Short Takes: A Look at Weekend Entertainment & Free MP3 Downloads

CROSS THE LINE
Step into the ring, you bushwhacking varmint!
Not you Mr. and Ms. Reader. Instead, we’re talking about wrestling. Namely, Spike TV’s TNA Wrestling’s Cross the Line will stage at Freedom Hall in Johnson City on July 17. Rock muscled varmints A.J. Styles and former Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle will square off in the main event. Blood? Could be. Staged violence? Oh yes.
Add to that a bevy of brawn. Scheduled combatants include Scott Steiner, the Samoan Submission Machine Samoa Joe, Booker T., Rhino and Chris Sabin. Come, see and holler as these two-legged gladiators stage what amounts to blood, sweat and gore live theater.

IF YOU GO
What: Cross the Line: TNA Live Wrestling
When: July 17, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Freedom Hall, 1320 Pactolas Rd., Johnson City
Admission: $24.50-$54.50, children under age 2 admitted free
Info: (423) 461-4884
Web and video: www.tnawrestling.com

CELTIC ROCKS STATE STREET
State Street goes green.
But not how you may suspect. O’Mainnin’s Pub on State Street in Bristol, Tenn. will feature two nights of rip-snorting, pint-raising Celtic music with a trio of bands. Peaces of Way and Scythian will play on July 16 and the wonderfully rowdy Cutthroat Shamrock appears on July 17.
Kilts not needed.
Instead, bring cheer from the heart and dance in the step. For whether it’s the barely-Celtic sounds of Peaces of Way, the five-man acoustic Celtic assault of Cutthroat Shamrock or the jigs and reels to rocking Celtic sounds of Scythian the show offers fun by the barrel. Look for fiddles and bagpipes and perhaps a pennywhistle, too. Then listen as the music does what music ought – entertain.

IF YOU GO
Who: Peaces of Way and Scythian
When: July 16, 9 p.m.
Who: Cutthroat Shamrock
When: July 17, 10 p.m.
Where: O’Mainnin’s Pub, 712 State St., Bristol, Tenn.
Info: (423) 844-0049
Web and audio: www.myspace.com/cutthroatshamrock
And: www.myspace.com/peacesofway
Web: and audio: www.scythianmusic.com/sounds.html

JAZZ WITH JANE POWELL
Virginia Highlands Festival officially starts on July 25. However and perhaps because of the event’s massiveness, several preludes offer fine entertainment.
Most notably, jazz vocalist Jane L. Powell will appear at Barter Theatre in Abingdon on July 21. Per the genre, Powell’s voice oozes nuance. When called for, she’s a hands-on-hips singer with sass. And when needed, she can just as readily tap into levels of vulnerability for optimal effect.
Powell’s a singer. She maintains a five-octave range, which essentially means that she owns a moon-scraping voice that can open at a whisper and climb to a wail. She can rev it up on “Route 66” and finger-snap to the blues on “Let the Good Times Roll.” Gospel, jazz, blues – whichever and whatever, Powell underlines awesome.

IF YOU GO
Who: Jane L. Powell
When: July 21, 8 p.m.
Where: Barter Theatre, 133 W. Main St., Abingdon, Va.
Admission: $15
Info: (276) 628-3991
Web and video: www.janelpowell.com

MUSIC NOTES
-- Save a prayer for Grand Ole Opry member Mel McDaniel. The ailing country singer known for such hits as “Louisiana Saturday Night,” is clinging to life in a Nashville, Tenn. hospital, according to his wife, Peggy. McDaniel, 66, suffered a heart attack on June 16. Get well cards and wishes can be sent in courtesy of Mel McDaniel at: Two Rivers Campground, 2616 Music Valley Dr., Nashville, Tenn. 37214.
-- In other news, heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne has decided to drop longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde, who had been with the Oz-man’s band since 1987. Also, look for the solo debut album from Julian Casablancas of million selling rockers The Strokes. The album, “Phrazes for the Youth,” is set for a fall release.
-- Slim pickings in volume but some real keepers hit stores this week. Headlining the week’s releases is former “American Idol” favorite Chris Daughtry with “Leave This Town,” his follow-up to his quadruple-platinum debut. Other new titles include David Bowie’s career spanning and live “VH1 Storytellers,” which includes a DVD of his 1999 appearance on the show. Also, smooth and classic R&B singer Joe dawns “Signature.”
-- Billie Holiday’s sumptuously romantic “All of Me” headlines this week’s free MP3 downloads. Toss in four more selections from the likes of Dean Martin, Eartha Kitt, Ella Fitzgerald and Edith Piaf. But follow the route to them carefully.
First go to www.amazon.com and then look to the menu to the left. Click digital downloads and then click MP3 downloads. That loads a new page. Scroll down a little, look to the left under the heading “Browse MP3s” and select the free songs listing. When that loads, look to the immediate right for “Free X5 Golden Voices Sampler.” Look at the end, click “Download the free sampler now,” and when that page loads click the same thing again and voila! five free classics.
Handle all of that? Then check back in next week for more Short Takes and Music Notes, from the rocking to the bluegrassing and anything and everything in between. Meanwhile and by all means, stay tuned.

TOM NETHERLAND is a freelance writer. He can be reached at features@bristolnews.com.