Robby Bratta passes time with fluid lineup

Knoxville musician Robby Bratta

Knoxville musician Robby Bratta

While many young bands expect to realize their rock star fantasies upon completion of their first demos, the soft-spoken Robby Bratta is content to pace himself. Seeking a permanent lineup to fill out his backing band, the Passing Tones, Bratta currently uses a rotating cast of family and friends to pick up the slack.

With his first EP, "The Hustle EP," serving as more of an advert than a product, Bratta uses shows as a platform to look for like-minded musicians to join his project and further contribute to a diverse range of influences.

Previous band affiliations on Bratta's resume demonstrate his proclivity for punk and metal; however, Robby and the Passing Tones is a project he describes as a rootsy mix of rock, soul and psychedelic blues.

"There's a combination of so many different styles of music, but they're all connected," says Bratta of his influences. "It's not like metal and bluegrass. It's pretty tasteful. I have a lot of musical influences, and I try my best to cover as many of those as I can and try to keep it cool. "

Bratta's backing ensemble most frequently involves brother Chris Bratta of ska band The Hits on drums and metal aficionado Andy Cosby, so Robby and the Passing Tones does not preclude any musical backgrounds. However the inconsistent lineup creates variance in the band's live shows. The challenge for Bratta is to deliver his succinct, structure-heavy songs while sparing enough leeway for guest musicians to improvise as needed.

"There's a little bit of both," says Bratta of the ratio of live structure to improvisation. "We definitely take the time to prepare, but there's a very raw feel to the music. There's a lot of room to play and just have fun and kind of be a little bit sloppy on purpose. There's a strong groove in the music, but by no means any kind of jam band sound."

Bratta, who restores pianos professionally, says that although he writes much of his work on piano, it may be a while before keys find their way into the finished product, citing a need to "get a lot out before (he) settles down."

For his next outing, Bratta is still uncertain who, if anyone, will be joining him on stage, but assures the show will stir some dancing regardless, especially as he unveils some rare cover tunes.

"It's very rhythmic music, so it's quite a bit more difficult to pull off alone," Bratta says of his dancey live shows. "A lot of the songs, though, are pretty upbeat and up-tempo, and I guess the overall energy of the songs and environment have been pretty upbeat and lively from my experience."

BANGING ALONE: The Royal Bangs' Henry Gibson revives his singer/songwriter work with a solo show at the Pilot Light Thursday. Hermit Thrushes will also join the bill. The show is slated for 10 p.m., and admission is $5.

$5 CADILLACS: In celebration of UT's last day of classes, the Square Room hosts The Black Cadillacs and The Constellations in a specially priced show Thursday night. Doors open at 10 p.m., and tickets are $5 in advance and at the show.

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