New York City Bound

Fits and Starts and Stops

Out Of Touch by Seth Adam

Where Is Your Heart by Seth Adam

This is the first song from the year long album project, "East Rock."

A friend of mine, Ian Applegate, had filmed, edited, and produced a video for 'New York City Bound,' a song from my last record, "Steel Tempered Pride." In the summer of 2015, he approached me about crafting a song (and video) for a song more New Haven-centric. Prompted by this idea, I had this theme pop in my head, repeating the phrase, "You make me want to settle down."

Around the same time, I was saving up to buy my now fiancé an engagement ring. The idea of settling down and making New Haven my permanent home with her started become more relevant and more realistic.

Through it all, I was making my regular trips to New York City, taking the always bumpy, always faithful Metro North train. It's always on that train, on those late nights, making stops in towns in Southern CT that I've never been to, when I always think to myself, "This train takes forever to get home."

Later in the summer, early fall of 2015, I did a two-week solo tour through the Midwest, making stops in Cleveland, Chicago, Milwaukee and more. It was in Milwaukee that I wrote the second verse and chorus for 'Settle Down' because I was a little homesick and had some downtime to write.

"East Rock" is a year long project for 2016 where I intend to write and record songs out of my house and neighborhood in New Haven. There will be a new song each month, and I will be playing every instrument on each song. "East Rock" is a play on words - I live in the East Rock section of New Haven, and the music is "rock" from the "east coast."

Settle Down

Track #2 from the year long album project, "East Rock."

This song started, in concept, in late 2014/early 2015. I was feeling alone, feeling that I needed to go out on my own musically, without a band. I was a bit jaded, disillusioned, disheartened. In my mind, I started taking inventory of "real" friends. In hindsight, I don't think there are any friends that are real or unreal. There are people that are in your life a lot, a little, or not at all. Regardless, the phrase "You can tell who the real ones are - they won't let you down" was something that I just couldn't get out of my head. I also couldn't figure out any other words.

Fast forward to a year of visiting and re-visiting this concept, these words. I previously did a demo for the music, testing out my then new drum set, hoping that laying down some tracks would inspire some lyrics. No dice on that, but I did figure out an arrangement and some sweet slide guitar melodies.

Fast forward once again to February 2016. A good friend of mine is going through some hard times. Some relationships with some long-time friends have become stressed. As a bystander, I narrated my own story about it. Not necessarily about him, but inspired by the situation.

In the end, I suppose the song IS about taking an inventory of those around you, but mostly taking an inventory of oneself. One of the most poignant and most recently written lines in the song for me is: "Let go of hesitation when the absolute of love is on your side - I swear that you'll be fine." I think this is THE main point of the song.

Enjoy!

-SA 

The Real Ones

This is the third song from the year long album project, "East Rock."

The past few years, and especially this current (2016) presidential election cycle, appears to have given rise to the notion that America "belongs" to someone. To whom it belongs... well, I thought it was quite obvious: anyone that is here.

The rise of "he-who-shall-remain-unnamed-but-rhymes-with-rump" has fanned the flames of populism, and in my opinion (and the opinion of many others) unearthed racism.

There is a Christian element that questions our modern culture as well, one that is appalled that men can now legally marry men, and women can legally marry women.

And of course, there is the longstanding elements of racism in our beloved United States that never seems to go away.

Given the swell of these issues, and more, it just hit me... If I was to ask a supporter of "making America great again," I would simply ask him/her: "Whose America do you want this to be?" No judgement. I'm just curious.

And this question goes beyond contemporary times. I mean, who is 'really' running the show, anyway? I have a feeling we don't even know.

I'm not sure that I want to know the answer, but I think it's important that we look inward and ask ourselves that question - for the future, for our children's future, as we all take up space in this melting pot called the United States, and for that matter, the world.

"East Rock" is a year long project for 2016 where I intend to write and record songs out of my house and neighborhood in New Haven. There will be a new song each month (or I'll try), and I will be playing every instrument on each song. "East Rock" is a play on words - I live in the East Rock section of New Haven, and the music is "rock" from the "east coast."

East Rock

Whose America

POLITICIAN was written over the summer of 2016 in response to the political atmosphere and from the perspective of a laid-off factory worker. I listened to the politicians saying the things the masses wanted to hear, sometimes even what I wanted to hear, but knowing full well most of them won't listen to me, or the mass of constituents. I'm also convinced they're not listening to the laid-off factory worker.

Politician

SWEET MEMORIES was also written over the summer of 2016. As I saw the news, witnessing the shootings of unarmed men by police, followed by retaliations of frustrated people, I grew despondent. I thought to myself, "What can I do?" I thought about the mothers and fathers that lost their children - their loved ones - due to violence from a system that commits abuses of power. I thought about lost loved ones from both sides, again with a resounding, "What can I possibly do? I'm just a white guy living in the northeast that lives a life that doesn't come into contact with events like this." I prayed for the mothers and fathers, hoping that they could someday have their pain eased, that they always remember the good times - the sweet memories - of their loved ones they lost.

Sweet Memories

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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.

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