In an effort to get out of her hometown of Virginia and head for the bright lights of Nashville, rising singer-songwriter Karly Driftwood put down her guitar and reached for the stripper’s pole – eventually mustering enough dollar bills to fill the gas tank, the hood of the car soon intended for Music City.

Known for her dark, sarcastic but honest melodic tales, Driftwood is a force of nature, that presence “in hell or on the high seas” that steadily rises through the ranks. It was an all-or-nothing attitude of passion and persistence akin to the emerging psychobilly band from East Tennessee Humps & The Blackouts.

Well-loved for their blend of honky-tonk, bluegrass, and alt-country styles, the Blackouts are a band of musical pirates roaming the high peaks and low valleys of the southern Appalachians and beyond.

Driftwood and the Blackouts both represent this final chapter “the devil cares” of the sacred “three chords and the truth” that are the basis of country music in the 21st century.

Bumps and blackouts.

Bumps and blackouts

Smoky Mountain News: You are all a crazy bunch. Where does this energy and passion come from?

Matt Humphries: I draw energy from the music itself. I really like. I like to make music with friends. The sound and feel of it. The more it goes, the more it gives me energy.

In the wings? I am a fairly reserved person. So performing on stage is my time to “go wild”. The crowd sees that I’m really having fun and having the best time of my life, and that energy is pouring into them. The more fun they have, the more I want to give them.

It’s also a bit therapeutic. Playing music is not my only job. So all the daily “BS” fade away when the time comes for the show. When I sing with the band it’s the same feeling when you have the music blaring in your car, the windows open and you singing and dancing in your seat like no one is watching you – I let it all out.

SMN: Country music is at the heart of the Blackouts. What does this sound cause in your heart and soul?

MH: Country music is right in my blood. I grew up with it. The same songs that I loved when I was 3 [years old], I still love now. Although I love and listen to a lot of different styles, nothing is more like me at home.

It’s so universal. The stories of the songs, the people who wrote them and the events that inspired them – [it] did not come from one type of person.

It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what you’ve been through, there’s a country song for it. This is where the saying “three agreements and the truth” comes from. These are songs about the ups and downs of life. Love, sadness, anger and joy. The things we all deal with, and from all walks of life, can relate to.

To me country music is a bowl of mommy’s banana pudding, with a bottle of Jack [Daniel’s] to wash it.

Karly Driftwood

Smoky Mountain News: You became a stripper to save money to leave your hometown and travel to Nashville. What have you learned from this experience and applied to your musical career?

Karly Driftwood: Well, there is a quote “it takes money to make money” which I think is absolutely true. Money also saves time for writing songs and creating new material. Without dancing, I don’t know if I could have afforded to move to Nashville or record an album.

I’m not on a label yet so I need to fund / have time for my recordings, promotion, reservations, gas money, hotel rooms, album covers, mixing, mastering , posters, videography, merchandise, etc. by myself.

I think I was surprised by the number of people who invested [music] industry, and how many people have rigged an average income story to seem relevant to the average person.

SMN: Why country music? What makes this genre stand out more than other styles of music?

KD: To be honest, I didn’t listen to a lot of country growing up. I was an emo kid in the 2000s. But as I got older I started to get into country because I started noticing a lot of emo vibes there, believe it or not.

I’m from Mechanicsville, Virginia so country music gives me a nostalgic feeling too. A lot of people think country music is boring and slow. But, in reality, it can be really badass and rock-n-roll in your face.

SMN: How do you see your role as a singer-songwriter, in terms of what you mean and how you mean it?

KD: I think my role as a songwriter is to make people feel inspired to be themselves and come out and chase their dreams. There are a lot of distractions, but I think we all go through similar issues, and I would like people to know that I have probably been through the same – I hope my music can be some kind of comfort to them. .

Want to go?

The Water’n Hole Bar & Grill in Waynesville will host two highly anticipated upcoming shows:

• The Humps & The Blackouts “Halloween Extravaganza” will take place at 9 pm on Saturday, October 30th. There will also be a costume contest, drink specials and more.

• Singer-songwriter Karly Driftwood will take the stage at 9 pm on Saturday, November 6.

Both shows are free and open to Public. 21 and over. 828.456.4750 or facebook.com/waternhole.bar.