Sam Hadfield will be performing April 10 at Fidalgo Bay.
The smaller music venues in Murray offer the community a unique, up-close and personal concert with some of the best musicians in the region.
Sam Hadfield, singer and songwriter based out of Nashville, Tenn., is coming to deliver a little country, blues and bluegrass to Murray April 10.
He will make an appearance for an in-store performance at Terrapin Station from 1-1:30 p.m. Hadfield will also be perform at Fidalgo Bay from 6-8 p.m.
Hadfield grew up in Paducah, Ky., and attended Lone Oak High School. When Hadfield graduated he attended University of Louisville in Louisville, Ky.
“I skated by as much as possible,” Hadfield said. “I like to say I ‘passed’ college but that’s about the extent of the work I did there. I was more interested in Louisville’s music scene.”
Though Hadfield immersed himself in the music scene in college, his interest in music developed at a young age.
“My dad was in the Navy in San Francisco in the 70s and he’d tell me stories about seeing crazy rock ‘n’ roll bands out there,” he said. “That captured my imagination for sure. I was a basketball player at the time and I grew out my hair and started showing up to practice wearing a Grateful Dead T-shirt. It was all over after that.”
Hadfield’s passion for music led him toward an interest in music journalism. He said he always thought he was a decent writer, but not much of a musician.
Hadfield’s ever-growing interest in music had him digging into discography of legends such as Bob Dylan and John Prine. These influences shed some light on the songwriter’s potential career path.
“You don’t have to be a great singer or a virtuoso guitar player,” Hadfield said. “If you can write and capture a feeling you can be a musician. It’s all about making a connection with your fellow humans.”
While staying true to his beliefs, Hadfield pursued his music career and created the sound he has today. The music he plays is inspired by his surroundings and experiences in everyday life including moving from the country to the city, past relationships, traveling and late nights on the town.
Regardless of the nature of the song, Hadfield says he is true to himself by writing about these life experiences.
“My family plays a big part in my music (because) we’re really close,” he said. “I try to write about what I know and what I’ve grown up around.”
For seven years, the musician has played live gigs, but this is the first year Hadfield will tour, which he says is bittersweet. Although touring is exciting, there are disadvantages for any traveler.
“When you’re starting out like me you run into new responsibilities every day,” he said. “You have to act as your own manager, booking agent, accountant and publicist. And after all of that you write and play. It’s really just a constant grind but to me the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Getting to travel and meet new people every night is very appealing to me.”
Hadfield also works fulltime to save money for his travels so he can continue to meet new people and book more gigs. He said he looks forward to visiting Murray not only to meet new people, but to reunite with old friends as well.
“I can’t wait to visit Murray,” he said. “Since Paducah is so close a lot of my friends and family have moved to Murray to go to school. So it’s kind of going to be a little reunion of seeing old faces. I’m expecting a wild good time that evening.”
Story by Hunter Harrell, Features Editor