Metro Pulse/Music/Eye on the Scene

Local Review

The Rockwells (Makeshift Migrant)
The Rockwells have been praised and criticized for sounding a lot like '60s British invasion bands. The comparison is not without merit, but on their latest EP, they sound to me more like the '70s Brit working-class rockers, a la Elvis Costello, Rockpile and Graham Parker. They don't quite reach the lyrical genius and depths of those artists, but they do blend catchy melodies, smart lyrics and raw emotion to good effect.

The group is made of Memphis transplants, two sets of brothers—Jonathan and Fred Kelly and Tommy and Trace Batement, with Jonathan Kelly handling the lead vocals and most of the songwriting duties. (For the record, Kelly is an intern at Metro Pulse.) The EP is the band's fifth release. The understated guitar playing is solid throughout, and there are some nice keyboard effects on "Red and Gray." Lyrically, the band sticks to the broken-heart variety, but that topic rarely gets old.

You can check the band out yourself at their CD release party at the Pilot Light on Saturday.

Get some sleep, Scott

Saturday night, Blue Cats in the Old City played hostess to 100.3 The River's 2nd Birthday Bash. A diverse crowd upwards of 1,300 people filled the venue, spilling over into its adjacent courtyard and neighboring club Tonic. Wild-eyed local favorite Scott Miller kicked off the free concert with an acoustic listening party for his sophomore Sugar Hill release Upside/Downside, due out this summer. Despite looking haggard and sleep-deprived, Miller delivered a strong performance, cranking out each new song with an intense sense of urgency. Later on, Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise took the stage.

The evening was an overwhelming success (with no arrests) and the block party atmosphere served as a hopeful reminder of the potential that the Old City holds for the not-so-distant future.

Celebrity celebration

Gregg White, manager of the Preservation Pub, has been pleasantly surprised at the turnout for the Pub's "Celebrity Bartender" Tuesday nights. "People are responding better than we anticipated," he says. "It's a great event, and it benefits a lot of charities [each evening's proceeds go to the celebrity's charity of choice]. It exposes Market Square and downtown to people who might not otherwise come down here."

Previous celebrities have included Knoxville rock laureate R.B. Morris, Yee-Haw owner Kevin Bradley, and County Commissioners John Schmid and David Collins. Upcoming in May are City employees Kevin Dubose and Mickey Foley, plus the mysterious-sounding duo of Dave Curry & Shadow May, "Bathroom Painters." Further in the future, look for Father Ragan Schriver of the Associated Catholic Charities of East Tennessee, the Hooters girls, and maybe, just maybe, a certain fuzzy-faced Metro Pulse web monkey and his mostly hairless sidekick.

Go.

Thursday: Go see the Drive-by Truckers at Blue Cats and be glad you're alive.

Friday: Crash the Valleyfest mixer at Jupiter Entertainment (bring a couple of mason jars of moonshine). Then head to the Corner Lounge and listen to Freda Valentine.

Saturday: Check out Knoxville's cool little film festival. Then go hear what Knoxville's newest art rock band, 7-Year Rabbit Cycle, sounds like at the Pilot Light.

Sunday: Back to the film festival. Then head to the Preservation Pub to discuss over a pint.

Monday: Put on your smoking jacket, grab your pipe and head to 4620 for the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra.

Tuesday: Sleep.

Wednesday: Read.

—Madame "film my mistakes" Georgie with Joe Tarr, Clint Casey, and Scott McNutt