Schmidy’s Tavern, Palm Desert, Sunday August 11th @ 7pm
By Lisa Morgan
Some days, I love my job as a feature and music writer more than others. I am approached often, and am sometimes put in the awkward position of having to put off an artist’s or entertainer’s (or God forbid, their mother’s) request for an interview or CD review. I do my best to dissuade them as politely and kindly as possible, as I cannot write what I truly do not believe, and I do not care to be anyone’s critic. But then there are the very cool occasions where I am introduced to an artist that brings me the true joy of discovery; they immediately enhance my music collection, and inspire me to broadcast their talents. This is one such occasion. If the Americana genre suits you, I am absolutely certain that you will fall in love with the music of Peter Bradley Adams’, and you will not want to miss seeing him perform live at Schmidy’s Tavern in Palm Desert this Sunday. Like me, you will become an avid fan of this incredibly skilled yet soft spoken troubadour of contemporary Americana.
When Desert Road Music’s founder, Randy Foulds, contacted me about Peter, I proceeded clinically as usual, not sure what to expect. I had never heard his music before, although, as I researched, it became apparent that hundreds of thousands nationwide have. As I went to the website, music immediately streamed in through my computer speakers. What I heard made me sit up in my chair and take notice, and brought the rest of the household peering over my shoulder to find out who was delivering this incredible music. A warm and gentle voice flooded the room over the skillful cantor of an acoustic guitar:
“When my blood runs warm from more red wine, I miss the life that I left behind.
But when I hear the sound of the black birds cry, I know I left in the nick of time.
Well this road I’m on is gonna turn to sand, and leave me lost in a far off land.
So let me ride the wind till I don’t look back, and forget the life that I almost had.
If I wander till I die, may I know whose hand I’m in
If my home, I never find, then let me live again.
The longer I’m in the mess then I find I’m sellin’ my soul for a nickel and dime.
Beggin’ my heart to keep singin’ these rhymes,
loosin’ again”
Coming from generations of music, Peter can’t remember considering doing anything other than music for his life’s work. He began playing piano at the age of six. Formally trained, he earned his Master’s in Composition at the University of Alabama, and went on to LA where he composed music for film and television. Although, he now hails from Nashville, Peter is not the stereo-typical artist one might assume Nashville would produce. “I have nothing really to do with the pop-country, commercial music that it produces,” Peter explains, “My music is definitely not country. Having lived in Nashville for several years now, he shared, “People really don’t know how much other music is coming out of Nashville. It’s a huge singer songwriter forum. It’s an exciting town to be in. To me, Nashville is a thriving alternative music community.”
For a little over three years, Peter was part of the duo, Eastmountainsouth, an American pop/rock band formed in 1999 composed of vocalists Kat Maslich-Bode and signed to Dreamworks Records by Robbie Robertson of The Band. Their first self-titled album, that Adams co-produced, received national acclaim. Several songs from the album have been used prominently in film and television. Their version of Stephen Foster’s song “Hard Times (Come Again No More)” was featured on the Elizabethtown motion picture soundtrack. The track “So Are You to Me” was prominently featured on the soundtrack of the movie Lucky 7 and appeared in a Season 3 episode of “Alias”. Their song “You Dance” was featured in a first season episode of the television series One Tree Hill and the song “Ghost” was used in a fifth season episode of Dawson’s Creek. In 2003 the band opened for Lucinda Williams and Nelly Furtado.
Currently, Peter is on his fifth solo album. The fifth and newest album, The Mighty Storm, was recorded at Chet Atkins old recording studio, RCA Studio B in Nashville. “I put together my favorite producers and musicians in town, who are also my friends. It was a very collaborative effort. We recorded it live in the same room. We did overdubs later, but the core of the band was recorded live. I’m really excited about it.” There is no firm release date yet, but it is projected to come out in late fall/early winter of this year.
Adams has been featured at Pappy and Harriet’s before, but this will be his first time performing in the Coachella Valley. For this acoustic show, he will be accompanied by Todd Lomardo, a national bass guitar player who also plays with Peter when he performs with his full band. We will be gifted with songs form the new album, as well as from his huge arsenal of music from over the years. You can get a sneak peek into the music from the new album at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6V960RWYLg
The very popular duo from the locally known band Caxton will be leading off the night, with Brett’s skillful guitar and harmonies backing Christina’s gorgeous voice as they bring their own unique musical creations to the event. Tickets to this rare evening of exceptional “un-plugged” music are $10 and can be purchased at http://desertroad.eventbrite.com/. I suggest purchasing your tickets as soon as possible, as seating is limited in the perfect listening environment Schmidy’s Tavern and their exceptional sound system provide. Be watching for more talent being brought to our valley by following Desert Road Music on Face book at www.facebook.com/pages/Desert-Road.
