Hometown Tales with Bludy Gyres

Bludy Gyers

It's not too often that Glacially Musical heads down where the weather is warm, but in Hotlanta, GA, there's a band called Bludy Gyres.

It's the latest project from Tommy Stewart.

There's a new split out this December via Black Doomba Records, called Rope Enough For Two.

While you're waiting for that piece of deliciousness, check out Stewart's take on his hometown of Atlanta.

1. St. Louis City is my hometown. I've lived here for most of my life in and around the city. Where are you from?

 I am from Atlanta, Georgia and am a southerner in every way, including the heavy accent.

2.We have three things that don't really exist anywhere else: the slinger, the gooey butter cake, and toasted ravioli. Tell me about your hometown delicacy.

Georgia is the chicken capital of the world! The state government calls us the peach state, because they didn't like the chicken state. 

There are no naturally growing peaches anywhere around me. We're also known for pecans and peanuts. They didn't want to be the nut state either. 

3. In St. Louis, though there have been others. Our biggest hometown team is the St. Louis Cardinals (formerly the St. Louis Perfectos, nee: the St. Louis Browns, not the AL team that moved to Baltimore.) There is nowhere you can go to escape it. I'm a hockey fan, not a baseball fan, so it's a bit weird to me. Tell me about your hometown's big team.

We have the Atlanta Braves and I never go to the games, Ironically my front door is 1.2 miles from the front gate. 

4. St. Louis isn't really known for any one type of music scene. The biggest acts I can think of to get out of here alive were Gravity Kills, Nelly and the St. Lunatics, and Sheryl Crow. There's always been a vibrant concert scene though. What about where you are?

We have had quite a bit going in Atlanta, but just my high school and neighborhood were quite a bunch! 

We had Blackberry Smoke (country rock), Jerry Reed (country, actor), Hallows Eve (thrash), Julia Roberts (actress), Kelly Nelon (2 Dove awards, gospel), and The LeFevres (gospel), all from the same high school, Campbell High School in Smyrna. 

In the same county we had Black Crows, Jackyl, Mothers Finest, Georgia Satellites. Atlanta itself has too many performers to name without it's own article. In metal the most popular would be Mastodon. I consider most of the underground metal bands here to be sludge or thrash. 

My own bands, Bludy Gyres for instance, are traditional doom. 

5. 20 years ago, St. Louis had about 300 murders each year, floods, and all sorts of other fun things. You might have heard about us being named the Murder Capital of the USA. Nowadays, a lot here is 150. But there are lots of parts of the city that are returning to former glory. On the whole, St. Louis is a better place to live today than before. Is there any thing like that where you're from?

Sure, I don't keep up with the statistics, but I've lived in my hometown Atlanta all my life so I'm aware of my surroundings. If someone is bothering me on the street, I either make space between me and the situation or make them not do that to me is the nicest way to say it. But, sure, we have crimes.

6. Are you still there?

I am here and there.