This Friday, Knoxville will have an interesting post-Thanksgiving treat that will knock the sweet tooth right out of your mouth and on to the freshly polished wooden floor of the Longbranch Saloon… but it a good way. The bands are Wampus Cat and Matewan, and they will be performing the relatively un-played style of Doom Metal starting at 9 p.m. Although the Longbranch Saloon often brings in musical acts that cannot be found at any other venue in Knoxville, this show is particularly interesting because the genre itself is even farther removed from the underground music scene.
Wampus Cat is composed of Jordan Sangid on guitar and vocals with the husband and wife duo, Andrew Bryant on drums and vocals and Courtney Bryant on bass. This eccentric group of Knoxville musicians provide a low rumble and a big smile with their heavy, hard, and loud music and entertaining stage antics.
For those unfamiliar with such a style of music, guitarist, vocalist, and UT alumnus, Sangid, says that Wampus Cat is “Fort Sanders Hillbilly Doom Metal” and cites “Black Sabbath, Pentogram, and Electric Wizard” as influences to the music he produces with his band.
“With all of the metal around Knoxville, it is kind of nice to have something slow with a little bit of the blues in it,” Bryant said.
Wampus Cat is one way these musicians deal with their strife surrounding the underground music scene in Knoxville.
“There is no good heavy music in Knoxville,” Sangid said. “There is all this redneck metal but no hillbilly doom metal that really captures the essence of the southern soul. This show gets people who like heavy music into a place to go that isn’t overly commercial, and it makes them feel special.”
With Knoxville’s music scene dissected and placed in a radio-created hierarchy, it is difficult to experience all that this town has to offer.
“Knoxville is known for the Americana and bluegrass sound, and this is something that the town supports,” Bryant said. “That is all well and good, but shows like this one really exhibits other types of music that Knoxville has to offer and exemplifies how rich the music in Knoxville is.”
Although there is some discontent with the music scene, Wampus Cat does not bring a negative attitude on stage. Rather, their shows are uplifting for other musicians to, as Bryant puts it, “do what they want,” even if it is not a similar style. Although some of the descriptions of this music are heavily weighted in dark imagery, these genuine Knoxvillians aim to expose their musical creation with obscure references and funny catchphrases in addition to hard-hitting music.
Wampus Cat is going on their first year of playing music as a band and is set to release their first album in early 2011. The band’s current recordings can be heard at http://www.reverbnation.com/wampuscat. As the semester is coming to its end, a little loud and rambunctious therapy might be needed, and this is a time and place to do it. Although Halloween is nearly a month past, it is time for November’s taste of a little doom.
