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This guest blog is written by my friend Travis Morgan. He runs the record label NCC Records and is also in the band Black Meat. It was originally intended to be part of last weeks series of guest blogs but due to the scope of the article it was decided that he would finish it over the weekend and I’d post it on Monday. However, once I saw the depth of the article I decided to hold it till today so that it could sit on top for an entire weekend.

Enjoy.
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Guest Blog: Viva Knoxvegas:

Knoxville Tennessee has been referred to as “Austin without the hype” by alternative-music critic Ann Powers. It is the home to a variety of bands and musicians such as Flatt & Scruggs, Chet Atkins, Brian Bell (guitarist of weezer), and Superdrag.

Knoxville is the birthplace of cinematic manic Quentin Tarantino, and the final stop on the lost highway for honky tonk legend Hank Williams.

But beyond all of this, beyond all the blinding bright orange that’s draped across every other block of the city and all its residents, and just beyond the worlds fair park and its 340 ft. tall sunsphere, lies a new, well hidden, sour mash fueled batch of cultural significance and talent that only a town like Knoxville could create.

From bands like Divorce, Fistful of Crows, Dirty Knees, The Cheat, and Sadville, providing a spearhead of interesting blends of post punk, indie rock, psychedelic rock sleaze, and crushing metal that almost create an audio blueprint and soundtrack to the new foundation of counter culture that’s being built in the city.

To experimentalists like Wooden Wand, (aka James Jackson Toth), who is currently signed to Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth’s label Ecstatic Peace, fusing various styles of 60’s and 70’s psychedelic and folk, at times you can be reminded of Angels of Light or even Leonard Cohen, but WW never fails to put his own fingerprint on the sounds; and Double Muslims an act that blends elements of free form jazz with avant soundscapes and dashes of noise, and are already creating waves world wide in these respective scenes, seemingly out of nowhere.

Combined with artist co-ops; and businesses like Host Clothing, The Pilot Light, Wisk Hutzel records, and Laboratory Standard Recordings,

Knoxville is a breeding ground for a very infectious diy music and art outbreak.

I had the opportunity to speak with,

Mitchel Garza – Hometown Slackers Make Good / Divorce

Maggie Brannon – Dirty Knees / Divorce

Craig Kandel – Host

Read these interviews to find out more about them and what they do, as well as how they see the city of Knoxville and its music scene.

I’ve also included these mp3’s of interest:

big bad oven - luvin rubbin oven

divorce - black beard
divorce - self-medicated
divorce - sour cream

double muslims - errors
double muslims - twicebutonce

goddamn city - you in the front you are the devil

wooden wand - blood
wooden wand - future dream
wooden wand - invisible children

Hopefully, you’ll find this community and its projects as special as I have.

Travis Morgan