lowercase books865-357-4810
lowercasebookstore@gmail.com
1530 washington ave.
knoxville, tn
37917
lowercase books has permanently closed. there is now a lovely yarn store at its former location.
we were a used bookstore that bought, sold, and traded books, dvds, cds, records and other media.
some of our categories included:
- literature
- mysteries
- science fiction & fantasy
- children's books
- young adult books
- history
- food & cooking
- gardening
- art
our instagram
past events
2022
fri, april 22, 8pm: rock show featuring duck butter and noremac. $5
fri, april 29: two bikes (two bikes ig) is hosting a critical mass bike ride that will end at lowercase books. beer and bbq will likely be provided courtesy of the very generous two bikes bicycle shop!
sat, april 30, 8pm: rock show featuring la croix can recycling center and janitor. $5
sat, may 7, 8 pm: rock show featuring alien brain wave (knoxville indie) and sam liske (synth / ambient). $5
fri, may 20, 8 pm: ash baker (songs about sleep deprivation) and maspeth (desert fathers astral folk mischief). $5
thu, may 26, 8 pm: dogwood tales (virginia country rock) and ryan dunaway. $5
fri, june 10, 8 pm: itami gang video society presents juzo itami's tampopo (1985) starring nobuko miyamoto.
wed, june 15, 7 pm: calling all writers in: an open mic night for writers hosted by ash baker.
thu, june 16, 8 pm: thin lear (golden-throated ny songwriter), manstett (knoxville skate folk), and jesse wade newcomb (buoyantly defiant folk rock).
fri, june 24, 8 pm: comedy feedback mic: open mic for comedians to practice their material and talk to other comedians about their craft. hosted by david habel.
fri, july 1, 8 pm: the pharaohs and the criswell collective are playing a rock show, followed by a celebratory viewing of mel brooks' young frankenstein. $5
fri, july 8, 8 pm: bummer camp (ny emo pop), tongues of fire (asheville grunge emo), and austin possum
sun, july 17, 6 pm: juliet's apartment, water street, and alien brain wave are playing a show. $5
fri, july 29, 8 pm: clementine (wisconsin emo in an early aughts style) and duck butter (knoxville turbo prog), and special surprise guests. $5
fri, august 5, 8 pm: dreadwood press radio presents a haunted audio drama, with special guests ash baker, chris barton, and louie liam reading recent poetical and prose works. free.
fri, august 12, 8 pm: local songwriter showcase: mastan, mara holsenback, and vin honey. $5
sat, august 13, 8 pm: la croix can recycling center, janitor, and east valley riflemonks. $5
fri, august 19, 7 pm: knox video is hosting a video swap and a screening of miami connection. buy or trade vhs tapes, dvds, blu-rays, and possibly more. stay for an off-the-wall movie about friendship and crime fighting hand-picked by knox video and shown with an actual projector. bring your own movies to trade! the swap starts around 7 and the movie starts around 8:30. free.
fri, august 26, 8 pm: east kentucky flood relief benefit show featuring antadie (laptop indie), sympathy for puppets (suburban bedroom demos), and aidan (percussive street jazz). donation of $5 or more
thu, september 8, 8 pm: teen mortgage (d.c. surf punk), french toast (bubble gum minimalism), depresso espresso (rock baristas), and dybbuk (doom metal power trio). $5
sun, september 11, 6 pm: l.i.p.s. (harlan, ky, skate punk), duck butter (punk in the gloaming), and elijah helm (knoxville indie strum and hum). $5
wed, september 14, 6 pm–8 pm: maker night! bring your projects, laptops, games, etc. a night to share works-in-progress, play video games, and be a nerd.
fri, september 16, 8 pm: deathgirl (asheville shoegazey indie), plague summer (gutter pop cusackcore), sunshine (intricate louisville indie) and the lost sound department (blues rock power trio). $5.
sun, september 18, 4 pm: reading sponsored by clair morris and utk. free.
sat, september 24, 8 pm: erebus (knoxville grindgore) and 9999 nails (gay furry cybergrind). $5 show canceled :(
fri, september 30, 8 pm: blake hornsby (folk ragas from asheville), maspeth (impish folk in mysterious tunings), and velvetgut parry (knoxville's secret weapon). $5
sat, october 1, 8 pm: rundown kreeps (los angeles ska / pop punk), ash baker (forlorn folk), and coleman cooler (ringmaster, lofi living), aidan (chaotic drum improv). $5
sun, october 2, 6 pm: mechanical canine (adenoidal bubble grunge from philly), blurry (anthemic atlanta alt rock), la croix can recycling center (emo acrobatics), antadie (bedroom dance pop), and chekov (ambient spoken word). $5
fri, october 7, 7 pm: first friday illustrators' showcase featuring anthony owsley, emma vieser, xerox the kidd, summer gale (venmo: @Summer-Fuss), and everett moss. free.
thu, october 13, 8 pm: fosterfalls (memphis indie songwriter), the snarling (synth & drum machine emo from memphis), east valley riflemonks (party punks), la croix can recycling center (emo connoiseur). $5
sun, october 16, 6 pm: an evening of jazz and improv: matt nelson (bass), ryan dunaway (guitar), elijah helm (guitar), thomas rice (improv duo), and cullen burke (synths). $5
fri, october 21, 8 pm: leigh chadwick reading from her book, your favorite poet, alex moulton and alex bruce reading their poetry, and arthur dehart reading a narrative excerpt. free.
sat, october 22, 8 pm: good news for modern man (nashville indie/alternative), the eyebrows (charlotte power pop) and evan flick (breezy, strummy indie). $5
thu, october 27, 7 pm: cameron's birthday thing (all welcome).
fri, october 28, 8 pm: catnip (pittsburgh fartcore), black clash (hardcore sludge from tampa), for the birds (knoxville garage band), and bud (kentucky pop punk partisans). $10 if you've got it
sat, october 29, 6 pm–10 pm: halloween at lowercase books. candy, costume contest, scary stories campfire style, and a movie. the movie is the gate (1987). the gate is rated pg-13. it has mild gore and scary situations and will start at 8:30. free.
wed, november 2, 8 pm: jack m. senff (michigan singer-songwriter), etcetera (lean psych punk trio), ash baker (sad folk music), and ryan dunaway (knoxville songwriter). $5
thu, november 3, 8 pm: (gffc). not at the store.
fri, november 4, 8 pm: terry (ambient folk), basic letters (knoxville indie), and 9999 nails (gay furry cybergrind). $5
sat, november 5, 8 pm: knoxville hardcore collective presents no cure (alabama straight edge hc). $10. no alcohol at this show, please.
fri, november 11, 8 pm: dozibrion (robitussin beats), sleep city (midwest emo southeast emo), fish steww (knoxville garage pop), and plague summer (chaos engine). $5
sun, november 13, 4 pm: chiasmus, a utk reading series. followed by a brief open mic. free
wed, november 16, 8 pm: anita velveeta (minneapolis nightcore hyperpunk) and mara holsenback (bedroom pop). $5
thu, november 17, 6 pm: a meeting of the two elizabeth taylors, a book club, to discuss elizabeth spencer's "the girl who loved horses," which is hosted at the book club's website linked here.
sat, november 19, 8 pm: gffc. not at the store.
sun, november 20, 6 pm: kim ware (folk from asheville), lyndsey brummell (asheville folk, the prodigal daughter visits home), and the noisy (strawberry shimmer pop). $5 cancelled :/
wed, november 30, 8 pm: benefit show: janitor, the hoones, neet and tidy, and molly amour. benefit supports east tennessee harm reduction. $10
thu, december 1, 7 pm: callous daoboys, et al. $10 presale sold out. $15 day of show - come early to reserve your ticket.
fri, december 2, 8 pm: sorry, eric (dunedin-influenced indie from cincinnati), bad idols (confessional punk), and wyrick (more sonny sharrock, less charlie christian). $5
sun, december 4, 6 pm: sawamura no hitter (sabermetric scramz from chicago), duck butter (punk prog), and weeping cosmonaut (knoxville singer-songwriter). $5
tues, december 6, 5:30 pm: a meeting of the two elizabeth taylors, a book club, to discuss joyce carol oates' "where are you going, where have you been?". at frog juice kombucha, 2920 sutherland ave., not at the store. free.
thu, december 8, 8 pm: girlfriends film club is screening smooth talk (1985). not at the store. see link for details.
fri, december 9, 8 pm: dance night. house, disco, funk, techno.
sat, december 10, 8 pm: shift meal (baltimore emo duo), genevieve (avant-garde psych rock), and manstett (grunge-flavored americana). $5
wed, december 14, 8 pm: tooth cemetery (fifth wave emo supergroup sort of from atlanta), newgrounds death rugby (charleston pop punk singalongs), melaina kol (bedroom indie), and tba. $10 notaflof
thu, december 15, 7 pm: private dinner event
fri, december 16, 7 pm: combat naps (wisconsin indie), blankstate. (lean charlotte emo trio), and scott apple (knoxville singer-songwriter). $5
sat, december 17, 8 pm: lb beistad (a paper cup of coffee when you're leaving the hospital), lazarus lake (an unwashed pillowcase), and zack miles (circles under your eyes). $10 notaflof
sun, december 18, 5 pm: spacey cadet selling paintings, stuffed animals, crafts, stickers. performances by wishmire, queen chloe, chekov, and maranoodle. $5
wed, december 21, 7 pm: weird ian + miss information and the drops. $5
wed, december 28, 7 pm: oolong (long island emo), elephant jake (ny indie shouting), stand and wave (quiet ny emo), and la croix can recycling center(the o.g.). $10 sliding scale
2023
fri, january 6, 7 – 9:30 pm: first friday featuring richard kehinde olowoyo and tba. free
wed, january 11, 7 pm: experimental open mic preceding the contact / duck butter show. free and open to all
wed, january 11, 8 pm: contact (new mexico) and duck butter (lowercase house band). $10
fri, january 13, 8 pm: echo beauty terror (miami skramz duo), stupid wish (shimmery industrial noise with low end), whit3corset (cybergrind, guitar feedback), and koi puddle (cybergrind, deleted tweets). $10
wed, january 18, 8 pm: girlfriends film club is screening wheel of fortune and fantasy, directed by ryusuke hamaguchi. not at the store. dm or email for address. more information here. free and open to all
thu, january 19, 5 pm: the two elizabeth taylors book club discusses the story "bloodchild" by octavia butler. free and open to all
fri, january 20, 8 pm: mister disaster (knoxville punk), grindle (knoxville hardcore), and accidents club. $10
sat, january 21, 8 pm: house & disco presented by dj christian ferrer and the art of house. free
thu, january 26, 8 pm: scott collins (country-inflected indie from austin), evan flick (breezy, strummy indie), and the hoones (powell, tn, alternative). $10 sliding scale
sat, january 28, 8 pm: yer flowers (country and western punks), dolphin group (chattanooga synth pop) and mother genevieve (jim steinman without meatloaf). $10 sliding scale
sun, january 29, 5 pm: chiasmus literary reading series. free.
thu, february 2, 6 pm: yoga (yin type slow flow) with aynsley. $8 or more
mon, february 6, 8 pm: taking meds (new york pop punk) and tba. $10 sliding scale
sat, february 11, 7 pm: insect appreciation entomology class presented by quercus circus. learn about bugs for free.
sun, february 12, 4 pm: yoga with mary. $5–10 sliding scale
thu, february 16, 5–7 pm: the two elizabeth taylors book club reads clarice lispector's "the smallest woman in the world." free
fri, february 17, 6 pm: experimental open mic preceding punk show. free and open to all
fri, february 17, 8 pm: no good pieces of shit and duck butter. $10 notaflof
sat, february 18, 8 pm: house music dance party. free
tues, february 21, 8 pm: possible surprise show
wed, february 22, 6 pm: yoga with cc. $5–10 sliding scale
thu, february 23, 6 pm: yoga (yin type slow flow) with aynsley. $5-10 sliding scale
thu, february 23, 8 pm: girlfriends film club screening of perfect blue. (not at store)
fri, february 24, 8 pm: utk 4d art film presentations hosted by sarah bernstein. free
sat, february 25, 7 pm: panda forces (nashville indie), louie liam (poetry, insecurity), wishmire & the high hopes (boogie, choogle), tweejy (album release, confessional punk), and yucks (jean jackets, curly hair). $5
fri, march 3, 6 pm: yoga with alexyz. $5–10 sliding scale
sat, march 4, 8 pm: gray jackson, sage h, and dstopian. $10 notaflof
wed, march 8, 7 pm: work wife, yer flowers, and jorden albright. $10 sliding scale
thu, march 9, 4 pm: skillshare: visible mending and patch-making.
thu, march 9, 6 pm: yoga (yin type slow flow) with aynsley. $5-10 sliding scale
fri, march 10, 7 pm: east valley riflemonks, what's on tv, and la croix can recycling center. $10
thu, march 16, 6 pm: experimental open mic. free
thu, march 16, 7 pm: prowl (scary logo), dielation (kingsport medical records), every promise kept (jesus loves you) and verdant boyfriend (alt rock shoegaze). $10 sliding scale
sat, march 18, 7 pm: latchkey kids, leisure hour, and tba. $10 sliding scale
sun, march 19, 3 pm: collage skillshare: express yourself with a collage. supplies provided. free
wed, march 22, 8 pm: too soon jokes (baltimore indie), kame reidy, and truth of the matter. $5
thu, march 23, 6 pm: yoga (yin type slow flow) with aynsley. $5-10 sliding scale
fri, march 24, 8 pm: girlfriends film club is screening petite maman (2021), dir. by céline sciamma. free. dm for location.
sat, march 25, 7 pm: move through (melodic hardcore from memphis) and tba. $10 sliding scale
thu, march 30, 8 pm: counter-programming day 1: ;3 (folk rock), brie (folk), and homiejohn (introspective songwriting). $5 or $10 depending (come with $10 just in case)
fri, march 31, 8 pm: counter-programming day 2: jazz night: bianca_on_sax (sax), water fire (electronic improv duo), and dektol (improvised electronics). $10
sat, april 1, 7 pm: counter-programming day 3: boyslut, dozibrion (lofi beats to read crime novels to), recovered media (drone), and milan mastan. $10
sun, april 2, 6 pm: counter-programming day 4: secret improv set by beloved local band, jake smith band (improv) and mother genevieve (jim steinman-type bops & american standards). $10
sat, april 8, 7 pm: zine launch party with queen chloe, gavin kattesh, and tiny music band. poetry from spoon. $10
wed, april 12: store closed for joseph's birthday
fri, april 14, 7 pm: yoga with alexys. $10 donation
sun, april 16, 6 pm: villain of war (boston emo / pop punk) and tba. $10 sliding scale
mon, april 17, 7 pm: summer like the season (detroit synth pop), megamoon x (chiptune scramz), and duck butter (lowercase house band). $10
thu, april 20, 8 pm: spirit ritual (blue-eyed soul & pop from nashville), dozibrion (beats & raps & facial hair), fish stew (two chords & a dream), and wishmire and the high hopes (nexus of blues, psych, funk, and calloused hands). $10
fri, april 21, 7 pm: dozibrion (filter house), vision (rap), and escort mission (flannel darkwave). $10
sat, april 22, 5 pm: experimental open mic. free
sat, april 22, 7 pm: what's on tv and tba. $5
sun, april 23, 7 pm: l.i.p.s. (harlan skate punk), coffinbox (ky hardcore), and tba. $10
thu, april 27, 8 pm: regions (north carolina death metal), pure bliss (syracuse hardcore), and tba. $10 sliding scale
fri, april 28, 6 pm: the two elizabeth taylors book club reads elizabeth bowen's "songs my father sang me." free
thu, may 4, 7 pm:blake hornsby (folk ragas). $10 sliding scale
sat, may 6, 7 pm: convalescent (asheville indie / emo), field trip (east tn shoegaze), and one more. $10
thu, may 11, 7 pm: trunk (nasty pennsylvania party metal) and tba. $10 sliding scale
fri, may 12, 7 pm: yoga alexys. $10 donation allergies!
sat, may 27, 7 pm: okapi (asheville freak folk), midnight snack (instrumental emo duo) and adam (jazzy post-hardcore band, not a person). $10
thu, june 8, 8 pm: the challenged (nyc pop punk), weeping cosmonaut and molly amour. $10
fri, june 16: private event
sat, june 17, 8 pm: taxiway (nashville cosmic americana / dreampop) and tba. $10
wed, june 28, 8 pm: adjy (anthemic literary emo), brooks coker (a larger arc of healing and defiance), and way below (no wave funk). $10
thu, july 13, 8 pm: there's only trash here (philly indie), horcerer (glam darkwave), and mother genevieve & co. (jim steinway-core). $10
fri, july 14, 7 pm: david kline's experimental short film "thought in reality" and jean-luc godard's short "hail, sarajevo," with introduction & post-viewing discussion. free
sat, july 22, 6 pm: poetry reading: tucker leighty phillips reading from his chapbook maybe this is what i deserve, published by split lip press. free
sun, july 29, 6 pm: combat (baltimore-ish glitter emo), backyard dinner (local indie), and tba. $10 sliding scale
wed, august 16, 8 pm: careful gaze (minneapolis emo buttrock), autopilot (alternative / indie), and tba. $10
☺