BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Levin Fairchild, of Gonzales, is living life to the fullest in the fields of medicine and music.
Fairchild attended LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine between 2017 and 2021.
After graduation, the newly minted doctor made his way to Chattanooga, Tennessee for his surgery residency.
You could say that Fairchild also has a doctorate in music too.
The Gonzales native always knew he wanted to be a doctor from as long as he could remember, and specifically a surgeon. Fairchild says everything he did throughout his life was to prepare him for that.
Music, however, has been a true love and hobby of his since he first started learning and watching my paw and maw sing and play.
It turns out, Fairchild is related to a famous musician who is the lead singer and creator of Na Na Sha.
Na Na Sha is “a band that’s been together and performing across the south for well over 50 years, according to Fairchild.
You can still see Na Na Sha at private events and sometimes Fairchild will play with the band and his grandfather, Pat Sanchez.
Fairchild has his own band named SteelHouse.
The musician says that he is still making and writing music daily and spends a lot of down time when on call writing new music and staying in contact with his Nashville producer about new songs we will be working on next.
When not tending to his music, Fairchild spends 80 to 100 hours at the hospital.
For now, Fairchild is practicing general surgery but will probably specialize in the future.
Fairchild recently released his first song, titled “The Night that Got Away”.
The budding artist says he released that song while on call in a call room in between surgeries and has been non stop since then.
Fairchild has released three other songs and each title he says speaks to the song and the experience.
For example, the story behind Fairchild’s first song can be found below:
The Night That Got Away was written about a night after a gig on Bourbon where a girl walked into the bar I was playing at and she looked exactly how I describe her. She sang and danced with her friends and all the guy that work there and my buddies were talking about her since she was the prettiest one in the room. Of course she danced by the stage to “Sweet Caroline” and had fun with her friends. Well, obviously none of the guys or anyone went up to her and talked to her or got her name. So, after the night ended, we went back to my guitar players home and were reminiscing on the night. We talked about her and said “man, the night got away”- none of those guys had even talked to her or know who she was. How many times does this happen? To men and women alike. So I wrote a song about it.
The Gonzales native has been writing music since the age of 12 and has almost 100 original, complete songs.
Fairchild has spent some of his musical career on Bourbon St. in New Orleans.
The musician says he has played at “the House of the Rising Sun,” now called “The Hideout Bar” and the “Bourbon Street Drinkery.”
Y’all may remember how a few years ago, a horse was seen walking into a New Orleans bar while a band was playing “Old Town Road.”
Well, Fairchild was playing in the band when this all took place.
Fairchild plays guitar, piano, bass guitar, and drums/percussion.
The Gonzales native went to East Ascension High School and graduated as Salutatorian.
Fairchild considers himself a new country artist with a love for everything from Frank Sinatra to Drake.
That love showed through while in Baton Rouge.
Fairchild describes his time in the Capital City this way,
My time in Baton Rouge was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I absolutely loved LSU. I was at every football game and would spend days between classes just laying out on the gorgeous parade grounds by the bell tower or quad or late nights in the library with so many friends ill never forget. I absolutely loved playing music around the city and state during all of those years, literally 100s and 1000s of gigs. My time in med school was also one of the best times of my life. I met some of my lifetime friends who spent hundreds of hours a week in class and studying until the AM hours daily to take huge tests every 6-8 weeks then go out and have fun parties with everyone.
Fairchild is often asked, how are you a surgery resident and still playing and pursuing music?
The artist and doctor says simply, “I love it” and I honestly lose sleep because its something I love more than sleep.”
So the future for Fairchild likely holds more coffee, 12-14 hour days and 28 hour in house call nights.
Fairchild hopes to hear one of his songs on the radio someday, but even if that never happens, the musician and doctor says that he is happy and blessed for the experience of doing this and the support I have already received.
