Indie Lagone

SteveW

Posted on Nov 16, 2016

by Steve Wildsmith

Bands, especially local ones whose members work full-time jobs and have family obligations outside of those to a rock ‘n’ roll stage, sometimes change members as often as they do pants.

Indie Lagone is no exception. The band, which falls somewhere between cabaret metal and glam rock, lost keyboard player Leah Allison and drummer Josh Courtney over the past year. In bringing in new members, founder and frontman Allen Swank feared what usually happens any time there’s turnover — the band would have to scale back operations for a few months in order for the new guys, drummer Scott Fugate and keyboard player Cody Hensley, to get up to speed.

The talents of the band’s replacement players, however, were deeper than he expected, and the recovery time was remarkably short, he told The Daily Times this week.

“Scott had been playing in a funk band, and he and I actually played in a band together back in the day,” Swank said. “He’s never stopped playing — he’s played with jazz bands, cover bands and online, where bands will send him tracks and he’ll record drum parts and send them back. He’s very professional and proficient, and when he stepped in, we got a windfall of good luck.

“Cody Hensley used to be the keyboardist for (fellow rock outfit) Skytown Riot, and after he left that band, (bassist) Scott Belcher sent him a Facebook message, and he hit me back within an hour. That was great news for us, because he’s crazy good. So what seemed like the end of the world because we were losing two members, we were able to flip the script and push things forward. These guys came in and learned the material almost overnight, and we had a total downtime of about a month. We got our stride back almost immediately.”

Courtney and Allison remain friends with Indie Lagone — which includes Belcher and guitarist Jason Godfrey — and one, if not both, may come out to Friday night’s performance at Barley’s Maryville, the first hometown show for Indie Lagone aside from a short spring showcase that the band played as part of a Bonnaroo competition. Together with Divided We Stand — a metal act that also calls Maryville home — the members of Indie Lagone hope to show Barley’s management that original rock can hold its own with Americana and country on the Barley’s stage.

“It’s almost like a proving ground for us to prove our mettle as local bands and maybe open that door for more original music to hit that venue,” Swank said. “It’s all going to depend on turnout, so making sure people get there is pretty important. The music industry says that you can’t rely on your friends, but I’m going to beg to differ on that one.”

And for good reason: Swank has been part of the local music scene for a long time, having played with forgotten names like Omega Rage, Fallen, Malice in Wonderland, Sleeve, Servant Radio and The Leapfrog Saints over a period spanning two decades. He moved from Florida to Blount County in 1991, dabbling in the restaurant business (Swank’s Jazz Club, formerly located in downtown Maryville) and other careers before joining the family business — Foothills Childcare and Preschool on Robert C. Jackson Drive. Despite the hectic nature of overseeing dozens of kids, he’s managed to find balance with rock ‘n’ roll as well, which will always be his first love.

And with fresh blood in the lineup, he’s falling in love with it all over again. The band recently recorded a new song, “Remember,” with Brian Vodinh of the Knoxville-based nationally famous rock band 10 Years; the experience was both creative and unifying, and the new members emerged with a better idea of how the band will move forward. And that, Swank said, might be in unexpected directions.

“We’re getting ready to go back into the studio with Brian, and the next song has a reggae, almost Police feel to it in the verses,” Swank said. “We’re just going where the writing leads us. If we end up in rockabilly land, we’re playing rockabilly. If it’s reggae, we’ll play reggae. If it pulls to the metal side of it, we’re going there. We’ll go wherever the music leads, without having to worry about genre boundaries.”

Steve Wildsmith is the Weekend editor for The Daily Times. Contact him at stevew@thedailytimes.com or at 981-1144, follow him on Twitter @TNRockWriter and “Like” Weekend on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dailytimesweekend. - The Daily Times

Indie LAgone: “STUNNED” is simply mind blowing!
Posted By: Rick JammPosted date: August 23, 2016in: ReviewsNo Comments

At the center of Indie LAgone is Allen Swank who says he draws influence from greats like Depech Mode, INXS, Billy Idol, The Cult, The Stray Cats and The Cure. The combination of classic influence combined with the love for the more modern sounds of bands such as 12 Foot Ninja, Muse, Filter, Dommin and 30 Seconds to Mars have spun into a writing style, sound and vibe all of its own. Swank teamed up with friend and former band mate, Scott Belcher (bassist/vocalist) in 2011. They immediately began the stitching process that helped to define what is now Indie LAgone. Guitarist Jason Godfrey, drummer Scott Fugate and Cody Hensley, all of whom have been an intricate part of the Knoxville music scene for years, came to complete the lineup.

indie-lagone-300Currently preparing for a new 2016 release, the band as still plugging their previous EP, entitled “STUNNED”. This is a recording that you can listen to without having to program in a few select tracks first, because the entire5-track EP is simply mind blowing. This is a recording that needs to be in every rock collector’s library.

The smooth, rolling, and deceptively catchy riffs in this EP complement the vocals extremely well, making the sound absolutely awe inspiring. The fusion of Allen Swank’s uncanny ability to create those heart wrenchingly powerful chorus moments, with the mature, tight, and classic tones from the rest of the band allows for an incredible listening experience. Even with the band’s varied influences, “STUNNED” is an extremely solid rock album.

There are no deviations into other feeble subgenres. This thing kicks ass right from out of the blocks. Only one other band I know of, has been able to keep a clean, pure rock n’ roll track sheet like this – and that is The Foo Fighters. They may rock harder, and sometimes a little softer, but they’re always rocking, with no bullshit in between. On “STUNNED”, Indie LAgone tread that same path with great honor.

Listening to the album over the last week, I’m very happy to say that Swank and the lads have written an air-tight EP with some great songs that showcases Allen’s vocal abilities and the overall musicianship of the band. “Over The Edge” kicks in dripping with a great melody, colorful chord changes, and a rip-roaring drumbeat. But “Dreamkiller” is the first song on the EP to take my breath away.

A simple melody, a classic soft-loud arrangement, and a changing tempo may sound like a clichéd power rock song to many, but not when it’s done this good. In the tradition of the best Whitesnake and David Coverdale could put out, Indie LAgone slay this track with phat guitar riffs, stunning drumming by Scott Fugate, and once again, those soaring vocals by Allen Swank.

indie-lagone-350Talking about Coverdale brings me straight to “I Calamity”, which features some superb keyboard runs, reminding of the late Jon Lord and his work with Deep Purple. Mentioning two ex-Purple players in the space of two songs should give you the measure of the band we’re talking about here.

The fact that this EP was recorded in 2014, and that Indie LAgone is not a name on every rock fan’s lips by 2016, is a heresy in my book. I shall remind you that less talented bands have since won Grammy’s and have multi-platinum records in their catalog.

I won’t mention names so as not to embarrass anyone, but you know who they are. I don’t know enough about how Indie LAgone run shop, but if they have a management team behind them, then someone needs to be fired right now before they waste any more time!

And as if to drive my point home, the EP closes with the thunderous bonus track called “Hauntings in Hindsight” – another showcase for how tight, professional, melodic and ridiculously hard-hitting Indie LAgone is! - Jamsphere