Some bands write songs. Jvnk Drawer excavates them
— pulling from a thirty-year vein of half-forgotten gems, salvaged riffs, and songs that were simply waiting for the right band to play them. The result is alternative rock with real mileage on it: melodies sharp enough to catch you off guard, lyrics honest enough to stick.
At its center is Gavin Conner, a songwriter whose Asheville roots run back to 2007, when he arrived in town to join local favorites, If You Wannas. What followed was a long apprenticeship in the local scene — a solo run, countless stages, and a songbook that quietly grew into something few writers ever amass. By 2017, that songbook needed a band worthy of it, and Jvnk Drawer was born, with drummer Chris Peterson and bassist Erik Avots rounding out the lineup and giving the songs a pulse.
Like most everything else, the band’s momentum stalled when the pandemic hit, and the members drifted toward other projects to wait it out. But the songs didn’t go anywhere, and neither did the itch to play them. Jvnk Drawer has since reformed sharper and more locked-in than ever, splicing decades of Gavin’s back catalog together with newly written material that sounds like it’s always belonged there.
The name says it best: a jumble of pieces that when put together, somehow make perfect sense. Equal parts catchy and cutting, Jvnk Drawer is proof that the best songs are worth digging for.
Gavin Conner — Vocals, Guitar Chris Peterson — Drums Erik Avots — Bass
Free Show 6-8p. All Ages.