The rock group Rob Russell and the Sore Losers will perform in the Cave in the Culp University Center on Tuesday from 8-10 p.m.
The trio features Rob Russell on guitar and vocals, Andy Russell on drums and Travis Stuart on bass.
Local musicians are expected to make surprise appearances during the concert.
“We’ll probably have one special guest, if not a couple,” said Rob Russell, director of the Writing and Communication Center at ETSU.
Russell said the Sore Losers, who formed in the year 2000, will play original songs. He said any cover songs they do will be played in the band’s unique style.
Russell is a veteran of several area bands, including the former Bystanders. He has played a variety of music from bluegrass to blues.
Performing with the Sore Losers, who came from the alternative rock group Brim, has not only enabled him to concentrate on his own songwriting but has given him the chance to play more aggressive rock music than he could while he was playing with other groups.
“I just really wanted to rock and roll,” he said.
Russell has been performing in bands since he was in his teens and has recently seen an increase in the number of people and venues that support live music.
He said more clubs are opening, and that is good news for musicians.
“Between Johnson City, Kingsport and Bristol, you can pretty much keep yourself occupied,” Russell said, adding he has recently performed more than he ever has.
He said he can’t pinpoint the exact reasons for the increased support, but he said it is partly attributable to the fact that music is part of the “fabric” of the region.
“There is such a culture of music in East Tennessee,” he said.
The Sore Losers regularly play in the Tri-Cities and Knoxville. The band also ventures to Asheville, N.C., and Blacksburg, Va., to perform for fans.
The band is currently recording new music.
Their producer is Don Coffee who is a drummer for the group Superdrag.
Russell said it is inspirational to work with Coffee because Superdrag has managed to stay together and sustain a career. The recording sessions are tough, but Russell said the discipline has made him happier with the results.
“He makes us play it till we get it right,” he said.
Russell said the band would like to reach higher levels of success, but his goal and greatest pleasure has remained to write and play the best music he can.
“If you are a musician, that’s what you do. You just keep playing,” he said.
The concert is free. Copies of the compact disc Five Songs will be available for purchase.

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