Love Hammer doesn’t have an album, a demo CD, not even a concrete gig lined up for the immediate future. If one were to judge the Haywood County-based rock band and its six members solely on this fact, it would be easy to dismiss them as just another group of amateur musicians who get together for the sole purpose of entertaining themselves for a few hours each week.

However, upon hearing them perform in the small Main Street Waynesville apartment that serves as their studio, it is quickly apparent that what they do have in spades is talent, charisma and a distinctive rockin’ sound bigger than a Mack truck.

“Everyone that has heard us has usually been totally blown away and they wonder why we aren’t playing anywhere. They are all set back and surprised,” said percussionist Doug Greenwood.

It is the impassioned and energetic voice of lead singer and acoustic guitarist Caleb Burress that, perhaps more than any other aspect of the band, provides the power and emotion that sets Love Hammer’s sound apart. It is a voice that so effectively conveys the emotions of love and the extreme pain and regret it alone can lead to, it is hard to believe that Burress is a relatively happy young man in his early twenties. One could be forgiven for assuming that the voice exploding from the amp must belong to someone much older, someone forever wounded from a string of several failed marriages and perhaps even some prison time.

Of course, with five other members, Love Hammer possesses a deep bench to accentuate and back up Burress’s vocal abilities. Doug Weaver provides the hard charging electric guitar solos and writes most of the lyrics that take advantage of Burress’s grizzled voice. Bassist Scott Peterson and drummer Justin Seymour provide the rhythm that anchors the band’s sound and percussionist Doug Greenwood and keyboardist Jimmy “the Kid” (an addition to the band so new that none of the members knew his last name at the time of this interview) fill in the rest to give Love Hammer its rich, layered sound.

The band’s members are from up and down the East Coast, from Florida to New York, and their backgrounds, professions and ages are just as varied. However, once together on stage they become a tightly-knit group that seems to be just as happy enjoying each other’s company as they are making music. It is this camaraderie that makes Love Hammer work and keeps them together as a band.

“With some bands, you’re just playing with people you feel you need to play with because they are good musicians. With us, though, I feel like we’re more of just a group of guys who are just hanging out, who happen to play when we’re hanging out. We’re just brothers doing what brothers do. It just so happens that we rock,” said Weaver.

Given the enthusiastic response of the admittedly few people who have heard them perform, the question must be asked, “Why isn’t Love Hammer more active in playing at live venues or recording?” Weaver is quick to sum up the band’s philosophy on seeking and achieving professional success.

“It’s just one of those things, like when you’re looking for your car keys, just stop looking for them. That’s when you’re going to find them. It’s the same thing with finding a good woman in your life. If you go out there and try to find a good woman, you won’t find her. But as soon as you relax and chill out, boom, there she is. Same thing with these guys,” said Weaver.

Given Love Hammer’s potential to entertain and produce solid rock music, one can only hope that the car keys are just beneath the next sofa cushion.