Rain on the Parade

The holiday season saw a lull in activities at West Knoxville's rock 'n' roll deli, The Prince Sports Bar & Deli, located on Lovell Road. A water leak caused a ceiling cave in, with several shows canceled in the wake of the damage. But fear not, renovations are already in progress and The Prince should be rockin' again by this weekend.

"We're looking at reopening on Friday," says owner Donna Dweik. "That might be pushing it, but we're getting close. We're just working as hard as we can to get back open as soon as possible.

"We're trying to do the best we can to get through this, but we're still doing construction right now. We're just using this time to go ahead and remodel because we were going to have to do it anyway," says Dweik, laughing. "I think the bands are the most disappointed about all of this. It has become kind of a spot for local music, and we want to keep that happening."

Local hard rock troopers Still Life Opera managed to pull off their New Year's Eve show in spite of the damage. "I think they really just had their hearts set on playing that night," says Dweik. "So we let them come in and play, but we just weren't operating up to full capacity. We couldn't even open the kitchen."

Once renovations are complete, The Prince will be featuring a deluge of local and touring bands as always. "The shows have been really successful and we're looking forward to getting all of that started again," says Dweik.

We Miss 'Em Already

The V-roys' farewell bash at the Tennessee Theatre on New Year's Eve was just about everything we'd hoped it be, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a better way to say good-bye to the 20th century in Knoxville.

The boys came out tight and their playing slowly disintegrated as the alcohol and hours wore on, but their collective heart grew stronger. Though it was sad to hear old favorites like "Wind down," "Virginia Way," "Lie I Believe," "Amy 88," and "Mary" live for the last time, there wasn't a hint of defeatism in the air as V-roys' screw-all attitude was as strong as ever. Drummer Jeff Bills gave perhaps his best guitar solo ever on "Cold Beer Hello." The lovable Steve Dupree made an appearance as baby "V2K" (wrapped in diapers and suckling the nipple of his beer-filled bottled). Guest musicians included Michael Crawley of the Mac Daddies and Todd Steed of Apelife, and Neil Diamond watched over the evening from a framed picture sitting on the stage.

Everyone was having such a damn good time that it was hard to believe the band's career was ending. The lone mournful note was sounded around 3 a.m., when the V-roys launched into their penultimate finale, "Goodnight Loser," with Scott Miller singing, "It's time for you to try to fall asleep." Pleasant dreams, boys.

Local CD Review

Rumble Seat Jitters
Hot Pursuit (Rumble Seat Records)

The so-called swing revival may have petered out a bit since its acme in late 1998, but that's probably for the best. In '98, there were far too many cigar chomping bandwagon jumpers spouting off about cats and kittens and hoping to be the next Sha-Na-Na for my comfort.

Now that the trendy factor of the new jack swing revival has abated somewhat, it's good to see that some bands of the genre are sticking true to their roots and playing exciting, invigorating, and danceable tunes. Such is the case with Knoxville's Rumble Seat Jitters, who deliver a pleasing mix of dance floor savvy and technical virtuosity on their debut e.p., Hot Pursuit.

The 'Jitters describe their music as "power swing," which proves an apt description of the music on this six-song CD. The band plays a mix of jump blues and rockabilly that is peppered with jazz and big band influences to good effect. Their eclectic approach provides a wide palate of sounds which mix well and add some originality to a genre that is usually mired in its own novelty factor.

The band blasts through the songs with verve and panache, delivering the goods that will delight a spectrum of swingers, young and old. Sure, there are a few tunes ("Dance Daddy," "Vegas Nights") that would fit in well on rock radio alongside the Cherry Poppin' Daddies and the Brian Setzer Orchestra. These tunes are competent, if perhaps a bit predictable for the style.

The 'Jitters really hit stride when they stretch out in the instrumental numbers. That's when all of the members of the sextet are allowed to strut their stuff. And after all, the music is what swing is really about, not a retro fashion show.

On "Major Minor," the band opts for a slower tempo, showcasing a smoky, bluesy bassline and lots of horn interaction. The band hits its peak on "Jagger," where the speed is cranked up a notch faster than usual new jack swing and lets their rock 'n' roll and Afro-Cuban influences come to the fore. The song showcases a white hot solo by drummer Robert Noe, which proves he's a contender for title of hardest hitting, fastest, and most dead-on drummer in town.

Hot Pursuit is an excellent document of the 1999 'Jitters sound. As the band continues to pack 'em in on the local club scene, I'm sure its sound will continue to evolve to even higher peaks. The e.p. is not exactly a substitute for the band's manic live shows, but it stands on its own just for the strength of the songwriting and playing. These guys are destined for bigger things, but this is a great first installation in what will surely be a long reign as one of Knoxville's most entertaining and musically-able bands.

—Zippy "Still Recovering" McDuff