The Asheville band Chilltonic, playing recently at The Foundation in the Asheville River Arts District./ photo by Jason Sandford
The roving band Chilltonic is having a moment.
For the past several weeks, the rock trio – comprised of lead singer Teso, drummer Dempsey Jones and guitarist Michael Dunham – has been playing from the back of a truck driven around Asheville and West Asheville by Weaverville metalworker Eric Velleca.
Their amplified sound, powered by a couple of generators strapped to the truck bed, bounces off the walls of the downtown buildings they pass on their rounds and attracts camera-wielding fans who delight at the pop-up show.
This past weekend, the band played a July Fourth vegan cookout at the Sunflower Cafe on Haywood Road in West Asheville. The band also showed up in front of the Asheville Police Department and Fire Department buildings in downtown and played some music for a group of firefighters.
Wherever Chilltonic shows up, they bring with them smiles, laughter and, dare I say it, a little hope for a brighter tomorrow.
