Sage meets Leaf meets Zipper for a kinder, gentler rock
by Mike Gibson
Local music scenes are much akin to unstable molecules, mutable entities wherein component parts diverge, change character, and realign with predictable irregularity. Nascent Knoxville rockers Floodwater are acutely familiar with that paradigm.
A bluesy local four-piece, Floodwater is fronted by Doug Shock, former classic rock DJ and long-time lead singer of Sage, the hair-slinging, brew-swilling poster lads of pop-metal party rock in Knoxville throughout the late '80s and early '90s. And ably supporting Shock's flamboyant frontsmanship is bass player Jay Daniels, who once laid the rhythm down for popular power-popsters Leaf.
But while the names and faces might be recognizable, the band itself is a wholly different beast. "Musically, this is as far away from Sage as it gets," says Shock. The now-shorn ex-metallist is typically gregarious, effervescent as he leans across a cocktail table before a Saturday night Floodwater gig at The Spot. Tongue lightly in cheek, he adds, "I'm a grown-up now; it's all about the music, man!
"In Sage, we used to do pyrotechnics and lights and the whole shebang," he says. "The most exciting part of our stage show would probably be my shoes."
Having served as weekend host of a locals-only radio showcase on classic rock's 103.5 WIMZ, Shock's DJ days inspired him to cast off the lethargy of his rock retirement and re-enter the fray. His first recruit was Daniels, whom he approached after an Old City viewing of the bassist's post-Leaf project, Zipper.
"I was just being lazy on the couch, and it got to be time to play again," says Shock. "I found Jay at Manhattan's, and shoved a practice tape down his throat. You don't ever leave music behind once it gets in you."
The duo also enlisted two of Shock's South Central Communications colleagues; drummer Doug Roth, formerly a night-time DJ at WIMZ, and guitarist Nick Morgan, then a late-night jock at S. Central's WNFZ. The two were more than eager to oblige. Roth, now employed by medical technology outfit CTI, reports that, "I was ready to make my own music. I couldn't spin 'Carry On My Wayward Son' even one more time."
Beyond the two familiar faces, don't expect much musical kinship with any of the aforementioned former bands. Floodwater make languidly charming back-to-basics rock, music with a warm heart and a softly Southern touch.
Shock draws a parallel to Jakob Dylan's Wallflowers, and while insufficient, the analogy isn't entirely off base. Gone are the boisterous metal melodramatics that were once Shock's stock-in-trade, as the unit's unpretentious songcraft showcases the ringing purity and clarity of his voice.
According to Daniels, experience tells. His days in Leaf and Zipper taught the value of integration, of working within the carefully drawn framework of each member's talents. It's a lesson learned well, as the synergy and sheer cohesion of Floodwater's music attest.
"I've become more rhythm-oriented," says Daniels. "Doug (Roth) and I are really in sync. I'm really playing rhythm, not bass. It's not like some bands, where everyone is off playing their own shit. There's only one (bass virtuoso) Billy Sheehan, and I'm not him."
"I really understand more than ever now that I don't know everything," adds Shock. "I've learned that you need to know how to rely on each other."
But Floodwater's greatest strength lies not with its better-traveled members, but rather with neophyte Nick Morgan. Tall and slim and brandishing a creamy-toned Les Paul, Morgan drives each song with an undercurrent of swelling rhythms and lilting melodies, then takes the spotlight captive with solos that unerringly find the ear's sweetest spot, as well as the heart's softest. As drummer Roth states prior to The Spot show, with forceful understatement, "Be sure and listen to him play. He wails."
Floodwater have played a handful of shows since their genesis about one year ago, their progress having been interrupted by the departure of a former member. Look for their appearances to become less infrequent now; deadpans Shock, ever the classic class-clown front man, "Until we get our stadium gigs lined up, we'll play a lot of local club shows. Our goal is nothing short of world domination."
World domination, and a full-length CD. The band already has about 10 songs—a clutch of dreamy roots-rock ballads and sturdy mid-tempo rockers—recorded at a local studio. With some luck, the platter will be locally available some time next fall.
"That's still pending, though," Shock cautions. "If there's one thing I've most learned from being in other bands, it's to never put a date on any release."
June 22, 2000 * Vol. 10, No. 25
© 2000 Metro Pulse
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