Gene Priest and the Cardinal Sin get songs in shape for travel

Gene Priest and the Cardinal Sin is, from left, Brian Woodruff, Derek Jones, Bill Lamb and Gene Priest.

Gene Priest and the Cardinal Sin is, from left, Brian Woodruff, Derek Jones, Bill Lamb and Gene Priest.

KNOXVILLE — After some scaled-down test runs and a false start or two, Gene Priest and the Cardinal Sin prepare to unveil the full-fledged live show that has been meticulously primed in recent months.

The unassuming Priest once admitted to suffering from stage fright in regard to singing, but has since faced down his fears in scattered acoustic sets of his original catalog. With a fall tour approaching and a video released, Gene Priest and the Cardinal Sin are no longer pulling punches as they alleviate the suspense created with stripped-down acoustic teasers and studio recordings.

Following the release of Priest’s digital EP “Living to Die,” he took to the stage a few times, performing as a modest duo accompanied by Cardinal Sinner Brian Woodruff. Priest points out that the songs are constructed for both formats, and the two-man outings will still be offered as an alternate version of the band’s repertoire, but the band is now central. Originally recruited to actualize Priest’s writing, Cardinal Sin players Woodruff (guitar), Derek Jones (bass piano) and William Lamb (drums) now play a significant role in shaping the collaborative work.

“The new direction is more, in my opinion, just a completion of what I originally started and wanted to see happen,” describes Priest. “Obviously going from one guy with an acoustic guitar to adding three amazing musicians will bring the level of quality up and help to ‘define’ a sound. There is really only so much you can do as one person and one guitar, but when you add everything else on top of it, the possibilities are limitless.

The band’s influence is evident in some songs more than others. Much of the material stays true to old form with a good portion of simply structured, frill-free brooding ballads, but sprinkled into the mix is the inclusion of Pixie-approved washes of distortion ladled over rhythmic, acoustic strumming, to which Priest applies robust vocals with a subtle snarl reminiscent of Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore or The Rosebuds’ Ivan Howard.

At first hesitant to deliver his vocal stylings in public, longtime drummer Priest now finds it exhilarating and has even set aside time on the band’s upcoming tour to perform a solo New York City subway set.

“Playing in front of people will always be a stressful situation, but as a person I am generally not shy in the least,” says Priest. “If I can harness my day-to-day personality and bring even 50 percent of that to the stage, I have no doubt I will be all right. Plus I really enjoy the idea of feeding off of the energy of the other musicians in the band.

Upon their return from a brief tour of New England, Gene Priest and the Cardinal Sin will immediately hit the studio with Scott Minor to lay down tracks for a full-length. Having offered the “Living to Die” EP for free download, Priest intends to let freedom ring once more with the full album.

While presenting the tracks digitally, avid record collector Priest will also respond to fan demand for a traditional, tangible format.

“The full-length will be sort of a different beast I think,” Priest says. “It will initially be released as a free download, but I’ve had so many people ask me for physical copies of our EP; it’s nice to know people still enjoy the feeling of owning a copy in non-digital form. Instead of burning a CDR, they like to have the artwork and a real copy. I am the same way. There is something more fulfilling about being able to hold something in your hands, read liner notes and put the CD in your player.”

You Tubin' it: Watch the music video for Gene Priest and the Cardinal Sin’s “Abandon Ship”.

INITIAL GLORY: JC and the Dirty Smokers perform to commemorate front man JC Haun’s birthday tonight at Preservation Pub. The show kicks off at 10 p.m. and costs $5.

WRIGHT ON THE SPOT: Brendon James Wright hits the Sunspot, playing a free show at 10 p.m. tonight.

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