“East Tennessee’s Biggest Rock and Roll Event Ever”…now that’s a headline, but it’s true! Next month, over 40 rock and roll bands will appear on two stages for a weekend music festival – “The Chainsaw Circus.” Ansley Roberts Productions and regional promoters have been working for more than a year to bring this event together. On the weekend of September 7th and 8th, bands from all over the region will descend to a race track near Greenville, Tennessee to showcase a battery of rock and roll concerts from some of the South’s most popular acts.
As much effort as he’s put into this event, I probably owe him an apology too. Several weeks ago, I had lunch with Ansley Roberts in Johnson City as he described his dream of an outdoor music event like Bonnaroo right here in the Tri-Cities. At the time, I may have mentioned something about writing a press release, but I’ve been covered up lately and unable to fulfill that promise.
Across the table, his daughter Tori was playing with a straw in her grape soda and seemed quite content as her father and I discussed the upcoming festival. What began as “Riverfest’ has now become “The Chainsaw Circus” and together with co-promoter Richie Ireson, (owner of Ireson’s Pub in Bristol) and several regional sponsors, they will help him promote the largest outdoor rock and roll music festival ever in the mountains of Tennessee.
The momentum for this event started a little over a year ago on a campground in Johnson City. There was a make-shift effort at the time to have a show on the lake, but as they began to plan the details they borrowed a name of a local afternoon radio show called “The Chainsaw Circus” and moved the event to Greeneville.
The “Chainsaw Circus” is an afternoon radio show on a local FM station that plays a heavier mix of Gen X rock in the afternoons. Although the name identifies with station, some may misinterpret the nature of the festival, but the clown posse’ graphics may draw fans from all over the region, despite the location off Interstate 81 at the US Motor Sports Speedway off Exit 44 near Jerealdstown Road.
This event will have the potential to attract rock and roll fans from all over Tennessee and Virginia because shows like this don’t happen often. The timing is right this year though and Ansley and his partners have put together a weekend concert with over 40 bands. They may have trouble getting everyone on and off the stage in time as bands only have 30 minutes sets each, but either way, it’s gonna be a memorable party.
Scheduled to appear at the festival are several touring bands and plenty of local talent from Bristol to Knoxville. Among the headliners, the show presents, The Breakfast Club, Copper, The Showdown, Since October, Omega Tribe, Hot Action Cop, Scull Soup and many more. The band lineup includes some of the most recognized rock and roll acts in this part of the state. For more details, you can click the website to see the entire lineup, view Myspace pages and listen to song files.
There are few people who have worked tirelessly to bring live rock and roll shows to the Tri-Cities like Ansley Roberts. He has the talent to do way more than this type of promotion, but this is truly what he does best – the genre compliments his personal tastes and likewise features his most popular bands. There are plenty of people that doubt what the young entrepreneur can bring to life, but in my mind, there’s no second guessing his capabilities. He continues to bring the most successful rock and roll shows to local venues and now he’s got a chance to land a armada of screaming rock and roll fans near a race track and setup what could be one of the most popular events for a new generation in East Tennesse.
This is a tremendous risk. The day we had lunch, he was laying down $3500 for a deposit on the property and he’ll have to coordinate plenty of volunteers and consultants to ensure a successful event. He’s also coming off of a busy summer of concerts with Kingsport, Jonesboro and Bristol Rhythm and Roots the weekend before. Nevertheless, this could be very profitable for Ansley and his strike force and you won’t find a bigger rock and roll event around this year. Besides that, it’s a great opportunity for local bands.
That’s why together with our staff at GoTriCities, we’ve aligned with Ansley to co-sponsor the event and help promote the festival. We’re giving away a few weekend passes and plenty of promotion over the next several weeks in-print and online, so stay tuned. We enjoy aligning our business with this level of energy and passion and we look forward to hearing great things as the show begins to gain momentum and sell tickets.
It’s an all ages event and those under 18 have to be accompanied by an adult. Tickets are available now at Dad’s CD and several other ticket sites at the Chainsaw WebSite. There will be camping on the grounds and concessions and I believe there will be plenty of security and searches at the gate. No bottles, liquor or weapons – I trust the last one is a given.