I don’t know how Adam Tell gets it all done, but he does. He’s got a day job, but when he’s not 9-to-5-ing he’s working on his passion, music. That most recently has brought his EP called Falsework to fruition, complete with seven tracks total. Not only does Adam tell deliver dynamic productions, but he lends his light-hearted voice to the project as well.
It’s not easy to do everything yourself, but Adam pulls it off just fine. Throughout the project he gives listeners a variety of sounds to immerse themselves in, while nailing each vocal he performs. He’s an all in one package that has a great future ahead of him if he keeps up the great work that he’s already accomplished, especially with Falsework.
Not only has Adam Tell entered the dojo with his EP, but he has answered a few questions we had. In taking some time with us, he shines light on Falsework, as well as his journey into music. Get the inside scoop on this unique musician straight from the source, Adam himself. Enjoy his EP while you read through our interview with him.
TMN: Was music a large part of your childhood?
Oh yes! Some of my earliest memories were sitting on the bench of my parents’ baby grand, or playing with the rhythm machine on our electronic weighted keyboard 88 keys. Over the years, my family accumulated instruments, like a C3 organ, accordion, drum set, and guitars. My brother is the guitar player, and my dad plays piano, so I’d take the drums and the three of us would jam all the time! When we weren’t jamming together, I’d be on our home computer recording music on Garageband. On top of that, I was lucky enough to take piano, saxophone, and voice lessons for long periods of time. I had a really rounded musical childhood that exposed me to different styles of music and different ways to create it. I was a lucky kid!
TMN: Did you have any “a-ha” moment where you realized you loved and wanted to pursue music?
Not really. Some bright moments in high school stand out, but it was mostly just the sheer volume and variety of musical memories that pushed me towards it. I’ve always been doing it, and I genuinely can’t imagine not pursuing it in some fashion for the rest of my life.
TMN: When did you get comfortable putting your music out there and how to did you get past that initial phase?
I’ve been “releasing” music basically since I started producing/songwriting back in 2006, but by releasing, I mean handing out burnt CDs to my friends. I probably finished around 100-150 songs in the seven years before I started working on my first official release/album,, Past the Hypothetical. Back then, it was very casual and unacademic. Lots of transcribing and recording Frank Sinatra arrangements (yes, the whole big band), recording covers of my favorite rock/pop songs, and writing the worst originals I’ll ever write. But looking back, I think the variety of the music I produced helped expand my production sensibilities and the ability to finish full songs, rather than just fragments.
Getting back to your question though – I think what made me comfortable enough to fully distribute my first album was the fact that the songs came from a very honest place. I also thought that they were at least semi-professional sounding. I spent so much time making that first album, and the whole time with the intent of releasing it. While the production (particularly the mixing) is subpar to my production standards today, I’m still proud of the compositions on the album, and I’m so glad I got “past the hypothetical” and released it!
TMN: How do your previous EPs different from this one?
Great question! Now that some time has passed between my Fiction and Purpose EPs, it’s easy for me to distinguish them. In my opinion, Fiction is the most “poppy” of the three. It’s a concept album about a failed relationship, and love is a typical subject for pop.. On top of that, it’s mostly lighter in energy and sound design, and doesn’t really have any jarring moments throughout the whole EP. In comparison, Purpose has the heavier, more complex sound design. Coupled with the introspective lyrics, I think Purpose is more of an electronic dance music fan’s EP. I’d consider Falsework to be more similar to Purpose than it is to Fiction, but it’s much more eclectic than Purpose. I consciously tried to incorporate as many different styles as I could naturally write, so I ended up with a record that has a lot of influences.
TMN: Any cool Adam Tell things going on besides music releases?
Not a whole lot! Mostly just settling into my career as a CPA and trying to not spend all of my income on plugins and equipment! I did just finish my first live show at 515 Alive, and I’m planning on performing more after I get some time to focus on producing again.
TMN: If you could throw a tour together, who would be the dream team featured on it?
This is an easy one. If we’re going full dream team, I’d no doubt choose to support Imogen Heap on tour. That would be the absolute top. But here on planet Earth, I’d be really honored to tour with Fox Stevenson, Chime, and a lot of other musicians that I’ve been meeting lately!
TMN: Are you slowing down or speeding up in terms of content as we head toward 2018?
I’ve just released ten songs in the last two months, so I’m hoping that that keeps my fans happy for a little while! But I’ve got a couple more collaborations in the making that I’m expecting to have out by the end of the year. As for 2018, I’m going to be trying new styles, and the plan is to speed up, for sure. I recently switched to Ableton from Logic, and it’s already changing the way I produce and improving my efficiency. Oh, and I’d love to start writing for media in 2018 if I can get the opportunities.
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