THOMAS WYNN & THE BELIEVERS
At 9 p.m. Saturday, July 14
Live Wire Music Hall, 307 W. River St.
The Florida-based Believers are always welcome in Savannah, where blues-based, gritty and soulful Southern Rock - the sort that's based in music and euphoria as opposed to nostalgia and ridiculous "rebel" posturing - is cherished. Wynn is a vocalist of the front rank, with traces of primo-era Gregg Allman and Wet Willie's Jimmy Hall (he also brings John Fogarty to mind). On his guitar, he channels Duane, Derek and Gary Rossington like they were all blood cousins.
The band is killer, but the secret weapon is second vocalist Olivia Wynn, Tom's little sister. Their show is very, very high energy, and as we said the last time they came through, this is a band you don't want to miss.
They have a new website, too. Check ‘em out: thomaswynnandthebelievers.com
DAIKAIJU
At 10 p.m. Sunday, July 15
Taco Abajo, 217 ½ Broughton St.
Imagine Dick Dale, rather that Ace Frehley, playing lead guitar in Kiss (well, behind a black-and-white Kabuki mask, I suppose it could be anyone). There's your start-off point for Alabama's Daikaiju, a sort of surf-punk/metal amalgam of "Hawaii Five-O" and "Rock and Roll All Night."
Yes, everything's played really fast, and served up with a healthy dose of outrageous theatricality. It's all instrumental music, dense, reverb-heavy, good ‘n' spooky. Sometimes it sounds like early B-52's. I've seen videos of the band onstage, with cheesy anime running on a screen behind them.
Among Daikaiju's song titles: "The Trouble With Those Mothra Girls," "Showdown in Shinjuku," "Attack of the Crab Women," "Forcefield Lifts Over Neon City," "Zombie Harum."
To complete the picture, here's the band's self-written description:
"Who is the Daikaiju??? Premium action heroes deliver most high rocket music! Special reverb skill combo for full impact! Loud sonic boom for earful pleasure! Beautiful radiation of hyper-dimensional springy sound creates divine psychic wind for your special defense! Worship Psycho-surf band Daikaiju daily for good luck and health!"
