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Bullseye with Jesse Thorn is a production of Maximum Fun.org and is distributed by NPR.

It's Bullseye. I'm Jesse Thorne.

What does an acoustic guitar do?

We're usually talking about six steel strings, big hollow body.

You go to a folk concert, everybody's got one.

You go to a rock, pop, or R&B show.

Maybe the singer brings one out when they want to do something more stripped down

and intimate. That singer usually strums the acoustic guitar, big open chords. You don't often hear

a hook or a lick played on an acoustic. Even more rarely do you hear someone shredding on one.

The acoustic guitar usually accompanies. Unlike its cousin, the nylon-stringed

classical guitar, you'll rarely see someone alone on stage playing a solo on acoustic guitar. My guest

Hayden Pedigo wants to change that. When Pedigo plays an acoustic guitar, he doesn't sing.

He doesn't have a big backing band.

He writes sprawling, beautiful songs around the instrument, gentle and swaying, breath-taking.

This is Long Pond Lily, the opener off his new album, I'll be waving as you drive away. I'm I'm I'm

I'm

I'm Hayden Betago was born and raised in Amarillo, Texas. He even ran for city council there once.

He has an affinity for taking his promotional photos while wearing corpse paint. That's the kind of

makeup that you see on the lead singers of death metal bands. We will talk about that, I promise.

...