Guy Marshall’s full-length debut, The Depression Blues, isn’t really a debut at all. Most of the album’s 10 tracks are already familiar to fans of the folksy five-piece band, whose main members, husband and wife Adam and Sarrenna McNulty, have been a staple in Knoxville’s Americana scene for the past five years. Armed with an infectious stage presence and an earnest arsenal of songs that touch on themes of whiskey and wallowing, the pair, backed by a rotating cast of musicians, have played gigs that range from providing a soundtrack to beer-soaked attendees of Knoxville’s Brewer’s Jam to securing a spot on the main stage of this year’s Rhythm N’ Blooms festival.

But while most of the songs on The Depression Blues have a history live, the album’s tracks have also evolved in the studio. The recording process for the album has been touch and go for the past two years, with song structures and lyrics shifting in between shows, recording sessions, and everything in between.

“The whole album changed over the course of recording,” Adam says. “If we would have recorded it two years ago, half of the songs would have been completely different. Some of the tracks we ended up including were written in between the last two years, and others were written when we first started out. I think it’s pretty cool because it’s an evolution of how we started and where we are now.”

Named for Adam’s late grandfather, Guy Marshall began five years ago as a solo vehicle for the stockpile of songs Adam had penned over the years.

“I had been writing songs for a number of years and not doing anything with them,” he explains. “Luckily, I had Sarrenna and some good friends encouraging me to sing them out and about more. So I did a little show at Vienna Coffee House in Maryville. A lot of friends and family came and dug it, and it was a push to do something more.”

While the McNultys are a constant, other members of Guy Marshall come and go; the current lineup consists of guitarist Eric Griffin, bassist Travis Bigwood, percussionist Zach Gilleran, and pedal-steel player Jonathan Keeney. Singer/songwriter Cornelia Overton also played fiddle on a handful of The Depression Blues’ tracks. Adam serves as the band’s primary songwriter, with the occasional contribution from Griffin. Fans of the band frequently point to the heartfelt harmonies between Adam and Sarrenna as a selling point, but Adam’s writing isn’t rooted in the call-and-response structure.

“I don’t really write duets,” he says. “I write the songs and then we figure out harmonies to throw in there.”

Those harmonies brighten up the pedal steel-driven melancholy that is threaded throughout The Depression Blues’ tracks. The resulting sound is a vibrant combination of classic country gloom and a good-natured honky tonk vibe, a rich blend that was brought to life through the band’s partnership with local producer Scott Minor.

“We started the process of recording the album three times,” Adam explains. “Then at some point, we decided that we were just going to spend the money and go into the studio. We eventually got ahold of Scott, who I think is the best in Knoxville.”

Response to The Depression Blues has been overwhelmingly positive, with local music blog Knoxville Music Warehouse suggesting that the album is the best local release of the year. Sarrenna points to two songs as fan favorites: the band’s oldest, “Cowboy Ballad,” and their newest, “Mountain of Fog.”

“I wrote ‘Cowboy Ballad’ about five years ago,” Adam says. “I’m glad people like the song, but at the same time, I don’t write like that anymore, so it’s a little nerve-wracking when I hear that that’s everybody’s favorite. The newer song getting some airplay makes me feel like, okay, maybe I can still do something that people like.”

Guy Marshall has plans to tour in support of The Depression Blues, with an upcoming release show at Pilot Light and a handful of other gigs scattered throughout North Carolina and Tennessee.

“We’re making friends in the outside world, finally,” McNulty says. “It’s much harder to get a following outside of your hometown because you can’t really start out with Mom and Dad coming to shows. You’ve got to start out with strangers, with that random music friend who found you on the Internet.”

But while the band enjoys broadening their fan base, both Adam and Sarrenna still work full-time, something they tentatively hope will change in the near future.

“I think our dream is to do [the band] full-time, but it’s kind of one of those things you want and don’t want at the same time,” Adam says. “Depending on yourself to write things, but also depending on other people to like it enough to support you is pretty terrifying. You’re essentially making art and hoping people will dig it enough to give you money from their 40 hour a week jobs.”

Guy Marshall plays with the Tennessee Turkeys and Zach and Kota’s Sweet Life at Pilot Light (106 E. Jackson Ave.) on Saturday, July 18, at 8 p.m. Admission is $6. 18 and up. 

Carey Hodges

Carey started as a lowly Metro Pulse intern in 2009, helping enter calendar listings while learning about the cruel world of independent journalism. Since then, she’s contributed arts/music writing to publications including Paste, Washington City Paper, and more. When she’s not exploring the local arts community, you can find her playing with her cats or attempting to garden.