Can you please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your musical journey and background?
Hi! Well, my name is Quinn Hedges, and I was born and raised in Delaware in a musical family. I took piano lessons at a young age I can always remember singing as a child. I believe my first performance was in 2nd or 3rd grade. Luckily, my parents have great taste, so I grew up listening to fantastic music. I didn’t pick up the guitar until I was 15 years old, but once I did, it was ‘game over’ as playing guitar quickly became my #1 priority. I started writing songs around the age of 18 when I got my hands on a 4-track recorder.
After graduating from high school, the Hedges family packed up and moved to sunny California, where I graduated college with a BA degree in Music (Jazz Studies) in 2003. Since then, I have been performing, writing, and recording music.
Who are some of your biggest musical influences, and how have they shaped your sound and style?
I feel like I have a couple of different musical personalities, the electric guitarist and the songwriter. In terms of musical influences for electric guitar, I was heavily influenced by classic rock guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, David Gilmour, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Derek Trucks, Robert Cray, Albert Collins, and Larry Coryell to name just a few. This list could go on and on and on as there are so many amazing guitarists. In terms of acoustic guitarists, I have always been a fan Leo Kottke
In terms of songwriting, I’ve been very influenced by Ben Folds, Dave Matthews, Phish, Bon Iver, and Jason Isbell.
Can you share a specific artist or album that has had a significant impact on your music?
Two albums that immediately come to mind that I was heavily influenced by, especially for songwriting, would be The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner by Ben Folds Five and For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver. Both are amazing albums that I strongly connected with.
What’s your creative process like when you’re composing or writing a new song?
My creative process is a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Meaning, sometimes I will come up with a nice idea for a melody, or a catch first line of a lyric and if I feel the idea has some legs to it, I’ll dive in deeper and see what comes out the other side. Sometimes when the inspiration comes strong, a song can go from nothing to complete in 45 minutes. On the flip side, sometimes songs take years to complete. I generally use the Voice Memos and Notes applications on my phone to try and capture any ideas that surface. I realize that I would be a more efficient if I had a routine and schedule to work solely on my songwriting and one day, I hope I have the time to be able to make that a priority.
Among all the songs you’ve created, do you have a personal favorite? If so, what makes it special to you?
I think one of my favorite songs that I’ve written is My Angel from my album Slightly South of Stormy Clouds. I feel like the actual recording of this song just came out perfectly. It is a simple folk song that starts with acoustic guitar and vocals; however, as it progresses it really has a beautiful and emotional build that I am extremely proud of. I play guitar, mandolin, and banjo. Aaron McHenry provides beautiful brush work on the drums. Xavier Foley’s tone on his upright bass is tasteful and huge. Further, my father plays a beautiful dobro part that compliments my cousin, John B Hedges, delicate and elegant string arrangement. It was the perfect piece to end the album with. Also, the album was mixed by Tim Sonnefeld and mastered by the legendary Bob Ludwig. Everything about this song just came together perfectly.
Can you share the story or inspiration behind that particular song?
Sure. My wife is a longtime nurse and worked in an emergency room for nearly 11 years. Whenever we would discuss how our days went, I was always surprised and appalled at how people treat their nurses, as if they are less than humans. I get it, people come into the ER because they are in pain; however, that does not provide a pass to treat them poorly. More cases than not, nurses are in their profession for the right reasons, to help those in need. My wife is very special in the fact that I have witnessed her run towards the accident as opposed to standing back and doing nothing. She truly is inspiring and an angel. With that, I felt I needed to write a song to put that on display. This song is always used as a public service announcement and reminder to people to treat your nurses with kindness and respect. Their jobs are not easy, and a little bit of kindness goes a long way!
Let’s talk about your latest song. What’s the title, and what’s the story or message behind it?
I recently released a Christmas album called Night Divine, which is now available on all streaming platforms. I perform cover songs regularly and always make a point of, “making the songs my own” so they come across as genuine and unique to the listener. This album provided a platform for me to do that for a collection of holiday songs that have inspired me in the past. For example, one of the singles was “Blue Christmas”, that is my rendition of a tune that Elvis Presley made popular in the 1950’s. I had a lot of fun doing these songs and I really hope the Christmas Spirit is felt by the listener as they hear the album.
Share a memorable or unique experience from one of your live performances.
There was a time when I opened for Nicholas David, a former standout from NBC’s The Voice, that I remember very clearly. I have opened for numerous extremely talented musicians in the past and for some reason, I was inspired to ask Nicholas to join me for a song. Other times that I have done this, the artist would politely decline; however, when I approached Nicholas, he and his backing singer, Debra G, accepted and were totally game and amazing throughout! We performed The Weight by The Band and the crowd ate it up! I am forever grateful for how generous Nicholas and Debra were towards me that night.
Beyond music, do you have any hobbies or interests that you’re passionate about? How do they influence your music?
One of my favorite hobbies is BBQ! love nothing more than throwing some ribs on the smoker and hanging out with some of my closest BBQ enthusiast friends. I don’t believe this hobby influences my music very much; however, it does provide some relaxation, but also allows for a platform to research and constantly strive to improve my skills. Big shout-out to Heath Riles, Malcom Reed, Chuds BBQ, and Meat Church Matt for all the online BBQ wisdom.
Is there a dream collaboration you’d like to pursue in the future?
Wow…this is a tough question and there’s so many producers, songwriters, and performers I would love to collaborate with! Two that pop into my head right now would be to write a song with Jason Isbell or play guitar next to Derek Trucks. They are both just about the best in the business as far as I’m concerned.
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians who are just starting their journey in the music industry?
The best piece of advice would be to make sure you are in the music industry for the right reasons. It’s a lonely place to be sometimes and it will test you mentally and physically. Also, keep pushing, be persistent and consistent!! You never know what you can accomplish, and you never know unless you try. Lastly, be kind to everyone you meet along the way. You never know what relationships and opportunities may come up down the road, so being easy to work with and a good person can speak volumes.
Can you give us a sneak peek into any upcoming projects or new music you have in the works? What can your fans and listeners look forward to from you in the near future?
Yes, I’d love to! I am currently working on a new project with my uber-talented cousin, John B Hedges, fittingly called “Cousin Hedges”. In the past, we collaborated as co-producers on my album Slightly South of Stormy Clouds, which is the best project I’ve been a part of to date. Since that project was such a success, we decided to keep the train rolling. Cousin Hedges will be even more of a collaboration as John B and I share songwriting and singing duties. We currently have some songs in the mixing stage now and we plan to have our first album released in 2024. As you can tell, I’m really excited about this one and hope you dig it as well!
All my albums are available on all streaming platforms or on my Bandcamp page. Please feel free to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and visit www.quinnhedges.com for any upcoming news and events. Thank you again so much for your time and interviewing me today. I am very grateful to you and the Vibe Vault team.