Ben Katzman, who plays The Bends in St. Petersburg, Florida on Dec. 9, 2023. Credit: Photo by Gregorio Alvarez

On Ben Katzman’s upcoming album Transcendental Shreditation (out Dec. 15), the Miami-based guitar hero and teacher provides seven straightforward, speed-metal tracks centered around self-esteem and tackling mental health adversities in general.

One of his favorite parts of being in the position he’s in is the fact that he gets to teach kids everything he knows, and Katzman even found a musical partner in a once-mentee that helped out with a few riffs on the album. No posers are allowed at The Bends on Saturday night, but remember: There’s a difference between being a poser and just popping in for the sake of checking something new out, so don’t you dare try to fit in by attempting to mouth along to lyrics you don’t know.

There’s no cover to see Ben Katzman’s DeGreaser play The Bends in St. Petersburg on Saturday, Dec. 9.

Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.

This article appears in Nov 30 – Dec 6, 2023.