Total Savage

Gavin Orth has lived an eventful 19 years.

He had open heart surgery at age 13, and two months later, he nearly died in a car crash.

"We flipped 4 1/2 times. I had a concussion. I was in and out of comas. I broke my thumb, my pelvis. I had a bruised liver."

Orth began rapping.

His brother introduced him to punk and metal, but he was stuck on hip-hop after hearing a Souls of Mischief song, "93 Till Infinity," on one of his skateboarding videos. "Just the beat and the way the vocals flowed over. It was so relaxing, but had such a meaning behind it."

He now performs solo under the name "Total Savage." "It's just me and my laptop. I write, produce, record. I do everything. I make all the beats, write the lyrics and then I just get on stage with my laptop and go at it."

His first rap, which he still performs, was "I Dream of Nike," which was based on a dream. He has a collection of 21 pairs of Nike shoes. "I like to show them off, but I just kind of find comfort knowing they're in my closet."

His raps aren't about guns or prostitutes. "'Cause people will be like, 'Who is this kid? He's a 19-year-old white kid.' I'm rapping about stuff that applies to myself like my friends, my family, my car crash. I want to keep it real."

His shows are energetic. "When I'm on stage I don't just stand there like a mike stand. I get up in people's faces and I move around. I am one person, but I try to make it seem like there's five of me on stage."

In addition to his recordings, Orth provides a variety of merchandise, including several styles of shirts. "One has a scull with a backwards cap on it. It says 'Total Savage' in the eyeballs.

"I eat, breathe and sleep music. That's why I lose sleep. That's why I fail classes. It's music."

The first thing Orth does every day is open his lap top to find some hip-hop music. "If I had to wake up and get dressed to my clothes rustling, I'd go crazy. Just the running water and the sink and scrubbing my teeth? Get out of here, dude. I've gotta have music."

Gavin Orth performs at 10 tonight at Double Deuce, 577 South Highland. Cover: $5. He also will be in the Master of Microphones at 10 p.m. Saturday at the Hard Rock Cafe, 315 Beale. Cover: $5. Listen Up spotlights area performers. Michael Donahue can be reached at 529-2797. - Michael Donahue