A Chat with Andrew Adkins (22.11.20)
Eclectic singer-songwriter Andrew Adkins releases his new album The Echoist. Merging alternative rock with folk, Adkins is showcasing his innovativeness and originality as an artist. We speak with him about The Echoist, phobias and much more!
OSR: What can you tell us about your album The Echoist?
Adkins: I started writing at the beginning of 2019. I started to record last fall and finished right after Covid happened. I went into this album with no predetermined agenda or sound in my head. I just threw everything against the wall and see what stuck.
OSR: Did you face any challenges when writing and recording this album?
Adkins: Contrary to my usual routine when making an album, no. This was probably the easiest album I’ve ever made. The songs just fell out and the recording process was pretty smooth. I finished the album in January 2020 at first.
Originally, the album had 13 songs on it. Covid happened and I wrote ‘Vagabond Shoes’ and ‘Save The Day’, so I actually went back and edited the album to accommodate those songs. I started making another album and a few of the other songs seemed to fit better on the latter project than The Echoist, so I settled on making it a somewhat cohesive eight songs.
OSR: Do you have a favourite track?
Adkins: I think I tend to favour ‘Bitter Pills’. When I made this album I made it without thinking of “how am I going to play this live?”, which seemed to have dominated my previous albums. This time around, I just wanted to make the songs exactly like I heard them in my head without concern about how I’m going to interpret them live. I think ‘Bitter Pills’ really encompasses that more than any song on the album.
OSR: Do you find that album releases are more successful than singles?
Adkins: When I was on the road and actively playing shows, I definitely noticed the physical album sales slowing down. So many times, instead of people lining up to buy the actual album people would approach me with their Spotify or Apple Music open with my album pulled up. As far as streaming and downloading goes I haven’t really noticed much of a difference between singles and albums in terms of one being more successful.
OSR: If you could change anything about The Echoist what would it be and why?
Adkins: I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. There are always things I hear in the mix that I would tweak differently, but that is with everything I have ever recorded. I’m always editing in my head even years later. I’m really glad how people are latching onto the album and seem to dig how it turned out.
OSR: What advice do you have for people wanting to record music?
Adkins: Showcase who YOU are as an artist. Always learn from others, be inspired by others, but be true to yourself. We already have an amazing catalogue from Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen, be yourself and do your own thing! Be unique and think on your own cloud.
OSR: Is the position of different tracks on the album important?
Adkins: I think so. Still to this day, if I hear an album in shuffle mode with the songs out of order it completely throws me off. I feel you are creating a narrative in a sense with the flow and sequence of the songs. That’s just me, everyone is different.
OSR: Have you ever locked yourself out of your house or car?
Adkins: Yes!! I used to do that more frequently but thankfully not recently. A couple of years ago, I was on the road and I got back home. I was so ready to just go inside and just drop. I was exhausted and just checked out! I got to my door and realised my keys were not on me. I went back and see them still hanging in the ignition!! The only locksmith I could locate at the time was in South of Nashville, about an hour from East Nashville. So I had to wait over an hour and it’s 98 degrees out. He gets there and I have to pay around $200 – just a nightmare! I definitely try to be more aware these days!
OSR: Do you have any phobias?
Adkins: Unaesthetic holes. By that I mean, if I see a hole in the side of a building, car or food, it freaks me out. Sinkholes are the worst! Basically, a hole somewhere where it shouldn’t be. I have no idea why but it disturbs me greatly!
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
Adkins: I want to thank everyone who has bought, streamed and downloaded The Echoist! It truly means the world. I hope you continue to enjoy it. I’m also almost finished with a new album; it’s heavily inspired by Ennio Morricone, the Italian film composer (The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, Fistfull of Dollars, Once Upon A Time In The West). It’s a concept album. Think Pink Floyd’s The Wall meets a 60s Italian Western.
Thanks to Andrew Adkins for speaking with us. For more from him check out his official website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
