This One Goes To Eleven

I was never majorly into heavy metal music while growing up. Sure, there were a few bands that caught my ear, but for the most part I shunned acts such as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and Back Sabbath until I became a bit more open-minded in my 20's. Charleston has turned out its share of heavier rock acts over the years. Current locals Madam Adam have made a dent in the metal market, and local musician Eric Bass plays with the internationally touring Shinedown. If I were to pick the most influential metal band to come out of the Lowcountry though, Childrens Choir would get my vote. In the 90's, when most of the rest of the Charleston bands were either embracing the angst of grunge bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam, or the frat boy pop of acts like Hootie and The Blowfish and 311, three guys from Charleston brought the noise to the Holy City in a big way. Featuring brothers Kevin and Richie Isaacs (on bass and guitar respectively) and Paolo Licciardi on drums, Childrens Choir was the loudest band in town. Underneath the volume though was something interesting; thought-provoking lyrics and precision playing of the band members on their respective instruments. This wasn't metal music just for the sake of being loud, and the band toured up and down the East Coast with acts such as White Zombie, GWAR, Marilyn Manson, Helmet, Clutch, and Anthrax.
The band eventually broke up at the turn of the millennium as the Isaacs brothers took jobs out of town, but the band occasionally dusts off its amplifiers to rock out when everyone is in town. This Saturday marks just such an occasion. Childrens Choir will be performing at the Charleston Music Hall, easily one of the city's best sounding music venues. The band will actually be the featured act for a wedding reception after party, and the couple getting married even created a Facebook event here. Don't worry if you didn't get a wedding invitation, because the show is free and open to the public. if you're not familiar with the music of Children's Choir, you can sample a few of the band's tracks here. I may just have to stop in and bang my head for a bit.