Knox Hamilton provides perfect soundtrack for a Nashville, Tenn. weekend.
“Clap a little with us, sing a little with us, Nashville,” lead singer, Boots Hamilton, said to the audience before the band opened with their song “Tom Joyce” released on their 2011 EP “The Sirocco EP.”
Knox Hamilton is a Little Rock, Ark. based indie-pop quartet composed of long-time friends Boots Hamilton, Bradley Pierce, Cobo Copeland and Drew Buffington. They formed in 2010 and have recently signed with Prospect Park Records after three years of releasing their music independently.
Their sold out show on Saturday night at the Mercy Lounge, where they opened for the Franklin, Tenn. based band, Colony House, proved to be a perfect warm up for the hometown heroes.
Just in the past week, the band has earned more than 400 Facebook fans and their first single release has gotten an upwards of 400,000 plays on Spotify. The single “Work It Out” has caught the attention of many after the song reached the No. 1 spot on AltNation’s “Alt-18 Countdown” on Sept. 2.
The energy of the band certainly influenced all spectators. From the first song, with the kick of a bass drum, the young crowd seemed completely absorbed in their country-tinged, dance- worthy songs. The lead vocals were then handed off to the keyboard player, Pierce, who sang with a Justin Timberlake-style falsetto with Hamilton providing harmonies. Their songs could easily be written off as simple pop songs, but the band’s musicianship makes them much more impressive.
“It’s time to work it out,” said an audience member right before the band played their recent hit.
The crowd immediately recognized the opening xylophone notes that were being played by Hamilton.
By the end of the show, a member of Colony House came out to the stage and comically played the tambourine for the band, but the audience barely seemed to notice. They were too focused on the music to pay attention to anything else.
Their eight-song set was closed out by the appropriately named song “Saturday Show.” Hamilton belted out the chorus and it was difficult to pay attention to anything else but the unexpected power that came from his voice.
The sound and overall vibe of the band could not have been better placed on a Saturday night.
This article was written by Ellen Pelerossi.