If you missed the Halloween yard party at the Five Star General Store, you missed a lot more than cool rock bands and hot chicken—although either one is reason enough to get up off the couch. You missed men outfitted in full glitter makeup and women dressed as skeletons. You missed Jason Ringenberg’s adorable little daughter Addie Rose in a duckling suit. You missed the best hot breast sandwich I’ve ever had in Nashville that wasn’t from Prince’s. And you missed the rare local-music event that helps define and coalesce a community—something that has made the Five Star’s afternoon concerts as refreshing as they are infrequent.

Located in the burgeoning 12South neighborhood—home to such unlikely neighbors as Becker’s Bakery, Laurell’s Market, a rap record store, and a Muslim house of worship—the Five Star has settled in with a funky mix of vintage clothes, crafts, and oddball gewgaws—not to mention death-dealing recordings and homemade hot sauces from CYOD/Bloodsucker Records founder Mark Nevers.

Early last summer proprietor Joy Patterson kicked off the store’s opening with an outdoor party featuring several of her friends’ bands. It was such a success, socially and musically, that Patterson scheduled another. With Nevers dishing out plates of food, the all-day affairs draw everyone from the Cherry Blossoms and Lambchop to Josh Rouse and Paul Burch backed by members of BR5-49. They also draw neighbors, picnickers, teens, lots of Nashville clubhoppers, and families looking for inexpensive fun.

The Halloween edition shifted more toward garage-band rock, which for the most part was pretty exciting. The Portland, Ore., group Spectator Pump, powered by lead singer Stephanie Smith’s guitar heroics, made a racket that echoed impressively off the surrounding houses. The talented singer-songwriter Steve Goodhue performed with The Lemurs, whose taut, noisy tunes called to mind a cross between the Buzzcocks and Neil Young in no mood to wank around. The sprawling Dark Circus tossed in free jazz, semi-ska, and arch cabaret music, making of those unappetizing ingredients a right tasty stew.

The one gripe was that the multi-band lineup started late (big surprise there), which shuffled some of the acts almost to nightfall. That meant I had to skip Girls in Action and Broken Chains—both of whom are playing this Saturday at Joe’s Diner with Donna Oberg and Dave Cloud’s Gospel of Power.

That also meant missing the band on everyone’s lips, the glammed-out ensemble Milkshake, whose personnel walked around in velvet opera horns and full Frank N. Furter eye shadow. (They even played the Rocky Horror anthem “Sweet Transvestite,” I later learned.) The best story all weekend concerned Milkshake’s first gig, which had taken place only five days before at The Attic on Lower Broad. That was Monday, the night the Spitfire Tour of celebrity activists rolled into Vanderbilt, and Milkshake keyboard player Brett Bryant had convinced his friend Woody Harrelson to come to the gig.

Harrelson indeed showed up with Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic in tow, and the fun began. First the erstwhile Cheers bartender and hemp activist sang “Jailhouse Rock” with the band. Then he began to warble an earnest rendition of “Let It Be.” That was apparently too much for Milkshake lead guitarist Eliot Wilcox, who, according to those in attendance, cranked up a solo every time Harrelson opened his mouth. You can bet that doesn’t happen to George Wendt. The evening ended with treetop-tall Novoselic and Wilcox (on a stool) arguing about who knew better how to play Led Zep covers.

Luckily, you’ll have another chance to see Milkshake with Trauma Team, Nov. 21 at Joe’s Diner. And if your luck really holds out, there might be a Christmas celebration at the Five Star General Store—one of the last outposts in town where music hasn’t become an industry.

—Jim Ridley

Much has been written, and justifiably so, about the centennial celebration of George Gershwin’s birth. But there are a couple other noteworthy musical milestones that have gotten much less attention this year. Blues superstar John Lee Hooker and R&B/pop diva Gladys Knight are celebrating their 50th anniversaries as performers, and it’s especially noteworthy that both remain active.

Knight has come full circle, returning to her gospel roots with the forthcoming release of Many Different Roads. And her gospel roots are indeed deep: Long before she became a household name as a child singer on Ted Mack’s Amateur Hour television show, a 4-year-old Knight was a featured vocalist at Atlanta’s Mount Moriah Baptist Church. The new record also reunites her with the Pips, the group with whom she made numerous stunning soul and R&B hits from the ’60s until the early ’80s.

Knight now divides her time between singing and acting; she’s in the midst of an extensive tour, and later this month she’ll be headlining for two weeks at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. She makes periodic appearances on The Jamie Foxx Show and is also an entrepreneur with a chain of bakeries, along with a new restaurant operated by her children. Fans of the classic Gladys Knight sound will soon be able to purchase Gladys Knight & the Pips: Live at the Roxy (Legacy). The disc contains several unissued cuts from a 1980 West Hollywood date that hardcore Knight fans say ranks among her all-time greatest live sets.

In 1948, John Lee Hooker’s “Boogie Chillen” helped pave the way for the onslaught of rock ’n’ roll. His admonition to “let that baby boogie” was as much a savvy acknowledgment of changing times as Chuck Berry’s equally compelling “Roll Over Beethoven” was a few years later. But Hooker never changed his music to accommodate the rock ’n’ roll revolution he’d implicitly endorsed.

The song’s success did allow Hooker to leave his janitorial job behind, and he went on to record hundreds of records under various names for numerous labels. He created a signature sound, becoming king of the boogie. His booming, assertive voice and trademark guitar riffs, simply played but brilliantly laced behind the lyrics, remain a blues staple today. Many far greater technical players lack Hooker’s ability to present lean, memorable licks and direct, impassioned messages.

For reasons known only to people inside the music industry, Hooker didn’t win any awards until 1989, when “I’m in the Mood,” his duet with Bonnie Raitt, earned a Grammy. He has since won five Handy awards and three more Grammies, and has been “rediscovered” by new fans who’ve either heard commercials featuring his music or the Virgin/Pointblank recordings pairing him with rockers and contemporary blues musicians.

These releases, including the new greatest-hits collection, are all right, and it’s wonderful that Hooker has been honored with stars on both Hollywood’s Walk of Fame and Los Angeles’ Rock Walk. But for true believers, the grinding fury of “Boogie Chillen” and the relentless singles Hooker cut for Chess and everyone else during the ’50s and ’60s stand as his greatest achievements.

—Ron Wynn

All that jazz

Sundays are now the prime day for syndicated jazz and blues programming on Nashville-area radio stations. WMOT-FM (89.5) gets things under way at 1 p.m. with “Beale Street Blues Caravan,” continuing until 9 p.m. with an array of shows including Nancy Wilson’s “Jazz Profiles,” “Jazzset” hosted by Branford Marsalis, and Marian McPartland’s award-winning “Piano Jazz.”

Listeners can then conclude the night at 10 p.m. with Ramsey Lewis’ two-hour “Legends of Jazz” show on Jazzy-FM (101.1). Unlike the rest of the station’s regular programming, which could put a herd of charging elephants to sleep, Lewis’ show offers challenging, enlightening, and vibrant music from numerous great jazz musicians. In addition, Lewis is an engaging and knowledgeable host. Only when he sneaks in selections from his own recent albums do things go south; still, his show is excellent and a perfect topper for a full day’s worth of great radio.

—Ron Wynn

Sony has reportedly asked Joe Ely to produce a project involving Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson. The album, The Outlaws 2 is scheduled for completion by November of 1999 and will apparently be a successor to Wanted! The Outlaws, the 1976 collaboration featuring Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser....

The End’s recent Built to Spill show was so crowded that a line stood outside for nearly two hours waiting for the capacity crowd to thin out. Unfortunately, the people waiting to get in were apparently punished for the actions of a few would-be gatecrashers—the doorman stopped pass-outs until the band’s second encore. That really sucked for the couple who’d driven all the way from Memphis. Still, the last three songs were great, including a nifty version of Steve Miller’s “Take the Money and Run.” Congratulations to Anhedonia Presents, which booked the show....

At the last edition of The Spot, the Exit/In’s Sunday-night showcase of hip-hop, funk, and open-mic poetry, Holtzclaw’s lovable mascot Koko Bear nearly got his fuzzy ass kicked when he accidentally pawed a customer in a place that made her feel uncomfortable. No bears this week, just poet K-Love, MC Short Notice, and another edition of the hard-funk game show “Name That Groove!” Watch for Next Move Entertainment’s upcoming Exit/In show with former Living Colour frontman Corey Glover.