Best Rock Band
Copper
Having first made its mark in 2000 with the standout single “Miss December,” Knoxville’s Copper followed up in 2002 with the full-length Exchange. Now the late-2003 local CD release of The Fragile Fall has established the four-piece outfit as the most exciting and consistently tuneful group of modern rockers to come along hereabouts in many a year.While there may be groups around with more grit and swagger, few can match the smooth sweetness of Copper’s clean-toned rock anthems. On Fragile tracks like “By Now” and “Where We Started,” singer Keith Wallen drapes pretty, perfectly-wrought vocal melodies over polished layers of guitar, tracks that possess punch and clarity in equal measure. Some local music observers believe that, given time, the band’s crafted brand of radio-friendly rock will almost certainly receive major label attention. Wait and see.