E-ROCK JAM – A TRIBUTE TO EDDIE COUSINS

Photos and Writing by Kenny Brown

This was a truly special evening full of hugs and tears and memories shared. In early November 2022 the Charlotte metal scene suffered a tragic loss with the passing of friend and brother Eddie Cousins. Eddie had been involved in and was a major supporter of the metal scene for so long that in one way or another everyone seemed to know him. Many of us met Eddie as the highly energetic bass player for Black Ritual. He had this commanding and wild energy on stage that you couldn’t help but fall in love with. But it was his presence offstage that really stood out. If you went to a metal show somewhere around Charlotte, you could almost always count on running into Eddie there. He had such a huge passion for live music and loved being out supporting his friends and family. Two months later and I still keep expecting to see him every time I walk into a venue, ready for a hug and quick chat about bands, life, his art, cats, and just whatever other random thing came to mind.

It’s been a very difficult loss for all of us to process, but we did our best on December 17th at Amos’ Southend. Thanks to AJ Conde and the Carolina Headbangers, we were all given the opportunity to gather as a family to celebrate his life. It’s what Eddie would have wanted. The lineup were some of Eddie’s favorites, bands that he considered family: Death of August, Annabel Lee, Savage Empire, and Laniidae, and included a Black Ritual reunion featuring Gary Rackley on guitar, Brad Sellers on drums, and Annabel Lee‘s Jeremiah McClure on vocals. Eddie would have loved this so much.

It’s easy to think the Charlotte metal scene won’t be the same without Eddie around, but that’s not what he would have wanted. He would want it to thrive and grow from this, so that’s what we’ll do, thrive, grow, and continue on in his honor.