Cady Herring I The Daily Mississippian
Nelly performs during Friday’s spring concert.
It was a big week for music in Oxford last week. Nelly, at a laudably self-aware point in his career, packed the Grove with an audience of thousands who came to party like it was sixth grade. However, there was much more happening last week than a concert in the Grove. The Lyric hosted Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors Thursday, and English dream-pop super trio The xx on Friday. Even more, Proud Larry’s hosted the always-delightful Shannon McNally on Saturday.
Nelly reportedly gave a classic Nelly set, moving through his staples with grillz in his teeth and Air Force Ones on his feet. No one should deny, even those who might want to, that this show was going to be inevitably, inescapably fun. And I haven’t heard otherwise from anyone.
The xx was performing at the same time on Friday. The xx is an English indie-pop band that specializes in dreams, and on Friday, it became one. With a light show unlike any other and an uncanny affinity for set construction, the trio produced one of the most enthralling concerts I can remember. And, just like dreams, it was over seemingly as soon as it had begun, but not one of us wanted to wake.
I should mention that Oxford produced an absolutely fantastic crowd for this event. It was a sold-out show, and for a concert experience that requires a highly engaged and respectful audience, Oxford did as much to create the concert’s euphoric atmosphere as The xx did. In the end, Oxford’s gracious supporters rendered singer Romy Madley Croft speechless with gratitude, and the pond-crossers will leave this place with a fine perception of the people who inhabit it.
All the shows boasted great crowds and gripping experiences, which might have completed the week’s musical activities. However, Wednesday and Thursday were host to something great as well. The Center for the Study of Southern Culture, in cooperation with Living Blues Magazine, sponsored its annual Music of the South Conference, a two-day celebration of the unique connection between the South and the music and culture it births.
Each year, the center hosts several lecturers and guest speakers to discuss varied topics that fall under the South’s gigantic umbrella, but there is always a predominant theme. For instance, 2013’s conference focused heavily on blues music, but some discussions covered gospel music, swamp music, popular music and even hip hop, all in regard to how the South, and especially the blues culture within it, influences that particular musical culture.
This year’s conference had a unifying theme of songwriting and the South. This included discussion on topics from female murder ballads, given by Sophie Abramowitz, to New Orleans hip hop and bounce, by Holly Hobbs and Allison Fensterstock.
This year saw a particularly welcome guest for promoters of the Oxford-Memphis area. On Thursday, Holly George-Warren, biographer of Memphis legend Alex Chilton, gave a presentation on Chilton’s life and music. Chilton, the lead singer of The Box Tops and cult favorite Big Star, lived a raucous life characterized by drugs, alcohol, shortcomings and botched business, which may well have been the guiding force behind Chilton’s forays into independent recording and production as well as his being at the forefront of the punk genre.
George-Warren took the audience through Chilton’s unbelievable life with ease; it was clear that she began her work with a deep love and respect for Chilton’s life and music, and that respect developed into a very personal understanding of Chilton’s strange and hazy character. George-Warren’s book is entitled “A Man Called Destruction: The Life and Music of Alex Chilton” and is a must-read for any music fan.
April began with a musical bang, filling schedules and offering Oxford’s inhabitants myriad opportunities for unique concert experiences. However, it was perhaps most encouraging to see so many peers engaging and enriching their cultural interests through an academic setting, bridging the gap between intellectual advancements and culture and recognizing that those two notions are inseparable.
