Written and Photographed by Carla Haddad
Just an average Tuesday night, who wouldn’t head down to El Rocko for a rockshow? The oddity of it all aside, on an ordinary Tuesday in October, I found myself wandering into this local time capsule for some live music. Hosted by Coastal Rock Productions, a psychedelic trilogy of acts graced the club and the side streets of downtown Savannah for the night. Savannah’s own Beneath Trees and Black Hat struck the night off followed by Orlando’s Timothy Eerie. With the regular cool and groovy crowd of this scene, the audience, though tame, ate up all these acts had to offer.
Beneath Trees kicked off the show with a bass drum so punchy you could feel it bouncing off those golden walls. With a sound perfectly marrying the vigor of late 70’s British punk clubs and the eccentricity of modern psych, tapping feet and bopping heads were quick to catch on. A two person act, Hemmy on drums and Vieve on guitar and vocals can easily fill a space, and, yet bring it all back to that striking garage feel. In their own words, we were graced by some “high-energy, psych-infused, garage-punk,” and I am eager to hear what more they have to offer. A definite recommendation to those obsessed with ‘70s rock subgenres tied into one vibrant package.
With a speedy change of set came the alluring five-piece Black Hat. Cinematic, hypnotic and most definitely psychedelic. Echoed, delicate vocals circled by the twangy reverb of an electric quickly pulled the crowd into a trance. Their set was filled to the brim with alluring jam sessions with a rhythm section so locked in they could’ve captured the audience all on their own. Their cover of Canned Heat’s Vitamin C was an instant hit with the crowd as phones were whipped out to capture a clip of the song. An incredibly faithful cover, a true testament to their style. This act encompasses the pure vibes of late ‘60s psych jam bands with ever-continuing improvisations that seeped into one another.
Finally, the night was rounded out with Timothy Eerie, a psych pop act whose sound felt pulled straight from an unrecorded The Pretty Things record but packing more of a punch. If mod rock married ‘60s psych, you’d get this band. With a projector shone atop the bands’ faces, the lava lamp-induced environment was complimented by the swirling notes in the tracks. The Pink Floyd-esque lighting found itself mirroring the Roger Waters shirt donned by their drummer, too, whose energy was unmatched. Their musicianship was hard to miss, each member bringing incredible chops to the table as they stayed locked in through and through. Catchy bass lines followed through the driving drumming; erratic, yet controlled. All in all, an atmospheric act you can’t look away from no matter how hard you may try.
