Madysin Hatter (Twitter, Facebook) a talented singer and songwriter from New Jersey, is very well known on The Sunset Strip. Opening for such notable artists as Dizzy Reed, Great White, Faster Pussycat and Buckcherry, she constantly plays sold out concerts at Whisky a Go Go.

On October 26, Madysin opened for legendary Tom Keifer of Cinderella at The Whisky.  She returns to the same stage this Friday to open for Winger.   She also has an upcoming gig that features Eddie Trunk, Don Jamieson and Jim Florentine – the hosts from That Metal Show. 

Q: If someone told you back then that one day you’ll be sharing the stage of The Whisky with Tom Keifer, would you believe that?

A: Part of me would have been in shock and disbelief, and part of me absolutely would have believed it. Shock and disbelief because I am an independent rocker from a small town in New Jersey. I don’t have label backing (or a manager, etc), and I’m doing literally everything myself. Definitely a tiny fish in a huge ocean. But on the other hand, I guess I would have believed it (or at least wished for it to be true) because I hustle pretty hard every single day. I work around the clock to promote myself, and grow as an artist. I do everything I possibly can to make my dreams come alive and make my music be heard, and I can only hope I keep on growing.

Q: Can you describe your feelings when you found out that you were going to open for Tom Keifer?  Were you nervous? Your first thoughts?

A: I was so excited. Cinderella’s music has always had a very strong influence on me and my songwriting. I also really dig Tom’s new album, “The Way Life Goes”. It’s dynamite. I got to see Cinderella play live a couple years ago when they came through New Jersey…sometime in 2012 at Starland Ballroom. It was one of the best live shows I’ve been to. And since that moment, opening for Tom Keifer/Cinderella was on my unofficial music bucket list, for sure. So that was my first thought about the show. My second thought was, “Ahhhh, that’s so close to the show I’ve already booked with Winger. I guess I could just fly into LA for the weekend to do it. Can I make this work? Who am I kidding, I’m absolutely going to make this work.” And I made it work. So happy I was able to, because it was an amazing night that I’m honored to have been a part of.

Q: How did you feel when you got up on stage at that show?

A: I was stoked! I definitely felt ready and excited. Whisky A Go Go was packed with an awesome crowd, and I was really looking forward to debuting some new original songs off my forthcoming full length album.

Q: You are opening for Winger this Friday at The Whisky a Go Go.   Are you as excited as you were when you found out about Tom Keifer’s show or you feel more confident now that you are one major show behind?

A: I’m absolutely excited. I love Winger. They’ve written some epic songs, and they’re all really gifted musicians. And, from what I’ve been told, they’re really gracious, down to earth guys.  I’m really looking forward to this show.

Q: I know that you do everything from editing your videos to booking your own shows? How do you manage?

A: I have no idea (..laughter).  I try to be as organized with my time and tasks as possible.   I think my morning ritual helps—every morning I wake up, make a cup of coffee (or five…depending on the day…) and write out an extensive “to do” list for the day. Then everything I have to do is on paper right in front of me, so I can manage my time accordingly. Also, it’s fun to cross things off as I accomplish them. Some of my friends think my lists are borderline “certifiable”, but it’s the only way I know to get everything done and not miss anything.  It’s funny, because on the stage I’m definitely the “rocker chic”, but off the stage I have to be the responsible manager/publicist/personal assistant/you name it…    As far as music videos go, I do need to give props to Simon Yu, who shot and edited my new music video for my song “Lightning Strikes Twice” — I just released it last month on iTunes, and Simon did an incredible job.  Also, I just shot a really awesome music video with Matt Zane while I was out in LA for the Tom Keifer show, for a song that hasn’t been released yet.  It will probably be a couple months before that video gets released, but I just watched a first cut of the video, and it looks awesome.  It was cool to work with Matt — his band Society 1 is amazing.  Once my forthcoming full length album is released, I will also release that music video.

Q: The single “Pretty Little Fool” from your last EP, was that song written based on your personal experience or was it just a flow of imagination that lead to such heartfelt lyrics?

A: A little bit of both. “Pretty Little Fool” is based on a famous quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, “The Great Gatsby”, which is one of my favorite books.  The quote is said by Daisy, who hopes her child grows up to be a “beautiful little fool”, because she feels that’s the best way to go through life. That notion fascinated me, and I explored the concept as I wrote the song.  I kind of stepped into the shoes of Daisy, and other subservient women from that time, and “role played” a bit as I wrote the lyrics and fleshed out the concept.  The song aims to dissect and tear down the notion by the end of the song.  As the anguish and emotion in the music build throughout the song, the resulting pain supersedes and disproves the prior “ideal” view that it’s best to go through life with rose colored glasses on.  Sometimes harsh reality is more comforting and welcome than the magical fantasy world we can fall into the trap of building in our minds.  I can also relate a bit to the whole concept on a more personal, less dramatic note, because I’m trying to find my footing in a really competitive, really outrageous industry that I absolutely love.  But it’s also an industry that can chew you up and spit you out just as quickly as it can make you feel joyful and powerful and hopeful. Knowing the risks, I’m still unabashedly chasing my dreams every single day.

Q: As you know the newest trend today in rock music is the return of vinyl. I know that you’re a fairly new artist, but because your music takes its root in the rock of 70s and 80s, have you though of doing a vinyl record someday?

A: I would love to. Right now though, I’m not sure that it’s financially possible. I’m an indie artist, which means that every expense I have comes out of my own pocket. In a perfect world, I would love to be able to release this new album I just finished recording on vinyl (as well as digitally and in the CD format). I know it would sound incredible on vinyl because we recorded to tape (a rarity these days) and had an amazing Neve 8058 console to record and mix everything — totally old school in the best way possible.   So, hey — if anybody reading this wants to help a girl out, let me know!!  In all seriousness, once the album has been mastered, I plan on shopping it to a couple labels.  If somebody bites, I will definitely push to add a vinyl release.

Q: What‘s your take on the state of rock today?  It seems like Gene Simmons feels that “rock is dead”. What do you think?

A: Rock is immortal. It is absolutely not dead, because it never can be.  In this day and age, you just need to know where the right places are to look for it, and who the right artists are to follow. I do think I know what he meant, though.   Right now, there is definitely is an absence of rock in mainstream popular music.   I remember growing up and hearing Monster Magnet and Alanis Morissette and Audioslave and Hole on popular local radio stations, and watching their videos on MTV’s Total Request Live.  Rock music has been pretty absent on those types of types of channels, but that doesn’t mean it’s dead. If anything, it means it’s gonna come back around HARD and soon. Music seems to make its way in cyclical patterns.  It’ll be back “in” soon.

Q: Looks like 2014 was a very productive year for you? Can you tell us about what you’re working on right now and what your future plans are for 2015?

A: I just finished recording a new full length album of original rock songs.   Everything is in the process of being mixed as we speak.  I’ve released a couple of EPs and a few singles prior to this ( available in hard copy form through my website and are also available worldwide on iTunes), but this will be my first official full length album, so I’m especially excited and can’t wait to share it with everyone.  I’m very proud of the material on the album, and how it’s turned out so far.  Before I release it though, I have plans to shop it to some labels and see what happens with that.  If I don’t get any bites, I’ll happily release it independently for all to enjoy.  In the meantime, I’m working on some new music videos for the new songs, as well as playing some cool gigs.  Besides the show at Whisky A Go Go with Winger on Friday November 14th, I am also playing the holiday bash for VH1’s That Metal Show at Dingbatz in Clifton, New Jersey. We will be playing a full set, and the event is hosted by the men themselves— Eddie Trunk, Don Jamieson, and Jim Florentine. That show is Friday December 19th. I have no 2015 shows booked yet, but I plan on booking some soon, and continuing to grow and expand as a rocker/singer/songwriter.

In addition to Cinderella, she also lists Aerosmith, Pat Benatar, Fleetwood Mac, and Guns N’Roses as bands that have influenced who she is as a musician.

For upcoming shows and other information, here is a page of links for all things Madisyn.