July 11, 1996

The V-roys play a no-cover gig at Jack's Guitar Bar 10:30 p.m. Thursday night. As the Viceroys, the Knoxville group played a brutally tight set opening for Steve Earle at the Extravaganza last winter. Their music, a revved-up brew of electric country and power pop, clashes intriguingly with their skinny-tie outfits; their flair for the unexpected turns up in a hard-funk retooling of the Coasters' "Smokey Joe's Cafe." Against all expectations, it works like gangbusters. The stage at Jack's should look familiar to the band: It's on the cover of their upcoming album, due soon from Earle's E2 label....