Steve Wildsmith

A coffee shop in Knoxville’s Old City will once again be a home for regular all-ages rock shows, starting Saturday night, Nov. 14.

There’s been a shortage of all-ages venues in the East Tennessee area since Old City Java, another Old City coffeehouse, changed hands a few years ago and ceased to hold Friday and Saturday night shows. Occasionally, someone comes along and tries to fill that gap; Level 10 on Kingston Pike still occasionally holds all-ages performances, but others — places like The OSE, The Boneyard in Loudon, The Rock Studios in Maryville — they either didn’t make it, or their all-ages shows aren’t regular occurrences.

But now, with the assistance of Dishwater Blonde frontman Davis Mitchell, Remedy Coffee is trying to step up to the plate.

“There’s just nowhere for kids to play or see a show, and when one of them came to Remedy and asked if they’d be open to it … well, as a musician, I have a heart for seeing creativity being able to flow freely,” said Mitchell, who books the performances for Remedy. Until this coming weekend, most Remedy shows have been acoustic, singer/songwriter-driven performances. With the all-ages shows, however, rock will be added to the mix.

“We’re not really trying to make ourselves some sort of competing music venue,” Mitchell said. “This place just kind of lends itself as a blessing for other artists to play.”

And with his own experience in the music industry, younger rockers can tap into the experience and wisdom he’s picked up over the years.

“I’ve made enough mistakes to know what not to do; I’m still trying to learn from my own personal mistakes,” Mitchell said. “I tell bands, ‘Here’s my experience and wisdom — for these to go off well, I think this needs to happen.’ I hope that helps the shows grow.”

Mitchell, who leads the music at a Sunday worship service held at the coffeehouse, fell into booking for the venue by default, he added. It’s a different perspective, he said, being on the other end of a conversation about booking a show. (Check out a recent story we did on his own band.)

“I just saw there were kids who had nowhere to play, so I talked to the owner of the coffeehouse and asked if we could give it a shot and try it,” he said. “I remember being a young musician looking for a place to play myself. And right now, we’re just seeing how it’ll work out.”

Over on the Myspace page for Remedy’s all-ages shows, the schedule is as follows:

• Saturday, Nov. 14: Shoot for Saturday with You Just Don’t and Willikers;
• Saturday, Nov. 28: Waste and Regret with Bright Shining Lie and A Different Breed of Killer;
• Saturday, Dec. 5: Liars and Tigers with This Photograph and Lydian Skyline.

Shows begin at 8 p.m., and the cover is $5. Pay close attention to the venue’s rules, as outlined on the Myspace page:

1. There is absolutely no drinking, smoking, or illicit drug use within the venue. This means if we smell it on you, your either not getting in or your getting kicked out.
2. Please be respectful to the people around you. This means try not to hit people, or be a jerk. We want you to move, but if it seems like the pit is really bothering people, please be kind enough to tone it down.
3. Please respect the venue. It isn’t often a place opens its doors for all ages shows, so lets try to keep this one open for a while.
4. No outside food or drink. This venue is letting us use their space, and their PA for the show, please buy a drink or snack from them. It shows you appreciate them, and their pretty tasty too.