It was a year before Kristi Slack realized the guy living next to her in Pikeville, Tennessee, (the guy she knew as Stuart, husband to Lorraine) was actually Adam Ant, flamboyant English new wave/MTV video star and leader of Adam and the Ants.

For Mitch Rossell, the former Chattanoogan with a penchant for writing hit country songs, the COVID-19 pandemic has given him a reason to go back into his treasure trove of songs, both unfinished and finished.

Musicians have for decades embraced technology as a way to counter expensive studio time and to put their art on something tangible, so in some ways they were ahead of the game when the pandemic hit. Home studios have evolved from simple cassette recorders to laptops with software like Pro Tools and Garageband, and talented creatives have used them to make everything from demos to full albums.

What do you do if you are a musician and your dream of releasing a new record is put on hold or altered by a pandemic the likes of which haven't been seen in 100 years?

A round up of events in the Chattanooga area for the upcoming week.

Two festivals originally set for this weekend have been canceled, but four others will offer entertainment options in coming days.

Every Friday night for more than 40 years, bluegrass and folk musicians of all ages and levels of experience would take the stage at the Walden's Ridge Civic League building on Signal Mountain, the longtime home of the Mountain Opry.

The weekend of Oct. 9 not only provided a glimmer of hope that we might be opening back up when it comes to entertainment events in the area, it gave us a look at what things might look like, at least for the foreseeable future.

Since forming almost a decade ago, Strung Like a Horse has built a reputation for surprising people, either with their talent, humor, sense of "why not?" or combination of the three.

It's an old-school weekend of entertainment starting Friday as fans of the soap opera "The Doctors" can join in on a virtual reunion with some of the many cast members who have been on the show over the years.

Dylan Wissing has been making a living as a versatile session drummer since the early 1990s and earned credits on tracks by Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Drake, Eminem and Rick Ross. Yet there's something he hasn't achieved that he just can't give up: reenacting the drumming on the James Brown track "Funky Drummer" as faithfully as possible.

A year ago, the biggest decisions people had to worry about before attending a live music show, movie or a play were what to wear, what time to get there, where to eat and, oh, don't forget the tickets.

Live bluegrass and folk music once again have a home on Walden's Ridge with the revitalization of the Mountain Opry, which premieres in its new location at the Mountain Arts Community Center on Saturday from 6-9 p.m.

You might think that putting on a virtual festival is somehow easier than bringing 80,000 people to a farm in Manchester, Tennessee, but Jeff Cuellar, vice president of strategic partnerships with AC Entertainment laughingly said, "I think I'd rather do seven actual events than another virtual event."

Songbirds lives, at least as a foundation.

The Chattanooga Theatre Centre, located in Coolidge Park, will begin a series of concerts on its riverfront lawn on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. with a performance by local percussionist Kofi Mawuko and the Ogya World Music Band.

The Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival is going online Sept. 24-26 with several vintage concerts from past festivals, as well some appearances by such artists as Big Gigantic, Bob Roth, Bruce Hornsby, Billy Strings, David Lynch, David Byrne, and Turkauz with Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew featuring performances from the Talking Heads' classic album "Remain in Light.

The Chattanooga Symphony & Opera is taking its show on the road, sort of, with a unique schedule for the 2020-21 season.

It's not every day you get to hear an improvisational jug band, we're betting, but this weekend's entertainment lineup includes the opportunity. Here's a look.

Several events this week take advantage of the great outdoors.

Looking for a little entertainment this weekend? Here are four events you can enjoy virtually.

EmiSunshine didn't really know how big a deal Bootsy Collins is until the man who put much of the funk in P-Funk asked her to co-write a song with him and then record it with a few other artists.

The Swingin' Midway Drive-In in Athens, Tennessee, is among the 300 outdoor theaters set for a virtual concert by country icon Garth Brooks on June 27.