Adam was uninterested until the director mentioned that the middle school orchestra, which she also conducted, would be taking a free trip to Six Flags. Upon hearing those words Adam?s heart leapt with joy. He had never been to Six Flags and had always had an underlying desire to do so. As the director continued talking, images of roller coasters and street entertainers danced in his head. He became immensely wrapped up in the idea of being able to go to the theme park of boyhood fantasy by just taking time out of a normal school day (which was another bonus for children to pursue a musical interest) and decided to become a member of the orchestra. Little did he know that this decision was the key turning point in his life.
Adam continued following his studies in the violin and developed a broad knowledge of classical music. However something was missing from this musical experience. Adam had some friends who played the guitar. It had always intrigued him. The raw unabashed power of a distorted guitar pounding through an amp too large for anything constructive found a place in his heart. Halfway through the second term of his 8th grade year , Adam began to teach himself the guitar.
"I remember when I started to learn how to play. My dad asked me if I wanted to learn how to play the guitar and I was ecstatic that I would finally have someone to teach me to harness the wild beast. So after a trip to Music Go Round (a local used music shop in Roswell), and an amp and distortion pedal later, I was finally ready for my first lesson. Well, my first lesson, and all subsequent lessons came from a dog-eared chord encyclopedia circa 1970. My father handed it to me and said here you go, have fun. I think I played E minor for a whole week for hours on end until I learned another chord. And then it was C and Em for another week. (laughs) ."
Adam's dedication to this instrument is evident in his rigorous practice schedule.
"I used to come home after school and just play for hours on end. As soon as I made it inside the house, I was sitting splayed out on the floor, with the magic book o' chords in front of me, playing as many chords as I can. I guess my addiction to the guitar was evident in my lack of concentration in my academics. Ahh well, one has to have their priorities straight, n'est-ce pas?"
His involvement in music became evident in the long hours dedicated to the guitar, and performing with the Centennial High School Orchestra which began the year Adam entered High school.
"I don't want to sound like a pompous ass, but we were damn good. I mean we kicked some major ass. Although Mr. Kim (the director of the CHS orchestra) was a bit of a hardass, I knew where he was coming from. I would get so pissed off at the kids who sawed away in the orchestra, not caring about the sound of the ensemble, because mommy and daddy bought them a violin for Christmas."
The CHS orchestra during Adam''s 4 year stint earned various honors, Superior ratings at regional orchestra competitions, several gigs at the Governors mansion, a place at the GMEA conference in Savannah, and even a brief tour of Austria and Germany. But the orchestra was not the only musical endeavor that Adam pursued. In High school he played guitar in several bands.
"Man, those were some embarrassing days. I remember sucking it big every chance I got. I was in some shitty bands. The most embarrassing moment in my musical career has to be the time we were booed off the stage at the Cotton club. This was when I was with Tearany ( it's like tyranny, but with a tear!, yeah we were some pathetic little kids, sue me) , yeah the name says it all Uber-lameness with guitars. First of all, right before we were to go onstage, my string broke on my guitar so, I had to swap it out for the "Jack-master" Devin's guitar. Well, we took the stage and played through a few songs. It seems that the fates were against us from the start, but we labored on. Much to our horror, our bassist decided to rile the unresponsive crowd by growling "Anarchy!!!" into the mic. Apparently the audience decided to applaud ( personally I think they were just patronizing us, and had I been I the audience watching this band play I would have started throwing things) this only prompted her to become rather enthused about the concept of Anarchy. After about three and a half minutes of grunting into a mic and myself burning with shame, we finally left the stage and tried to slink off unnoticed. Well, we succeeded in leaving relatively unscathed, but we managed to leave a bass amp and my microphone stand there. Not one of my finer moments."
After many rocky attempts at musical success, Adam forms the black metal band December. With Adam now as the frontman, both handling vocals and guitars and the introduction of a keyboardist and violinist, things were looking up for Adam's music
j"I really saw good things in store for December. We had an original sound, and we just fucking rocked. We actually played the cotton club again with this band, making sure that no one uttered the "T" word, as we would like to be given a chance to redeem ourselves. The gig went wonderfully except for my guitar deciding to become a bit moody. It would fade in and out at in opportune moments. But the crowd loved us, and we ate it up like a cokehead at a Pablo Escobar buffet. Afterwards a friend and potential bassist got us an in to record some songs for Tristar Entertainment for upcoming soundtracks. Unfortunately before anything could materialize, the drummer quit and the keyboardist moved to North Carolina. That left Rachel and myself. Not too much we could do at that point in time, so I decided to hang up the guitar for a while and just mope around in disgust at the whole situation."
As if things couldn't get worse for him, an even harder blow awaited him on the icy slopes of West Virginia. After a good run on the slope, Adam hit a patch of ice and his snowboard slid off of the slope pitching him into an icy chute and headfirst at the concrete embankment of the snowmaker which birthed the perilous ice which caused his fall. Adam was rushed to the hospital where he learned the devastating news. Aside from suffering numerous contusions and scrapes, he had also dislocated his right elbow and shattered his right thumb.
"I was floored. In the instant I saw the x-rays, I knew that I would never be able to play music ever again. When the surgeon said that I may never regain use of my thumb again I almost cried. That's it, my life as I knew it was over. Words can't describe the scraping agony that I felt hearing this."
However things were starting to look up for Adam. He underwent a risky reconstructive surgery for his pulverized thumb and, four pins later, was released that day. But this crippling injury did not stifle Adam's resolve to become a great musician.
"I remember playing my guitar with my cast propped up on the side and plucking the strings with my four good fingers trying to feed my voracious addiction. I must admit it was a pretty ridiculous sight to behold, but I'd be damned if anything would stand in my way."
After two months of being in a cast and another month to regain mobility in his crippled limb, Adam was filled with a renewed lust for life.
"I almost died on that mountain. If I hadn't have put my hand out at the moment I did, I wouldn't be talking to you today. That situation made me realize that life is precious and fragile. I vowed from that day on to do everything in my power to make my dream into a reality. You only live once and I am bound and determined to do everything I can before I go. I had an old soccer coach that said "you miss 100% of the shots you don't take" and I have adopted that as my life's philosophy. Go for what you want today, for tomorrow it may be too late."
With this newfound vigor, Adam decided to attend Young Harris College and major in guitar performance. It is here that his musical inspiration is derived. He studied classical guitar under Richard Knepp, piano under Cynthia DeFoor, Voice under Jeff Bauman, and music theory and ear training under Dr. Keith DeFoor, who is also an accomplished pianist. Adam's musical world exploded with the influx of knowledge which passed through his veins.
"Young Harris, wow, that could possibly have been the two best years of my life. Studying with Richard totally changed my view of the guitar itself. The guitar is a beautiful instrument, with an infinite variety of tonal colors and polyphonic capabilities. The classical realm of the guitar has really opened my eyes as to what true music is all about. Music is for the soul. It is meant to convey intense emotion without saying a single word. A favorite quote of mine states that music expresses feeling that words cannot. I forget who said that but he hit the proverbial nail on the head with a two ton sledgehammer. Music is the essence of life itself, it courses through our veins, and I feel privileged to be a part of the creation process."
It is through his studies as a music major that Adam meets Matt Hyles, a fellow guitar major. These two were inseparable always tossing musical ideas back and forth. A few months have passed Adam and Matt (referred to as "Music Matt" due to the plethora of Matthews at Young Harris) decided to start a band. While playing guitar late one night in his trailer/dorm (you'll have to ask Adam about the dorm, it's actually quite funny) Adam receives a call from Music Matt. Hyles had finally found a vocalist for their band. This is where Adam met Matt Richardson (then known as "Art Matt"). Adam was taken aback by what he heard. Richardson's voice was unlike any he had ever heard and it oozed with beautiful musicality. On New Year's Eve 2002, the song Drive was born.
"I remember playing that song for hours trying to get it to sound right, and then Matt (Hyles) would suggest a chord progression and after a bit of tweaking it would just make the song that much better. After playing through the song that first time, we looked at one another and knew that we had hit something really fantastic. Even lacking lyrics, the song brought chills down my spine. I think we played that song about twenty times before we went to sleep, each time the song sounded better. It was incredible"
This was a definitive moment in Adam's music. The band only wrote two or three songs before Matt Hyles and others decided to pursue other musical avenues. However not dismayed by the departure of his fellow bandmates, Adam and Richardson decided that they would continue writing songs with hopes of keeping their music alive. With each new song sounding better than the last, and with constant praise from the Open Mic audiences at Young Harris, Adam knew that this is where he belonged musically.
"I would spend months writing a guitar part, and within an hour Matt would come up with these incredible lyrics and even more incredible melodies. Every time we write a song I sit on the edge of my seat (no pun there I promise) and wait to see what he?d come up with next. I feel very fortunate to be able to pour myself into every guitar part that I write and not have to worry about it being lessened in its musicality and emotion with the addition of lyrics, or having to alter it to fit the vocal melodies. Matt's vocals and lyrics actually heighten the music, breathing new life into the instrumental work and making it ten thousand times more powerful to perform, and perhaps to listen to as well."
But Adam's musical ability and composition skills are not limited to the guitar alone. Adam intends to arrange string parts for many songs, and has written a song on the piano.
"Whenever I finish writing a song and play through it the first time, I can hear the full band in my head, complete with string arrangements and percussion. I have an exact idea of how I want the song to sound like, it's just a matter of getting what I have in my head to become a reality. Although I don't have a symphony orchestra at my disposal, I'm going to damn well try anyway. Actually we're looking for some other musicians to aid us in this effort, and if all goes well, you're going to hear something truly incredible."
After leaving Young Harris, Reflected Light is still going strong. Adam, a self proclaimed "nusical whore" is working hard on lining up shows and writing new songs for their first full length album entitled "Daybreak" due out later this year, and maintaining this website.