Death Row / Hellion

Jeffrey Lee Jul 17, 2023

Endangered Musical Landmarks..." by Jack Neely - 08 November 2016

Last month I was riding the free Cumberland Avenue bus when I realized that, while we weren’t looking, Knoxville lost another live-music landmark, semi-legendary to another demographic group. It would be hard to make a case to save the concrete shell at 1820 Cumberland Ave. It had been radically remodeled over the years. Not long ago it was called Bar Knoxville. But it was once a counterculture place called Alice’s Restaurant, known in the ‘70s for live music. John Prine was there once. Later, the same building very efficiently housed three different businesses, cheek to jowl, each so different from each other they could have been in different countries. The Pickle-U Pub was the Strip’s beer joint, a crowded, smoky place, a little rougher-edged than even the Longbranch Saloon; perhaps vaguely aware of a university nearby, its clientele, overwhelmingly male, were mostly skinny unshaven tough guys who came out weekends hoping to witness a good fight. In the other half was Discount Records, a basic brightly lit record store that offered some good deals. Upstairs of all that, though, was an attic nightclub called Bundulee’s, accessible by a narrow staircase in the back of Pickle-U. About 35 years ago, Bundulee’s was the place to find punk rock in Knoxville, mostly local bands like Koro, Turbine 44, and the Five Twins, but also some traveling ones touted in the alternative-music press. Overenthusiastic pogoing had dented its sloped ceilings with cranium-shaped holes.

Jeffrey Lee Jul 17, 2023

Excerpted from Joe Hasselvander's Blog of Doom!!!
Death Row, "Pay For All Your Sins"
Wednesday, 03 December 2008

Death Row played on the road only once in our brief career while under that name! That was in Knoxville , Tennessee in 1982! The World's Fair was held 2 blocks from where we played and oddly enough the venue was called "Bundulee's Pickle You Pub" right on main street! We were making jokes that from now on we could only play in venues that made mention of vinegar soaked gherkins in their names!

This gig was groundbreaking for 2 reasons! It was the first time we had ever played the classic songs, "Through The Shadow", "Petrified" and "Drive Me To The Grave" which was a turning point in the band as we were now venturing into unknown musical territory! It also proved that we went down the same everywhere we played! We were treated with great respect by people who had never heard us until now! After performing down south we were confident enough to move things forward without second guessing ourselves into the grave! We finally found our identity! Unfortunately that was also the green light for a power play from our singer, Bobby!

After our return from Knoxville we were feeling pretty good about things and decided to throw a few parties at a local house where our friends Hellion were rehearsing! Hellion had also come along to Knoxville to perform in our little package tour "Cold Day In Hell"! So they too were feeling great and this party went on for the next 3 months! Bobby decided that he would finally come out of his drug induced shell and join the rest of the world in celebration of good times and good friends at the Hellion house! This was something Bobby had not done in years as he had become a hermit! I remember being shocked to find out that he had come out of his house and away from his pusher long enough to hang with the boys! Of course the alcohol was flowing but it still seemed better for Bobby than where he had been!