Madison native returns to Duling Hall with folksy rock
In just two years, Madison native Matthew Hendley went from writing music in his bedroom in Oxford to sitting down with a touring agency and hitting the road with his talent.
And now he’s coming home to Jackson this weekend with a performance by his band Happy Landing.
Hendley describes Happy Landing’s music as fun, folksy rock that brings a youthful, energetic spirit to the room. He said an example of this is his song “October,” which encapsulates the feeling that you can’t spend your whole life looking in the rearview mirror, and you need to keep driving and hoping the future is better.
“Let go of the past and look towards the future to make a better future for yourself and the people around you,” Hendley said. “It applies to my faith as well. I’m Catholic, and we look forward to the second coming of our savior. ‘October’ isn’t inherently a Christian song, but it’s real life.”
Hendley and his band perform on Saturday, March 26 at Duling Hall at 8 p.m., with special guest Hotel Fiction.
Hendley was born and raised in Madison by Brian and Maryland Hendley. After attending Ole Miss and graduating in 2021 with a major in broadcast journalism, Hendley found his calling in songwriting.
He currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his drummer Jacob Christensen, and the rest of his bandmates plan to move there with him after graduating from Ole Miss this May.
Hendley’s time attending high school at St. Joseph Catholic School is what he calls a critical point in his life where he began to get more creative and involve himself in activities such as reporting for St. Joe’s newscast, “Bruin News Now,” participating in musicals, and even spent some time on the baseball team.
“I would finish my schoolwork and spend hours at the piano learning to play Billy Joel and Elton John while waiting for my friends to get home from school,” Hendley said.
“It was at that piano where I got addicted to songwriting, beginning at age 11. I can’t thank my parents enough for homeschooling me and allowing me to be able to start flourishing creatively.”
He said coming back to Mississippi to perform with his band is great, especially since he is doing what he loves. He believes his younger self would be so proud of how he is pursuing his passion, despite how scary and uncertain it is.
Hendley feels playing at Duling is going to be a surreal experience, especially since he has watched dozens upon dozens of shows there by bands such as “The Weeks.”
“Funny thing is, I could always see myself on stage there, and now that’s a reality,” Hendley said.
Happy Landing first began to form in March 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hendley attributed the name inspiration of Happy Landing to his grandfather’s land outside of St. Louis, Missouri, a place he attended multiple family reunions.
Hendley started the band with his roommate and drummer, Jacob Christensen, and gathered more members over the next few months, including his brother Jacob Hendley (guitar), Andrew Gardner (fiddle, mandolin, and bass guitar), and Keegan Lyle (lead female vocalist).
Their first song, “She’s Got Brooklyn,” was released in August 2020.
Since then, Happy Landing hit the ground running and has taken part in dozens of shows across the South and plans to go on tour this summer.
Jackson, Mississippi, is their next stop.
Andrew Gardner, fiddle player for Happy Landing, said this band is a blessing, and the friendship and love he shares with his fellow members shows in the music and live performances.
“We’re up there on stage because we want to play music and do it together,” Gardner said. “Our audience can see it, and I hope everyone who loves Matty and is passionate about Jackson and Madison music comes to Duling Hall. It’s our first time in Jackson, and we’re going to make Mississippi proud.”
Gardner, an Oxford native and current student at Ole Miss, said Happy Landing tries to bring as much energy to their shows as possible since he feels that’s what the fans resonate with.
“They can tell we’re giving this our all and it brings a happy, comfortable environment to people who come enjoy our music,” Gardner said. “We’ve had a ton of great shows, and this show at Duling Hall will be no exception.”
Jacob Christensen, the drummer for Happy Landing, is a South Carolina native and currently lives with Hendley in Nashville. He also graduated from Ole Miss.
“I’m stoked to perform at Duling Hall,” Christensen said. “I’ve been there a couple of times and always thought it was a cool spot. Some of the artists I’ve seen playing there are great and I thought it would be cool to play there one day, and now we are.”
Christensen said Happy Landing’s growth is flowing and happening naturally, and it feels good. He said everyone in the band happened to connect through musical connections, and Oxford became a trampoline for him and other musicians here that moved to Nashville.
“Matty had everything ready to go with the band name and theme, and I liked the ideas,” Christensen said. “I felt people would gravitate towards that, and it holds a lot of meaning. The whole old war paratrooper aesthetic is cool and unique.”
Hendley said he owes so much of his persona to doing things like “Bruin News Now” at St. Joe and his study of journalism at Ole Miss.
“Those things always pushed me out of my comfort zone, taught me how to craft things I wanted to say, and forced me to learn to present myself well,” Hendley said. “I do the same thing now when writing a song, and it’s all about letting others have an encounter with themselves in the story you’re telling.”
Happy Landing performs at Duling Hall on Saturday, March 26 at 8 p.m. Tickets are on sale at www.ticketsmarter.com/5020061/happy-landing-and-hotel-fiction for $27 each.