Many music fans in Knoxville don't know what they're missing, according to the man who wants to reintroduce them to the city's diverse local music scene.  Benny Smith, General Manager of 90.3 "The Rock", a radio station run by students at the University of Tennessee, claims that interest in live music from UT students has waned in recent years despite a surge in variety and quality. 

Smith blames the waning interest on two major factors.  First, the increasing use of the internet to download songs from various genres right onto portable music players, such as the Ipod, eliminates the need to seek out bands that play niche forms of music locally.  Second, and especially, Smith is disappointed in the complete lack of live music on the Cumberland Avenue strip, an area that was once a hotbed of live music in Knoxville.  

 "Our students aren't as excited about live music because they aren't in the close proximity to it that students at other schools are…A lot of it has to do with how horrible the strip is," laments Smith. 

The students themselves had varying answers as to why they didn't frequently attend live music events, but the most common was that it wasn't as convenient or easy as listening to portable music players whenever they wanted. 

"I just like to listen to my favorite music that I have programmed on my Ipod rather than go to a live concert that may or may not be good," said student Daniel Shedd, freshman at UT. 

With an ambivalent attitude towards Knoxville music, many students are missing out on a town that has a history of eclectic music tastes that transcend the stereotypical bluegrass and country music genres. 

While bluegrass and Americana are well-represented in Knoxville by accomplished singer-songwriters such as R.B. Morris, Scott Miller, and Mick Harrison, modern rock has become a fixture in the local music realm with hard-rock group 10 Years having topped the Billboard Modern Rock charts.  

Some of the most successful bands in Knoxville's history, including the Judybats, Superdrag, and the V-Roys, broke through in the 1990's and are still active today.  Superdrag went on a successful reunion tour last year. 

Mainstream artists, such as Kenny Chesney, Shinedown lead singer Brent Smith, and Weezer member Brian Bell, either began their careers or spent significant time honing their craft in Knoxville. 

Blues is also a strong presence in Knoxville, especially at the popular Sassy Ann's Blues House.  Other popular music destinations in Knoxville include Barley's Pizzeria and Taproom, The Valarium, and the historic Bijou Theatre. 

In an effort to reintroduce the citizens of Knoxville to some of the local talent in the music industry, Smith came up with the concept for a compilation CD entitled ‘ReDistilled' that included 25 years worth of songs from some of Knoxville's most accomplished artists.  The catch is that the songs are covered by some of Knoxville's best current-day artists.  

Smith hopes that the CD will wet Knoxville's appetite for new types of music they might not have appreciated before and didn't realize emanated from their own town.