Old City sits just north of downtown and has carried a reputation for live music since at least 1985. From dive bars to nightclubs, the district covers a wide range. Barley's Taproom and Pizzeria offers free live music many nights and is the home of WDVX's Friday broadcast, while the Pilot Light is a tiny, fiercely independent room known for experimental, punk, and touring underground acts. At Barley's, live music performances fill the main floor most nights, with a billiard room upstairs. Boyd's Jig and Reel was created in 2011 to host live music in the tradition of UK pub sessions, with Scottish and Irish sessions rotating on Thursdays alongside regional, national, and international acts. Tuesdays are dedicated to Old Time music. The pub features live music six nights a week and over 1,000 whiskies. On Central Street, Southbound books Top 40 and hip-hop, while Wagon Wheel focuses on country. Wagon Wheel hosts live music on Sunday afternoons before turning into a country-western club at night.
The Marble City Band combines top talent from across the Knoxville area, forming a high energy sound unlike any other. With debut performances in 2023, the much-anticipated band from East Tennessee has high hopes to make a profound impact on the local music scene.
$20 advance / $25 day of show
Mike has roots in honky-tonk, and rock and roll. By age 12, Mike McGill was on stage in front of big audiences. He grew up singing old-time gospel songs and old-school, classic country, and bluegrass. He was influenced by Hank Williams, Bill Monroe, and Willie Nelson to harness his musical prowess.
Tidalwave Road Bluegrass Band skillfully blends both contemporary and traditional bluegrass styles, infusing them with a dynamic, hard-driving energy. Their music is a delightful fusion of blues and rock influences, resulting in a vibrant and exhilarating bluegrass experience.
$15 advance / $20 day of show
Rodney Lee, a Native East Tennessean, has spent most of his life promoting the music community. As a promoter and booker for Barley’s of Knoxville, he helped elevate the Old City and Knoxville as an essential hub for original music. Recently, Rodney has stepped from backstage to the front of the stage, bringing a respectful approach and distinctive vocal timbre to his original songs that range from deeply personal to the spectrum of the human condition. Stylistically, Rodney is compared to troubadours like Townes Van Zant, John Prine, and Nancy Griffith, and his songs are finding an eager audience in his hometown and beyond.
Don’t miss Corey James Clifton, an East Tennessee native, at Boyd’s Jig & Reel. After eight years of traveling the West Coast perfecting his craft, Corey has returned home as a premier artist in the South. He blends soul, rock, blues, and R&B with addictive riffs and powerful lyrics. His live shows are energetic, memorable, and kick-ass.
Blues · Jazz
Cullen Kehoe is a versatile musician, songwriter, and performer. Cullen embodies every aspect of the music industry with experience as an engineer, producer, venue booker, manager, A&R rep, label owner, publisher, programmer, internet radio station operator, performer, and writer. He is also an award-winning singer-songwriter, winning both the Pop and Country songwriting competitions at the Gibson Guitar Gallery and Café and top honors in the Tin Pan South Songwriters Open Mic competition.
Jam band · Psychedelic rock
Alt-country
$12 advance / $15 day of show
$15 advance / $20 day of show
Bluegrass
