MONDAY, JAN. 16
United Campus Workers/Jobs With Justice MLK Celebration
Communication Workers of America Local 385 • 6-8:30 p.m. • Free
According to the theory of intersectionality, identity politics can’t be divided into just race, class, gender, or sexual orientation—social justice demands an agenda that addresses all forms of inequality and discrimination. So join representatives from the local labor movement later today to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and get ready for Jan. 20. (Remember that King was in Memphis to support a strike by black sanitation workers when he was assassinated.) The Rev. Harold Middlebrook, a distinguished veteran of the civil rights movement and one of King’s colleagues in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, will speak.
A Night With the Arts: A Celebration Concert in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Tennessee Theatre • 6 p.m. • Free
The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra teams up with Carpetbag Theatre, the Celebration Choir, and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Commission of Greater Knoxville for a tribute to MLK. The program includes a selection of gospel songs, Antonín Dvořák’s New World Symphony, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, and music from Selma.
TUESDAY, JAN. 17
UT Humanities Center Conversations and Cocktails Series
Holly’s Gourmets Market and Cafe • 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. • Free
In the first 2017 installment of the University of Tennessee’s happy hour series, Michael Lofaro will discuss James Agee’s film scripts and film reviews. Lofaro, an English professor at UT, is the editor of a recent restored edition of Agee’s Pulitzer-winning novel A Death in the Family and a new collection of essays on Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. His subject—Agee’s perspective on the South in his book and film reviews—is newly relevant, with two new volumes of Agee’s criticism now available.
Uncommon Stories: Flannery O’Connor’s Short Fiction
Lawson McGhee Library • 6:30 p.m. • Free
Pellissippi State Community College professor Edward Francisco leads the second of four weekly discussions of Flannery O’Connor’s short stories, part of the Knox County Public Library’s month-long program of O’Connor-related events. This week’s discussion examines “The Displaced Person,” a 1955 story about war refugees that has taken on grim new relevance. David Griffith’s 2015 essay can help you prepare.
Dweezil Zappa: 50 Years of Frank
Bijou Theatre • 8 p.m. • $30
For more than a decade, Dweezil Zappa has revitalized his father’s music, joyously paying tribute to the near-manic eclecticism and complexity of the Frank Zappa catalog. But his latest tour is traveling beneath a storm cloud. Since the 2015 death of Dweezil’s mother, Gail, the Zappa family has split into two factions of feuding siblings: Dweezil and sister Moon Unit against Ahmet and Diva, chief shareholders of the Zappa Family Trust. The rival camps disagree about most matters of preserving Frank’s legacy, from an upcoming Alex Winter documentary about him to the branding of the Zappa name. Ryan Reed discuss the controversy—and considers the “harmonic and rhythmic sophistication” in the late Frank Zappa’s extensive catalog—in this week’s music story. (Reed also interviewed Zappa for the Mercury in 2015.)
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 18
The Southern Writers Book Group
Union Ave Books • 6 p.m. • Free
Union Ave Books’ monthly book group will discuss Kevin Wilson’s award-winning debut comic novel, The Family Fang, from 2011, which was adapted into a film starring Nicole Kidman and Jason Bateman last year.
Feminist Trivia
Saw Works Brewing Company • 7 p.m. • Free
Match wits with the Knoxville Feminist Action Brigade at their bimonthly trivia contest.
THURSDAY, JAN. 19
Peak Physique
Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 6 p.m. • Free • All ages
Last year, after retiring the Harry Potter-themed wizard hip-hop persona Lil Iffy, Wil Wright teamed up with Matt Honkonen (formerly of Tenderhooks and half a dozen other local bands) as the alt-R&B/electronic-pop duo Peak Physique, with the goal of bringing people together (“mostly at the face, hands, and bathing suit areas,” they say). They’ll be loving all over the WDVX radio audience on the next episode of Wayne Bledsoe’s Six O’Clock Swerve, broadcast live from Barley’s in the Old City. PP’s debut EP is available from the local label Gezellig Records.
In related news: Peak Physique was announced last week as part of the lineup for the Dogwood Arts Rhythm N’ Blooms festival, scheduled for April 7-9 in the Old City, along with Young the Giant, Gogol Bordello, Cruz Contreras, and others; and Wright is resurrecting Lil Iffy this weekend.
KSO: Sibelius Violin Concerto
Tennessee Theatre • 7:30 p.m. • $15-$88
Violinist Bella Hristova joins the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and guest conductor Andrew Grams for Jean Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D minor. The program also includes music by Bedřich Smetana and Antonín Dvořák.
Step Afrika!
UT Alumni Memorial Building • 7:30 p.m. • $5
The very first professional step-dance company in the world brings its mesmerizing show to the University of Tennessee campus.
The Public Cinema: The Love Witch
Scruffy City Hall • 8 p.m. • Free
The Love Witch, Anna Biller’s second feature, about a sexy young woman in swinging California who deploys magic to seduce and ensnare attractive men, is an eye-popping feminist art-house comedy chiller that recalls Hitchcock, Hammer horror movies, and the low-budget drive-in sex romps of the ’60s.
Senior Editor Matthew Everett manages the Knoxville Mercury's arts & entertainment section, including the comprehensive calendar section—Knoxville’s go-to guide for everything worth doing in the area. You can reach Matthew at matthew@knoxmercury.com.
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