Adam Smith
Phoenix, Arizona, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2009 | SELF
Music
Press
Adam Smith's "Around The Bend" is a brilliantly crafted record. It has all the cool elements of creativity and rule breaking that makes it a true work of art.
It's so nice to hear a singer songwriter capture the spirit of the song without sounding forced or over-produced, yet still retain all the professional attributes to compete in today's market.
- Jamison Weddle, Multi-Platinum Award Winning Engineer
The Occidental Weekly
The Official Newspaper of Occidental College Since 1893
Leap day folk concert brings obscure musical genre to life
By Nicolette Gendron
Published: Tuesday, March 6, 2012
On last Wednesday night, in honor of Leap Day, Highland Park's cozy studio on York called "York 5209" hosted a four band folk set consisting of Homesick Elephant, Shane Cooley, Adam Smith and Bunnies & Kitties. Perfectly in line with folk's tradition of personal, lyrical and acoustic qualities, each performance brought to life a different element of the genre.
However, it was the third act of the night, singer Adam Smith, who stole the show. Nothing about folk music is ostentatious or domineering, but Smith's skeletal presence along with his haunting voice left a lasting impression. A hat covered Smith's shaggy hair while his John Lennon-inspired glasses obscured his eyes. In the gentle glow of the Chinese lantern's red light, Smith exposed his personal demons, black magic, love and angels through song. He appeared almost as an arch angel, stoic and severe in all black but ethereal with a voice that warmed the room and indulged the audience in rapture and reflection.
- Nicolette Gendron, The Occidental Weekly
"I recall hearing James Taylor for the first time. I sought out his album purposely after reading about his association with The Beatles, his romance with Carly Simon and his unfortunate battle with Heroin addiction. In the end It was his compelling voice and songs that held my interest. When I first heard the story of Adam Smith;(his singing for tips on the street corners of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, being discovered and taken into a small recording studio in Sedona, Arizona,) I hoped for a musical experience I could make favorable comments upon. The recording blew me away. Adam Smith had created a CD, almost completely on his own, that left me with the same transcendental feeling I had felt upon my first exposure to James Taylor. Singing in a voice snatched out of an Angel Choir, Adam Smith projected Love and Life songs at once traditionally singer/songwriter and at the same time, poetic and honestly observant of the human condition and it’s effect on a wise, young man. I felt the need to become involved with Adam, and so I did the final mixes on his self made CD. Thus began a professional relationship that is developing and growing, day by day. I believe in Adam Smith and have committed myself to seeing to it that Adam never sings on a street corner or counts nickels out of a baseball cap, again."
- Dick Wagner, lead guitar, producer, songwriter (Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, Kiss, Lou Reed)
"Recording is always exciting when good songs are involved and working on Adam's record was a joy.
Song after song after song, I can't get enough of Adam Smith."
- Otto D'Agnolo, Owner of Chaton Studios
I think Adam is a remarkable talent -- "Another Way" blew me away.
What time does Adam and Co. play on Tuesday?
Kindest regards,
Jeffrey
- Jeff Green, VP/Operations, Country Aircheck
Discography
Another Way to Get to Heaven - debut CD, released January 2010
A Friend is a Stranger - single release, released November 2010
Something Beautiful - single release, scheduled release September 2012
Around the Bend - full-length CD, scheduled advance release October 2012
Around the Bend - full-length CD, scheduled release January 2012
Cupid - single release, scheduled February 2013
Photos
Bio
"Adam's debut album, 'Another Way to Get to Heaven,' is heartbreakingly beautiful.... I find myself both wanting to hear through the entirety of this album in the same heated rush, and also not wanting to finish listening, forever..."
~ Lorelei Loveride
Singer-Songwriter Adam Smith is a natural. Born in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, raised in Cloverlick, Kentucky, and discovered on the streets of Nashville, Tennessee, Adam is self-taught and naturally inspired to create his moving, original music.
He discovered the piano on his own as a 7-year-old in the sanctuary of the old Baptist church deep in the woods of Cloverlick. Soon he was playing whenever he could, composing tunes by earand by sight.
It was a visual thing for me, Adam says. I would see a pattern on the keyboard and play it. I could see shapes in the keys, and the shapes would make music. It was a fun game to me. It still is.
A visual artist as well as musician, Adam easily combines the two forms. ?To most people, visuals are just visual things, and sounds are just sound things. Ive been painting and drawing as long as Ive been making music. I think it runs on the same current. It all comes from the same place.
It wasnt until Adam heard Joni Mitchells Blue album that he began to put lyrics to his songs. It changed my life and the way I think about and hear music.
Picking up the guitar and teaching himself to play around the age of 18, he eventually began performing regularly at open mic nights in Knoxville, TN, all the while eking out a living working odd jobs. Following his dreams, he soon made his way to the sidewalks of Nashville, singing for passersby and peddling a 5-song CD hed manage to record some months earlier. That was a formative time of my life, when ?I gained so much experience and confidence playing in front of an audience. I was horribly nervous, but it wasnt long before someone noticed me and took me under their wing.
Adams continuing journey led him to the inspiring state of Arizona. Beautiful landscapes and a connection with the artistic and spiritual nature of communities like Sedona and Jerome, as well as major progressive metropolitan markets with tremendous support for the arts like Phoenix, fueled him towards new creative heights and allowed him to expose his music to the masses.
His debut album Another Way To Get To Heaven was released in the spring of 2010 to rave reviews, an autobiographical soundscape of songs representing his continuing desire to create and connect with the world around him. Now preparing to release his second album, Around The Bend, Adam continues to take his sound in new and inspiring directions. This record is about a turning point. I wanted to document some things that are shifting in me personally, and some of the changes that are happening to us as a world.
From his home base in Arizona, Smith has toured and performed for audiences all across the nation, sharing his music at events where he interacts with all his fans directly. I really love meeting new people and playing my music for them, notes Smith with a smile. In addition to catching one of his captivating live shows (where he signs CDs for all of his fans), Adam Smiths music is available on iTunes, Amazon.com, and other online retailers. He also continues to create visual art, and several pieces and paintings have been on display in galleries throughout the southwest.
Adams passion for helping others is a driving force, as he also lends his creative and performing talents to numerous charitable and community organizations, most notably the Teen Lifeline peer-to-peer suicide prevention hotline in Arizona. Adam donated all the proceeds from his single A Friend Is A Stranger to Teen Lifeline, and continues to appear at events and shows benefiting this organization.
A remarkable way to make music, with uniquely emotive results. This is Adam Smith, a musical visionary, in a very
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