Greenville Scene

by: Jennifer Bacon

Guitar virtuoso Charles Hedgepath can be seen on any given night in almost any of Greenville’s multitude of venues. Whether it’s teaching lessons, playing a solo jazz show or jamming it up with local band The Work, Charles is easily Greenville’s most ubiquitous musician. Greenville Scene takes a minute to interview Charles and find out what projects are currently most important to him.

GS: What specifically do you enjoy or like about playing in Greenville?
CH: Well besides the fact that I live here so it’s close, I think it’s great because there is uniqueness to Greenville and it’s growing exponentially. There are other markets nearby but it’s a great stopping place in between bigger cities.

GS: Any particular venue you like more than another?
CH: Not particularly, because they all have different quirks or qualities. It’s different for each place. I don’t mind sitting in a restaurant and eating good food, playing by myself. At the same time I don’t mind playing in a club where it’s not about the restaurant, it’s more about the music.

GS: What is your opinion of our scene here? Having played in larger cities, do you find it comparable or still struggling?
CH: I hear people complain about whatever city they live in, no matter how big or small. There are a lot of positive things about Greenville. I’ve heard people on the outside who play here who really like coming here. I really enjoy it. People forget before there was Nashville for country music, people came and recorded in Greenville because it was a hub. It does have a musical history.

GS: Any advice you can offer to Greenville venues to make them similar to some of the better ones out there?
CH: I think everyone needs to put their egos aside and think about what is best for the greater good of the people coming to these clubs. I wish everyone would work together and not be in competition.

GS: Tell me a little about your current projects?
CH: I am almost finished on a solo album. It features seven vocal and five instrumental tracks and it’s going to be mastered by John Keane. It includes a mixture of styles including everything from country to R&B. My band The Work is traveling heavily and we are breaking into some new towns that we’ve never played before. We’ve also got so much new material we hope to record another album.

GS: What do you view as your greatest musical accomplishment to date?
CH: Well when it’s finished, probably my new album. It’s got songs that I was working on long before The Work even went into the studio. It’s really been a catalyst for so many other things and relationships with other musicians.

GS: You are a big fan of getting well-known musicians from other areas to play in Greenville, such as recent collaborations with Jeff Sipe and Bobby Lee Rodgers. How do those shows come together and what is it about Greenville that makes them want to come here?
CH: I like the idea of bringing something different and fun to the area. People can see all of us with different bands yet it’s fun seeing these collaborations happen. I like making live music important and keeping the live music scene alive and fresh with different people. After you play with certain people for a while, you start to meet their friends and friends of friends, and it’s a great way to get to know other musicians. I like getting these little groups together because it keeps things new.

myspace.com/charleshedgepath