For the week of June 17-23:

FILM:

Gas, Food and Lodging at the University Center, Wednesday night at

6 p.m. and 8 p.m. This sleeper-hit features three women, two girls and

their mom, growing up in a dead-end desert town. Lush cinematography,

quirky situational scenes, and powerful acting hasn’t been subject to the

Hollywood formula. Ione Skye stars.

MUSIC:

Wednesday night, June 22 at Flamingo’s, the incomparable Aquarium Rescue

Unit. These gods of groove and participants of the national H.O.R.D.E.

tours have received wide acclaim show-stealers of the tour along with

praise from Rolling Stone, Spin, Billboard, CMJ, etc. Along with Capricorn

recording artists The Swinging Steaks.

Alive After Five returns for the summer season. This jazz series is one of

the best ideas Knoxville has ever had. Starting Friday, June 17 from 5:30-8

p.m. Nancy Brennan Strange, known for her crystal vocals and storytelling (

she’s the host of WUOT-FM’s storytelling program) is one of Knoxville’s

best. With guitarist Harold Nagge, drummer Karlton Scott, keyboardist

Donald Brown, and saxophonist Rocky Wynder. General admission is $3.

Friday night, June 17 at Flamingo’s, The Floating Men will perform. This

lush unplugged trio evokes haunting melodies soaring over dynamic

arrangements. Kinda dark, kinda creepy – acoustic rock that kicks. Weird,

wild stuff. Show starts at 9. $5.

Sunday night, June 19 at Flamingo’s, The Freddy Jones Band. This brew

contains a flavor of everything rock and blues to jazz and Caribbean. This

unlikely H.O.R.D.E. participant fuels tortured vocals, occasional

feedback, and funky rhythm. This Chicago-based group has been a national

alternative favorite for the past three years. Show starts at 9 p.m.

$5.

PARTICIPATION/ VOLUNTEER:

For those of you whose life’s a stage, now’s a chance to convince the

non-believers: Auditions for Quiet on the Set, a satire of TV soaps,

will be held Sunday, June 19 at 7 p.m. at the West Side Dinner Theatre.

Roles are available for three males and two females. Auditions will consist

of cold readings from the script.

A dance piece entitled “Bathed in Black” will be taught at the Candy

Factory Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1-4 p.m., from June 21 to August 25. Local

jazz artist Wendel Werner collaborated with choreographer Cindy Greene to

create this piece that involves African drumming, gospel, blues and jazz.

FESTIVALS:

For those of you who can no longer take the sight of the Sunsphere and just

have to get out of town, Birmingham is hosting City Stages, a weekend

festival (June 17-19) with lots of big names: The Band, George Clinton and

the P-Funk All Stars, the Indigo Girls, Junior Wells, the Pointer Sisters,

Michelle Shocked, the Neville Brothers, Maceo Parker, B.B. King, Tracy

Lawrence, Widespread Panic,and many, many others. $10 a day in Linn Park,

in downtown Birmingham.

THEATRE:

West Side Dinner Theatre presents A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around

Talking, a comedy by John Ford Noonan. Show starts after dinner (hence

the name of the theater) at 8:15. Admission is $9.75.

Radio Free Theatre and WUTK-FM present Live From Fort Sanders, a benefit

for Circle Modern Dance and the Tennessee Stage Company featuring dance by

Circle, music by the Cheeksters, Amelia Earhart Returns, and the Rent Boys,

and performances by the Radio Free Theatre Company. Friday and Saturday

nights at 8 p.m. $5.

WE RECOMMEND:

Contrary to popular belief, Knoxville is not known for its cultural

diversity. Nope, aside from a cluster of Mexican restaurants on Kingston

Pike, certain blocks in Fort Sanders and the International House (which is

moving to a new location), we usually think of Knoxvillians as happy,

football and dogwood tree-loving folks. Yet cultural diversity does exist

in this white bread town.

Saturday, June 18, and Sunday, June 19, the International Jubilee explodes

with multiplicious flavor at the World’s Fair Park. More than 20

international communities will gather in the park for this fourth annual

event to share varied traditions seemingly lost in the wake of our own

overbearing Big Orange culture.

Tons of stuff is happening. Here’s a tentative list of activities:

International Beer Garden. Need I say more? Not ridiculously priced as one

would expect. Also some local beer will be sold for the home brew

connoisseur.

Three stages will feature storytelling and dancing from all over the world,

from European folk dance to Asian dance, and performers will take their

acts into the festival crowd.

A Food Pavilion will offer delicious examples from local merchants and

passed-down family tradition. There will also be a cooking school that will

give demonstrations for budding chefs.

For the kiddies, “Young at Heart” will offer art activities, stories and

exotic outfits for dress-up.

For those who want to get in on the act, visitors can learn international

dance steps at the “Let’s Dance” tent, join in a game of cricket or bocci

ball, sing at the Karaoke stage on Sunday afternoon, or check out the

bargains in the International Bazaar.

Sunday, a proposed interfaith/ multi faith celebration (this seems like a

really dangerous thing to do, especially here, but they do it every year

and it works out just fine) will occur at 11:15. Participants of several

world faiths will share religious traditions.

And this is just an appetizer of the events. The festival will run from

11:30-8 p.m. on Saturday and noon-4 p.m. on Sunday. Besides what there is

to buy, everything is free.

-Larry McMahan