Metro Pulse

Leaders at the 77-year-old justice and training center say they see both challenges and opportunities in the years ahead, with a potential ally as president and a possible long recession looming, making the struggle for social justice even more vital. Full story »

Horse Haven, a 5019(c)(3) non-profit, receives zilch in government funding and racks up tens of thousands of dollars each year in expenses. So how does it stay afloat? The answer is, it wouldn’t if not for a generous network of adopters, donors and volunteers. Here are a few ways you can join the effort. Full story »

All morning the December sky has been pressing down like an anvil, heavy and dark. The temperature is just above freezing—cold, but not quite cold enough to transform the sheets of rain into a more cheerful mist of snow. As it is, the wintry dampness steals under your skin, takes up residence in your bones. Full story »

Nobody really knows what to expect from the Big Ears Festival, scheduled for a cross-section of downtown and center-city venues just a little more than a month from now. The lineup, set to perform at the Bijou Theater, Pilot Light, and the Square Room on Feb. 5-7, includes some of the biggest names in contemporary boundary-pushing music: Philip Glass, Michael Gira, Ned Rothenberg, The Necks, Dan Deacon, Matmos, Antony and the Johnstons. Full story »

Utilizing recently decommissioned time-tunnel equipment from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, we were able to briefly open a fourth-dimensional wormhole into Knoxville’s future. In those few seconds, we peered into the strange new world of 2009. Full story »

Green living these days is what the Internet was in 1995: profitable and practically essential as an element if you’re trying to sell something. Call it a necessary trend. Energy and money are both in short supply, so anything that promises to save you one or both is probably a good thing. East Tennessee institutions like Clayton Homes, TVA and ORNL, and even the Knoxville city administration are actually pushing this area to the fighting lines of the Green Revolution. Some of the thinkers and do-ers involved share thoughts with Chris Barrett. Full story »

Bernadette West has been many things. Boring is not among them. At the center of a recent scandal, she served prison time for her involvement in a ring that channeled drug money to—of all things—historic preservation and downtown renewal. From gardening to crocheting to the preciousness of quiet, West shares with Jack Neely some of what she learned in stir. Full story »

House music—that bass-heavy dance music engineered specifically to make you restless, capable of being overheard through brick walls and over great distances—is actually rich in subtle nuances and subliminal pleasures. It’s also rich in history. One of the form’s progenitors, San Francisco DJ Mark Farina, makes an appearance in the booth this weekend at World Grotto. Farina talks to Chris Barrett about what you can expect and why.

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This week, the city and developers unveiled their plans for one of downtown’s lost treasures, the S&W Cafeteria. Sitting empty for nearly 30 years, the art deco wonder had been targeted for demolition several times, most recently during development of the Regal Riviera movie theater. Each time, it dodged the wrecking ball. And now, the S&W will be resurrected with a complete renovation and a new restaurant tenant. Jack Neely tells the tale. Full story »

Combining sweat equity with just plain sweat, Jason Boardman has cultivated a thriving arts and music scene centered around the scruffy former storefront now called Pilot Light. The barkeeps pour for tips and some bands play in exchange for a recording of their set from the board. Not only do they all keep coming back, they bring friends and pimp the place nationally, online and by word of mouth. Matthew Everett talks with Boardman and some of his club’s high-profile fans. Full story »

How Knoxville's biggest hole-in-the-wall music and arts nightclub got started. Full story »

Chopped, dropped, bored and primed ... as opposed to flamed, flared, buffed and stock, Rat Rods aren’t back—they never left. East Tennessee motorheads have always had a soft spot for old cars with as much motor as possible and as little of everything else they can get away with. What is on the upswing lately is a regional show and contest scene that brings them all together a lot more often. Janet Jay thumbs a ride to a recent gathering and lives to tell. Full story »

Practitioners of Groove Therapy, musicians Kenneth and Keith Brown play with and against the looming reputation of their famous father, pianist Donald Brown. Having grown up in a house full of talent that teemed with a jazz giant A-list of dinner guests, the younger Browns stand poised for a musical career that may take them beyond Knoxville’s jazz clubs. Mike Gibson swings along. Full story »

The economy sucks. But you knew that, because you’re bombarded with panic-mongering headlines and statistics at every turn. What you may not know is how the recession of 2008 is affecting your neighbors and all of the ways it may be affecting you. Chris Barrett goes out in search of the big picture, and finds it in a series of snapshots.

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In a large community room beneath Church Street United Methodist Church, one hears music from a different hymnal. Dinah Shore pipes, “Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy, makes your eyes light up, and your tummy say ‘Howdy.’” Full story »