City By City’s William Ross (left) and Nate Austin blast through their set at Big Mama’s Karaoke Cafe in Seymour Saturday, June 30. A photojournal of the event can be seen at www.skstimes.com. Photo by David Grimes
If it’s top talent in live music you want, it’s hard to do better than this.
If you heard the blast of metal maniacs Sons of Madmen early Saturday evening in Seymour, you were among the lucky crowd at Big Mama’s Karaoke Cafe as this summer’s premier entertainment event, The Battle of the Bands, rocked on.
The Sons returned to the Battle to reprise their performance of two
weeks ago, and if anything the set by the Seymour combo was more
incendiary than before, laying down a mix of covers and originals for
the appreciative audience.
“I don’t mind working my backside off to make sure people are having a
good time,” bassist Casey Lowe told the Times. “If you’re not sweating
- ” “- you’re not putting your soul into it,” finished rhythm guitarist
Gabe Smith.
Rock/acoustic outfit from Knoxville, City By City took the stage under
the lights next, deftly mixing rock and acoustic music to whoops of
glee from the crowd. The energetic frontman Nate Austin led the band in
a set of fleshy original compositions culminating in a doubletime jam
that left the audience clamoring for more.
City By City is in hiatus while Austin puts the finishing touches on
their next album, but can be enjoyed at www.myspace.com/citybycity2/.
Shoot For Tomorrow, a punk/rock/Christian four-piece, put pick to
strings next with an upbeat performance that had dozens of fans dancing
in front of the stage, and even one adventurous soul crowd-surfing.
Fronted by guitarist/vocalist Chase Hively, the band was clearly an
audience favorite, feeding off of the crowd’s energy.
As a full moon rose over Seymour, the final band of the evening,
freshly-squeezed combo “Guice” revved up attendees with a sizzling set
of acoustic and electric rock and jam blues. Bringing to mind the Dave
Mathews Band, which they list as an influence, the combo strummed,
plucked and popped their way through an eclectic selection of tunes
before winding up the night on an extended jam.
The Battle of the Bands continues Saturday, July 14, with a new slate
of bands and performers sure to rock their way into your hearts.
To enter the contest, which is open to pro and semi-pro bands as well
as “garage” bands who’ve never played a paying gig, simply visit
www.karaokecafe.com, or link to the site at www.skstimes.com.
