Adam McInnis

The chances are good that you might not know the name Adam McInnis but if this gifted, self-described “alternative rock mets singer-songwriter soul” artist plays his cards right, that’ll be a short-lived time. The Austin, TX transplant has flirted with the spotlight before, winning Joe Simpson’s songwriting competition Score as well as joining the 11-person ensemble of The One: Making of a Music Star.

Those opportunities have helped propel the artist to where he’s at today and leads to the release of his debut album, Wherever You Are. Marked by a pleasantly diverse sonic flow, the album showcases a young man who we really want to keep an eye on. Soul-Audio sat down with McInnis recently to discuss the influence of his past, the joys of the present, and his hopes for the future.

Soul-Audio: So we definitely want to discuss your background here in a bit, because you’ve had the opportunity to be a part of a bunch of really cool things, but, to start, I’d like to ask what’s it like for you at twenty-eight, which is a bit older than the average pop star starting out…

Adam McInnis: I’m not twenty-eight years old! I’m twenty-seven! [Laughs] I’m one year younger than what… [Laughs] I’m kidding…

SA: So what’s it’s like for you, having been a part of the industry in a bunch of ways, but to now be waiting on your debut album to drop? What’s that feel like?

Adam: As an artist, this week is one of those weird things. I have actually had dreams the last week, and all my dreams have been, as weird as it sounds, of old groups I was in or old people I worked with, like, coming to me and talking to me. [Laughs] Which has been really weird because I’ve been a part of so many little facets in the industry; I’ve been an engineer, a producer, and as a writer and I just became an artist recently. It’s only been two years that I’ve actually been out there saying, ‘I want to be an artist,’ which is all really, really new to me.

This is my first album; I’m really excited! I feel really blessed because I couldn’t even sing like four or five years ago nor even play instruments; I was just a songwriter and engineer. So all these other little tools of the trade have been blessings. So I don’t know, man. I really don’t know how to feel yet…I’m still trying to introduce these things to my family! My mom is like, “So you’re a singer now?” [Laughs] It’s one of those things; we’re all still kind of shocked about it all.

SA: When you say that you couldn’t sing four or five years ago, do you just mean that you hadn’t trained for it or…?

Adam: No, man, like I was bad. [Laughs] I tried to sing for my mom one time; I said, “Mom, I’m going to be a singer.” And so my mom says, “Okay, let me hear you sing.” So I took an old Boyz II Men song and tore it out. And like in my head I was hitting every note but mom looked at me and was like, “You probably want to try another profession.” [Laughs] So I was like, alright, so that’s why I went into writing. And I went to college for script and film writing. So I thought I was going to be a script film writer. I still to this day think I’m going to do that eventually but that’s what I went to college for.

So I just put singing aside and I was in a group that needed a songwriter, and I was like, well, I can do that; I can write scripts, I can write songs. And they asked me to sing. And they honestly told me, “Okay, you don’t be the singer; you just be the guy that talks cool, like, ‘Hey, baby.’” [Laughs] So that was my job! And it was actually with a guy who was one of the founders of Boyz II Men. So I was in the group with this guy and I was just the talking dude and that’s what I did for like, six months to a year. And I really just studied him really well. I studied a couple of people who were really close to me and they taught me how to sing.

But before that, everyone was like, “What are you doing? Please stop! You’re hurting me…”

SA: Well, it definitely took, man. You certainly don’t sound like a bad American Idol audition or anything…

Adam: Thanks, man! I appreciate that! That is honestly, and I hold no restraint to this, that is honestly the grace of God. That really is because if you’ve have heard me, four, five years ago, you would have said the same thing…

SA: Now we mentioned some of those opportunities you’ve had, winning the Joe Simpson songwriting competition (The Score), or being on The One: The Making of a Music Star. How did those experiences help to prepare you for this place now?

Adam: The biggest thing those opportunities did was give me a confirmation that I was on the right path. What happened was, I was at a point when I first got saved that I was praying on what I should do with my life, and I saw a picture of me playing guitar and singing in front of an audience. And in my head, like, I can still see the picture, it was more like MTV Unplugged; I just had a guitar and was singing and there was a lot of people around me. So I just started following that vision. I couldn’t sing, I couldn’t play, but I was just following that vision.

So when those things, like the Joe Simpson thing came, and I won that competition, I was like, “Wait a minute!” This was just more confirmation that I was really seeing something, I wasn’t just crazy! [Laughs] It’s like I was on to something. It’s not like big stardom yet or whatever you’re called to do but at the same time you’re on the right path. And that was just what those things did for me.

SA: Musically, you’ve had a lot of opportunities outside of those realms too. Like we’ve already mentioned, the songwriting, producing, engineering, and you were also the musical director for a celeb kid’s camp too, right? Can you share any cool stories out of those times?

Adam: Hmm, let’s see. Cool stories? Um, I, worked with some crazy people… [Laughs] I worked with a family, I won’t mention their names, but they are a huge, probably one of the biggest soul singers of the 70’s, probably one of the biggest inspirations for most artists today. I worked with their family on productions, things like that. And the stories that they would tell me from those days, when they were famous, were just so mind-blowing; I couldn’t fathom some of the things they told me. But at this day and age, they were so just worn down from the life that they used to live that it was scary to hang out with them. I’m a grown man and it was scary to hang out with them because it was too wild for me! And these people were in their sixties and seventies but they were too wild for me! So I would go hang out with them and work with them and I’d have to leave early because this is, these guys were partying like, three, four days in a row! I don’t know they did it! That was their life but it was just one of those things that I wouldn’t have believed it unless I saw it.

Now working with the kids was really cool because you see these kids come in and people think that because…I’ll be honest. When I first went up to the kid’s camp, I was like oh, these kids are really privileged. I’m from the streets. I come from the place where when we’d walk to school, the teachers ahead of you would crush their crack bottles so they wouldn’t want you to see them. That’s where I come from. When I was growing up in life, there wasn’t a lot around. These kids have grown up in mansions, they have butlers, and they have maids. So I was thinking, they’re going to be super-privileged, they’re going to be a little stuck up, they’re going to think that everything has to be handed to them.

But, it was the exact opposite when I got there which was really an eye-opener for myself as an adult when I can look at a little kid and still get inspired. Because these kids were coming in, they had just as much pain as I had, they would say, y’know, ‘my mom is an alcoholic and my dad parties so much he’s never home and I turn to this and to that.’ And these were little kids so that when they sang, when they wrote music, it was coming from a real place of truth; it wasn’t coming from a sheltered, pampered lifestyle that everyone would expect.

So that was real interesting to get with these kids and help them and guide them as much as I could in the time that I worked with them but, at the same time, for them to teach me that we are all still connected. No matter what it looks like on TV and no matter how much they dress it up, we all go through something in life and it’s just how we get out of it. So that was really cool when I worked with them.

SA: That’s really cool to hear, especially in this age of tabloid journalism and the paparazzi and all that…

Adam: Yeah, yeah, they make it seem like everything is so perfect and like they snap a finger and everything is done for them but, at the same time, you have kids who are fifteen and fourteen years old who are at home all day long with a maid that they don’t even know; it’s just a person that takes care of them. And that maid becomes like their best friend and basically their mother because their parents are out shooting movies for a year sometimes, at a time. And it destructs the kid; it also makes them stronger. It does a lot of things; it just depends on what the person is.

SA: Let’s change gears a bit and talk about Austin and how that city has influenced you and your music. How has Austin impacted you?

Adam: The decision to move here was honestly not a hard one. I was living in L.A. for like, four years, and when I met my business partner, he lives in Austin with his family. So I came out and checked it out for about two weeks and within the first couple days, I thought this place was like an oasis. There’s lakes everywhere, people are outdoors, there’s so many musicians, everyone’s artists. It’s the kind of place that when you go to church, people have tattoos; it’s kind of like everyone’s just like “this is what we do, here is who we are.’ We’re not trying to hide from anyone.

So when I came here and I started playing music I realized that the insulation from the artists who are in town was much more than anyone I’d ever worked with on a record label or as a songwriter in L.A. Because a lot of times in L.A. it was more, you would come in and everything was real perfect and it sounded good but there was no real soul to it? It was kind of like just, ‘this one will make us a hit so let’s write a song like this and it’ll make us money.’

And I guess that’s the formula they use but, here in Austin, its just soul. It’s just like, ‘we got a song, here is the story that I went through,’ and I’m all about stories. And this town just has a great story, a great center to it that breathes life into artists. And if you are around and you get to soak it up; I mean, I’ve grown so much in the past year and a half just living in this town than I’ve done anywhere in my musical journey so far.

SA: Now, what seems to be the hallmark of your music seems to be an expanse of diversity. There are a ton of elements coming into play here with numbers of comparisons that could be made from Seal, to Ben Harper, to Peter Gabriel and more. And on your MySpace, you have a line that addresses that reading: “It’s all about being a chameleon in music, finding the spirit in each style and swallowing it.” Could you share a little bit about those thoughts?

Adam: Well I guess the reason why jumping into different styles was pretty easy for me is because I’m of mixed race. I grew up listening to gospel church when I went with my dad’s side of the family or I could listen to folk when I was with my mom; it always changed. Some of my cousins listened to country; it was always different. So I never had a style that I said, ‘this is mine.’ It’s just, that’s what I listened to. And I grew up in Jersey City and Manhattan where hip-hop and rap was prevalent so I wouldn’t doubt that that will influence me in some of my later recordings.

It’s just one of those things that when I sit down and I play a song on piano or guitar, whatever comes out, I just let God channel through me whatever melodies, whatever kind of lyrics. And I think because there’s so much, I’m not hesitant to not sing a certain note because that would be too R & B or not sing a certain phrasing because that would be too country; I just sing whatever comes out that fits the song….and I think it works out. And because my voice can do those things, which I’m blessed to be able to, I can slip in and out, it just works out.

SA: So, that talk of diversity being said, what’s the top five spinning in your iPod right now?

Adam: Okay, let’s see. I am a big fan of Glen Hansard…The movie Once; I have a few tracks from there that I really like. I like John Waite; I’ve got some of his songs. I have some Roy LaMontagne. I’m a big fan of Seal and Sarah McLachlan so I always usually have them. Let’s see, I’ve got some Snow Patrol here and that’s usually what’s playing on my normal days, is that kind of acoustic soul type vibe. I like that stuff.

SA: Now one of the tracks on the album, “Since I Spoke Your Name,” seems to play out and come across like your faith journey. Could you share some more about that song with us?

Adam: Yeah, that one is a funny song because I was in relationship and it was one of those things that happened really strong and really fast; I just felt a really good bond with somebody. And me and the girl were talking about music and I said, “I have this song I’ve been thinking of.” It was really based off of the story of Mary…and like if you were impregnated with the child of God, how would you perceive that? It’s such a powerful thing.

So from that I also thought about relationships and people and how, when you find someone you want to marry, a lot of times someone will say, “I wasn’t the same before I met you.” Usually people say that when they say their vows. So it was like a combination of all these things and I was like, okay, this is how I felt when I was saved, this is how Mary might have felt, this is how this person feels in this relationship. And I kind of just through them all in a blender [laughs] then started playing the keys and was like, whatever comes out, this is what we’re running with.

And I prayed on it before I went in the studio and that’s what came out. I was like, wow, I really…honestly, of all the songs on the album, that’s one of my favorite songs because it means so many different things to myself. And whenever someone else listens to it it means something different to them. So that was really cool to me.

SA: You’ve clearly got some very solid mainstream connections that you’ve gathered over the years. Is it important to you to have the mainstream appeal or…?

Adam: I’m still at a toss-up in my own head. Of course, I as an artist, would love to be a platinum-selling artist and be able to be on tours with people I respect and admire and have them respect me as well. Since I started music, I’ve always wanted to be respected by people that I respect. That’s what I yearn for. But because of the machine of the music industry, you never know what’s going to happen so you just kind of pray on it and know that I did my best job with this debut album…actually, I could do better! [Laughs] That’s just my artistic mindset.

But you know, you just throw this out there and if this does well…to be honest, I’m already working on the second album and I think it’s better than the first. So if this does well, like I hope it can, then I think it’s a good starting point. If it does really well like some people think it can, then I think it’ll just enhance the second album even more. So I’m just praying man, that’s really all I can do. It’s all out of my hands.

SA: I don’t toss that out lightly; it’s just that within the CCM circles there can be a stigma attached to artists with crossover appeal or who are more content to work within mainstream circles and so forth. Plus, as an artist, your job is to create art, and if it appeals to a larger demographic than your radio play or starting demographic anticipates…

Adam: I’m all about that, man. That’s exactly what I want. There’s not a formula where I sit down and go, okay, I’m going to write a song like this. It’s just, I sit down, this is what comes out whenever I play an instrument, and I just follow it. So, if it does well, cool. I would like it to be an album that Christians can be able to play and be known as an artist in the Christian industry and I would also like to be on tour with people like Dave Matthews and be able to sit on stage and also say, “I’m a Christian,” and have other people research that. I would like to be that artist who can be on tours with artists like that, Dave Matthews, Matchbox Twenty, Seal.

And it seems like people who are fans of those artists do have a more soulful side; I’m not saying they’re Christian or whatever but they have more soul than whatever’s playing with “shake your booty girl, bump, bump” in the club. [Laughs] So they’d be more interested in saying, “Oh, what kind of background does he come from?” and then researching it and finding out about Jesus and finding out about God through that. And through the performances that we could do on a bigger scale. So I would personally like to be, like, a no-name in the Christian industry and then crossover and bring other people to where I’m from as well. That’s my goal.

SA: So last but not least, what’s happening around the album? Are you going to get out on tour with this at all or…?

Adam: That is a question that I wish I had an answer for because it would make me a lot more at ease in my own career but I really don’t know. For new artists like myself, who pretty much came out of nowhere, it’s one of those things where people are waiting for the bigger story…but I would love to go on tour with this and take this album out into the light!

• www.myspace.com/adammcinnis

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