Sara Schwabe: Hellbilly fire
Each of the past 3 generations has its Hank...one that represents the badass and reckless side of country music...one that lives fast by his own rules. We admire and venerate these Hanks, and lift them to legend status. Hell, we even have festivals in their honor!
It seems like just yesterday that the Old City ran amok with fans out celebrating not only Hank Williams, Sr., but also his lineage, at the very successful Hank Days. Well, tomorrow night that bloodline makes a beeline for Knoxville. This time, in the form of Hank III - the third in the line of rebellious country royalty.
Like Hank Williams, Jr., Hank III honors the "family tradition", but also chooses to forge new musical ground. He will be playing 2 sets at Blue Cats this Friday night, Oct. 27th. The first set will feature traditional country songs reminiscent of those by his granddaddy. The vocal and visual resemblance the two Hanks share is uncanny and makes one marvel at the laws of genetics. His oldschool set is tender and tearful - just like good country songs oughtta be. You might even feel as though you've been transported to another time, hearing songs sung by the ghost of an old soul.
Normally, I'd say that such a dramatic shift in styles would clear out the more traditional listeners, but I just learned that the show is entirely sold out. In fact the only place to get tickets at the moment is to win them on the air at 90.3 The Rock! If you're feeling lucky, tune in and try your hand at the ol' radio call in contest. If you don't have tickets yet, you'll want to do whatever you can to see the Hank of Our Age...the Grandson-Of-A-Gun...Hank III.