Here’s a list of what to do this weekend—an exhibit of explosive abstract paintings at the Knoxville Museum of Art, world-class bluegrass, Snow Day, rugby for women, and more. Visit the Knoxville Mercury online calendar or pick up this week’s issue for a full list of the weekend’s offerings.
FRIDAY, JAN. 27
Jered Sprecher: Outside In
Knoxville Museum of Art • 10 a.m.-5 p.m. • Free
Courtsey of Jered Sprecher University of Tennessee art professor Jered Sprecher, who specializes in large-scale paintings that are explosions of color, geometry, and nature—gets his first solo museum show. Read Coury Turczyn’s profile of Sprecher in this week’s cover story. Through April 16.
The Del McCoury Band
The Standard • 7:30 p.m. • $30-$35
The Del McCoury Band is, hands down, the best traditional bluegrass band in the world—breakneck-pace picking, high lonesome lead vocals, heart-piercing harmonies, and a catalog of classic songs—and has been for more than two decades. No other band lives up as fully to the title of WDVX’s World Class Bluegrass series. With Van Eaton. Read our profile from 2016.
Snow Day
Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 7 p.m. • $8 (plus $5 for soup)
Beardsely Community Farm picked the perfect day for its annual fundraiser concert. Listen to top-notch local music from J-Bush, Big Bad Oven, Count This Penny, Kelle Jolly, the Pinklets, Pleases, and Matt Nelson and Caleb Hall, vote for contestants in the beard contest, and enjoy soup from Knoxville’s finest restaurants.
SATURDAY, JAN. 28
The Soul of the House: A Knoxville Birdhouse Benefit
The Birdhouse • 4 p.m. • $8
An all-evening and into-the-night fundraiser for the Fourth and Gill community center, starting with a potluck and soul music by DJ Nijoli and also featuring a spoken-word performance, hip-hop from the Good Guy Collective, and a dance party with TEKNOX.
The Freight Hoppers
Laurel Theater • 8 p.m. • $13
Courtesy of Jubilee Community Arts This old-time North Carolina string band has been getting down to classic Southern folk/country/blues since 1992.
SUNDAY, JAN. 29
The Public Cinema: Aquarius
Knoxville Museum of Art • 2 p.m. • Free
Aquarius, the second feature from Brazilian filmmaker and former critic Kleber Mendonça Filho, is a nuanced look into Brazilian social politics that approaches knotty issues from a personal angle. Sônia Braga plays Clara, a vivacious former music critic who resists buy-out offers from developers who want to destroy her beloved Art Deco apartment complex and replace it with large-scale luxury condominiums. But Aquarius’ focus isn’t strictly sociopolitical; Filho and Braga create a quiet portrait of a proud older woman living her beliefs to the fullest.
Knoxville Women’s Rugby Beginners Clinic
South Knoxville Community Center • 2-4 p.m. • Free
The Minx host an introductory clinic on the basiscs of rugby for anybody interested in joining the team for its regular season. Wear comfy workout clothes.
KSO Chamber Classics
University of Tennessee Natalie L. Haslam Music Center • 2:30 p.m. • $12.50-$35
This Sunday’s Principal Quartet concert will move to the Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall in UT’s Haslam Music Center for a more intimate environment. Two important works from the string-quartet repertoire are on the program: Tchaikovsky’s String Quartet No. 1 in D major and Beethoven’s String Quartet in C major, Op. 59, No. 3, one of the “Razumovsky” quartets.
Roman Polanski’s Baby
Pilot Light • 9 p.m. • $5 • 18 and up
Grafting the sound and attitude of riot grrl punk onto a surprising range of simple rock ’n’ roll sounds, this Nashville trio has been a sleeper success in its home town. The band’s 2014 album, Get Right, showcase a furious, funny, and aggressively female punk act. With Ex-Gold and Caps.
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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