From June 8-9, 103.9 LP FM, WOZO, Knoxville Community Radio – The People’s Radio Station -
will host the station’s fourth annual WOZOfest to celebrate WOZO’s fourth year of delivering exceptional community radio programming and to support the on-going work of WOZO in our local communities.
The event features a diverse bill of local artists over a two night period with a night of music on June 8th featuring Dead Man’s Lifestyle, David Webb’s Burning Bush, Utopia, YoungFreeman, RK Bottom Line, Dee Smiff, Max Dope, Civil Strife, Eric Caldwell and the Cruise Control, and Sunkiller with guest DJ the Mobile-Musicman, and special guest host Wayne Bledsoe; and a night of comedy and poetry on June 9th featuring Friendlytown Comedy, The Knox by Night Band, Devan Burton, John C. Mannone, Sharon Mishler Fox, Amira Sakallah (Mirage(ish)) and Heather Davis (Anam / The 5th Woman), with special guest host Beth Tomkins.
WHEN and WHERE:
9:00 p.m. until 12:00am, Saturday, June 8th, Barley’s Knoxville
6:30pm until 9:00pm, Sunday, June 9th, Brickyard Bar & BBQ
The event is open to the public. The music night is 21 and up and the comedy / poetry night is 18 and up. Admission is $5 at the door each night or $8 for both nights. You can also purchase tickets online at www.wozoradio.com (via PayPal) or at the door.
Artists’ Quotes:
Tyler Sonnichsen, founder of local comedy group / show Friendlytown says, “Friendlytown and WOZO are both about community, and there's little question that a lot of us would be as involved with Knoxville as we are without the station. It's always our pleasure to take part in the benefit."
John C. Mannone is a multi-award-winning poet and has work in Blue Fifth Review, Poetry South, Peacock Journal, Baltimore Review, and hundreds of others. He won the Jean Ritchie Fellowship (2017) in Appalachian literature and served as the celebrity judge for the National Federation of State Poetry Societies (2018). A retired physics professor, John is passionate to share his love of poetry. John says, “WOZOFest is a wonderful event that brings community together with the arts.”
Devan Burton, a college instructor, is also the author of The Will of the World, which is his debut novel. He is a published poet and playwright as well. For WOZOfest, Devan Burton will read original poetry. Burton believes in the mission of WOZO and WOZOfest. According to Devan, "WOZO gives all listeners a voice and a platform, which is of the utmost importance in the 21st century."
Amira Sakallah (aka Mirage(ish) is a Knoxville-raised Palestinian artist, activist, and writer whose poetry is experimental and post-modern. Amira says, “I’m grateful to WOZO Radio for their work in opening up the world of performance, radio and music as activism to youth artists in the community.”
Sunkiller is a rising flame in the Knoxville music scene, with their songs promoting a sense of togetherness, growth and connection. Crisp, reverb drenched vocals mixed with organically spontaneous jams carry the message of light spreading out from the darkest places. Brandon Graham, lead vocalist, says: “We each walk hand-in-hand on this journey, much like the warmth and welcome felt within the WOZO community, and we want to share that with all who come in contact with our sound.”
Eric Caldwell and The Cruise Control are a local band with a soulful sound with an acoustic rock vibe and Appalachian roots. Eric says, "It’s a great pleasure for us to be part of WOZOfest 2019. WOZO Radio bring many diverse forms of art and unique sounds to the community of Knoxville."
Founded by their vocalist and rhythm guitarist Alan Garcia, the name Civil Strife was inspired by stories told by his parents about living in Los Angeles, CA in the early to mid 1990's. Civil Strife is a burst of pyromania illuminating the night sky, expressing the vitality of a riot through amplifiers and percussion. Alan says, “With a large collection of original songs with styles ranging from rock, blues, and folk to reggae and punk, Civil Strife represents the diversity found in our band members, our music and the community. We think WOZO does the same, and we’re proud to be a part WOZOfest, bringing together this diversity and community all under the same roof.”
FRVR Recordings is a locally founded record label, supporting local artists. “FRVR Recordings is excited to support our friends at WOZO Radio, who share our vision for building community and consciousness amongst Knoxville artists. We aim to catalyze cross-genre experimentation within the Knoxville music scene, as will be shown through our performances by our artists RK Bottom Line, and David Webb’s Burning Bush at this year’s WOZOfest.”
David Webb is a lifelong member of the Knoxville community who makes music as a means of personal and collective growth and healing. David says, “A holy dumpster fire set to pink flame, Burning Bush project will light the WOZOfest stage this year, bright with love and gratitude to WOZO and the people of Knoxville for living and doing what they do.”
YoungFreeman is a hip hop artist who is well spread out in the local music scene. Whether it’s his own music/production, his radio show on WOZO, or helping run Cypher Saturday’s open mic events, he does whatever he can to keep real hip hop alive and well. YoungFreeman says, “As a WOZO DJ and a performer, it is especially sweet for me to be able to give back to the community through the work I do at WOZO and through my performance at this year’s WOZOfest.”
Max Dope is a hip hop/rap artist originally from Parkland/Tacoma, WA now living in Knoxville, TN. His style can be described as eclectic and energetic as he has a versatile rap style ranging from pure hip hop to street poetry and even some socially conscious music as well. You never know what style you're going to get when he gets on stage, but you know he's going to rip the mic regardless. Max says, “A special shout out to WOZO for the opportunity and continued support of local music and shout out to Knoxville for supporting an artist from out of town.”
For more information, you may visit www.wozoradio.com/wozo-fest, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
