Thenderfin

What started as one man with a hobby is now one of the most eclectic music projects in Knoxville, a freak-folk, newgrass extravaganza driven by acoustic guitars, mandolins, and banjos. Head Thenderfin guy Mark Naylor started the band in 2005, writing and recording some songs in his spare time with his home computer and overdubbing all the instruments himself. The band derives its name from the Fender Thin guitar picks Naylor used on those early recordings. After cutting some of the songs that would become 2008’s Whomperjawed, Naylor took out an ad with hopes of assembling a band. Guitarist Rory McMillan began helping Naylor compose live arrangements for Thenderfin’s songs, and then Naylor and McMillan recruited multi-instrumentalist Bobby Honacre, who would drive in every weekend from the Tri-cities to practice with the band. Rounding out what is now the current line-up is Kami Lunsford, who plays various percussion instruments, including goat toenails (Naylor says it’s like a tambourine). Yume, Thenderfin’s second album and first full collaborative effort, came out in 2009 and features new, original tunes, as well as new arrangements of songs from the first album. (John Faulkner)