Bradley Hathaway
Encyclopedia
Bradley Hathaway is a spoken word poet and a folk singer and songwriter from Fort Smith, Arkansas
, where he graduated from high school in 2000.
After high school, he attended the University of Arkansas
, where he majored in philosophy with a double minor in religious studies. While he was attending college, he managed the Gate, a local concert venue. In late 2002, he saw poet Clayton Scott perform, which inspired Bradley to write his first poem entitled, "I Felt Really Good This Day, Yes."
Soon after he began writing poetry, he dropped out of college and stopped managing the Gate in order to pursue writing full-time. He first toured in the summer of 2004, and has since toured with He Is Legend
, The Chariot
, As Cities Burn
, Far-Less
, and Blindside
. He has played at the Creation Festival
, Ichthus Music Festival
, the Alive Festival
, the Cornerstone Festival
, Parachute Music Festival
, Purple Door, and Tomfest
music and arts festival.
After the release of his book, Hathaway was inspired to give his poems a melody and he began to write songs. He learned how to play the guitar and has written many songs. He plans to continue going in the musical direction. Sound In The Signals Magazine has described Hathaway's vocal style as a mix of Conor Oberst and Sufjan Stevens with a hint of Ben Gibbard.
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...
Biography
Bradley Hathaway was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas and lived there until 1997, when he moved to Alma, ArkansasAlma, Arkansas
Alma is a city in Crawford County located in the western part of U.S. state of Arkansas, along I-40 about 13 miles from the Oklahoma border. Alma's population is 4,734, making it the sixth largest city in the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, where he graduated from high school in 2000.
After high school, he attended the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
, where he majored in philosophy with a double minor in religious studies. While he was attending college, he managed the Gate, a local concert venue. In late 2002, he saw poet Clayton Scott perform, which inspired Bradley to write his first poem entitled, "I Felt Really Good This Day, Yes."
Soon after he began writing poetry, he dropped out of college and stopped managing the Gate in order to pursue writing full-time. He first toured in the summer of 2004, and has since toured with He Is Legend
He Is Legend
He Is Legend is a hard rock band formed in Wilmington, North Carolina who signed to Tragic Hero Records in 2009. The band consists of vocalist front man Schuylar Croom, guitarist Adam Tanbouz, drummer Steven Bache, bassist Matt Williams....
, The Chariot
The Chariot (band)
The Chariot is an American mathcore band from Douglasville, Georgia, formed in 2003. The current lineup consists of drummer David Kennedy, bassist Jon "KC Wolf" Kindler, vocalist and bandleader Josh Scogin, and guitarists Brandon Henderson and Stephen Harrison. The band has experienced frequent...
, As Cities Burn
As Cities Burn
As Cities Burn was an indie/post hardcore band from Mandeville, Louisiana that formed in 2002 and broke up in 2009.-Early beginnings and Son, I Loved You at Your Darkest :...
, Far-Less
Far-Less
Far-Less was a five-piece post-hardcore band originally from Marion, Virginia, with members from Marion and other surrounding areas, including Pulaski and Blacksburg. They were signed to Tooth & Nail Records. Far-less played their final show on August 14, 2009, at the Greene Street Club in...
, and Blindside
Blindside
Blindside is a post-hardcore band from Tumba, Sweden. They formed in 1994 as Underfree and kept that name for two years before releasing their debut EP in 1996.-A Thought Crushed My Mind:...
. He has played at the Creation Festival
Creation Festival
Creation Festival consists of two annual, four-day Christian music festivals held in the United States. According to www.Creationfest.com, the festivals have become the "Nation's Largest Christian Music Festivals." This is in reflection to Creation Northeast being known to attract 100,000...
, Ichthus Music Festival
Ichthus Music Festival
The Ichthus Music Festival is an annual Christian music festival in Wilmore, Kentucky. Begun in 1970, it is the oldest Christian music festival in the nation. The festival began as the brainchild of Dr. Bob Lyon, and a group of seminary students at Asbury Theological Seminary, in response to...
, the Alive Festival
Alive Festival
Alive Festival, located in Mineral City, Ohio, Alive is an annual Christian music festival. It features many Christian musicians and popular Christian bands, as well as several Christian speakers and worship leaders. The festival began in 1988 and celebrated its 20th anniversary June 20–23,...
, the Cornerstone Festival
Cornerstone Festival
Cornerstone Festival is a Christian music festival put on by Jesus People USA and held annually around the 4th of July near Bushnell, Illinois. In a given year, many artists that play at Cornerstone also play at other events such as Creation Festival and mainstream festivals and tours such as the...
, Parachute Music Festival
Parachute music festival
The Parachute Music Festival is a Christian music festival held annually at Mystery Creek Events Centre, Hamilton, New Zealand.The festival is run by Parachute Music and lasts for four days and three nights. 'Parachute' is the Southern Hemisphere's largest Christian music festival, primarily...
, Purple Door, and Tomfest
Tomfest
TOMfest was an annual Christian music festival held in Camas, WA, USA.TOMfest was a Christian indie and alternative music festival founded in 1995. Showcasing established and up-and-coming Christian bands, TOMfest presented an alternative to secular music festivals and provided a venue for...
music and arts festival.
Style
In 2004, Hathaway wrote only spoken word poetry, but has since progressed to writing songs. His first book, All The Hits So Far, But Don't Expect Too Much, was published in August 2005 and included a CD recording of performances of the poems with backing music by Night of the Wrecking Ball.After the release of his book, Hathaway was inspired to give his poems a melody and he began to write songs. He learned how to play the guitar and has written many songs. He plans to continue going in the musical direction. Sound In The Signals Magazine has described Hathaway's vocal style as a mix of Conor Oberst and Sufjan Stevens with a hint of Ben Gibbard.
Future plans
He released his latest record, Mouth Full of Dust, on January 9, 2009, and is currently touring.Influences
- His favorite musician is Johnny CashJohnny CashJohn R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
and is referenced in "Like Socrates Loved the Truth (So Do I Love You) "...Like Johnny loved June, So Do I love You..." - His favorite writers are C.S. Lewis, Thomas MertonThomas MertonThomas Merton, O.C.S.O. was a 20th century Anglo-American Catholic writer and mystic. A Trappist monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani, Kentucky, he was a poet, social activist, and student of comparative religion...
, and Ravi ZachariasRavi ZachariasFrederick Antony Ravi Kumar Zacharias is an Indian-born, Canadian-American evangelical Christian apologist. Zacharias is the author of numerous Christian books, including Gold Medallion Book Award winner Can Man Live Without God? and bestsellers Light in the Shadow of Jihad and The Grand Weaver...
.
Works
- All The Hits so Far, But Don't Expect Too Much: Poetry, Prose, and Other Sundry Items (2005), Relevant Books. Includes fourteen poems, his thoughts on each of them, and a CD of him performing the poems.
- Happy Fun Tour. A DVD that documents Hathaway's Happy Fun Tour and shows performances of many of his poems and songs. It also features his "Adventures in Kentucky" series and short films shot by his band.
- The Thing That Poets Write About, The Thing That Singers Sing About (2007), independent release. Contains twelve new songs, two poems, a conversation, an accompanying DVD, and 80 page booklet.
- A Mouth Full of Dust(2009), independent release. Bradley's second musical cd containing 10 tracks including Samuel and Look Up.
- "A Thousand Angry Panthers", independent release. An EP containing four songs.
Band
- Bradley Hathaway- Vocals, Lyrics, Guitar
- Ric Alessio- Stand up bass, Accordion, Keyboards
- Aaron Lee Martin- Mandolin, Banjo
- Matthew Nanes- Electric Bass, Guitar
- Joel Timen- Drums, Percussion
- Karl Wulff- Guitar, Keyboards