Adam! France (that's the way he writes it. I swear to God,) is quite talented, quite sweet, and quite handsome. As if swinging around that beautiful guitar in Burn Burn Burn, or hollering in Violent Occurrence weren't enough to get your lady's panties wet; the man also busts out some amazingly heartfelt acoustic work. Trust me, if it was good enough to get me feeling like a rainy October day, it'll melt your lady in seconds.
He recently released three tracks of this gloomy singer-songwriter business on a split shared with Old Growth. To spread the word about this amazing collection of acoustic punk fare, both parties decided to embark on a short tour through the western United States. This was Adam's first tour without a band behind him. In fact, it was the first time he'd taken his solo act out of WA. With the exception of a few little sets on the Burn tour, trying to kill time. According to him, it couldn't have gone better. It was a big gamble. Going out on the road as a solo acoustic act. An unknown, solo acoustic act at that. The risk seemed to be compounded by the fact he was touring with another acoustic project. Playing all acoustic shows. Adam had never played anything but opening sets for punk and hardcore bands... How could it ever work?
Very simply, seemed to be the answer. To hear him tell it, there was one iffy show at the beginning, and everything just got better from there. Luckily, every show took place where Adam had friends. There was always a floor to crash on. Always a shower to clean up in. They even got to cook on few occasions, which is quite rare on the road. If you didn't know. They always made enough money to pay gas to the next gig. From what I heard, it was a old road-dog's dream.
Funnily enough, there were no old road-dogs on the tour. Adam has toured before in Burn, but he's only been with them for a year and a half. The guy's is only just turning 24. The other guys were younger than him. Adam sounded like he had a good time advising these guys. Being the older, more experienced one of the group. Which is fitting, considering the split they were touring behind was considerably more mature than any of his earlier releases.
Adam started this solo project in February of 2012. He kind of fell apart after his long-term girlfriend left him. You can hear the hurt in his voice when he talks about it to this day. Not a fresh hurt, but an old, scarred wound that has created strength and growth. I'm sure the scar runs deeper and the growth was more profound, thanks to losing his childhood dog at the same time. The pain is there for all to hear on the "Losing" EP. Those songs were some of Adam's favorites. More straight forward and angry. They really lay the groundwork for his career. Recorded alone, in his bedroom, the whole thing comes off like a heart-crushing, coming of age story, told in the most sincere way. The natural environment of heart break is one's bedroom. You can tell that's where this was made. It worked. That's probably why he kept doing it.
His "Learning and Leaving" EP came next and carried the same vibe. Maybe a little more confidence. He'd already done it once. Experience and dedication where very apparent. By that time he had already been encouraged by Drew Smith, of Burn Burn Burn, to open a few shows and really get those heartbreak anthems out there.
As far as I know, the new split was also a bedroom composition. The lyrics aren't so much about terrible women. He's still frustrated, to be sure. It was the initial listen to this EP that gave me insight into Adam's melancholy approach to acoustic punk. That being the case, the rest of his catalog confirmed what he told me. That he's trying to leave that behind. Be a cry-baby no more.
No matter what you feel about acoustic music, singer-songwriters, or Adam's other projects you should get into his solo stuff. It's different. It's touching. It never, ever, sounds like Bright Eyes. It definitely seems like Adam's number one priority. I'm personally a big fan, because it gives a moving look into a massive talent, keen intellect, and deeply sensitive heart. All the while remaining uncompromising, vicious, and honest.
No comments:
Post a Comment