Santa Claus and his elves may still be hard at work assembling presents for the children of the world, but Savannah metal heads are offering some extra help this Christmas.
Aura Fest is presenting its third Mosh for Tots at Southbound Brewing Co., an all-ages metal show featuring five killer bands, including headliners Evergreen Terrace. The event is a toy drive for the Marine Corps Reserve's Toys for Tots program, which distributes toys to children whose parents can't afford presents this Christmas.
The first Mosh for Tots was a small affair at the Sentient Bean featuring an all-local line up, but based on 2022’s terrific turnout at El Rocko, it seems like this year is poised to be bigger than ever.
“When I did the first one, I didn’t know if it would happen again or not,” said AURA Fest founder Tim Walls. “I’m finally getting it in the bigger, all-ages room I always wanted. It started out as a smaller show and last year was twice as big. I have a feeling we’re going to grow it this time.”
Evergreen Terrace making new music for first time in a decade
To ramp things up, Walls invited Evergreen Terrace to headline Mosh for Tots after they put on an amazing set at last year's main AURA Festival. Evergreen Terrace (named after the street the Simpsons live on) are a five-piece metalcore band from Jacksonville, Florida, that formed in 1999. It has been 10 years since the release of their sixth and last album, Dead Horses (Rise Records 2013), but Evergreen Terrace are still blowing up stages at festivals and on occasional tours.
“The shows there with AURA Fest have always been amazing,” said Evergreen Terrace vocalist Andrew Carey. “Great crowds, good kids, great moshing, all the good things. We thought it would be a great opportunity to play Savannah again, and it’s also for a good cause, so we decided to come and have a good time.”
After spending years touring around the world with bands such as Hatebreed, As I Lay Dying, and Rise Against, the members of Evergreen Terrace now have busy work and family lives, so they don’t perform as often as they used to.
“We take our shows sparingly around the region because we usually do places that are close enough to drive to in a day,” said Carey. “There are only so many places to play so we pick and choose which ones to do.”
Fortunately for Savannah, we are one of those places. And, fortunately for fans, Evergreen Terrace seem to finally be working on a follow up to their 2013 album.
“It’s slow and steady, but we have new music written and we’re trying to hash them out, refine them, start demoing them, refine them some more, and finally get in to record them,” said Carey. “It’s a bit of a process to get everyone in the room together, but we’re all really close friends, so when we do we’re laughing and joking and having some beers and forget that we’re supposed to be doing work. It’s slow paced, but we’ll get it done eventually.”
One thing Evergreen Terrace are known for are their metalcore covers of popular rock songs. Their 2000 covers album, Writer's Block, features versions of songs by U2, Smashing Pumpkins, and Tears for Fears.
“They’re a part of the set,” said Carey of Evergreen Terrace’s cover songs. “We’re actually working on a few more covers for the new music coming out. There’ll be maybe five originals and five covers, because covers are fun. We always play at least one or two covers in a set. They’re always a crowd pleaser.”
Carey briefly left Evergreen Terrace in 2015, but returned shortly after. Since then the band has slowed down, but continue to perform for the love of it, while not taking it as seriously.
“It’s what I do best—screaming into a microphone on stage, so it’s great being back,” said Carey.
This year’s Mosh for Tots includes Savannah deathcore band Omenkiller, who recently acquired a new vocalist.
Also on the bill are Homicyde, a death metal band from South Carolina.
“I saw those guys last year and they really impressed me,” said Walls. “Last year they put together a wall of death at El Rocko Lounge, if you can imagine it.”
For those who are unfamiliar with the term, a “wall of death” is when the crowd separates into two groups and then charges into each other like opposing armies in a fantasy epic.
“It was the most packed-in wall of death, but it was so much fun,” recalled Walls.
Violent End are a South Carolina deathcore band, and Slingblade are a Savannah beatdown band comprised of three members of Depressor. This is their debut show and worth checking out.
Bowtie Barbecue food truck will be on site, as well as some arts and crafts vendors. The first 50 toy donations will receive an autographed Evergreen Terrace poster.
Walls sees this Mosh for Tots at Southbound Brewery as a good preview of what to expect from the two-day main AURA Fest coming in March. It’s also a continuation of a good cause that brings joy to families and music fans alike.
“It felt good last year,” said Walls. “People brought in some really nice toys. I found that people probably put some effort into what they were bringing if they could. Even if times are tight for people, if they bring whatever they can, it’s appreciated. And even if they can’t there’s nothing wrong with just coming out to the show, as well.”
Credit: Savannah Morning News
Credit: Savannah Morning News
If You Go
What: Mosh for Tots 2023
When: 7-11:30 p.m., Dec. 2
Where: Southbound Brewing Co., 107 E. Lathrop Ave.
Cost: All ages. $20 adv, $25 at door
Info: aurafestsavannah.com
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Headbanging for the Holidays: AURA Fest presents Mosh for Tots at Southbound Brewing Co.
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