Logan Hatcher
Logan Hatcher is a dedicated bass player based in Nashville, Tennessee, known for his versatility and strong work ethic. Before pursuing a full-time music career, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps, a background that has contributed to his disciplined approach to his craft. Since transitioning to music, Logan has become a sought-after bassist in Nashville, touring with various artists and consistently performing in the city's vibrant music scene.
Lindsi: Thanks for talking to me today! So, question one: What inspired you to pursue a music career?
Logan: It was kind of an accident, honestly! I didn’t move to Nashville on purpose to play music. I’ve been playing since I was 9, but after I got out of the Marine Corps, I started applying for jobs all over the country, and I didn’t really want to move back home. San Diego was too expensive, and I got a job as a distribution manager in Nashville. But a month later, COVID happened, I lost the job, and the 2020 tornado came through town and tore my house up. So I was like, I don’t have a job or a house anymore, so I might as well start picking up some gigs. It just turned into a really good career. But, like I said, I’ve always been passionate about it. I just didn’t think—like most people do—that if you're in the music industry, you’re either broke like a struggling artist or you’re rich and famous, and there’s no in-between. That’s absolutely not true. Making this a career, I’ve made much more than twice as much as I ever made in any professional white-collar job. Most people make a reasonable living, and that doesn’t mean you’ll be famous or well-known, but you can make a great career out of it. Honestly, I make twice as much as any professional white-collar job I ever had.
Lindsi: What is a valuable lesson you've learned from being in the music industry?
Logan: I think the biggest thing is that you have to be really self-disciplined. Schedule management is a big one. Mainly because no one is going to be over your shoulder telling you that you have to practice or work on new material. I have a whiteboard right outside my bedroom door that sits above my workstation, and it has all the gigs I have coming up, what songs I'm playing, and they’re prioritized by how I need to learn them. I just have to have it in front of my face every day, that way I can never put it on the back burner. Because, I mean, if I get called for a number of artist gigs, I need to know which ones are first or which ones are the hardest. If I’m doing a pop-country gig, it might take a day or two to sit down and learn the songs well, but if I get a call for, like, a prog-metal gig, I’m gonna need to spend more time on that music, even if it’s fewer songs. So, you have to manage yourself well, because that’s how you ruin your reputation—if you show up and don’t perform well.
Lindsi: How has touring influenced your approach to performing or creating music?
Logan: The downtown thing is way different than when you're with a touring band. You're playing anywhere between 30 minutes and maybe 90 minutes if you're the headliner. And so with those 90 minutes, you can move around the stage a lot, put on a show, and engage with the crowd. But when you're playing on Broadway or at corporate gigs, it’s long sets and you have a 10-pound instrument around your neck, so you have to conserve your energy. My friend Drew, a drummer I brought downtown because he was a great drummer but working at Footlocker, was like, “You don’t move around on stage.” I told him, “Yeah, you can’t do that. Do your first triple, then come talk to me.” A couple of months later, he did a triple, which is 12-hour days with no breaks behind a drum kit. He was in so much pain. He said, “I finally understand what you meant!” I told him, “Yeah, man, you can’t monkey around on those long days, or you’ll burn yourself out.” It’s a different dynamic when you’re playing those short-burst gigs. On tour, it’s obviously different, but it kind of depends on the venue, too.
Lindsi: Will you share a memorable or unexpected moment from your career?
Logan: Probably the most unexpected and memorable moment was a couple of years back when my friend Krysta called me and asked if I could play at Layla’s. I told her I couldn’t because I was doing a gig at Ol’ Red, so I referred her to someone else I knew was available. But after I was done, I walked over to Layla’s to make sure the guy I referred was working out for her. She saw me and told me to give the guy a break and hop up on stage for a few. So I got up on stage and played a few songs. Unbeknownst to me, the guitar player on the gig, someone I had known of for many years but didn’t know personally, was John Bowlinger, the editor for Premier Guitar magazine and the musical director for the CMT Awards. The next morning, I saw a text from him. He said, “Hey, I really liked your playing. What are you doing on April 1st?” I said, “As of now, I’ve got nothing on my calendar.” He said, “Cool, let me shoot you an email real quick.” He ended up hiring me to play the CMT Awards just because I hopped up to play a couple of songs!
Lindsi: What does a typical day look like for you, either downtown or on tour?
Logan: They’re very different. When I’m playing downtown, I usually wake up pretty late since I don’t go to bed until 5 or 6 in the morning. I wake up around noon, get whatever I need to get done for the day, head downtown around 5, switch over by 6 o'clock, and then play until 2 or 3 in the morning. Each day is different—sometimes I play with different bands. For example, on Sundays, I play a triple, which means playing with three different groups of drastically different styles of music. The first one is a top 40 party band, the second is all country, and the last gig of the night is all ‘90s rock and metal. It’s all about learning how to set up your gear quickly, and a lot of the sound engineers I work with have scenes saved for me, so they already know how I like things to sound in my mix. That’s a day downtown for me in a nutshell.
When I’m touring, Day 1 is spent hopping on a bus or a plane. There’s a lot of downtime, but then you get to the venue and, depending on its size, you set up hours before the event and do a soundcheck. That process can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour if you're lucky. Other times, you might not have time and it’s a “throw and go,” meaning you only have 5 minutes for a line check. Afterward, you hang out! You go to catering or explore the city, which I love to do. I like checking out new restaurants. Then, around 8 or 9 pm, you play your show, and if you want, you can watch the other acts afterward.
The crews are incredible. We toured with Jelly Roll, and they had 17 trailers worth of gear. Everything would be torn down in 90 minutes and packed back in the truck by the end of the night—lighting, pyrotechnics, everything. They had it down to a science. Then, after the show, you get back on the bus, drive to the next city, and do it all over again. There’s a lot of downtime on tour. It’s really relaxed, but it’s a lot of hurry up and wait.
Lindsi: So, what's the biggest challenge of being part of a large-scale tour? And how do you navigate that?
Logan: I think the biggest challenge might be... and I didn’t really struggle with this on the last tour because we were all friends... but you need to make sure you’re with people you get along with. Being in a confined space with people 24 hours a day for months at a time, you have to make sure they’re people you like. They can be the best players in the world, but if you’re around them all day long and they’re annoying the heck out of you on the bus, you’re going to have a bad time. I’ve worked with a band that was already established and hired me as a bass player for a handful of arena shows with ZZ Top. The three guys were great players and had great songs, but they couldn’t stand each other. It was not a good time. I was just hired to be there, but they were at each other’s throats. They never wanted to hang out, and it was a cold environment. That’s not fun for anybody. The money has to be really good at that point. A lot of people talk about the “two out of three rule”—the money, people, and music. The moment you have less than two of those things, you don’t want to be on the gig. If it’s bad money and the people don’t get along, I don’t care how good the songs are. But vice versa, if the people are great and I like the music, I don’t need a lot of money. I know I’m going to have a good time.
Lindsi: Have there been any standout cities or venues that have been particularly special to you?
Logan: Honestly, Omaha, Nebraska—I didn’t think I was going to care for it much. You think of that part of the country, and you think of flat land and corn, but it had tons of restaurants, breweries, and oddity places. I really liked it. Asheville, North Carolina, is probably my favorite city, even though it took a heavy hit from the hurricane. When it comes to arenas, once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. They all look the same inside, and you can’t see the crowd because of the lights and stuff. The small venues are usually my favorite. There are even a handful here in Nashville that I love. The OG Basement is one of them. It’s maybe 50% capacity, and I absolutely love it. It's so much fun. You can see everybody's eyes from the stage, and it's way more pressure. In those big rooms, it’s like you make a small mistake, and no one hears it. But in those little rooms, you're under a microscope. To me, those are way more high-pressure. Nashville, unfortunately, has been bought out by high rises, and on top of that, the biggest problem I’m seeing in the industry right now is that there’s no more grassroots scene. Thirty years ago, you played small clubs and invited people. You created a following. Now, it's about how many followers you can get on TikTok, and your first gig is in an amphitheater.
When you just follow people on social media, you miss out on quality music. The quality of music you’re getting with this social media generation is trash. You used to get together with your band and really craft your sound. Now, when you see artists at CMA Fest or other festivals, you can tell it’s their first time playing live. It really shows. They've spent so much time editing down 30-second clips for TikTok instead of honing their craft.
Lindsi: What advice would you give to aspiring musicians who hope to work with major artists and go on tour?
Logan: Definitely make your presence known. That’s the other side of the social media sword. You know me, I’m working all the time, I’m traveling all the time, but I’m also really good at posting my schedule—where I’m playing, who I’m playing with, and just highlights from gigs and places I’ve been. I’ve known so many guys who have been in town 10 years longer than me, 20 years longer than me. They’ve got so much experience, and they’re like, “Hey man, I’m really hurting for gigs right now. Anything, I’d love to throw my name out.” In my head, I’m thinking, people aren’t calling you because they don’t think you’re good or hirable, they just have no idea who you are. It’s not that you’re bad; you just don’t get your name out there. You have to hang out there. I’ve found that in Nashville, every 6 months or so, you really need to get out there and re-network, like the first night you were here. Go out and meet new artists if you have a night off. If there’s a cool artist showcase or indie show, go be a patron and introduce yourself. Let people know you play and exchange information. I really think that’s the best way to get your feet wet and start meeting people. You just have to hang out and be present. The music industry works heavily on referrals. I haven’t auditioned for a gig in I don’t even know how long because I’ve worked hard enough and played with enough people who were satisfied with my work that when they have a friend who needs a bass player, they give them my information and say, “Hire him. Don’t even worry about it. He’s good to go.”
Lindsi: That’s how you introduced us (Trey Odum) to Alex. You couldn’t make a gig because your flight was delayed, and you sent him instead. He killed it and has played a number of gigs with us since. We instantly trusted you when you said, “Hey, I’ve got a guy.”
Logan: And I think that’s a really important part to talk about too. When you refer somebody, it’s a direct reflection of yourself. If you send someone who shows up and messes up, it looks bad on you. There are only a handful of people I feel comfortable referring. It varies from gig to gig depending on the style of music. There are some people I’d refer every day for a country gig that I would not refer for a rock gig, and there’s nothing wrong with that—it’s just a different repertoire. But you have to have people in your back pocket that you know and trust to do a good job.
