If you like a little twang
in your pop, chances are you're a Ryan Adams fan. Since the 1997 release
of Stranger's Almanac by his former band Whiskeytown, the Jacksonville,
North Carolina, native has been earning a reputation as a gifted and
prolific songwriter as well as a brash and entertaining performer. While
most of his generation is busy trying to invent the next fusion of rap,
metal, and hip-hop, Adams has made a name for himself by writing classic
rock songs. But it's not just his songs that set him apart from his
generation and make him sound older than his years. Although he often
sings with a weary, whiskey-soaked rasp that echoes alt-country pioneers
Jeff Tweedy or Jay Farrar, he sounds more like someone raised on the
Replacements when he digs into harder-rocking rave-ups like "Starting
to Hurt" from 2002's Demolition.
The fact that he's not a
retro-country purist is a big part of Adams' appeal. As mainstream country
music has continued down its formulaic path, bands like Wilco and the
Old 97s, and performers like Lucinda Williams have been helping to make
country music cool again for a generation raised on rock. While Adams
may not seem as artistically ambitious as a band like Wilco, his songwriting
is smart and accessible. In short, he's a hookmeister. That, coupled
with an irreverent rockstar attitude, may be why he's becoming the most
recognizable face in the alt-country scene.
Adams seemed to appear out
of nowhere in 1997, but the road to the mainstream was longer than it
looks. Adams has been performing in bands since he was 14, when he was
a drummer in a band called Blank Label. Not long after he was "run out"
of that band, Adams traded his skateboard for a guitar and spent the
next several years playing in a number of different bands, all of which
were influenced more by Hüsker Dü and the Smiths than Waylon
and Willie. It wasn't until he let his family's taste for Loretta Lynn
and George Jones influence him that his country roots would take hold.
After moving to Raleigh,
North Carolina, Adams formed Whiskeytown in 1994 with violinist/singer
Caitlin Cary, guitarist/singer Phil Wandscher, bassist Steve Grothman,
and drummer Eric Gilmore. The band released an EP and CD before Stranger's
Almanac spawned the radio hit "16 Days." Late-'90s record company
mergers led to the stall of the third Whiskeytown release, Pneumonia
(which wouldn't be released until 2001), and contributed to the subsequent
breakup of the band.
In 2000, Adams released
his solo debut, Heartbreaker (Bloodshot), a critically acclaimed
collection of jangly country rockers and lovelorn ballads that features
performances by Gillian Welch and Emmylou Harris. The following year,
Adams' second release, Gold (Lost Highway), finally catapulted
him to mainstream success, including sold-out shows, hit videos on MTV2,
high-profile collaborations with Elton John and Adam Duritz of Counting
Crows, and a cover of his song "When the Stars Go Blue" by the Corrs
and Bono. The song encapsulates the wistfulness and heartache that run
through most of Adams' lyrics: "Dancin' out on Seventh Street / Dancin'
through the underground / Dancin' little marionette / Are you happy
now? / Where do you go when you're lonely? / Where do you go when you're
blue? / Where do you go when you're lonely? / I'll follow you / When
the stars go blue."
In the fall of 2002, Adams
returned with Demolition, a collection of demos and outtakes
that sounded more like a new batch of hits. The record was an excellent
showcase for the extremes of his range, from punky, anthemic rockers
like "Nuclear" to folky ballads like "You Will Always Be the Same."
Although Demolition didn't receive a big promotional push from
his label, Lost Highway, it's still winning him new fans and furthering
his reputation as a high-caliber songcrafter.
After you've conquered much
of the commercial and critical world at the age of 28, what comes next?
A Behind the Music meltdown? Don't hold your breath. This year
began with even bigger venues. In January, Adams opened a series of
shows for the Rolling Stones and his highly anticipated fourth solo
record is scheduled to be released this spring.
Excerpted from
Acoustic
Guitar magazine, May 2003,
No. 125.
