Weedeater at the Raccoon Motel -- April 5.
Wednesday, April 5, 7:30 p.m.
Raccoon Motel, 315 East Second Street, Davenport IA
Composed of Dave “Dixie” Collins, Dave “Shep” Shepherd, and Ramzi Ateyeh – the former two having co-founded the group a quarter-century ago – the fired-up sludge-metal musicians of Weedeater headline an April 5 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, the group's most recent album Goliathan described by Angry Metal Guy as “an intoxicating examination of Southern culture and arguably the most tongue-in-cheek approximation of their sludgy, stoner sound thus far delivered.”
Weedeater was founded in 1998 in Wilmington, North Carolina, originally taking shape as a side project of vocalist/bassist Collins, who was otherwise engaged with sludge-metal cult favorites Buzzov*en. Upon that band's official demise at the decade's end, Collins was free to concentrate his efforts on Weedeater alongside guitarist Shepherd and drummer Keith “Keko” Kirkum, and the trio released two sludgecore albums to kick off the new millennium: 2001's … And Justice for Y'all and 2002's Sixteen Tons. Collins later toured briefly as the bass player for Bongzilla and also found time to lend his four strings to his Wilmington neighbors of Sourvein. But he also continued to work with Shepherd and Kirkum, touring relentlessly with the likes of C.O.C. and Alabama Thunderpussy, and recording Weedeater's third full-length album God Luck & Good Speed in 2007.
The musicians suffered numerous personal injuries in 2010 – Collins lost a toe in a shotgun-cleaning accident, Shepherd broke a finger, Kirkum tore his meniscus – but rallied to record and release Jason … The Dragon in 2011, which Sputnik labeled “an album that you'll want to play time and time again” in which “we find the band branching out and experimenting with new sounds and ideas.” After Kirkum left the group, drummer Travis Owen joined Collins and Shepherd from 2013 to 2019, with Ateyeh serving as the groups' percussionist ever since. Beyond enjoying a relentless touring schedule, the rockers enjoyed some of the best reviews of their careers for 2015's Goliathan, which inspired Metal Injection to rave, “Their ability to weave humor and great turns of phrase aside, their music devastates you, sounding completely unhinged in moments, dark and brooding in others, and makes you giggle in others.”
The musicians of Weedeater player their Davenport engagement on April 5 with additional sets by Adam Faucett and Telekinetic Yeti, admission to the 7:30 p.m. concert is $20, and tickets are available by visiting TheRaccoonMotel.com.
