By Frank Ricci
IT SAYS something about how far heavy music has come that a benefit built on brutal blast beats and breakdowns can double as a toy drive for children.
On November 15, the fifth edition of Mosh for Tots will fill District Live on Savannah’s riverfront with six bands, a crowd of metal fans, and stacks of unwrapped toys bound for the U.S. Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots program.
The mix of distortion and charity has become a Savannah tradition.
Promoter Tim Walls, the head of AURA Fest, started the event in 2021 when shows were beginning to return after the pandemic.
“It started kind of smaller, like the first one was just local and regional bands, then it slowly grew,” he said. Each year since has added scale and reach.
“Everyone thinks it’s just a cool thing to do, and it’s always a lot of fun. It brings people together, and that’s the main thing.”
This year’s show brings a near-festival energy without the full-day sprawl. Six acts share the bill, headlined by The Callous Daoboys from Atlanta, a group that proves heaviness and humor can coexist. (The band is pictured above.)
Even their name is a joke. A spoonerism of The Dallas Cowboys, the band’s refusal to treat metal too seriously, or to fall for the maniac tough guy cliché, makes them a perfect fit for an evening centered on fun for a good cause.
The Callous Daoboys have spent the past few years blending technical metalcore with math-rock twists. The intriguing addition of violin and saxophone, and their manic sense of mirth, transform their live shows into positive, controlled mayhem.
Guitarist Dan Hodsdon said that spirit makes an event like Mosh for Tots feel natural.
“We just want this show to be fun,” he said. “It’s about community and energy more than attitude.”
He added that the Savannah crowd always meets that energy head-on, with fans more interested in connection than posturing.
That outlook fits neatly with the show’s mission. Mosh for Tots raises toys instead of fists, and Hodsdon sees the pairing of heavy music and goodwill as proof that the scene’s reputation has evolved.
“You can mosh and still do something good,” he said.
The Daoboys’ sonic footprint remains confrontational, featuring sudden tempo changes, odd time signatures, screamed vocals, and wildly distorted violin plucking.
But it’s their humor that gives audiences the freedom to let loose and release pent-up aggression without throwing punches.
“We like it when people walk away smiling,” Hodsdon said. “That’s kind of the point.”
Walls calls Mosh for Tots “practically a fest,” and this year’s lineup reads like a sampler of Georgia’s heavy underground.
From Savannah, progressive metalcore band Oshiner, metalcore mainstays Endera, and melodic outfit Volition Impulse represent the local scene’s variety.
They share the stage with Kaiju, a Georgia-based deathcore act, and With Blood Comes Cleansing, Christian metalcore veterans returning to the spotlight after several years of quiet.
Walls said assembling the lineup is part logistics, part instinct.
“I’m super excited because all the Savannah-area bands on the bill have been doing really well,” he said. “They’ve been a pleasure to work with all year at our club shows.”
He treats Mosh for Tots as a way to reward those relationships with a bigger platform.
The event also continues a steady climb in profile. The 2022 edition, headlined by The Callous Daoboys alongside The Breathing Process, remains one of Walls’ favorites.
In 2023, Evergreen Terrace topped the bill. In 2024, it was Orlando’s Body Box, another super-heavy band with an irreverent sense of humor.
Moving this year’s show to District Live gives Mosh for Tots its most professional stage yet.
“It’s got that festival vibe without being a full-blown fest,” Walls said. “You can fit it all in one night but still make it feel like something big.”
Beyond the noise, the reason for the night is simple: toys for kids who might otherwise go without. Marines from Toys for Tots will be stationed in the lobby collecting unwrapped donations.
“There’s no right or wrong with toy donations,” Walls said. “Sometimes people pick up smaller toys, sometimes they bring these big plushies, and all kinds of fun things. It’s cool to see what people bring out.”
Attendees who donate will receive an autographed poster from the headlining bands, and the first donors will also take home a small swag bag.
Walls keeps photos of the overflowing toy boxes from past years and says they remain his favorite souvenir.
“I love seeing what we end up with at the end of these,” he said.
The effort extends behind the scenes, too. Restaurants at the Plant Riverside complex are providing catering for the bands, sponsors are covering logistics, and Walls said local support has kept costs manageable.
“All that’s super helpful,” he said. “It really makes a difference.”
For Walls, Mosh for Tots fills the gap left by the all-day AURA Fest, which is currently on hiatus. However, he has kept busy with numerous one-off shows throughout the year, and many are already scheduled into early 2026.
“I like to do some bigger things that people can look forward to,” he said. “This is a nice kind of anchor for that.”
The show also links the state’s various flavors of heavy music. Christian metalcore bands sharing a stage with progressive and deathcore acts, and national touring headliners playing alongside local bands, foster a sense of community among the artists performing.
The crossover gives Savannah’s scene visibility that smaller club shows can’t.
Walls said that sense of connection is what keeps him organizing the benefit.
“More than anything, if we can bring people together to do something positive, that’s what it comes down to.”
He hopes to keep Mosh for Tots annual, possibly expanding slightly but maintaining the same focus.
“Quality over quantity,” he said. “You never know what band you can land, but keeping it comfortable at this level feels right.”
District Live, he added, is an ideal home: a modern 400-capacity theater that can attract national-level talent without losing intimacy.
Walls has one last piece of practical advice for concertgoers.
“We’ll have discounted parking for attendees,” he said, referring to the Plant Riverside garage next to the venue. “People don’t have to get stressed out about coming downtown.”
As the amps cool and the Marines haul out boxes of toys, Mosh for Tots will have once again turned distortion into generosity. The Callous Daoboys and their Georgia peers will leave behind more than ringing ears. The noise, for one night, will have meant something soft.