LIVING VINTAGE MADDI MAE IN MARSHALL
Story and Photos by Jennifer Gray
M
addi Mae Hicks is living this vintage kind of lifestyle in a romantic way: dressing in a collection of thrifted pieces, doing her part to preserve the planet, living on an old farm, and singing tunes inspired by musicians of the past at local venues. I met Maddi this summer during her show at Johnny Monarchs, the vintage 1962 British double decker bus restaurant in Marshall. Last month, I caught up with this up and coming musician for a photoshoot around Marshall. How did you get started in music? The story goes that I arrived as a musician and begged for a guitar as soon as I could form the words. I studied with an instructor from age four until I was 13. Wrote my first full song in first grade.
What genre do you fit into? Genre is always such a funny topic with musicians. It’d be nice if we’d all fit nicely in the molds. I’d say I’ve settled somewhere around “indie-folk.” I’ve got a southern accent and a penchant for bouncy rhythm guitar though, so it may very well evolve into full-on “cosmic country” in the studio - we’ll see. Where do you get your sense of style? A few factors contributed to my fashion sensibility: 1) Growing up resourceful, I learned to make the most of hand-me-downs, thrift/ yard- sale finds, and store-bought basics; 2) Developing Earth-consciousness - volunteering at a clothing donation center, learning about fashion’s atrocious impact on the Earth’s health, embracing the eco-friendly gentleness of second-hand clothing, and;
Maddi Mae Hicks is a small town girl who feels right at home in Marshall, Virginia.
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3) Treating my body as a temple - I want to cloak it in comfort and give folks a sense of what’s dwelling inside. I only shop every couple of months, primarily at thrift stores. My go-to local spots are White Elephant and Deja Vu in Warrenton, Virginia but I love Buffalo Exchange in Nashville and found some of my current favorite pieces there on my last visit. Where is home for you? I rent a mid-century modern house with a big wrap-around screened porch in Remington, situated on a hill overlooking a quiet, 300-acre farm surrounded by the Rappahannock River. Is music your main source of income? Yes. For the past eight years, I’ve supported Vintage | Page 45