From 1994 to 1999 The V-Roys, the seminal roots rock band from Knoxville barnstormed the south, ahead of the Americana movement that was shortly to follow. The V-Roys started life as the Viceroys, but had to shorten the name after threat of a lawsuit from a Jamaican band with that name. Their first album, Just Add Ice is a reference to the letters removed. They subsequently put out other somewhat tersely titled offerings. At the millennium’s end, the band broke up, and we have followed Scott Miller & The Commonwealth, and Mic Harrison & the High Score on their journeys for the last decade or so. When word came about release of the first-ever compilation from The V-Roys, I was stoked. You’ll find 18 tracks on Sooner or Later, with thirteen previously released and five unreleased, including covers of Tom T. Hall’s “That’s How I Got To Memphis,” Neil Young’s “Burned,” and Leiber and Stoller’s “Smokey Joe’s Café.”
The V-Roys played their last show on New Year’s Eve 1999 at the historic Tennessee Theatre in downtown Knoxville. It was time for Mic Harrison, Scott Miller, Jeff Bills and Paxton Sellers to do a reunion at the end of this year. After selling out the Bijou Theatre, the concert was moved to the glorious Tennessee Theatre, coming full circle. The title, is again somewhat terse, “One Show; Goodbye” The V-Roys New Year’s Eve blowout will find the band doing crowd pleasers and generally ripping it up. That will be a not-to-miss occasion if you are anywhere near the Knoxville area.
We jumped at the chance to film Scott Miller, and Mic Harrison at Marathon Recorders in Nashville during Americana Fest. We bring you the Music Fog version of “Goodnight Loser.”
-Jessie Scott
