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A collage of music around town—this week and beyond

Knoxville is a musically wealthy city. Its value as an incubator, hotbed or proving ground isn’t always apparent or acknowledged; it seems sometimes that only in retrospect, through a sentimental lens, can a local period of particular energy or productivity be identified and romanticized.

But what about the present? Most bands from here—like most bands from anywhere—create music without ever being illuminated by the spotlight of fame and fortune. And Knoxville’s scene as an entity hardly gets a mention in publications that cover the entire Southeast, perpetually losing out to Nashville. But national attention is a tricky yardstick on which to base a musical community’s worth.

In this, our summer 2004 music issue, the Metro Pulse staff lends its ear to musicians, bands and musical topics of local interest. The performers and issues covered here run the gamut but hardly stretch enough to meet either end of the spectrum of what Knoxville’s scene has to offer.

“Success” always depends on who’s counting, but we say Knoxville’s scene—made up of local acts and those who settle into our city for the occasional one-night stand—ranks pretty high on the scale of diversity and talent. Here’s a sampling.

July 22, 2004 • Vol. 14, No. 30 © 2004 Metro Pulse