Quick Q and A with Reed Waddle
 by Kathy S-B  ·  14 May 2010

Reed Waddle is somewhat of a new musical transplant to the Boston music scene. He’s been making the rounds and playing all kinds of gigs around the Northeast and beyond. He’s collecting a whole lot of accolades in the process too.

To learn more about Reed Waddle, go to his website. Here’s a video of Reed performing “Piece by Piece” at the NY Songwriter’s Circle competition.

You’ve got four independently produced albums to your name. Have you learned a lot about songwriting and recording since you entered the studio for the first time?

I think you are always learning in regards to the songwriting process as well as recording. Day in day out, you are always changing and adapting to all elements of the music business. The first two albums were done in my attic with my dad. The other two were done in professional studios, so I’ve been on both ends of the spectrum. The ones I made with my dad are obviously very special for me, although they might not sound as pro as the others. There is more of a soul there, because there had to be. I could go on for days about the recording process and how I have grown. It is such a different environment for making music than playing live. You have to know that and understand that before you go in, I believe. Through time I have seemed to grasp that. For instance, singing on a really expensive mic in a studio is completely different than singing on a BETA or something you would sing on live . . . much more attention to detail, a totally different way of getting the good stuff out of your voice. I’ve also learned that you have to know what you want . . . exactly. If not, the recording process can be a bit painful. Maybe it’s supposed to be that way, like having a baby (not that I would know). A very time consuming, important thing and part of your life, a bit stressful finding the magic, but all worth it in the end.

Do you have any vivid memories or recollections of favorite moments on stage?

Many good ones, bad ones too. I’ve played a lot of bars, so I’ve seen my fair share of train wrecks. I grew up on the Gulf Coast of Florida, so I’ve played to some amazing scenery . . . white beaches with tremendous sunsets that a lot of people would pay a lot of money to see. It’s kind of nice when you get paid to add to the ambiance! The best was about a year ago. I played for a very special benefit for a young boy that passed away. He was very close to my family and the place was packed — probably 2,000 people in a great space. People were clapping along and participating in the healing process through music. To be a part of that process for that family and his friends was very powerful. It was a very special feeling that I will never forget.

You’ve won a couple of pretty impressive songwriting awards recently — like the New York Songwriters Circle and Mountain Stage New Song competition. Those two contests elicit a multitude of applicants. Congratulations! Have those honors helped open any doors for you?

They have both been a tremendous boost for my career. Such great honors to actually win both Mt. Stage and the NY Songwriters Circle..both are amazing organizations that are all about bringing good music to the forefront. It’s opened many doors just on the amount of people I’ve gotten to meet. Great producers, publishers as well as AWESOME musicians. I just recently toured with Caleb Hawley, an amazing songwriter. We met through the circle. Later this summer, I am going on a west coast run with another superb talent, Liz Longley. We met at Mt. Stage. That’s half the game . . . getting out there and meeting people, networking and building through that. It’s a very exciting time.

Tell us about how you met John Oates and how he came to be involved in your CD.

I met John a few years back. I used to live outside Aspen, Colorado where he resides. I started working on my most recent album, Piece by Piece with a great producer there named Jamie Rosenburgh. Check his studio out (SICK!!) . He had worked with John on his solo stuff and took a liking to me. He told me he would play my music for John and I thought . . . go for it! I’m sure I will never hear anything about it. I was wrong. I moved back to Florida and got a phone call from the Maneater himself. He said, “Hi Reed, this is John Oates. I was wondering if you would like to come out to Colorado and write a song with me.” I thought to myself, let’s see . . . Grammy winning, one of the most successful songwriters EVER . . . done. We wrote a song called “Goodnight Los Angeles” in a day. It was one of the coolest moments of my career to be able to work with him. He’s a master of his craft and an incredibly generous guy . . . plus he has a herd of paca lamas . . . and he lives across from where Hunter S. Thompson used to live. SCORE!

He has been more than generous since then, recording background vocals for free . . . putting his two cents in on the tunes and he even let me open for Hall and Oates last year. He’s a very gracious man and I am lucky to know him. He’s throwing a songwriter’s festival later this fall in Aspen and he invited me out to be a part of it. A guy of his stature didn’t have to do anything like that, but he did. For that, I’ll always be grateful.

Have you had a difficult time adjusting to Boston? And what about the music scene here? Do you find that it’s competitive?

I like Boston a lot. Big city, small town. It’s a major jump from North Florida, but I was at a time in my life where I needed to do something completely new. Boston was it. The music scene is really good for songwriters here, especially in Cambridge. It, like every new scene is competitive, but welcoming at the same time if you put yourself out there. I’m still the new guy, but things take time. I’m enjoying New England so far, especially since it’s starting to get warm!