Savage After Midnight

The Fine Art of Watching Hard Fucking Work Pay Off!” That’s Memphis’ new rising sons, Savage After Midnight, in a nutshell. “Savage has a lot of different meanings and connotations, but for me, it’s about not really giving a fuck what people think,” says S.A.M. front man Shi Eubank. “That applies to everything from music to the way we live. And, we’re creatures of the night. The later it gets, the wilder we get.”

That is precisely what comes across on Savage After Midnight’s Red Music debut EP, 11:59 (one minute before midnight – geddit!). From the infectious, electro-tinged onrush of opening track, “Unleash”, S.A.M.’s music crackles with just that sort of intense, animalistic energy. Songs like “10 Foot Tall” and “King” have the same unforgettable verve as the band’s live show or a conversation with its front man and ringleader. “Being a smaller guy and growing up, basically in ‘the hood’, you had to fight for everything,” Shi states. “You learn to stand up for yourself.” No surprise, that in addition winning over crowds opening for the likes of Shinedown, Sick Puppies or Story of the Year, Eubanks has also scored as a local businessman, owning one of the most successful businesses in the Nashville area.

Coming together in 2014 under the name Empire City, S.A.M. went through the trials and tribulations of countless bands, swapping out members and throwing away songs before bringing Savage After Midnight into sharp focus. “We realized at a certain point that what wasn’t connecting was an honesty in our songs,” says Shi. “So we literally humbled ourselves and went in and wrote and wrote and wrote and became the band we are now. We learned to write for nobody else but ourselves.” While their songs often match the sonic ballistics of inspirations like Linkin Park and Papa Roach, Savage After Midnight have distinguished themselves with a musical riot of their own.

Ask anyone who saw the band step in front of cold audiences in early 2018 opening for Shinedown. “That reception was nothing short of amazing – it was the first time that anyone had ever heard our songs,” says Shi. “They gave us the sort of honesty we gave to them. An incredibly positive kind of brutal honesty!” What’s the next step for the five-man freight train called Savage After Midnight? “We’re already several songs deep into our next release,” says Shi. “I don’t know where it’s going, but I can’t see this stopping any time soon.”