Main Stage

The Hector Qirko Band (hqband.com)
Main Stage - 4:00 - 5:00

 Their individual resumes include playing blues in Chicago, jazz in New York, R&B in Memphis, country in Nashville, and even performing with the Knoxville Symphony. Together, they've played the area and beyond for over twenty years, won numerous "Best of" awards, and released four albums, with their fifth due out in March (Hector also has a new acoustic trio record, "Wherever you Go.") As the Down Home says, and they should know…"Undoubtedly, four of the finest musicians to grace our stage. Not just another blues band. Not just another rock band. Not just another jazz band. They play all these styles and more. But regardless of the direction they take, each and every musical path is truly exceptional."

R.B. Morris (rbmorris.com)
Main Stage - 3:00 - 4:00

A "hillbilly beatnik" hailing from Knoxville, Tennessee, is a celebrated poet, playwright, and singer-songwriter. Various music journalists and magazines reviewed "Take That Ride," on John Prine’s O’BOY Records, as one of the Top 10 records in the country. According to Wayne Bledsoe, music critic Knoxville News Sentinel, “The title track to R.B. Morris' latest EP “Empire” was already slightly legendary before it made it to CD. John Prine covered it. Fellow songwriters were praising the song, but it took a maddenly long time before fans could hear Morris actually perform it outside of catching one of his rare concerts. Let it be known that "Empire" is a song that ought to be taught in civics, philosophy and songwriting courses. The rest of the five songs encapsulate much of what makes Morris a treasure.”

Todd Steed and the Suns of Phere(toddsteed.com)
Main Stage - 2:15 - 3:00

Todd Steed and the Suns of Phere are a Knoxville based band that writes and
plays songs for today's busy and evolving human.  They have two long play
recordings, Heartbreak and Duct Tape and Knoxville Tells.  These recordings
feature what the band does best: songs about life, love, and work with enough
humor to balance out the underlying themes of daily dissonance, grief,
hangovers, and lack of political happiness.   The band features Bob Deck
(guitar) Dave Nichols (gittaron) and Ed Richardson on cardboard box.  They love
to play music live and rarely use their setlist though they sure like using
those cool smelling sharpies to make the setlist.

Carl Snow’s Summer of Love
Main Stage - 1:30 - 2:15

Though mostly absent from the local music scene in recent years, Carl Snow is a veritable Knoxville rock and roll legend, a burly punk-rock madman who played in any number of notable outfits dating back to the early 80’s including the group Koro, a short-lived but seminal 1980s hard-core punk outfit whose ferocious early demos are still dearly traded in underground punk-rock circles the world over. Now comes “Carl Snow's Summer of Love.” The band pulls a lot of its original material from the era associated with revolution formed with a renaissance of compassion, awareness, love and the revelation of unity for all mankind. "That's by design" say's Snow. The band is currently working on a new record. According to Metro Pulse mu sic critic Jack Renfro, "this is serious rocking in the free world."

The LoneTones (thelonetones.com)
Main Stage - 12:30 - 1:25

The LoneTones, comprised of Steph Gunnoe (guitar and vocals), Sean McCollough (guitar, banjo, mandolin and vocals), Maria Williams (bass and vocals), Steve Corrigan (drums, glockenspiel), Phil Pollard (drummer emeritus), say their music reflects the plight of those who are deeply rooted in the Appalachian Mountains but try to escape the steep mountain walls. Influenced by modern sounds from rock, the folk revival, singer-songwriters, alternative country and emo, the band play their own kind of bluegrass and old-time mountain music. They dedicated their newest album, Nature Hatin' Blues, to "hometowns and misfits everywhere, mountains and people who fight to save them, the soil we grew up in." Nature Hatin’ Blues’ has been featured on NPR's All Songs Considered and was recognized as Top Ten Album of 2006, KDHX. "The Soil We Grew Up In" is featured on "Greetings From Knoxville" and appears in the independent film "Lily."

BFT
Main Stage - noon - 12:30

BFT, the trio of Catherine Backus (vocals, guitar), Lauren Johnson (bass), and Emily Backus (drums, vocals), write their own material. Formed in December 2005, the band’s unique sound is the result of a rock, jazz and pop mix. All three band-mates are sophomores at Oak Ridge High School. They can be heard on the Internet at purevolume.com/bluntforcetrauma. 

Children's Stage

The Hominy Mamas
Children's Stage - 1:00 - 2:00

The Hominy Manas are the local duo of Kathleen McGregor Williams and Ruth Simmons.  They perform true Appalachian story songs and melodies, making music with banjo, fiddle, guitar, and rattle trap.

Sean and Phil
Children's Stage - 2:00 - 3:00

Sean and Phil are Sean McCullogh and Phil Pollard, the singer-songwriter-guitarist and percussionist from The Lonetones.  The two sing, strum, and drum to the delight of their young audiences.

Nancy Brennan Strange
Children's Stage - 3:00 - 4:00

Nancy Brennan Strange is a well known Knoxville area storyteller-singer-songwriter who has been performing for audiences of all ages for over 30 years.

Joni Lovegrove
Children's Stage - 4:00 - 5:00

Joni Lovegrove - Native American storyteller, dancer, artist, and singer - weaves lesson stories from her Cherokee heritage, intertwining the performance with song, dance, and language.