Rod Hamdallah ready to rock at El-Rocko

 Rod started playing the drums in punk bands as a teenager

ATLANTA native Rod Hamdallah has made a name for himself in the big city.

“My music has elements of 60’s garage rock, which would be pretty much 60’s punk,” he says.

Rod started playing the drums in punk bands as a teenager. Many of the records that his friends and bandmates listened to inspired him to listen to older music, like R&B, rockabilly, and blues. Shortly after this, Hamdallah began to play the guitar. One of his influences on his blues-style guitar playing was Sean Costello; just like Rod, Sean began playing the blues guitar at an early age.

Rod’s first song, “So Long,” was about heartbreak. “The song was fairly simple, but it was about heartbreak and longing for someone,” he says.

Hamdallah has done many performances throughout his tenure as a garage rocker, and he has many favorites. He did a couple of shows in France in 2020 that were a lot of fun for him.

“The shows in France were part of the Les Nuits de L’Alligator tour. Shows were in Vannes, Clermont Ferrand, Nancy, Rouen, Paris, Toulouse, and Lyon,” he remembers.

Rod's first guitar was a Les Paul, designed by factory manager John Huis with help from his team. His next guitar was a Telecaster, and now he plays a vintage Silverstone.

Like any other rockstar, Rod has a couple of favorite bands. One of his all-time favorite bands is Flat Duo Jets, a rockabilly punk band that formed in North Carolina in 1983.

There are a few things that inspire Hamdallah to write a song: heartbreak and a lot of life experiences. Rod’s first Extended Play (EP) was released in 2014. In regards to releasing it, he says, “It was great. I still get the same exciting feeling performing those songs now as the first time in the studio.” Atlanta is known to be a big city in Georgia with a lot of opportunities. As mentioned earlier, this city is Rod’s hometown and he is extremely grateful for it. “Without Atlanta, I wouldn’t be the musician I am. It’s where I started playing music, it’s my home,” he says.

On January 25, Rod will perform at the El-Rocko Lounge. The band has played at El-Rocko a few times and they love going back. One of his other favorite venues in Savannah was The Jinx.