Knoxville has a good selection of music venues that's a given. But what it lacks in serious quanity is a all ages venue. There's Java in the Old City, Prince's Deli, and once upon a time it was Ivey's but hell that changed fast.

Ivey's impressed me via clientele as much as via performers. Proto punks, rednecks, large motorcycle men with handlebar mustaches, and a few goths had been known to hang out. They way the clientele moved was another biggie. Ivey's was the only club I knew that actually encouraged moshing. We're not talking safety moshing here I'm talking table turning break necking floor mateing moshing pit hell fire.

It was a freaks place. The last night had a fetish performance in the game room while various punk rock metal thrash bands played in the front. Mowhawks and mullets, mowhawks and mullets it's all the same hairstyle. Loud music from those speakers sent the world into a contortion of sight. I'm still sound reeling from Social Overcast/Alter Ego's set.

And this is the final blow. I know for a fact that Knoxville is becoming a town for No Depression style Americana. And that's for somebody I suppose. And they have some great lyrics every now and again. But increasingly I find it difficult to find a club that just want to let it all rock out hang out flip out bleed.