Broken Side is a 5-piece band, formed in 2020 based out of Knoxville. I’ve been checking out their albums To Fill the Void and Fathom. I recently got the chance to chat with Justin, the drummer for Broken Side about what influences the band, places to check out around Knoxville and what lies ahead for the band.
Who is the best band or artist you’ve seen live?
-TOOL, if we’re talking big, popular bands. I think TOOL has a great immersive show. Otherwise it's really hard to say - I'veexperienced some amazing live music. Bo Lee from Birmingham, AL is one that always surprises me. A great show, and super talented and humble guy with a range like Chris Cornell and guitar chops like Steevie Ray Vaughn. It's hard to point at one in particular artist and say, that's the best I've seen live.
I’m from up in Albany, NY - where are the best venues to go see a show in the greater Knoxville area? From underground clubs to mid-size rooms and large stages, where do you love to play or attend?
-Knoxville has lost some of its primary rock venues recently. You used to be able to catch a touring artist every week or so at The Brickyard or The Concourse, but we lost those venues unfortunately. So, The Open Chord is a staple for touring artists with a 250-300 capacity. We do what we can though, and put on DIY shows at The Gypsy Circus Barrelhouse (where we had our album release), The Pilot Light (which is a small venue downtown), and you can catch a pretty good show at Scruffy City Hall most weekends in Market Square downtown. The largest stage that we have played in Knoxville would probably be The Shed, opening for Puddle of Mudd, and then again for Saliva. It's a huge stage with a great sound. We do miss the Concourse - it had a huge stage with a 1000-capacity room. We had the pleasure of opening for Drowning Pool there a few years back.
What bands did you grow up listening to, and who is on your playlist now? Do these influences shape your writing or sound today?
-From the earlier question you could probably guess that I listened to a lot of Tool, but my musical tastes come from all over the spectrum. Currently my playlist includes a lot of Karnivool, Author and Punisher, and a few new artists that I found exploring the Spotify suggestions. But I’m a 90's grunge and nu-metal kid at heart. The band has a diverse age range from me being 42, to Skylar (our bassist) being 28, and the other 3 guys in their 30's. With that, our musical tastes are spread all over, and I really think that it helps us to bring in the different influences from each of us. It’s mostly rock, metal, and alt rock that you would find on any of our setlists - from Gojira to Van Halen and even into some country and jazz. Our ideas end up pretty cohesive when it comes to writing, and we all can feel if a song is working or not as we plot it out thanks to these different influences.
Your latest release “To Fill the Void” has been jamming through my apartment all week, it has a heavier, darker feel to it than Fathom. What has inspired that shift in tone?
-Thank you! We love to hear that you're digging the album. I think we’re just moving in a slightly more experimental direction. The single, and first song on the album- Unlorn - is a long song written in movements, and we took that kind of approach with most of the writing on this album. We decided that we don't need to make a song fit in a box, that we could just flesh the song out until it felt finished. We stuck with that and out popped "To Fill the Void". We are currently writing some more tunes, and I think that what we are trying to do is just be authentic. We write songs that we like to listen to and like to play, and as we've grown older these past 6 years of playing music together, we have all gone through changes in life that add to the mood of the music.
Who are some bands you would love to share the stage with – either locally in Knoxville or on a national tour?
-We are happy to share the stage with anyone out there. We have had some great shows with national acts, and our local bands. There are a few bands here in Knoxville that we love to support, and that have been doing some great things: Halo Scars, Belfast Six Pack, Wolves of Oz, PLVNET, Bo-Lee, Quiescent Mantis. These guys are always at the top of their game when on stage. We would love to get out onto a tour with a national act one of these days, but for now, we are just writing and doing as much weekend warrior touring as we can.
You’ve been evolving since 2020 and solidifying your sound- What is next for Broken Side?
-Our plan for the upcoming year is to finish up writing another album, and hit the road. This past year we played a bunch of shows along the Gulf Coast, and up into Kentucky and Michigan. Our goal this coming year is to start hitting up the East coast, and more of the Midwest. We would love to work our way across the country towards the West coast and gain as many fans / listeners as we can.
https://www.facebook.com/BrokenSide865
