Ben Katzman Lays It All Out on Tears on the Beach

Ben Katzman's new album, Tears on the Beach, is a riff-filled ode to the 26 days he spent in Fiji last year as a castaway on the 46th season of the CBS reality competition show Survivor.

Although he made it to the final three, the Miami shredder had a rough going, with night terrors, nonstop blindsides, and an unsympathetic jury at the final tribal council that didn't give him a chance to defend his game for the million-dollar prize. And once the show aired, Katzman realized his narrative was given minimal screen time.

Tears on the Beach is Katzman's way to finally tell his story in the best way possible: by sticking it to the man and making rock music.

"I obviously didn't have the best experience watching it back and seeing how it was edited, but this is a way of making my journal entry about it. This is like the Ben edit that people have been asking, 'What the fuck happened?'" Katzman explains.

Looking past the edited storytelling, it's clear that Katzman's friendships and alliances — made through the support he received because of his night terrors — guided the trajectory of the game, leading to his spot in the final three among his closest allies.

Set for release on August 23, the nine-track album features collaborations with indie-rock acts like Mannequin Pussy, Guerilla Toss, Shannon Shaw, and Colleen Green. Katzman also involved fellow Survivor castaways like Soda Thompson, Brice Izayah, Tim Spicer, Benjamin Wade (AKA Coach, the Dragon Slayer), and season 45 winner Dee Valladares. Similar to his strategy on Survivor, Katzman assembled a team of loyal friends for Tears on the Beach. The album's opener, "Firesprite," features vocals from long-time collaborator GracieHorse. Meanwhile, Deaf Poets drummer Nicolas Espinosa contributes his skills on several tracks.

"I got my OG alliances on there," Katzman says.

Released ahead of the album is the track "Buckwild Blindsides," a power-metal anthem with a catchy chorus featuring Sarah Tudzin of Illuminati Hotties.

Ever since the airing of Survivor season 46 wrapped up, Katzman has been busy shredding on stage, now with fans of the CBS show in the audience wearing his merch, asking him to sign their Survivor buffs.

"I've been nonstop. I rejoined Guerilla Toss. We opened for Primus and Coheed and Cambria," Katzman says. "All that's going on in my life right now is guitar. I'm back to doing what I was doing before Survivor."

Despite the attention he's getting from his reality TV stint, Katzman is focused on the grind. This fall, Katzman will be hitting the road on tour in support of Tears on the Beach, kicking things off with an album release show at Gramps on August 23. Also on the bill are Cannibal Kids, Buko Boys, and a DJ set from Mustard Service, with some surprise Survivor cameos a strong possibility.

In between tours, Katzman has been having some fun with his castmates. A few months ago, he and his Siga tribemate and second-place winner Charlie Davis were at a Taylor Swift concert, and last week, they met members of Metallica before the band's show in Boston.

"The bromance doesn't stop," he shares.

Ben Katzman. With the Cannibal Kids, Buko Boys, and Mustard Service. 7 p.m. Friday, August 23, at Gramps, 176 NW 24th St., Miami; gramps.com. Tickets cost $15 to $20 at eventbrite.com.