Knoxville’s music identity stretches far and wide, from garage bands performing at popular venues to one-man shows popping up on local stages. You might have heard of some Knoxville-native groups like The Dirty Guv’nahs or Cereus Bright. They started in Knoxville and grew into something much bigger, each having over 50,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
These artists helped shape the music genre now known as ‘Knoxville Indie,’ a blend of folk, alternative rock and indie sounds that emphasize lyricism and soulful melodies. What separates Knoxville Indie, though, is its Appalachian influence that VOLT-FM describes as “laid-back” and “rootsy.”
While The Dirty Guv’nahs and Cereus Bright have made their presence known on wider stages, smaller garage bands remain underground, sacred favorites. Here are a few local bands you’ve probably never heard of that have largely contributed to Knoxville’s soundscape and remain hidden gems for those who listen.
Sweet Years
Artists Zach Gilleran and Dakota Smith arrived at the name Sweet Years after a running pun on “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” gave them their early name, Zach and Kota’s Sweet Life. The pair made their debut all the way back in 2012 after acquiring bass player Travis Bigwood and deciding they wanted to perform live.
Their last EP was released in 2018, and the band has separated since, but their sound lives on. With riffs reminiscent of The Strokes and chord progressions similar to Pinegrove, the Knoxville trio’s music is a pure representation of Knoxville Indie.
“Our songs are very earnest, almost to the point where you’ll cringe — and then we try to change directions,” Smith said in an interview for Knoxville Mercury in 2015. “I think that we’re like a profile of a dead Facebook friend, where there’s this smiling face and a collection of images and recollections on top of a morbid reality.”
Royal Bangs
Although there aren’t many record labels hanging around Knoxville’s college scene, the Royal Bangs’ unique sound managed to get them signed to Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney’s label, Audio Eagle.
The group, which started playing together in 2005 just for fun, began gaining traction after releasing their first album, “We Breed Champions,” in 2008.
Their fourth and final album was released in 2013, featuring their most popular song, “Better Run,” which has over 1 million streams on Spotify. The group’s melodic indie sound resembles bands like Cage the Elephant, but their lyricism gives it that homey sound of the Knoxville Indie genre.
Crumbsnatchers
The Crumbsnatchers, like Sweet Years, were established in 2012 and are the only ones of the three still making music. After returning to Knoxville in 2011, vocalist Samuel Guetterman reunited with old friends, and they began playing makeshift songs in Guetterman’s apartment.
The band started like most Knoxville garage bands, by playing house shows around the Fort area, before eventually moving to Nashville. Their first album, “Big House,” was released in 2016, and their latest single, “Tell Me Lies,” came out in September 2025.
Their grunge, upbeat, alt-rock feel gives off vibes of Rainbow Kitten Surprise and Vampire Weekend, and remains a proud staple of the Knoxville Indie genre.