They tour throughout the United States with explosive hard rock, songs of love and loss and have made a solid name for themselves throughout, but for Knoxville Rock Band Thoroughfare it’s about getting back to the basics of rock music and giving their fans a live show that will leave them mesmerized. With an already energetic and explosive fan base and a brand new EP set to release, HometownSevier.com decided to sit down with Thoroughfare and focus in on their explosive stage presence, their music, and what’s next for this high-octane and passionate rock band from the heart of the south.
Tell us about Thoroughfare, band members, who you are, and how Thoroughfare came together?
Thoroughfare is made up of Jordan Beach (Lead vocals and guitar), Colin Cunningham (drums), Thomas Boyd (bass), Cameron Cunningham (Keys and vocals) and Seth Rowlette (guitar and vocals). Thoroughfare began around 2003 while Colin and Thomas where in high school together. They began writing music and shortly there after added Jordan to the mix for a frontman. Cameron was added to the mix in late 2006 and Seth was added in mid 2008.
Your full-length debut album is titled “As Yet Unborn”. Who produced this album? What was the process of recording it?
‘ As Yet Unborn’ was recorded by Travis Wyrick at Lake Side Studios in Knoxville, TN and was produced collectively by Thoroughfare and Travis Wyrick. This was a big album for us because we really felt like we were maturing our sound into what Thoroughfare is today. It was definitely a mile stone for us. However this was not our first album or recording experience. Shortly after Thoroughfare was formed we spent a month in Philadelphia recording ‘Portrait of a Daydream’ with David Ivory.
A lot of the songs on “As Yet Unborn” seem to be written about love and loss? Did you write them about anything in particular?
A lot of them were written about love, loss and just life in general, or at least what it was for us at the time.
You’re in the studio right now recording your new EP. Give us the low-down on what’s going on in there. Who’s producing it and what studio are you guys recording it at?
We are really excited about our new EP. It has been almost two years since ‘As Yet Unborn’ was released so it is definitely time to get some new tunes out. We have done so much growing and maturing in those two years. We have been on two nation wide tours and gone through a couple of different guitarists, so now it feels like we have more chemistry than ever. Our writing style has changed somewhat and we have fresh ideas, so we are very excited about the outcome.
I have a copy of your new song “Last One There” from your upcoming EP. It’s very different from previous Thoroughfare tunes. I’m diggin’ it! Is there a new Thoroughfare sound in the works?
‘Last One There’ is a great example of what I was touching on in the last question. We have new fresh ideas and chemistry, which gives us more of a mature sound, but we still have those aspects that give Thoroughfare that distinctive edge that is evident in ‘As Yet Unborn.’
You just recently opened up for Brett Michaels at the Valarium in Downtown Knoxville…how did that show come about?
That was a really fun show. We where actually driving back to Knoxville from being out on tour for a month and a half and we were talking with the good people at the Valarium and A.C. Entertainment and about putting together another big show for us…and that opportunity happened to be open. We were very excited about and it turned out to be a great show for us…we were grateful for the opportunity.
Just for the record…I caught one of your recent shows at Cider House in Downtown Knoxville. It was amazing. Your stage presence is explosive! What I appreciate the most is the clarity of your live performances…it’s as clean as a recording. What’s behind the raw energy of your live shows?
All of that really stems from being out on the road as much as we have been for the past two years. We have really learned the value of a great, high-energy stage show; which we really feel is necessary these days. Unfortunately today’s society seems to be overly entertained so it becomes a little harder to make a rock show worth coming to. Being able to hold the attention of a crowd and really creating hype around your live show is a must. It takes a little more than just having good, solid songs.
How has Sevier County and its musical history inspired you?
Well, Knoxville is lucky enough to be surrounded by so many cities and towns that music is legendary in and Sevier County is one of those. Even though Thoroughfare is a rock band we have respect for many different styles of music and blue grass and country are styles all of us love and you can’t deny that Sevier County has a long history with those styles of music.
When can the people of Sevier County expect to see Thoroughfare?
Soon…if they haven’t already. We have played several festivals in that area. So if you haven’t seen us yet keep your eyes open. Stay updated with our websites and catch us out. We’d love to see all your folks out. Also Knoxville isn’t a far drive from there so anyone could check out on of our killer hometown shows.
Outside of music, what is Thoroughfare all about?
There is not much outside of music that Thoroughfare is about. It’s a huge part of all of our lives. We basically live it every day. We are all involved in music in one way or another outside of Thoroughfare. Whether it be working at a radio station, playing cover gigs on a regular basis or consistently writing new material…we are doing it every day.
When you’re on tour…how do you guys pass the time between shows?
We are fortunate enough to have a T.V and game system in our van, so that’s always a plus. Several of us enjoying reading, but I think we all just love traveling to the point where we hardly ever get bored. We also enjoy making stupid videos and goofy stuff like that.
What’s next for Thoroughfare?
Well, we are looking to release our new EP in mid November. After that we are looking to get back on the road as much as possible and hopefully getting some label attention so we can make this a career.
Now is your time to plug yourselves. Where can we go buy “As Yet Unborn” and were can we go to keep up with Thoroughfare and the new EP?
You can always buy our music on itunes.com and we do have ‘As Yet Unborn’ available in a couple stores in Knoxville such as Disc Exchange. We do have some killer websites as well:
myspace.com/thoroughfare
thoroughfareband.com
and of course we are on facebook, twitter and ilike.com. We have plenty of media and we are pretty good at keeping it updated and fresh…so visit them regularly. Check us out and help us spread the word about Thoroughfare. We love and appreciate all of our fans and anyone who does anything to support or help us out. Support local music! Attend shows and make and effort to discover new local and regional bands. They are out there.
In my last ditch effort to describe Thoroughfare, any parting words of enlightenment?
Thoroughfares’ music appeals to a wide range of people with different tastes. We have a melodic/softer side and we have a high energy rock side as well. So whatever your taste may be, give us a listen and you might be surprised.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THOROUGHFARE OR TO BUY THEIR ALBUM “AS YET UNBORN” GO TO:
Thoroughfare is a great band!! The guys are awesome, you couldnt ask for better people to know! I consider them my friends.
These guys ROCK! Great Knoxville local band! If you haven’t heard of them or seen them live in concert, you are definitely missing out!
These guys rule! Absolutly amazing all of their preformances are amazing. They have alot of songs people can relate to and if you have never heard of them, you don’t know good music.