Australia’s finest: Garth Adams

September 17 2011

Answers by Singer-songwriter Garth Adams

Questions by D

Summarise your music for potential new listeners?
 
Garth: It has been over a year since I last spoke to you, how has your fantastic music dream developed?
 
You have an album out at the moment called Glue and a previous one called Storm in A Tea Cup – How does it feel to know that the songs on these EPs are being played all over the world?

 Garth: The new one is actually called “Travelling”. I am always really thrilled to get an email fr0m a radio station saying they would like to play a song. I recently had an email from a radio station in Stockholm Sweden which was a first.

 At what point in your life did you feel that you wanted to venture out into the music industry as a solo-artist?

 

Garth: After the last band I was in broke up in 2004 I thought I would try something on my own. I had never been brave enough previously but somebody else I knew had gone out and done it and it inspired me to give it a try.

 
Have there been able challenges which you have had to overcome while pursuing your career?

 

Garth: Radio play is the  pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and very hard to get as there is so much music released every single day.  Keeping the connection with radio is the challenge of this business. If radio is on your side then everything else positive follows.

 
You have so many amazing songs – is there any in particular which gets your adrenaline going?

 

Garth: My favourite at the moment  is the chorus out on the song off Travelling call “Hands Across the Border” It s one of those big multiple voices chorus that gets more intense as it goes on. I have attached to this email

 How did you find the reaction to your music from the audiences in your home nation Australia?

 

Garth: The reaction in Australia has been modest. For starters there is not the range of independent and college radio that the northern hemisphere has. Because of that diversity I have had much more success in Europe , the UK and US College radio.

 
Is there anything that you may have wanted to do differently?

 

Garth: I have been to a couple of music trade shows like CMJ in New York and SWSW in Texas. They were good but I don’t believe I really knew how to promote myself and got a bit lost in the size of the things. If I go back again I would approach it much differently.

 You are currently working with  AMRAP in Australia and with Caravan Music Promotions in the UK and Europe. How has working with them helped you as a solo-artist?

 

Garth: AMRAP is good for Australia but it is a fairly passive promotion vehicle. JJ from Caravan has been great because she champions you to her contacts and being from Australia that is  invaluable.

 
Take us through the stages you go through for writing a song?

 

Garth: I generally wait for a spark of an idea. Something may come quickly and sometimes not at all. It is hard to just sit down and write a good song when you have fee time, The ideas always come when you least expect them. I always record these flashes on a little digital recorder smaller than a mobile phone. When I have time I go back to them and if they are any good start to build them up to a finished song. Sometimes this can take half an hour sometimes that can take weeks with various versions been developed and discarded till I get one I thinks works.

 What can we expect from you in coming months?

 

Garth: At the moment I am happy to promote this CD and have plans to be in the US and Europe next April to follow up any good leads. In the meantime I have started writing again for a new CD and have a few songs already working pretty well.

 
What would you say has been the most memorable part of your journey so far?

 

Garth: My favourite part of this process is recoding songs and seeing them start from an idea to a fully recorded song in a studio with other musicians putting in their ideas. If I could live in a studio full time I probably would. My love of recoding keeps me going and if anybody likes the results I am very grateful.

 

For more information about Garth Adams visit http://www.garthadam.com/Garth_Adam/HOME.html