Georgia is mainly known for its exports of peaches, Coca-Cola and hip-hop, but we also have Stranger Things (a show filmed here) in the water to brag about.

Did you know that The Federal Reserve System was secretly created near Savannah on Jekyll Island in 1910? Thanks Woodrow Wilson! And near Athens, we had the Georgia Guidestones. Erected by a private donor in 1980 and then mysteriously destroyed in 2022. The “American Stonehenge” had rules for restarting humanity inscribed on four massive granite slabs in eight different languages. The tenants were thought to be a guide for rebuilding society in the event of a worldwide calamity. Then in Atlanta we have the Center for Disease Control, or CDC, and it houses every disease known to man. You know, for research.

Weird, conspiratorial-tinged facts aside, we also have it all here in terms of geography: beaches on the east coast, Appalachian mountains to the north and swampy wetlands in the south.

Some of us live where it's affordable, in small, rural towns with dirt roads where life moves at a boring-as-shit snail's pace. These parts of the state often have vast and flat farmlands that stretch out for miles without an inkling of humanity or anything to do. Still, somehow Dollar General stores manage to spread to these areas, giving some sad relief to the expansive nothingness of these landscapes.

Or we live in the expensive and sprawling metropolitan cities where traffic moves painfully slow. We cling to the weirdo parts of the city that are quickly being torn down and gentrified, becoming even more unaffordable places to live. In those weirdo parts of town is where the music and arts thrive, and thankfully we have no shortage of that music to boast about here in this compilation.

Georgia has had some really heavy hitters that have helped shape the slow and low music scene that we know today. Seeing Zoroaster and Black Tusk open for Deadbird in a tiny dive bar in 2008 was pivotal. There was no denying these bands who were local to me didn't always sound alike despite the similar ingredients. There were more flavors beyond Coca-Cola to consume here. Zoroaster had splintered in some ways since then, and now we have Order of the Owl to help fill the void that Zoroaster left. Thankfully Black Tusk still thrives to this day despite some devastating setbacks years later. Then seeing Savannah's own Baroness and Kylesa at the first Scion Rock Fest in 2009, the realization hit that the bands from Georgia were really showing their worth and growing in popularity.

Since the early 2000's, we've seen the rise of many more bands from Georgia like Lazer/Wulf, Royal Thunder and Whores. Even Mastodon won a Grammy in 2018 for their album Emperor of Sand, pushing our beloved subgenres in the right direction and in front of more eyes and ears.

These are some key memories for myself having grown up here, but there are new memories being made every day with a new crop of great bands. Bands this compilation should shine some light on. There's much weirdness and many environments in the state to draw inspiration from which the music will certainly show.

So let's explore the lumbering sounds of doom and gloom from this particular section of the American southeast and take the Trip to Georgia.

Written by Sheller Howl (Canopy/Leafblower)