Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1184230
6 0 M A C O N M A G A Z I N E . C O M A P R I L / M AY 2 0 1 9 "I wholeheartedly want to believe that there are members of this community who care about the progression of the culture more than the one musical moment that we are continually reliving," said Denny Hanson. Hanson, now 32, started playing piano at age 5. He's a multitalented multi- instrumentalist who has been a part of many bands, most notably his main project Nomenclature, which put out a beautiful record, "Tyrannus," at the end of 2018. Hanson has worked as an audio engineer at Hargray Capitol Theater since 2016 and has been an active, integral, wildly creative presence in Macon's music scene since his teenage years. Our music matters Chorus of local musicians working to honor Macon's musical history, while moving its legacy for ward BY TRACI BURNS And we're losing him to Nashville. He'll be doing sound engineering there, at revered music venues The Basement/The Basement East. He's already started work on his next full-length record. "It's extremely difficult and, speaking as an artist, extremely frustrating to feel like you've spent years cultivating your voice, finding yourself, going through darkness, finding the light, having all that witnessed by members of the community, making art about it – and still, people would rather hear the same old thing," Hanson said. "It's hard not to internalize. When you put yourself out there continually, and you feel rejected, eventually you stop. Or, you go somewhere else and try your music there. And that's the exact opposite of what this community supposedly is trying to do." Hanson isn't alone in his observations. James Worsham, an ex-worship pastor and former Christian heavy metal band member turned singer-songwriter, hails from Texas. He married Jen, a native Maconite, and they settled down here after their first child was born. Worsham, grateful to have found a renewed well of creative inspiration, said, "I'm inspired by authenticity. I get pretty worn-down by how generic and fake so much of what we make and consume can be, but I love hearing stories of real people genuinely caring for each other and STEVE MORETTI PHOTO BY MARYANN BATES