Five live at Seymour’s
Battle of the Bands Saturday
Seymour’s Khristian Pickett of the rock band In Truth Be Valor lays down the bottom end during their set at Battle of the Bands in Seymour at Big Mama’s Karaoke Café. Photo by David Grimes
Five more hopefuls in Seymour’s signature summer sizzler, Battle of the Bands, brought to life by Big Mama’s Karaoke Café
and the Tennessee Production Center, Inc. family of businesses, as well
as the South Knox Seymour Times, cast their bread upon the waters
Saturday for a chance to win a slate of precious prizes and be known
forever as the inaugural winners in what has become the best
entertainment value in the region.
Even better, due to an incredible response, the event originally slated
to end in August has been extended through October, giving more bands a
chance to compete and more music-lovers the opportunity to experience
the region’s top talent.
The summer-long tilt has already seen an amazing array of musicians and
singers take the stage, and the latest installment, held at Seymour’s
premier music venue, Big Mama’s Karaoke Café, held true to convention
as no fewer than five bands traded hot licks and high kicks on the
state-of-the-art outdoor stage.
Seymour’s own hardcore metal combo In Truth Be Valor
started the evening off tight with a detonating set that saw vocalist
and frontman Nic Tidler blaze a trail of heartrending metal through the
audience..
Anchored by bassist and vocalist Khristian Pickett and drummer Tom
Struble, the five-piece wasted no time in establishing themselves as an
early crowd favorite, with the twin guitar attack of Matt Linkous and
Justin Kirby powerchording through a set salted with upper harmonics
and bottom-heavy silver sludge.
The outfit was thrilled to be performing at the event. “It’s our first
performance on a really big stage,” said Tidler. And the exposure never
hurts. “We don’t care if people talk good about us or bad about us, as
long as they talk about us,” added Pickett.
Next on stage, the Stock Creek Garage Band staked their claim to
stardom by smoothly forging through a set of cover tunes and standards.
The six veterans of the garage made the most of their appearance, as
the south Knoxville combo turned in a deftly-crafted performance that
had a bevy of fans screaming their support at high volume following
scintillating covers of B. B. King’s “The Thrill is Gone” and Eric Clapton’s version of “I Shot the Sheriff”.
It was nearly the band’s first public performance. Except for a brief appearance at Kerbela Temple in downtown Knoxville, it was SCGB’s onstage debut, a fact that was belied by their polished performance.
“It’s either time to start [performing publicly] or quit,” guitarist
Daryl Wagner told the Times about the band’s decision to finally step
out of the garage after four years of practice and fun playing music
together.
Taking the next turn in the spotlight was Mythiah,
a three-piece combo from Lawrenceville, GA, just outside of Atlanta.
Announcing that “The Boys Are Back In Town”, the three brothers, Tyler
Wasserman on bass and keyboards, Casey on guitar and vocals, and
ten-year-old Jacob Wasserman on drums parlayed their musicianship in a
set of cover tunes that had the crowd singing along.
“I thought we came prepared and ready to play,” nineteen-year-old Casey
told the Times about the band, which draws on classic rock influences
from the British invasion. Fourteen-year-old Tyler performed using a
bass guitar and amplifier borrowed from his grandfather Larry Smith of
Seymour. Smith, who was a member of the Toledo, OH outfit The Mods in
the 1960’s, read about Battle of the Bands in the Times and encouraged
the boys to travel up for the contest.
Not to be outdone, eclectic outfit Bones in the Museum blasted onstage
next. Self-described by leader Joseph King as an “obscure folk” band,
Bones may not be obscure for long. Laying down their own brand of
desert stomp, the band turned in a fascinating set of twangcore tunes
peppered with King’s snappy patter and riveting stage presence.
Bones In the Museum, which has been evolving both their sound and their
lineup for two years, featured crisp percussion from drummer Will
Morrell and bassist Will Ross and strong support from guitarist Danny
Hicks, helping to build a house of offbeat western folk-rock which King
then cheerfully and deftly destroyed, aided by his high voice and
Ovation acoustic guitar.
Bones is currently putting together their first recording with the help of City By City’s Nate Austin, and hopes to have final cut on the work by December.
Saving the heaviest for last, closing act Onyx Stone
from Middlesboro, KY threw naked thunder to the crowd under a yellow
moon at the outdoor venue. Onyx Stone may have been the hardest working
band onstage Saturday night, sporting an excellent command of their
crunchy, tight metal, well-balanced from the top of their guitar’s
crystal reverb to the bottom of the kick drum’s thump.
Blasting through their dynamic set, the five-piece showed a good bit of
diversity while staying close to their core sound, and showcased a high
level of musicianship. “Those guys are tighter than a hatband,”
remarked Norbert Stovall, organizer of the event and President of
Tennessee Production Center’s family of businesses.
Drawing their name from Genesis 2:12, the band’s vocalist Dusty Owen cited Jesus Christ as their number one influence.
Real Deal Motors also announced at the event that they would be adding
to the already-incredible array of prizes for the winners by kicking in
a brand new mini-chopper from their stock at their location on Chapman
Highway.
Next week will see five more incredible bands slated for the contest,
including outfits from Greeneville, Jacksboro, and Philadelphia. If you
love music, you can’t afford to miss this outstanding array of musical
talent that continues all summer into October at Big Mama’s Karaoke
Café in Seymour.
To get a taste of what you’re missing, just log onto KaraokeCafe.com,
where you can hear performances by this year’s contestants, view videos
that you can download to your computer or favorite handheld device, and
register your vote for the band you think deserves the top prize in
either of two categories - professional and semi-pro, or garage band.
