By Emily Herbein

Deadfellow, the solo outfit dreamed up by Philadelphia’s Hayden Sammak, pitched me the idea of an “exit interview” after a couple of attempts at trying to pin down a project together over the last couple months. This isn’t a concept that I’d ever considered, but 2020 has offered the music industry a lot of indefinite pauses or out-and-out goodbyes without closure, so I figured Hayden and I should have a conversation about why he’s leaving music on his own terms. Deadfellow is a band that’s always been on my radar, and more so after I’d happened to have met all of its live members sporadically over the last year. Hayden is actually the only one I’ve never met in person, which makes our exit interview feel even more surreal because we never had the chance to have an intro interview. We’re putting the cart before the horse, but life gets in the way like that, and Hayden was offered a career move that he couldn’t say no to.

At the end of 2019, the Philadelphia Inquirer named Deadfellow in its list of bands that shaped Philly’s music over the last decade. Hayden captured an overtly mournful rock and roll sound, and he made it a point to never seek outside validation. Deadfellow did what it wanted to do. The title track off of 2018’s Millenials in Love (And Other Pre-Apocalyptic Standards) caught my attention again during quarantine when it was added to a playlist from WXPN, and I feel like the overarching message of what Deadfellow was (and is) all about is captured in that song. The lyrics speak about doing all of these socially acceptable - and even expected - things because life starts to feel like it should fit a certain mold, but the entire time you’re painfully self-aware that that’s why you’re doing them. That’s Deadfellow, and when Hayden felt like the band was starting to fit a mold, he broke it.

This next chapter, which ultimately leads to the band’s departure, relies less on personifying an expected image and more on seeking validation from within. Hayden’s a self-aware person aside from being a self-aware musician, and he knows that the only critic you have to be able to tolerate is yourself.

What brought you to the decision to move halfway across the country?

Hayden: Honestly, I just saw an opportunity and took it. After a weird string of coincidences and a kind of intense interview process, I got offered what I’d consider my dream job, and that job happens to be in Bozeman, Montana. [he’s going to be working for the MeatEater podcast, recording episodes with some really cool people he admires in that industry]

Do you think you're letting go of the Deadfellow project for good? If so, how do you feel about it? If not, do you think music will always be a part of you?

Hayden: I’m not sure, probably. The Deadfellow thing kind of got away from me after I had some early success. I didn’t really understand what it was anymore. I think I threw myself out of whack trying to be like FJM on my second record and sort of lost myself there. I guess I got back towards center on my last record, Millennials In Love, but I just kind of started not liking the project anymore. I think this is about it for Deadfellow. But I definitely like some of the stuff I did and of course it’ll always be a part of me. I’ll release shit under another name at some point, I’m sure.

What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment as a Philly musician? What do you wish you had done that you hadn't gotten the chance to do yet?

Hayden: I really got to do a lot of the stuff I always wanted — I’m proud of a lot of the stuff I did, even some of the stuff I might not love looking back. I got to play Festival Pier, made a cool record in Nashville, had a ton of radio play locally and nationally, hit a million streams, did a Free At Noon, had a song in a movie starring one of the biggest actors of my generation (that fucking TANKED), got to play basically all the clubs I like and overall just had a really good time. I always wanted to play Union Transfer, but maybe next lifetime.

What is one of the biggest takeaways from your time working with some of your mentors, like Phil Nicolo at Studio 4?

Hayden: There’s a difference between being kind and nice. I know a lot of nice people, but being kind is something else. If you can consistently be kind, that’s the best way to be. It’s definitely something I’m working on.

What will you miss the most about the Philly music scene? What will you miss the least?

Hayden: I’ll miss the people the most, I’ll miss Connie’s Hack Shack the least.

What advice would you give someone else in your position? Picking up and moving, alone, from a city you've built a pretty substantial home in is a big deal. How are you handling it? What advice have people given you, in return, about this next step?

Hayden: Don’t be afraid to pivot. Just because you’re known for doing something doesn’t mean that’s what you have to do. I’m just going and trying not to think too much about it. I always wanted to go west. It’ll be good; I’m not worried. People haven’t really given me much advice, just well wishes.

What - completely - honest advice would you give to a musician who wants to break into Philly? What are the highs and lows that you've been through?

Hayden: Make music you want to hear, don’t just copy music that you like — I’ve been there, trust me. When I first got on the scene, I got a lot of momentum because my first record was original. Then I totally fucking wasted it by basically imitating FJM. Like I bought and performed in a fucking velvet dinner jacket. Don’t do that. You can try to talk yourself into believing you’re not copying someone’s thing, but at the end of the day, no mental gymnastic is going to offset the reality of it.

Also, most managers are failed musicians, which is a bad place to go for career advice and you probably don’t even need one anyway, so don’t make that a goal. I’m sick of talking about the lows. I’ve wasted enough of my own time and the time of my friends - Will [Brown], Mike [Sanzo], Logan [Roth], Beau [Gordon], Ciaran [Wall], Tim [Davis], looking at you - on that. [editor’s note: linking all of their music because they’re my friends too and I want you to listen]

The highs are pretty much the moments listed above.

What do you think the next year is going to look like for you? What do you hope to achieve?

Hayden: I’m going to do a lot of outdoors shit, I’m going to see some cool stuff, I’m going to work with people I admire and I’m going to work at being kind. I’m going to try to get back to a healthy spot with writing music, but mostly I just want to be kind and happy, that’s what I hope to achieve.

Good luck everybody, come visit soon.

Deadfellow: An Exit Interview