If there is a singular music band connected to the city of Knoxville, it has to be The Dirty Guv’nahs. What began as a joke has morphed into a close-knit, faithful relationship between the city and the band. The natural next step was to start a music festival.
“We started in 2006, so our band has been around a long time. Some of us were still in college at UT, but some of us had graduated. We were in a period of life where some had started jobs, some hadn’t figured it out, and some of us were just living together,” says James Trimble, lead singer and spokesperson for the band. “There was an opportunity to be in a music festival, and the organizer needed an opening band, and they were out of budget. So, they asked if anyone wanted to play for 30 minutes for no money, and Justin Hoskins looked the guy in the eye and said, ‘yeah, I’m in a band.’ There was no band. He came home and said we needed to start a band. So, we started on a whim. We had 11 days to figure out how to be a band and open for Sister Hazel.”
Indeed, they figured it out. Within a few months, word had spread, and the band was invited to play at a few more local events. By the fourth show, enough people suggested booking their own show instead of opening for other people. So, they booked Preservation Pub, and according to the owner, that show drew in the most people to see a band that had no real followers.
“We’d play Barley’s Taproom downtown, and it got to the point that 500 people would show up. So, the Bijou invited us, and we sold that out too. Then we got invited to Bonnaroo in 2008, and we realized this little thing turned into something else, so we wanted to record music,” says James. “We got invited to Woodstock, New York to record an album, and by 2010 we had a booking agent, a manager, and had recorded a legitimate album.”
Then came the 100-city tour. Between 2010 and 2015, the Dirty Guv’nahs took their music around the country, opening for Zac Brown Band and making an appearance at South by Southwest. While the band received recognition around the country, Knoxville music lovers continued to embrace them, selling out the Tennessee Theatre and the Bijou time and again. They were voted Best Band in Knoxville nearly a dozen times.
By 2015, some members were getting married and starting families, so the appeal of band life started to wane. They agreed to pull back on full-time touring, selected their ten favorite cities, and kicked off a Farewell Tour. Every single show sold out, and they all came home for a change of pace.
“By 2018, we all had more kids, a few more people got married, and we’d figured out other jobs,” says James. “But people kept emailing us for events. We said let’s just do two shows, so we put them on sale, and they sold out in an hour. Then we picked three or four more cities, and those sold out. It was the Comeback Tour.”
When that tour concluded, the band – James Trimble, Aaron Hoskins, Justin Hoskins, Michael Jenkins, Cozmo Holloway, and Kevin Hyfantis – realized they’d missed playing together, so they created a new model for a musical life with more balance. They agreed to write a few new songs each year and limit themselves to no more than ten concerts. This concept carried them a couple of years, and then came the next idea.
“That’s when we started talking about hosting a music festival,” says James. “We needed partners, so we talked to the Dogwood Arts Festival people, and Born and Raised Productions. We named it Southern Skies, a nod to a former album, and it was announced in December 2019. Of course, it was canceled two years in a row.”
Finally, May 2022 came around and Southern Skies was on – minus one major attraction. The scheduled headliner was the 1990s hit band Blues Traveler, and the night before the festival, they called to cancel because the lead singer tested positive for COVID-19.
“We wrote an email to everyone who bought tickets and let them know we’d give a full refund if needed, but we also decided we’d play two sets – about three hours. There were fewer than 50 refunds, so the inaugural year was a success,” says James.
Despite the initial rough start caused by the pandemic, Shannon Herron, marketing and creative director of Dogwood Arts, says the festival is exactly what Knoxville needed.
“Southern Skies is right on mission for Dogwood Arts. It's a celebration of music, art, and community that highlights local and regional talent alongside national touring acts,” says Shannon. “It was a natural fit working with The Dirty Guv'nahs on the festival. We wanted to create something that was 'uniquely Knoxville,' a hometown, homegrown festival that feels more like a family reunion than anything else. The Guv's have a loyal local and regional following. It's been great to see their fans come out and support this new endeavor.”
This year’s line-up is packed with well-known acts – St. Paul and the Broken Bones headlines on Saturday, while Grace Potter headlines on Sunday. With two full days of music, along with food and drink vendors and activities for kids, Southern Skies is shaping up to be a fixture on Knoxville’s calendar for years to come.
“The whole idea is to make it a fun experience that’s hospitable and introduces people to Knoxville,” says James.
Southern Skies Festival takes place May 20-21 at the World’s Fair Park. To buy tickets or view the line-up, visit SouthernSkiesMusicFestival.com
“The whole idea is to make it a fun experience that’s hospitable and introduces people to Knoxville.” - James Trimble
