Local music scene column.
Don’t forget — the Blount County Relay for Life event takes place tonight on the Maryville College campus. It’s been in the works for the past year, and a lot of people have done a lot of planning and a lot of hard work to pull it off. A special thanks goes out to two fabulous local bands donating their time to entertain the spectators, walkers and organizers this evening — at 7 p.m., the boys in the Dixie Highway Band are doing a short set before heading over to Two Doors Down on East Broadway in downtown Maryville (where they perform at 9 p.m.), and at 8 p.m., R&B/soul/funk outfit Smooth Groove will keep the party going. Because this is a charity event, both bands are donating their time. If you’re there and you like what you hear — or you’re a fan but can’t make it tonight — support them both. You can check out Dixie Highway on Myspace at , and you can check out Smooth Groove next Saturday night, June 6, at Nater’z Sports Bar and Grill on North Foothills Plaza Drive in Maryville. We got an e-mail from Bryan Baker, formerly of The Unashamed. That band came out of Maryville College and made a bit of a local splash before losing its female vocalist the members have since parted amicably and gone on to separate projects. (Michael Knouff is now the guitarist for Waste and Regret, part of last weekend’s Maryville Metal Fest, which we profiled on the cover of Weekend.) Baker’s new band is Bright Shining Lie, which will perform Saturday at The Longbranch Saloon, 1848 Cumberland Ave. (“The Strip”) in Knoxville. Also on the bill: Local rapper Confadential and Messes of Men, a band from Kentucky. Check out Bright Shining Lie on Myspace: . If you’re over Knoxville way this evening, you won’t find too many shows with more of a Blount County connection than the “K-Town Country Carnival,” taking place at 8 tonight at The Catalyst, 125 E. Jackson Ave. in Knoxville’s Old City. On the bill: Jeff Barbra and Jay Clark, The Naughty Knots, J.C. and the Dirty Smokers and Keith Nixon. For one thing, Barbra and his wife, Sarah Pirkle (a member of The Naughty Knots), call Walland home. Clark … well, he’s played here so much that he might as well have a home here. Nixon stayed here for a while before deciding to give Nashville another go. We highly recommend this show. And as a little enticement, our pal Mr. Clark has decided to allow us to offer the title track to his most recent album — “I’m Confused,” released last year — as a free download for a limited time only! To get it, head over to my blog: and look for the “Country Carnival” entry, where you’ll also find links to check out tonight’s performers. Admission to tonight’s show is $10. Who doesn’t like free stuff My aforementioned blog — — has links to a number of free mp3s that local artists have been kind enough to allow us to give away. Scroll through the recent entries, and you’ll find links to download songs by R.B. Morris and Scissormen, both profiled in this edition of Weekend … songs by Facelock and Against the Opposition, which played last week at the Maryville Metal Fest … and a whole lot more. Check it out, and support local music.
If you just can’t wait until October to attend the annual East Tennessee Brewer’s Jam, the fine folks at Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson, 1820 W. Lamar Alexander Parkway in Maryville, have something to tide you over — the inaugural “Smoky Mountain Dragon’s Breath Brewers Jam,” scheduled to take place from noon to 5 p.m. June 20 at “The Shed” there at SMH-D. It’ll feature more than 80 brewers, live music by The Drunk Uncles and Ned Van Go and free admission to that night’s “Shed” show by country-rockers Caddle. The cost is $25, and proceeds benefit the Smoky Mountain Animal Care Foundation. For more information, call 977-1669. Attention, local bands and musicians! We want YOUR information. Send it to us via e-mail to: , or call us at 981-1144.