»My house had over 20,000 albums in it«

Interview with US-Singer-Songwriter Greg Adkins

(Deutsche Übersetzung hier...)

In 2003, Greg Adkins started an ambitious project: during a whole year he would write and record one song a week. He even launched a website to document his progress. Encouraged by the great feedback he decided to take the best songs – which range from introspective and poignant to hilarious – and do his first record. We think that "Lower Than The Angels" (produced by Andrew Osenga) is one of this year's best débuts and so asked Greg Adkins to tell us more about this project, the new record and his musical influences.

Monica Seidler: Greg Adkins, in october 2003, you started your musical project "52 songs in 52 weeks". What gave you this "ambitious" idea?

Greg Adkins: I had been writing songs for about five or six years and my biggest problem was discipline. I just needed some inspiration to write... I was only writing about five or six songs a year, and really, none of them were all that good. So, I had this idea one night to start a website where I would write a song a week for a whole year. It would be a way to keep myself accountable if people were reading on the website, I would feel pressure to keep up the pace.

Monica: Please tell me a bit about the obvious dynamic of this project and about the responses to it. Were there particular lessons – musically, personally, in faith – you learned in that year?

Greg: The response was really great. The website had over 100,000 hits over the course of that year. I learned a lot about myself as a writer. I learned that I did have it in me to put quality material together, and I learned to approach writing as a discipline. For me to be good, it is something I have to work on almost every single day, at least for a little while. Musically, I got a lot better at guitar over the course of the year. I also learned a lot about recording and engineering, working on all those demos at home.

Monica: You seem to master all sorts of genres: the typical American alt-country, a pulsating folk-rock similar to Rich Mullins and Andrew Peterson, playful singer-songwriter stuff in the tradition of Billy Joel, this astonishing talkin' blues thing in the hidden track, floating pop-rock with hints of U2... and there's often a strong retro feel.  Are you a nostalgic music fan?

Greg: Growing up, my father was the program director of a rock and roll radio station. My house had over 20,000 albums in it. I grew up listening to Dylan, the Beatles, Billy Joel, all that stuff. Hearing as much music as I did as a kid, it was bound to have a big influence. I've really always been a huge music fan. I listen to a LOT of music (my 60gb ipod is completely full) and I think that shows in my writing. My favorite genres are folk, contemporary folk, americana, alt-country, and bluegrass. But I also love a good rock band too. Really, for music to connect with me, it starts with the lyric. I don't listen to many bands that just create a "feel". I want a lyric to connect with me... tell me something... give me some truth. If an artist has something to say that is moving, I'll usually fall in line with the style. I think that's why I like such a wide variety of styles.

Monica: Can you tell me more about the first track, "Heavenly Descent", which led to the album's titel "Lower Than The Angels"?

Greg: I had a friend who was in the ministry with me who had a pretty rough fall from grace. I felt like I could have been a better friend during his time of trial, and this song is written as an apology to him. It's also meant as an encouragement... sometimes when Christians have moral problems, we tend to write them off as "lost". We hear language like "they are off the straight and narrow". That's where the line in the chorus comes from and I was interested in juxtaposing that line with the commonly used phrase "deep and wide"... that's the encouragement... the vocal saying over and over "deep and wide... there's a river running deep and wide..."

Monica: What was working with producer Andrew Osenga and all these amazing musicians like?

Greg: It was wonderful. Andrew really did a great job on the record and he made everything so easy. It sounds like we really spent a lot of time on the recording process, but we actually worked very quickly. Most of the tracks were done in two or three takes tops. Andrew is an amazing guitarist. He really plays with a lot of creativity and feeling, and he has all kinds of experience working in the studio.

The other musicians were great too. Ben Shive came up with some really beautiful piano lines that I never would have thought of. Paul Eckberg is just absolutely solid on drums, as is Aaron Sands on bass. Those two formed a really solid rhythm section and we tracked their parts together which really helped them lock in. Kenny Hutson came and played pedal steel and mandolin which was great. I was a big fan of his from his days in Vigilantes of Love. It was also an honor to have Andrew Peterson come in and sing on a track. I've been a big fan of Andrew's writing for several years now and I just have a huge amount of respect for the way he has handled his career.

Monica: Coffeehouse, concert hall or church? – which is your favorite audience and what do you mostly want them to experience through your music?

Greg: That's a tough one. Honestly, my favorite audience to play for at this point in my career is one who came to hear me. So coffeehouses are usually not all that much fun... normally you've got a group of people who are just there hanging out, and you have to convince them to listen. That's fun when it works, but sometimes it doesn't and you feel like you've wasted your time. I had a night recently where I drove 3 hours to play a coffeehouse and the crowd there didn't listen to a note I played or a word I said... they were all doing their own thing, which is fine, but it's not any fun to play in that setting. I guess I really prefer playing in churches... I feel like a lot of my songs have a lot to say to the church and so they're usually pretty well received in that setting.

Monica: Greg Adkins, I thank you so much for your answers and for taking the time to write them down for us!

For more information and to buy "Lower Than The Angels" please visit www.gregadkinsmusic.com / The 52 songs in 52 weeks can be found at www.emergingminister.com/52songs