Thelo-Que

Knoxville hip-hop artist Thelo-que has been hard at work over the last few months. Aside from performing around Tennessee, the artist is also in the final stages of creating his new mixtape titled Life’s Wonderful Up Here.

The Chicago native dropped Decyphered off with an exclusive new self-produced track from the project simply titled “The Ville,” which features his sister and singer extraordinaire Dreama.








Throughout the song, you will feel Thelo-Que’s deep-rooted desire for change. Looking back on creating the beat, he recalled that “all I could think of was how much I did not want to stay in the same place forever and how toxic it can be to never experience places other than your ‘home.’”

“The Ville” is one of the more laid-back tunes off of Life’s Wonderful Up Here. There is a heavy, unexpected mix of tones and vibes to be found throughout the upcoming release.

“My inspiration for the mixtape came from things I’ve experienced as a 20 year old in 2016—moving out, women, finding spirituality and usually feeling stuck,” Thelo included. “Remembering it could be worse. Like, feeling shitty but then realizing life’s still pretty cool, just because you’re still alive.”

One of the rapper’s goals with his new project is to further define his own style. The young, but clever artist even cleared most of his previous work off the internet to better prepare listeners for the new Thelo-Que.

We can guarantee you’ll want to keep up with this guy, especially as Life’s Wonderful Up Here inches closer and closer to bearing an official release date. “I’d like to listeners to have a better understanding of what my sound is, and to get a better perspective of Thelo,” he concluded.



Stay tuned. - DECYPHERED

Mid-March—the time of year when everything gets bracketed together into some kind of single-elimination tournament-style competition based on the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. In that spirit, the Knoxville Music Warehouse blog is hosting a bracketed tournament called March Radness to determine the single best Knoxville song released since April of 2015, with brand-new acts facing off against established bands and a selection of tunes ranging from hip-hop and R&B to punk, metal, and hard rock, with, as you’d expect in Knoxville, a lot of rootsy/folky/Americana offerings in between.

March Radness officially tipped off earlier this week, when first-round voting began. The organizers picked 32 songs for the tournament and, like the NCAA’s selection committee, ranked them in two groups, from first to 16th. Veteran bands Kelsey’s Woods (“When the Morning Comes Around”) and the Black Lillies (“Mercy”) earned the coveted top seeds, with newcomers Blond Bones and Jamesen Rees coming in with the 16th seeds in their respective sections.

Other artists include Guy Marshall, Adeem the Artist, Electric Darling, Johnny Astro and the Big Bang, Benjamin iii and Taylor Br-ndn, J-Bush, Black Atticus, and Average Thought, ErybodyJones, David Francisco, the Monday Movement, Mass Driver, Pale Root, Zack Miles, Among the Beasts, Realm, Logan Brill, Mathien, Britson Maroney, William Wild, Tree Tops, Dixieghost, Thelo-que, Handsome and the Humbles, Honkonen, Via Vera, Freddy Ka$h, Hellaphant, Jubal, and Sweet Years. That may not cover every single artist who put something out on CD, cassette, vinyl, or Soundcloud in the last 12 months, but it’s about as comprehensive a list as a sane music nerd could compile.

Voting for the first round is already under way and continues through midnight on Thursday, March 17, at knoxvillemusicwarehouse.com. The organizers insist that the point of March Radness isn’t naming a winner—it’s showcasing the local music scene.

“This tournament is less about competition and more about exposing Knoxville to great music from all over our fine city,” they say on the website. “We strongly, strongly, in the strongest possible way encourage you to listen to both songs in each matchup in which you vote.”

The winner of the contest will get a trophy from Blank News in the spring. Voters will be entered in a drawing to win a pair of passes to the Rhythm N’ Blooms Fest in April. Follow the contest on Spotify. - Knox Mercury

After hours of considering your nominations, deliberating, shouting, bickering, and occasional name calling in the smoke-filled backroom of a bar in Happy Holler, the selection committee has completed the brackets for this year's March Radness.

The first rounds will be played in two groups. Group A will square off in Island Home, and Group B will meet in 4th & Gill (But not really though, because all of this exists exclusively on the Internet). All of these wonderful songs are vying for a spot in the Final Four in Fort Sanders. (aka "Final Fourt")

In all seriousness, we've narrowed down a field of 32 awesome songs dating back to April of last year. Just like March Madness, this is a knock-out style, single-elimination tournament decided by vote. You'll be able to vote in each matchup on the KMW home page as well as knoxvillemusicwarehouse.com/RADNESS.

This tournament is less about competition and more about exposing Knoxville to great music from all over our fine city, so this next part is very important: We strongly, strongly, in the strongest possible way encourage you to listen to both songs in each matchup in which you vote. The winning band/artist will receive a trophy that will be presented at Blank News' Knoxville's Finest Award Ceremony!

To sweeten the deal and encourage folks to vote, the wonderful folks at the Rhythm N Blooms Festival are offering up a pair of festival passes to give away! A vote in each round will enter you to win, so vote early, and vote often.

Voting for Round One (The Round of 32) will begin at high noon on Tuesday, March 15th and run through 11:59pm on Thursday, March 17th.

Group A (Island Home)









Group B (4th & Gill)











Here are the seedings for Group A:
1.Kelsey's Woods - "When The Morning Comes Around"
2.Guy Marshall - "Cowboy Ballad"
3.Adeem The Artist - "Good Evening"
4.Electric Darling - "Workin"
5.Johnny Astro & The Big Bang - "Close and Burn"
6.Benjamin iii & Taylor Br-ndn - "Warrior"
7.J-Bush, Black Atticus, & Average Thought - "Queue The Tape"
8.ErybodyJones - "Condolences"
9.David Francisco - "Sound Of Silence"
10.The Monday Movement - "Black Lung"
11.Mass Driver - "Boss Fight"
12.Pale Root - "Wino Woods"
13.Zack Miles - "The Captain"
14.Among The Beasts - "Frames"
15.REALM - "Way of the Worm"
16.Blond Bones - "Tula's Song"

Here are the seedings from Group B:
1.The Black Lillies - "Mercy"
2.Logan Brill - "World Still Round"
3.Mathien - "Whim"
4.Briston Maroney - "Hearts On Fire"
5.William Wild - "Morning"
6.Tree Tops - "Used To"
7.Dixieghost - "Clermont"
8.Thelo-Que - "Rooftop"
9.Handsome & The Humbles - "Have Mercy"
10.Honkonen - "Big Umbrella"
11.Via Vera - "Break"
12.Freddy Ka$h - "Add Up"
13.Hellaphant - "Local Scene"
14.Jubal - "Bonnie White Rest"
15.Sweet Years - "What We're Told"
16.Jamesen Rees - "Nothing Left To Show" - Knoxville Music Warehouse

Thelo-Que is an up-and-coming indie hip-hop artist from Knoxville, Tennessee. Originally from Chicago, Q has taken his progressive Northern roots and submerged them with Southern soul, blues and rap culture. Teaming up with Nashville’s favorite new R&B songstress and #FreshPicksFridays Alumni Kiya Lacey, Thelo brings us “New ting,” an extremely enjoyable track filled to the brim with soul. If you need something to throw on and vibe out too, this is the perfect track. Kiya’s vocals are beyond dreamy, and Thelo’s delivery is on point. There’s something about both of these artists that just soothes the ear, check it out and you won’t be disappinted. Follow Thelo-Que on social media for more updates on new releases, we’re bound to be seeing his name a lot this year. - GoodMusicAllDay

Just in time for summer, Knoxville’s own Thelo-Que is back with another single, this time linking with the talented Kiya Lacey to create “New Ting”. Anticipation continues to build for Thelo’s debut album, BlaKKK Jesus, and this soulful, reflective track is a promising indicator of what he’s been up to in the studio.

With a silky beat produced by G Styles, the pianist for YG Tut, Thelo-Que is able to unleash a new flow on top of Kiya Lacey’s beautiful backing vocals, once again displaying his versatility as an artist and his ability to cultivate creative relationships with some of the south’s premier talent.

After hearing Kiya Lacey’s project, Fail in Love, Thelo immediately recognized her as another true creative. Through his friend Jetsie Williams, Thelo was able to connect with Kiya, and the result is impressive.

Stay tuned to DECYPHERED for updates on Thelo-Que’s upcoming album, and listen to “New Ting” below. - DECYPHERED

Fresh off the heels of yesterday's spectacular Corner Store Speeches, friend of the DECYPHERED team Thelo-Que has already dropped a brand new track. Listen below, and listen to Corner Store Speeches here. - DECYPHERED