What do you get when you mix Pure Barre, funk-rock fusion, and raucous Mississippi rock music on the banks of the Tennessee River? Riverfront Nights! This week’s edition promises to be one of the best in the free summer series produced by Friends of the Festival.
The evening begins with a 50-minute full-body workout provided by Pure Barre Chattanooga. Guests will be guided through a series of low-impact, high intensity movements designed to strengthen and tone the body in ways no other technique can. Guests are invited to bring a yoga mat/ towel or just find a great spot on the green to begin the evening with a workout!
At 7:00 p.m., Over Easy takes the stage. With blazing guitar riffs and smooth sax melodies, their high energy performances are sure to keep everyone on their feet. Brothers Adam and Austin Stone team up to deliver powerful melodies on lead guitar and saxophone with longtime friends Brady Sherrill on the drums and Charlie Witt on the bass. Jake Evatt rounds out the group with additional vocals and keyboard.
Headlining this weeks’ stage are The Weeks, a raucous Mississippi rock combo. The Weeks got their start early, forming in 2006 while all four of the members were still in high school. Staffed by twin brothers Cyle (lead vocals) and Cain Barnes (drums), Samuel Williams (guitar, vocals), and Damien Bone (bass), things picked up quickly for the Jackson-based quartet, who signed to the Esperanza Plantation label and released their debut, Cadillac Comeback, in 2008.
Their swaggering, sludgy, and slightly Southern indie rock was further expanded on a follow-up EP, Rumspringa, which came out a year later. Following their self-released second album, Dry Land Is Not a Myth, the Weeks packed up and moved to Nashville, where they signed a new deal with Kings of Leon's label, Serpents and Snakes. With the new label deal came higher exposure for their hooky third LP, Gutter Gaunt Gangster, as they continued to dial in
their freewheeling rock sound. Their Serpents and Snakes follow-up, 2014's horn-laden Dear Bo Jackson, saw a further expansion of their sound and put them in front of European audiences while touring with Kings of Leon. A year later, the four-song Buttons EP acted as a placeholder while the Weeks hunkered down at Memphis' legendary Ardent Studios to record their fifth album, 2017's Easy.
Friends of the Festival executive director Mickey McCamish said, “When our scheduled headliner had to reschedule, we looked for a band that would be a great fit and found a band we’ve wanted to have in Chattanooga for the last three years was available. We’re anticipating The Weeks to draw a huge crowd and we hope folks will come out early to enjoy the evening.”
He noted, “As always, we’re encouraging social distancing in our vendor lines and have numerous sanitation stations set up throughout the venue. Our goal is to have a very safe evening and with everyone’s help, we’re excited about the upcoming weekend.
Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, picnic blankets and other items. This week’s vendors include Auntie Anne’s, Cart & Seoul, Hanner International, Kena’s Cajun Kitchen, The Kettle Corn Man, and Emmaline’s Boutique. Drinks are available from Nooga Social, Budweiser, Hard Truth Distilling and of course, Coca-Cola.
The remaining shows for Riverfront Nights take place every Saturday in August. Each show begins at 7:00 pm and ends around 10:00 pm.