Jarod Yerkes brings enough energy to the stage as SmokeStack and The Foothill Fury that at first you many not realize he's a one-man band.

"I play bass and snare with my feet," Yerkes said. "And play guitar, flat picking and bass lines and rhythm all at the same time to kind of create a whole band sound. And then (I) sing."

After years playing with bands, he said this format allows him to create a sound "a lot like what I've always heard, what I've always wanted my sound to be."

Of course, it's not easy to play drums, guitar and sing all at the same time. But Yerkes said he was inspired by other acts he's seen to give it a try.

"You get used to it," he said. "It's involuntary now. It's more of like a sound instead of a thought."

Yerkes, who grew up in the Chestnut Mountain area, has been touring as a one-man band for about a year and a half. He recently released his first, self-titled album.

It's not just a mix of instruments, though, it's an interesting mix of music, too, which Yerkes describes as punk-country-blues.

"It is something you just have to hear; it's a lot of different things. ... It's definitely a weird mix."

Yerkes will be playing Friday night at Loco's, and he said he usually does two to three 45-minute sets. Sometimes he doesn't even take a break.

"(It's a) lot of sweat and craziness, a lot of fun," he said.