Sundown in the City, Knoxville’s free summer music festival, continues tonight with a triple dose of entertainment from a variety of musical genres.
Tonight’s show features the Boston-based trio Guster, back in Knoxville for the first time since 1998, when they opened for Widespread Panic. Also playing this evening are Kill Hannah and Blue Merle.
Originating in Chicago, the five member band Kill Hannah is slated to open tonight’s show. The band presently has six albums under its belt, but plans to make its debut with Atlantic Records on October 14th with its album “For Never and Ever.”
According to Kill Hannah’s official Web site, the band’s sound falls somewhere in between that of Garbage and the Smashing Pumpkins.
The five members of Blue Merle will fill the middle slot with their performance this evening. The band members hail from various areas around the nation, but the group is mainly based out of Nashville. Band members William Ellis and Jason Oettel attended UT, both pursuing degrees in studio music and jazz.
Blue Merle combines elements of acoustic rock, blues, jazz, classical music and bluegrass to fashion its unique style.
Closing the show will be tonight’s headlining band, Guster, presently on tour promoting its fourth and latest album, “Keep It Together.” Long-time fans of Guster have something very different to look forward to, both with its new album and tonight’s performance. “Keep It Together” features a mixture of new sounds and new instruments which the band members learned to play.
When asked why they decided to change their sound for this album, drummer Brian Rosenworcel said, “Our goal was an album that captured our live sound, and we felt like we got that with ‘Lost and Gone Forever.’ We wanted to try something different with this one.”
AC Entertainment is expecting a good turnout for this performance.
“Every show has had a good turnout this year, and we hope it continues this way,” said marketing coordinator Beth Pilkington. “AC Entertainment is very pleased with the success of this year’s concert series.”
Still, AC Entertainment hopes to continue Sundown’s success next summer with a list of even bigger bands, both local and national. AC Entertainment encourages a minimum $3 donation to the festival to accomplish this goal. “We’re trying to stay away from actually charging admission. We like the fact that these shows are free. It’s a great way for people to show their appreciation for all types of music,” Pilkington adds.
Tonight’s Sundown in the City kicks off at 6 p.m. in the Old City Courtyard, located next to Barley’s and behind the ThInQ Tank in the heart of the Old City. Gates open for admission at 5:30 p.m., and Pilkington encourages everyone to arrive early for one of tonight’s special features. The three members of Guster will be giving away an autographed guitar in a drawing. Anyone interested in entering the contest can sign up before the show.
