Rising indie artist M.J. Lenderman and rock veteran Patterson Hood will perform back-to-back sets May 24 in an opening weekend Spoleto Festival USA show beneath the oaks of the College of Charleston’s Cistern Yard. The double bill spans generations, bringing together two distinct, alternative voices from the South.
Lenderman, known as a guitarist for the band Wednesday, recently has gained traction as a solo artist. On tour for his latest album, Manning Fireworks, his fan base continues to grow. Lenderman has cited Hood as one of his greatest inspirations, and the feeling is mutual.
Hood, the Drive-By Truckers frontman, came out this year with his newest solo album, Exploding Trees and Airplane Screams, which features Wednesday on one track with Lenderman shredding the electric guitar.
While Lenderman and Hood are 35 years apart, they have much more in common than a few collaborations. They share a raw style, a tendency towards sad songs and Southern roots.
Leah Hennessy, associate producer of Spoleto, said the festival aims to showcase Southern artists with different lived experiences.
“Being able to highlight music that comes out of a real Southern roots and Southern rock perspective is awesome,” Hennessy said. “I think it helps for Charleston natives to find something that is familiar inside of the festival, something that really resonates with them. And for tourists visiting the city, it gives them another slice of what it’s like here.”
Southern voices, personal stakes
Twenty-six-year-old Lenderman from North Carolina takes a witty approach to big themes like faith and heartbreak in his songs, drawing inspiration from Southern literature.
Hood, 61, moved to Portland, Oregon, a decade ago. An Alabama native, he still considers the South home. His lyrics often contain political commentary, holding space for both love and critique of his region and country.
“I’ve always considered our music to be political,” Hood said. “But I think a lot of people were, for a long time, sort of oblivious to that aspect of it.”
In the past few years, political polarization ran off a faction of his fan base, but he doesn’t mind. In fact, politics are more personal than ever for Hood. “I’ve got a trans kid. I’ve got an autistic kid,” he said. “I feel like my house is in the news.”
Old souls, new blood: a collaborative sound
Hood makes a point of bridging generations through his music. Frances Thrasher, the artist behind the Exploding Trees and Airplane Screams album cover and stop-motion video for one of its songs, is 20, the same age as Hood’s oldest son.
“A lot of the people who worked on this record are significantly younger than me,” said Hood. “That’s been fun – kind of breathes some new life into it all.”
The touring band for the album includes young collaborators Lydia Loveless and Ben Hackett, as well as seasoned Drive-By Truckers members Brad Morgan and Jay Gonzalez. At Spoleto, Hood will perform his last show of the year with the group, which he calls the Sensurrounders, and he hopes to end on a high note before returning to his main job: touring with the Drive-By Truckers. Sharing the stage with Lenderman, he said, would be a fitting way to wrap it up. “Hopefully he’ll come do a song with us during our set,” said Hood.
IF YOU WANT TO GO: “Spoleto Festival USA Patterson Hood with M.J. Lenderman,” May 24 at 9 p.m., College of Charleston Cistern Yard.
Olivia Meier is a magazine, news, and digital journalism graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
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