Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Adamo.
Hi Nick, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a singer/songwriter that took a round about route to a career in music.
I got my first electric guitar at age 10 after attending a Green Day/Blink 182 concert but didn’t prioritize guitar playing again until my freshman year of college when my mother gifted me my first acoustic guitar that Christmas
In 2011, I finally unlocked my ability to sing and play guitar at the same time. It was as if I’d uncovered a secret super power that needed to be kept a secret until I learned how to refine this new gift. A large chunk of musical self discovery took place in 2014 whilst sitting in Austin traffic on I-35 singing the album “OK Computer” by Radiohead start to finish during my daily commute. Learning these complex Radiohead songs gave me enough confidence to start playing in front of friends and eventually open mics around Austin and San Marcos, TX.
A pivotal point along my songwriting journey was when one of my songs sparked an emotional response from a close friend. It was in that moment that I felt I was truly on to something special. In 2018, I travelled to Los Angeles to record with Dylan Hill (Producer/Multi-Instrumentalist/Mamalarky Drummer) and Joey Oaxaca (White Reaper FOH Engineer) and tracked my first two songs. My debut single “Sugar Daddy” released March ‘19 and was followed by “Groundhog Day” released August ‘19. These two singles garnered local momentum for the band culminating with a live radio performance on 91.7 KVRX Local Live Sessions, playing the Belmont outdoor stage, Stubb’s Indoor stage and the historic Saxon Pub listening room.=
I became a full-time musician during the pandemic in February 2021. After playing my first show on the road at Tulips – Ft.Worth opening for Tyler McCollum, I was shocked to learn that Grammy Award Winner/ Ft. Worth resident Leon Bridges had been in attendance and watched my entire solo acoustic set. I introduced myself to which he replied “Bro… your voice is incredible! Your vocals just cut right through everything – you’re super talented”.
I used this reaffirming confidence boost to book more shows outside of Austin and started playing gigs in Houston, San Antonio and returned to Ft. Worth/Dallas metroplex. The Nick Adamo Band also began booking bigger shows opening for rising Austin bands like Nané, Night Cap, The Irons, Cat Clemons (White Denim & Sir Woman Guitarist), and Brady Beal (Parker McCollum Guitarist).
During the summer of 2021, I suffered a serious weightlifting injury that required a timely & expensive surgical repair to avoid permanent disfigurement and save my ability to play music again. Through HAAM, I was connected with upper limb orthopedic surgeon Dr. Alton Barron, founder of music nonprofit – Musician Treatment Foundation (MTF) – with co-founder Elvis Costello in 2017. MTF assists professional musicians in seeking care to overcome upper limb injuries by covering surgical and non-surgical care costs required to get you back to playing music asap. One of my first shows back was a MTF benefit concert with my Grateful Dead tribute band “Mostly Dead” few weeks post surgery. After I helped facilitate this successful benefit concert, MTF executive director, Irene Chang-Cimino, of MTF asked me to join their staff as a free-lance social media manager and graphic designer. We’ve been collaborating ever since!
This year I’ve focused on getting new music written/recorded/released and playing shows outside of Austin. I plan to release 2 singles before the end of the year produced by Charlie Magnone (Parker McCollum Keyboardist) and Dylan Hill recorded in Austin with Kevin Butler (Test Tube Audio) and Sean Harvey (Kraken Quartet).
This September, the Nick Adamo Band is playing HAAM Day September 13th @ 7pm at Meanwhile Brewing with Galaso. We round out September with our Swan Dive residency in the heart of the Red River Cultural District as the late night band performing 1960s-2000s party songs from midnight to close September 9, 10, 16, 17.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the biggest obstacles I encountered was having my third single,”Lie to Me” leaked in March 2021. Initially recorded at Radiomilk Studios in Austin, TX fall of 2019, we targeted a mid-March 2020 release date… until the world paused.
While organizing my second attempt to release “Lie to Me” in March of 2022, an administrative error by a distributor caused “Lie to Me” to unintentionally and prematurely release on all platforms.
Because it was published to all streaming platforms, I learned that if I wanted to re-release the same song at a later date, it was now ineligible for editorial playlist consideration. Editorial Playlists are the modern equivalent of radio play in decades past. I made the difficult decision to re-record the song and release it with a proper rollout. Self-funding the recording and release of this song twice has proven to be a costly and arduous learning experience.
The newly re-recorded version of “Lie to Me” is now slated to be released this winter.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am an Austin-based singer/songwriter, guitar player, recording artist, booking agent, social media manager, graphic designer, and digital marketer specializing in writing my own brand of Soft Rock that might make you groove, cry, reminisce and sing along all at once.
I’ve played shows ranging from a toddler’s birthday, attentive listening rooms, loud country bars, grungy rock clubs, dance parties, weddings and even retirement homes! I love playing them all!
My discipline developed through a background in athletics set me apart from others. Being a year younger than my teammates in high school and college forced me to work that much harder to prepare physically and mentally to make up for the age deficit. I felt a similar fire finding my love for music much later in my adult life than most of my peers and invested countless hours learning about music, guitar playing, singing and songwriting over a short period of time.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
“You are already enough.”
“Enjoy the ride.”
While it’s crucial to set goals large enough to grow outside of my comfort zone, it’s a losing game to defer happiness or self-love until I these goals are accomplished. Realizing I’ve been gaining momentum on the path toward my dream with a loving support system behind me is enough to feel immense gratitude and pride for actually “going for it”. I will undoubtably spent more time on this journey toward my goal than in the brief moments of accomplishment. Making the shift to gratitude for taking the leap toward a dream was a great way to refocus my intentions.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nickadamo.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/nickadamo/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/NickAdamoMusic
- Twitter: www.Twitter.com/nickadamomusic
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCSyND8FGscJVV8E59OBq9Hg
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-948240042-518487932?ref=clipboard&p=i&c=1&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
- Other: https://www.songkick.com/artists/10030844-nick-adamo
Image Credits
Sam Washburn, Colin Renton, Lauren Shelburne, Chromatone Studios, Kelly Ngo, Nick P. Harvey, Abraham Biswas, Suzanne Cordeiro, Ismael Quintanilla
