Tonight will be the final show of 2012 for Scruffy City Ramble. As usual, the lineup is eclectic and the show promises to be another excellent installment. It starts at 7:00 in the Square Room, with doors open at 6:00. The show is filmed and simulcast on the radio and internet, so it starts at 7:00 sharp and ends promptly at 9:00. Tickets are $10 advance (make plans for next month) and $15.00 at the door. It’s a steal.
Tonight’s show includes Tim Easton whose sound runs somewhere down a ragged blues/folk line with driving guitar rhythms and harmonica and (often) a full band. Here’s a sample of what you might expect:
Local favorite Jamie Cook who I’ve discussed before. Some of you who don’t realize you know him, may recognize him as the drummer for the Black Lillies. The show in which I saw him featured some spot performances by some of the band, so who knows? His songwriting is strong and his guitar style is unique: He plays the guitar strung normally, but upside down because he is left-handed. It’s something to watch. When I saw him the first time, I noted that at his best his sound reminds me of Jorma Kaukonen, which is always a good thing in my book.
Matrimony is a band I’m excited to see. They actually have a major label deal (Columbia), which nobody has anymore. They are from Charlotte, NC, but I first took them to be an Irish or British band and I think you might hear what I’m talking about when you watch the video below. They describe their sound as Folk/Alternative/Indie/Americana and that sounds about right. As is often the case these days, there’s a little commonality with Mumford and Sons, as well. Here’s a sample from them:
Filling out the bill tonight is Knoxville’s own Wizard Rapper, Lil’ Iffy. His raps are all inspired by Harry Potter, but he uses language that would make Harry blush, so I’m not sure how that’s going to work on radio and television. He’s a blast to see live and if you’ve missed him, here’s your chance with the best sound quality available. I’ve heard him before, but the sound wasn’t always the best, so I’m excited for the chance. The video below is not for people who are offended by strong language, so don’t click it if that’s you and we’ll all be happy.
Of course, the photographs included in this post are from the last show which opened with Kevin Abernathy performing with Sean McCollough and Greg Horne. He is currently promoting his most recent CD, “Some Stories,” which I’ll have more to say about tomorrow. The set was excellent, of course.
Seryn is a fascinating band whose web page could use a serious upgrade. It doesn’t include some of the current members and Urban Woman and I really wanted to know more about them after the show. They were our favorite act of the night with their world beats and wall-of-sound. I’d definitely like to run into them, again.
Missy Raines took the stage next and I really enjoyed her set, as well. She’s won the Bluegrass bassist award several times, so I expected to hear more of a bluegrass sound, and that came through at times, but mostly it was a very cool Americana with a little jazz and folk influence mingling with the blue grass and country.
The night ended with the Ragbirds violin driven Americana takes influences from classical to folk to world music and their set was an audience favorite. Erin Zindle takes the vocals and plays the violin to the bands poly-rhythms to great effect. They are certainly worth catching if you get a chance.
So, there you go. I’m begging you to support this great event every month. You will not be disappointed and your support will keep the shows coming. I hope to see you there. I’ll be the guy with the camera.