The Hooded Deer, the musical persona of Will Bryant, began mixing music and performing at dance parties in 2007.
“I’m the only band member, but have played one show with a live drummer and hope to do it again soon,” Bryant said. “I have amazing help with visuals and sound from my good friend at GTR Productions.”
Bryant created The Hooded Deer by accident for a study that he was participating in.
“I was working on music for a made-up band entitled Castles to Mountains,” Bryant said. “This was the subject of an independent study done in 2006 and I installed all the artwork created for the band in the back of U-Haul truck.”
The Hooded Deer moniker, Bryant said was derived from Native American culture, tropicalismo and psychedelia.
“It has no literal meaning and I am not even that particular to venison,” Bryant said. “but I do like hoodies.”
Each show has a particular theme. In this case the theme is Sweataggedon.
“I often ask for suggestions from close friends who are regulars at the dance parties for theme ideas. My themes derive from word play and nonsensical phrases,” Bryant said. “They usually occur off the cuff or when listening to Devendra Banhart, Animal Collective, Dan Deacon or any other band with really great song titles. The key element is to make sure they are ridiculous.”
Junior aerospace engineer major Philip Vanderleest pointed out how much he enjoys dancing at The Hooded Deer shows.
“The thing I like best about the shows is the crazy dancing. Everyone who participates is jumping, dancing, prancing and just having the best time they can,” Vanderleest said. “Nobody judges you on how lame or silly you look when you are dancing, and the music is super fly. Will Bryant is a wizard on his setup and has the best beats.”
The Hooded Deer is also synonymous with its elaborately designed posters, videos and sets. Bryant said he designs and creates all the artwork for his shows such as posters, video and promotion.
“I’m a senior graphic design student so I use this as a means to sharpen my skills and just make wacky stuff. I have a particular interest in hand-drawn typography, bright color combinations and shapes,” Bryant said.
Tim Myers, a senior graphic design major, thinks the artwork is unique.
“I like his artwork a lot. It’s a very specific style that I like and it’s very eye catching,” Myers said.
Bryant played his first house party in 2007 and has been popular in Starkville and Columbus since then.
“I played my first house party in October of 2007 and then three more before playing a New Year’s Eve party in Denton, Texas., Bryant said. From there I started playing local venues in Starkville and then the Princess in Columbus.”
The thing that makes The Hooded Deer popular is Bryant’s attitude toward music.
“I’m far from musically inclined. I don’t play a single instrument and haven’t even hit a single note on accident,” Bryant said. “I just love music and sharing it while creating an extremely positive atmosphere.”
Vanderleest said the dancing is what keeps him going back to each show.
“The fact that you can’t dance like you can at a Hooded Deer show anywhere else keeps me going to the shows,” Vanderleest said. “Another thing that keeps me interested in the shows is the ever changing songs — no Hooded Deer show is the same, and Will always plays what the crowd wants to hear.”
The Hooded Deer’s show will begin at 10 p.m. tonight at the Princess Theater in Columbus.