Hedge

About

Growing up, Hedge was so petrified of speaking in front of a class that he would just refuse to do it. Music was always around him though, his grandfather playing and singing constantly, but it took decades, and meeting his wife, before he found the confidence to even try karaoke.

A big crowd of friends dragged him out to a karaoke bar one night and pressured him into giving it a shot. Nobody in that room had ever heard him sing a note. He relented on one condition: if they had Sublime's "What I Got," he would do it. They did. He cleared his throat, delivered a fun performance while his wife danced along, and the crowd's cheering was the first taste of what would become a decade of singing.

He loves getting out from behind a computer screen, being vulnerable, and trying to connect with a crowd, it is addictive. That same pull is what made his favorite concert night unforgettable too: a high school trip to see Bush, with Verruca Salt opening, talking a parent into the credit card for four Ticketmaster tickets and a two hour road trip, and the whole crowd singing every word back.

A close second came from the mix Bonnaroo brought through town. Kings of Leon, Stevie Wonder were epic, and Jay-Z closing out the night right after was a once in a lifetime experience, with a crowd energy all its own.