Ahead of the Barrelhouse Rock Fest on June 6th, I’ve been diving deep into a few of the bands set to tear up the stage. I already spent time talking with Knoxville heavy hitters Broken Side, but this week I got to check out Belfast 6 Pack – and man, their heavy southern metal feel hit me right in the sweet spot. Their sound is reminiscent of the metal that I hold close. Tracks like Slept with the Devil, Show Me, Whiplash, and Baptized in Whiskey have had me rocking out all week.

We dug into the band’s formation, where they’re headed next, and what the Knoxville scene means to them. Sitting here in Upstate NY, I’m honestly jealous I won’t be in the pit for what’s shaping up to be an absolutely killer day of music. So for all of you WVLZ listeners heading out – Get in that pit and throw down for me!!!

Who is the best band or artist you’ve seen live?

 The best artists I’ve seen live is a tough one. Not only attending concerts, but bands we’ve gigged with old and new. For me, it’s about authenticity. It’s a huge deal. Avenged Sevenfold has to be up there, but Texas Hippie Coalition really makes that connection. Justin would say Judas Priest or King Diamond. Tony would 100% say KISS

How did Belfast 6 Pack originally come together, and how have you evolved as a band since then?

Belfast came together through parting with an old local band. We all decided it wasn’t working for us , so we left and formedthis band. Fourteen years ago yesterday (5/25), we played our first gig at Maryville Rock Academy. We are one of Knoxville’s longest running bands. 

From the beginning, we wanted to create our own style - nolimiting ourselves to genre standards, just playing what we felt was a crucial point of our ‘ethos’. We’ve definitely evolved:we’ve had three member changes, five albums and a lot of growth - so it’s a lot of the same but different here and there. Currently, we are a three-piece, exploring this lineup and deciding where to go from here while still playing the fan favorites of course! 

Your Bandcamp bio lists several bands you’ve toured with – Hed PE, Soil, Stuck Mojo, Steel Panther, and one of mypersonal favorites, Nonpoint. Do you have any memorablestories from sharing the stage with any of these bands, and what have you learned from life on the road?

The bands listed aren’t necessarily tours - they are like a resume of bands we have opened or done small runs with. We just did a run with Tantric, and that was really cool. A+ musicians and people. Texas Hippie Coalition as well. 

We always encounter the cool locals, we always seem to connect, so they definitely provide the best on the road stories lol. But yeah, we’ve had some BIG shows even still added to that list and it just keeps growing.  We did have this one crazy night in Mexico but you’ll have to come to a show to hear that one. We would love to come play NY and everywhere! We are headed to Ohio next month with Citizen Kane! 

Your sound blends heavy, sludgy doom rock with groove-driven party rock. “Slept with the Devil” is such an awesome catchy tune that everyone should check out. What is the best kind of environment for a Belfast 6 Pack show?

In your face is my favorite, but big stages are cool too. Seeing a thousand people looking back at you is wild for sure. But I enjoy feeling the energy from people back at me, it drives me and just puts me on a different plane of feeling and emotion. Everyone else is that way too. Or drunk. Either way it’s a good time lol.

Your newest album “Devils, Fools & Odd numbers” stays true to your earlier sound while leaning into a faster, groove-forward style. What lays ahead coming out of the Belfast 6 Pack camp?

We definitely wanted the new one to sound that way but….it was written for a good four years before we got to record it. Member health issues, lineup changes, postponement for others endeavors - then member change again….it finally got out there.

To be honest we play the greats from it and are ready to move forward to something else. Right now as a three-piece we have written a new single called “Mandrake” that we are scheduled to record. It’s more The Sword meets CoC but in our own B6Pway. 

That’s why being a three-piece works right now - we are going for a true rock/swamp rock kinda way. If the right person comes along then cool, but til then we are playing good lucrative gigs and writing music. Current members are Brandon, Tony, and Justin.

You’ve got the Barrelhouse Rock fest June 6th. It looks like a great lineup; Broken Side was actually my intro to Knoxville metal. What are you looking forward to most about that show, and what else is planned for the summer?

Yes!!! We are stoked about the Barrelhouse gig and can’t wait. We’ve played with some of them before - Broken Side are our boys!! And we’re looking forward to meeting the bands we haven’t seen before. We look forward to the fellowship - musicians coming together, people out and just enjoying life. That’s what it’s about. 

This summer we have already had Tantric, Texas Hippie Coalition, we have Jeffrey Nothing coming up in August. Groundzero in Spartanburg, SC has been showing us so much love and their local bands. Mick Minchow is a true dude.  We’ve also got Citizen Kane next month in Dayton, OH. We stay busy for sure, headlining our own gig July 17th at Capones in Johnson City. More in the works too! 
 

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