Worlds Fair Park Amphitheatre in Knoxville.

May 24th 2009

Local artists will be covering and celebrating everything Bob Dylan in their own style from blues to bluegrass. Featured acts included The Lonesome Coyotes, RB Morris, The Carawan Family, The Mac Daddies, Kelle Jolly, Y'uns, Nancy Brennan Strange with Marcus Shirley, Greg Horne, The Black Cadillacs, Brent Thompson & His Wandering, Wade Hill & the Hillians, Sarah Kelley, & emcees Steve Dupree & David Dwyer.. The festivities start at 2:00p with food and drink available on site. Proceeds to benefit WDVX. Advance tickets are $10 and the gate price is $15. Tickets are available now at the WDVX Blue Plate Special weekdays at noon and by phone at 865-544-1029. Or ckick here to purchase tickets online.

The fund drive begins March 17th and runs through March 27th. But in the mean time you can feel free to support us by checking out our merchandise at http://www.wdvx.com/wdvxmerchandise.html



Thanks, WDVX!

Come join WDVX, the Market Square Association & KTSC in celebrating WDVX's 11th Anniversary with live music from Y'uns with their music mix of goodtime acoustic swing, country and blues. It's all happening at the Knoxville Visitor's Center located on the corner of Gay Street and Summit Hill Drive. This special First Friday event will feature live music, beverages, specials and more. WDVX listeners can come and join the celebration, pick up Fall Fund drive thank you gifts and enjoy special discounts. The Uniquely Knoxville gift shop and Café Gourmet will be offering First Friday and WDVX listener appreciation specials. We hope Y'uns can come to see Y'uns in concert on First Friday , November 7th starting at 6:00p.m. at the WDVX studio on the corner of Gay Street & Summit Hill Avenue...."See Y'uns there! For more information call (865) 523-7263

Hey guys,
A funny thing happened yesterday at the Blue Plate. My notebook with all my notes from this week got knocked back behind a counter, in between the wall, never to be seen again most likely. So this week's blog may be a little sparse on the details!
One thing I certainly do know is that we've had another full plate all week long! Monday we started off with Justin Gordon, a singer/songwriter from Oregon who is currently out on the road with the Avett Brothers. You can check out more about Gordon and his songs at myspace.com/justingordonmusic. Following that we had the Cumberland Gap Connection, a traditional bluegrass band who stopped by in transit to their showcase at the International Bluegrass Music Association conference in Nashville. They sent everyone home with their feet tapping and to check them out online at cumberlandgapconnection.com.
Tuesday we had Leslie Dysinger, also up from Nashville, in to perform some of her songs from her album Cause and Effect, followed by Arlo Finch, who once again wowed the crowd with his songs about biscuits and getting busted by the cops. You can find out more about Dysinger at myspace.com/lesliedysingersingersongwriter.com and Arlo Finch at arlofinch.com/
Wednesday was the highlight of the week for me, with Ian Thomas playing the first half of the show. With his Bob Dylan type songwriting with a much smoother and lyrical voice, he's definitely one to catch the next time he's in town. For a look at his schedule go to ianthomasmusic.com. The second half of the show played host to The Two Man Gentlemen Band, a crazy and fun banjo/bass duo complete with harmonizing kazoos and percussion. They're great about getting the crowd participating in the show. For a chance to participate in their next show, check them out at thetwogentlemen.com.
Thursday we had extremely popular songwriter Craig Brickhardt starting off a triple bill. Brickhardt has had songs recorded by artists such as Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Alison Krauss, and Tony Rice. For a complete list of all his hits, go to craigbrickhardt.com and see his very long list of songs he's sold! Following Brickhardt we had the Reel Band with Dr. Mac Snodderly playing. Dr. Snodderly is dentist/fiddler, or maybe fiddler/dentist from the sounds of him! After winning numerous fiddle contests throughout his career, Dr. Snodderly is still going strong and fiddling away! He's going to be playing at some fall festivals coming up around town so keep an eye out for him. We finished off the day with the Sons of Ralph, a family group who's dad Ralph was home recuperating from a fall. They played some good traditional bluegrass for us. You can find out more about them at sonsofralph.com.
And that brings us to today, by far the most busy Blue Plate since I started working there. Jodie Manross opened up the extra long, extra good BPS today, followed up by Bob Livingston, a singer/songwriter who got us all going with some great country music. Following Livingston was the Emmitt-Nershi band, fronted of course by Leftover Salmon's Drew Emmitt and String Cheese Incident's Bill Nershi. They were fabulous and will be playing at the Bijou Theatre tonight. Closing out our show today was HuDost, a diverse band with a wide range of styles and percussion instruments. They'll be at the World Grotto tonight along with some dancers, so go check them out!
Wow, this is a really long blog. Hope everyone has a great weekend... see you at the Blue Plate next week!

Milly

Hey everyone,
So here's the low down on what's been happening this past week at the Blue Plate Special. It's been crazy!
Monday was recovery from Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion where I heard WDVX's name mentioned a few times from the stage! Tuesday was the highlight of the week with The Shake Em Ups, The New Familiars, and the Red Stick Ramblers all three taking the stage. Needless to say, it was pretty awesome!
Sadly I missed Wednesday's show but was back in full force on Thursday when we had Marshall Ruffin and Robby Hecht sharing the bill. Hecht has very successfully competed in many songwriting competitions and Ruffin, whose sound reminded me a little of Martin Sexton, put in a great performance as well.
Friday we had another triple bill with Chris Jones, Matt the Electrician, and Kata and the Blaze. If y'all haven't heard Kata yodel, I strongly recommend that you catch one of their shows. It's amazing!
I promise next week's BP blog will be more detailed. Some of the highlights of this coming week will be The Two Man Gentleman Band on Wednesday and the Emmitt-Nershi band on Friday. Come out and catch the shows!

Milly

It's no secret in the music business that family harmonies are unbeatable. The Smart Brothers certainly prove this to be true with their perfect vocal blend accompanied by a variety of instruments. They have been the highlight of the week followed very closely by Miss Tess, who shared the stage with them Tuesday.

More about them in a minute, first let's talk about Monday! This is the week of co-bills and the Blue Plate started off with Vedge, a group of 16 to 18-year-old guys from Cincinnati who skipped class to be here after playing at Warren Wilson over the weekend. While Vedge certainly has a lot of potential, their sound was a little bit immature but allows room for growth. They get extra cool points for sound checking with Paul Simon's Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes. They had their cd Massachusetts in the house and you can find more out about them at vedgemusic.com.

They were followed by The Starlings out of Seattle, Washington. With great vocals and songwriting, this trio has surely enjoyed a lot of success on the six month tour they've been on. I particularly enjoyed the song "Geraldine," written by Tom Parker about some of his mother's "closet skeletons." Front woman Joy Mills has a beautiful voice and Tom adds great harmony vocals. Definitely check out more of The Starlings at starlingsmusic.com

That brings us to Tuesday, when The Smart Brothers started off the show. This duo sounds like four or five people over the air. For those who were listening in, along with guitar and banjo, both guys play percussion with their feet while strumming and singing. My favorite was the suitcase kick drum complete with a cable connection so it can be plugged in to the sound board. They were followed by Miss Tess, a jazz/swing band out of Boston. 50/50 male and female, this band will get your feet tapping from the first chords. I highly recommend them to any and all swing dancers. You can find out more about Miss Tess at misstessmusic.com, or The Smart Brothers at thesmartbrothers.com.

Today's show was booked for Garage Deluxe, who were gracious enough to share the stage with The Smart Brothers who were still in town. Garage Deluxe is a local band who has been rocking out the bars of Knoxville for quite some time now. Their highly anticipated cd The Chase is being picked up from the printer tomorrow! The cd release party is planned for this Friday night at the World Grotto. Chad Farmer and Andrew Bryant sounded great together today, and John Montgomery has a great sound on the electric guitar. For more information on Garage Deluxe and when they might be headed your way, check out garagedeluxe.com

Tomorrow's show has Arty Hill and Tommy Womack and Will Kimbrough up on the stage. Todd Steed and the Suns of Phere will be playing on Friday.

As always, if you have any questions or comments feel free to let me know. Or better yet, stop by and see us at the Blue Plate Special!

Today's BPS featured Bellfield and The Fox Hunt, two very different bands that both put in an excellent show. Bellfield, a Knoxville band, started the show off with some mellow acoustic rock. Usually a full band, today Bellfield was stripped down to Van Gallick and Rob Morrow with their acoustic guitars. To see the full band, go on down to The World Grotto on Saturday night and check them out! For more information about Bellfield and their upcoming shows check out myspace.com/bellfield.

West Virginia's The Fox Hunt brought a great contrast to the second half of the show with their old-time, foot-stompin' music. Headed home after a four week tour that took them out to Washington State, the band was no worse for wear and put in an awesome performance. Their cd Nowhere Bound was available in the house but can also be found online. According to Ben Townsend, fiddle/banjo player, the next cd of the band is planning to release is going to be called America's Working So We Don't Have To and will consist of many straight up old-time tunes. For more information about cd's and shows coming your way, go to thefoxhunt.net or look for them on myspace. Even better, you can see them in person this Friday night at Sassy Ann's Jazz Club in North Knoxville.

Monday and Tuesday were also good Blue Plates. Banjo Wade Darnell and Friends joined us on Monday. Darnell, a 16 year old from Oak Ridge, can rip up the banjo after only two years of playing it. He was joined by Tony Thomas on guitar and vocals. When asked why he picked the banjo, Darnell said "To be honest with you, listening to WDVX. The banjo just stuck out to me." To see Banjo Wade will be putting in appearances Labor Day at Pickett State Park, September fifth at First Friday's in Clinton and October 8-12 at the Museum of Appalachia's Tennessee Fall Homecoming.

Yesterday we were joined by Kevin Hyfantis and the Bishop's Band, a rock group from Knoxville. With a nice mixture of acoustic guitar and keys from Kevin, along with electric guitar, drums, and bass, the Bishop's Band had the crowd rockin' for the full hour. With an EP called Blueprints out, this band is worth looking into. Their cd can be found ad Disc Exchange on Chapman Hwy. and on cdbaby.com. You can also find out more about them at myspace.com/kevinhyfantisandthebishopsband.

Stay tuned for more updates on the Blue Plate Special. Everyone enjoy Tennessee Shines tonight!!!

Milly

Hey everyone!

This week has gotten off to a great start with Nashville's Brian Ashley Jones and Asheville's Jon Stickley doing an unusual twin bill where both guys were accompanied by women that rocked on the bass. Palmyra Romeo had her live radio debut playing with Stickley and Jones was accompanied by Tisha Simeral, a bassist who has worked with the Nashville Symphony.

Stickley had copies of his new cd "Lions," which features Andy Thorn, Bobby Britt, Jeff Stickley, Miles Andrews and Charlie Rose available in the house. You can find out more information about Stickley and Romeo on www.myspace.com/stickleymusic.

While Jones and Simeral were traveling as a duo on Monday, they often perform as a full band. To see if they're stopping by your way check out brianashleyjones.com. Be sure and keep an eye out for the original song "Johnny Appleweed," that is currently being featured in a movie by the same name.

Tuesday's Blue Plate has been the highlight of the week so far with Angel Snow coming in from Nashville with Bryn Davies on the bass and Jason Goforth on the slide guitar and harmonica. Snow's mellow and pensive style had the audience enthralled from the very beginning of her song "California" to the last notes of the show. I highly recommend checking out her cd "Fortune Tellers" and to keep an eye out for an EP to be released soon. You can find out more about Snow by going to her website, angelsnow.net.

Today's BPS featured the Atlanta band High Cotton with their first Blue Plate performance. They were a crowd pleaser, especially when they gave away t-shirts and hats with their logo on it. The cd "Pictures" included many of the original tunes the audience heard today. The website for High Cotton is highcottonatl.com.

Tomorrow's BPS has Erick Baker on stage, with The Courduroy Road and The Grit Pixies doing a twin bill on Friday.

Just so you know, my name is Milly Cavender and I'm an intern at WDVX working specifically with the Blue Plate Special. You can look for a new blog every Wednesday to find out what you've missed and what's coming up! If you have any suggestions or comments let me know. Come out and see us!!

Milly

Hey everyone! Welcome to the new Blue Plate Blog where you can catch up if you missed the show and hear a little bit about what happened. Today, August 6th, we had Nashville based singer/songwriter Lani Nash start the show off on a great foot. She opened with the title track off her album "I'm Only Here for the Music" which features nine songs written or co-written by Nash herself. The Blue Plate audience had an emotional moment with "The Old Me," a song about letting go of a bad love. Even Nash had trouble getting through it without getting emotional, but she soon had the crowd back on the cheerful side with more tracks from her album. You can check out more about Nash and her cd "I'm Only Here for the Music" at laninash.com or you can see her live tonight at Preservation Pub on Market Square with The Cat Mary, who graced the stage for the second half of the show today.

Based out of New York City, The Cat Mary features Andrew Markham on guitar, mandolin, banjo and vocals; Ken Dow on upright bass and vocals; Stephen Snyder on piano, organ and vocals; Melissa Harley on fiddle; and Kevin Dow on percussion. They rocked the second half with several longer, progressive tunes that showed off their ability to play both upbeat rock and mellow instrumental numbers. They closed out the show with a tune called "I Think They Mean to Tear our Playhouse Down, Emma," which was written after a dream about actress Emma Thompson, according to Markham. You can find out more about them at thecatmary.com, or y'all can go on down and check these guys out at Preservation Pub tonight... it promises to be a good show!!

Tomorrow on the Blue Plate we have Treva & the Suits along with Megan McCormick with Medford's Black Record Collection coming to the stage on Friday. Come out and see us!

Milly

Station Playlist for: WDVX - Knoxville

for week of Monday, May 05, 2008

Rank, Artist, Album

1.  Steeldrivers, The Steeldrivers

2.  Wilders, Someone's Got To Pay           

3.  Kathleen Edwards, Asking For Flowers   

4.  Hayes Carll, Trouble In Mind         

5.  Justin Townes Earle, The Good Life           

6.  Chatham County Line, IV       

7.  James McMurtry, Just Us Kids

8.  Charlie Sizemore Band, Good News

9.  Longview, Deep In The Mountains         

10.  Jim Lauderdale & The Dream Players, Honey Songs

11.  Tim O Brien, Chameleon     

12.  Malcolm Holcombe, Gamblin' House         

13.  Biscuit Burners, Take Me Home          

14.  Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Raising Sand  

15.  Tyler Ramsey, A Long Dream About Swimming Across The Sea 

16.  Steve Earle, Washington Square Serenade

17.  Punch Brothers, Punch

18.  Gibson Brothers, Iron & Diamonds

19.  Drive-By Truckers, Brighter Than Creations's Dark

20.  Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Honoring The Fathers Of Bluegrass  

21.  Belleville Outfit, Wanderin'

22.  Van Morrison, Keep It Simple

23.  Blue Highway, Through The Window Of A Train

24.  Brendon James Wright and The Wrongs, Brendon James Wright and The Wrongs

25.  Dailey & Vincent, Dailey & Vincent       

26.  Dixie Bee-Liners, Ripe

27.  Levon Helm, Dirt Farmer

28.  Waifs, Sundirtwater

29.  Tift Merritt, Another Country

30.  Allison Moorer, Mockingbird

31.  Willie Nelson, Moment Of Forever   

32.  Stephen Simmons, Something In Between          

33.  Joe Ely & Joel Guzman, Live Cactus!   

34.  South Austin Jug Band, Strange Invitation      

35.  Shelby Lynne, Just A Little Lovin'    

36.  Caroline Herring, Lantana          

37.  Rhonda Vincent, Good Thing Going     

38.  Larry Cordle & Lonesome Standard Time, Took Down And Put Up       

39.  Bearfoot, Follow Me

40.  Dwight Yoakam, Dwight Sings Buck    

41.  Ryan Bingham, Mescalito

42.  Paul Thorn, A Long Way From Tupelo     

43.  Shawn Mullins, Honeydew     

44.  Mando Saenz, Bucket            

45.  Jackie Greene, Giving Up The Ghost            

46.  Various Artists, Cheatin' Heart: Tales Of Lies & Love

47.  Kathy Mattea, Coal    

48.  Ray Bonneville, Goin By Feel  

49.  Yarn, Yarn   

50.  Blue Rodeo, Small Miracles