Tribute band Appetite for Destruction rocks Savannah

Although the Jinx continuously delivers mix of musical acts, on Sep. 11, it will serve what the venue is best known for – a full dose of hard rock ‘n' roll.

Appetite for Destruction, a Guns N' Roses cover band from North Carolina, plans to shake the walls of the popular bar.

Comprised of Chad "Axl" Atkins, Mike "Slash" Edington, Chris "Izzy" Clark, Ron "Duff" Cook and Mike "Adler" Ropelewski, Appetite for Destruction has performed for crowds all over the country since 2000, when they played their first show.

Not only do these guys play stunningly accurate renditions of GNR classics, they also take on the full persona by looking like their counterparts.

Like many bands, AFD originally formed when a few friends from school decided to practice together.

"The whole band started out from hometown friends," said Atkins, vocalist of AFD, "Three of us went to the same high school together, and we just started jamming one day to see what would happen."

However, they have seen a few line-up changes over the years.

"Well, the drummer and I have known each other since high school, Clark for about half that time, and Edington joined the band about three years ago," Atkins said.

Despite this, the band has been able to make this their normal gig.

"We tour non-stop, playing shows between two and five nights a week," Atkins said. "It's our day job. It has its ups and downs, but it's a job doing something we like to do."

Being on the road so often has spawned some irregular yet welcome occurrences for the band, such as meeting members of GNR.

"I met Slash before in a bar in Los Angeles," Atkins said. "We talked for an hour and a half. He was a very down-to-earth guy and very talkative. I think he talked more than I did. Izzy Stradlin played a couple shows with us, also."

As with any band, AFD prefers to play certain songs live.

"I love most of what Guns N' Roses did, but there's a big difference between personal favorites and songs that are fun to play," Atkins said. "I love listening to ‘It's So Easy,' but songs like ‘Rocket Queen' and their popular tunes like ‘Sweet Child O' Mine' and ‘Paradise City' are very fun to play. The crowd really gets into them."

According to the official AFD Myspace page, the band prefers to play hits from the early and middle parts of GNR's career. Songs from albums like "Appetite for Destruction," where the band got its name, "Use Your Illusion I" and "Use Your Illusion II" get played the most.

It won't be hard for the Savannah crowd to really get into the music this time, as AFD has played in Savannah on several occasions.

"We've played in Savannah a bunch of times," Atkins said.

"Mostly at The Jinx but a few other places there as well. We don't play in many bars like the Jinx. It's unique, and the shows are interesting."

Shows like this one are fantastic fuel to feed the fire for the relatively small hard-rock scene around town.

"I would go because it would be something fun to do," said AASU student Alfred Lanthier. "Savannah gets bands sometimes, but they're mostly unsigned and unheard of. I'm not a huge Guns N' Roses fan, but it's a good chance to chill with friends and rock out a bit."