Lisa Denton and Barry Courter
BARRY COURTER: Lisa, have I told you what a huge fan of Warren Haynes I am? He's one of my favorite working guitar players, and he's back in town Friday at the Tivoli Theatre. He's also one of the nicest guys and has always been willing to talk to ink-stained wretches like myself.
LISA DENTON: Ink-Stained Wretches - what a great name for a band. I'll play tambourine.
If you're up late tonight, you can catch Haynes on "The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon." He'll be sitting in with The Roots, the house band.
Friday's Ashes & Dust Tour, named for his new solo album, also will feature musician Justin Townes Earle (son of Steve Earle), drummer Jeff Sipe and Americana group Chessboxer - also a good name for a band, but obviously that one's taken.
Not to get too off topic, but did you know there's an actual sport called chessboxing? A fight consists of 11 rounds - six rounds of chess and five rounds of boxing - and you can win with a knockout or a checkmate.
BARRY: Wow, I couldn't finish Round 1 in either event. Glass brain and dull jaw and all. Did I say that right?
LISA: Close enough.
BARRY: The new Haynes album is more acoustic and Americana than some of his previous stuff. It still has the jam or improv feel you'd expect from him, plus he recorded it with the guys from Railroad Earth and some guests like Grace Potter.
Also, The Malpass Brothers, who were here this summer for Nightfall, are at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga as part of the Patten Unplugged series on Saturday. It's bib-overall kinda music, and they are great.
LISA: Some of my favorite musicians - heck, some of my favorite people in general - wear bib overalls, so count me in. Plus, they've got those great pompadours. I'm not sure you could ever tame your mane into a pompadour, but theirs are way cool. My hair's too long to style a pompadour - I like saying pompadour - but I'm going to see what I can do about some Conway Twitty sideburns.
I'm also excited about "Disney On Ice Presents Let's Celebrate," which will be at McKenzie Arena for seven performances Thursday through Sunday. It's hard to beat a Disney On Ice show, and this one has 50 characters from 16 stories who go all over the world finding reasons to celebrate. Hard to argue with that kind of life.
And the Alhambra Shrine Circus is Thursday through Sunday at Camp Jordan. I like it when an event lasts for several days. There's so much going on this time of year, it's hard to get to everything.
BARRY: It's a busy week for sure. Col. Bruce Hampton returns with a show at Barking Legs on Friday, and Revelry Room has several shows, including Jim Lauderdale on Friday.
Forget about it being a busy week; Friday alone is full. I mean, the same night the Hunter is hosting Hand-Crafted Wishes: A Celebration of Beer and Food to benefit Make-A-Wish of East Tennessee. Now that is art I understand.
LISA: And Jack Hanna will be back Saturday for the Banana Split (for kids) and Banana Ball (for adults) at Chattanooga Zoo. Having him visit always makes me wish Roseanne Roseannadanna was still around (and real) so that they could have gotten married. Roseanne Roseannadanna Hanna has a nice ring to it.
Get event details every Thursday in ChattanoogaNow or online anytime at www.ChattanoogaNow.com.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354. Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.