The Music Ambassadors, a Knight Arts grantee, have been doing a marvelous job with booking well-known artists and showcasing them in intimate and live concerts for the Macon community. The dynamics of the whole concept reach beyond the concert performance. The show is only one third of the Music Ambassador’s mission. The other two-thirds consist of keeping the legacy of Macon’s music alive and helping to preserve historic sites in Macon.

Most of the chosen artists perform in a historic home, landmark or neighborhood. This time around, Patterson Hood, co-founder of the Drive-By Truckers, can be found doing a solo gig on June 9 at the McCaw-Massee House, located at 615 College Street in the College Hill Corridor, from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.

This house is also referred to as the Crisco House, because the original owner was a significant part of the invention that evolved into what we know as the lard called Crisco. Later on, the house was bought by a good friend of Tennessee Williams. His name was W. Jordan Massee. Tennessee Williams wrote his play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in the Massee house and created the character Big Daddy as a reflection of W. Jordan Massee’s personality.

Patterson Hood playing his guitar.

When listening to the sounds of Patterson Hood’s singing, he makes you feel the art of poetry and storytelling. A lot of his life experiences are expressed through his lyrics and music, especially with his solo projects. In addition, he has used his talent to team up with other artists as they acted as advocates against a Walmart being built in Athens. Hood can be heard in the mainstream on commercial radio. On the other hand, you can tune into a National Public Radio station and hear his presence.

Therefore, it’s quite natural to have the Macon Storytellers open up for his show. The organizers of the Music Ambassadors were quite clever with adding this phenomena to the production. Early in the day at 2 p.m., Patterson Hood will sit on a panel at the Arts Matters Symposium, a Knight Arts grantee, along with Josh Jackson, the editor of Paste Magazine. This event will take place at the Cox Capitol Theatre, located at 382 Second Street in downtown Macon, with the guest panelists and audience discussing music and music criticism. This art symposium is free with registration.

Tickets for the June 9 house concert are $25 in advance and $35 at the door. They can be purchased online by clicking here. Proceeds benefit Georgia Public Broadcasting, Historic Macon and the Macon Arts Alliance, which are all Knight Arts grantees doing great things to create a sense of place by engaging our community with the arts.