Metro Pulse/A Note from the Publisher/A City on Key

Comment
on this story

by Brian Conley

'It's a poor dog that doesn't wag its own tail'

That's a colloquialism my father is fond of using and I think, all too often, it applies to Knoxville.

One area, in particular, where I feel we suffer from a lack of proverbial tail wagging is our local music scene. This special issue of Metro Pulse is intended to help jump start that tail into motion. After all, where music is concerned, these are heady days for Knoxville.

Take, for example, Robinella and the CCstringband, members of which currently perform every Monday night at the Preservation Pub. The band's unique blend of bluegrass and jazz has garnered a national following. Earlier this year, the group appeared on Conan and were among the acts headlining the Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester, Tenn. Robinella's self-titled CD is currently Number 13 on the Americana music chart.

From there, it takes only one degree of separation to reach another of Knoxville's musical shining stars. Scott Miller and his band the Commonwealth currently sit atop the Americana chart with their newest release, upside/downside. If you've never heard Scott or seen him play live then you are truly missing out. Aside from being a great front-man who takes pride in delivering on stage, Scott is one of America's most gifted songwriters.

Scott and the Commonwealth recently headlined 100.3 The River's Rockin' on the River concert in Lenoir City. I have not seen any official numbers on how many attended the show, but friends have said that it was so crowded they could not venture an estimate.

The day before, July 4, R.B. Morris, perhaps Knoxville's most well-known poet and songwriter, performed at World's Fair Park before a crowd of 20,000. For those unfamiliar with R.B.'s talents, Lucinda Williams once described him as America's greatest unknown songwriter and Steve Earle credited him as the reason he started writing poetry. To see R.B. is to be genuinely moved, as his shows are replete with poignant lyrics and original spoken word readings that viscerally affect his audiences. Also, R.B.'s band features Hector Qirko, a locally renowned virtuoso guitarist.

That same weekend, for fans in the know, Todd Steed and his band, Smokin' Dave and the Premo Dopes, played a surprise show at Cool Beans. Smokin' Dave first surfaced in Knoxville in the early '80s and the band's been delighting audiences with its special brand of folksy punk rock ever since. For my money, Todd's lyrics—though often Knoxville-centric—are world class. And while Smokin' Dave may not have enjoyed the same level of recognition as the two guys above, if you want to know how good the band is, just ask Scott or R.B. Or you could ask Michael Stipe of R.E.M. fame, who'll tell you that Smokin' Dave is one of his favorite bands.

In attendance that night at Cool Beans was Ashley Capps, who has played a vital role in the Knoxville music scene since the mid-'80s and who is the promoter behind both the Bonnaroo Festival and Sundown in the City. Perhaps no single person has been more responsible for Knoxville's musical renaissance than Ashley, who has been bringing some of the world's best music to our fair city for two decades.

Fortunately for us, Ashley is not alone in this endeavor. Knoxville's music scene is supported by a plethora of local clubs and businesses. Among its top champions are Gary Mitchell, owner of Blue Cats, Tonic, and Fiction, and Allan Miller, owner of Disc Exchange. Gary is a tireless promoter of local music, and this summer's line-up at Blue Cats is among the best the city has ever seen. Alan and his knowledgeable staff are always more than happy to help customers find the very best local music among the Exchange's rich selection.

It's unfortunate that this column and, indeed, this special issue of Metro Pulse lacks the space to feature all of Knoxville's great musicians, bands and patrons. This column mentions only a few of the people whose names are already most familiar to many of our readers. But Metro Pulse intends to become more expansive in its coverage of the local music scene. From classical to hip-hop, fusion to techno, we'll tell you where to find it and if it's any good. Our feature story on Donald Brown, the great jazz pianist and composer, who is more famous nearly everywhere than he is in his hometown, is just a start.