Open Chord was home to American Idol finalist Elise Testone and Knoxville’s City Limit, Knoxville School of Rock and Jon Mason’s Knox Blues on October 11 as the talents joined to benefit East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. The Children’s Charity Benefit Music Showcase, presented by Therapy Brothers Entertainment, was a story picked up by WVLT Knoxville.
When asked about the partnership with East Tennessee Children’s, Scott Anthony explained to WVLT the importance of the event before School of Rock played live on WVLT.
“I really wanted to use a local charity that everybody locally would jump on board and everybody knows who they are,” Anthony said. “And to help draw people in the door.”
School of Rock
School of Rock Knoxville might seem like simply a band of young kids, but this group’s talents go way beyond their young age. The band members have made a name for themselves, even performing at one of the nation’s biggest music festivals in Bonnaroo.
The band consists of singer and guitarist Kaitlyn Jones, singer and guitarist Rosey Jones, drummer AJ Juliano, bass guitarist Logan Franklin and brother on drums Ethan Franklin, guitarist and drummer Ryan Peruski, guitarist Sam Brophy, and drummer Jack, who goes by his producer name “yxngmanes.”
Opening up the night, School of Rock started out their performance with a cover of Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion,” showcasing their talents and relationships on stage. Other covers of the night included Janis Joplin’s “Bobby McGee,” which Kaitlyn Jones sang with her wide vocal range. Rosey Jones took over with the band’s cover of “Separate Ways” by Journey before the group honored Led Zeppelin with their take on “Since I’ve Been Loving You.”
Transitioning to an artist that has recently took off on the charts, School of Rock covered Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” and got the crowd interacting as they asked them to clap along with them. As the band moved into their final songs, the venue got really quiet before drummer AJ Juliano looked around at his bandmates and asked if they were ready before the group took off with a Led Zeppelin cover of “Rock and Roll.”
School of Rock ended their performance with their cover of “Shake It Up” by The Cars.
When asked what playing at the Charity Showcase meant to her, Kaitlyn Jones was quick to respond.
“It meant a lot,” Jones said. “We usually play here a lot, but playing for a charity event means a lot more than just playing a regular show.”
Jon Mason’s Knox Blues
Guitarist Jon Mason took the stage with the Doug Harris Band, which includes Doug Harris on vocals and harmonica, David Yocom on bass and vocals, Charles Crisp on drums and vocals, Chris Smallcomb on guitar and vocals, and Mark Caldwell on the keyboard.
Harris’ raspy blues voice and harmonica solos made for an energetic performance from the Knox Blues and gave the group a unique twist.
The group covered Ray Charles’ “If It Wasn’t for Bad Luck” before jumping into a series of Eric Clapton and B.B. King covers in “Key to the Highway,” “The Thrill is Gone,” “Before you Accuse Me” and “Stormy Monday.”
Jon Mason’s new project in Knox Blues stayed true to its name, playing a set of blues songs that were accompanied by guitar and harmonica solos.
The group mixed up their set by playing songs that were high in energy and ones with a calming, slow sound, keeping the audience anticipated for what was to come next.
City Limit
When Lee Zimmerman wrote about City Limit for The Daily Times, he summed up the band well in a couple sentences.
“City Limit makes no secret of the fact that they’re a cover band, pure and simple. Like most cover bands, their aim is to appeal to people whose primary purpose is to get on the dance floor and rekindle some musical memories in the process,” Lee Zimmerman wrote.
Knoxville’s City Limit have some years on School of Rock, but their energy and passion on stage could be mistaken for the energy of a young teenage band. The band, consisting of singer Clinton Young, saxophone player Dave Eckman, keyboard player Neil Gillespie, guitarist Roger Coleman, bassist and vocalist Michael Ragsdale and drummer John Baisden, kept the crowd engaged from start to finish.
“How are y’all doing tonight? Let’s get the party started,” Young said, hinting at what was to come with their high energy presence.
The group kicked off their set with a cover of Huey Lewis and The News “Hip to be Square.” Some of their other covers included “Tryin’ to Live My Life Without You” by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, “The One You Love” by Glenn Frey and “Kiss” by Prince.
In a surprise twist, the band even took on Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” and loved every minute of it.
“This concludes the musical proportion of our show,” Young said. “Stick around for Elise. It’s gonna be a goodin’.”
Elise Testone
Reading the bio on Elise Testone’s website, it’s apparent early on that she is a woman of success who is making her mark in the music industry.
Testone is described as a “powerhouse vocalist whose incredible stage presence and vocal maturity rank with the best” and “the perfect combination of soul, rock, attitude and restraint.”
Watching Testone perform, it’s easy to find that this description describes her to a T. Testone was a performer from a young age, studying privately at the age of five and starting to perform at coffee shops through her teenage years. Testone’s big break came when an American Idol scout found her and convinced her to try out for the show. She ended up being a top six finalist in 2012 and has since been featured on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Ellen Degeneres Show and Good Morning America, among others.
Testone brings a unique sound and performance to the music world, all the while exuding a humble yet strong and powerful confidence.
“Are y’all ready to hear some music? I said are y’all ready to hear some music? Well we’re heading out actually,” Testone joked as she got on stage. “We’re gonna play a familiar song to warm y’all up and then head into some originals.”
Testone started the night with her cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” before heading into her original songs.
Off of her most recent album release, “This Is Love,” Testone showcased her songwriting talents with songs “Flying High” and “Take the Ride.” Other originals played included “Save Me,” “Time” and “Help Me.”
Not only did Testone sing, but she even had a kazoo and tambourine up on stage with her, engaging with the other musicians on stage with her. The other musicians on stage were members of the bands who played before her and they had all met that night.
Inspired by artists such as James Brown, Amy Winehouse and Led Zeppelin, Testone honored them by choosing to cover their songs for the night. Testone played Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie,” Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” and James Brown’s “Call Me Super Bad.”
Testone closed out the night by acknowledging the crowd.
“Thank you to this band for learning everything, to Scott for having all of us, and give all your money to the Children’s hospital,” Testone said before thanking the crowd for being there.
