The Freedom Band, a 12-member group from The Freedom Church, wowed the crowd at Saturday’s installment of Battle of the Bands in Seymour. Photo by David Grimes
A ton of tasty talent has already taken the stage at Seymour’s Battle
of the Bands, held each Saturday at the premiere entertainment venue
Big Mama’s Karaoke Café and sponsored by Tennessee Production, Inc.’s
family of businesses and the South Knox · Seymour Times, but there’s
plenty of great music yet to be profiled.
Four more hopefuls for the incredible prize package set their sights on
a winning performance Saturday, August 11, on the state-of-the-art
outdoor stage in Seymour.
The Freedom Band, hailing from The Freedom Church on Straw Plains Pike
were the first of the night and by far the largest group yet to compete
at the contest.
Sporting no fewer than 12 members, the contemporary praise and worship
outfit set the tempo early with a rousing performance of covers
featuring snare-heavy, crisp percussion from the electronic drumset of
James Solomon, and workman-like instrumentalism and straightforward
changes laid down by Robert Apperson on bass, John Worsham on keys,and
Shannon Mahuron and David Pickel on guitar.
Playing on a rock sensibility to their uptempo rhythms and soaring
vocals, the four-year-old group was carried by their inspirational
message and the faith of the members, and soon had the audience
clapping and singing along with their arrangements.
Drawing from a set of covers that the band’s director David Irvin
helped to select, the members are solidified by an easy friendship that
for some has lasted many years. “Most of us grew up together,” noted
vocalist Any Mynatt. With an extensive number of performances already
to their credit at their church, the band also appeared at “Fire in the
Valley” at Thompson-Boling Arena last year.
“It was awesome,” Mynatt said of the opportunity to play at Battle of
the Bands. Bassist Apperson agreed, stating “It’s a different venue and
crowd than we’re used to.”
Following quickly on their heels with a rousing set were the members of
Leatherwood, a four-piece rock band from New Tazewell. Composed of
three brothers, Paul Tarver on lead guitar, Brent on drums, and Jeff on
bass and vocals, and joined by “brother of a different mother” Ricky
Mitchell on keyboard, guitar and vocals.
Playing through a series of cover tunes as well as two originals, one
so new it hadn’t yet been named, the outfit was a huge crowd favorite,
eliciting screams of support and praise from the audience with their
fresh looks and heavy backbeat. Over the solid foundation laid down by
Brent and Jeff, guitarist Paul took flight often with silvertoned solos
on their uptempo versions of classic rock songs.
Together for about a year, the quartet originally started with a set of
instruments given to them by Norbert Stovall, owner with his wife Debi
of the Café. Stovall’s ear for talent proved once again to be right on
the money.
“We prefer the classics,” of rock, Paul told the Times following their
performance. “We love it for the coolness and simplicity.”
“We’ve never had such a good crowd,” brother Jeff chimed in, as he
asserted the group would continue to work on writing original
compositions to complement their set of crowd-pleasing covers.
With the full-throated roar of stripped gears, Prisons of Torture took
the stage next. Featuring the high, raspy vocals of Rob Green,
thunderous thump of Timmy Miller on drums, and the crunching chaos of
Lester “Boomer” Latham, Jr. on guitar, the three-piece turned in a set
of songs with syncopated rhythms and a warm brown sound. In front of
Miller’s machine-gun snare and the guttural grind of Boomer’s guitar,
Green’s Cobain-like pipes completed the combo.
“Tim’s throwing drumsticks everywhere,” Green said when a set flew past
his head in the midst of a number. “That’s how I know it’s a good
night!”
“Dealing with life’s tragedies and the prisons we build for ourselves,”
are the heart of both the band’s message and the inspiration for their
name, Boomer told the Times. “It’s the driving force behind our music.
As cooler temperatures began to prevail, the trip-hammer trio Absolute
Power put the crowd to the torch with their rolling rhythms, rapid-fire
vocals and fine fretwork.
With Kris Hawkins’ polished and professional overtones complementing
the low growl of Jason Alley’s bass and the blistering backbeat of Mike
Rogers on drums, the three kicked the event into double-time overdrive
with a solid set of original compositions, topped with a cover of “The
Devil Went Down to Georgia” to the delight of the audience.
Crisp execution and rolling thunder, salted with adept harmony vocals
were the groups hallmark on the aptly-named “Supercharger” and
“Juggernaut”, which stomped through the attendees like an elephant
stampede.
“We might start with a riff or a beat,” said Hawkins of their
compositional technique, “then build on that.” Already with two EPs to
their credit, the group is currently working on a full album offering.
Battle of the Bands continues this Saturday with another slate of
excellent talent hoping to head for the big-time at Big Mama’s Karaoke
Café in Seymour. You can vote for your favorite groups, download video
and audio performances to your computer or handheld, and see more
details about the event by logging on to www.karaokeCafé.com, or linking through the Times’ own website at www.skstimes.com.
