Kate Hastings Band
DONIPHAN – Kate Hasting Band sings about the small town life because they’ve lived the small town life.
Though Hasting is from New Carlisle, Ohio, her drummer, Cameron Smith, is from Doniphan, having attended high school there. His start in music came when he played with the Doniphan High School Jazz Band. He and members of the Kate Hasting Band plan to spend time with his folks, Kent and Tammy Smith of Fairdealing.
Smith played in the concert band at Freed-Hardeman University, and then moved to New York City for a magazine internship. While there, Cameron worked on several magazines, one of them Blender music magazine.
While in Nashville, he heard that the up and coming country group, the Kate Hasting Band, was in need of a drummer. Now, here they are, back in the Mid-South chasing a dream.
Cameron says nothing beats getting the opportunity to see people from his own hometown.
“We’ve found that whether you grew up in small town Ohio or small town Missouri, your experiences are basically the same. And that is what we share in our music,” explained Hasting.
With songs like “County Fair,” “Ohio” and “Snow Globe,” the group writes and plays music with very familiar themes.
When asked if she has a favorite song that they’ve recorded, Hasting said she loves them all but is particularly in love with one that hasn’t been recorded yet called “Behind the Bleachers.” She says the song has gotten great response every time they have played it live.
“We really enjoy performing for people who understand exactly what we are singing about.” She says the group also strives to write not just from a female perspective, or a male perspective, but from a perspective that everyone gets because they have lived that song, or known someone who has lived that song.
Hasting says she feels the secret to success will be bringing that same authenticity to audiences everywhere, whether they are in Doniphan, Nashville, or New York City.
“For people to take it to heart, it has to ring true for them,” she concluded.
