Songwriter, musician and singer Andy Adams new album Back to Square One to be released on November 10, with a single song release of the track Dancing Alone on October 16 via Creative Entertainment Network/The Orchard.
Everyone has a story to tell, artist Andy Adams catalogs his with honest emotions, roots rock riffs, Americana flavor, folkie fusion and a touch of Delta Blues. His songs are diaries glowing with warm, intricate layers, featuring catchy guitar hooks, soul-baring lyrics and soulful melodies that offer up his perspectives on love, loss, life and self-discovery.
Andy Adams is an Oklahoma City based musician, who has made a living performing around the south for over ten years. Vocally he possesses a wide spectrum of range and a variety of tone. He uses these aspects to add vivid and dramatic effect to enhance the mood and movement of the stories in his songs’. In combination with his guitar work this takes his narratives into enchanting tone poems. The authentic vocal commitment and scope of the stories he tells through his songs brings the listener out of the mundane and into a new world full of possibility. Many of his songs feel autobiographical and take you back to experiences we’ve all had at some point through our lives. Each composition is complete in soul and story in its own personal universe.
With Back to Square One Adams has created handcrafted recordings that carry on the tradition of the rock poets that came before him.
We managed to catch up with Andy as he talked about the upcoming album and more!
How pumped are you for the release of your album Back to Square One?
My wife and I pretty excited. It’s been a lengthy process.
When did you start working on the album and please share any notable contributors with us.
Producer Kyle Reid and myself started writing songs for this record September 2015. We wrote and compiled local cover song of our friends for the next year. October 2016 we met at his home studio (then in Kansas City) and cut demo tracks for 14 songs. I spent the next three months practicing individually with all the musicians that were to be involved in making “Back To Square One.”
Where was the recording done?
We recorded my Joe Bello’s studio in Oklahoma City. Actually every bit of making the record took place in OKC. Since Kyle and I had demoed everything well we were able to cut all 14 tracks in 4 days over about 50 hours. We got everything complete and Carter Sampson and I did all the vocal tracks on the last day of recording.
So, you will be releasing Dancing Alone next month, as a single and a video, can you tell us anything about this track, your inspiration for it?
Kyle wrote Dancing Alone originally as fun swinging party tune. It took some convincing but I think doing it as a slightly sad duet the way we did really portrays the message. Being apart from your loved during important dates is hard.
If you could co-write and records with any band or artist on a new song, who would it be and why?
That a tough question because for me the most important things about co-writing is trust and respect. To do that with someone I’m unfamiliar with and who’s unfamiliar with would be different. Lets go with Ben Gibbard for the work he did with Jay Farrar. I can get behind reading and re-reading a book to inspire song to work on together.
What was your favorite moment when recording the album?
On day two of recording Ms. Carter Sampson became the Bloody Mary Delivery Queen. She lived across the street at the time brought over a Giant vat of Bloody’s in a plastic Tupperware.
Will you be touring at all this year, playing shows at tradition or online venues?
I have three main shows booked in correlation with the release. Oct 21st – Prerelease Show at Cimarron Breeze Concert Series. Nov. 10th – Release Show at The Blue Door (OKC). Nov. 12th – Woody Guthrie Center Theater (Tulsa). I will also be doing a few online three song shows in October. One in the 21st the other are still being scheduled.
What was the first ever gig you attended as a kid?
I remember being 12 years old on a family vacation on Beale Street and going to BB Kings place. Kids my age were not allowed after 9p but my old man convinced them to let me sit with him and watch Little Jimmy King just whale on that guitar. It was amazing.
Do you have a person or artist that first inspired you to play music?
When I was about 10 my Dad started learning harmonica from old instructional cassette tapes. Listing to him learn sparked my interest in the Blues specifically the delta stuff.
Talk us through the art work of the album, were did the concept come from, who did the art?
Alexandra Brodt did the artwork. Inspiration is pretty simple. I like Turtles and Maps.
I’m Andy Adams Music on all social platforms. Website is andyadamsmusic.com. Please check them out.
Thanks for taking the time to talk to me and help promote the new album. We appreciate that you support independent art.