Hayden Pedigo, acoustic musician and composer born and raised in Amarillo, Texas performed at Turner Hall Ballroom on Sept. 10 as the opening act for Andy Shauf.
Each one of Pedigo’s instrumental songs tell a story through precise timing and ever-changing sonic tone throughout each piece. Complete with frequent near silence pauses throughout, alluding to the rolling planes of the Texas panhandle. With all members of the audience seated and engaged, Pedigo’s solo guitar set delivered an intimate performance.
Pedigo said it happened suddenly when it came to recording his live album “Live from Amarillo, Texas.”
“I was playing this show in my hometown at this place called Globe-News Center, it’s the home of the symphony and I really wanted to play there because it was kind of ambitious,” Pedigo said.
The day before the live recording, Pedigo impulsively called and asked if he could record the performance and from there, his first live album was in the works.
“Most of the challenges faced with recording the album were my nerves. I thought there was a lot of pressure with it being a hometown show,” Pedigo said.
Pedigo has never released singles or EPs, only full albums. His upcoming album will complete a trilogy following his most recent studio release “The Happiest Times I Ever Ignored” and the first “Letting Go.”
“I want people to hear the new album in context of the other two. Once it comes out, I think the story will be revealed, even for me,” Pedigo said. “The titles will tell the whole story.”
While on stage, Pedigo mentioned his dream is to score an apocalyptic western film and told the audience to close their eyes and imagine what that would look like accompanying the song. He also played his song “Elsewhere,” but decided to mix the main theme from the film Brokeback Mountain into the beginning.
“I only treat albums like films, you know. I used to always say that no one ever asked Stanley Kubrick to put out short films in between his movies,” Pedigo said. “I feel like I’ve been on a creative streak the past couple of years, a lot of ideas are coming to me.”
When it comes to writing his instrumental pieces, Pedigo says he feels as if the meanings that accompany his songs and album covers always come afterwards.
“It allows you to do this Rubik’s cube puzzle with your own work where it’s like, oh okay, that’s what it was about and I didn’t even know it,” Pedigo said. “I think it’s really fun not to assign meaning to your art while creating it and discovering it later.”
During his set, Pedigo played two new songs, “Smoked” and “Long Ponds of Lily.”
He often thanked the audience for their respectful manner and for arriving early to hear his music. After the show, he could be found at the merchandise table talking to the audience before Schauf’s set, who could also buy the limited pressing of his live album, which sold out online in just 12 hours.
Pedigo recently announced his first solo east-coast tour starting Nov. 12, immediately following his shows with Andy Schauf and upcoming shows with Hiss Golden Messenger in October.
This story was written by Sofía Cortés and Shannyn Donohue. They can be reached at [email protected] and s[email protected].
