1.Who is ‘ Adam Franklin ’
Adam is a multi instrumentalist, singer and songwriter based in Melbourne, Australia. He developed as a songwriter and performer in the 1990’s Melbourne indie / alternative live music scene in the band Burnside – after which family life took centre stage. COVID lock-downs in Melbourne proved a blessing in disguise, with Adam returning to songwriting with renewed passion and urgency – writing close to 100 new songs. Adam writes from a place of deep emotion and meaning – in most cases reflecting his own soul searching in ways we can all relate and connect.
2. For someone that is yet to discover you, how would you describe your music?
Rooted in 90’s guitar-based indie / alt pop / rock as a genre but with a whole load of influences from 70’s and 80’s rock / pop, alt country and synth-scapes
3. What inspired you as an artist?
As a kid I was brought up around music. My Grandfather was a musician and my Mum was a music teacher at a Primary School, so I was ‘tuned in’ to music as a creative form from an early age. My friend, Producer and Musician Marcel Borrack has always been someone I have learned a lot from as a creative force in the Melbourne Music scene. Without this connection, I don’t think I would have made the leap into recording my debut record with him. To be honest as someone who has always wanted to be a creative / musician, the biggest inspiration to me is the preciousness of time and the gratitude I have to finally be doing what I love after decades away from music as a husband, father and family man. I feel liberated as an ‘older’ artist by this sense of urgency and no longer being too focussed on what other people might think – something I was way too concerned with as a younger person. More broadly, I’m inspired by artists that keep searching and exploring artistically and have a drive to keep creating. People like Thom Yorke and Nick Cave come to mind. I’m inspired by their discipline, drive and work ethic as much as their talent.
4. What is your process for preparing to perform live? Do you have any Diva demands?
I certainly don’t have any Diva demands……I kind of loathe that side of performers. I’m a big believer in being respectful of people and humble – I’m certainly not a ‘showboating’ type. I do get pretty nervous, so I’ll down a whisky or two before I go on stage, but that’s about it.
5. Where do you feel you fit into the music ?
I think I’m still learning about that. Fundamentally I’m of the view that my part in all this is to be as authentic as I can be in making the music I want to make – period. I obviously believe that what I make is pretty good and have faith that there are others out there that will have the same tastes as I do, or who will relate to the experiences I share as a lyricist. I’m early in the journey of putting myself out there having only recently released my first few singles, with my album still under development. Who your audience is in the digital world is more opaque – like all artists, much of this is left to the black box of algorithms to find your fans. Locally, here in Melbourne the focus is on building a band presence with Michael Lamb (bass guitar) and Dave McDonald (drums) as we start playing live more and ultimately launch the record when it arrives early next year.
6: What are your favourite musical genres, and are there any you dislike?
I think there’s almost something to like in any musical genre, but I’m definitely drawn more to the indie, alternative, electronic sounds. I have a pretty broad musical appetite though – really love 1960’s soul and have always been a big Beatles fan. I’m always captivated by a great vocal melody and delivery, whether that be from Feist, Thom Yorke, John Lennon, Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway, Billy Joel, Bryan Ferry, Mistki….the list is endless.
7. Is there a story behind the new single ‘Hypervigilance’ ?
Hypervigilance is about my challenges with Anxiety (Generalised Anxiety Disorder). About ten years back I just started having this onset of physical, emotional and behavioural issues as if outwardly my mind and body were kind of ‘locking up’, but inside my ‘engine idle’ was stuck in overdrive. I think the term Anxiety is unfortunate as everyone gets anxious from time to time, but this was a set of feelings and body reactions I had never experienced before……so I think people who have not had Anxiety think they can relate, when in reality it is something else all together. The scariest thing for me was I couldn’t seem to ‘undo’ it, and when you’re in an anxious state that fear just feeds on itself. Hypervigilance is all about that fear, but also the acceptance that if I have to live with it then I’ll just have to carry on. Thankfully, with medication, it’s a lot more manageable but I think it’s important to be open about the impact these things have on people and many are struggling silently beneath what looks like calm water.
8. What would you say is your greatest strength as an artist?
My greatest strengths are probably that I have a good ear for a good melody. In fact I always write from a melody line first before I have any words. My other strength is that I think I’m an ok writer and storyteller – something I think you’re always learning and improving on. I really value getting that balance between conveying something in an illusory way that is also clear enough that the listener can follow, but then ‘translate’ the meaning to be personal for them. I’ve also progressed as a guitarist over recent years to focusing a lot more on using it as a voice, where I’m a lot more deliberate – even sparing in what I play, rather than just ‘stuffing licks’ into a space like I did when I was younger!
9. What would you say is your greatest weakness as an artist?
I’m more of an introvert than an extrovert, so it’s not natural for me to want to get on stage and perform. Like anything the more you do it the better and more comfortable you get. I just remind myself that I’m on stage because people want to be entertained and have a good time, so I just try to personify that feeling as much as possible.
10. What can fans expect from your new single ‘Hypervigilance’ ?
Hypervigilance is a mid-tempo alternative pop sounding track. As per above it tells the story about struggling with Anxiety. What I love about the track is it detours into a pure 80’s vibe during the solo with an absolute cracker of a sax solo by Adam Simmons and some 80’s synth. It really makes the track and I just never get tired of hearing it. I also really love how my voice and Marcel Borrack’s voice sound together on this track. We used to play in a band together a long time ago, so it also has a sentimental quality to it for me.
11. What music artist would you say have influenced your work?
I think for some reason the music you listen to and play in your late teens and 20’s somehow gets permanently imprinted on you somehow. For me that was 90’s Indie bands like The Stone Roses, Teenage Fanclub, The Lemonheads and 60’s / 70’s bands like The Beatles, The Stones, Pink Floyd etc. The person I’m most inspired by musically is Thom Yorke. I think the span and quality of his music is really incredible. In reality though I think there are so many subconscious influences that surface during the creative process that you honestly don’t really know where the genesis of the idea resides.
12. Who would you most like to collaborate with artistically?
I think the ultimate would be Paul McCartney for any reason you can think of! Thom Yorke, Nick Cave, Feist, Billie Eilish, Kevin Parker would all be great!
13. What was your worst performance?
I’ve only been back playing live recently – after a very long break. Thankfully, there’s been no disasters that come to mind. I remember one gig a long time ago at The Lounge in Melbourne and I thought I played terribly and was in a bad mood when I came off stage and a girl came up and said “why do you look so sad, you were awesome”. It was a real reminder that what you think is happening and what the audience experiences are two very different things.
14: What was the most difficult obstacle you have ever faced and how did you overcome it?
Without a doubt becoming a husband and Dad and taking on that role of providing financial security for your family meant walking away from music in my early 20’s to work for a Telecommunications Company. I tried during that time to keep music going, but found the demands of work and family were a creative killer. Overcoming it happened by pure accident in the form of COVID. Being at home suddenly full time meant I could take advantage of gaps in the day to write new songs, with access to both my creative energy and my guitar. I just went for it and churned out about 100 songs in three years.
15: What is your creative process when making music. Do you work with others or is there just you?
I find the core element of song writing to be a solitary exercise. I’m too self conscious to work from a blank sheet with someone else. Most of the time I work from the guitar and just fiddle around until something happens that I like – a bit like doodling a sketch on paper. I then record that immediately onto my phone – it’s filled with hundreds of these little sound sketches. I will then put a base recording down and then start murmuring unintelligibly into the mic until I have a melody that I like. Only then will I think about the words that fit. More often than not it’s not until I have a phrase or two of stream of consciousness words that I then decide what the song is about and shape it from there. To ensure I don’t keep doing the same thing, I also start the same process from different instruments, like keyboard, bass guitar or drums as I find the song that emerges will have a different feel that way than starting with guitar every time. I found working on demos in the studio with Marcel Borrack and Tim Harvey (joint producers of my record) was the best time to collaborate. They would offer some new ideas or tweaks to what I already had that worked better. So whilst the core song was put together solo, it was further enhanced through collaboration.
16: Where do you see your musical career in 10 years?
I would have released multiple records and be well regarded in the musical community as a songwriter, musician and performer. I would love to build a quality band that has a great live reputation here in Melbourne. I’m sure every musician would like to see some financial reward for what they do and I’m no different. Unfortunately, the way the industry is I don’t envisage that to be likely. My core objective is to be proud of the music I’ve created.
17:Your Top 3 Overrated Musicians, who when you hear them you think ‘ How The Fk………….. ?
I’m not a fan of Taylor Swift’s music and I don’t get the hysteria at all. I think her music is pretty one dimensional from the songs that I’ve heard, so from that perspective I think she’s massively over-rated compared with loads of other artists out there that write better songs. What I will say though is that at least she writes her own music (as far as I know). What I’m not a fan of is the mainstream pop stuff that is essentially Big Company product supported by shadow songwriters, mega production etc. I think there really is a big divide between ‘real’ musicians and ‘entertainers’ in this regard. I just wished there was a little more appreciation for the people that actually write and create the songs! Lastly, maybe I’m a bit old-school but personally if auto-tune is part of the recording and even worse, the live performance……then you are not for real – so no, not a big fan of rap acts out there that seem reliant on it.
