Heads, hearts and hands
Five new talents at Battle of the Bands
The perky Kimberly Perry performs to the delight of attendees at Big Mama’s Karaoke Café in Seymour for the Battle of the Bands summer concert series. Photo by David Grimes
The setting sun cast orange rays across the sintered Seymour sky Saturday as Battle of the Bands, hosted by Big Mama’s Karaoke Café and the Tennessee Productions, Inc.
family of business, and co-sponsored by the South Knox · Seymour Times,
burned in another memorable night of terrific talent and tasty tunes.
Further firing up the contestants was the ripe opportunity to be
featured on a brand-new television show, Knox Rocks.TV, airing each
Saturday night at 11:30 pm on MyVLT2.
First to take the challenge was the Loudon rock/metal trio Stone Creek, steeped deep in the classics of rock heaven. With a selection of covers featuring Chuck Berry's always-welcome Johnny B. Goode to Megadeth’sSymphony of Destruction,
Kyle Renfro channeled the spirits of his guitar forebears, tolling his
trippy way across the fretboard while bassman Kevin Stokes fed the fire
sparked by Jon Hicks’ bombastic skinwork.
Firing off a triplet of originals, including a jam-length tune called The Epic that borrowed a minor-key riff from London Bridge, the band stretched their muscular sound across the musical spectrum, gearing up for Iron Maiden’sThe Trooper and establishing a well-earned breathing space for Creed’sHigher, before ushering in Megadeth’s Enter Sandman.
Hard on their heels was the south Knoxville Christian rock/pop quintet
The Day Of, who rapidly filled the concert air with a rich and
readily-accessible rock.
Blessed with a concrete foundation via the drummer Preston Baker’s
plastic percussion and the bendable bossy bass of Craig Stevens, the
outfit layered a heavenly heart of inspired playing, courtesy of Greg
Compton’s fluid lead guitar and R.J. Helton’s accomplished
accompaniment, while Nick Hickman sprang from the mix to place his
special stamp of vox humana on what quickly developed into a skilled,
superb set of original, smartly-crafted tunes.
Not to be upstaged, the Greeneville-based quartet Perry
placed a precision munition of good old-fashioned American
rock-and-roll salted with a serious side of alt-country squarely in the
spotlight.
Featuring family members Reid Perry on bass, joined by Neil on both
drums and mandolin, and with the able assistance of Ashley Bean on
backing vocals, the ensemble was made complete by the truly outstanding
Kimberly Perry, lead singer, guitarist, and keyboardist.
Fronting the four-piece with practiced aplomb, the perfect pixie with
polished pipes led the outfit on a rousing romp of original renditions,
rising to a crashing crescendo to the cries of the captivated crowd.
Kermit Easterling Band,
a feisty five-piece that forged a crisp concoction of Christian rock,
fired up their axes next. Fronted by the band’s namesake on lead vocal,
guitar and keyboards, the quintet questing for their own moment in the
spotlight turned the guitar tricks of Kevin Harris and the wind of
Lonnie Carver on sax and flute into a flight of faithful freestyle,
founded generously by Jeff Roller on bass and brother Jason on drums,
forming an uncanny connection at the percussive end.
By turns pensive and joyful, the Alcoa outfit drew forth outstanding
arrangements of acoustic splendor, roundly displaying a top-notch knack
for their moving musical ministry.
Placing their bets on the closing position, progressive blues/metal/southern rock trio Dead Moon’s Gray
placed their stamp of approval on the evening’s festivities with a
wide-spectrum revue. Climbing atop the percussive pedestal of Dave
Peters’ popping platform, the bass stylings of “T Money” wove
world-wiping wizardry through the balanced branches of Marcus Agony’s
splendid, string-splitting guitar work.
Deftly turning from minor-key clashes to major-key clips, the band slid
deliciously through a set of original compositions, balancing modern
blues and toothsome metal with a solid southern sensibility through a
series of outstanding solos and bridgework before signaling the night’s
end with a hard-rocking finale.
You won’t find a better value for your entertainment dollar than a
sizzling Saturday night at Big Mama’s Karaoke Café, where each week a
new set of aspiring stars take the state-of-the-art stage for their
chance to take home a giant pile of premium prizes. Huge
high-definition television screens have been added to Seymour’s premier
entertainment venue, assuring a live rocking soundtrack to the latest
gridiron exploits of your favorite teams.
And if you missed even a minute of the exciting action Saturday, you can assuage your regrets by visiting www.karaokecafe.com,
where you can view and download audio and video of every band’s live
performance and post-show interview to your computer or handheld
device, and vote for your favorite performers.
Of course, the best way to avoid disappointment is to be there this
Saturday as another set of hopefuls put their hearts and hands on the
firing line for the chance to be named the best.
