Jer Cole

Knoxville pop-punk act On My Honor emerged at an early age amid a sea of peers with similar styles and names. Since 2007 the band has progressively distinguished itself from the flock, reaching heights few locals can boast. This weekend ...

Most Knoxvillians recognize nearby Asheville, N.C., as something of a Bohemian oasis, but it appears the drum circle has widened its radius across the state of North Carolina right under our noses. Greensboro act The Mantras are at the forefront ...

Shock spread quickly throughout Knoxville upon the news of deep-rooted musician Phil Pollard's death in Richmond, Va., on Oct. 29. Three months later, disbelief has given way to heartache as the local music community comes to terms with the loss ...

Knoxville punk outfit Disobedients has been on the shelf for about two years but will reunite Friday in tribute to their former frontman Jeremy Dehart, better known as Jurm or Jurmhole.

Knoxville alternative act Dead Language is the promising assembly of former Adoration members, guitarist Matt Wantland (formerly of 10 Years) and vocalist Brian Ford that has made the scene for roughly a year and a half. On reputation alone, the ...

Despite having only one studio EP on the shelves, Knoxville quintet Plainclothes Tracy has been at it for around five years — though the act only solidified its lineup just more than a year ago. The act has shows promise ...

Rumors of rock outfit Madre's demise in another local publication were greatly exaggerated, according to frustrated frontman Stephen Osborne. The premature obituary is a sore subject for the band, which does not repress any displeasure on the falsified announcement, and ...

Indie rock journeymen The Winter Sounds have been based out of three Southern cities in three states, most recently Nashville, but home is a moot point for the newest incarnation of the band that spends most of its time on ...

New bands in Knoxville are either all mainstream or all indie rock depending on who's talking and where their loyalties lie. For those not enamored with the indie flux, there is Fifth Street Saints. To this modern rock quartet, it ...

Newly formed punk trio Casey's Trunk is most recognizable for its subject matter, which tackles current events with the subtlety of a South Park episode and offends the pious similarly.

For music snobs, there is probably no greater source of contention than jam bands. People either love them or hate them. Knoxville act Tabula Rasa isn't one of those jam bands.

On a Knoxville scale, you could say rock quintet Wolf at the Door has seen a meteoric rise to greatness. The band that shaped itself little by little into its present form has amassed a sizable following over the past ...

Temper Through Tears vocalist/guitarist Jason Williams and guitarist Justin Parker took a break from the music world after spending more than a decade each in a range of original acts.

Journeyman singer/songwriter Joe Marson has been to, if not lived in, nearly every major city in the United States and even some abroad.

Most recognized for its aggressive Christian messages woven into hardcore/metal music and a lineup consisting of twin brothers Josh and John Mayor, A Hero Remains has been forced to restructure.

Brendon James Wright was once a regular on the Knoxville circuit, playing several shows a week either as a solo act or with his full band Brendon James Wright and the Wrongs. After a long period of inactivity, Wright looks ...

Many former participants assert that Knoxville's once-thriving all-ages, metal/hardcore scene has diminished in popularity due to an inconsistency of venues and fans maturing in musical taste upon high school graduation. But there's a resurgence of hardcore bands that hope to ...

Knoxville rockers The Bad Dudes have re-emerged after a three-year break, and are preparing for the release of their debut album "Mammas, Hide Your Daughters."

After a three-year hiatus, In Truth Be Valor has returned with a matured vision and sound. The group, now reduced to a four-piece, has reflected on its previous iteration with a sense of humor, and now emphasizes creating more genuine ...

Knoxville is the first stop for Athens, Ga., band Bird Names as it embarks on an Eastern tour in support of its 2011 release "Metabolism: a Salute to the Energy of the Sun."

Tennessee singer-songwriter supergroup Ten Out of Tenn originated in Nashville, though most of its rotating cast have come from much farther. Members hail from Mississippi, Michigan, Colorado and even Australia to make up the fourth iteration (supplementing the fourth volume ...

Knoxville punk quartet Teenage Love (also called Teenage Love 13) are no teenagers. The band, now approaching its 30th anniversary in 2014, is older than many of its newer fans.

Local act Bones in the Museum has always performed in two formats. Guitarist/vocalist Joe Bones plays the same catalog in solo, acoustic sets and with a full band.

Back by popular demand, the once-defunct Cold Hands will perform its first reunion show this weekend after having shelved itself for two years.

Knoxville hip-hop duo Dopplegangsta eludes interpretation. The Urban Dictionary describes a doppelgangster as one's "alternate self as a gangster," but the secretive pair who comprise Dopplegangsta, Reginald Birch and Lil' Lord Faulteroy, insist this definition doesn't apply.

Knoxville act Villains has been a long time in the making. In rehearsals since the beginning of this year, the band's true origins date back nearly a full year with the initial jam sessions of guitarist Luis Madrazo and bassist ...

By no exaggeration, Wolf at the Door is among the all-around best acts in Knoxville. No speculative Top-5 lists compiled by hype-riders should be alleged without having first witnessed this band in its present form.

Oversat has mapped an unusual career. Since 1999 the trio of high school friends has made three major genre changes, taken a three-year hiatus, been selected as Verge Culture ambassadors and been featured in a bicycle safety PSA. These off-kilter ...

Local singer/songwriter Kevin Hyfantis is in high demand. In addition to frequent gigs in solo format and with his backing Bishops Band, Hyfantis has contributed instrumentation to Taylor Brown and Company and Jonathan Sexton’s Big Love Choir. His last release ...

Versatile entertainer Vinnie Vineyard is fighting (literally) to bring respect to funk music. The longtime bassist turned pro wrestler, due to injury, has reverted his attention to music once again but is finding ways to incorporate the vastly disparate passions ...

Consider your favorite metal band, or simply think of the first metal act that pops into your head. Chances are the band in mind makes thorough use of screaming vocals. Knoxville band ARC, along with a handful of emerging outfits, ...

Eric Sommer lives the life many dream of but are afraid to pursue. As a former member of The Atomics, Sommer played regular gigs in his former Boston home. Nowadays he spends most of his time traveling as a solo ...

Knoxville's own pop-punk/"Fal-core" road warriors On My Honor have poured years into a touring effort that seems to be paying off.

With a resume including bands primarily made up of the same collective members, All Tiny Creatures is establishing a reputation all its own with its debut full-length "Harbors" on Portland's Hometapes label.

After three years of rigorous gigging, Madre has earned a reputation as one of the city's best live indie-rock acts.

Since 2007, A Hero Remains has been propelled by brothers John and Josh Mayor, the band’s only remaining original members. With its current five-member roster, the Christian hardcore is on the verge of a strenuous summer tour set to kick ...

True to its name, The Enigmatic Foe is indeed somewhat puzzling. It takes a moment to distinguish where Foe front man Jared Colinger's solo work ends and the band begins. It turns out the two are essentially one in the ...

Assembling late last year, Color of Fate's latest incarnation is still in its formative stages. With only a handful of original songs nailed down, the group fills out its sets with a wide array of cover tunes that exhibit the ...

Johnny Astro and the Big Bang is a name that frequently comes up in discussions regarding the best acts in Knoxville. But if the word-of-mouth hype is hard for some to swallow, the band's top honors at The Square Room's ...

At 18 years old, Elijah Newman is no rookie to the local music scene. Playing in metal bands since 14, he now seeks out a style he finds more fulfilling in LoveWar.

The wait is over. After years of spaced-out recording sessions, Matt Woods, one of Knoxville’s hardest working singer-songwriters, will finally release his solo album, “The Matt Woods Manifesto.”

For the past three years, Knoxville act Gamenight has gone through a period of low production. Its last release, a split EP with Mouth Movements called "Blue and Green," was unveiled in 2008. Now the band has prepared yet another ...

While the status of throwback rock act 1220 appears uncertain, many of the band's members have found an additional outlet in Earth Quaker. Originally a cover band by necessity, the group drummed up enough original material in six months of ...

Big Country's Empty Bottle has been anticipating this summer for years. Upon the graduation of its college-enrolled members, the band will at last be free to apply a full effort to recording and touring.

It seems Arrison Kirby has been laying low lately. But appearances are deceiving. He has been furiously recording and producing work out of El Studio, but the bulk of his attention is on the seldom seen but often streamed Never ...

Faux Ferocious was once among Knoxville’s most frequent local performers, playing two or more shows a week at the same handful of venues. The band’s recent move to Nashville has kept it close enough to still schedule more shows than ...

Knoxville's Lonetones are deeply rooted to East Tennessee. With jobs and families cementing the band to mostly local outings, the group seems to embrace home, performing music that is Appalachian at its core.

For more than four years The Winter Sounds has performed throughout the Southeast and has two full-length albums to its credit, but in the past three months the act has undergone major renovation.

Since last fall's release of the "Smoke Weed About It" EP, Brandon Biondo's electronica project Walsh has garnered much acclaim. Although still relegated to side-project status, juggling ventures is nothing new to Biondo, who admits his focus is still on ...

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 ...