On Friday, April 16, Johnson City’s music scene will become more even more unique with an energetic new sound that originated right here on ETSU’s campus. This variety-filled blend of reggae, rock and punk style of music, called ska, will come from a seven-member ensemble of (mosty) music majors at ETSU. They call themselves Demon Waffle.

“Don’t be taken back from the scary name,” said band leader Donnie Barnett. “The music we play is really happy, really upbeat and fast.”

If ska sounds unfamiliar, it’s because it’s not very popular in this area – at least not anymore. This reggae-rock mix consists of added distortion and horn lines, resulting in an ultra-catchy sound.

While it was super popular in the ’90s, according to Barnett, it never left the hearts and minds of a faithful few. It is still around in the West Coast, and there are a couple of other ska bands around Knoxville and Asheville, but very few in Johnson City.

Demon Waffle’s name came from a “magical epiphany” of the band, said Barnett. “The local scene has all kinds of metal – which is really cool, I like metal – but all these bands have these harsh sounding, tough guy names. So we thought we’d spin off that and add waffle to it.”

The band formed in late 2009, and its members all met in college. “I just started asking people if they liked ska,” said Barnett. “I was like, let’s get together and have an outlet, away from the grind of the music building.”

The band members consist of Tyler Parkhill on vocals, Evan Rice on bass, Barnett on Trombone, Josh Rakestraw on Trombone, Andrew Conner on trumpet, Justin Louthian on drums and Bill Bridges on the saxophone.

“Music majoring is tough,” said Barnett. “A lot of the guys are so busy, and to get seven people to commit to an hour time frame to do the same thing on a regular basis is really tough. There’s a lot of long days and practice time to put into it.”

Even with the long practices, the band proves to be an outlet for the band members. “It’s so easy to get caught up starring at a piece of music all day and being locked in a little cubical practice room just practicing,” said Barnett.

Barnett says that Demon Waffle is setting out to prove that even though they can tell the difference between the French and German augmented 6th chords, they can still rock out with the best of them.

This Friday, April 16, will be Demon Waffle’s first concert performance. The band invites everyone to come out to witness this unique blend of music.

The show begins at 10 p.m. at The Hideaway and will feature other local bands.

To get more information about Demon Waffle, visit their Web site at www.myspace.com/demonwaffleska.

Editor’s note: If you are an artist, band member or musician and would like to be featured in the East Tennessean, e-mail Alaina Akens, Scene Editor at akens@goldmail.etsu.edu.

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