HELP FOR HAMILTON – BENEFIT FOR TANNER AND KRISTEN
TUE JUN 23 | 7 PM | COASTAL EMPIRE BEER CO.
As reported last week, local musician Tanner Hamilton suffered a horrible workplace injury, losing his left index finger. Two other digits were damaged, but saved in surgery.
Most people who have seen him perform in one of his previous bands, The Holy Ghost Tabernacle Choir, and two of his current acts, Lash Meat and Sins of Godless Men, know he’s an absolute beast on the drums. Perhaps not as well-known is his proficiency on string instruments, including the banjo. The lost finger makes that skill set more difficult to regain.
Those who understand his passion for music expect him to recover and figure it out. He’s so driven, he’s been asking if any nascent projects need a singer so he can kick it live on stage until he’s back playing instruments. What a mensch.
Even with health insurance, the nightmare of surprise billing co-pays, utterly inexplicable deductible math, and loss of income will hit Tanner and his wife Kristen hard.
Unsurprisingly, the local scene has taken no time at all to do what they can to help out. A GoFundMe is already 36% over the $10K target.
Of course the outpouring of love and support was going to include a benefit concert, and this one is loaded with Savannah heavy hitters. Rosemary Nods Upon the Grave, The Mar Mars, Pit Locust, Breathwish, and Lord Carrion are all playing, so it’s a killer show aside from a great cause.
The GoFundMe is still up, so give what you can. This bill is a monster, so go support live heavy music in Savannah.
And go because Tanner is about the nicest guy you’ll ever meet. The word “deserve” can be very tricky, but he and Kristen unequivocally deserve all the support they’re getting. Give until your eardrums beg for mercy.
SLINGBLADE + MASSAKRD + ARS GOETIA + MOUTHGUARD
SAT JUN 27 | 7 PM | WINGMEN CLUB
There’s nothing wrong with being fit and trim, but there’s something to be said about a superheavy band of dudes with beards that alone weigh more than the average prog rock trio.
Slow and crushing like a cross between Crowbar and Weedeater, the Slingblade experience is like being stomped out by a brontosaurus on bath salts before it swallows you whole and you survive long enough to feel its stomach acid dissolve you into paste.
No less intense, the supporting lineup is a 1-2-3 punch to your hammer, anvil, and stirrup. Massakrd ups the tempo with mind-twisting riffs and vocals that, if decipherable, might explain the reasons for all that fury. Their recently released EP Act of Disdain isn’t so much in your face as it’s on your face like the xenomorph in the Alien movie franchise. Whether it is planting a seed inside you that will pop out of your tummy during dinner a few days later is unknown, but not out of the question.
Ars Goetia call their deathcore “taco metal,” and as long as the meat, cheese, and pico de gallo are rancid, moldy, and putrid, it totally checks out. Wielding a sense of humor that contrasts well with the highbrow Latin/Greek name that roughly translates to the art of sorcery, the music is demonic and lots of fun.
Young hardcore/beatdown newcomers Mouthguard feature a modern-day Harley Flanagan. The infamous Cro-Mags bassist played drums in late ‘70s punk rock band The Stimulators when he was 13, and Savannah has their own version almost 50 years later. It’s reassuring to see that not every tradition is being murdered in the name of progress.
THE OBSESSED + THE BLACK STRAIN
THU JUN 25 | 8 PM | THE WORMHOLE
Here’s hoping you just finished reading the previous entry because the lead-in of a 13-year-old in a new hardcore band is just too juicy now that we’re on to the 65-year-old doom metal legend Scott “Wino” Weinrich of The Obsessed. If math isn’t your strong suit, that’s five times older, but still rocking like a mofo.
The Obsessed was born in the late ‘70s and went nowhere when Wino left the DC suburbs in 1986 for LA to join SST Records’ Black Sabbath worshippers, Saint Vitus. He took a shine to the slow, heavy music that pioneered the doom metal genre and reformed The Obsessed in 1989.
Three influential albums later, they disbanded for a second time in 1995. After a few one-off shows in the early ‘10s, they formally reformed again in 2016 and have been steamrolling ever since.
Currently featuring former Monster Magnet drummer Bob Pantella, the new lineup is working on the third release of their third iteration. The sound is thick, heavy and not always slow, but it puts a capital D in doom, and Wino’s voice is as distinct and clear as it was on his track from Dave Grohl’s phenomenal Probot metal project from 2004.
Local support comes from sludge duo The Black Strain. It’s a smart pairing, since it is highly likely the band are fans of The Obsessed. Their riffs are similarly huge, dense, and meaty, and they don’t complicate things any more than necessary.
The main difference is the vocals, which cover the “strain” part of the namesake. Plus, they’ve been known to cover God of Thunder by KISS, which is probably that group’s heaviest song, and it came out in 1976, the same year Wino’s first band formed. Coincidence?
ZOSO: THE ULTIMATE LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE
FRI JUN 26 | 8 PM | VICTORY NORTH
The late, great Lemmy once said, “If you don’t like The Supersuckers, you don’t like rock and roll.” He could have easily said this about Led Zeppelin. In fact, it applies even more.
Music nerds like to play the “five in a row” game, trying to list bands that released five excellent albums in a row. Zeppelin ran the table with all eight being of the highest quality of classic rock ever heard. Six hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts, with IV stalling at No. 2.
One can only imagine how long the streak would have continued if not for the tragic death of John Bonham in 1980. On their last album, In Through the Out Door, they were experimenting with samba, rockabilly, polyrhythms, and soul.
Their popularity was nearly unprecedented. They sold well over 200 million records and grossed ungodly sums of money on tours known for decadence and debauchery as much as the mesmerizing display of talent.
Zoso has been recreating the ‘70s live experience for more than three decades. Since most of us missed out on the real thing, it’s as close as it gets.
86HOPE + NAUM + BENEATH TREES + MANAROVS
SAT JUN 27 | 8 PM | THE WORMHOLE
There’s a deep vein of punk rock that eschews the fuzzy, crunchy guitars and pissed off hollering vocals for jangly, less-distorted strumming and non-traditional singing. Bands like The Dead Milkmen, Camper Van Beethoven, Meat Puppets, and Violent Femmes laid the foundation.
St. Augustine’s 86hope carry the torch. Not nearly as harsh and aggressive as the thriving Gainesville hardcore scene, they do their thing and do it well. It’s not angry or snotty, but it’s not “normal” either. It’s fast, ragged, and weird.
The USA’s oldest city is also home to Naum, a more traditional indie rock band. Combining the slick punk that followed in Nirvana’s wake with a healthy dose of old-school DIY, they blend the styles well, with emphasis on backing vocal harmonies and moments of anthemic sing-alongs.
Savannah garage rockers Beneath Trees and Ramonescore experts Manarovs provide local support.
By Frank Ricci