From:    Lenoir City, Tennessee

Lenoir City's Shallowpoint is more than a band, it is literally a family. Vocalist Chucky Roberts and his bassist/wife Heather Roberts began performing with drummer/cousin Ray Roberts and guitarist/best friend Robert Smith five years ago, and have pressed on despite the real life-challenges from which the band draws its name. With the majority of local metal being dominated by high school acts, the life experience of Shallowpoint allows its music to touch on more mature issues that hit home for fans of all ages, as opposed to the angst-driven music of its younger peers.

The members of Shallowpoint have felt the effects of the economy through financial slumps and furloughs, not to mention a number of physical injuries - including broken bones and torn tendons - but the band has not missed a gig. With a scant scene in Lenoir City, the band has played everything from bonfire parties to last month's Twisted Hillbilly Festival at The Catalyst. This hard-nosed attitude gives the band's music a genuine, gritty element missing from other metal acts, while offering a wider range of emotions than simple frustration. While Shallowpoint's hard times have provided a bounty of inspiration, the members point out that financial blows have delayed the recording of a debut release.

"We take it as a business," says Ray Roberts. "Playing music is a job. We get paid to play. We all have families and jobs outside of this. Our music reflects our lives, but it's another job, too. I think a lot of young kids get more in tune with the whole scene part and identify with an image more than a sound. They pigeonhole themselves. That's why our music varies from song to song. We try to include all the emotions."

"I don't think there are too many bands that can say they've been together for five years out on the street right now," adds Chucky Roberts. "A lot of your young bands will get girlfriends and cars and lose interest. It's all about finding the right combination of people to move forward, and that's the main thing as far as making a band work. That's what we're trying to do."
 

"Lenoir City's Shallowpoint is more than a band, it is literally a family. Vocalist Chucky Roberts and his bassist/wife Heather Roberts began performing with drummer/cousin Ray Roberts and guitarist/best friend Robert Smith five years ago, and have pressed on despite the real life-challenges from which the band draws its name.- but the band has not missed a gig. With a scant scene in Lenoir City, the band has played everything from bonfire parties to last month's Twisted Hillbilly Festival at The Catalyst. This hard-nosed attitude gives the band's music a genuine, gritty element missing from other metal acts, while offering a wider range of emotions than simple frustration. While Shallowpoint's hard times have provided a bounty of inspiration, the members point out that financial blows have delayed the recording of a debut release. "I don't think there are too many bands that can say they've been together for five years out on the street right now," adds Chuck."

— Jer Cole, Knoxville News Sentinel