right here in our little city.

Filed Under: Downtown Businesses, Downtown Knoxville, Downtown Knoxville Blogs, games, Knoxville Tennessee, knoxville tennessee blogs, Old City, Organized Play

Tim Lee with Surprise Guests Kevin Abernathy and Greg Horne at the Pilot Light

Posted on January 24, 2012 Written by Leave a Comment
Tim Lee 3 at Pilot Light, Knoxville, January 2012

This post has been slow in coming, but the night was so good, I can’t let it pass without a post and a glimpse at some of the pictures. It goes all the way back to First Friday this month. Urban Woman and I had delicious appetizers and beverages at 31 Bistro for a nice low price and then walked to the 100 block where my friend Mustapha was holding his official Grand Opening. We had mini-cupcakes and two great cups of Americano.

Urban Woman decided beauty rest was in order for her, so I walked her home and then went to the KMA for Alive After Five for the Streamliners with RB Morris. It ends early, so around 8:30 I walked over to Morelock Music on Gay street and listened to a little Old Time music for about an hour before walking to the Pilot Light.


Tim Lee, Susan Lee, Greg Horne and Kevin Abernathy

 My plan was to see the Tim Lee Three at 9:00 and then make it to Preservation Pub to hear Hudson K around 10:30. I’d seen nothing to indicate that Tim had an opening act and I knew Hudson K did, and so would be later taking the stage. The first indication that my schedule might not work out was that at 9:00 no one was close to getting on stage. I learned the show would start at 9:30, which I still figured would work out OK. I’d noticed Kevin Abernathy and Greg Horne were hanging out with Tim and Susan Lee, so I figured they would sit in for part of the show.

I talked with Kevin for a bit and learned, among other things, that he and his wife operate a kennel in south Knox County. He and everyone else were kind enough to put up with me while we waited for the show to begin. Of course, they were the show, and I realized Kevin was opening, which was cool, but I sensed Hudson K slipping off my list of possibilities for the evening. Still, it was pleasant watching the crowd slowly build. Most people seemed to have gotten the memo I missed about a later starting time, but the seats are comfortable and the waiting wasn’t unpleasant.



Kevin Abernathy, Pilot Light, Knoxville

 

Kevin Abernathy, Pilot Light, Knoxville, January 2012


Sometime after 9:30 Kevin took the stage and, as anyone who has heard him would expect, he was as good as ever – and this time with a twist, for me – he played solo acoustic. I’d heard him once before, at the Relix Theater last year, and he played with his band. As you might expect, his acoustic slot really highlighted the songs and the songwriting and I realized both were excellent. His guitar work is always going to be good, but maybe some of these songs get buried behind the band and might benefit from this sort of treatment more often.



Kevin Abernathy with Tim Lee at the Pilot Light



Tim Lee, Kevin Abernathy and Greg Horne, Pilot Light, Knoxville



As his set wound down he invited Greg Horne to sing harmony on a song and he added his great vocal touch. Greg seems to be the guy that all the guys want to sing with. He’s also an excellent musician and songwriter, of course. Tim Lee joined in, also, and the three of them finished Kevin’s set in great style.

Once Susan and Bill Van Vleet joined Tim on stage, the music turned to serious blues-based rock and roll – with a little punk element, I think, but they might disagree. The thing that rings true through every song is that this is a band with real soul. This is no manufactured, auto-tuned sterile money machine, this is a collection of people who want to play honest rock and roll and they know how to do it.



Tim Lee 3, Pilot Light, Knoxville, 2012



Time Lee 3, Pilot Light, Knoxville, January 2012



One of the highlights for me was a slow blues jam that I just could not get enough of. I kept thinking it sounded like some band, but the night was getting late and my poor memory mingled with fatigue and I couldn’t put my finger on it. Until the next day. I had my ipod on shuffle and hit a Zepplin song from, I think, their second album and realized that was it: Tim was channeling Jimmy Page. That might not sound possible if you haven’t heard Tim live. I’m telling you, I’ve heard Jimmy Page live and while I’m not saying Tim is as good as Jimmy Page – and I’m not sure anybody alive is – I’m saying Tim has the chops to bring Jimmy to mind.



Mobile Art Sales in the Old City after midnight



Around midnight I had absorbed all I could take in. I realized I had worked eight hours and then walked or stood for the next seven listening to music all around town. As I walked home I passed Preservation Pub and realized Hudson K was still playing. Maybe if I was sure they would have played a while longer I would have stopped in, but it was late, I was exhausted and I just didn’t have any more fun in me for that night. But it was a great night of music in the city and I went to bed a very happy Urban Guy.

Filed Under: Downtown Knoxville, Downtown Knoxville Blogs, First Friday, Greg Horne, Kevin Abernathy, Old City, Pilot Light, Tim Lee 3

Is there development potential under our feet?

Posted on January 17, 2012 Written by 5 Comments



Entryway beneath Jackson Avenue, Knoxville

Regular readers of this blog know that I recently spent some time walking Depot Avenue and considering the possibilities for development. As a part of that post I took pictures from Depot toward the main portion of downtown across the tracks. These shots reminded me that I’ve wanted to explore the underside of Jackson Avenue.
It’s been pretty widely documented that the 100 Block of Gay Street was elevated from its original topography in order to allow automobile traffic to cross the railyard more safely. I’d never thought about Jackson Avenue’s rise and fall as it crosses Gay Street into the Old City as being a similar project, but it must have been.

Shaft checks out the possibilities beneath Jackson Avenue, Knoxville.

There are pretty intact doorways, passageways and areas that look as if they may be currently used for storage, perhaps in support of the renovations occuring on street level above. The corridors, passageways and rooms under the street would lead to some of the structures on the 100 Block of Gay Street, though much of that space, as has been documented elsewhere, is taken by pipes, wiring and other infrastructure for the residents and businesses above.


A Glimpse underneath Jackson Avenue, Knoxville

Some of the entry-ways could easily be attractive enough to be used in only slightly modified form for the entry into a bar or cool restaurant and the space behind them seems adequate for such a purpose. One of the steadiest long-term complaints about downtown would not be an issue as a large parking lot sits directly in front of these potetial businesses. If it all sounds a bit ridiculous as a location because it looks unattractive or unsafe, please consider the spot a few blocks to the west where the Valarium and Cider House seem to be thriving.


Beneath Jackson Avenue, Knoxville

Just to the east, on the same level, are the loading docks, which I assume were built to hold frieght from or for the trains when the rail system was at its peak. I’ve thought for years that these would also make great shops, restaurants and bars. I’ve seem similar structures so adaptated in San Francisco and I’m sure it’s been done else where. This would further cement the connection between the 100 Block and the Old City. 

Loading Docks off Jackson: Storage now available.

Unfortunately, I recently received a flier advertising that some of that space will now be offered for storage. I’ve always felt long-term storage to be an indictment against western consumption and commercialism. If I don’t have room for it I need to let it go – or better, yet, never buy it in the first place. But then, I’m as guilty as anybody of wasteful spending and needless accumulation. Besides, short-term storage is probably a need for many people. It just seems like a waste of real estate in the city. Maybe it’s a temporary use for the buildings.
So, do I think we’ll see this kind of development by the spring? No. I will likely be many springs until such a thing would be considered, but I think it’s there waiting for the right vision. Maybe yours? Just askin’.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Filed Under: Downtown Knoxville, Downtown Knoxville Blogs, Gay Street, Jackson Avenue, Knoxville Blogs, Knoxville Tennessee, Old City, San Francisco

Keith Brown and Nu Jazz Fourtet at Barley’s

Posted on December 29, 2011 Written by Leave a Comment
Keith (keyboard) and Kenneth Brown (drums) of the Nu-Jazz Fourtet

One of the great things about having a few days without that little detail of a day job rearing its head is the opportunity to take in some late-night entertainment which might otherwise be sacrificed in the chase for the almighty dollar. I’ve missed several of those opportunities due to other obligations this holiday season, but I finally caught one of the 10:00 shows at Barley’s.


Barley’s shows are notorious for running behind schedule. The announced starting time seems to be more of a suggestion. I’ve also arrived for a 10:00 show that wound up starting at 10:30 and featuring an opening act I had not anticipated, making for an 11:30 start for the artist I came to see. It makes that hard decision about waiting for a second set after a “brief break” all the more perilous.


This past Monday night I took the walk into the Old City on a perfect winter night. The temperatures hovered in the upper thirties, there was no wind and the rain would not start until about twenty minutes after I returned home. People stirred in pockets, the city still not back to its usual frenetic pace.


Jamel Mitchell and Will Boyd with the Nu-Jazz Fourtet

Keith Brown and the Nu Jazz Fourtet took the stage promptly at 10:00. The band includes Keith L. Brown on piano, Kenneth Brown on drums, Clint Mullican on bass and Jamel Mitchell and Will Boyd on saxophone. The music moves afield from straight jazz with nods to R and B, funk and rock, but stays rooted in the jazz form. Unlike some phusion or nu-jazz music, this band does feature individual solos as does the more traditional jazz.


And in this case, that is a good thing. A very good thing. Each member of the band is extremely talented with their particular instrument and that was well displayed at Barley’s. I only wish more people there were focused on the music. There were probably a half-dozen to a dozen people carefully listening while others milled about drinking, laughing, flirting and otherwise having a good time talking over the music. I saw one young man transfixed by the music but accosted by a young lady with seemingly amorous intentions. He resisted as long as possible for the art, but in the end, well, she was cute and they left together.


The band was tight and some of the solos were amazing. Keith is a very accomplished pianist and band leader. I kept wondering as he took his turns in the spotlight how someone who knows jazz piano would compare his playing to his fathers, though they work somewhat different corners of the jazz world. Both saxophone players took some excellent turns and Clint and Kenneth lay a rock solid bottom to the music.


Keith Brown and the Nu-Jazz Fourtet, Barley’s, Knoxville

The set ended just after 11:00 and I took the pleasant walk home. As I walked I thought about the state of jazz in the city and it seems pretty healthy. I worried when the S and W closed last year that it might be a while before we recovered as they often featured great jazz with Donald Brown and others. It seems the Underground at Crown and Goose, Bella Luna and, on this night, Barley’s have stepped forward to give these great musicians a place to play.

The other thing I realized is that I’d be in bed by 11:30 having heard some great music. That isn’t really too late even for a work night, so I’m going to open my mind a bit to the later shows. If I still lived outside the city it might be less practical, but this seems doable given that by the time I would have been in my car before, I’m getting ready for bed. What about the rest of you guys? Could you go to bed a little late to get out and support some of these great players?

Filed Under: Barley's, Downtown Knoxville, Downtown Knoxville Blogs, Keith Brown and the Nu-Jazz Fourtet, Knoxville Tennessee, knoxville tennessee blogs, Music in the City, Old City

Knoxville’s Underground at the Crown and Goose

Posted on November 21, 2011 Written by 1 Comment



Crown and Goose Underground, Old City, Knoxville

Have you ever been in London’s Underground? Have you ever ridden the Tube? I hadn’t until this past summer and we came to depend on it and, finally, to understand it. It’s actually a very simple and reliable subway and we’ve got a bit of it right here in our little city.


Glocester Underground Stop, Kensington, London (our main stop)

Jeffrey Nash brought a bit of London to Knoxville with his Crown and Goose restaurant which opened in February 2008. The business has grown and is now bustling most evenings. I remember parking across the street in the small parking lot at the corner of Summit Hill and Central and having my car be one of a dozen or so. Urban Woman and I met friends Kevin and Melinda there on the most recent First Friday and found that parking lot and the next several behind it packed to capacity. A policeman directed the seemingly impossible traffic. We were thankful to live downtown and to be on foot.


Massive Saxophone at the Crown and Goose Underground



View toward the bar, Crown and Goose Underground, Knoxville

With a little help from our friends and their friends we were seated in the Underground or Speakeasy (I think I’ve heard both) soon enough. We entered through the cute faux telephone booth. Apparently Jeffrey and Pat are pretty careful how many people get seated inside which made the experience much more pleasant than if it had been crowded and commensurately louder.


Excellent Jazz Band, Crown and Goose Underground, Knoxville

 Inside, the design is set to mimic the interior hallways to the Tube, with the tiles and arches and perfectly inset diagrams of the various lines of the tube. We sate next to the Picadilly Line which runs past Hyde Park and Picadilly Circus. An excellent jazz trio played at the street end and the bar was nestled snuggly on the opposite end. Viewed from one end it really does mimic the London Tube.


View from the bar, Underground, Knoville

The menu is limited to a raw bar and cheese plates. Urban woman, to whom no meat is overcooked, chose the cheese while I went with a sampler platter of fish. I had a drink and she had water, which brings up the cautionary note: It’s expensive. After the food, single drink, taxes and tip, we dropped $70. The band was great. The company was superb and the atomosphere was stellar. I loved the food and our host was gracious. Still, that’s a lot of money to drop for a meal and we couldn’t do it often.

I’d suggest you try it. Maybe split a cheese plate or a fish plate. Certainly go when the jazz is playing if at all possible. It’s a different experience than anywhere else in the city.

Filed Under: Crown and Goose, Downtown Knoxville, Downtown Knoxville Blogs, Knoxville Tennessee, knoxville tennessee blogs, London, London Underground, Old City, The Underground
«Older Posts
Newer Posts»