Everything Went Black

Everything went Black
Local Americana folk group Medford’s Black Record Collection has just released their second CD, Eccentricity NOS. The band calls upon old-time and bluegrass for the basis of its sound, but throws in some alt.country-style electric guitar for more modern flair. Head Medforders Matt Foster and Michael Davis – who handle all manner of string instruments, plus harmonica duties – are joined here by bassist Clint Mullican and drummers Deric Dickens and Whitaker, and the album boasts contributions from local musicians such as Roman Reese, Sam Lewis, John Puckett, Trisha Gene Brady and Christina Horn of Hudson K.

The band will perform live at WDVX’s Feature at Five [p.m.] on Friday, March 7, as part of the stations’ participation in First Friday festivities. The official release will be Sat., March 8 at Preservation Pub, and Foster says some of the musicians who played on the album will sit in with the band. The guys are gearing up for a tour around East Tenn. and North Carolina, with hopes for an extended tour sometime in the summer. (Eric Dawson)

Spray paint the walls!
Put away your spray-paint and bubble-gum sidewalk sculptures? Nah, just watch out for the Public Art Task Force — the group has worked since November to establish guidelines for the placement of installations, sculptures, murals and other artwork in the city of Knoxville. The members — local artists, patrons, curators and city officials — released a report Feb. 28 recommending the creation of a city Public Art Committee that would oversee programs to “enhance the reputation of the community, contribute to the civic environment and enrich the lives of citizens and visitors through the involvement of professional artists to integrate public artwork” in Knoxville.

The mayor-appointed and City Council-approved group would select artists, recommend acquisitions and commission work to incorporate art into the daily scenery of the city. “We didn’t have a good process to deal with gifts and placement of art and we were receiving a lot of questions about the issue in recent months,” says Bill Lyons, Task Force chair and city director of policy and communications. “We dealt with both short-term and long-term concerns, [and] felt strongly that the public art committee was necessary to both encourage public art and to address issues that may arise in the future.” (Elizabeth Wright)