Friday night and the Kevin Abernathy Band is on stage at Sassy Ann's, a
converted Victorian House in Knoxville, Tenn., with more places to bump your head than a cave filled with stalactites. The crowd doesn't care. The bruised scalps, the cramped conditions, the spilled beer are worth what's pouring from the stage.
The band's songs are liable to break your heart at one minute and then rock 'n' roll your ass off seconds later. In fact, it's a lovable collision
of two things that should not work together. But, maybe it's not so surprising when the songs come from a guy who discovered AC/DC and Johnny Cash at about the same time and they both settled down deep in his soul. When Kevin plays a song, the words have already hooked you by the time the guitar sweeps in to cement the deal.
Born and raised in Madisonville, Tenn., Kevin Abernathy is a veteran of the San Francisco metal scene, Nashville songwriter’s nights and a lot of lousy
day jobs that paid the bills in between. When Kevin returned to East Tennessee to settle in Knoxville, he knew exactly the kind of music he wanted to make: "I wanted the guitar to be obnoxious and the words to be good." If by "obnoxious" he meant loud and full of drive and rock smarts, he fulfilled his plan. As for the words, today, when Kevin sings a song about a meth-head having a sad epiphany while bleeding to death on the highway or an out of control neighborhood brawl or tells the story of a ne'er do well’s
redemption or that decade-late horndog still cruising the high school girls, you buy it and want to hear the story again as soon as it's over.
Although Kevin's first album, "Better Days," was filled with fine songs, he didn't quite get it right until he hooked up with bassist Jeff "Geezer" Sims (another metal expatriate) and Jeff "Free J Supreme" Warren (a Hurricane Katrina refugee) and recorded "Rock-n-Roll Fiasco" in 2007. Every time I take it out of my car stereo it finds its way back in with the volume turned up loud enough to wake up the neighbors.
In 2009 Abernathy and company abandoned the Americana-ish edge of “Fiasco” and ably capture the feel of a late 70’s/early 80’s rock record with “A Beautiful Thing.” This exciting new release runs from gentle to fierce, and may be an even better collection of songs. Kevin is a story teller who throws a lot of classic rock punches. He can send a chill with sophisticated guitar riffs while sketching well crafted parables.
In the song "Last I Heard," Kevin sings about that old buddy who just couldn't keep out of trouble, concluding that he doesn't care what the guy has done, "I'm just looking for a long lost friend." Take a listen to Kevin Abernathy's music and you may feel like you've found one.
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