Local band HEDGES to play show, celebrate album release

When asked to describe the sound of his band, HEDGES, lead singer Jason Hedges said his band’s classic rock vibe plays tribute to the influential trailblazers of the genre.

“Imagine if Tom Petty and Elvis Costello had a baby and named it Bruce Springsteen,” Hedges said. “It’s got a lot of rock ’n’ roll, and it’s a little edgy.”

HEDGES will be performing at Heartwood Soundstage, Gainesville’s new live-music venue and recording studio, on Friday to promote the band’s debut album, “Mixed Signals.”

Hedges, a Gainesville resident, knows firsthand how beneficial a live-music venue can be for both local musicians and fans.

“Instead of just going to a normal venue or bar to see a band, people will actually be able to get a whole experience out of this and even get to relive that experience through watching it again if they’d like to,” he said.

Hedges said that while he’s been recorded while performing live in the past, it was never to the extent and quality Heartwood can offer.

“The Heartwood has great sound, it has the best sound in town, and it’s not just limited to music,” he said. “I could see all kinds of events being held there, from comedians to theatrical performances, whatever you could imagine.”

Those who are fans of Hedges’ Tom Petty tribute band, Heavy Petty, will see some familiar faces on stage. Hedges said when he was creating this new band, HEDGES, it seemed obvious to just reach out to his former bandmates, whom he already considered family.

“We’ve been playing together for about five years now, so we were already very comfortable playing with each other as musicians and friends,” Hedges said. “We already know each other’s style, so when it came time and I wrote these songs and presented them to the band, they already intuitively knew what to play.”

HEDGES’ remaining active members consist of Andy Lawniczak, Brian Stevens, Daniel App, Logan Fischer, Stuart Strome and Jonathan McCravy.

“I don’t think there are many bands that are doing what we’re doing, which is rock ’n’ roll with hooky choruses,” Hedges said. “There’s metal bands, there’s punk bands, but there’s not a whole lot of what I would call rock ’n’ roll bands.”

The album, which has an overall theme of overcoming obstacles, took five days to record and two years to develop.

“We recorded the album live, and we did it analogue, which is kind of old school, so we used a big reel-to-reel tape machine,” Hedges said. “We were trying to re-live our fantasies of the bands that we’ve listened to, that our dads probably listened to, and we were trying to make it like a classic rock album, and I think we accomplished it.”

Finishing an album is not an easy feat, but Hedges said he hopes those who attend the concert or listen to the album can resonate to the music.

“My favorite music is the music that makes you feel good inside, so I hope people like the songs, and I hope that they can relate to the lyrics,” Hedges said. “I hope people get it, that it feels good to people, and that they want to listen to it again.”

The concert at Heartwood is from 7 p.m. at 10 p.m. Tickets are on sale for $12 on eventbrite.com or $15 at the door.