Gettin' down on the Killin' Floor for charity

Photo by Kelly Tsaltas

Killin' Floor is, from left, Chris Folger, Dr. Ted Tsaltas and Joe Blackburn.

KNOXVILLE — Seldom do you hear of Knoxville’s finest medical professionals rocking our local music venues, but for years now the annual Doc Rock event has offered the opportunity for busy area doctors to unwind, healing through music as well as charitable donation.

Making its first appearance at the event tonight will be the trio Killin’ Floor, whose blues-minded nature makes it a rarity in the rock-centric Old City.

Performing under the moniker Blues Concoction is where Dr. Ted Tsaltas (drummer and ob/gyn by day) first met guitarist/vocalist Chris Folger. Shortly after this act disbanded, Tsaltas suffered advanced renal failure resulting from a genetic condition and was sidelined from drumming for two years. Upon recovering from his transplant, Tsaltas reconnected with Folger, who had since located a bassist in Joe Blackburn, and the assembled band took the name Killin’ Floor in homage to the Howlin’ Wolf tune, which was later, and somewhat controversially, performed by Led Zeppelin as “The Lemon Song.”

“We play mainly hard blues, often with extended improvisational solo sections, much like Cream and Zeppelin in that respect,” Tsaltas explains. “For Doc Rock we only have 45 minutes, so that sort of musical play will have to be kept to a minimum. There are some funk and metal stylings, especially in Joe’s bass playing. We have several original songs, all by Chris Folger. We will play one of them, ‘Endlessly,’ on Friday. Most of what we play at this time are covers of Cream, (Jimi) Hendrix, Zeppelin and Foghat, ranging over to songs by Muddy Waters and Johnny Cash.”

In addition to the limitations created by the demanding schedules of most doctors, Tsaltas says that for Killin’ Floor, the choice of genre keeps the band from playing as many shows as it would like. With only a small scattering of blues venues in Knoxville, the act is challenged to find places that welcome a sparsely drawn-out blues sound.

“We want to be playing more often locally,” admits Tsaltas. “Under current economic conditions, it is not easy finding places to play. The bar scene favors Southern rock, which I and many others don’t play. There is always demand for oldies, defined in a moving-target way as the audience itself gets older. We’re too hard for blues clubs, don’t do modern dance or ’80s, and are not hard enough for the metal scene.”

For more than five years, the Doc Rock event has pitted local doctors against each other in a battle-of-the-bands showdown. Competing acts must have one or more practicing medical professionals, and each band performs for a different local charity. The band that draws the highest attendance for the show wins the contest to the benefit of its pre-selected charity. For its first appearance at the event, Killin’ Floor has chosen to play for Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries.

“This show is not really about doctors,” Tsaltas points out. “This is not a ‘vanity show’; indeed, I don’t think anybody wants to see doctors being showboats. We are only the medium for a charity to get some needed money. We are the hook, if you will, but the show is all about others in need. By our playing, I hope we will bring attention to local clubs and local charities.

“We are supporting Knox Area Rescue Ministries. This group does all kinds of work in the community — feeding the homeless, providing shelter and furnishings as needed. They quietly do what is right and good, and I love that. No hoopla, no sanctimony — they walk the walk without any bluster.”

Empty set: Big Country’s Empty Bottle performs with The Playlists at Patrick Sullivan’s at 9 tonight.

Cop-out: Copper returns to The Valarium tonight with Dead Language. Doors open at 9 p.m. Tickets are $6 in advance or $8 at the door with a $3 surcharge for those under 21.

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