Meet Cadence Hinnant

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cadence Hinnant.

Hi Cadence, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had two passions – rock music and trains. When I moved to Nashville at the start of my freshman year at Belmont during the height of covid (Fall 2020), I had no idea where these passions would take me, but I’m very grateful to have been able to fulfill both of them more than I could have ever imagined. Drums have always been my main instrument, and drumming professionally has been a dream of mine since 5th grade.

When I got to town, covid made it hard to gig – impossible, really. I didn’t play a show in Nashville until June of 2021, with my old band that I started with some friends at my college. From there, things just kept growing exponentially – I met more and more musicians that were like-minded and shared passions for similar bands, I learned how to promote myself and whatever project I was a part of, and I learned how to network. It didn’t take long for me to start drumming on a weekly basis for not only my own bands but for other groups as well.

However, after about a year of being a gigging drummer in Nashville, I wanted to try something new – so I picked up a microphone and a guitar and started my own band, called CADENCE! I had been writing songs for a long time on my own that hadn’t fit into a band yet, so I wanted to start my own to go for the post-grunge-meets-hair-metal sound I’d always wanted in a band – so that’s exactly what I did with CADENCE!, which has turned from me trying my hand at being a frontman into my main project, and I’m so thankful to have a group of amazing musicians that are a part of it with me.

Aside from playing music, I also opened a model train store here in town, Fairview specifically, called Cadence’s Railyard in January of 2021, and started a podcast called Rock N’ Railroads, where I interview bands and artists about their own journeys and music.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think the biggest struggle I’ve faced in my three years in Nashville is my own overthinking and self-doubt. I’m prone to worry about a lot of minuscule stuff that doesn’t matter and never will, so sometimes I have to be my own hype man and prove to myself I can do different things.

Usually, once I get over my own barrier, I can find a way to succeed at whatever I’m trying to do – I’m a really persistent person – sending out a thousand emails to venues only to hear back from five doesn’t bother me – it’s all part of it. In a way, my biggest obstacle has been getting over my own concerns – which thankfully I’ve been successful at.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
The band I front, CADENCE!, is a rock band here in Nashville. I’m very lucky to be in a band with three amazing musicians – Brennan Kaiser on drums, Kevin Bull, JR. on bass, and Will Sulak on guitar – all Belmont students like myself. I’m a big fan of music from the 1980s and 2000s, hair metal, and post-grunge/2000s active rock specifically. So when I write songs for/with my band, I try and combine elements of Def Leppard and Nickelback to make something catchy, heavy, fun to listen to, and fun to perform live.

We call the genre “Arena Rock”, not only because that’s the common denominator of all of our influences, but because that’s how we try to perform – like every show is in an arena. My favorite thing about the band is our live show. We move around a ton, we try and really engage the audience, we bring a whole production both with our members and with our equipment to these smaller clubs and bars we play – and the crowds seem to really enjoy the experience of an “Arena rock” experience in a small package.

Who else deserves credit for your story?
My biggest supporters have always been my parents. I’m very lucky to have a mom and dad who are very supportive of my dreams and aspirations and have been for as long as I can remember. I know a lot of kids from my graduating class at high school went off into fields their parents wanted them to go into, but my parents really understand and believe in my dreams, which has made it infinitely easier to go pursue them.

I’m fortunate to have had a lot of big cheerleaders throughout my life though – my entire family is amazing, not just my parents. I’ve had a lot of amazing teachers as well. Greg Holloway, Tracy Peterson, and Rob Taylor to name just a small handful. Those are three people that really made my grade school education special and set me up on the right path to be successful after graduating. Really the biggest thing for me is having people who understand what I feel like I’m on this earth to do, and I’m incredibly blessed to have a number of people that really fit those shoes.

Contact Info:

• Website: cadencerockband.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cadencehinnant/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cadencerockband/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTSsbFPzRFhVQQQbyf-v2eA
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0YcPVUEpXRhdurTCKIaRGl?si=CFXGe6afTJOyVYUCmD8cpA 

Image Credits
Austin Dellamano, Carter Wells, Carter Raymond, and Nita Ann