Another day and another stage in another park, this time Candler Park for the Candler Park Music and Food Festival. Another day of standing all afternoon under a blazing sun.
Red Stripe was a sponsor and had the only beer available at the festival, and the music was similarly limited in scope, mostly to Americana/bluegrass jam bands and redneck-underground southern rock. Last night's performers included a Grateful Dead cover band, The Infamous Stringdusters and Leftover Salmon, and when I arrived today, Southern Culture On The Skids were on the stage singing their songs about dirt-track racing, banana pudding, green bottle flies, and life in mobile homes.
Toward the end of the set, two young ladies joined them on stage and threw pieces of Popeye's fried chicken out to the audience.
Next up was T. Hardy Morris, of Dead Confederate and Diamond Drugs among other outfits, performing today as Hardy and The Hardknocks. Whatever lineup he's fronting or supporting, Hardy always delivers a hard-hitting set of solid rock songs, and today was no exception, propelled along by a powerhouse drummer.
J Roddy Walston and The Business took the stage at 5:45 pm, just as the sun mercifully ducked behind the stage but kept the heat up with an exciting set of anthemic southern rock.
It wasn't exactly the brand of rock I prefer but I did enjoy every single set of music I heard, with each successive band better than the one before. It was clearly a different audience than the one that I usually see at "my" shows, perhaps due to the park setting, perhaps due to the bands playing. It was clearly a different tribe. Let me put it this way: I got to meet a guy named "Kudzu" and an Action Bronson look-alike, and I don't think I encountered too many Obama-voters.
Still, the music rocked, and rocked hard.
I left after J Roddy Walston basically because the sun had worn me out and the prospect of hanging out for four more hours followed by a long MARTA ride home didn't sound appealing. I'm sure Shovels & Ropes put on a great set, as always, and at this point Drive-By Truckers needn't defend themselves - they're Kudzu's favorite band and a fitting headliner for the Candler Park Music and Food Festival.
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