Karen Reynolds

As host of the radio program "Writer’s Block" (broadcast Wednesdays, 10 p.m., on WDVX), Karen Reynolds is a tireless supporter of independent singer-songwriters, especially local and regional ones she thinks deserve greater exposure. For almost a decade she has provided listeners an opportunity to hear artists to whom they probably wouldn’t be otherwise exposed, and four years ago, Reynolds initiated a spin-off concert series: Writer’s Block Live. A critically lauded singer-songwriter in her own right, Reynolds owns her own label, operates management agency and teaches songwriting and music business courses at the University of Tennessee. She sat down with Knoxville Voice recently and offered her thoughts on artists obscure, famous and in between.

Jimmy Davis
“Devils’s Den”
from Jimmy Daddy’s Acoustic Song List (2003)

KR: Jimmy Davis! I love Jimmy. He’s got a great sound, a great writing skill. He’s wonderful on stage. He’s already had an amazing career, but like any independent, it’s an uphill road, no matter how many years you’ve been doing it. I love this song. It’s dark — Jimmy likes to write about some dark subjects. His voice is gritty, it’s got that little piece of nasty to it that gives it character. I’d like to see him get a big break because he deserves it. He’s also a very, very nice man, and that’s a plus. There’s a lot of good writers out there that are jerk-weeds and you don’t want to see them get anything. But to me, Jimmy’s one of the great independents.

Malcolm Holcombe
“Where is My Garden”
from Not Forgotten (2006)

KR: Malcolm Holcombe. A lot of people don’t get Malcolm. The only other artist who’s played the Writer’s Block concert series more than Malcolm is Kate Campbell, and I’ve had people walk out and say ‘I don’t get it. What’s the deal with this guy?’ I’ve been quoted as saying ‘Malcolm Holcombe is the epitome of the art overtaking the artist.’ Because he becomes the mood, the scene of everything he writes about, and his cognizance of there being a room full of people while he’s performing — nil. From the time he starts a song until the time he ends it, he’s in that song, he is that song. I think he’s wonderful; he goes places in his writing that a lot of us are a little too refined to go to.

KV: He lived in Nashville for a time, didn’t he?

KR: Yeah, he’s well known down there, but he will not play those games. I think Malcolm is one of those who fall into the category of genius, and that’s why some people don’t get him.

Mindy Smith
“It’s Amazing”
from Out Loud (2006)

KR: Mindy is a natural talent. I’ve known her since she came to Knoxville and actually did her first press kit. I was hosting a songwriter’s night at Sassy Ann’s — about a zillion years ago — and this young, waif-like girl comes in and asks if she can sing a song a cappella. She sang, and I was like ‘Wow.’ She had that proverbial ‘it’ no one can really define. So I said, ‘Come back, but you really do need to learn to play something on guitar.’ She came back and had learned a few chords and kept coming back and kept coming back. Talk about a voice that is so emotionally aware of what she’s singing. I think she’s one of those people who are born to write, and her voice is so incredible, and her command of emotionally driven material is so good… She’s one of those precious voices you can listen to nonstop, and I think there are very few people who could hear her and not be reached. I’m thrilled about the acclaim she’s getting that I think she should have got years ago, and I think her future’s only going to get more and more bright.

Patty Griffin
“Standing”
from Impossible Dream (2004)