Though many outstanding performances have been notched so far, the
groups performing at the Battle of the Bands Saturday night shattered
all expectations as the talent level was notched up yet again for
contestants at the summer concert series that has now been extended
well into the autumn months, hosted by Big Mama’s Karaoke Café and the Tennessee Productions, Inc.
family of business, and co-sponsored by the South Knox · Seymour Times.
Each band will have the chance to be featured on a brand-new television
show, Knox Rocks.TV, airing each Saturday night at 11:30 pm on MyVLT2.
Next week, the series expands again due to popular demand, and Friday
night acts are added to the slate in addition to the regular Saturday
lineup.
This week, it took no time at all for the rock level to hit maximum when Concept Zero
out of Rutledge took the stage. The alt-rock quartet burst onto the
Seymour scene with a blast, churning out a select set of originals and
cover tunes that had attendees bopping in front of the footlights,
screaming “Concept Zero is our hero!” during the song breaks.
Fronted by the Gibson-slinging, detuned Joseph Morgan on guitar and
vocal, with strong support from the tasty tone of guitarist Lukas
Merrel, the foursome placed themselves in contention for the prize
package, due in strong part to the calculated contributions of bassist
Adam Winstead’s throbbing boom and drummer Philip Lenz’s breakneck
bombast.
Not about to take a backseat, Kyle Tallman
stormed onstage next, forging forward with his rock/powerpop quartet to
take up permanent residence in the hearts of the audience. Tallman’s
eponymous foursome trekked all the way from Chattanooga to grace the
pop sensibilities of the Café’s appreciative crowd, a far from
disappointing quest.
Given full voice by bassist Steve Williams and drummer Jeremy Muse,
Tallman put his heart on the line with an outpouring of thoughtful,
introspective originals. Turning chords and words into an
autobiographical odyssey, and playing adroitly against fellow guitarist
Robert Williams’ Fender-bending fretwork, the quartet’s namesake
touched on empathic themes through a short but intensely emotional set.
Unfazed by the previous acts and with ecstatic energy in abundance, the upbeat vocal and instrumental stylings of SecondMan
showed they are a first rate outfit to be reckoned with. The
contemporary Christian octet set themselves far apart from any
second-level talent, led by the vocal prowess of the praiseworthy
Allison Collins and Bryan Cash.
Hailing from Strawberry Plains, the group showcased a superior
musicianship, exemplified foremost by the glittering guitar work of
Michael Collins, who shone but never overshadowed fellow stringmen
Brandon Yancey and Aaron Brown. With crisp percussion from Dereck
McCarter and Corey Gregory’s own skins, and ably assisted by Tommy
Brown on bass, the outfit channeled a huge amount of energy to their
faithful fans in attendance, putting their own stamp on a rousing
rendition of DC Talk’s “Jesus Freak” to wind up their set.
There’s heavy, and then there’s Drinkin’ w/Jim, the Knoxville quintet
who took the stage last to cap Saturday night’s entertainment. With the
grungy granite gravity born from the ashes of their former band
Hollowpoint, DWJ attacked the waning minutes of the evening with an
appetite red in tooth and claw.
Fronted ostensibly by the basement baritone of Chad Burcham
occasionally launching into a Morrison-like alto, the prog-rock/metal
five-piece played extensive hard-driving interludes, with the bell-like
solo tones of Yancy Nelums setting a searing sonic peal above the
benthic bass of Luke A. H. Freeman. Effectively divided by Quincy
Nelums’ syncopated skins and the sound effects of Michael Neph, the
band’s self-appointed mission, in exposing the influences of false
idols, no doubt will garner many new worshipers of the band’s own.
Imagine this - a mere five dollars buys you admission to what has
rapidly become the most outstanding value in entertainment anywhere in
Knoxville, and it’s right here in Seymour. All performers can be caught
performing a selection of tunes at 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.
But Big Mama’s Karaoke Café is the only place to catch every song of
every performance. If you love music - of any kind - you owe it to
yourself to be there.
