World Gone brings South for the Win Tour

Event: World Gone South for the Win Tour

Location: Crazy Horse Complex, 11000 Beach Blvd.

Date/Time: December 12, 6pm

Tickets: $12 for general admission, $20 for Sunrise Surf Shop VIP passes

Contact: 246-2650 (www.crazyhorsecomplex.com)

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As the front man of World Gone, Joe Bennett is all about building the band’s brand of post-apocalyptic southern metal and as well as a cohesive creative community. World Gone brings the South for the Win Tour home on December 12th with Seasons After, Everybody Panic, and Saint Diablo in support of Twizted Psycho and Elite at the Crazy Horse Complex. A portion of the ticket sales will benefit Toys for Tots.

Bennett values the importance of musicians supporting other musicians. When World Gone announced the December 12th date, it conflicted with the New Day show at Freebird Live on the same night. Rather than tear each other down and compete for the allegiance of the fans, each camp took to social media to promote the other’s event and encouraged fans to attend both shows as a show of solidarity. “We can all play in the same sand box and give the fans one kick-ass night of music,” says promoter and World Gone manager Richie Surrency.

With just two years under their belt, World Gone set out to change the face of metal music with its hard-hitting sound and massive, one-of-a-kind stage show. This is the first in a series of upcoming shows presented in Jacksonville by Richie Surrency Productions.

Bennett was on the road with Cold when he started writing the original music that would later become World Gone material. Cold’s lead singer Scooter Ward encouraged Bennett to develop his writing. “He would listen to it and say ‘you’ve got something there for sure’,” he says. “After my daughter was born, I made the decision to stay home with her instead of going back on the road, and that’s when I started writing for World Gone full time.”

The green light from Ward and validation from artists like Damian Starkey of Puddle of Mudd and Rocky Gray, original drummer for Evanescence, helped set the plan in motion to grow World Gone from an idea into a futuristic machine. “I had all these big, heavy hitter guys trying to help make the World Gone thing happen,” says Bennett. “When you have these guys who have worked with platinum artists in some of the biggest bands in the world tell you that you’re good enough, that’s all it takes.”

Bennett reached out to Surrency, who has worked with such artists as Evanescence, Limp Bizkit, Nickelback and is currently on tour with Journey, about managing World Gone. He signed on right away. “I gave it a listen, and I was blown away by it,” says Surrency. “It was a no-brainer.”

For World Gone, Bennett says the visual aspect inspires the artistry of the band members and helps influence the direction of the music. Band members wear custom gas masks to bring Bennett’s idea of a survivalist aesthetic to life. “They both feed off each other because when you put on that mask, you become a different person,” he says. “I’ve always been into thinking about a future apocalypse and where mankind is going with the violence in the world and the terrorism and biological warfare. Some of my very favorite bands were always very theatrical so it all kind of fell together into place.”

Thanks to the local support, World Gone was the only unsigned band to play the Rockville stage two years running. As the first band to take the stage, the crowd was 10,000 strong. Bennett says receiving that kind of love on the Rockville stage in his hometown makes him want to work even harder to give back to the fans and keep the local metal scene strong.

“Back in the day, there was more dedication and if people liked one band, they would like that band for 10 years. Nowadays, music is so more disposable. You can have a number one record and be gone six months later,” says Bennett. “Metal fans are the only fans that don’t do that shit. Once they feel that tie, they’re going to be there and we are going to be there for them all the way.” Listen to World Gone at www.richiesurrencyproductions.com, Reverb Nation, You Tube and www.facebook.com/worldgone.