Singer/songwriter Seth Adam writes compelling, genuine songs with honest lyrics. Taking musical cues from artists like Counting Crows, Tom Petty, and Jason Isbell, he creates his own brand of edgy, Americana rock & roll with a message. Past accolades include, but not limited to: Male Performer of the Year nomination - New England Music Awards (2017), Songwriter Of The Year nomination - New England Music Awards (2016), and Best Rock Band winner - New Haven Advocate Reader's Poll (2010). He has opened for Grammy-winning Steep Canyon Rangers, Grammy-winning Robert Cray, Tonic, Gary Louris (The Jayhawks), and more.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Hello Seth Adam. What strengths do you have that you believe make you a great musician?
Hello, LITM! Well, I don’t know that I would consider myself a “great” musician. That feels like a subjective term, and I leave it up to the listener to make that decision on what greatness is. I do have confidence in what I do musically, and I think that’s a crucial component in presenting art to the world where people often compare and contrast. My personal mantra is to be a better version of myself today than I was yesterday, whether that’s with singing, guitar, drumming, bass, songwriting, or parenting. Knowing that I put the effort into myself to learn more, to stretch my boundaries, to challenge myself, feels “great” to me.
Who inspired you to make music?
I had a few early inspirations. My grandfather used to sing and play piano. He would often take me with him to a church in the off hours, where they were kind enough to let him use the piano for a little bit. He’d sit and practice his songs and I would wander around the room exploring, hearing the music in the background. My mother was a singer too, often singing around the house, exposing me to a lot of vocal-centric music. Then there was my father, who bought himself an acoustic guitar when I was about 7 or 8 years old, and I would sneak it out from under his bed before he got home from work, exploring this instrument that made “weird” noises. Eventually, I was introduced to music like Motley Crue and Bruce Springsteen from friends. I had an inherent draw to drums and began formally studying drums in 6th grade while also informally studying guitar on my own. My middle school music teacher, Mr. Rossomundo, was a tremendous influence on me, as he was fluent with virtually any instrument and I wanted to do the same. As I got older, I grew to appreciate lots of music ranging from the classic rock music from the 60’s, to orchestra, to the heaviest of metals, hip-pop, soul, and more. All of these experiences and more have inspired me to make music.
Your latest release is 'Fits and Starts and Stops'. Can you share with us the background of its creation and did any unusual things happen during its creation?
“Fits and Starts and Stops” is mostly my personal reaction to the 45th American President administration, and a lot of the societal monkey business that ensued. It is mostly a “political” album, and I felt the need to say things that I didn’t see many other artists saying. I started the rough ideas for several songs in 2017/2018, and intended on recording them shortly after. But then we (my family) moved to a new (old) house, and we took some time to settle in. Then, the pandemic began. During that time, I just continued writing and built myself a creative space/studio in my basement, doing a majority of the construction work myself with help from a few friends. Since I wasn’t performing/touring that much, the time allowed me to refine the songs, experiment with arrangements and sounds, and hone in on recording skills. Then we had a second daughter. It took a little over a year to record, beginning in April 2021 and ending in July 2022.
Can you shortly describe each of the tracks that are on the album?
FRAUD - Is loosely based on the character that was the 45th American President. It discusses anyone desperate for attention, saying or doing anything to convince people of his/her cause with no substance to back the cause up. There’s a line in the song that sums it up: “Some charlatan proclaiming he’s the greatest that there is.”
WHERE IS YOUR HEART - When the story broke about the kids in cages at the southern U.S. border, I saw a lot of horrible reactions to it on social media. People posting things like, “They don’t belong here, anyway,” to “They’re not humans, they’re animals,” to “We don’t need more immigrants,” etc. Just horrible, nasty stuff. I would see this stuff and my reaction was to say, “These are people in need. Where is your heart?”
THE TROUBLE I’VE BEEN IN - There IS a long story to this, but let’s just say that we should all be as kind as we can to people because we never know what another person is going through.
OUT OF TOUCH (PLEASE LISTEN) - When the pandemic began in March 2020, and we were all subjected to life as we knew it coming to a virtual standstill, I recalled driving through the rustbelt in the midwest, along I80/I90 in Indiana, Ohio, etc., and seeing the old factory buildings that were shut down many years ago. I thought about how similar it must have been for those folks, with their jobs and lives evaporating, with little power to stop it, and how the desperation was difficult to deal with.
THE BLOOD IT RUNS - Is simply a song in reaction to this country’s embarrassing, unfortunate, unacceptable amount of gun violence.
HEAVY RAIN - Was a fun song to write, as I purposely challenged myself to use terminology specific to rain. The rain is symbolic of the “bad stuff” happening. But when the storm subsides, we can work together to rebuild.
VERMIN - I had slimy politicians and shadowy figures with obscene amounts of money in mind when I wrote this. It seems that there is always a story of people with power, money, or both taking part in nefarious activities, unseen by the rest of us. It’s only when they are revealed or caught that they stop their corrupt, scandalous behavior. It’s also a call to action, referring to a line in the song, “We are the disinfecting light.”
YOU AIN’T GONNA DRAG ME DOWN - Originally written for the midterms of 2018 to be an inspire people to go out and vote, it is a call to personal action to defy and rise above the darkness or abusive behaviors by others. It takes a lot of energy, confidence, and trust in oneself to break away from a dreadful situation.
PAGES - Was written in solidarity with the LGBTQ community, and a “F**k You” to people that use religion - specifically Christianity - to gain power, hold other people down, and disregard people different from them.
LENNON’S SONG - The music for this song was the first musical idea that came to mind after my daughter was born. Fatherhood changed me for the better and I love my children. I wanted to write a song about my first born, to profess my love for her.
How do you stay up-to-date with the latest musical trends?
I pay a little attention to what’s happening with musical trends, but I don’t employ many, if any at all. For example, pop music uses a lot of auto-tuning on vocals, quantizing on drums or just programming drums, and a lot of sampled instruments. That’s good and fine for others, and I’m not knocking it, but that’s not what I like, so I don’t do that. I know TikTok is a big thing, but it just doesn’t interest me. I have enough social channels to consume my time. I feel like getting caught up in trends takes away from personal innovation.
What makes you different from others?
Great question! I joke around all the time that there’s about 50,000 other people trying to do something similar to what I do. I guess what makes me different is that I’m a metal guy at heart, but I’m a singer-songwriter by trade. I think it shocks people to tell them I listen to Slayer and Metallica, but write songs that are stylistically more in line with Tom Petty and Counting Crows (two HUGE influences by the way). I like music and I tend to like harder stuff, but I’m sensitive, too.
What’s an average day like for you?
If I’m lucky, an average day includes guitar practice, vocalizing, some writing exercises, some physical exercise, and reading. But there are all these “business” things that need attention, like sending emails, making and selecting images, posting on the socials, planning my next week, month, year and more. There’s also playing with my 7-month-old, my 5-year-old, doing the laundry, dishes, and cleaning. I wish I could say it was traveling and playing sold-out shows every day, but this life keeps me grounded and realistic. I appreciate my small successes even more now.
Please discuss how you interact with and respond to fans.
I’ve always tried to carry myself as a “regular person.” I’ve seen other musicians puff their chests, brag about what they’ve done, or think they’re better than other people, etc. That’s not my style. I like to meet people, talk about what’s happening in their lives, answer their questions, relate to their stories with some of my own, and always be thankful that they took time to see me, or spend their money on my art.
What advice would you have for someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?
The best advice I could give includes two things: 1) Be yourself and 2) Practice. We are bombarded with so many different personalities, styles, attitudes, etc. I remember I wanted to be the next combination Counting Crows/Dave Matthews Band. But looking back on it, that was dumb because those two bands already exist. I would tell people to discover yourself and be the best YOU that you can be. As far as the practice, I mean practice your craft. If you’re an artist, then back it up. Learn as much about your art as you can. Practice your instrument, your craft, your business. Embrace your craft and your place in it.
What are your plans for the future?
Future plans include making a video for each song on “Fits and Starts and Stops,” re-recording my 2007 album, “Where You Come From,” acoustically (special acoustic version of the album), write more songs, small tours for my current album “Fits and Starts and Stops,” and try to reach as many people as I can, hopefully compelling them to listen to the music, and hoping they enjoy it.