The Lonetones  · 7:00pm

http://www.thelonetones.com/

“The Lonetones have perfected contemporary Appalachian music” according to Blank Newspaper. But that might not mean exactly what you think. Wayne Bledsoe of the Knoxville News Sentinel notes that “it's a group that isn't hemmed in by any boundaries... the Lonetones have developed into a genre-bending group that doesn't quite fit into any niche and instead feels right almost everywhere.”

They have been called Americana, Folk Rock, Indie Folk, Folk Pop, Modern Folk, Folkadelic.... Driven by the songwriting of married-couple Steph Gunnoe (acoustic and electric guitar) and Sean McCollough (guitars, banjo, mandolin, keys), the band artfully fuses urban and rural themes and musical styles. The lyrics are fueled by a search for identity in the changing Appalachian landscape. Sometimes you’ll catch them playing banjo and mandolin. Other times, electric guitar and keyboards In their early years, they were often compared to revivalists such as Iris Dement or Gillian Welch & David Rawlings. But in more recent years, they have also drawn comparisons to other bands that draw on roots music but expand well beyond it such as Wilco and the Byrds. As they have grown as artists, their sound has become a unique mix of folk, rock, pop, and old-time elements.

Gunnoe and McCollough are backed by the talented rhythm section of Vince Ilagan (Justin Town Earl, Scott Miller, Jill Andrews, Circus #9) on bass and Jamie Cooke (The Black Lillies, The Everybodyfields) on drums.