17 Bands in 17 Days – Day 3: Amping up the Eddie 9 voltage

SAVANNAH, GEORGIA - Brooks Mason and Chad Mason of Eddie 9V perform during Savannah Music Festival at Trustees' Garden Main Stage on March 28, 2023 in Savannah, Georgia. (Photo by R. Diamond/Getty Images)

Only 3 days until the spectacular musical extravaganza, Tropical Heatwave!

Get ready to experience an incredible lineup featuring 17 bands across 3 electrifying stages, plus a Hip Hop Lounge. Don’t miss out – secure your tickets now for just $40 and prepare for a night of unforgettable entertainment!

Eddie 9V (9-volt) never took the conventional route. At just shy of 15, this seasoned soul performer veered away from the traditional career route and threw himself headfirst into Antlanta, Georgia’s roots and blues scene. In 2019, the renowned multi-instrumentalist, Lane Kelly, turned on the amps in his trailer with Eddie to help create their debut album, Left My Soul In Memphis. This album quickly became one of the biggest hits of the year, receiving praise from Rock & Blues Muse for being “fresh and life-affirming.”

The 25-year-old’s most recent album is Little Black Flies, which was released in 2021 on Ruf Records. Recorded in real time at Atlanta’s Echo Deco Studios through November 2021, featuring a lineup of top musicians from the state, and again with Lane handling the controls, Eddie intended for the album to have the feel of a live performance, complete with bottle clinking and informal studio banter. He remarks, “I’ve seen a trend in modern recording; there’s no soul.” He drew inspiration from Otis Rush, Bloomfield, and Albert Collins. When recording live, he persisted even in the face of a couple of errors to give it a more authentic feel rather than a perfectly fabricated one.

Little Black Flies is seen as the transition to a bandleader who is widely credited with bringing the rich roots scene of the South back to life. Eddie, who was born in June 199g into a non-musical household in Atlanta, can still clearly recall what would become of his first guitar. He thinks, “It was one of those with the speaker in it when I was six. Get the most bang for your buck, y’know?” While Eddie was growing up at Union Gorve High, commercial pop was all over the radio, which he believed to be too artificial. He deviated from what was popular at the time, hung out with Lane and his buddies, and delved into the forgotten records of blues legends like Al Green, Howlin’ Wolf, Percy Sledge, and Freddie King.

Through Little Black Flies, Eddie seems to be going full circle- the young person who used to hang around Atlanta nightclubs is now guiding the best players in Georgia into the recording studio. Undoubtedly, the artists who recorded these albums finally had a much-needed avenue to create music in a much more liberated way. Eddie wants those who listen to the songs to feel the same sense of catharsis the artists feel when creating them. “Meeting someone’s satisfaction after they work all day makes my day,” he remarks. “My job is to make them smile and let the music make them forget- or remember.”

If you’re curious about the innovative ways in which Eddie 9 Volt redefines musical conventions, there’s no better opportunity to experience their style than at the upcoming Tropical Heatwave!

Their performance will be at the Cuban Club Patio at 7:50pm.

Countdown to Tropical Heatwave 2024:

Day 17: Say She She

Day 16: Gulfport Gecko Amalgamated Marching Band

Day 15: WAHH World Fusion Band

Day 14: Ruthie Foster

Day 13: The Dollyrots

Day 12: Sweeping Promises

Day 11: Selwyn Birchwood

Day 10: Tiger 54

Day 9: The Sensational Barners Brothers

Day 8: Black Valley Moon