It was muggy last Saturday afternoon as showers passed through the city leaving a pillow of haze and fog. I held on tight to the steering wheel following Phil Davis and Tom Bettini, with the rock band, CattleAxe, along the winding roads that led into the woods of Bloomingdale to experience one of the region’s most talked about private parties — The Boozy Creek Fourth of July Dirt Drags.
Several weeks ago, Phil told me the band would be performing at this annual gathering of The Peacemakers motorcycle club. Kingsport has been my home since 1976 and over the years I’ve heard plenty of tall tales about the weekend at Boozy Creek, so this seemed to be the perfect opportunity to step outside my holiday routine to experience another memorable performance.
CattleAxe is one of the bands that GoTriCities will present during the Fun Fest Homegrown Showcase at the Kingsport Civic Auditorium on July 21. This power trio is playing to large crowds throughout the region because of their commitment to play songs their fans want to hear and a special chemistry that ignites their performances.
I looked around the valley before the music began and recognized that I couldn’t be in a more independent and freedom loving American setting. Dale Gilliam, one of the event’s organizers, explained to me that each year, hundreds of bikers from Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio converge like a caravan of modern-day gypsies on this mountain landscape to celebrate the Fourth with family, friends, food and entertainment throughout the weekend.
“We play two types of music!” Tom Bettini yelled into the microphone that reverberated through the valley. “Hard Rock … and Hard Country. If you want to hear something else you can forget about it!”
It’s that type of determination which sets the boundaries for any CattleAxe performance and as bold as this may sound, it was just what the audience wanted.
When you close your eyes, it’s hard to imagine that three players can perform a set list including some of the greatest hard rock songs ever recorded, and it’s not that they play them letter perfect — they do. But what’s more intriguing is the way they present songs that people love to party to.
Ask any musician and he’ll joke with you that one of the things they dislike the most is the staggering fan who screams, “Plaaaay some Skynyrrrd!” That’s why I was surprised to hear Greg Yates turn the knobs up on his guitar and lay down the riff that begins “Gimme Three Steps.” It’s the attitude that sets this band apart and it was only the beginning.
It’s unlikely that you’ll find a group of players capable of such a variety of music that lingers in our memories like anthems. CattleAxe moves in and out of songs by Metallica, George Jones, Nancy Sinatra, Glen Campbell, AC/DC, Deep Purple and plenty of current material too. They don’t take the songs lightly either. Together with Phil’s help on the soundboard, they turn it up loud and they play it hard and heavy.
The first set ended with “Copperhead Road” and this field of fans was ready for the fireworks to begin. As the bright colors showered over the landscape behind the tent, I sat down with the musicians and discovered something special about this group of players who aren’t as young as they used to be, but are more than ever.
Greg Yates was soaked from the humid night air that lingered along the creek as the sun went down. He was seated in the back of the band’s old Chevy van sharing his memories of previous Fourth of July holidays.
“One of the things I miss the most about touring with David Allan Coe was the Fourth of July concerts with Willie Nelson in Luckenbach, Texas.” Greg played with David Allan Coe for many years and shared his memories of playing on stage with some of Outlaw Country’s most notorious performers.
Yates is not the only one who’s seen the big stage in CattleAxe. Many already know that Kingsport’s Tom Bettini, the bass player for the band, toured with Jackyl, Aerosmith and ZZ Top. He’s the only guy I know with platinum records and he’s hands down one of the best bass players around and is explosive to watch on stage.
You might ask yourself why these two great players are hanging around East Tennessee and I guess I used to wonder about that myself, but later in our conversation Greg shared with me a story that brought a little clarity to mind about these musicians and the characters who perform on stage with CattleAxe.
After talking about David Allan Coe and Willie Nelson, Greg shifted his thoughts and described the young boy named Leo who seemed to bring a real sparkle to his eye. Leo is Greg’s son, and it seemed that everything on the road paled in comparison to the love and commitment he had to the son he is raising in Elizabethton.
Tom’s case is similar too because earlier in the evening, I saw him kiss “Tootie” goodbye. That’s the nickname of the love in his life and when he performs and she’s in the audience it’s hard not see the complete adoration of a love-struck teenager. They’ve been married for years now and like a lot of people I know, they give single people like myself something to hope for.
Al Sammons fell in love with the drums when he first heard Led Zeppelin. He’s been influenced by some of the best and plays a rock beat that is powerful, precise and delivers the perfect percussion for this band along with an excellent singing voice. But Al’s story is little different and in many ways highly respectable.
Several years ago Al survived cancer and a heart attack. He was in his 30s when he was diagnosed and made his way through chemotherapy and all the treatments to find himself backing up a band with some of the hardest working and most dedicated musicians on the local scene.
I’m glad Al Sammons is banging out a John Bonham rhythm and I respect his attitude … completely.
CattleAxe is a one of our area’s best rock ’n’ roll bands. Greg Yates, Tom Bettini and Al Al Sammons deserve the biggest stages, but their hearts are here in the mountains and despite the fact that they’re not touring the world, I doubt they will disagree that they’re living the best of their times here now in Tennessee and you can see it too, next time you see CattleAxe appearing live near you.
One more note: Phil Davis, you may not sing, but the SoundPranos are fortunate to have you because you are the sound engineer to reckon with. Don’t miss CattleAxe at Fun Fest on July 21 at The Kingsport Civic Auditorium
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David Cate is new media director for the GoTriCities Network. E-mail him at dcate@gotricities.net.