Nate Clendenen performs at The Mecklenburg Inn on Saturday night. Courtney Bell

SHEPHERDSTOWN — This past Saturday night, The Mecklenburg Inn, commonly known as “The Meck,” hosted a live music venue with their guest artist, Nate Clendenen. The Meck provided an open space for Clendenen to work his musical magic and share it with those in attendance.

Clendenen, a familiar face to Shepherdstown’s music scene, has been performing for almost all of his life.

At six or seven years old, Clendenen started singing in church with his parents, who were musicians. He sang in the church choir and then began to learn percussion in elementary school. Music was always present in his formative years, motivating him to share his love for it with others. His first ever gig was in his hometown of Salisbury, Md., when he was only 14 years old.

“I instantly realized that there was a potential career path where I could do what I loved for a living,” Clendenen said.

From there, he started to push toward creating inclusive environments, where everyone could attend and listen. Clendenen began to travel not just within the United States but to Australia, Brazil, Canada and Mexico. He dreamed of traveling to “all the countries,” and he said he still has “a long way to go” to meet that end goal.

With the help of his friends, family and band, “Clendenen Brothers,” he has released eight original music projects and has more opportunities to reach out to venues near the current area he would be in.

“I just want folks to enjoy themselves,” Clendenen said. “Hopefully, my music can be a part of that. And I always like to keep it loose.”

When he performed at The Meck, he went in with some of his fellow musician friends to sit and perform a few songs. Many people liked what they were playing, and the owner offered him a gig. He was thrilled, since Shepherd University was one of his choices for attending college. One of the things that drew him to attending Shepherd, was the atmosphere its town provided and the bonus of remaining close to his hometown.

Currently, the Clendenen Brothers have new bluegrass music in the making that will be released in the near future. Clendenen is also just looking to keep moving forward, finding spots to play and having the privilege to share his work and creating a place where people can forget about their constant daily schedules and unwind.

“[The] life of music kind of chooses you as opposed to you choosing it,” Clendenen said. “Not everyone can do it — but if you can do it, and do it well, then you should do it.”

For more information, visit Clendenen’s website, https://denenmusic.com/home and pages on Facebook and Instagram, which can be found under @NateClendenen.