Interview: Adam Baldwin Becomes the Boss

Sometimes all somebody needs is a friendly shove – you can count Adam Baldwin as one of those people. Having played guitar as part of the backing band for Matt Mays for a half-dozen years, Baldwin was comfortable with the stage, but not necessarily as the focal point.

This all changed not too long ago when Mays – venturing off on an acoustic tour – was in need of an opening act. It was in this instant that he turned to Baldwin and asked him to pull double-duty: one set on his own, another in his usual role.

Baldwin, who had a backlog of material at his disposal, accepted the offer – but there was a bit of a problem. He didn’t have any recorded music to offer any interested patrons. Mays’ manager, Louis Thomas, would soon intervene and book Baldwin some studio time. In what must’ve felt like a blink of an eye, a Self-Titled debut EP would emerge shortly into the tour.

“I don’t think it’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” replies Baldwin when Riffyou.com asks if he always desired becoming a frontman. “I’ve always wanted to play music, and I started writing songs when I was 17 or 18. But, I always lacked self-confidence, so I never expected that I’d pursue that at all. But, I became very comfortable playing with Matt.

“It wasn’t something I actively pursued until a number of people started telling me to do something. In order to get them to shut up, you just do it for them,” he adds with a laugh. “I quite enjoy this now that I’m doing it, but I never thought it was feasible.”

Upon listening to Baldwin’s debut offering, you wouldn’t get the feeling that confidence was ever an issue. On the album, he openly channels his inner Springsteen by emphasizing a similar vocal grit and having the ability to crank out foot-stomping rock n’ roll, while still knowing when to slow it down and let the words take the wheel.

“Yeah, it’s layered in there pretty thick,” says Baldwin of his Springsteen influence. “I’m pretty unapologetic about it. He’s my hero and I love everything he has done. He’s a guy that’s unapologetic about borrowing stuff from someone like Van Morrison, so I figure if he’s cool with doing that, then he should be cool with me doing it through him.”

For Baldwin, Springsteen’s music first played a pivotal role for him as youngster. He recalls this moment where he sat in his father’s truck listening to a lite rock radio station when the Boss’ “Cadillac Ranch” came on, followed by Gordon Lightfoot’s “Carefree Highway.” He says that moment was very musically important to him, and helped him realize that the types of songs he wanted to write would have the party-rock vibe of that Springsteen track, and the strongly “crafted” lyrics being put forth by Lightfoot.

Moving ahead, we should see more examples of this influence sooner than later. Baldwin admits that the songs upon the debut EP are a number of years old, and that he’s in the midst of getting a full-length album together – he’s hoping to blow the doors wide open.

As for now, Baldwin will continue to explore this brave new world of being his own boss.

“It is a big adjustment,” he explains. “It’s your name on the ticket and you’re responsible for all of the final decisions as far as recording goes, and what shows you’re going to play. But, I learned a lot over the last six years working with Matt about how studios work; how to draw the best performance out of your band; and how to just perform on the stage. There’s a lot more to playing a show than playing guitar and staring at your feet, and singing a song. If anybody goes out to see your show, they want to see something that they don’t see every Friday night.”

He continues: “I’ve been lucky to be standing behind one of the best in the country. I’ve been taking notes along the way.”

-Adam Grant

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