Before embarking on his solo career in 2005, Adams was a founding member of the folk pop duoeastmountainsouth. Within a year of forming eastmountainsouth in 2001 with Kat Maslich Bode, they were signed by Robbie Robertson to DreamWorks Records. Adams co-produced their 2003 debut album with Mitchell Froom, and toured extensively for the next year and a half with acts including Lucinda Williams, Tracy Chapman, Joan Baez and Nelly Furtado. Their single "You Dance" was a #1 AAA radio hit in 2003 and eastmountainsouth performed on Late Night with Conan O'Brien on September 24, 2003. DreamWorks Records was sold to Universal Music Group in October 2003, which shifted their rights to different labels until Adams and eastmountainsouth eventually negotiated their official release. Eastmountainsouth performed their last show in September 2004 at the Hollywood Bowl with Shelby Lynne and Lyle Lovett. Soon after, Adams decided to work on his own as a solo artist. Adams's cover of Stephen Foster's "Hard Times", the opening track on eastmountainsouth's album, appeared in Cameron Crowe's film, Elizabethtown and also was included on the soundtrack album. Adams's songs have appeared in over 30 films and television shows in the US.
Biography
A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Adams credits his grandfather, a former professional jazz clarinetist and accomplished pianist, as being his earliest musical inspiration. Adams began playing piano at the age of 6 and continued studying piano throughout high school at Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Massachusetts and college. He worked with composer Michael Kapsner while studying abroad in Freiburg, Germany. While focusing on piano, organ, and music composition, his experience in Germany inspired Adams to continue his musical studies stateside. Adams graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. He continued his studies at the University of Alabama's School of Music in Tuscaloosa where he earned a master's degree in Music Composition. Adams moved to Los Angeles in the mid 1990s to study film scoring at USC Thornton School of Music's Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television program. Adams worked as a freelance score composer for film and television until forming eastmountainsouth in 2001. After releasing a limited edition solo EP in 2005, Adams was praised by some critics, including The Boston Globe, who called it, "a beautiful set of Americana music...It confirms the dreamy-voiced Adams as an artist to follow." This effort was followed up by his first full-length solo release "Gather Up" in 2006. Most of the album was recorded in his apartment in 2005 between touring dates. Southern Californian session musician Greg Leisz is featured on Queen of Hearts. Based on the response from this release, Adams was named "Notable New Artist of the Year" in 2006 by The LoftSatellite Radio. Before recording his next collection of music, Adams headed east to Nashville to be closer to musicians and producers with whom he wanted to work. While working on Gather Up, Adams formed a collaborative bond with session player and producer Lex Price. Now based out of Brooklyn, New York, Adams is signed to Sarathan Records, which released his sophomore solo release, Leavetaking. This title was inspired by Mark Strand's poem "The View". In November 2008, Adams was named by The Wall Street Journal as one of the "21st-century writers whose songs are worth exploring", and as having "a way with melody and lyrics... ready to be seen and heard". In May 2009, Leavetaking earned Adams Indie Acoustic Project's "Best CDs of 2008" Award for Best Singer-Songwriter-Male. In 2011, Adams formed Down Like Silver with singer/songwriter Caitlin Canty. The duo co-wrote and released a self-titled EP as well as a single "Light That Match" in 2013.
