Joe from Fret Rescue celebrates 40 years with a very heavy metal birthday featuring Furnace Winds, Eight Ball Death, and Centenary at Ironbark Brewing in Jackson.
Happy Birthday, Joe!
Our friend, Joe Kesselring, celebrated 40 years of life by filling Ironbark Brewing in Jackson with family and friends. Orchestrated by his wonderful wife Tanya—who amazingly kept the whole thing a secret until Joe walked through the doors—the surprise party featured all the fixings, plus furious sets from Furnace Winds, Eight Ball Death, and Centenary. Helping make this celebration that much more awesome were the dynamite staff of Ironbark Brewing, as well as Dylan Bullinger from Rudeboy Music, who handled lights and epic sound.
In case you aren’t familiar, Joe is a master luthier who offers his services via Fret Rescue, the business he runs with his wife, Tanya. He is also one hell of a guitarist, having once been the lead guitarist in Throne. Beyond his accomplishments, Joe is one of the nicest humans you’ll ever meet.
Furnace Winds
Kicking off the birthday metal music fiesta was Furnace Winds. Hailing from Jackson, this band plays primordial black metal. Think of the first wave of black metal bands such as Mayhem, Bathory, and Celtic Frost. The music is dark, fast, and relentless. Furnace Winds provided a set of furious and fiery metal to burn your sins away.
Eight Ball Death
Before the onslaught by Eight Ball Death, the band welcomed Tanya to the stage. She shared a heartfelt thanks and a lovely birthday message with us all as we raised a glass to Joe. Right after this, all hell broke loose.
Think of a raging bull fueled by a mountain of cocaine and several cases of malt liquor. Now imagine this chaos-fueled entity taking the form of three dudes with a guitar, a bass, and drums. Cap this off by setting the volume on all amplifiers to scorched-earth levels, and you’ve got yourself a set of blistering hardcore grind by Eight Ball Death.
This was my first time witnessing the unbridled madness of Eight Ball Death. On manic guitar and ultra-violent vocals is Patrick (El Toro). Providing the building-imploding bass is Rene. Looking quite happy while mercilessly beating the drums is Benjie. The name of this band says it all.
Centenary
The chainsaw-wielding masters of death, Centenary, closed out the show. They played a set of mainly new material for a forthcoming album. As you would expect, these tunes are inhumanely brutal. Each one is full of flesh-eating riffs, malevolent vocals, and bludgeoning rhythms.
Included in the new material from Centenary is the third in a trilogy of tunes that center on the ‘70s TV series Kolchak: The Night Stalker. It is monstrously heavy and a perfect capstone of death for the trilogy.
Pictures
For more of the madness from Joe’s 40th Heavy Metal Birthday celebration, check out our gallery.
Become a Supporter!
We warmly invite you to join our Life In Michigan community. Your support is not just appreciated—it is essential. It enables us to continue sharing the unique and captivating stories that showcase Michigan in all its vibrant glory. Whether you buy us a beer, treat yourself to a snuggly warm hoodie, or provide ongoing support through Substack, every contribution helps enhance our mission.
If our content resonates with you, we encourage you to become an ambassador for our stories. Share our work on your social media or forward a link to someone who would appreciate it as much as you do. Your support, in any form, breathes life into our cause and keeps the spirit of Life in Michigan thriving.
Thank you for being a vital part of our community.
Stay Connected
We’d love it if you liked our Facebook page. Better yet, subscribe to our Sunday Sip newsletter through Substack. You can also find us on Instagram.
