Greg Wood: The rising stars of Sundown: The American Plague
On Thursday, April 19th, the American Plague will be unleashed at Sundown in the City.
For those of you who just thought “where can I get vaccinated?” or for a brief moment decided it would be a bad idea to go to Sundown, think again. American Plague is a Knoxville-based rock band opening for George Thorogood.
A couple months ago I wrote an article begging for more rock in Knoxville. I hadn’t heard American Plague at the time.
Plague’s influences shine through in their straightforward rock. You can hear a bit of the Misfits. You can’t really hear it but you can tell Black Sabbath is in there somewhere. It’s not quite a simple as The Stooges, nor as raw, but the intensity is the same. The lyrical content is edgy, including mentions of drug use and suicide. It’s the kind of music that goes well with whiskey, and not too badly with PBR. This form of music lends itself to a spectacular live show.
“If you want to hear Sabbath or Motörhead, you pay $50-$75 and go see them,” says front man Jaw. “If you want to get your face chewed off for five or ten bucks, come talk to us."
And now they’re playing Sundown—the Shea Stadium of Knoxville. On its first week, it drew a crowd of 13,000 in unseasonably cold weather, so there’s no telling what their turnout may be. And on a night with George Thorogood headlining, nonetheless.
“We are extremely excited to be playing Sundown,” says Dave Dammit. “It will be the biggest show we've played to date in our careers and we couldn't be more thrilled.”
With the tinge of southern rock influence, one can’t help but wonder if Thorogood has influenced them.
“I can't say honestly that's he a big influence but he has most definitely made his mark in this industry,” says Dammit. “He had some great songs that sold tons of records that were written years ago and he can still headline huge shows like this. That should say something right there,” he adds. “We are very happy to be opening for Thorogood.”
But opening up for a legend (especially in this part of the country) is no easy task for any band. There’s a lot to live up to.
“I think audiences respond well if you give them something to respond well to,” says Dammit. “People who have seen us know we put out 150% energy 100% of the time so I'm sure they will respond to that. I think there will be some older rock n' rollers who like to drink, and probably a lot of bikers too. Sounds like a great crowd to me!”
American Plague goes on stage at 6:30 p.m.