Peter Bradley Adams 'Leavetaking' album

On his album Leavetaking, Peter Bradley Adams builds upon the cinematic and ethereal sound of his 2006 solo debut Gather Up. The disc was recorded in Nashville and co-produced by Peter and Lex Price.

The unusual title and theme of the album is inspired by a line from the Mark Strand poem titled “The View:” “He’s always been drawn to the weather of leavetaking.”

Peter elaborates, “the word 'leavetaking' resonates with me and these songs on a couple of levels - on one hand there's the call to wander and the choice one makes to search and to live in that motion; and on the other hand the price of that choice, and the feeling of loss that accompanies it. And it's a theme you hear in so many traditional songs... some of them traveling songs, or gospel songs, or love songs... they've got that old longing in them that I'm really drawn to.”

In 2006, Peter left Los Angeles, moved to Nashville and immediately began his collaboration with Lex Price. “I had met Lex on tour a year earlier, and after hearing him play and the music he’s produced, I knew I wanted to work with him.”

Assembling a small group of Nashville players, the duo recorded a bulk of the songs in two separate Decembers – ’06 and ’07. For the mixing, Peter called upon Kevin Killen (Peter Gabriel, U2, Elvis Costello).

“Kevin And I mixed in Los Angeles at the studio of TV composer Mike Post, a friend and supporter since eastmountainsouth. We mixed 13 songs in seven days. But at the end, I felt that only nine fit this album. So I decided this was just going to have to be a short record and not apologize for it.”

With the exception of the instrumental track “Song For Viola,” Adams builds upon the signature vocal harmonies crafted with Kat Bode (formerly Maslich) as the duo eastmountainsouth and carried to his solo debut (featuring Epic Records artists Sarah Bareilles on “Teresa” and Susie Suh).

Peter explains, “[Nashville singer/songwriter] Katie Herzig and I met on the “American Songwriter” magazine tour in 2007 and I knew she would be perfect for these songs. But I also feel like I'm using harmony vocals differently than I have in the past - more as a support and color to the melody than a clearly defined 2nd part. It’s a progression from my previous record and eastmountainsouth.”

Also included is a reinterpretation of the song “So You Are To Me,” originally recorded by eastmountainsouth. Adams wrote it for his sister’s wedding,and it lives on as a popular wedding song to this day. “It was difficult for me to re-record the song because Kat sang it so beautifully. But, I think Lex and I found another way into it, so I'm really glad it's on the record.”

leavetaking is the sophomore solo release for Peter Bradley Adams and his debut for Seattle-based Sarathan Records, also home to Two Loons For Tea and Abra Moore.

press quotes
“...Gather Up is at its core a poignant coming to terms with the seemingly irreconcilable.” – Performing Songwriter

"A certain blurry, art-house atmosphere in his songs makes them a good fit for indie-scaled romantic films like Cameron Crowe's Elizabethtown, which features some of his music on its soundtrack. [Peter Bradley Adam's] debut release as a solo artist, Gather Up, is a diverse palette of songwriting that interweaves its mildly fluctuating moods with the times and places that spurred them." - Nashville Scene

“Although [Gather Up] was recorded almost entirely in his apartment, Adams crafts a wonderfully lush sound -- rich with keyboards and guitars, dark sonic touches and heavenly background voices -- that suggests an expensive studio production.” - AllMusicGuide

“In fact, nearly everything about this recording, from Adams's hushed croon to the atmospheric weave of acoustic and electric instruments to the session's living room ambience, can be summed up in a word: subdued… but the low-key arrangements help sustain the intimate and sometimes haunting mood that allows this CD to quietly stand out.” – Washington Post

“Peter Bradley Adams’ wonderful piano stylings and ability to touch the soul with his music combine to make Gather Up a very impressive album. Fans of eastmountainsouth and alternative folk music will want to give Gather Up a permanent place in their music collections.” – BlogCritics.org

**** (4 stars) - Melodic.net

"Gather Up is a sublime album that showcases the full range of Adams’s talents and one that marks him out as a songwriter of real quality. Essential." - Ink19.com

“[Gather Up] isn’t merely an amazingly pretty record or a fine example of such and so, it’s a Rumors, a Court And Spark, a Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.” – LostatSea.net

“There is a revolving cast of characters, and not just one female vocalist, who join in to make [Gather Up] the amazing piece of pop-folk that it is.” – Hybrid Magazine

“Adams once again proves his abundant gifts as a composer and musician, and this will likely please fans of sophisticated romantic pop.” – Pasadena Weekly

tour dates
August 20 ATLANTA, GA Eddie's Attic
August 21 BIRMINGHAM, AL Workplay Theater
August 23 CHARLOTTE, NC The Evening Muse
August 25 ARLINGTON, VA The Iota
August 27 EASTON, MD Coffee East
August 28 NEW YORK, NY Rockwood Music Hall

biography
I grew up in Birmingham, Alabama and began playing classical piano when I was six. My first musical inspiration was my grandfather, who had been a professional clarinet player in big bands as a young man. He also played piano by ear, and I would crawl under the piano whenever he came to visit and listen to him play.

I dabbled in songwriting when I was kid, but always sang so no one else in the house could hear me. I went on to study a lot of music. I majored in music in college, got a master's degree in composition, and studied piano in Germany.

But, even while I was doing all this, I always found myself drawn mostly to songs... when I look back, even though I was writing "classical" music, I was approaching it as a songwriter. And I continued to occasionally write songs, but again hid them away.

After grad school, I decided to move to Los Angeles to study film scoring and was soon writing music for television and films, some more rewarding than others. But again, my heart wasn't in it. So, I finally reached the point where I had to listen to myself and write the music I wanted to write. Very shortly after that, I met Kat Bode (formerly Maslich), and we formed the duo eastmountainsouth.

The timing of it all was uncanny. Within a year we were signed by one of my idols, Robbie Robertson, to DreamWorks records, and we made our debut that I produced with another one of my idols, Mitchell Froom.

Up until this point, I had done little to no live performing. So, it was a terrifying prospect to get up and sing in front of people. But I had no choice. And one of the reasons I was able to do it was because we sang most of our material together.

In fact, that was really the sound of eastmountainsouth. We had a very special vocal harmony blend. And we had an amazing year and a half of touring opening for Lucinda Williams, Traci Chapman, and our final show at the Hollywood Bowl opening for Lyle Lovett and Shelby Lynn.

The record label was bought, and we were shifted to a couple of different labels and eventually negotiated our release. I was also feeling more and more that I wanted to work as a solo artist. So, I decided to leave the band.

It was a very difficult decision to make, knowing that in some ways, I would have to start over. It has been an amazing and humbling journey from then to now. I had to learn to sing in front of people without the comfort of harmony on every song. And often, there was no other way to do it than getting up and sucking in front of lots of people.

I’m still learning to sing, and I’m still learning to write good songs, but when I listen to leavetaking, for the first time I can honestly say it sounds like me.

Written by himself (Peter)

Do you also would like to share your opinion? If so, please register or login here.

Details

Popular Songs

New Songs

Tracklisting

Peter Bradley Adams - Leavetaking