Attending a Bradley Hathaway show is like transporting back to an earlier time period — a smoky, dimly lit underground poetry lounge where the audience knows all the words, and heart takes precedence over fame and fortune.
The 25-year-old poet and musician, hailing from Arkansas, has generated quite a following from coast to coast through his combination of spoken word and folk music compositions. Even though he is currently unsigned, his shows fill coffeehouses and venues alike, and audiences come away from his performances with the smiles from witnessing the most powerful of rock shows, but Bradley Hathaway is not a traditional rock star — he’s a simple artist who has chosen to explain his life through verse and song. He’s not even that accomplished a musician, technically, but there is no arguing with the passion he displays through every verse of every song and poem.
With the recent release of his newest composition — an album and DVD that also includes an 80-page booklet with excerpts from Hathaway’s journal and tour diary, Hathaway is set to continue his dominance of the underground poetry scene. His record release tour, which will cover 40 states in six weeks, has brought his unique sound to play shows at a house in La Mirada and coffee shops in Yorba Linda and Long Beach.
The Chimes: Since you started out writing poetry, how did you make the transition from poetry to music?
Bradley Hathaway: Prior to the music, there was a melody — it was a very spoken-esque type of melody. But it was a very natural thing to just add music. The words just commanded to be sung. In the same way that I didn’t choose to write poetry, I didn’t choose to sing songs.
The Chimes: What do you mean, you didn’t choose to write poetry?
Bradley Hathaway: It just kind of happened one day. It wasn’t a cognitive decision. It was very Old Testament-like, I think. I like to say that I was overcome with the Holy Spirit.
The Chimes: What were some of the first things you wrote?
Bradley Hathaway: All of the things that appear in the book (Hathaway’s newly-released album and booklet) were pretty much the first things I wrote. I wrote the “Hug” poem pretty early, as well.
The Chimes: How much of your music is influenced by your own life and how much is influenced by other people?
Bradley Hathaway: Oh, all of it is influenced by my life. I started out singing about my relationship with the Lord, but I’ve since traveled a lot, fallen in love, and written about that. I can’t write fictional songs. I’ve only written nine songs that were fictional, and they were all about one story. Everything else is about my life.
The Chimes: How do you feel about Christian music? Would you call yourself a Christian artist?
Bradley Hathaway: I do get a little weirded out when people call me a Christian poet. I don’t feel my poetry is just for a Christian audience. I guess people have the tendency to want to label things. I have never said I want to say something or not say something. Last night at a show, we sang about God, and we sang about girls.
The Chimes: What kinds of experiences have you gained from touring?
Bradley Hathaway: I’ve seen a lot of the Western World — both coasts, all but four islands in Hawaii, a ton of Europe. I have friends from all over. When I was younger, I wanted to travel, but when you’re touring you don’t really get to stop places. You just get to drive through and say, “That’s some place I’m going to come back to some day.”
The Chimes: You’ve played with a lot of different artists in a lot of different genres. What audience do you identify with most?
Bradley Hathaway: Mostly with the kids that do heavy music. I’ve been exposed to the metal core audience mostly. I’ve wanted to get out of that a little and go to an older, audience. I want my audience to become completely diverse.
You can check out Bradley Hathaway’s music and poetry by visiting his MySpace page.
