music
ear in
y
eview
r
by Benjamin Nunnally
M
uch of what might surprise you
about the Calhoun County music
scene isn’t even new - it’s what’s already here that local audiences are just now
picking up on.
Bands like Kill, Baby… Kill!, Keyton and the Rattlesnake Rattlers are becoming more known
locally as Calhoun County audiences exit a frigid estrangement from the local music scene.
Sweet Southern Comfort, another year-old
band, managed to play local dining spots like
Wise Guys Pizza and local concert venues like
the Crimson Tiger and Dark Horse Saloon,
again providing atmosphere for some venues
and playing as the focus at others.
Part of the growth in local listenership comes
from bands that serve as a joiner between dinner-rock and the “local underground,” bridging
the gap for casual listeners who tend to hear
their live entertainment while out for a meal,
rather than after paying for a ticket to a concert.
The point of convergence is December’s Rock
Against Hunger show at the Crimson Tiger, a
gathering of local bands built by the musicians
themselves to benefit a nonprofit. The show
featured both the Rattlers and Sweet Southern Comfort, as well as Keyton, Kill, Baby… Kill!,
McPherson Struts, Smashing Blue and Atlanta’s Chad Shivers and the Silent Knights, each
performing Christmas covers to celebrate the
holiday.
The Rattlesnake Rattlers brewed for more than
a year before suddenly emerging in the summer of 2014, playing shows at Cheaha Brewing Company and Hubbard’s Off Main where
they set mood and atmosphere, while taking
on shows at the Peerless and Crimson Tiger
where they could be the focus of attention.
According to organizer Noah Holt, guitarist for
Kill, Baby… Kill!, the event racked up $750 for
charity, not including donated nonperishable
food items — a rousing success by any measure, especially considering that the highball
figure for the event, acknowledged as unlikely
to happen, was $500.
10
January 2015
INSIGHT