Guitar-driven High Score makes inroads on area's music scene

2002-12-06

IF YOU GO

The High Score with Natural History and The Flynts

WHEN: 10 tonight

WHERE: The Pilot Light, 106 E. Jackson Ave., Knoxville's Old City

HOW MUCH: $5

CALL: 524-8188

By Steve Wildsmith

of The Daily Times Staff

Head down to The Pilot Light tonight and say hello to The High Score, direct descendants of The Faults, cousins of Knoxville rockers Superdrag and the most recent recruits of East Tennessee's guitar-driven music scene.

Headed by Robbie Trosper (of the now-defunct Faults) and Chris Cook (formerly of Mustard), both on guitar and vocals, The High Score has been up and coming for about a year, but the band will gain momentum next month, when its debut album, ``Sexy Losers,'' is released. Set for a Jan. 14 release, ``Sexy Losers'' showcases what Trosper describes as a fiery, twin-guitar assault that sounds like a combination of The Replacements, The Pixies and metal progenitors Thin Lizzy.

``We do a lot of guitar-based rock, and it goes from being kind of sloppy to kind of noisy,'' Trosper said. ``We do a lot of dueling harmony-guitar stuff, which is what me and Chris are really into. We're both into bad metal bands, and that comes through a lot.

``Our songs are basically late '70s and early '80s pop rock and punk rock -- not like Blink 182, which is what a lot of people associate with that sound today, but more like the Meat Puppets and the old SST bands. What we play is in the true vein of old-school rock 'n' roll.''

Trosper, a 1994 graduate of Sevier County High, grew up with High Score drummer Jason Peters, and the two have been fans of Knoxville's music scene since they were teens, he said.

``Our favorite bands were Swami, Smokin' Dave and the Taoist Cowboys, and today we try to be influenced by that and keep that spirit alive,'' he said.

The High Score developed from Trosper's affiliation with The Faults, which included Peters on drums. The Faults, incidentally, evolved from roots-rockers The V-Roys, and included former V-Roy frontman Mic Harrison. When Harrison began playing more with Superdrag, of which he's now a member, The Faults drifted apart.

Trosper wanted to do something with Peters and bassist Dave Walker, long-time friends, and together, they recruited Cook.

``He came in and we started doing eight-track cuts, and it just kind of went from there,'' he said. ``It just really started out with us recording some songs of mine that The Faults had been doing, songs I'd been sitting on a while. We had a good time, played some shows, and it just rolled from there.''

``Sexy Losers'' is primarily a collection of Trosper's songs, and the band, he said, continues to grow with new material being co-written by him and Cook.

``Our songs now are 10 times better than last, and we're constantly progressing songwriting and talent-wise,'' he said. ``We've already got 25 to 30 songs, and we're moving along a little quicker than other bands.

``I think a lot of it's just hard work -- every day someone's doing something to help the band. We've worked for everything that we've gotten thus far, and we haven't even been together for a year. It does seem like the ball's moving pretty quick, but that's because we keep kicking it that way.''