Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05

Boone Punks The Karloffs Return To Black Cat September 19

Story by David Brewer

Karloffs frontman Kevin Freeman and his cohorts have been slaying High Country audiences with high-energy punk rock since 1996. The band will return to Black Cat Burrito on Friday, September 19, along with bands Black Skies and Aquila. When The Karloffs played their first-ever show at Klondike Café in the fall of 1996, the Boone music scene was vastly different from the one that fans are familiar with today. Still riding the wave of alternative energy that kept Boone’s non-roots music community thriving through the 1980s and early 1990s, The Karloffs were one of many hard-driving acts that flourished while having absolutely nothing to with bluegrass, The Grateful Dead or anything else that involved long solos or banjos.
“It was amazing; we had an awesome scene back then,” said guitarist and lead vocalist Kevin Freeman. “Boone made it into Rolling Stone. They said it was going to be the next Seattle.”

Freeman recalled high-profile bands such as Sticky and 800 Octane, while noting that in addition to Klondike, venues such as Rafter’s (now ECRS), Viva Mexico (now Parthenon Café) and Ferrara’s Pizza (now Daylight Doughnuts) provided punk bands and fans a place to rock out.

Musically speaking, The Karloffs are a no-frills punk band in the tradition of The Ramones with melodic traces of 1950s rock and pop. Their simple, yet blistering sound revolves around a pair of driving guitars over a pumping rhythm section with Freeman’s vocal howl roaring atop the mix.

These days, The Karloffs represent a rare breed of High Country band driven by angry, disenfranchised punk fury that still cranks their guitars too loud and plays too fast with too much distortion. On Friday, September 19, the band will return to the cozy confines of Black Cat Burrito along with bands Black Skies and Aquila.
Rising from the ashes of a band called Sick-66, The Karloffs were originally called the Cunninghams—a Happy Days-inspired name, but ditched it in favor their current B-movie moniker celebrating the most famous of Frankensteins, Boris Karloff. The lineup consisted of Freeman on guitar and vocals, Karl on guitar, Bald Steve on bass and Rick on drums.

Upon graduation from ASU in 1997, Metal Greg replaced Steve on bass. After one show, Greg switched to guitar and Karl took over on bass. The following year, Rick left the band due to his wrestling commitment and was replaced by Scott from the band Harbinger.

“Karl and I are the ones that have been there since day one,” said Freeman.
Within their first couple of years, The Karloffs began playing shows all over North Carolina including multiple trips to Tremont Music Hall in Charlotte. The band also organized local hardcore event Boonefest, as well as a side project called The Hellvis Presley Overdrive.

“[Boonefest] was a big push as far as the music scene went,” said Freeman.
In addition to their growing reputation around the state, Freeman noted that the band were also regulars at riotous local house parties—yet another option seemingly of a bygone era in Boone.

“It made venues easier because we could just play in somebody’s basement instead of worrying about some club,” said Freeman.

While The Karloffs have released a handful of recordings over the years, Freeman claims not to be fond of any of them except for the band’s recently released seven-inch single (on green vinyl).

The early 2000s saw the demise of nearly every punk-friendly room in town. With the venues went many of the bands, leaving The Karloffs as one of the few surviving groups still performing in the area with regularity. However, on the heels of the closing of Rafter’s and Ferrara’s, Black Cat Burrito opened their doors to hardcore acts of all kinds and remains friendly to all varieties of alternative (and not so alternative) music.

“Luckily Black Cat started letting us play there and that was great,” said Freeman. “Before that, Ferrara’s was definitely our place.”

The Karloffs continued to perform with a few members coming and going from the lineup. After a slow period, the addition of Reverend Jimmy on drums reignited the band in 2006 and The Karloffs have been maintained their presence in the local scene ever since. While new drummer Brian Walden continues to acclimate, The Karloffs show no signs of calling it quits 12 years into their reign of High Country punk.

To hear music by The Karloffs, click to www.myspace.com/thekarloffs.

Want To Go?

Date: Friday, September 19
Time: 10:30 p.m.
Location: Black Cat Burrito
Cost: $5