In writing this review my gut is wanting to swing towards an unhealthy diatribe about the sad state of pop music. Not as a dismissal of what Jag Star does and represents, but the fact that they haven’t broke to a number one download in the iTunes Store. Yet no talent fools like Katy Perry and Kesha [notice no dollar sign] strike it rich.
But instead of focusing on the negative, let’s move on to the positive.

David Keith got into acting to meet girls. Or so he claims.
Keith explains that he never got involved in the emotional side of his career, meaning he didn’t buy into the Hollywood hype that derails so many young actors. Nor does acting define his identity. “I got paid to have fun,” he says with his trademark crooked grin. So when Brian Salesky, executive director of Knoxville Opera, made Keith “an offer he couldn’t refuse,” he agreed to tackle a very different kind of role – that of the Pirate King in Gilbert & Sullivan’s beloved operetta, The Pirates of Penzance, coming to the Tennessee Theatre March 12 – 14.

Photo by: Mr. Goodspeed
Earlier this week the announcement was made that Sundown in the City will trim its schedule from 12 shows to 5.
Are you happy or sad to see to a shorter Sundown schedule?
You knew it was coming and now it’s here. Renaldo Woolridge, aka Swiperboy and UT basketball player, is famous for his hoops and his music videos. He just laid a new track, Never Leave You Like Kiffin, that we hope Southern California radio stations are playing non-stop. Good work Swiperboy.

WDVX’s monthly live broadcast, Tennessee Shines, is now established as the go-to venue for great, sometimes eclectic, music. The latest installment was a concert with no real singular highlights, just performance after performance that proved to be continually luminescent, with every musician at the top of their game.

What do you think of when you hear the term “post-metal”? My best guess is that 99.9999999999% will retort a truly esoteric “huh? Whuzzat?” According to the bastion of truth that is Wikipedia, post-metal is “…broadly characterized by distorted guitar, heavy atmospherics, gradual evolution of song structure, and a minimal emphasis on vocals.” Yup, that about fits.
A weekly peek into what makes the Knoxville music scene phenomenal. We’ll be bringing you album + concert reviews from the Knoxville area and interviews with local musicians + people behind the scenes.
Blue Mother Tupelo is band that’s been on the edge for a while now. Around here, they’re well known and well respected — as they deserve to be. But nationally they seem to be on the precipice, one hit song from truly breaking big. Which… let’s just say it’s odd to say the least. I mean, the three albums that are out in the ether are all chocked full of potential megahits. Why it hasn’t come for them is befuddling to this very writer.

A weekly peek into what makes the Knoxville music scene phenomenal. We’ll be bringing you album + concert reviews from the Knoxville area and interviews with local musicians + people behind the scenes.
JC: What made you want to start playing the guitar?
CA: My brother. He played the guitar, and I liked the loud noise. If I didn’t like playing, he’d beat me up. *laughs* No, seriously, I looked up to my brother. It just felt fun to play.
JC: Banana pancakes or crouton salad?
CA: I like ‘em both.
JC: You gotta pick.
CA: OK. Crouton salad.

A weekly peek into what makes the Knoxville music scene phenomenal. We’ll be bringing you album + concert reviews from the Knoxville area and interviews with local musicians + people behind the scenes.
Vertigo produces a sound that is difficult to define. That’s not a bad thing; it’s actually a plus. Over the years the band has grown in their sonic range. With The Coming and the Going, the band adds dense layers of noise and texture that separate them from most local rock bands. That said, the core is still firmly rooted in a strong, rhythmic rock base. The aforementioned layered textures are a nice addition. Their previous album, …and Miles to Go Before We Sleep, showed glimpses and peeks of the step forward that they actually take with The Coming and the Going.

A weekly peek into what makes the Knoxville music scene phenomenal. We’ll be bringing you album + concert reviews from the Knoxville area and interviews with local musicians + people behind the scenes.
Heart Attack, The American Plague’s latest album, came with a lot of baggage. Would it be a forward step from their last album, God Bless The American Plague? Had the guys topped out with GBTAP, and were on the slippery slope downhill? Could they be anymore badass?
Well, the abbreviated review is: Yes. No. It appears so.