Local Music Scene Reconvenes for Waynestock Fundraiser

In Music Stories, Program Notes by Matthew Everettleave a COMMENT

When Waynestock was first held, in 2011, it seemed like a nice gesture—a local-music benefit to raise money for News Sentinel music writer Wayne Bledsoe and his family after the death of Bledsoe’s 23-year-old son, Andrew, the previous year. In 2012, though, it felt like something similar was needed after the death of Phil Pollard, a garrulous character and talented, perhaps even visionary musician who had led the unclassifiable jazz-rock combo Band of Humans in Knoxville. So Waynestock II raised money for Pollard’s family.

By 2013, the good news was that Waynestock didn’t need to be a memorial fundraiser—so the third Waynestock raised money for the lively Community School for the Arts. And it’s been held every winter since, with the best of Knoxville’s music community filling up Relix Variety Theatre in Happy Holler for a weekend of musical mayhem.

“Waynestock began because of something terrible, but it became something amazing,” says Maryville Daily Times music writer Steve Wildsmith in a short documentary on the festival’s website.

Waynestock VII, set for Feb. 3-4 at Relix, will benefit Pilot Light, the Old City rock club that earlier this year became a nonprofit organization.

The lineup for Waynestock VII includes the indie rock band the Billy Widgets, soul-rock up-and-comers Electric Darling, Jefferson City country-rock band Exit 65, members of the local hip-hop coalition the Good Guy Collective, Americana band Guy Marshall, veterans Mic Harrison and the High Score, the eclectic Greg Horne Band, the R&B/honky-tonk ensemble the John Myers Band, world music-inspired Paperwork, and jangly indie rock group Sweet Years, plus Nashville Americana band Andrew Leahey and the Homestead.

Saturday night’s set concludes with an all-star jam session paying tribute to notable musicians who died in 2016.

Music starts at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 3, and 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4. Admission is $5 each night, with raffles and door prizes. Visit waynestock.org/schedule for more info and a complete schedule.

Senior Editor Matthew Everett manages the Knoxville Mercury's arts & entertainment section, including the comprehensive calendar section—Knoxville’s go-to guide for everything worth doing in the area. You can reach Matthew at matthew@knoxmercury.com.

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