On Saturday, Patterson
Hood, who usually shares vocal
duties with Mike Cooley in the popular alt-country band Drive-By Truckers, was
in Oxford in support of his solo projects, which include two albums—2009’s Murdering
Oscar (and other love songs) and 2004’s Killers and Stars. The show
drew one of the larger crowds at Double Decker, despite the 85 degree
temperatures when his set began.
Hood mostly performed
songs from these two albums, along with a few songs he sings with Drive-By
Truckers and a few new songs set to be released on an upcoming album. Though he
rejects the label of “protest singer,” many of his songs had a strong political
bent, including a new song in which he sings against the development of
downtown Atlanta. “Who needs a downtown when there’s a Wal-Mart next door,”
Hood crooned.
The crowd at the show was
a mixed lot. Ole Miss students wearing Polo brand shirts and Cole Haan shoes
stood next middle-aged men with long hair and “Brad Morris for Congress”
stickers (Morris is the Democratic candidate in the upcoming election for Mississippi’s
First District).
The diverse nature of the
crowd seemed to belie a strong division among Hood’s (and Drive-By Trucker’s)
fan base—the split between those who enjoy the love songs and stories of the
South for which Hood and the band are known and those who strongly support the
band’s message of class solidarity and anti-corporatism.
“Patterson Hood and DBT…
I feel like their music just speaks to so many different people,” said Mark
Roberts, a senior at Ole Miss. “I’m not a fan of his political message, but I
like everything else they’ve done.”
Roberts’ statement was
reflected by the reactions of the crowd. When Hood sang the Wal-Mart line
mentioned above, many of the fans stood stone-faced, while others yelled and
clapped.
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