The University of South Alabama’s Independent Music Collective will host its third annual Songwriter Keynote on Monday, March 2, bringing acclaimed Drive-By Truckers frontman Patterson Hood to the Mainstage Theatre at the Laidlaw Performing Arts Center. Doors open at 7 p.m. for the free event, which has grown into one of the organization’s most anticipated programs since it began a decade ago.
The Independent Music Collective, known locally as IMC, has spent the past ten years bringing touring songwriters and roots musicians to Mobile, with past bills featuring acts such as Hurray for the Riff Raff and C.W. Stoneking. Organizers say this year’s keynote, featuring Hood, may be the biggest turnout yet for the series.
Hood, a co-founder of the Drive-By Truckers, has spent more than two decades writing songs that have helped shape and redefine the sound of modern Southern rock, both with the band and in his solo work. His unvarnished, plainspoken style of storytelling has earned him a devoted following well beyond the Southeast, and his appearance at Laidlaw Performing Arts Center gives Mobile audiences a rare chance to hear him discuss his songwriting process up close.
The evening will not be limited to a single performer. Peter Cooper, who works with the Country Music Hall of Fame and has his own background as a singer-songwriter, author and journalist, will give a presentation as part of the program. Cooper also teaches country music history at Vanderbilt University, adding an academic perspective to the night’s discussion of craft. Singer-songwriter Will Johnson is also scheduled to take part in a roundtable conversation about songwriting.
Attendees will receive a copy of “IMC: Vol. 1,” a vinyl release compiling live recordings gathered during the collective’s first decade of shows at Satori Coffee House. The album features performances from artists including Gurf Morlix, Charlie Parr and Malcolm Holcombe, aiming to preserve the low-key, up-close atmosphere that has defined many of IMC’s earlier concerts.
The Laidlaw Performing Arts Center is located at 5751 USA Drive S. on the University of South Alabama campus. Admission to the Songwriter Keynote is free, and additional details are available through the university’s website.