Rod Gator - “August 29”

SXSW 2023 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 6

Pairs Well With…Gov’t Mule, Chris Stapleton, Marcus King Band

With a name like Rod Gator and born from Louisiana backcountry, you know what you are about to hear is going to swampy as fuck. Big stoner-rock riffs intersect with traditional country and blues songwriting on his latest full-length For Louisiana, a record of soulful grooves drawing back to 60s/70s past-masters. Gator appropriately has a thick, guttural vocal that fits in perfectly with the molasses jams on For Louisiana. There are some cooled moments in Rod Gator’s catalog, but there are plenty more that lean into their garage-rock influences, even punk and metal turning their Americana roots. Add some organ and clarinet excursions and the whole ends up sounding like the best bar-band you’ll ever hear along the Gulf Coast. (Kevin McStravick)