S.G. Goodman and MJ Lenderman perform for The Bitter Southerner’s 10th Anniversary

By Jordan Brehm

S.G. Goodman is a musician from Hickman, Kentucky. She is pictured performing as the headliner at 40 Watt Club for The Bitter Southerner’s 10th anniversary. (Photo/ Jordan Brehm)

MJ Lenderman is a musician out of Asheville, North Carolina. He is pictured performing live at 40 Watt Club for The Bitter Southerner’s 10th anniversary. (Photo/Jordan Brehm)

---

S.G. Goodman headlined a concert Tuesday night at 40 Watt Club in honor of The Bitter Southerner’s 10th anniversary where almost 300 people were present.

Goodman, a singer-songwriter from Hickman, Kentucky, made her appearance in Athens following her headlining tour on the west coast. She began the performance with her song “Work Until I Die" which was featured on season three of the television show “Outer Banks.”

Goodman is not a stranger to Athens. She mixed her second record “Teeth Marks” at Chase Park Transduction in 2020.

“I owe a lot to this city, you know?” Goodman said in between songs.

Goodman told stories, answered a few questions, and cracked jokes throughout the night. She even touched on serious topics that have affected the way she writes songs.

She explained that “Teeth Marks” is an album inspired by the opioid crisis and the effect that it has had on her personally as well as on others.

“And I would bet that every single one of us here have been affected by the opioid pandemic,” said Goodman.

About 250 people bought tickets to see the performances by Goodman, a southern rock artist and her opening act MJ Lenderman, an alternative-country performer. Some people came from as far as Augusta, Georgia, and Nashville, Tennessee to hear her voice live, but those living in Athens were just as intrigued by the opportunity.

“I think she’s one of those artists that if you’re here tonight you’ll say ‘I remember when I saw her in a room this size,’” said DRee Church, an Athens native.

Church described Goodman’s voice as versatile in a way that is hard to identify only one special characteristic. Most of her setlist was upbeat and had fans nodding along to the music, but a few songs were slow and accented the raspy, high features of her tone.

Goodman’s song “Space and Time” from her first record “Old Time Feeling” has over 3 million streams on Spotify.

MJ Lenderman, a musician out of Asheville, North Carolina, performed before Goodman. He and his band played tracks off of his most recent album “Boat Songs” that had people in the crowd singing and dancing too.

The Bitter Southerner was celebrated following Lenderman’s set with a cake that had “Ten Years” written in icing and candles with letters that spelled out “Happy Birthday.”

“I’m so excited to be here celebrating the birthday of the youngin’ we all know and love as Bitter Southerner,” said Goodman.

---

S.G. Goodman performs her song “Work Until I Die” which was featured in season three of the television show “Outer Banks” at 40 Watt Club. (Video/Jordan Brehm)

S.G. Goodman performs her hit song “Space and Time” which has over 3 million streams on Spotify at 40 Watt Club. (Video/Jordan Brehm)

MJ Lenderman performs one of his songs at 40 Watt Club in celebration of The Bitter Southerner’s 10th anniversary. (Video/Jordan Brehm)

---

Why I Wrote The Story:

I wrote this story because I want my readers to know how the Athens, Georgia music industry affects not only locals but performers and average people from all over. S.G. Goodman and MJ Lenderman came to this city to perform because they know about Athens' reputation in the music industry. I chose to go to this event because S.G. Goodman has an interesting background and current life. She is from a small town in Kentucky, but she has managed to gain a large following, record two albums, and have a song featured on the television show "Outer Banks." I wanted to learn more about her and see how her music affects others. This story helped me to understand some of the motivations behind musicians' songs on a deeper level.