By Kate Tocke, PR Director

[Photo courtesy of D’Angelo Isaac]

Hayden Pedigo, an Amarillo, Texas native, released his new live album on September 6, Live in Amarillo, Texas. The album captures his feelings of his hometown and his expressive guitar playing. Pedigo, known for his acoustic guitar playing, believes that this is one of the most important records he has ever released. This listen takes you on a lightened journey of bliss and puts you in a relaxed state you didn’t know was achievable. I was lucky enough to talk with Pedigo about Live in Amarillo, Texas, and what it was like playing in his hometown. 

[This interview has been edited for length and clarity]

Kate Tocke : Amarillo is obviously a very big inspiration to you. You talk about that a little bit in your introduction to the album before you go on to play “Carthage.” How would you explain Amarillo to people who have never been there and how does it affect the music you produce?

Hayden Pedigo : I think if someone had never been to Amarillo I’d jokingly describe it as a flat, dry, windy, and brutal place. But in some ways I think it is one of the most beautiful places if you know how to look at it. I genuinely believe that Amarillo has some of the most beautiful sunsets on planet Earth and the flat planes go on forever. It’s beautiful, it is this empty infinite space. If someone is claustrophobic it’s the best place to go, it’s so wide open. Those wide open spaces greatly inspire my music, that is where those pauses in my music come from. But if someone who has never been to Amarillo went for the first time, they would probably think it’s ugly.

Kate : A little bit ago you put a written piece on your instagram about how it can be scary to go back and play in your hometown, how would you describe the energy of that show?

Hayden : I think it was one of the most exciting and scary shows. There is a different type of pressure when playing in your hometown because there are people you grew up with. And I think many artists and musicians can attest to the idea that your hometown is usually the last place to become a fan of your work, if they ever do. This idea goes back thousands of years. There is a bible verse that says “No man is a prophet in his own hometown.” And the idea, even in the biblical sense, was that if someone was to go out and preach, they were advised not to preach in their hometown, around people you grew up with because they won’t take you seriously. And I think about that translation to art, is that people that have known you for all of those years, won’t likely take you seriously as an artist because they know you in much more lowkey, local, and personal capacity. So I think there is this fear of going back to your hometown to play because people won’t take you seriously and it is harder to put on a facade. So I think that is where all the nerves came from because of the fear I wouldn’t be accepted in the town I came from.

Kate : What made you so inclined to release a live album of that specific show?

Hayden : It was weird because we weren’t planning on doing a live record, it was something me and the label never talked about. Two days before the performance I had called the promoter of the show and asked him if it was possible for us to record the show. It was just a last minute idea I had and he made a couple of calls. and he called us back to tell us he will record the show tomorrow. So we just decided to record it on a whim and just thought if it’s a good recording maybe we can do something with it. If it’s not good we will just delete it and won’t have to worry about it. But we recorded it and it ended up being one of my favorite performances and the audio quality ended up being pretty fantastic. It ended up being a happy accident and we captured a magical show, in my opinion. 

Kate : During that show you played a mix of songs from two of your albums, Letting Go and The Happiest Times I’ve Ever Ignored. Is there a reason why you chose to play songs from those specific albums?

Hayden : Well I think because Letting Go and The Happiest Times I’ve Ever Ignored are kinda brother and sister albums. They are really close to each other and are connected conceptually. They have a lot in common. Those are the songs I have been touring with and playing the most, so I feel like my skill level playing those songs has improved quite a bit. I played a handful of shows in 2023 opening for artists like Jenny Lewis and Devendra Banhart and decided it was best to play the strongest songs. I had also been playing them a lot, plus the idea of playing them together in one show connected them and conceptually made sense to put them together in one set list. 

Kate : As you said earlier, you were on tour opening for artists like Jenny Lewis and Devendra Banhart.  You have an upcoming solo tour this fall, what can we expect from those shows?

Hayden : I am excited because with these shows I am going to be playing a bunch of new songs from a brand new record no one has heard yet that comes out next year. So these shows, in a lot of ways, are going to be testing out pieces no one has heard, along with playing some of the songs you hear on the live record. This is going to be quite an experiment for me getting to test out new, more challenging material.That is quite a bit harder, technically, than even the songs on Letting Go and The Happiest Times I’ve Ever Ignored. So that is what I am planning with these solo shows this fall. I think it’s gonna be pretty cool.

Kate : What was the feeling of selling out your pressed live album, in just 12 hours?

Hayden : It was pretty incredible. Me and my label, Mexican Summer, didn’t really have a reference for how this live record would do and we thought it might be risky pressing these since it’s not a studio record. I just put out a record last year and have a new record coming next year. I didn’t really know what to anticipate, but I told them my ultimate goal is to sell them out before the release day. It sold out in 12 hours, which is really amazing, but also terrifying because we might have pressed too few, we weren’t anticipating this type of response. We are actually working on a repress right now and trying to get it done ASAP. The demand was 10 times higher than we were expecting, so it’s pretty incredible. I think people were stoked for a live record since there aren’t many acoustic guitar live records out there. This is uncharted territory for me. 

Kate : If this is someone’s first time hearing about you, how would you describe your music to them?

Hayden : I would say it’s a relaxing, instrumental guitar. I mean the word pastoral, but that might even be a bit out there. I say it’s music that defines your private, secret place. It’s music to escape with, music to take a breather to. I’d like to imagine my instrumental music to give people the space to find a certain kind of peace that they might not be able to find in music with lyrics in it. I’d say it’s escapist, instrumental guitar music to unwind to.

Listen here : https://open.spotify.com/album/6VJumvdtWHQx55132t0OIZ?si=45O2sSZ1QEye-MOeaw2vmg