Knoxville performers create the backbone of local fest
By Luke Brogden
Even though many of this year’s Second Bell headliners emanate from places far away from the lush greenery and weathered mountains of East Tennessee, this year’s lineup features a diverse roster of homegrown and regional talent, as always. From rising stars to established local legends, these artists rank among the best that Knoxville and the surrounding area have to offer.
Bark
Beloved scene veterans Tim and Susan Lee have been touring for the past several years behind their duo collaboration Bark, which features Susan on drums and vocals and Tim on vocals and his trademark Fender Bass VI guitar – a nasty, swampy, hybrid mix of bass and electric in one tight package. The result is a wonderfully sludgy mix of primal rock, blues, punk and power-pop grooves.
The band recently brought it back to the basics on this year’s well-received “Terminal Everything,” which was conceived after a season of loss in which the Lees lost parents, friends and pets. Their response was to rally around each other, band together and grind out music in a cathartic release. The excellent record also features the obscene talents of other locals like Mike Baggetta, Black Atticus and Joshua Wright accentuating the gritty sound of the duo coming across more urgent and vital than they ever have before.
The band was kind enough to lend their song “Gator Lake Road” to the promotional video for the inaugural Second Bell, and BLANK is beyond thrilled to be able to count them among the wonderful artists occupying a spot on the lineup for year two.
The Royal Hounds
Fresh off the release of their new album “Low Class Songs for High Class People” and the triumph of Brazilian lead guitarist Matheus Canteri obtaining an American work visa in order to tour with the group, now Nashville-based The Royal Hounds are tearing it up with their signature brand of raucous, dynamic rockabilly that incorporates bits of surf-rock and even country.
“Do the Walk,” “Tweakers From Outer Space” and “Whackity Do” rank among the must-listen tracks on the Hounds’ stellar new offering. Folks in the know around town have been singing the praises of the band for a good while now, but larger crowds really started talking them up after stellar performances at Rhythm N’ Blooms in 2017 and Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion last year. Expect another excellent, high-energy set outdoors on the waterfront at Second Bell.
Three Star Revival
The “Reset” EP, the newest effort from the groovy group founded in Knoxville, further solidifies the transition of the band from a rootsier sound to one that showers the masses with silky yet hard-hitting R&B-infused funk-rock. Ben Gaines’ sweet croon soars over Bo Kitzmann and Tyler Reddick’s muscular and tight rhythm section. Guitarist Cam Moore and keyboardist Greg Walton’s shredding riffs and solos, respectively, keep things edgy and exciting and counter the smoothness. The neo-soul jams are rife with pop hooks, and the product as a whole is supremely danceable. Get down to Suttree Landing Park early on Aug. 17 to get down with Gaines and the boys.
Mic Harrison and the High Score
It’s really not a Knoxville rock party unless Mic Harrison and the High Score make an appearance. They are perhaps closer than any other act to claiming the title as official house band of the Scruffy City. V-Roys alum Harrison has continued to tour regionally and nationally with his band of aces like Kevin Abernathy (a venerated songwriter/performer in his own right) behind a slew of critically acclaimed and locally beloved albums. Harrison and company still will pop up in barrooms and breweries all over Knoxville town, cooler-in-tow, to bring down-home crowds a surefire taste of rip-roaring no-holds-barred Americana rock from myriad albums with plenty of tasty licks and lots of regional and local lyrical references.
Cereus Bright
Tyler Anthony is the captivating vocalist and songsmith behind Cereus Bright, a shimmering indie-pop/rock band from Knoxville that reformed after regularly opening up for acts like Sturgill Simpson and Phillip Phillips and racking up hundreds of thousands of Spotify plays/YouTube views in their original incarnation. While original members Jake Smith and Luke Bowers now comprise half of popular local and touring folk-rock act Jubal, original bassist Matt Nelson went on to play a stint with Electric Darling before releasing experimental jazz albums and hosting improv nights at The Pilot Light.
The refocused core of Cereus Bright, however, is just as exciting, as it brings an epic, emotionally sincere, rocked-up folk sound reminiscent to that of The Head and the Heart, Band of Horses and Fleet Foxes. The first reunion date after the restructuring took place at this year’s Rhythm N’ Blooms – and was one of the most buzzworthy sets of that festival. Their second, at Second Bell, promises to be no different.
Daniel Markham
Daniel Markham is the latest in a string of Texas transplants who now call Knoxville home. A good friend of Thrift Store Cowboys’ Daniel Fluitt (himself a native of Lubbock), Markham recently scored a delayed major success: A tune called “Cinch” co-written with a member of a group back home in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex was chosen by the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks to soundtrack a spot that paid tribute to Luka Doncic’s Rookie of the Year selection. While the track’s nasty ‘70s-era groove and throwback appeal might lead one to think that Markham is pop-friendly, that isn’t quite the case.
What it does accurately demonstrate, though, is just how versatile of an artist he is. Equally adept at churning out grungy originals, sweet ballads and rocking covers, Markham made a splash right away in his adopted hometown with a dynamite appearance at the Neil Young vs. Bob Dylan Tribute Show presented by Born & Raised Productions at Pretentious Beer Co. earlier in the summer. He has been a regular fixture at Central Flats & Taps throughout the season, too, and he continues to tour around the country in support of his 2019 EP “In Space.” Second Bell is fortunate to capture at this point a performer whose star is so sharply on the rise.
