0 Dead Confederate @ Chop Suey (9-23-09)

Because Chop Suey had such a solid double billing last Wednesday, I had no choice but to split up the coverage.

In direct support of the awe-inspiring Meat Puppets was Georgia’s Dead Confederate. I was eager to check out Dead Confederate not only because I fell in love with their hypnotic debut album “Wrecking Ball”, but also because their set at this year’s Bumbershoot was spoiled due to some horrible acoustics. The band played in Seattle Center’s Exhibition Center, a despicable place where most of the hard rock and metal acts are hidden away from the public during the festival. Out of the bands scheduled to play the last day of Bumbershoot 2009, Dead Confederate were definitely at the top of my list, but unfortunately I left disappointed. I figured the issue was just the sound quality and after seeing the band again in a much more intimate setting like Chop Suey, I can say for sure that they are no joke.

Hardy Morris and Walker Howle’s massive delay and reverb slide guitar drenched sound was everything I hoped it would be. Drummer Jason Scarborro and bassist Brantley Senn hit hard when the songs called for them and keyboardist John Watkins added the necessary fills giving the Dead Confederate sound that eerie psychedelic quality. After this performance, Hardy Morris's haunting vocals still remind me of a southern Kurt Cobain, though I wouldn't say Kurt is anything more than an influence. Hardy's strained whine is his own and it's like nothing else I've heard in recent times.

The set mimicked that of Bumbershoot and started off with a couple of unfamiliar to me, possibly brand new tracks. The show really kicked into gear though with “Start Me Laughing”, one of more straight ahead rockers on “Wrecking Ball”. The short but excellent set also included blistering versions of “The Rat”, “It Was the Rose”, “Heavy Petting” and the band ended the night with a song from their self-titled EP “Tortured-Artist Saint”.

I was thoroughly impressed by Dead Confederate on what I will call my first live exposure because after finally hearing them in a proper way-- that Bumbershoot set has been stricken from my memory.

Check out my photo slideshow and a video of Dead Confederate performing “The Rat” from the show. Cheers!