Hayden Pedigo’s Amarillo Sound Echoes Globally On This Music Show

Last month it announced that one of Amarillo's most well-known modern-day musicians would be featured on one of the internet's most popular stages.

It was none other than the Panhandle's own Hayden Pedigo who was announced to perform on NPR's Tiny Desk Stage. After a month's wait, Hayden's performance was finally released a few days ago on November 16th. And I have to say, he gave a pretty solid performance.

For any of you who are not familiar with NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series, it's a live music series that hosts a whole slew of musicians across the world. It has featured some of the world's biggest artists as well known as Taylor Swift or User, yet still shares the stage with smaller artists such as Hayden Pedigo.

Hayden Pedigo's performance at the Tiny Desk really showcased his ability to tell beautiful stories inspired by his time in the Panhandle through the guitar alone. The set includes tracks from his recent records, such as "Elsewhere" and the title track from "The Happiest Times I Ever Ignored.

The Panhandle Expressed As Sound

Using both six- and 12-string acoustic guitars, Pedigo expresses a kind of feeling that cannot be explained in words. In a short break during his performance, he cites Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle as the inspiration behind much of his music.

This music is about where i'm from; Amarillo, Texas and the Texas Panhandle. It's flat, really dry, windy and brutal. And it can seem like a brutal place in a lot of ways, at least people think it is. But it's actually a pretty beautiful place that has inspired me in a lot of ways.

Hayden Pedigo

It's amazing to see a resident from Amarillo performing on what might be one of the largest platforms on the internet. It's wonderful to see some representation of Amarillo in the music world, and hopefully, Hayden's feature on this video will greatly benefit his career in many ways.