Metro Pulse/Music/Eye on the Scene

Underground Online

Though it's always in a state of flux, Knoxville's underground music scene simply refuses to die. Sure, there's a revolving-door cast of musicians, scenesters and venues. But the indie/punk/DIY scene is ever thriving.

A new site on the much celebrated web (You just gotta see it, Ethyl!), www.KnoxShows.com, is drawing a lot of local hits and celebrating the current movers and shakers of Knoxville's underground.

Webmaster Renee Sanabria has created a fun, well-designed and way-cool site that features links to several of Knoxville's better bands. The site has images of local scenesters, coupled with profiles, favorite bands and amusing anecdotes. Sanabria is something of a wunderkind. The 19-year-old first came to local attention through her documentary film about Old City street preachers titled The Final Word. The film debuted at The Pilot Light and was later showcased at the Valleyfest Film Festival.

A Knoxville native recently returned from Memphis, Sanabria got the idea for the site from a similar web presence she created in Elvis' hometown. Aided by Knoxville record producer, drummer and graphic designer Rob Koons, Sanabria says the present site only hints at what is to come. "I'm hoping to have web radio on the site where you can hear a lot of the local bands," says Sanabria. "I'm also planning on having video interviews on the site.

"We just set up an interactive section where the kids can send in reviews and post their opinions. The kids are all about making their presence known, and it just seems like a fun thing. I'll pretty much let anybody say just about whatever...within reason, of course. But I haven't had to edit anything so far, except for a little bit of spelling and punctuation."

Another site features info on the Old City's newest all-ages venue. Visitors to www.oldcityjava.net can stay abreast of all the events at, you guessed it, Old City Java.

Local CD Review

St. Somewhere
St. Somewhere

Last week, Market Square was packed with what seemed to be thousands of aging frat boys and their dates, 20 pounds and 20 years too late for the party. Only they weren't late. Thanks to the Jimmy Buffet-inspired band St. Somewhere, the Square was transformed into a reasonable facsimile of Margaritaville, where the party never ends.

Still, calling St. Somewhere "Jimmy Buffet sound-alikes" doesn't convey the totality of their sound. True, their songwriting is inspired by Buffet (the name "St. Somewhere" is taken from a Buffet song lyric). But the band's lively Caribbean-flavored blend of reggae, calypso and rock, probably has more to do with founding member and Trinidad & Tobago native Quincy Yeates' steel drum influence as it does with any desire to ape the Coral Reefer Band. "Postcard," the first cut on their latest, eponymous CD, is lyrically the closest to Buffet's rollicking phrasing and sentiment, and it happens to be an older one, from their first CD. The re-recording sounds tighter and more polished, and singer Matt Hall delivers the lyrics with conviction: "Goodbye, goodbye, I'm on my way/ I've been waiting too long, this is the day/ The rest of my life is gonna be mine/ I'll send you a postcard to tell you I'm fine."

Unfortunately, that's the high point. Listeners should enjoy tapping their toes to up-tempo tunes like "Postcard" and "Read My Mind," but the ballads on the CD suffer from overly sentimental lyrics and overwrought delivery, such as on "Deep in My Heart": "Deep in my heart I know you're always thinking of me/ Deep in my soul I know we'll never be apart..." The singing is entirely too earnest. An edge of world-weariness in the delivery might have served better, reining in the saccharine words.

The musicianship is impeccable, but a sense of fun seems mostly lacking in this studio work. Yes, songs such as "Temporary Situation" and "Holiday" present the idea of escaping from the workaday world and enjoying life. But, despite the energy evident in the performances, the sentiments expressed lack playfulness. As "Holiday" puts it, "Here we go on a holiday, take me away/ Drinkin' rum and havin' fun with you all day/ Now we go jump up jump up!/ Mix up mix up!/ Party all night/ Feelin' all right." Having fun never sounded so rote.

Maybe it's simply a case of not being able to capture in the studio what works better live. Because, as demonstrated last week, St. Somewhere does have fun on stage, and they take the crowd along for the ride.

Go.

Thursday: Go see Lysistrataat the Black Box Theatre to find out what all the fuss over penises is about.

Friday: Catch local rock gods Westside Daredevils at Patrick Sullivan's.

Saturday: Chris Crofton and the Alcohol Stunt Band with the High Score at the Pilot Light: Nashville band with kickass name and a Knoxville band to keep an eye on.

Sunday: Hmm. You need a little art—check out the Polaroid exhibit at the KMA.

Monday: Drink beer. It's better for you than TV.

Tuesday: Call in sick from work because of hangover. Watch TV all day.

Wednesday: Head down to Barley's to catch the Biscuit Boys at WDVX's Behind the Barn.

Emma "Getting in touch with my bitter white male side" Poptart with John Sewell and Scott McNutt