ADAM Masterson

Just been rehearsing with Dave and Aaron walking up Avenue B for a taco at the Snack Dragon… Dave likes the new stuff which is cool coz I like his taste, he’s gonna join us tomorrow at Rockwood for a few tunes, come along we’re on late 11pm..

Played the Lakeside Lounge last night.  Bunch of musicians showed up to see me which was cool.  Neal Casal was there, great to see him again, he told me he’s living in L.A now.  Got a record of his at home that I love.  Jeff Hill from Teddy’s band came along with him and a bunch of new friends I made on this trip. 

Me with Aaron on drums went on around 9.45.  Tricky start my guitar kept cutting in and out, some wiring inside it musta come loose. Had to stand still with it like a statue for first few numbers which wasn’t much fun.. till I lost my rag during Isolation and started swinging it about, the crowd responded to this but the guitar didn’t and completely cut out.  Fortunately my friend Steve Mahoney was on hand he’d just done a gig on bleaker and gave me his guitar.  Thank you Steve. 

It was one of those guitars you have to strap up with shoe laces, so I just held under my arms without a strap, got comfortable with it in the end, was able to step up a few gears and have some fun. Had busier crowds at Lakeside before but the crowd I had was wonderful and tipped handsomely.

Got chatting to Dave Hurwitz after the show he’s a mate of mine and Aaron’s from round here. Great musician. Leads his own band The Boy Bathing. Lives a block down from where I’m staying.  He says he’s up for jumping in with us on Bass.

Coming up is Rockwood Music Hall this wed 30th at 11pm and next Monday at Zebulon Cafe Concert in Williamsburg Brooklyn Oct 5th at 9pm

Adam

Went to the Apollo in Harlem last friday night. My first time. I arrived out of the subway to a big crowd and a big buzz. Street vendors outside were still selling their Micheal Jackson memorabilia, I was in NYC when James Brown passed and I remember seeing the crowds flock here then on the TV.

Inside before the show I had some time to kill… went to check out the gallery, the apollo hall of fame, pictures of Sarah Vaughan, Ben E King, Diana Ross and the Supremes, The Jackson 5, Billie Holiday, Glady’s Knight & the Pips- they all got their start here. Read about the “Amateur Night” they had in the 30’s and 40’s where Ella Fitzgerald made her Apollo debut in 1934, read a story about a man named ‘The Executioner’ who’d come onstage with a big broom and sweep the act offstage if the crowd didn’t like the em… can you imagine?!

I was as excited to be here, as I was about the nights main event. The taping of Spectacle: Elvis Costello with Bruce Springsteen.

I had the best seats in the house five rows from the front. The Apollo’s neat. Tiny place with a big imposing stage much smaller than the empire in Shepherds Bush.

As we waited for the show to begin Suicide’s ‘Dream Baby Dream’ came on. Love that record.

The director told us how to behave for the taping ect then on came our host Elvis and show began. He did a couple of Bruce Tunes with his band the Imposters. They worked up a song where Elvis did this rap about ‘The Boss’ before welcoming on the man himself. The whole place got to its feet. Bruce frenzy.

The show went on for four hours bit intense! Lot’s of serious talk about song writing. You can tell Elvis is a real Bruce fan, and you could tell half the audience were music fans loving it and the other half were fame fans thinking about that table they’d booked for dinner.

Highlights were the two of them doing a Sam and Dave number, bit brave at the Apollo. Handy the executioner wasn’t in town, he might have had to get out his broom..

Elvis questioned Bruce right the way through his whole career, One part got real close to home for me.. Bruce spoke about the years 25 to 28 about not being able to put out a record in these years and that it caused him a lot of pain and hurt at the time, he said these years are a massive chunk of your whole life.

It got me in the gut. Like a rope that tightens inside

The only ones in Rock n Roll are the desperate ones you gotta be a desperate guy. I really wanna get this record out next year, otherwise this thing inside’s gonna eat me up Baby…

At the end the boss put on a show with the band, it was a relief. Bruce is outrageous at close range in a small place like the Apollo. I thought this is what we should have been doing all night…

Getting ready for the show, drum kit set up in Living room, aaron fisher is on his way now for rehearsal, running up to ludlow to get some reserves from my pals at the guitar store… show starts 9pm at lakeside lounge on Ave B at 10th and 11th streets look forward to seeing you folks!!!

Adam

Went to U2 last night at Giants stadium. Great show, larger than life, had great tickets. They played all their hits, the set was huge came right out to the middle of the stadium.

They came on blazing. Played a couple of numbers I wasn’t familiar with but soon started rolling out the hits.

The first was ‘I still haven’t found what I’m looking for’ half way through Bonno bellowed ‘Happy birthday Bruce Springsteen he’s 60 today’ the place gave a cheer… sixty! i thought… they then went into one of his songs, which was pretty cool- what with us being in New Jersey an’all.

Talkin’ of the Boss I’ll be seeing him tomorrow at the Apollo theatre in Harlem for the taping of the Elvis costello TV show Spectacle. I’ll bring my birthday card.

After the show we went to the Spotted Pig in west village for drinks. Friends of mine met up with Mike Mills from REM, he was drinking this great red wine from Tuscany but I can’t remember what it was called cos he got me pissed on it.

Later Paul McGuiness U2’s manager showed up, I got chatting to his wife Kathy she was really sweet, asked me where I was playing and said she wanted to come along to a show. She introduced me to her husband, a giant of a man. I was right about saying it was a good show, they said it was one of the best they’ve seen and they’ve seen a lot of them.

I chatted away with Paul, told him a bit about what I’d done he knew some of the people I’d been involved with, when I told him the people I was working with now he said ‘you’re in the best of hands’

Saturday night I got a rehearsal in Brooklyn with Aaron on drums, he may have a bass player who can come join us.

We’ll be playing the Lakeside Lounge in the east village sunday night 9pm avenue B between 10th and 11th streets

Adam

PLAYING ROCKWOOD MUSIC HALL TONIGHT 11PM

196 ALLEN STREET ‘TWEEN E. HOUSTON AND STANTON STREETS

2 NEW DEMO TUNES UP ON MYSPACE AND WEBSITE.

VOICE SOUNDZ LIKE IT”S RECOVERED…. I’M GONNA LIVE

SEE U LATER

ADAM

I’m in my room getting ready to go out. My friends Alexi and Olga are having the launch of their new jewelry line ‘October Anniversary’ tonight on Broome street and I’m gonna go along and support. I gotta an Etta James record playing ‘One for my baby (and one more for the road)’ it aint her greatest track, but I’m in a one more for my baby kinda mood.

Earlier I met up with Robert Ascroft at the Cafe Pick me up on Avenue A. Robert’s a mate who’s shot photo’s of me before, he’s now directing films and is keen on shooting something while I’m in town. We came back to the apartment and Robert showed me a bunch of video’s by a director he liked.. one with Sheryl Crow another of the Stones with Angelina Joli. We listened to my tunes… Isolation seemed to stand out as the one to work on… we’ll be doing something soon lets see what happens.

Got a few hours to myself today to play a bit which was cool, wanna work up my piano playing while I’m out here.

Spoke on the phone to Aaron Fisher last night, always good to talk to Aaron. He says he’s put together his own rehearsal space in an old Navy yard in DUMBO Brooklyn.  Aaron’s in town to play some shows with me which is great. We’re gonna get together and play through some tunes later in the week.

My acoustic demo’s from the Peter Mayes session are gonna go up on myspace soon, more word on this tomorrow

Adam

Have arrived in New York City. Staying at my friends apartment in the east village. In the main room having coffee, Ray Charles ‘I Can’t Stop Loving You’ is playing on the turntable. Six days to go before first gig at Rockwood Music Hall on Sunday 20th.

Strange start to trip. Landed at JFK, no trouble getting through immigration this time with new work visa. Went straight out. It’s fashion week in New York, went to a party at the Longechamp store to meet up with friends. Elle magazine sponsored the night, there was a loud jazz band playing that everyone did there best to talk over, it wasn’t my scene, I said my hello’s but soon wanted to split for a bite to eat.

Outside in the night I chatted to my friend Anna about what I’d been up to in London. I was excited to be back in the city but my throat felt tight again. As we walked down Mercer Street my throat tightened and I felt it spasm, it had come back! By the time we got to Blue Ribbon Bakery i’d stopped talking completely. I ordered a mushroom broth with ginger in it thinking that that might help but no. Friends turned up to join us and I sat like the mute nodding and shaking my head. Frustrating.

Next morning there was no improvement so I booked in to see a voice and throat specialist on 83rd street off 1st avenue. He stuck a microscope down my throat then up my nose which wasn’t very pleasant, asked me to sing certain vowels and sounds, it was all over pretty quick.

The doctor was a severe and funny little man in a starched pink shirt. After the examination he gave a long silent pause and looked me gravely in the eye. ‘Right I’m gonna tell you the truth’ he then told me that my vocal chords were in perfect health, that there was no damage at all. There was some swelling to the throat but that was all. I’d obviously pulled or strained a muscle during the recording and that gradually day by day it would get better, he said the flight would have brought it on again, he said I could talk as normal but just take it easy.

It was a surprise and a relief and put my mind at rest, a little drama to keep me on my toes.

Taking it easy is pretty much what I been up to. Whatching DVD’s drinking yogi throat tea. Watched ‘Dig!’ The other night the documentary on Dandy Warholes and Brian Jonestown Massacre pretty cool till I fell asleep half way through. Been writing, working on an idea for a song called ‘How many Lifetimes?’. Been putting the word out that I’m in town, writing loads of emails… Another gig has come through… The Lakeside Lounge on Ave B Sunday Sept 27th at 9pm

Last night I caught up with Teddy Thompson. We met for drinks and a bit of dinner at ‘il buco’ between Bowery and Lafayette. Teddy’s about to go on tour. He’s playing The Royal Albert Hall in London next week and a bunch of big places across Europe for the next month. Check out if he’s playing a town near you and go and see him. He’s also playing Thursday at midnight here in NYC at Rockwood Music Hall with a side-project band he’s got called ‘Poundcake’ playing 50’s rock n roll and country. I’m gonna go along.

Wednesday I’ve been invited along to see the premier of ‘The Burning Plain’ a film by Guillermo Arriaga which should be cool.

I’m now off to an apartment in Chelsea where there’s a piano I can play on gonna chill out and get ready for my gig

Adam

Recorded last week at my managements new studio in olympia, with Peter Mayes engineering the session.

Laid down demo’s of new stuff, want to put these up online for you later in the week. Great working with Peter Mayes, he’s one half of the Australian band Pnau. I’d lived earlier in the year at their house on Loftus Road but we’d never actually met until now.

We went out for lunch Tuesday, Peter told me about working with Ladyhawk, and recording the Empire of the sun hit ‘Walking On A Dream’ at his studio in sydney. We found out we both had a thing about Fleetwood Mac, and Pete found out I was the english guy who’d crashed at his Shepherds bush pile when he was in Oz. I took this opportunity to say my thank yous..

Wednesday a grand piano was hired in, I was tinkling along on it when Peter told me it was one of Elton’s- ‘pretty cool’ I thought. Started trying to figure out ‘Your song’ while he was putting up the sounds, I got the intro note for note but kept getting lost at the verse -I’ll have to work on it.

Peter’s just been writing with Elton in Atlanta, he says he works super fast, great at top-line, all you got to do is put the words up on the piano and he rattles off a tune in less than 10mins. Then he wants to hang out- doesn’t like spending too much time in studios.

It got me thinking, people always think I write the words first, but i never do it’s always the music.

The music creates the atmosphere, the atmosphere creates the vision and the vision creates the words.

What would happen if I were to do this backwards… Would the words create the vision, the vision create the atmosphere and the atmosphere create the music?

They say music comes from the spirit of intoxication and the godhead of Dionysus, and words come from the spirit of clarity and the godhead of Apollo, of the two Apollo is the tougher taskmaster.

Old Apollo grows so used to the young songstrell tapping on his door, all exalted with their latest composition- only for the dismal old bird to beat them back down, out of the skyways, with his great grey wings and tell them to try harder on the words. Ask Leonard Cohen he’d tell you.

What if i were to break the ritual routine? Catch apollo out when he least expects, raid a few lines from his secret treasure trove, put them on top of the piano, then hop over to the happier plains of Dionysus where all work is done before opening time, wine is full to overflowing and loose women fill the gambling houses.

Of course, I’ve thought this thought, before but It never felt like something i’d be entirely comfortable with until now… like hopping mountain tops or sorcery or something?

You gotta go through so much back-to-front, inside-out, upside-down Alice-In-Wondelandness before you earn the right to give it a try.

Maybe I’m primed, I’ll turn my attention to this in New York City.

The recording session was cut short abruptly. I was putting down this sort of Ennio Morricone choral thing at the end of the song ‘Changeling’ I started hitting this falsetto note at the top of my register, but it was obviously way out of my register coz my voice box had a spasm, i knew i’d done something, and stopped right away.

Never since i started singing had I done something like this before… it fills you with a weird kind of terror.

We tried to continue the session with me playing piano for stuff i’d sing on later, but i was in a world where i couldn’t sing, my hands went to jelly and we had to stop.

Maybe it was Apollo scorning me for thinking such thoughts (Dearest Apollo you are the secret to my integrity).

Got to use piano on ‘Backstage’ which was cool, I’m sure you’ll here it all pretty soon on myspace or something.

Spent the next two days drinking hot honey and vinegar trying to revive myself for the gig at the mitre. Whether wise or not I did the gig and the voice sounded fine. My Mum got to see me play for the first time in ages which was cool. Thanks to Pat and Simona for having me play and everyone who came out to wish me well in the states.

Next stop New York.

Adam