Introducing: Adam Howard

There is a young singer/songwriter that I want to introduce you to.  Currently he is just a student at John Brown University, writing and playing music for his friends and family.  I have a feeling that it won’t be long before his words and music are being heard by much larger audiences.  There is a very raw power in his voice that reminds me of the likes of Damien Rice.  He may not have the most soothing or pleasing voice, but he sure knows how to use it.  Like Rice, his voice is one of his best instruments and he uses it stir up emotions in you that you didn’t even know were there.  His debut album, Shadows & Shapes, is a piano driven record that explores one of man’s greatest fears: of being alone.  It’s a very introspective and heartfelt record that I think shows a lot of potential of great things to come from.

Take a listen to a few of my favorite tracks from Shadows & Shapes.  You can find the album on Emusic, Amazon, or iTunes.  It’s a great record, through and through, and hopefully this album is merely the tip of the iceberg.

I had the opportunity to interview Howard recently.Here are some of his thoughts on the album and what is to come.

IHYEB: Did you record this album yourself?

Adam: Yes and I played all of the music, except for the upright bass and cello throughout the album and the electric guitar on the whisper track.

IHYEB: Where did you do the recording?

Adam: Various places…mostly places at JBU and around Tulsa.  I think I used six or seven different pianos with the intent of capturing the character of the song in the character of the piano itself (that was the intent anyway).

IHYEB: How long have you been playing the piano? Did you teach yourself?

Adam: I started playing the piano mid-way into my senior year of high-school.  I borrowed a digital piano from a friend so that I could learn to play in order that I might be able to play at my grandmother’s wedding reception.  So, yeah I taught myself.

IHYEB: Have you ever had any formal musical training?

Adam: Not really…I had adrum lessons in the sixth grade (but I didn’t really learn how to play the drums until like 9th grade).  I also played the violin in my middle-school and high-school orchestras.  I don’t really do well with formal music, mainly because I can’t read music. I could probably learn if I applied myself, but I guess I never valued it enough (even though I am quite envious of people who formally understand music, especially of those who can sight read music really easily).

IHYEB: What was your inspiration for the record?

Adam: Life, I suppose was my inspiration…the dark side. It is about going to sleep at night and facing your fears and dreams and hopes and failures. It is about the figurative shadows and shapes in life, that may not be what we take them for…like the album cover, seeing the shadow of a lamp and thinking that it’s a ghost.

IHYEB: So what’s next for Adam Howard?

Adam: Well I sort of rushed this album because I told myself that I would release an album or EP by the end of last semester.  So I rushed it in order to keep the promise I made to myself.  But I have another album I am already working on that I am not going to rush. I’ll finish it when I figure out how to record in a manner that meets my liking.