Jam Room Reunion Show @ Zeppelins

Biloxi, MS
Words by: Scott Keller
Photography by: Canonblue Lalley

Gulf Coast rockers descended on Zeppelin's Pizzeria and Bar en masse this past Saturday for what became one of the rowdiest all local band concerts in years. Billed as one final reunion show for some of the area's most popular bands of years past, Falls From Grace and Jane Doe's Dead joined forces once again along with Her Fatal Remedy and (still active) metal powerhouse Dark Horizon... and mayhem ensued.

    Zeppelin's was already packed by the time Her Fatal Remedy kicked things off, and a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd surrounded the stage as the band blasted through their first set together in four years. It was a night full of familiar faces for anyone who had followed any of these bands in their active days. Old friends from all over gathered together again to catch the spectacle one last time, making it a reunion not just for the bands, but for many of the fans as well. You couldn't throw a rock without hitting a musician either; many other area band members and music scene people were in attendance, and the entire evening had that unstoppable energy about it that only shows when our rock scene is at its best.

    Things got louder and wilder as the night went on, and just as you might expect for a reunion show, each band played like there was no tomorrow. The relatively small play area stayed packed and alive with activity as various guests joined the bands and the crowd grew in closer, nearly spilling over onto the stage on several occasions. Dark Horizon was joined briefly by Jared Seymour (FFG) and Josh Gillie (JDD), both of whom sang on two of Dark Horizon's studio tracks, making for a rare opportunity to catch the band with with a live vocalist. Birthday boy Corey "Red Cap" Roberson (FFG) served as the evening's hype man of sorts, joining the bands on stage all throughout the night, as did various other musicians, members of the other bands and fans from the crowd, making for one highly unpredictable and entertaining show, and one hell of a party.

    By my recollection, the moshing and headbanging began to get serious sometime during Jane Doe's Dead's set- drinks were kicking in, the volume was cranked, and many of us came to realize that we would be paying for all of this revelry on the following day... but no one was letting up, especially the bands. They and Falls From Grace both delivered hard hitting performances that reminded everyone exactly why they were at the top of the gulf coast's rock world, as members of the audience sang and screamed loudly to songs that hadn't been played live in ages, but were brought to life again right before them as if the bands had never left. It was a show that was both nostalgic and invigorating for everyone in attendance, and a great night for local music.

    Jane Doe's Dead and Her Fatal Remedy both thanked their fans and announced their final retirement on their facebook pages the following day. Dark Horizon will continue soldiering on as they always do, spreading their heaviness across the coast. No official word has been released yet on whether or not we'll see Falls From Grace on stage again someday.

    On a personal note, I've gotten to know many of the guys in these bands well over the years and always enjoyed jamming out with them. For that, I say thanks for sharing your music with us, and congratulations on a job well done.

    Of course, as some things end, new things begin, and the show always goes on. Many of these guys are involved with other bands, music and art projects, so keep an eye out for what they may have coming up next. And to you, our readers- keep on rocking, and get your ass out to a show!

~Support Local Music~

Forsaken Me

By: Scott Keller
Photography: Canonblue Lalley
 

The last year or so has been a good time for the Gulf Coast's rock scene. Before that, if you were to ask local musicians and fans what was happening around here as far as original rock music goes, their answer would probably have been "not much." Many of the bands who ruled the scene dispersed and ended their runs, venues closed, show turnout lessened, and there were few new artists stepping up to fill the void. Fortunately, that has changed recently as a number of local musicians, both new and returning, have begun cranking up their amplifiers again and breathing new life into a scene that many had lost interest in.

    One of the bands responsible for this resurgence are the Biloxi area hard rockers called Forsaken Me. Since their first show at the Celtic in Pascagoula in September of 2014, they've established themselves as a Mississippi band to keep an eye on, but it didn't happen overnight. The five band members Justin Freche, Chase Hopkins, Aaron Bentz, Zack Dubroc and Waco first came together in late 2013 after performing throughout the region for years in popular local acts such as Aura, Her Fatal Remedy, Virtuous Armor and Down to None. Though they are local rock veterans, guitarist Freche says that they all sort of returned to the drawing board during that year. Time was spent trying out new equipment, switching from six string to seven string guitars and experimenting with home-made recordings on an old four track as they dusted off unfinished song ideas and wrote entirely new ones together. In all, they spent a year building their new band's sound before ever taking the stage, and it seems to have paid off for them so far.

    Forsaken me has a sound that is inspired by early metalcore and bands such as Atreyu and Bullet for My Valentine, yet the band generally considers themselves to be a more versatile hard rock act. Their music is riff-driven and heavy, yet with clean, melodic vocals and mildly progressive song structures that combine to give them their own musical flavor. Quirky song titles and movie references such as "Chupacabraj" and "Don't Worry Wilson, I'll Do All the Paddling," bring a fun, humorous element to the bands music, and they perform with a stage energy that guitarist Justin Freche aptly describes as "kind of chaotic."

    The band began winning over fans across the coast through their killer performances at shows such as LocalbandLove Fest IV, and opened for national artists Red at Kress Live. They only have a few shows booked locally in the coming months, but that is only because they are hard at work elsewhere, as they are in the process of songwriting and doing pre-production on what will be their debut EP, which they plan to record and release this winter.

     They will be making an appearance this month, however, at Mississippi Juke Joint on May 27th, alongside local rockers myHero theVillain, and it promises to be a great night to head downtown and bang your head around. The band currently have ten original songs worked up and will be performing some of the new material they have been writing, so even if you have seen them before you will be treated to some brand-spanking new rock.

    You can find Forsaken Me and preview some of their music by listening to their demo recordings on Facebook and Reverbnation as they continue to prepare for future releases, or you can head down to Ocean Springs on the 27th and experience them live, loud and in your face. Either way, be sure to check them out if you're a rock fan and keep up to date on what's happening around the coast!