Lace Hidden Kiss’ Sienna and Donny Hall pull out all the stops Saturday night at Big Mama’s Karaoke Café in Seymour’s Battle of the Bands summer concert series. Photo by David Grimes
In the cool of the evening when everything is getting kind of groovy,
music lovers in Seymour are gathering every Saturday night to blaze new
trails at the Battle of the Bands, hosted by Big Mama’s Karaoke Café
and the Tennessee Productions, Inc. family of businesses, and
co-sponsored by the South Knox · Seymour Times.
Power-punk trio SAK burst onto the Seymour scene as the first act
Saturday night, parlaying their brand of short and punchy tunes with
wild abandon on the state-of-the-art outdoor stage.
With a lineup that featured Jason Rettburg, Josh Henley, and Andrew
Pearson, they often traded instruments with one another as they tripped
across the stage searing their signature sound into the hearts of the
crowd.
Featuring an upbeat sound based on punk favorites Hüsker Dü and the Descendants, and the vocal sensibilities of Green Day,
the threesome poured sweat and blood into their opening set with a
whirlwind abandon, trading trebly bass licks and rapid chords with
triple-time rhythms. About seven years playing together has brought the
band into as tight an alignment as punk bands get.
“We’ll go on to do some basement shows in Chattanooga” from here, Rettberg told the Times about the band’s plans.
Forging forward into the breech next came My Last Right, a rock
foursome hailing from Powell who brought a darker sensibility to the
concert series. Set up by crushing minor chords and thick effects from
the twin guitar attack of Jason Godfrey and Brandon Walker, vocalist
Walker ground out a guttural grist in front of the pounding bass of Ray
McDonnell and howitzer rhythms of drummer Steven Garner.
Showcasing a set of six original tunes, My Last Right delivered rapid
jabs, wicked hooks, and devastating roundhouse haymakers throughout
their set, even treating the audience to a Tool cover before finishing
strong on their own “Panic”.
“We’ve been playing together since we were fourteen,” Walker said when
asked about their tight sound, “and got back together again after
spending some time with other bands.” McDonnell even did a tour in Iran
with the Army before returning to the rock scene in a big way.
Though darkness had already claimed the sky, Oak Ridge rock quintet When Daylight Falls
lit up the night next with a brilliant set. The young five-piece
quickly energized the crowd with their youthful energy, spilling bright
sparks from upbeat rhythms and delightfully discordant guitars.
With a crash of cymbals from Steve Sabatino, the band launched into a
set of original tunes led by Mike Pfeiffer’s brobdingnagian bass and
twangy electric guitars from Dylan Clark and Nick Hendershot, over
which sparkplug Kirsten Shipp poured her honeyed vocals.
“I write what I go through during the day,” lyricist Sabatino told the
Times. Drawing on life experiences for their songs, the band then sends
the words through the prism of their own musical sensibilities, before
winding up the song crafting process, all in a matter of days.
Last but far from least, Lace Hidden Kiss
left none of their talent hidden as they brought the evening’s concert
to a climax. Fronted by slinky vocalist and Gwen Stefani acolyte
“Sienna”, the Knoxville power-pop quintet left “No Doubt” in the minds
of the audience that they were here to stay.
With the chiming guitars of Jeff Harrison and Nick Parten trading tasty
licks, bassist Donny Hall and drummer Aaron Wright laid down a
rock-solid foundation over which Sienna built a warm brown sound.
The ready-for-prime-time quintet wowed the crowd quickly,
touching on Sienna’s carefree charm and easy grace, but driven by a
powerful pop sensibility that never let up.
“We’re trying to do something a little different than what other bands
[in the contest] are trying to do,” Wright told the Times after their
sizzling set. “We do follow our pop roots, you know, we do follow that
kind of music.”
And while the band concedes that the pop sound is harder to find in the
Knoxville area, Wright said that “The other night we played at World Grotto, and as a testament at two o’clock in the morning we had people up dancing around.”
Though another incredible night of terrific talent has drawn to a close
in the cool Seymour air, don’t despair. More stellar acts are in store
next Saturday night as the summer Battle of the Bands concert series
continues at Big Mama’s Karaoke Café. And all of the evening’s acts are
currently appearing online at karaokecafe.com,
where you can download audio and video of every band’s performance to
your computer or handheld device, and vote for your favorite performers
as they vie for a slate of astounding prizes in two distinct categories.
