A pandemic pause gives festival founder Ashley Capps a reason to expand
ASHLEY CAPPS INTERVIEW / FREE ENGAGEMENTS GUIDE • BLANK’S BIG BIG EARS FESTIVAL GUIDE • 10 HELPFUL TIPS
For any other festival, the “sold out” sign emblazoned across website ticket outlets is a sign of defeat for hopeful attendees.
Disappointment inevitably follows those who hope to scoop one up at the last minute, but this year, the Big Ears Festival – which takes place March 24-27 at various venues in downtown Knoxville – sold out weeks ago.
It’s not surprising, given the standard formula of Big Ears programming – which is to say, drawn from deep wells across a kaleidoscope of genres, each one percolating with familiar names near the surface but often unheard-of acts to all but the most dedicated of music fans throughout the wellbore.
And it’s all designed to give those who did manage to land tickets a sonic experience they won’t soon forget, says Ashley Capps, the festival’s founder and chief programmer.
“We intend to offer people a nice selection of opportunities,” he tells BLANK Newspaper on a recent February afternoon, squeezing in time for a Zoom chat between phone calls and a haircut appointment.
“I think the best thing is, when you’re trying to make a choice, to remember that it’s like going to a restaurant: You can’t choose all the entrees, so you choose one,” he adds. “And even though you usually only choose one, you’re often really happy with your choice.”
In some ways, this year’s Big Ears has Capps’ full attention in a way previous iterations of the festival didn’t. That’s not to say he phoned it in before; but as the founder and CEO of AC Entertainment, he was also in the middle of planning for Bonnaroo, booking acts for the Tennessee and Bijou theaters and juggling any number of other responsibilities. In 2019, he started to step away from AC, which was acquired by Live Nation Entertainment, and the pandemic cemented his decision to leave that facet of his career behind entirely, he says.
“I wanted to open a new space and explore some new frontiers. It’s always tempting to keep on keeping on, to keep doing what you’ve always done, but it’s also very time consuming, and it doesn’t leave you the psychological space to throw yourself into new adventures,” he says. “I felt like I was at a time in my life where I wasn’t going to have that opportunity for long, so it became a question of, ‘Do I just keep plugging away here, or do I take a step back, breathe a little bit and see what new possibilities are there?’”
The latter, he adds, suited his temperament – because challenging himself in so many ways … professionally and musically … is what has made so many of his ventures successful. Big Ears is a prime example: Few peers thought a festival saddled with the avant-garde tag would ever succeed, but year after year, it’s created some of the most exotic collaborations, performances and thought-provoking communions of like-minded spirits to ever grace Knoxville.
And it’s set to do the same this year … at least for ticketholders. But what of the poor souls who put off purchasing tickets to Big Ears?
What of their insatiable desires to take part in such an aural and visual feast? Fear not, Capps says: This year’s programming includes more events than ever before that are free, open to the public and designed to take both forlorn festival fans who didn’t get a pass in time, as well as Knoxvillians whose tastes run a little more mainstream but possess an insatiable curiosity to find out what all the buzz is about, on a similar journey.
In fact, according to Capps, the community spirit that’s always been a part of Big Ears has been amplified exponentially this year, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s forced cancellation of the festival in 2020 and 2021.
“We had time during the pandemic to really assess what our vision was and what we hope to do with the festival,” he says. “The greater sense of connection with the community is an important part of that, so therefore, this year, there are going to be a number of free events that are open to the public. There will be a lot of free concerts that enable people who have not been willing or able to purchase tickets to the festival to experience much of what the festival is about.”
Many of the events will take place in Tennessee Amphitheater at World’s Fair Park, including:
• Contemporary classical ensembles Kronos Quartet and Sō Percussion will join the University of Tennessee Percussion Ensemble at 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 24, with additional sets by Chicago’s righteous and soulful Damon Locks’ Black Monument Ensemble; Latin rock from Dos Santos; and Colombian-Canadian singer Lido Pimienta, whose high-energy and flamboyant performance at the 2021 Grammys was mind-blowing, will close the night out.
• At 3 p.m. on Friday, March 25, the program will begin with the musical gumbo that makes up the heritage of New Orleans and trace that lineage back to Haitian traditions that play a big role in it. Performances include traditional jazz by Aurora Nealand & The Royal Roses; the 79rs Gang, a combo of Mardi Gras Indians from NOLA’s 7th and 9th wards; and Sporty’s Brass Band. Haitian roots band Lakou Mizik will also perform, and the night will come to a bombastic close with a combined set by the Haitian roots band RAM and the Big Easy’s Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
• Haiti and New Orleans will again come together at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 26 for a multicultural second line parade through Knoxville’s Old City, crossing the Gay Street Viaduct and ending with a free street party at Southern Depot. Preservation Hall Jazz Band will lead the marchers, along with musicians from New Orleans and Haiti and local marching bands, and Knoxville’s own Cattywampus Puppet Council is constructing specially designed puppets for the event, which has been designated the Krewe du Cattywampus.
“Right now, Cattywampus is working with young people throughout the community, creating puppets as we speak,” Capps says. “With the help of Preservation Hall, we’ve curated an amazing connection between New Orleans and Haiti and Cuba, and the parade is just one more part of Big Ears that the community can experience as part of the festival without having to buy a ticket.”
Other free events include:
• At the Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World’s Fair Park Drive, the experimental chamber music group Ensemble Dal Niente will perform free concerts on the hour from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 26 and 1-5 p.m. on Sunday, March 27.
• Another official Big Ears venue, Boyd’s Jig & Reel (located at 101 S. Central St. in the Old City). Performers and artists on the program at Boyd’s include Tift Merritt, Brian Blade, Maeve Gilchrist, Nathan Salsburg, Cornelius Eady Trio, Aurora Nealand & The Royal Roses, Preservation Hall Brass, Knoxville’s own Alex Leach Band, Circus No. 9 and more. While these shows aren’t free, it might be worth a shot to swing by for a pint and if the venue isn’t packed, you might be able to sneak a peek. Wink wink.
• Practically across the street from Boyd’s, Knoxville’s long-time indie rock club the Pilot Light again will host some of the most inauspicious and electrifying Big Ears events … all of them free. Pilot Light performers throughout the weekend include Circuit des Yeux, W8ING4UFOS, Earwig Deluxe, Dead Rider, We Were Here Before, Eve Maret, Joseph Allred, DANA, Thom Nguyen, Distress Signals, Frank Hurricane, Jil Christensen, Maspeth, In Place, Matt Nelson, Crowmeat Bob, Two-Way Street, Evan Lipson, Jake Smith, Horcerer, ICE, The Drips, Patti, Okapi, Recovered Media and Natural Blk Invention.
• Poet, writer, activist, educator and Knoxville native Nikki Giovanni will talk and read from her works at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 26 at the Mill & Mine, 227 W. Depot Ave.
• Poet, essayist and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib, awarded a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship in 2021, will discuss and read from his latest work, “A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performances” at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 27 at the Mill & Mine.
In addition, a number of downtown businesses, galleries and arts organizations are jumping on the Big Ears bandwagon. They may not be an “official” part of the festival, but on a weekend where it’s not unusual to hear six or seven different languages being spoken on Market Square or an equal number of genres spilling out of the doorways of various establishments on Gay Street, there’s room for all comers on Big Ears weekend, Capps adds. Some participants include:
• Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St., showcasing “Artistic Harmonies” and hosting a meet-and-greet with artists, complete with live music, from 1-5 p.m. March 26.
• Works by Kimberlee Rose Smith on display at Awaken Coffee, 125 W. Jackson Ave. in the Old City.
• Live jazz at 8 p.m. March 25 and 26 at Bistro at the Bijou, 807 S. Gay St.
• Painting-in-action by the husband-and-wife owners of Christopher Robin Arts, 418 S. Gay St., from 1-6 p.m. March 24 and 25, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 26 and 1-4 p.m. March 27.
• A modern-meets-folk art display and a “colorful and eclectic” display of works by Beth Meadows and Ryan Blair, respectively, in the lobby of Embassy Suites Downtown, 507 S. Gay St.
• Works by numerous artists, including mixed-media collages by Robert Felker, on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay St., open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 24, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. March 25 and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 26.
• “Whatchamacallits,” a display by the UT Sculpture Club Group, on display from 5-7 p.m. March 25 and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 26 at Gallery 1010, 100 S. Gay St.
• At Honeymouth, 125 S. Central St. in the Old City, owner and artist Georgia Vogel will host an open workshop and provide free custom leather stamping from 5-8 p.m. March 25. On March 26, there’s a reception for artist Lauren Adams, and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 27, the “Sunday Social” will take place on the patio of nearby Kaizen, featuring live poetry by Sarah Vance.
• At Knoxville Soap Candle and Gifts, 714 S. Gay St., the shop, along with the 865 Candle Company, will host a candle-making class from 2-5 p.m. March 26.
• Acrylic landscape paintings by LEWA Studio will be on display all weekend at the Maple Room at Maple Hall, 414 S. Gay St.
• At Merchants of Beer, 137 S. Central St., Barron Hall, local maker and owner of Mighty Mud, will be live-throwing pottery throughout the weekend.
• Nolan Sherrill and Chris Rohwer will display portraits of people from around the world they’ve photographed as part of the “Faces and Places” exhibit, on display in the Phoenix Building, 418 S. Gay St.
• Art and letterpress demonstrations will take place at Pioneer House, 413 S. Gay St.
• Kara Lockmiller’s unique portraits of musicians will be on display at PostModern Spirits, 205 W. Jackson Ave., all weekend.
• Brent Hyder performs at 9 p.m. March 25 and Steph Cabell at 9 p.m. March 26 at Pour Taproom, 207 W. Jackson Ave.
• Wasted Major will play from 1:30-4:30 p.m. March 27 at Old City Sports Bar, 106 S. Central St.
• “On Perceptions” is the exhibit by owner Matthew Cummings that will be displayed at Pretentious Glass Co., 133 S. Central St., throughout the weekend, and Duet for Theremin and Lap Steel will provide music for improv glass-blowing demos from 6-9 p.m. March 24 and 25, 8-10 p.m. March 26 and 1-4 p.m. March 27.
• Photographer Jalynn Baker’s exhibit, “Love Well,” will be on display at Radius Rooftop Lounge, 507 S. Gay St.
• At Rala, 112 W. Jackson Ave., photographer Kelsey Dillow will take tintype portraits from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. March 24-26 and from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 27, and Lockmiller’s art will be on display, as well.
• Photographs by Diane Fox will display her works at RED Gallery, 132 W. Jackson Ave., featuring portraits of taxidermied animals designed to “inspire deeper empathy and consciousness about animals’ lives” from 5-9 p.m. March 25 and 1-5 p.m. March 26 and 27.
• Eli Fox performs at 6 p.m. March 25 and the Tennessee Stifflegs at 6 p.m. March 26 at Social Dove, the courtyard of Lonesome Dove, 100 N. Central St. in the Old City.
• Status Serigraph will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 24 and 25, featuring works by proprietor and artist Justin Helton.
• Artist Megan Lingerfelt will transform the seasonal Strong Alley Mural (between Gay Street and Market Square) on March 24 and 25.
• The UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay St., will screen daily films curated by Big Ears in conjunction with Knoxville’s Public Cinema from 2-8:30 p.m. March 24, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. March 25, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. March 26 and 12-5 p.m. March 27.
• William Wright, a 20-year veteran of the local music scene, BLANK contributor and award-winning composer of concert music and film scores, will present a selection of contemporary works at 4 p.m. March 26 at Five Thirty Lounge, on the rooftop of the downtown Hyatt. Wright will be joined by cellist Cecilia Wright, pianist Slade Trammell and bassist/violist Preston Davis for a performance of “Salt Mass,” “The Swim Lesson” and a new piece composed specifically for the showcase, “Make Me New Again.”
In a way, according to Capps, the fact that the community is rallying around an international festival to provide community context only serves to underscore just what it means to be able to celebrate creativity after a long period of isolation during the pandemic.
“When I think about programming of Big Ears I think about the artists, because the work they create is very important,” he says. “But while it’s certainly about the artist, it’s also about the audience. It’s about people coming together to share an experience, and the programming, the vision behind the festival, is as much about that as it is about the specifics of who’s performing during any given year.”
And to put it all together in Knoxville … a city that’s given him a home, a purpose, a profession and a calling … it’s literally the piece de la resistance, he says. Big Ears could have been programmed anywhere, and in the early years, a number of critics raised eyebrows quizzically at the choice of Knoxville as its location.
For Capps, though, it was the only choice that made sense.
“I think a sense of place is really critical to the success of any great festival, and sometimes you create that place, and sometimes you embrace that place,” he says. “In the case of Knoxville, there’s a lot to embrace. In many ways for me, I believe … and I think for many people who attend … the city is very much a part of the success of the festival.
“It’s very conducive to the festival experience. We have all these great venues, all within walking distance of each other, settled into a downtown that still retains much of its historic character, with great restaurants and shops and places to hang out. It’s really a win-win, but it’s small enough that it also allows the festival to have a center of gravity.”
wildsmith@blanknews.com
ASHLEY CAPPS INTERVIEW / FREE ENGAGEMENTS GUIDE • BLANK’S BIG BIG EARS FESTIVAL GUIDE • 10 HELPFUL TIPS
