Julia's Music Reviews: Jackyl at The Shed

I'm proud to be a resident of Knoxville (by marriage). It's a great lively town inhabited by people who go out of their way to give visitors a warm welcome and outdo themselves in providing hospitality.

What I'm also proud to be is a supporter of the local music scene. Over the past few years, I've seen touring bands of various levels of popularity and style make Knoxville, TN, one of their places to play on their tour. And they have come more than once. Each time they come, they tell the audiences how much they love coming to Knoxville.

Having said that, I know Greenville, South Carolina's, Silver Tongue Devils felt so welcome to Maryville. As for me, I welcomed their music. And not just their music, but their congenial stage presence and non-stop rock to kick off the show. It goes without saying that every musician is influenced by at least one rock legend, studying their mannerisms meticulously. Such was the case of lead singer DJ, who sang, dressed, and acted as if he were the Robert Plant of the 2010s. In addition to that were the rhythm guitarist doing part of the "Eruption" guitar solo and the drummer having an energetic passion similar to that of both Tommy Lee and Jimmy D'Anda.

Silver Tongue Devils

In the weeks leading up to last night's show at The Shed, I learned Jackyl was there last year. They had instant popularity in the early 90s with their chainsaw solo in the instrumental break of "The Lumberjack" from their debut self-titled album. Also, lead singer Jesse James Dupree's loud and raw Southern attitude-filled vocals and consistent, strong music are also timeless attributes of Jackyl's music. Therefore, it's no wonder we Knoxvillians were glad to have them back. To my knowledge, this was one of their stops for the 25th anniversary of Jackyl.

I'm not sure if it was intentional for the sound crew to play "For Those About to Rock, We Salute You," by AC/DC, followed by "Rhinestone Cowboy," just before Jackyl made their grand appearance on the stage. Whether it was or not, to me, it provided a good soundtrack for what was ahead.

And what was ahead? In a nutshell, it was undying consistency and energy in their music. Over the past few years, I've been to shows that were part of a tour celebrating a milestone in the careers of bands from the 80s and 90s. I've seen the differences in their performing capabilities and styles of music now as opposed to then. The way Jackyl played blew me away! First off, Jesse James's voice is still strong, as is the music. To be more clear, seeing them live was as if the music I had heard from their debut album (on a cassette) hadn't died or changed. Their live performance did a stellar job in magnifying what I had heard on a studio album.

Jackyl

Though Jackyl has had hits since their debut album, and the large crowd they were graced with cheered and shouted out the responsory-style lyrics, the atmosphere in the audience seemed to have gone to a higher level when they played the songs from that album. Such hits include "Down on Me," "Dirty Little Mind" ("d-i-r-t-e-e-e"), and "I Stand Alone."

Jackyl

Best feature of all (and you probably see this coming)...the chainsaw. Jesse cut up a wooden stool. One lucky fan walked away with a sawed seat from it.