Songwriter Feature - Reed Waddle

I met Reed Waddle a little over three years ago at Bandwagon Red Publishing. I remember the first time I saw Reed play live here in Nashville at a place that used to be called "The House." I was amazed by his honest songwriting and smooth voice.  He reminded me of a blend of my favorite artists (John Mayer, Gavin DeGraw, Dave Matthews, etc.) I was shocked and excited to find an artist like him writing in the country realm of Nashville. You guys are seriously in for a treat with Reed! I can't wait to introduce you to him and his music!

I hope you'll join us tonight on Instagram LIVE at 8pm central time for some original music! In the meantime, I would like to pass the mic over to Reed Waddle so you can get to know him!

When did you start singing/playing music?

Started learning guitar at 14 but "seriously" When I was 16 and my friend needs a fill-in for a Battle of the Bands competition locally. 

How did you get into songwriting?

My Dad was/is a songwriter and always told me tales of him being on the road and how powerful music can be. He always pushed me to try and create things that were from an original place. I credit him as the main reason I am a musician/songwriter today. 

Who are your biggest influences?

My Dad, James Taylor, Dave Matthews (old stuff) Tom Petty, Bill Withers, Van Morrison

What are you listening to right now?

I'm surprisingly obsessed with the Bryce Vine song Drew Barrymore. I don't know why, but it has such swag. I also really like this band from Australia Parcels. I listen to it when I ride my bike. It makes me feel like a little kid. 

If you could only listen to one artist for the rest of your life, who would it be?

That is tough. Probably Van Morrison. He has songs that fit any mood. 

What is your new album about? What do you want listeners to know about what the song means to you?

I am about to release a new album. I have promoted a few singles the past few months, but I am really excited to release the project as a record. It was built that way. It's the first project I have done in 8 years, so there were a ton of songs to go through. I picked 13 that were written at different times, but it all sort of works as a whole piece. The single I am promoting now is called "Tidal Wave" it's just a fun summer song with a lot of different instruments in it. 

If you could write a song with any person dead or alive, who would it be?

Bruce Springsteen

What was/is your experience in quarantine like as a musician?

I honestly have really enjoyed it. I live in Washington D.C. where my wife works and has to travel a lot to Nashville for writing, recording, etc. She also travels a lot for work, so it's been really nice to spend a lot of time with her that I have missed out on over the years. I have found ways to be creative through zoom and FaceTime and I have been doing a weekly live stream on social media, something I would have probably NEVER done if I wasn't forced to. I have also invested in some better recording equipment and learned a lot about production with all the free time on my hands. Besides people getting sick and my glasses getting fogged up from my mask, I have enjoyed it. 

What advice would you give to an aspiring singer/songwriter?

Keep searching for your own voice by learning everything you can. Once you find your voice or think you have, trust it the most over other people's opinions. Don't be too proud not to listen, but you know who you are. Go with your gut. 

More about Reed Waddle

Driven by deeply personal yet universal narratives based on experiences as a working Nashville songwriter, the collection showcases his three unique musical vibes – acoustic singer/songwriter, rock and roller and the classic California country sound inspired by influences like Neil Young and Tom Petty. Reed previews his first release in eight years with two infectious tracks, the high energy, gospel inflected pop/rocker “Too Bright to Fade Away” and the soulful, gently reflective ballad “Bells of Brooklyn.” 

While there’s no way Reed could have anticipated the larger impact of these thought-provoking tunes, both can speak powerfully to people in this frightening, uncertain era of COVID-19. “Too Bright To Fade Away” rolls like an encouraging love letter to oneself. Everyone can find inspiration in the lines: “But you’ve got a light too bright to fade away. . .We’ll keep, we’ll keep holding on,” the latter which he repeats backed by a rousing choir. Reed penned the gritty yet uplifting, highly observational “Bells of Brooklyn” as an ode to his years living and working on his music career in NYC. He sings, “It took a lot of wrong steps before I could get right here/And as the bells of Brooklyn are ringing loud and clear/I wonder how I got right here.” The key line which has the potential to inspire countless listeners through these challenging times: “What don’t kill you makes you stronger later on.” 

For the past five years, the grand prize winner of the Telluride Troubadour contest immersed himself in the Nashville songwriting scene, learning the finely detailed art of collaboration and getting his tunes cut by renowned indie artists. At first, he felt like he was back in “college all over again, except this time, I actually enjoyed going to class. I’d write 5-8 songs a week, sometimes two or three a day. It made me unafraid to write with anyone or about anything.” 

While grateful for the opportunities that notable publishers sent his way, the artist in him was itching to get back in the studio and record his own songs. Those five years commuting back and forth to Music City from Atlanta and now Washington, DC laid the perfect foundation for his triumphant return in 2020 with his upcoming album Time the River. 

Though he had previously recorded and released two albums – Higher Ground (2004) and Piece By Piece (2008) – his musical fortunes turned in 2009 when he moved from his hometown of Destin, Florida to Boston. Within months, he captured the Grand Prize of the prestigious New York Songwriters Circle and was a winner of The Mountain Stage New Song Competition in West Virginia. During this period of great change, growth and struggle, he wrote all the songs for his critically acclaimed third album, Creatures of the Heart. He quickly moved to NYC, found an ally in British producer Iestyn Polson (David Gray, David Bowie) and the two handpicked the great musicians who helped flesh out Reed’s vision. For Time The River, Reed found an equally simpatico producer, Nashville based Jesse Thompson, who shared the singer’s vision that the album should be organic and feature live performances. 

 

Reed has opened for or appeared on stage with Hall and Oates, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Shawn Colvin, The Indigo Girls, Mat Kearney, The All American Rejects, The Punch Brothers, Glen Hansard, Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers, Tim Reynolds (Dave Matthews Band), Vienna Teng, Katie Hertzig, Shawn Mullins, Ryan Montbleau, Jessie Harris, Matt Duke, Caleb Hawley, Liz Longley, The Whalers and many others. In June 2012 he performed at the 39th Telluride Blue Grass Festival before his largest audience ever, after winning the Telluride Troubadour Contest. His album “Creatures of the Heart” reached number 22 on the I-Tunes Singer Songwriter charts prior to his national tour opening for NBC’s The Voice winner Javier Colon in March of 2012. In 2010 he played in 38 states mostly in small venues, colleges and listening rooms touring with Caleb Hawley and as a solo artist. His songs “Ready to Run” and “Goodnight Los Angeles” were in rotation on “The Loft” for four months on Sirius Satellite Radio from October of 2008 through January 2009 . Reed has co-written with John Oates and performed on stage with him numerous times. Oates sang background vocals on his last album, “Piece by Piece”. He considers Oates a mentor and a strong influence on his career.