Photo by Saul Young

The Tenderhooks may catch on in New York before they’ve conquered Knoxville. The band is, from left, Emily Robinson, Matt Honkonen, Jake Winstrom and Ben Oyler

Video

Tenderhooks perform "Customer Service" at WDVX's Blue Plate Special. For information on Tenderhooks please visit www.myspace.com/tenderhooks. For information on WDVX's Blue Plate Special please visit www.wdvx.com.

For more videos please visit www.knoxville.com/blue-plate-special Watch »

Video

Tenderhooks perform "Skin and Bones" at WDVX's Blue Plate Special. For information on Tenderhooks please visit www.myspace.com/tenderhooks. For information on WDVX's Blue Plate Special please visit www.wdvx.com.

For more videos please visit www.knoxville.com/blue-plate-special Watch »

The Tenderhooks are one of Knoxville's most individual rock outfits, but for a recording student at New York University, they are a project. The student is Dan Chertoff, son of renowned producer Rick Chertoff (Cyndi Lauper, the Hooters, Joan Osbourne). Dan Chertoff was scanning for a special band to produce for his senior project, while interning for Columbia Records.

"He found us on MySpace," says Jake Winstrom, lead singer with the Tenderhooks.

Sitting around a table at Toot's, just off Central Street, Winstrom, guitarist Ben Oyler, bassist Emily Robinson and drummer Matt Honkonen, laugh about Winstrom telling the group about Chertoff's message.

"We just thought he was some random dude," says Robinson.

The group agrees that Dan Chertoff probably found the group because both he and the group are fans of Emmylou Harris, but there's no doubt that the Tenderhooks have a unique sound.

"When we did (the group's previous album) 'Vidalia' we didn't realize there was anything different about us," says Robinson. "Then we started getting all these reviews. …"

"And I was like 'I have an unusual voice?'" says Winstrom with a chuckle. "People said I sounded like a girl."

The genesis of the group dates back to when Winstrom, Oyler and Robinson were students at Catholic High School. Winstrom and Oyler began writing songs together. Robinson, an early fan of the work, was enlisted on bass a year later. Honkonen, also of Llama Train, joined after the release of "Vidalia" and was the only drummer brave enough to join that insisted his entire life could be taken up with the band's goals.

"We are all incredibly hungry," says Honkonen.

"We are also literally hungry," says Robinson.

Meals, says Robinson, are a far more important ingredient in band's touring schedule than partying.

The members can list favorite restaurants far easier than great bars.

"We've only had one vomiting incident, and that was from bad granola," says Winstrom.

Well, there was that night of Jagermeister shots and beef jerky … but who hasn't made that mistake?

The quartet spent part of the summer in New York recording the new album "New Ways to Butcher English" and has been playing shows in the city as a result.

"We're getting a following in New York, with the help of the network up there," says Honkonen. "But Knoxville hasn't changed. We have the same core audience."

"It's hard to just to get people to come check you out," says Robinson. "You should be able to attach yourself to a genre and we really can't."

While much of the band's music has a sweet alt-rock/pop-rock vibe, the band's contribution to the WUTK fundraiser CD "Redistilled" was a vitriolic hard rock cover of Balboa's "104" and "New Ways to Butcher English" contains "Roofbeams," which might fit into the Americana market.

"We probably would be Americana if I were left to my own devices," says Winstrom. "Then these guys get a hold of it … We're fortunate to be a band with a good rhythm section."

No one in the band is short of opinions on what makes the music better.

Some songs, says Oyler, "inspired brutal fights among the band members."

"We fight over an article in a line in the lyrics," says Robinson, referring to a song on the new disc.

"That was one syllable we were divided on!" adds Winstrom.

Still, the band members are proud that the fights have resulted in something they're all proud of.

"These songs are the best we've done," says Oyler. "This album is probably still imperfect, but we want to make our own 'Marquee Moon' or 'Skylarking.' "

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel
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