Arts and Entertainment
Best Folk
Bobby E. Lee and the Sympathizers
Jefferson Jackson Steele
Best Folk: Bobby E. Lee and the Sympathizers
Published: September 19, 2012
Bobby E. Lee and the Sympathizers may have the best band URL in the world, but we can only go so far as to call them the best folk band in our fair city. The Confederate twist to their name can be a bit off-putting—until you realize that the Sympathizers are more Borat than Bocephus. But Bobby E. Lee and crew aren’t a novelty act: They play folk music fueled by gasoline, where the 10 percent irony acts like ethanol. With songs like “I Need a Cigarette,” and “Root Hog or Die,” and a vicious, sweaty, and beer-filled live show, this band brings more energy than many of their folk competitors combined. Sure, they’ve got some electric guitars and drums and the “Judas”-yelling Newporters might not think that counts as folk. But they’d be on the wrong side of history. Just ask Bob Dylan.
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