We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Isaac Hadden a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Isaac thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

My band, Isaac Hadden Organ Trio, has been working on an album since December 2022. Creating this project has been such a fun experience, and I’ve learned so much in the process. Working with my bandmates, Bill Stevens and Iajhi Hampden has been a blast, and our creative synergy as a group is pretty special. We’re also honored to have several great guests on the record, including Nate Werth (Snarky Puppy), Chris Bullock (Snarky Puppy), Bob Reynolds (Snarky Puppy), Rebekah Todd, Caitlin Krisko, Becca Stevens, Geoff Vidal, Paul Hanson, Nisha Dimeo, Ian Merrigan, and Laura Stevens. The album features six original songs and two original arrangements of some older tunes. Everything falls loosely into the funk/jazz-fusion dogma. This process has pushed me creatively and musically, and I feel good about the final product. I’m really looking forward to getting this music released, and it has me feeling inspired and eager to start work on the next one.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a guitarist and vocalist from Southwest, VA, based in Asheville, NC. I have been immersed in music for my entire life, and I started playing guitar at the age of 5. I started performing in public in middle school and high school. My favorite thing about music is group improvisation. Even before I could play, I was always blown away by the interplay between musicians onstage. I get off on the energy exchange that happens through listening and communicating with fellow musicians and the audience, and the feeling of collective consciousness that tends to create. I started my first band, Isaac Hadden Project, when I was about 15, with seasoned players from the Southwest, VA, region (Jake Dempsey, Foster Burton, Matt Leonard, Paul Tressel). The group can be described as a funk-rock jam band. That crew was with me for many of my first larger-scale shows and festival performances, and playing with them taught me a lot about the ins and outs of being a professional musician. I have lots of love for those guys, and we still play actively around VA and NC. My newest brainchild, Isaac Hadden Organ Trio, came out of my desire to explore more jazz fusion and funk sounds and push the limits of what can be done with a smaller ensemble. The keyboardist, Bill Stevens and I had connected on a handful of festivals and gigs before the inception of this band. He always blew me away with his skills and off-the-wall ideas that seemed to fit perfectly into whatever musical situation we encountered. We also feel blessed to have connected with recent LA transplant drummer Iajhi Hampden who has injected his rhythmic prowess and creative spirit. I also perform regular acoustic solo sets that follow more of a singer-songwriter format and I’ve recently been enjoying some opportunities to perform as an “Artist at Large” at a handful of music festivals. There have only been a few things that have remained constant in my life, and those are the love of my family and the love of music. Music has given me an outlet for things I can’t express in words and a means of connecting with people on an energetic level. It’s also where I find my sense of purpose and belonging through all the craziness the world seems to be throwing.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

In my mind, the most important thing anyone can do to help musicians and keep the scene alive is just to show up. Of course, social media is a big part of this, too, because that’s the primary way musicians can connect with friends and fans; however, for a band like ours, we’re really trying to create an experience that we can all share, and that works when we have a group of supportive and engaged people on the ride with us. For me, music has always been about community, and community can’t exist without the support and, more importantly, the presence of individuals like you. The main thing people can do to keep music alive and keep the scene thriving is to buy tickets, open their souls to receive the experience, and just have fun!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

There are a lot of elements of music that keep me coming back. One of them is the fact that it’s truly a lifelong pursuit. You can’t “win” music. There’s no final destination. The more I learn, the more I realize I have left to learn. I think that’s amazing. Once music attaches itself to you, it will always be there. Another thing that’s super rewarding for me is just seeing people smile. As a society, we’re suffering from a major smile shortage, and if I can be part of an experience that can make someone happy, or lift them from a dark place, or at least make them think, that’s really what I’m in it for.     

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ihotness.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isaachaddenmusic/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ilhadden/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@isaachadden66

Image Credits
Cloud Bobby Rich Levine Norm Carter Shana Baldwin