Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
What pray tell is a Cheating Spoon? Sure, it could be a reference to a description of a snuggling event from a 90's sitcom. It could also be a phenomenal musical experience. Eh, what's in a name, anyway?
I'm not sure that I'm qualified to aptly describe it. Cheating Spoon is a quartet which began life as a trio earlier this year. Admittedly, it's a bit hard to imagine them as a trio now, since each member is so integral to the group and the sound. At first, it's hard to know how to take it all in. Cheating Spoon ain't your typical bar band. They aren't a jam band exactly, not jazz nor blues nor funk per se. Whatever it is, they own it. They do a few covers. Hooping is optional, dancing is encouraged and grooving is involuntary. Double dog dare you to try to keep your feet still.
Considering the extensive education these four artists have collectively amassed is almost absurd. Watching them work together, a blind man could see that these four musicians is each is in his own world, but something beyond that: completely in his own element. They may not engage the audience directly with inane banter or funny stories from the road like some entertainers, but they're sharing something far larger. And the stage presence is still evolving with the band as they figure out how it all fits together - the grand scheme of Spoon. I'm excited to see the show. - calamitylill
Discography
Spoon Cheats Death- A five song EP with nearly a half hour of music for only $5.
Track one is a song called Circles which is basically the average advice song for anyone who feels their life is going nowhere.
The second track is Heavy Burden. It tells a story of a lady that has ran upon some hard times.
Medicinal Purposes paints a laid back Jazz picture on track number three.
The fourth track is another story song with a surprise lyrical twist at the end.
Track five is the epic instrumental called Abstract Fusion. On the recording it pushes Ten minutes, but live it pushes the space time continuum.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Invoking the feel of 70s fusion, Cheating Spoon creates strong grooves and infectious melodies that keep listeners dancing while challenging the norms of today’s music. Performances filled with epic instrumentals and catchy, Americana-flavored originals provide audiences with a musical experience they wont soon forget.
Hailing from East Tennessee, Cheating Spoon was founded in early 2006 by some of the best musicians the greater Knoxville area has to offer.
Vocalist and guitarist Doug Sneed has been making music for close to two decades. Following his studies of music and the industry at Middle Tennessee State University, he spent several years in the Middle Tennessee music scene where he began writing his own songs. After a brief stint on the road out west with different bands, Sneed returned to East Tennessee where he found a home for his foot-stomping originals with Cheating Spoon.
Vocalist and bassist Bruce Johnston is an award-winning composer and Summa Cum Laude graduate of Berklee School of Music. Johnston grew up in Arkansas and was playing Beale Street in Memphis by the time he was 21. After receiving a scholarship at Berklee, Johnston returned to Knoxville to study at UT where he currently holds the graduate theory teaching assistantship.
Anthony Karnowski has been playing drums for over 15 years. He studied Jazz Performance at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville under Keith Brown and Rusty Holloway. In addition to playing live with local bands for several years Karnowski is also an accomplished studio musician. In his experimental duo Citizen X he has written, recorded, performed and produced the scores for several short films and the feature-length, independent film Point of Fear.
Keyboardist Jason Day studied under Donald Brown and Jerry Coker at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, graduating with a bachelors degree in studio music and jazz. After a brief stint playing and producing music around the Chapel Hill and Raleigh, NC music scenes, he returned to the University of Tennessee jazz program as its distinguished Graduate Teaching Assistant, where he accumulated a Masters degree in jazz studies. Day has performed all over the US and beyond, with a short stint in New York City and as the show band pianist for Carnival Cruise lines.
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