East Tennessee's Own WDVX

Kidstuff Live - 1-13 - Sarah Pirkle
2024-01-13 10:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
East Tennessee’s Own Sarah Pirkle is a fiddler, singer, songwriter and teacher.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 1/13 - Long Prairie / Jacc Moran
2024-01-13 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Long Prairie has been serenading venues since the 1990’s getting her start performing at karaoke nights and open-mics. Now frequently playing music around the Texas Hill Country. She has a dynamic and soulful vocal and is a solid rhythm guitarist and has been a devoted songwriter most of her adult life. She has three full-length albums under her belt and is about to start recording her fourth. Born and raised in the Northwoods of Minnesota (hence the name Long Prairie.) Coming from a household that always had music playing (mostly oldies music) she gravitated towards traditional acoustic instruments and fell in love with songwriting. She has been compared to Patty Loveless, Gillian Welch, and Natalie Merchant (to name a few.) She remembers freestyle songwriting as a small child and it just came natural to her, she thought it was fun and still does. She has undeniable talent and enjoys sharing her music. Catch her in coffeehouses, distilleries, bars, wineries, private events, or on the back of flatbed pickup truck.

Jacc Moran will also be joining us.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 1/24 - Reed Fields / Tony Slaughter
2024-01-24 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Reed Fields is an Americana/County singer/songwriter from the rolling hills of Eastern Kentucky.

Tony Slaughter is a Singer/Songwriter born in Georgia, and now resides at the foothills of the Carolina mountains.
He’s no stranger to the music scene at all! Tony cut his teeth on the music scene performing with well-known rock bands such as Socket, Quarterfly, and After August.​
Following the passing of his father, in August 2019, Tony began writing his life stories down in songs. Finding his voice and sound through the lyrics of his songs, Tony Slaughter not only found his form of therapy, but also his songs and stories resonated with so many other people. Two words sum it all up…Outlaw Country!​
With songs from his first album titled Alton Douglas, (His Father’s name) Tony brought us into his life unknowingly. Tracks like Footprint, Sinner or Saint, and Jesus and Tattoos create an image of Tony’s upbringing and what he holds closets to his heart…family and life! But don’t let that fool you either! Tony’s track “Walk of Shame” shows his fun and creative side, while poking fun at one of the local music scene front men Greg Payne from The Piedmont Boys. Don’t worry though…Greg gets the last line in the song to show his approval!
Tony is currently recording new singles with Andrew Crawford, who by himself is a well-rounded musician, as well as no stranger to the Nashville scene! Keep a look out for the new Single “Happy Trails” coming October 2022, as well as many amazing shows lined up this fall with several national and local artists.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 1/25 - The Country Gentleman Show
2024-01-25 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
2005 is when the idea of The Country Gentlemen Tribute Band was first born, when Bill Yates, 20+ year member of the Country Gentlemen, Darren Beachley and David Propst met at Cabin Fever Picking Party in Hampton, VA and sang some old and new Country Gentlemen songs. Later, after further deliberation, they decided to go through in creating a project in tribute to the Country Gentlemen. After a search produced the addition of 4 more members, Including the Lead Vocals of Mike Phipps in August of 2005 the Bill Yates and Friends: A Tribute to the Country Gentlemen project was initially started and later was completed and released in December 2006 on the MasterShield Records label located out of Bridgewater, VA. It became an instant hit with fans, friends and fellow musicians alike, so much so that the band started touring. Bill Yates toured with and fronted the band for 9 years until he did tragically pass away the night of Monday, January 26, 2015, from complications due to cancer. He leaves behind a historic legacy of music, having the honor of previously performing with many bluegrass greats down through the years, such as Red Allen, Bill Monroe, Jimmy Martin, but most importantly the Country Gentlemen.
The current lineup that will be continuing to perform on stage will include: Mike Phipps on guitar and vocals, David Propst on mandolin and vocals, Lynwood Lunsford on banjo and vocals, Kyle Windbeck on upright bass and Darren Beachley on dobro and vocals. This ensemble vows to continue to put its heart and soul into each performance, trying to help satisfy that musical hunger for the multitude of Country Gentlemen fans that still fill this country; especially the ones that truly do miss Charlie Waller & Bill Yates. We will continue to move forward and perform in tribute as closely as possible the tunes from yester-year thought to be long lost for the ages, as they attempt to re-create each tune, vocally and musically as best they can as it was previously originally presented and performed.

The WDVX Big Plate - 1/26 - Dave Eggar
2024-01-26 12:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Over the past two and a half decades, Dave Eggar‘s earned rock star status in pop music world as first-call cellist and string arranger for superstars like Coldplay, Evanescence, John Legend, Lewis Capaldi and Bebe Rexha and Foreigner. Yet for the multi-talented veteran musician, the piano has always been the ultimate place of solace since his childhood days as a classical prodigy.
In his youth, those keys were a sacred space where he found a home immersed in the lyrical glories of Chopin ballades and solo pieces by Satie, Gabriel Faure and Toru Takemitsu. Throughout his career, even as the four-time Grammy nominee has amassed hundreds of string credits, the piano compositions on his solo albums – from his 1998 debut Serenity to his prodigious latest release Dragonfly – reveal a truer artistry that comes alive in a space where he connects with people more deeply and emotionally.
Co-written and produced, like Eggar’s 2021 album Awakening, by drummer, percussionist and songwriter Chuck Palmer, Dragonfly is a thematically expansive yet musically intimate collection which, true to the title’s mythological implications, finds Eggar exploring the concepts of metamorphosis, self-realization and the insight of clear vision. It’s all with an eye towards helping us meet the great challenges of a post pandemic world, rise above the darkness and discover exciting new possibilities.
While most of the pianist’s previous solo albums bear titles reflecting the healing music space (including 2002’s Angelic Embrace), the symbolism of the Dragonfly – brilliantly embodied by the colorful, intricate cover illustration and artwork – made perfect sense as a reflection of a hopeful embrace of a new era. In essence, it’s a tribute as well to Gomeo, a Native American philosopher and fan of Eggar’s music who always called the artist “Dragonflyboy” in reference to the combination of courage and fragility he observed in Eggar. Eggar in turn dedicates the graceful, reflective title track to Gomeo.
“The pandemic and resulting lockdown freed us from our usual distractions and made us all stop and think about the meaning of our lives,” says Eggar, who is releasing Dragonfly in the wake of the two 2023 Grammy nominations earned for his work with clarinetist Tasha Warren on the album Ourself Behind Ourself, Concealed, featuring compositions by Paquito D’Rivera and Pascal Le Boeuf. “I look at these realizations and the re-entry into new phases of life as a metamorphosis, much like the one a dragonfly undergoes from larva to adult. As we re-enter society, it begs the question: How can we do better and find the beauty within ourselves?
“On Awakening,” he adds, “the songs were vehicles for me to think through and solve issues related to that difficult time. With Dragonfly, they’re about being more courageous and enlivening. Now that we’re moving into the next chapter of our existence, how do we strike out in the world? On a personal level, the darkness where the album begins and ends reflects my working through pain, looking metaphorically over these past few years as I’ve experienced the transformation from a darkness into a place of light.”
Much of the darkness Eggar refers to is rooted in his sorrow over the loss of many special people in his life over the past year. In the album’s credits, he dedicates Dragonfly to the aforementioned Gomeo as well as Andrew, Mark and Ronnie. Losing so many in such a short span inspired him to think about his many vectors as a musician. Following the stark, elegant “Prelude,” he taps into “The Darkness,” a graceful hypnotic piece with classical overtones (and the added heartrending texture of his cello harmony) for Andrew, a close friend who took his own life.
The equally soulful, haunting tune “Sorrow Returns” is for “Ronnie” – a nickname for Rosalyn Freundlich, a therapist who transformed his lie at an early age, helping him from his teens through his early 30s. This included the later period of a troubled childhood, which ran from the highs of being a child prodigy playing the Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Hall to running away from home. “Ronnie was more than a therapist for me,” he says. “She was also a very powerful philosopher. Her passing had a significant impact on the recording of Dragonfly.”
Complementing the gorgeous, introspective piano pieces – which include “Embark,” “Encircled,” “Soliloquy” and “Shards of Light” – are the stately, dramatic and hopeful “Lullaby of Kingston” (a piano rendition of the title track from his 2010 album Kingston Morning) and two tracks Eggar performs with Bristol Lightning, the Americana quartet he formed during the quarantine period with talented bluegrass musicians he met and vibed with upon his pandemic-era move from NYC to Bristol, TN. The group’s Blake Collins (mandolin) and Phil Faconti (guitar) appear with Eggar on the uniquely experimental, atmosphere-rich, mood swinging “Memories of New York” and are joined by singer Ashton Davison (providing ethereal wordless vocals) on the trippy and tension filled, densely percussive classical/bluegrass fusion jam “Road Trip.”
At first, Eggar thought these two Bristol Lightning tracks were too much of a departure from the piano-centric flow of the rest of Dragonfly – but ultimately he loved how everything worked together to capture where he’s coming from in a meditative space while expanding his repertoire, taking risks and tackling new adventures in his life. “You can go on a road trip to explore new possibilities and also remember New York as it was and find new life there,” he says. “These songs relate all the possibilities that await us after a long time of struggle. Through all the meditation, we can find a time for action.”
Though it is the closing track, the piano piece “Onwards” flows like an unfinished folk song, promising more magic to come. Ending with such simplicity harkens back to “Appalachian Spring,” an enduring work by famed composer Aaron Copland, who in his later years lived in Eggar’s hometown of Croton-on-Hudson NY and was Eggar’s piano teacher when he was six. It is also a way of acknowledging the pianist’s mellower but still quite vibrant life now in Appalachia, considered by some to be the birthplace of country music.
While Eggar’s fascinating history as a prodigy usually takes precedence in his official biographies, it’s the way music helped the Julliard trained musician cop with the struggles of that childhood that tell the deeper story of his evolving genius. In addition to being in great demand with jazz and pop music royalty (Michael Brecker, David Foster, Taylor Swift, Tony Bennett, Andrea Bocelli and Esperanza Spalding, among scores of others), he has collaborated with the New York City Ballet, the Jose Limon Company, Attack Theatre, Pendulum Aerial Arts, Shen Wei Dance, San Francisco Ballet and Complexions Contemporary Ballet.
Eggar has also appeared as a featured soloist with the Thailand Philharmonic, The Sydney Symphony, the Melbourne Symphony, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. Over the past few years, he has collaborated on live events with yoga artist Christiane Sabo, which allowed him to explore the idea of how emotion and meditation work in tandem.
“I like the way the music on Dragonfly isn’t just about processing sorrow and loss in a meditative space, but also opens up a journey from there into once again embracing the world with courage and confidence,” says Eggar. “I am grateful for the many years I have been with Domo Records, whose leadership always believed in my unique voice as an artist, even when I wasn’t sure of myself. With each album, it’s been wonderfully gratifying to see a substantial increase in people listening. With this little seed planted so long ago, we’ve built a beautiful world of possibilities.”

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 1/27 - HiDAZE
2024-01-27 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Introducing HiDAZE, an electrifying all-girl alternative band hailing from the enchanting hills of East Tennessee. With a dynamic blend of raw emotion and captivating melodies, HiDAZE stands at the forefront of the music scene.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 1/29 - One Lone Goat
2024-01-29 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
One Lone Goat is from Knoxville Tennessee.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 1/30 - Zack Miles / The Montvales
2024-01-30 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
From their early days busking in their hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee, folk-country duo The Montvales have fine tuned the art of meeting listeners exactly where they are. And with their upcoming album Born Strangers, the pair—Sally Buice and Molly Rochelson—have taken that concept to universal levels, creating a reaffirming collection of songs for these uncertain times as told through the wide-eyed existentialism of their stories and the questions raised by their lyrics. And while staying true to the folk traditions like a strong sense of home or enacting change through art, The Montvales offer up their mantras through the fresh, honest perspective of young, female artists in the 2020s.
Due out on February 2nd, Born Strangers takes a step into new territory with a full band of Nashville musicians; a departure from Heartbreak Summer Camp, The Montvales’ 2019 album that reunited the duo after Buice and Rochelson moved away for some time to seek their fortunes separately.
The new direction was aided by producer Mike Eli LoPinto (guitarist for Chris Stapleton and co-writer and producer of Emily Nenni’s “On the Ranch”) who assembled an A-list roster of session players at sound engineer Sean Sullivan’s Tractor Shed Studio for Born Strangers. The result is The Montvales’ sound elevated and amplified. Buice and Rochelson’s voices intertwine jubilantly throughout the album—a sound developed over a lifetime of singing together—and listeners are compelled to join in harmony on a dynamic journey through the gritty, determined, and sometimes absurd world of The Montvales.

Zack Miles is a Singer/songwriter with folk, americana, and bluegrass influence. Coffee-core.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 1/31 - Bruce & Pat / Fish Fisher & EmiSunshine
2024-01-31 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Rolling Stone named EmiSunshine among “10 new country artists you need to know,” but she is much more than country. With a musical style described as “old-timey,” the East Tennessee native performs her own unique contemporary blend of roots music that is equal parts Americana, Bluegrass, Gospel, Blues and Jazz.
Known for her powerful voice and masterful ukulele-playing, the 19-year-old singer/songwriter has been attracting national attention since she was 9 years old, with appearances on Today, NBC’s Little Big Shots, Pickler & Ben, Song of the Mountains, WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour the Grand Ole Opry and elsewhere. In 2018, she was featured in the Grammy-nominated Elvis Presley documentary film The King, for which she wrote and performed two original songs—“Johnny, June and Jesus” and “Danny Ray.” In 2019, she received the prestigious ASCAP Foundation Desmond Child Anthem Award for musical excellence.
With 10 albums released under own name and guest appearances on other projects, EmiSunshine’s evolution as a singer, songwriter and musician is on full display. Her latest album, SIDESHOW (to be released on October 6, 2023), explores themes of lost love, diversity, independence and more.
Likewise, her 2022 album, DIAMONDS, explores themes of love, loss, self-esteem and misogyny. In a review, No Depression described the album as filtering “traditional sounds of roots music through pop…into a bluegrass state of mind.” American Songwriter called it “an ambitious offering from an artist whose talent and ambition reside well beyond her years.”
Emi’s 2019 album, FAMILY WARS, which was produced by 4-time Grammy-winner Tony Brown in Nashville, also received outstanding reviews in leading music publications. No Depression wrote that the album “establishes EmiSunshine as a strong creative force… someone bold and talented enough to tackle today’s issues while honoring yesterday’s folk traditions.” Country Standard Time called it, simply, “a superb album.”
Emi has opened for, or shared the stage with the likes of Loretta Lynn, Rhonda Vincent, Vince Gill, Tanya Tucker and more. A true prodigy, she began writing songs at the age of 5 with help from her mother, Alisha Hamilton, with whom she still regularly writes. Many of her songs deal with serious themes like domestic violence and addiction, but she is equally drawn to uplifting stories that celebrate equality and offer encouragement to anyone facing challenges in life. Her ideas come from many sources, including watching the news and sometimes even listening to other people’s conversations. “I don’t intentionally eavesdrop, but sometimes it just happens,” she admits.
Emi regularly co-writes with other acclaimed songwriters, including Jim Lauderdale, Vicky McGehee, Leslie Satcher and more. In 2020, she collaborated with Grammy-winning funk music legend Bootsy Collins on the song “Stars” to benefit the Recording Academy’s MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Fish Fisher is an award winning songwriter, singer & producer based out of both Gatlinburg TN & Toledo Oh. He regularly plays his special hybrid of original music across the country but is especially fond of touring all of southern Appalachia.
Fish has co-written with hundreds of other songwriters and in all genres. Many artists have cut his songs from his catalog of approximately 1,800 works. He literally has over 200 released songs available on spotify & other popular streaming platforms written & recorded by himself or other artists & bands, .
Fish’s signature sound is always gruff, rootsy and down-home, but genre-hopping is his specialty. Call his style whatever you want, he’s just happy you’re listening.
Fisher was born & raised by a southern family of West Virginia roots in a poor but hard working northern neighborhood in Toledo, a blue collar city within the shadow of Detroit. He’s an anomaly of a country music singer who has never claimed to be raised on a farm, worn a cowboy boot on a dirt road or lived in a small town. This may explain his proclivity for more urban subject matters, aggressive rhythms and howling vocal deliveries to working-class stories and lyrics.
He currently lives in Gatlinburg TN and still maintains a home in Toledo to be near his family whenever he gets a break. For over 10 years he simply continues to travel various highways and stages back & forth to both “homes” while also keeping regular presence in Nashville too.
Having cultivated a loyal following by touring the Great Lakes region and southern Appalachia nonstop for over a decade, Fisher offers something for outlaw-country fans everywhere. His live performances encapsulate his unique blend of where “the Rust Belt meets the Coal Belt.”
NASHVILLAIN is Fisher’s seventh full-length solo album, with numerous other endeavors released with other bands and side projects within the Southern rock, country and alt-folk genres. It will drop on November 10 through most digital music outlets, with CDs available at live shows and at FishFisher.net.
Fish performs & records as a solo artist but is also found in several other bands & projects like:
EmiSunshine – Guitarist for EmiSunshine; a renowned singer in the Americana, Bluegrass & Country music market. At 19 years old she has already spent over 10 years touring the nation & beyond, released 10 full length albums and performed multiple times on shows like the Grand Ole Opry. EmiSunshine & Fish also tour periodically as a duo.
Wilkins/Fisher – Nashville-based touring Country music duo featuring Alexis Wilkins & Fish Fisher. Alexis is a powerhouse Country music singer.
Sam Hatmaker Project – Sam is a popular Nashville based singer-songwriter. Fish co-wrote & Produced her newest album Trailer Park Traitor. They tour as a duo, primarily the songwriter rounds circuit.
S.C.U.M. (Sevier County United Musicians) – East Tennessee’s local super-group featuring many of Gatlinburg’s top solo frontmen assembled Avengers-style. Band consits of Hendry Bombat, Luke Walker, Danny 10Beers, Nick Martineau & Fish Fisher with occasional other special guests from the local scene.
STRONG ARMED ROBBERS – Outlaw-Country music team-up with EmiSunshine, Big Diddy & Fish Fisher plus surprise new members announced soon. Based out of east TN.
S.U.S. – Hard Rock band from Toledo OH with Fisher as the frontman featuring over 10 albums worth of songs released.
Brother John – Guitarist for Brother John; Americana and alt-Folk singer out of Maryland.
Distinguished Bastards of the Foothills – Singer for this Detroit based band with that garage-Rock sound with 2 full length albums released on all major music platforms.
Fish Fisher & The Hired Guns – Fish tours special shows feature this full band ensemble.

Bruce Forman and Pat Bergeson . A hectic touring schedule; twenty-one recordings as a leader, countless sideman recordings including Ray Brown, Bobby Hutcherson, Roger Kellaway; soundtrack performances on three of Clint Eastwood’s distinguished films—most notably Academy Award-winning Million Dollar Baby; raconteur, arranger, acclaimed educator, in residence at USC’s Studio/Jazz Guitar Dept., when does Bruce Forman rest?
Deep immersion in American culture inspires Forman to contribute to the traditions that he draws from. Reunion! (the newest project) revisits the famed Poll Winners sessions with cohorts John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton, playing instruments owned by Barney Kessel, Ray Brown and Shelly Manne; Formanism (his trio project); original works like The Red Guitar; his high-rated podcast, GuitarWank; Cow Bop and the “road challenges” down historic byways like Route 66; JazzMasters Workshop; Junkyard Duo; GrumpsTV (a fifty episode YouTube variety show during the lockdown), the popular ‘first chorus of the day’ series on Instagram…these are only the latest answers to the endless question that underlies Bruce Forman’s creativity. His music and life reflect every step of his journey, and demonstrate the awareness of an artist who’s very much at home in the world, and at the top of his form.
The Red Guitar is serious one-man theater, incorporating great musical virtuosity and storytelling skills to explore the obsessive demands that music places on its truest followers. Junkyard Duo, scavenging music from the edge of sound, uses an unusual sonic landscape to create a rich and exciting musical palette…hobo chic at it’s most utmost. And though he can shred bebop at blistering tempos with the best of ‘em, he is no urban snob. Cow Bop, Forman’s unique “western bebop” band, hit four separate charts with its CDs, Swingin’ Out West, Route 66, Too Hick for the Room and Cowlifornia Swing. Having won the Route 66 Challenge three times with Cow Bop, he created a linear music festival in 2013, establishing a new paradigm for touring and the use of social media, which included a collaborative mentoring model for young musicians.
Bruce Forman’s life and musical journey provide an American saga that is still in full swing. His Texas origins, his early career in San Francisco and New York, and his years on the road, all contribute to the unique and highly personal vision that he demonstrates today.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 2/1 - Four Shillings Short / The Wandering Hearts
2024-02-01 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Four Shillings Short is rooted in Celtic and American folk, inspired by Indian Raga and Ethnic idioms; a diverse and inventive Traditonal Music Experience.
The husband/wife duo of Aodh Og O’Tuama from Cork, Ireland and Christy Martin from California, have been performing together since 1995. They tour in the US and Ireland, are independent folk-artists with 12 recordings, perform 150 concerts a year and live as the Troubadours of old traveling from town to town performing at music festivals, theatres & performing arts centers, folk & historic societies, libraries, museums and schools.

The Wandering Hearts join us as well on this day.

The WDVX Big Plate - 2/2 - Tune Junkie Weekend
2024-02-02 12:00 - 13:00 | Barley’s, 200 East Jackson Avenue, Knoxville, TN, 37915, United States
Tune Junkie Weekend is Feb 2nd, 3rd & 4th 2024.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 2/3 - Jed Harrelson Band
2024-02-03 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Nashville based soul singer-songwriter Jed Harrelson has found a way to fuse sounds of Soul, Rock and R&B. Music connects and he carries that into the center of his work, leaving both a euphoric and familiar presence. While he’s independently released 10 songs in the last two years, he is working on a debut project right now. All of his music is recorded in house with his brother Hank as the audio engineer.
Being from Texarkana, Arkansas instilled a drive to hone in on his craft though the lack of music scene caused him to move where he could really express his artistic message which took him to Fayetteville, Arkansas. This is where he cut his teeth in the Northwest Arkansas music scene. Now living in Nashville since January 2020, Jed is independently touring the country with his band in a gold van called ‘The Loaf”.
By achieving and producing what feels good in his art, Jed just might help listeners do the same.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 2/5 - Matt Morelock
2024-02-05 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
East Tennessee’s Own Matt Morelock will be performing on this days WDVX Blue Plate Special!

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 2/6 - Wendel Werner
2024-02-06 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Wendel Werner received his Bachelor of Music in Studio Music and Jazz and his Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Tennessee. While at the University, he studied with renowned jazz musicians, Donald Brown and Jerry Coker. An accomplished composer and arranger, Mr. Werner has written for the Knoxville Children’s Show Choir, Knoxville Showstoppers, UT Singers, Knoxville Community Chorus, and the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association. A proponent of jazz, Mr. Werner has performed frequently for
“Alive After Five,” series of jazz programs at the Knoxville Museum of Art as well as directed numerous musicals there. He has started several vocal and instrumental groups and toured extensively behind several of his own albums. His most recent group, Wendel Werner and the Strange Relationship, composed of three horn players and four vocalists, performs a variety of music styles. He is currently the Music Director of St. Paul United Methodist Church Fountain City in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 2/7 - Zach Russell
2024-02-07 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Each year, thousands of people flock to the city of Nashville with hopes of “making it”. Ironically, it wasn’t until Zach Russell made the decision to leave Music City, USA that he inked his first record deal with Thirty Tigers. The drive back home may have only been three hours long, but Russell’s journey back to old haunts in Eastern Tennessee isn’t quite that cut and dry.
In the 7 years preceding that trip down I-40, there were stints as a manager at a shoe store and a karaoke host. He calloused his hands installing irrigation systems and working as a carpenter. He traveled the US and Europe as Tyler Childers’ merchandise manager and got to witness firsthand what it takes to chase down greatness. Through it all, one thing that remained constant was his belief that he could chase it down as well.
Music has always played a pivotal role in Russell’s life. A background in Baptist and Hymnal music as a youth and a taste for hip-hop, rock, and country music informed his musical style between 2016 and 2020 as he found his footing. In 2021 the world received its proper introduction to Zach Russell as a fully formed artist with the release The Creek. This five-song EP proved not only to be a landmark release in Russell’s career, but with its lyrical depth, soaring instrumental jams and infectious melodies, it served as proof that this landmark was merely the first of many to come.
Since moving home and finding clarity, the past 18 months have been busy for Russell. He spent those months writing music, touring with The Alex Leach Band, and delivering a guest appearance on Adeem the Artist critically acclaimed album, White Trash Revelry. That wave of momentum has culminated to this moment, and the release of his highly anticipated full-length debut, Where the Flowers Meet the Dew.
Once again joining forces with up-and-coming producer Kyle Crownover (Adeem the Artist), this ten-song effort never takes its foot off the gas pedal. Dominant themes of wrestling with mortality, pondering reincarnation, and finding that ever elusive feeling of contentment in this life weave gracefully through.
As the old saying goes, “Big hitters take big swings.”, and Russell’s choice as the first single is as bold a statement as can be made. Coming in at a shade over seven minutes long, “Born Again” begins as a rockabilly banger, then midway through, via a psychedelic segue it morphs into a funky, groove heavy jam. Russell sings of reincarnation and hints that perhaps every waking moment is, in fact, an opportunity to start anew.
The first half of the record is filled with traditional waltzes (“I Thought I Was the Trees”, “Take Me Back to Tennessee”), haunting electric folk (“What You Want Comes to You”), and 60’s R&B style (“Milk & Honey”) cuts. Its deep, mellow, and the lyrics are contemplative. It draws you in while not letting the listener get too comfortable.
Beginning with the aforementioned rip-roaring lead single, the back half of the record brings with it an altogether different vibe. Greasy, distorted guitar licks pepper the back half of Where the Flowers Meet the Dew. “Playing House” fully displays his creative dexterity, and would be right at home on a post-grunge rock radio station, circa 1998, sandwiched between Matchbox 20 and Third Eye Blind numbers. Later, on “Nothin’ to Haul”, he boldly calls out the posers and wannabes that fill the Nashville scene.
“Concrete Cowboy
Pullin’ up in your two-wheel drive
Concrete cowboy
Pullin’ up trying to sell me a lie”
This is done lightheartedly, but there’s an underlying current filtering through the back half of the record that bristles with tongue in cheek humor, confidence, and all-out swagger. As a whole, Where the Flowers Meet the Dew is a remarkably ambitious effort that undoubtably demands and is worthy of repeated listens.
In 2018 Zach Russell packed his things and left a ten-year town to return to the sanctity of the wide-open spaces and dense forests of home. Returning to his comfort zone ultimately gave him the freedom to create something outside of it. Something beautiful. Something that will live forever. Where the Flowers Meet the Dew leaves zero doubt, Zach Russell has been born again.

Tennessee Shines - 2/7 - Sunny War / Chatham Rabbits & Tyler Ramsey!
2024-02-07 19:00 | Bijou Theatre, 803 South Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
WDVX welcomes EmiSunshine as your host for the evening!
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS!
Tyler Ramsey’s forthcoming album “New Lost Ages”, out Feb. 9th, is an album of hope and an album of sorrow. It is an album of shadows and light. It is about the calm that follows the storm and it’s about the dark clouds when they roll back in again.
Just as the opening line in the title track melody proposes — “we’re living in a world that we can’t understand” — so, too, becomes this notion that to truly find yourself in the ether and incessant white noise of modern society, one must simply let go of ego, pain and trauma in exchange for pure love.
“I’m trying harder and harder to just roll with things and make moments that are beautiful, to appreciate everything we have,” Ramsey says. “I’m trying to just be here and in the moment, with my family and with my music, and not get caught up in the sadness and fear that lies out there in our world — to always pursue hope and compassion.”
Captured at the legendary Avast! Recording Co. in Seattle, Washington, by storied producer Phil Ek (Fleet Foxes, Father John Misty, The Shins, Built to Spill), the 10-song LP is an ongoing sonic quest within Ramsey — meticulously wandering across the musical landscape, this undulating tone of indie, rock and folk stylings.
“Each album carries me down a different path, every record drawing in new people, new experiences,” Ramsey says. “And ‘New Lost Ages’ was this new process, where I really trusted a producer by handing over my songs and was willing to work on anything that he felt needed work.”
Situated in a power-trio formation — including bassist Morgan Henderson (Fleet Foxes) and drummer Sean Lane (Ann Wilson) — Ramsey found himself fronting a full-on rock outfit, a scenario that conjured fresh inspiration and straightforward determination within the recording process.
“At first, it was intimidating to walking into a room with these super talented musicians and just put my songs down in front of them,” Ramsey says. “But, they’re killer musicians and we were able to pull it off in a short amount of time. We figured out all of the arrangements pretty quickly and played our parts live.”

“I feel like there are two sides of me,” says the Nashville-based singer-songwriter and guitar virtuoso known as Sunny War. “One of them is very self-destructive, and the other is trying to work with that other half to keep things balanced.” That’s the central conflict on her fourth album, the eclectic and innovative Anarchist Gospel, which documents a time when it looked like the self-destructive side might win out. “Everybody is a beast just tryin g their hardest to be good. That’s what it is to be human. You’re not really good or bad. You’re just trying to stay in the middle of those two things all the time, and you’re probably doing a shitty job of it. That’s okay, because we’re all just monsters.”
Extreme emotions can make that battle all the more perilous, yet from such trials Sunny has crafted a set of songs that draw on a range of ideas and styles, as though she’s marshaling all her forces to get her ideas across: ecstatic gospel, dusty country blues, thoughtful folk, rip-roaring rock and roll, even avant garde studio experiments (like the collage of voices that closes “Shelter and Storm”). She melds them together into a powerful statement of survival, revealing a probing songwriter who indulges no comforting platitudes and a highly innovative guitarist who deploys spidery riffs throughout every song.
It’s a style she’s been honing for most of her life, at least since she took her first guitar lessons and fell in love with music. “When I was a kid, I was obsessed with AC/DC, and I loved dramatic ‘80s guitar bands like Motley Crüe. Later, I was obsessed with Bad Brains, the Minutemen, and X.” True to the punk ethos, her first punk band, the Anus Kings, made music with whatever they had at hand, and what they had at hand were acoustic guitars. That made them stand out among other Los Angeles groups at the time, and today Sunny is the rare roots artist who covers Ween and can drop a Crass reference into a song (as she does on “Whole”). “I don’t really make music with a traditional roots audience in mind. I like weird music, outsider music, like Daniel Johnston and Roky Erickson.”

North Carolina is a place so identifiable by its separate regions – the mountains, the piedmont, the coast – that it has the tendency to feel indescribable, meaning one can conceptualize the state as a mashup of places rather than a single locale. The art and artists born from the state often embody that same sense of blended regions, borrowing from broad cultural traditions and plumbing the histories of others’ stories on the way to telling their own. Because of this, many North Carolina artists can call a particular region home, but their work belongs to the state because the entirety of the state has opened itself to them and they have opened themselves to it. Chatham Rabbits exemplify North Carolina’s tradition of producing artists who embrace the state’s many cultural resources and diverse musical traditions.
In their marriage and in their music, Chatham Rabbits’ Austin and Sarah McCombie also blend their own histories into a shared musical experience. Sarah first took the stage as part of a trio known as the South Carolina Broadcasters, a band that harkened back to the old days of the Grand Ole Opry and AM radio country classics. Meanwhile, Austin played keyboards and guitar for an electronic band called DASH. Given these histories, how would Chatham Rabbits describe their musical marriage?
“We’re not purists,” Austin says.“ And we’re certainly not the hippest,” Sarah adds.
“But we’ve been able to belong nowhere and everywhere at the same time,” Sarah says, and I would have to agree.
The first time I saw Chatham Rabbits play live they were opening for the Steep Canyon Rangers at an outdoor amphitheater in Wilmington, North Carolina. As Austin and Sarah kicked off their set, I was both mystified and confused by what I was seeing. How could two young people so perfectly embody the sound and feeling of old-time music? How could two people so well versed in old-time music recast it in a way that felt new and fresh? As soon as the show was over, I worked my way backstage, hoping to meet Austin or Sarah or both. But they weren’t back there. They were out front, mingling with the audience, signing copies of their new record, and hearing stories from new fans and sharing stories of their own.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 2/8 - Taylor Corum
2024-02-08 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
With one foot on the ground and one off a cliff, the Knoxville, Tennessee, native Taylor Corum weaves songs from roots country influence and a fair helping of life lessons. With his 2017 studio EP, The Cloud Peak Wilderness, Corum cracked open a sentimental vein and set it to freewheeling acoustic sounds. His 2021 record, Peace on the Plains, pulls that sentimental thread and spins it stronger, expanding into thick and spacious rhythms.
With every new tune, Taylor Corum proves to be a storyteller whose unapologetically classic style shoots straight from the heart.

The WDVX Big Plate - 2/9 - Florencia & The Feeling
2024-02-09 12:00 - 13:00 | Barley’s, 200 East Jackson Avenue, Knoxville, TN, 37915, United States
Florencia & The Feeling is a high-energy pop/funk fusion band from Johnson City, TN. Since its conception in April 2021, the five-piece has been impressing listeners with its upbeat funky grooves, heartfelt songwriting, and all-around good vibes, loading its music with four-part harmonies, hints of jazz, and Latin roots.
Since their conception in April 2021, Florencia & the Feeling has been impressing crowds and getting folks on their feet. With their up-beat funky grooves, heartfelt songwriting, and all-around good vibes, this jazz-laden, pop-funk fusion band with Latin roots has hit the scene running with no plans of slowing down. The band released their first studio album, Birthday, in March 2023 which Vents Magazine called, “pure, unadulterated fun.”
Rusiñol grew up in East Tennessee, with Argentine parents who instilled in her a love of music–ranging from Argentine folklore to Stevie Wonder to Manhattan Transfer–from an early age. After attaining a degree in music therapy from Queens University of Charlotte, in 2015 she moved to Ecuador and taught music, but Rusiñol never lost her love of composing and performing. While in Ecuador, she released a self-titled EP in 2018, which garnered Rusiñol instant recognition.
She moved back to the US in 2019, and continued to seek out her primary love, music. She reconnected with musician friends from her high school days who went on to become her bandmates: Austin Herron (drums) and Nick Castro (bass). The two had spent the previous decade touring with acts such as Doctor Ocular, Amythyst Kiah & Her Chest of Glass, and the pair bring an electric energy to the band, incited by their background in progressive rock and jamtronica genres.
In April 2021, Rusiñol, Herron, and Castro played their first of 55 shows together throughout the year. They expanded, allying with Isaac Ratliff (keys) of Sorrel & Vulture Bolt, and Noah Wise (electric guitar), a graduate of jazz studies from East Tennessee State University. Ratliff and Wise, both adamant lovers of jazz and R&B and well-versed in gospel and bluegrass, offered a harmonic vocabulary that helped elevate the group beyond classic pop progressions. When each new member was added, a different flavor was introduced to the palette of each song, creating an undeniable need for a unique identity to be formed.
Thus, “The Feeling” was born. The five members fuse together the many genres in all of their backgrounds – funk, jazz, Nu Soul, jam, pop, indie rock, roots, and more – to create a distinctive blend. This fusion has earned the group recognition and esteemed performances, such as the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion in Tennessee/Virginia, Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival in North Carolina, and an opening slot for The Mavericks. Radio Bristol praised the band’s “tight rhythmic jams and groovy guitar riffs,” while the Bristol Herald Courier called their sound “happy music” and “joyful noise,” applauding that “their songs compel smiles on faces and dancing from feet.”
In February 2022, Florencia & the Feeling crowdsourced over $10,000 to create their dream album. The band worked closely with Grammy award-winner Martin Walters (“Best Contemporary World Music Album” with Ladysmith Black Mambazo in 2008, and “Jazz Record of the Year” with Esperanza Spalding) as sound engineer & co-producer. Birthday has received many positive reviews since its release, such as Amplify Music Magazine which said, “[Florencia & the Feeling] bring their A game, and the voices weave and slide, harmonizing together, while Rusiñol’s lead vocals charm and invite repeat listens. It’s music to move to, to feel, to explore, and to exalt in.”
Rusiñol does not consider this to be a break-up album, but there are aspects of that. “Many of these songs were written after going through a pretty rough break-up, but there’s just so much more than that,” she says. The album’s title track, “Birthday,” recalls some of the more painful parts of that situation, and is meant to serve as a powerful pop-punk anthem for those treated unfairly in love. The catharsis involved with singing these words aloud roused a rebirth for Florencia, going on to inspire healing and the creation of this project. That, coupled with it being their debut, gave the album its title – Birthday. “As much as there is heartbreak, though, there is hope,” Florencia states. Themes of self-forgiveness, acceptance, and loving oneself are strewn throughout lilting melodies and head-bobbing rhythms to convey the ever-growing optimism of healing.
Florencia & the Feeling has made a name for itself everywhere they have performed, but the band knows that this is only the beginning. “We believe in this album and we feel the support of those who believed in us enough to make it happen with us,” Florencia says. “We know that we’re going to keep growing, sharing our music, and giving fans an unforgettable concert experience because we love what we do.” Check out quintet’s tour dates & music on their website, and you can find Florencia’s music on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or any other music listening platform.

Kidstuff Live - 2/10 - Nancy Brennan Strange
2024-02-10 10:00 - 11:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
With her passion of communicating a compelling narrative as both a versatile singer and engaging storyteller, Nancy Brennan Strange is well known in the greater Knoxville area. For many years, she hosted the WUOT-FM storytelling program, “Mumblypeg” and also worked with pre-school children as an artist in the Wolf Trap Early Learning through the Arts program. Nancy continues today to combine stories and music for children of every age in an array of venues around East Tennessee.
Nancy is a member of the Tennessee Sheiks band, as well as a
Music Director at the St. John XXIII Catholic Church on the UT campus. You will find that a performance with Nancy is filled with fun and laughter; her material includes everything from Appalachian ballads and stories as well as a mixture of material from many other sources.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 2/10 - Hunter Loken Parcel / The Lonetones
2024-02-10 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
“The Lonetones have perfected contemporary Appalachian music” according to Blank Newspaper. But that might not mean exactly what you think. Wayne Bledsoe of the Knoxville News Sentinel notes that “it’s a group that isn’t hemmed in by any boundaries… the Lonetones have developed into a genre-bending group that doesn’t quite fit into any niche and instead feels right almost everywhere.”
They have been called Americana, Folk Rock, Indie Folk, Folk Pop, Modern Folk, Folkadelic…. Driven by the songwriting of Steph Gunnoe and Sean McCollough, the band artfully fuses urban and rural themes and musical styles. The lyrics are fueled by a search for identity in the changing Appalachian landscape. Sometimes you’ll catch them playing banjo and mandolin. Other times, electric guitar and keyboards
In their early years, they were often compared to revivalists such as Iris Dement or Gillian Welch & David Rawlings. But in more recent years, they have also drawn comparisons to other bands that draw on roots music but expand well beyond it such as Wilco and the Byrds. As they have grown as artists, their sound has become a unique mix of folk, rock, pop, and old-time elements.
In ranking their fourth album, Modern Victims (which placed on the roots music charts for several weeks) in his top ten albums of the year, Wayne Bledsoe of the Knoxville News Sentinel had this to say:
Think of the Lonetones as spiritual kin to Wilco or the Byrds. Led by husband and wife team and lead singer-songwriters Sean McCollough and Steph Gunnoe, The Lonetones are folky, a little rock and are constantly finding new and gorgeous sounds and expanding their horizons. The leaders’ songs and vocals are contrasts that blend into something amazing.
Both the band’s lyrics and music speak to the conflicted nature of a region steeped in tradition while blighted by Walmarts and stripmines. They speak to generational conflicts and the inner struggles of those whose hearts and souls are tied to the mountains but also want to be set free.
Bradley Hanson of Knoxville Voice writes that “their music rings from the mountains of Appalachia with a reverent, enduring and, at times, conflicted spirit. The band mates shoulder their geography with craft and care.”

From Northern North Dakota being raised in a small farm town of about 2500 people not far from the Canadian border. Hunter Loken Parcel now resides in Nashville, TN where he writes and plays music.
“I’ve always strived to write what I know and what I see. I want to write songs that regular working men and woman can relate too. I hope to tell the stories of the working man, to show the world that the North has a music identity of its own, and to overall be remembered and respected for my craft of songwriting” says HLP.
Hunters sound is a mix of many musical stylings. He takes influence heavily from country, bluegrass, folk, soul, and funk music. HLP says, “I always describe my sound as if Waylon Jennings and Sam Cooke had a baby and Bob Dylan and The Osborne Brothers watched the act!”
You can find info of upcoming shows, what his band and him are working on, and more photos/videos on his IG and FB pages at Hunter Loken Parcel.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 2/12 - Jon Whitlock
2024-02-12 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
In a musical world where singer-songwriters are a dime a dozen, you will find in Jon Whitlock a refreshingly unique sound: a combination of gorgeous original melodies and intellectual, poignant stories that will surprise you and move you.
Originally trained as a drummer, he was drawn not just to the performance side of drumming, but even more so to the creative side. As a high-schooler, he wrote drum solos and ensemble compositions, and in college began writing drum parts for marching bands. Traveling the world as a drummer for touring bands, the vast experiences of life, love, and loss inspired his creative side further. Eventually he picked up a guitar, taught himself to play in a style that made sense to his percussive background, and started writing songs about what makes us human.
In early childhood, Jon fell in love with the singer-songwriters of the ’60s and ’70s: Jim Croce, Don McLean, Paul Simon, Gordon Lightfoot, to name a few. An interest in school music programs helped him develop appreciation for classical, jazz, Broadway, Latin jazz, and even military march styles, alongside the R&B, pop, and independent styles of the late ’70s and ’80s. By the time he started poking around on guitar, more recent exposure to classic country, traditional folk, and old time were mingling with the classical and jazz melodies in his head as well as the singer-songwriter influences of his youth.
What emerged is a beautifully melodic and rhythmic finger-picking guitar sound mixed with poetic, philosophical, romantic, and humorous lyrics. Jon has a knack for understanding the human experience; the words he writes, his gentle demeanor, and the style of his playing immediately draw you in and make you want more. Constantly working on new songs, he has a wealth of original material but also enjoys covering unexpected yet recognizable songs from his favorite artists.
Jon has 25 years of professional musical experience, ranging from performance as a percussionist and drummer to his more recent singer-songwriter endeavors. His childhood passion for drums led him to a 3-year stint with the Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps at the end of his teen years, where he excelled in performance and writing. In 1994, he was asked to contribute several drum solos to the Rudimental Cookbook, an instructional book published by Row-Loff Productions that continues to be a well-respected and highly utilized teaching tool in the drumming community today.
In the early ’90s, Jon studied instrumental performance in percussion at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. At the same time, he taught high school percussion ensembles and individual lessons in drum set and percussion. He joined his first touring band in 1994 and proceeded to play in a variety of projects including rock bands, Latin bands, jazz, and musical theater.
In 2005, Jon collaborated with vocalist Christa DeCicco to create the Knoxville-based Tennessee swing group Christabel & The Jons. Their 7-year run as a successful touring band included traveling all over the continental US and Europe, plus the production of 3 original full-length albums.
For the past several years, Jon has brought his skills to the Americana and classic country genres, touring as drummer for Ian Thomas & Band of Drifters, Loves it!, Woody Pines, The Lonetones, and JP Harris & The Tough Choices. Recently, he started his own folk trio with local Knoxville musicians Meade Armstrong and Jessica Watson of Red Shoes & Rosin. The Jon Whitlock Trio, along with Jon’s solo acoustic performances, has brought Jon from the background as a drummer (where he was already very well-regarded) to the spotlight as a guitarist and front man. He is currently obsessed with developing a unique technique for playing drums and guitar at the same time, which will take his solo project to the next level.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 2/13 - Veronica Swift Jazz Band
2024-02-13 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Veronica Swift’s new eponymously titled album, her third for Mack Avenue Records, is a masterful coming-out story. On her previous albums, Confessions (2019) and This Bitter Earth (2021), she ascended to the upper echelon of early 21st century jazz singers because of her virtuosic brilliance, interpretive ingenuity, bracing songwriting, and keen arrangements. Simply put, Swift is not only one of the most dazzling singers to emerge in her generation, she’s one of the most versatile.
While her first two albums solidified her position in modern jazz, Veronica Swift shows that she’s more than a jazz singer, exploring French and Italian opera, European classical music, bossa nova, blues, industrial rock, funk, and vaudeville. She pulls the feat off without the results sounding callow or pastiche. Swift’s expansive artistic voice remains firmly intact regardless of genre.
Swift describes this personal artistic statement on her new album as “transgenre.” “I grew up immersed in the culture of jazz music, blessed to have had some of the greats as mentors, and I felt a deep familial duty to uphold that” she says, reflecting on her parents – jazz singer and educator, Stephanie Nakasian, and bebop pianist, Hod O’Brien.
“But as rooted in jazz as I’ve been, there’s a uniquely visceral power in rock and soul music that’s always fueled my creative passion, and rather than mask or confine that part of my identity, the people I admire most show themselves unabashedly and that’s the kind of tradition I want to be a part of.
For the album, Swift enlists Brian Viglione of the punk cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls as drummer as well as co-producer along with Swift and Mariano Aponte. Also on board is a motley crew of musicians that includes pianist, keyboardist and organist Adam Klipple of Blood, Sweat, and Tears, pianist and arranger Randy Waldman, guitarists Chris Whiteman and Samson Schmitt, percussionist Luisito Quintero, singer Austin Patterson, violinist and violist Antoine Silverman, violinist Pierre Blanchard, bassists Phillip Norris, Alex Claffy, Antonio Licusati and Felix Maldonado, saxophonists Troy Roberts and David Leon, trumpeters Benny Benack III and James Sarno, trombonist Javier Nero, percussionist Luisito Quintero, accordionist Ludovic Bier, vocalist Carolynne Framil and woodwind player and orchestrator David Mann.
The album ignites with the extravagant rendition of Jerry Herman’s “I Am What I Am” from the Broadway musical, La Cage aux Folles. Swift imbues the infectiously swinging tune with unfettered joy, especially when she launches into a sublime scat excursion that segues into a Johann Sebastian Bach-inspired fugue. For Swift, the song becomes a declaration of artistic freedom.
From there, she switches gears on her treatment of Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer” that’s anchored by an intricate Clyde Stubblefield-inspired drum pattern, reminiscent of his work on James Brown’s epochal classic, “Cold Sweat.” As stabbing horns, pulverizing bass, and energetic vocals join the foil, Swift channels her alt-rock sensibilities before surprisingly blasting off into another sensational scat passage. A celebration of carnal hunger, this razor-sharp arrangement alludes to her love of ’90s industrial rock.
Veronica Swift grows even more ferocious with her gusty treatment of Duke Ellington and Bob Russell’s classic “Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me,” on which Whiteman’s lacerating guitar licks channel both Jimi Hendrix and Albert King as Swift recasts the song into a Mississippi Delta blues burner.
The album simmers down with Swift’s poignant extrapolation of the verse from Queen’s “The Show Must Go On,” which she underpins with infectious Afro-Cuban rhythms. The song also serves as another example of her “transgenre” concept as she utilizes Nat King Cole’s arrangement of Ruggero Leoncavallo’s aria, “Vesti la Giubba” from his opera, Pagliacci.
The album returns to Swift’s love for American musical theater with the dramatic reading of Harry Carroll and Joseph McCarthy’s vaudeville ballad “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows,” which is fused with Frédéric Chopin’s “Fantasie-Impromptu.” That gives way to an original composition, “In the Moonlight,” a stunning torch ballad on which Swift adapts Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” and includes a hidden nod to Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Concerto No. 2” harmonic structure on the choruses.
Swift continues with another magnificent original, “Severed Heads,” a gentle bossa containing snarky, amorous lyrics. Again Swift’s brilliance as an arranger radiates through the melody, which incorporates fragments of Giacomo Puccini’s “Perché Tarda la Luna?” from his 1924 opera, Turandot (originally adapted from the popular Chinese folk song, “Mo Li Hua (Jasmine Flower Song).”
She demonstrates her mastery at singing in French and Portuguese, respectively, with her spine-tingling readings of Charles-François Gounod’s aria “Je Veux Vivre,” from his 1867 opera, Roméo et Juliette, and Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes’ 1957 bossa nova gem “Chega de Saudade.”
Swift returns to the hard rock canon with a winning cover of Queen’s 1973 anthem “Keep Yourself Alive” before closing the multifaceted album with a punk rendition of Bob Merrill and Jule Styne’s “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from the 1964 musical Funny Girl.
Swift first gained major international attention in 2015 when she won second place in the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Vocals Competition. Four years later, Mack Avenue Records released her acclaimed album Confessions when she was only 25 years old. She demonstrated her flair for conceptual song cycles on her follow-up album, This Bitter Earth, which not only gave glimpses of her rock influences but thematically touched upon some of the harder truths of being a woman, particularly when it comes to domestic abuse.
Swift says that for her new album she’d been exploring her “transgenre” concept for about two-and-half years. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she strategized the unveiling of this more artistically naked version of herself to the public while being mindful of how conservative the mainstream jazz industry can be.
“Often times, I’ve experienced blowback from some of the more “purist” members of the jazz community when exploring outside the parameters of straight-ahead. Early on, (well-meaning) people wanted to dress me in flowy gowns and make me this torchbearer of the Great American Songbook, but I’ve traded in the frocks for fringe bodysuits.”
She forged and refined most of the material for Veronica Swift on the road. Much to her delight, audiences enthusiastically welcomed the new direction. “My live concerts have been the experiment by which I am seeing the readiness of the audience to embrace the full scope of who I am, and it’s encouraging to know I can continue to push myself creatively and invite people into the fold along the way.”
“I remind people that any exploration of music outside of straight ahead jazz is an addition, not a subtraction,” Swift continues. “I just hope this album helps people embrace every aspect of who they are, and let it guide their own self-expression.”

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 2/14 - Sam Hatmaker
2024-02-14 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Born to a stand-up comedian and an actress, Knoxville-raised Sam Hatmaker assumed from a very young age that everyone was just supposed to be on stage, so she decided she would become a singer. At 10 years old, her path became even more clear when she began performing in shows at Dollywood (even though by then she had figured out that not everyone had to be on stage). She moved to Nashville after signing her first publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music at the age of 16. In 2019 Sam recorded her debut EP with Grammy award-winning producer Nathan Chapman.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 2/15 - Billy Don Burns / Dallas Moore
2024-02-15 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Billy Don Burns is the real deal. He’s a no nonsense kind of guy who prefers to let his songs speak for themselves. After all, he’s been making music for more than fifty years and in that time, he’s seen both the ups and downs of the music business and has honestly expressed himself in a decidedly uncompromising way.
It’s little wonder then that his songs have been recorded by the best in the business – a list that includes Willie Nelson, Johnny Paycheck, Tanya Tucker, Mel Tillis, and Sammy Kershaw, to name but a few. And now a new generation has come along and recorded his songs – artists like Cody Jinks, Colter Wall, Whitey Morgan and others.
“I make music because that’s all I’ve ever done,” Billy Don maintains. “It’s all I know. I write because the songs come out of me and I’m privileged to be able to give them life.
Billy Don’s new album, I’ve Seen A Lot of Highway, released on October 6 via Shooter Jennings’ Black Country Rock label, provides an apt summation of both the struggles and successes he’s seen over the course of his career. BDB and his guitar landed in Nashville in 1972. Within a few weeks Harlan Howard had signed him as a writer with Wilderness Music, where he met Lefty Frizzell, Tanya Tucker, Waylon and Tommy Jennings. He was accepted in that crowd with Billy Joe Shaver, Lee Clayton, Billy Ray Reynolds, Steve Young, etc. He scored his first major cut by Connie Smith on Columbia Records in 1974. Over the years Burns became recognized as one of the original outlaws and great writers of country music. His songs pretty much tell his life story.
BDB’s legacy looms larger today than ever, having spread his influence to an entirely new generation of singers. Several are featured guests on the new album including duets with Shooter Jennings on “Neon Circus” and Cody Jinks on the title track. Whey Jennings, Wes Shipp, and The Storey Boys are some of BDB’s new friends that he asked to be on the album which was recorded in Nashville, TN and Muscle Shoals, AL. The album was produced by Denny Knight of Nashville Music Group, Jerry Laseter, Billy Lawson and executive producer, Wendell Grigsby.
BDB wrote or co-wrote all the songs on the album. This piece of art is dedicated to his old friend Mack Vickery.
“So much love went into this album,” Billy Don insists. “It shines through from the friends of mine that played on it. I certainly appreciate them all.”
BDB has cut several albums over the years in the United States and one in Germany, The Berlin Tapes. His first solo album, Ramblin Gypsy, recorded in 1982 was produced by his friend and mentor, Porter Wagoner, who gave Burns his first Grand Ole Opry appearance. In 1996 Hall of Fame songwriter Hank Cochran produced The Desperate Men project. This album made its way to number one on the Gavin Americana charts. It unseated Johnny Cash’s Unchained from the number one spot where Cash had been for fourteen weeks. The legendary Man in Black sent BDB a letter of congratulations. Burns said the letter from Cash was the biggest thing that ever happened to him in his 50-year career.
Willie Nelson, Tanya Tucker and Hank Cochran all recorded with Billy Don on his album Heroes, Friends and Other Troubled Souls in 2005. Released in 2012, Aaron Rodgers produced Nights When I’m Sober (Portrait of a Honky Tonk Singer). In 2016 Shooter Jennings produced BDB’s album A Night in Room 8. Graveyard in Montgomery, produced by Aaron Rodgers was also released that same year.
Over the years, BDB has reaped praise and appreciation from his contemporaries. Billy Joe Shaver called him “A friend forever. Billy Don is wise beyond his years. A great writer. A great man. A leader in all walks of life. The best man to have on your side no matter how dangerous the situation”.
Burns says, “My life has been wonderful, it ain’t been easy, but it has been wonderful. I met most of my heroes, and a bunch of them recorded my songs. And if I died tonight, I had a great life.”

Dallas Moore is a multi-award-winning singer-songwriter and entertainer who has earned a reputation as “The Hardest Working Man in Honky Tonk” and a “Modern Day Hardcore Troubadour” by taking his raucous and rowdy live show on the road over 300 dates a year.
With a career spanning over 25 years and 17 albums, Moore has garnered the reverence of multiple generations who consider him to be the torchbearer for the Outlaw Country flame. Having toured with most all of the original architects of the Outlaw Country and Southern Rock movements respectively, Dallas Moore is the real deal. Turning their influence into inspiration and bridging the gap between the founding fathers of the genre and creating music for a new generation of Honky Tonk Heroes.
No God in Juarez, street date June 2nd, 2023, features 10 songs of Moore’s original Honky Tonk Hero Billie Gant.
Over 20 years in the making, Moore describes this album as “A Labor of Love” as he has had the concept of doing an entire album of songs written by Gant and telling his story to the world through his songs since the early 2000’s. According to Moore, Billie Gant was the first artist to become a hero, champion, friend and lifelong influence and inspiration to him when he was in the very beginning stages of his career. At the time, in the late 80’s and early 90’s, Gant was developing a reputation as the most charismatic entertainer in Country Music touring with the likes of Johnny Paycheck, Hank Williams Jr, David Allen Coe and Ernest Tubb, often stealing the show from his own legendary heroes.
At the height of his career Billie Gant was involved in an automobile accident that left him in a coma for an extended period followed by an even longer period of time rehabilitating and literally coming back from the brink of death. “Something happened to Billie during his time away from the music while he was healing from his injuries and he became such a prolific songwriter. I’ve been wanting to make this album and share Billie’s story and songs with the world for many moons now and I’m thankful that the stars and our schedules finally aligned and gave us the chance to bring these songs to life” says Moore.
No God in Juarez is filled with cinematic characters such as El Capitan and Benito from the title track and the murderous Hezekiah Burden of “Hezekiah’s Heart” to the classic country poetry of “A House of Cards and “The Ballad of Reuben Dixon.” The album also turns the page on a new chapter in the story of Dallas Moore as “No God in Juarez” is the first offering to showcase the new lineup of The Dallas Moore Band which is somewhat of a super group of veteran musicians including “Saint” Nick Giese (David Allen Coe) on guitar, Mike Bernal (Dale Watson, Gary P. Nunn) on drums, Paul Priest (Jericho Woods, Bluegrass Veteran) on bass and longtime DMB member Mike Owens on harmonica. World renowned boogie-woogie piano man Ricky Nye (who played in an early version of Billie Gant and The Vigilante’s) rounds out the band in raucous roadhouse fashion on keys.
“We kept this recording totally in house and close to our hearts from the players to self-producing and even having the album cover Art hand painted by Nick Giese.” adds Moore. The album was recorded and produced by Brian DeBruler at the Sol Records studios in Bright, Indiana along with Moore and Giese.
Not for the faint of heart, No God in Juarez takes the listener on a journey through the highest highs and lowest lows confronting nefarious characters along the way as The Dallas Moore Band paints the pictures penned by Billie Gant.

The WDVX Big Plate - 2/16 - Wyatt Ellis
2024-02-16 12:00 - 13:00 | Barley’s, 200 East Jackson Avenue, Knoxville, TN, 37915, United States
Born not far from the Great Smoky Mountains, Wyatt Ellis‘ first recollection of hearing the mandolin was Bobby Osborne’s iconic solo on the Osborne Brothers’ bluegrass classic “Rocky Top.” Hearing the Tennessee bluegrass anthem echo throughout the early years of his childhood is what led Wyatt to set his sights on learning to play mandolin. With his schedule packed with school, Boy Scouts and team sports, it was hard to find time for music.
When he was almost 10 years old, Wyatt talked his dad into buying him a used mandolin so he could learn to play it just like Bobby. Soon, he began weekly mandolin lessons in his hometown and quickly developed a strong desire to attend local bluegrass jams. He told his non-musical parents that he wanted to play his new mandolin alongside other bluegrass pickers.
The COVID lockdown began just as he was forging those real-life musical friendships. Team sports, local lessons and bluegrass jams came to an abrupt end. At the same time, festivals and in-person recording sessions suddenly stopped, parking the most in-demand bluegrass musicians at home. Many of his favorite mandolin players started teaching or simply spending more time connecting within the community online.
In the fall of 2020, Wyatt was chosen by his hero Sierra Hull, herself a former mandolin prodigy, for a Tennessee Folklife apprenticeship. Eager to improve under the watch of a true virtuoso, Wyatt describes those one-on-one tutorials as “working on exactly what I needed to work on at the time. Details. Timing. Tone. Getting all the little things right by slowing down was a really big deal in that situation. Sierra has taken bluegrass mandolin to another dimension and I was excited to start my journey with her. I’ve played my mandolin every day since then.”
Having never been a fan of watching television or playing video games, playing mandolin became Wyatt’s preferred pastime. With no close neighbors and the music world suddenly at his fingertips, his passion for the instrument grew. As word circulated in the bluegrass community about his accelerated abilities, Wyatt befriended many of the genre’s top mandolin players through camps, workshops, and individual lessons.
In October 2022, Wyatt performed alongside former Bluegrass Boy Peter Rowan and Grammy winner Molly Tuttle at Rowan’s induction into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame. Wyatt was invited by his ultimate mandolin hero, Marty Stuart, to help kick off the Grand-Reopening of the Ellis Theater in Philadelphia, Mississippi. In February 2023, at 13 years old, he made his Grand Ole Opry debut appearance with bluegrass duo Dailey & Vincent. Moments after his debut appearance he was jamming backstage with acoustic icons Vince Gill and Mark O’Connor. In March 2023, Wyatt joined the genre’s newest superstar, Billy Strings, to honor Doc Watson at his 100th birthday celebration. The now fourteen-year-old was recently invited to play the iconic Merlefest event Mandolin Mania with five of his mandolin heroes.
As a young musician just starting out on his musical journey, Wyatt has found that the bluegrass community is full of supporters, kind words, and encouragement. He has accrued more than 100,000 followers on combined social media before ever releasing a single.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 2/17 - Tuatha Dea / Richard Hurteau
2024-02-17 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Combining primal rhythms, melodic and ethereal ballads, screaming guitar riffs with an Appalachian/Celtic vibe this FAMILY born of a family drum circle delivers an authentic tribal and clannish feel that not only draws the audience into the music but into the moment and clan as well.
In 2017 Tuatha Dea became part of The New Bristol Sessions, a collaboration celebrating the historic 1927 Sessions along with folks like Dolly Parton, Virginia Ground, 49 Winchester and more!
Their rhythmic groove and interaction naturally inspires audience participation which has become a staple of their performances. From the beginning the band has embraced its Celtic heritage and meshed the traditional music of Scotland and Ireland with their own bold blend of mainstream rock, mountain drumming and Appalachian blues to produce a truly unique sound that has a universal appeal! Dubbed “The Eclectic Steam-Punk Partridge Family in Kilts and Corsets” and “The Appalachian Fae”, this band is REAL family!!!
In 2014, the band released their 4th CD which is associated with the novels of recognized published Sci-Fi- Fantasy Author for Tor Publishing, Alex Bledsoe. {The band appears as characters in his 3rd book in the series “Long Black Curl”!

Richard Hurteau will also join us this day for the WDVX Blue Plate Special!

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 2/19 - Mt LeConte Jug Band / Jay Rin
2024-02-19 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Jay Rin is a Nashville based, Southern California born and raised, fierce, soulful, and playful rock n roll revivalist whose raw vocal power and vibrant spirit can be compared to the likes of big names like Janis Joplin, Melissa Etheridge, and Bonnie Raitt. Jay Rin likes to call her music “fringe” as it dances on the edge of many classic and alternative influences with a bold creative freedom you can hear in the sonic journey of her recent debut album “Fool on the Fringe” which has started to gain traction with radio and audiences across the world with tracks that recently got her a unanimous “STAY” on The Heidi and Frank “Stay or Go” show on KLOS 95.5.

The “World Famous” Mt. LeConte Jug Band was formed a number of years ago by several friends pickin’-n-grinin’ in the LeConte Lodge in the Great Smoky Mountains. It is currently comprised of three friends playing Classic Americana on amplified acoustic instruments. Their eclectic mix of music, and shared lead vocals, make them a rather unique and popular East Tennessee string band. The Band has varied sound systems tailored to the size of venue; and is available to play private parties, nonprofit fundraisers, festivals, and restaurants. They are veterans of the WDVX Blue Plate Special (broadcast worldwide), Museum of Appalachia (Smithsonian affiliated), Historic Palace and Tennessee Valley Theaters, UT Chattanooga Alumni events, and many nonprofit fundraisers (to date over $300k). Jug on!

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 2/20 - Harmonious Wail
2024-02-20 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
The members of Harmonious Wail are purveyors of Americana-infused Gypsy Jazz, who continue to take their listeners on a ride via the music of the Hot Club sounds of Parisian cafes, to the deepest blues of the Memphis Delta, to the heartfelt folk scenes across every-town-America. This harmonious clique are sublime entertainers, great educators, and lifters of spirits.
Harmonious Wail is a trio of multi-award winning musicians. Sims Delaney-Potthoff, a mandolin virtuoso, and vocalist, Maggie Delaney-Potthoff, vocalist extraordinaire, whose percussive instrument of choice is a cardboard box (but who can also rock almost any household object), and Pete Olig, a master bassist who dazzles and mesmerizes on both upright and electric 5-string bass.
These illustrious, yet humble artists vow that every performance is played from the heart and infused with a perfect balance of inspiration, emotion, wit and storytelling. The Wail celebrates 10 recordings in its 30+ years of existence and is currently kicking off its 4th decade releasing two new CDs simultaneously! One project showcases Harmonious Wail’s original compositions, and the other is a collection of Gypsy Jazz standards recorded in collaboration with some the world’s leading Gypsy Jazz All Stars.
As stewards of the Gypsy Jazz genre, they have established the Midwest Gypsy Swing Fest, held twice a year in Madison, Wisconsin. They also offer to take the fest on the road as a special concert package. They have mastered a plan on how to bring amazing Gypsy Jazz All Stars from around the world, and place them in front of concert audiences throughout the United States.
Their gracious approach to music and storytelling translates beautifully for any musical education outreach program. They are as illumined off stage as they are on. And their skills are tailored to fit groups of varying skill and age. Popular topics have included; ”The Instrumentation of Gypsy Jazz,” “How to Succeed in the Music Biz,” and “Maggie’s Method™: If You Can Speak You Can Sing.”
Never a dull moment, the philanthropic trio has also established The Henry Mac Fund. The fund was created in March of 2015 in memory of Sims’ and Maggie’s son, Henry. Henry was a superb musician who will not be forgotten, as funds are awarded annually to a young, upcoming musician who is looking for support to move her/his musical career forward. These young musicians will continue to help make the world a better place through music. The funds are awarded every June at the Madison Area Music Association awards ceremony. (The MAMA’s).
Not only a touring band, the ever-reaching Harmonious Wail has worked with National Public Radio, performing on multiple shows and even donating pertinent songs for NPR to use in annual fundraising campaigns. Their music has been placed in films, and they recently received the 2017 Musicnotes Outstanding Musical CareerAchievement Award.
For more information on upcoming releases, tour dates, and causes that are near and dear to the members, be sure to follow Harmonious Wail on Instagram, Twitter, Bandsintown and Facebook and add them to your playlists on Spotify.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 2/21 - Jack McKeon / The Turkey Buzzards
2024-02-21 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
“Much like the duo themselves, the songs range near and far, from the sticky humidity of the Carolinas to the arid and dusty cellars of the West, telling stories of simplistic beauty that unravel through gritty vocals and thoughtful harmonies. The bare authenticity of each song sweeps up the listener for a ride that might wander but will certainly not end in the same place where it began.” The Turkey Buzzards are currently finishing a third album and will be touring the US Spring and Summer.

Jack McKeon is a Nashville-based singer-songwriter with an honest, plainspoken vocal, an eclectic-roots sound and a knack for bringing crystalline characters to life, Jack McKeon is a different sort of musician. A student of the greats drawn to the timeless, rather than the trendy, he hails from Chatham, New York and harbors a deep love for the written word. First inspired by literary music icons from Hank Williams and Guy Clark to Tom T. Hall and John Hartford, McKeon arrived in Nashville in 2021 and has since established a reputation for his own message-drive lyricism – a value which shows up in its full sonic serenity on his 2024 album debut, Talking to Strangers.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 2/22 - Becca Tremmel / Lovesick Trio
2024-02-22 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Becca Tremmel
So, I was born in Hackensack, NJ in 1994. I am the middle child of three. My big sister is my role model and she currently studying fashion (and she’s sort of perfect), and my little brother is a newly engaged, skiing obsessed hooligan who looks exactly like me. My family moved to Sundance, UT when I was four. I went to the Sundance Mountain School and spent most of my time hiking Mount Timpanogos and learning about all about wildlife. We technically didn’t have a “math class” but please ask me anything about owls, elk, or mountain lions. I probably most definitely know the answer… unlike math. I spent hours and hours riding my horse, Jazzie; hiking and skiing that mountain with my late, great Bernese Mountain Dog, Cassie.
And then, of course, there was music at the crazy young age of five I began to create and memorize melodies and lyrics and started to understand song structure. My favorite singers were Hannah Montana and Avril Lavigne (naturally) but honestly my world was shook the moment I heard “Teardrops on my Guitar” by Taylor Swift. I was sold. I wanted to be a songwriter.
I started taking drum lessons at six and continued until I realized that writing and melodies were more my thing. I wanted to tell stories so I started learning how to play guitar, taking voice lessons and writing in my journal. At 15 I wrote my first song, “Maybe.” It was a song about a boy who broke my heart. Typical.
When I was about 10 years old The Bluebird Cafe started visiting the Sundance Resort during the Summertime. I was absolutely wonderstruck by these legends who from a magical and must-be mythical place called, Nashville. Also, they were visiting MY mountain all the way out in Utah. The Bluebird inspired me to pursue my passion of writing songs and telling stories and I set my sights on Nashville. Along the way I attended a summer clinic at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and was then accepted to the songwriting program and the voice program, but I knew Nashville was my destination. Now I am a graduate from Belmont University’s songwriting program in Nashville. I spent 2019 sailing around the world as a cruise ship musician which was WILD, but I found my way back to Nashville.
After returning from the 7 seas I decided to really pursue the whole artist thing. I started playing full band shows around Nash with my all female band !! I put out a couple of songs, my first music video and I even started to develop my team. It’s been an amazing journey and yet I only feel like it’s the beginning.
I hope to be here for a long, long time. Nashville is the greatest town in the world. I love playing at venues around town and can’t believe the insanely talented people I am meeting.
When I am not singing and playing you can find me riding horses, shooting arrows, spelunking, skiing, rescuing wildlife, having earnest conversations with my cats, watching my talented friends play music around town or running a coffee shop.
Check out the “projects” section to see what I am currently up to! And of course send me a message or a letter. I would absolutely love to hear from you !!!

Lovesick Duo is an Italian band composed by two musicians from Bologna, both multi-instrumentalists, whose influences are deeply rooted in the American country, rock’n’roll and western swing music of the 40s and 50s. In addition to their vocal harmonies Paolo Roberto Pianezza plays electric, and acoustic guitar, as well as single and double necked lap steel, resonator and dobro guitar. Francesca Alinovi plays the double bass with the addition of a brush pad, a percussion built into the double bass to keep the rhythm with a drum brush.
The Lovesick Duo concert is a total immersion in the America’s atmospheres of the 40s-50s: with their sound, clothing and vintage musical instruments, they touch the tipical Country Music and Rock’n’Roll themes like love, betrayal and fun.
In 2015 they released the homonymous album ‘Lovesick Duo’, while in 2017 came ‘New Orleans Session’, and in 2018 they produced ‘La Valigia Di Cartone’ (with exclusively original songs written in Italian), as well as several singles released between 2019 and 2020.
In many years of activity they have been invited to perform throughout Italy, Switzerland, Poland, France, Ireland, Sweden, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Croatia the United States in festivals, clubs, public parties and private receptions, with an almost over 120 concerts per year.
In 2021 they released the album with only original songs, ‘All Over Again’, and ‘A Country Music Adventure’. The last one is focused on the golden age of country music through reinterpretations of some of the classics of the pioneers of this genre that inspired them.
For about twelve months, their songs have been broadcasted on the radios in Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Ireland, United States and Brazil, increasing their popularity in the world through the web. Thanks to their strong presence on the social media, the interest of the television production increased so much that they were called for the movie about Francesco Totti’s life ‘Speravo de morì prima’, on Sky TV – recently released in DVD format – and in ‘Lamborghini’, soon to be released in cinemas, where they are both present as actors and musicians.
In 2021 they received the nomination for the American Western Artists’ Award and the invitation to perform as guests at Casa Sanremo for the 71st edition of the Festival della Canzone Italiana, in the dedicated space “We Have a Dream” directed by Red Ronnie.
On Facebook they have exceeded 124.000 followers, their YouTube channel has over 13.500 subscribers with over 15.000.000 video streaming, more than 41.000 followers on Instagram and these numbers are growing day by day.
Thanks to this, they continue to obtain unanimous approval from their loyal public; an affection and a warmth that is fully expressed in the live dimension with the sold out in every stage of the recent tour that has touched the clubs of large cities such as Rome, Milan, Verona, Treviso and Bologna, thanks to the online and entrance ticket sale.
They played as opening act for Ben Harper, Toquinho, Edoardo Bennato and they played in the same big festivals all around Europe with The Offsprings, Ten Years After, Social Distortion, Walter Trout, Zucchero, Orchestra Secondo Casadei, etc…
They print and sold more than 12.000 copies of their albums during these years in Europe, USA and Asia. These results have been achieved with the support of AZ Press for the press and coordination office and Barley Arts agency for the booking activity, one of the biggest music managers in Italy. The two musicians inspire with their tangible joy of playing and rousing stage presence.
