Jack Neely

• Pryor Brown: Can a Parking Garage Be Historic? Published 06/18/2013 at 4:42 p.m.

  Only one historic building has been demolished downtown in this century. Three more proposed demolitions of intact pre-war buildings have come to the fore in the last few days. Up this week, before the Downtown Design Review Board, is the ...

• Local Music Review: Hudson K Published 06/12/2013 at 11:42 a.m.

  Hudson K’s new album, Ouroboros and the Black Dove, marks a new turn for Knoxville’s most unusual duo. (Why, they don’t even have a guitar!)

• Joe Evans at the Last Chance: One or Two Pieces in the Puzzle of an Obscure Blues Duo Published 06/12/2013 at 10:51 a.m.

  In 1991, Document Records released a 20-side compilation of the 1927 and 1931 recordings of an unusual country-blues group called The Two Poor Boys. Their real names were Joe Evans and Arthur McClain.

• No One Ever Reaches There: To Some Desperate Escapees 150 Years Ago, Knoxville Was Oz Published 06/05/2013 at 12:57 p.m.

  Just when you think you’ve heard all the interesting Civil War stories concerning Knoxville, here comes another.

• "Draw!" The Smoky Mountain Shootist Society Brings an Entirely Different Sort of Re-Enactment to East Tennessee Published 05/29/2013 at 1:44 p.m. 1 Comment

  Once a month, a large group of armed men, and quite a few armed women, converge on a hilly area near Oak Ridge and start blasting away. They’re not survivalists (as far as we know), but rather a new sort ...

• Deconstructing Ben Atchley Street: Hatter Road, and the Origins of Homberg Drive Updated 06/04/2013 at 4:21 p.m.

  Bearden’s Ben Atchley Street controversy presented me with a learning curve. I’ve been tarrying in that quarter, shopping or dining, at least a couple times a month since Lyndon Johnson was president. But even after that long acquaintance, I wasn’t ...

• Turning the Corner: Is Knoxville Finally Learning How to Try? Published 05/22/2013 at 3:23 p.m. 7 Comments

  In the city I grew up in, the motto was “That’ll do.” Anybody who tried to achieve something that stood out for its quality or individuality, whether it was a building or a plate of food, was just putting on ...

• Knoxville: The Unexpected Outdoors Wonderland Published 05/15/2013 at 4 p.m.

  For decades, Knoxville hailed itself as the Gateway to the Smokies. Not many cities identify themselves by wonders that are an hour’s drive away, but the practice offers obvious advantages. It doesn’t cost anything, doesn’t cause traffic or parking tie-ups ...

• Internationally Renowned Saxophonist Greg Tardy Finds His Way Into Knoxville's Jazz Community Published 05/15/2013 at 11:40 a.m.

  He’s maybe not as familiar by sight as some of Knoxville's other jazz players, but judging by the crowds he draws around the world, and the prominent discs that have featured his saxophone, Greg Tardy is one of the most ...

• The Elusive Specialty: Of Hot Dogs, Grilled Cheese, and Biscuits Published 05/15/2013 at 10:41 a.m. 3 Comments

  But do we serve anything worth waiting in line for? Something that we’d say, “When you’re in Knoxville, you just have to try a ___”?

• Best Gay Club: Carousel II and Club XYZ (tie) Published 05/12/2010 at 5 p.m.

  They tied. And why shouldn’t they? They both offer well-stocked bars and regular drag shows in interesting neighborhoods.

• Best Thing In/About Knoxville to Surprise Newcomers With & Best Place To Break Up: Market Square Published 05/12/2010 at 5 p.m.

  A colorfully historical jumble of Victorian and early 20th-century architecture on a more personable scale than most of downtown, and 30-odd businesses, mostly local, mostly unusual, is a big part of the 156-year-old Square’s appeal.

• Best Concert Venue: Tennessee Theatre Published 05/12/2010 at 5 p.m.

  Kind of a shoo-in in this category, the Tennessee Theatre has won many times before. But it got more national attention in 2010 than it has in any calendar year in its 82-year history, except for maybe the night back ...

• Best Breakfast: Pete's Coffee shop Published 05/12/2010 at 5 p.m.

  Pete’s breakfast is now both politically historic and literary.

• Best Jazz Band: Donald Brown Published 05/12/2010 at 5 p.m.

  Originally from Memphis, East Tennessee’s best-known jazz pianist is a former member of Art Blakey’s legendary Jazz Messengers, with several albums of his own (hear Piano Short Stories) and has been a familiar figure in town for 20-odd years.

• Best Salads: Trio Café Published 05/12/2010 at 5 p.m.

  This Market Square cafe-with-patio offers probably the most conspicuous salad bar downtown.

• Best Eyewear Shop: Luttrell’s Eyewear Published 05/12/2010 at 5 p.m.

  Walk into this Bearden business, more colorful in decor than any mall shop, and more comfortable, and you may have the impression you’re visiting a friendly neighbor.

• Best Meat & Three: Chandler’s Published 05/12/2010 at 5 p.m.

  This sunny soul-food buffet, now a decade old, has become an East Knoxville institution.

• Best Addition to Knoxville: Strangers Published 05/12/2010 at 5 p.m.

  Okay, Knoxville’s not exactly a stranger to strangers, and hasn’t been ever since Francois-Rene de Chateaubriand showed up here looking for material for his novels and a refuge from the guillotines of Paris. Ever since Ambrose Burnside rode into town ...

• Best Wine List: Oodles Uncorked Published 05/12/2010 at 5 p.m.

  A wine list notable for its variety, but maybe more so for its economy.

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