Forsaken Me
Coast Observer
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!