 Cover Art: Betsy Eppes In her early 20’s, after returning from a year of drama school in Ireland (where she discovered she had more passion for music than theatre), Hadley McCall Thackston found song ideas were forming, but the matter of shaping her own songs in the shape of her heart was still at hand. She took solace on her home town porch in Decatur, Georgia, took out her guitar and started to tap into her creativity. “I started to discover my preference for being outside when I write, and I love the fact that I can be outside but under shelter at the same time. Porch-sittin’ is more of a communal tradition,” she added, “but at first, I didn’t really want to put anyone through my still tentative song-birthing process.” As her confidence grew, the self-described “porch sitter” slowly started to unofficially premiere her songs for family, friends, and neighbors. Thus, the songs on Thackston’s eponymous debut record (due June 15th) happened to have been written on various porches from Decatur, Georgia to Cedar Mountain, North Carolina to Wolfe Island, Ontario. Here, the singer-songwriter answers her Essential 8 and talks songwriting, The Decemberists, RuPaul, and more. Where do you draw inspiration from when writing? I draw a lot of inspiration and concepts from Mother Nature and all the unknown in the universe. When/where do you do your best writing? Because I’m so inspired by nature my favorite place to write is outside, specifically on front porches. Most of my record was written on various front porches from Decatur & Atlanta, Georgia to Wolfe Island, Ontario (Canada). Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination? I’m definitely a mix between personal experience and observations. I keep trying my hand at writing story songs but have had no success with that yet. What’s your dream venue and why? I would love to play the Tabernacle in Atlanta. It has always been my favorite venue in the city and to play there would be really special.  Credit: Sus Bowers Who would you love to collaborate with?
I would LOVE to collaborate with the Decemberists. Colin Meloy is such a poet and their music has been such an inspiration to me since I was little. Favorite (or first) concert you have ever attended? For my 16th birthday I got to see Paul McCartney play at Piedmont Park in Atlanta. As a huge Beatles fan it was an unbelievable experience and something I will treasure forever. Is there a recent release you cannot stop listening to? I've been listening to The Decemberists latest album I’ll be Your Girl on repeat since its release. They are never afraid to try something new and always do it well. Is there a professional “bucket list” item you would love to check off? This is my ultimate bucket list item, and will probably never happen, but I would love/die to be a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race. Drag culture and music culture go hand in hand, and being a part of a show that gives Drag a voice would be unreal. Facebook/Twitter/Insta www.wolfeislandrecords. com
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