Hamtramck is a cozy-sized town that rests in the heart of the city of Detroit. Surrounded by The Motor City, the younger vibrant venue, The Sanctuary brings a fresh flavor of heaviness to Ham Town. These guys have something happening on their stage nearly every night. The surge of live music around the home of Motown is part of the city’s beautiful, ongoing restoration. Boston’s own Gozu is a hardworking band that have been on a short headlining run for the last couple of weeks. The Sanctuary was lucky enough to be one of their stops.

With four local bands opening up the night, the audience really got to experience the Michigan RocknRoll scene. The mild June evening had many attendees attired in their cut off jean shorts with their white thighs glowing in all their glory, which set quite the hipster aesthetic for the night of Rock. Electric Huldra was a unique trio of young colts who jammed with two guitars and no bass. They hit hard, anchored in angst and proclaimed loudly with solid groove. After a timely changeover, the funky duo Buback lit up the stage with some aggressive gloomy goodness. The thunderous bass conjured and invited some foreboding darkness. Being an all-ages show, the smooth spry faces in the crowd had a hunger and delight in their eyes as these dudes jammed out. Iron Mountain was a fierce trio that delivered a hearty heavy. The crowd was small but attentive as these guys roared with punk and spunk. The last local of the evening, Temple of the Fuzz Witch, was slow and deliberate with some Black Sabbath feels. Their infant-like faces concentrating on their music that was clearly inspired by the greats was a comforting scene.

With the rather lax changeovers, the headliners didn’t hit the stage till nearly midnight. It was very disappointing to see the crowd dwindle as most of the local acts disappeared after their sets. Yet that did not deter the mighty Gozu from putting on a notable performance. Immediately the East Coast quartet boomed with brutality. Even for a late Tuesday night, the small crowd drew close to the stage to enjoy the fire from these RocknRoll giants. This band demonstrated a clear difference between a frontman who can actually sing from those that can’t. Many Stoner type acts sing with a direct, unanimated style and rely on the reverb. Vocalist Marc Gaffney’s full and potent vocals set this band’s melodies high above a lot of others. The variety in the group vocals to Gaffney’s falsetto showed how they perform with expertise.

The thoughtful rage in the strings and the twinkle of magnitude from the drums was wonderful to witness. Their energy had a rich fullness and deliberate massiveness. They played numbers off their most recent release, Equilibrium (Black Light Media/Metal Blade Records) that simmered and boiled the senses. Weighty and catchy melodies peeped through each number and had everyone swaying along. Their genuine jamming and gracious spirit resonated with the petite, but enthusiastic crowd. They brewed and distributed a fierce and heartfelt performance. The thoughtful gusto and girth in the band’s sound had a certain kind of purity. Their immaculate playing and heavy riffs makes this band unique is sound and presentation. It was a real night of RocknRoll in Ham Town.

RAGIN ROSIE