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The setbacks may slow them down, but the members of Slow Joe Crow refused to be deterred from opening the 2008 Foothills Fall Festival.

In recent months, the band has lost its keyboard and guitar players, both to family commitments that didn't allow them to keep up with the group's increasingly hectic schedule.

But with next weekend's festival perceived by remaining members Jonathan Sweet (guitarist), Brooke Sweet (vocalist), Scott Gross (drummer) and Keith McElreath (bassist) as the opportunity of a lifetime, they were determined to keep the band's momentum going.

"We called Jeff (Goins), who played lead guitar on the CD ("Signs," released earlier this year), to help us out," Brooke Sweet told The Daily Times this week. "We were in a panic for just a minute, but then Jeff said he'd do it. We knew he knew the songs really well, and the first practice back with us, he played everything perfect.

"I think it's all worked out fine, and it's sounding really good. Nobody left with any hard feelings."

Slow Joe Crow -- named after a character from one of Dr. Seuss's stories -- evolved from the Christian band Vessel, of which Slow Joe Crow drummer Scott Gross was a member from 1986 to 1997. A member of Green Meadow Church of God of Alcoa, Gross met Sweet and his wife, Brooke, at church.

Jonathan Sweet invited Gross to jam, and Slow Joe Crow was born. Gross brought his experience in the music industry to the band -- Vessel played with such rock bands as Stryper, Whiteheart, Petra, the Meat Puppets, Faster Pussycat and more -- while the Sweets injected their youthful enthusiasm (Jonathan is 28, his wife two years younger) into the group.

The band's self-titled debut displays a broad range of musical influences, including alternative, classic rock, blues, Southern rock and country. The group has performed locally in area churches as well as at shows in Atlanta, Kentucky and Alabama. Four years ago, the band released its sophomore album, "Overboard," but for "Signs," they upped the ante. The end result is a solid record that soars on Sweet's ethereal, breathy vocals and the solid instrumental chops of the rest of the band. It's more of an Americana record than the band's previous albums, and there's a balance of both secular and spiritual songwriting that tackles topics from all walks of life. It's also helped the band get into places that might previously have turned up their noses at a Christian rock band.

"Well, we never really tried to play any place except churches, so we started asking places like Prince Deli and Preservation Pub if we could play there, and then they started asking us back," Sweet said. "We always had big ideas, but we'd never really pushed for anything until this album came along. It's just different than the last album, and it does fit better outside of church. Everybody that we know has liked it."

If nothing else, "Signs" is evidence of the bond between Gross and the Sweets -- not just as fellow musicians and bandmates, but as friends. That's been the driving force in keeping the group together through the various lineup changes over the years, Sweet said.

"We've been playing together since 1999, and we're just really good friends," she said. "Jon's always going to write songs, and I'm always going to sing them, and Scott just loves to play -- he's done it his whole life. We get along really good, and he's one of our best friends."

The band hopes to have a great many friends in the audience next Friday night -- Slow Joe Crow is the first musical act to grace the stage at Theater in the Park, kicking off the festival at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 10.

"We're a little nervous -- we've never played in front of that many people before," she said. "But we're also excited. I love everybody who's playing there, and getting to see them all play will be fun."