Adam’s Mind is a 6 piece two-tone ska/punk/reggae band from Toronto Ontario.
Comprised of melodic vocal harmonies, crafted chord progressions, key changes, walking bass lines, and a horn section – Adam’s Mind will float the boat of any music nerd. Fans of Big D and the Kids Table, The Planet Smashers, Mustard Plug, NOFX, Sublime, Bob Marley and The Specials should definitely check them out.
Musicmuso caught up with them at the funfair where Daniel May (Bass/Vocals) was debating whether to go on the Waltzers or the Ferris Wheel, whilst he was weighing up the merits of both, we fired a few questions at him, here's how it went....
Please introduce the band and your music in one sentence....
We are a ska band that uses 4 part vocal harmonies, key changes and dynamic changes.
You’re called Adam’s Mind, how did you come about choosing this name?
Honestly Ronald hasn’t really explained the name to me personally. I always figured that it would be what appeals to people in general.
Where are you recording Eat Money (album) what made you choose that studio?
We are doing some tracks with Mitch Girio and a few tracks with Chris Icely. Mitch’s band King Apparatus has also had a big influence on Adam’s Mind and the way in which they write the song. He actually helped us do some demo tracks and has come to a few of our shows. Chris has come to so many Adam’s Mind shows and really just gets our sound. He has helped us record a track called Permanent Solution (one of our slower tracks) and it is sounding awesome.
How would you describe the music scene in Toronto?
It depends what you are asking because that is a very broad question. However if you want me to get into the ska scene, I can first off tell you it is a small community with great people. There are not to many local Toronto ska bands, however there are a few buddies of ours in Ontario ska bands like, The Bosswich (Waterloo), Small Town Get Up (Grimsby), Suits N’ Touques (Ottawa). We also just did a tour with K Man and the 45’s who do a lot of shows in Ontario. I find really there’s a lot of bands with a skaish influence but not to many of us full ska band, however the scene is there and it is slowly getting bigger.
Name three people (alive, dead or fictional) that you would like as dinner party guests?
Bradley Nowell, Jerry Garcia & John Lennon
In your opinion, what is the BEST album/record ever released?
I know a few guys in the band would have definitely said that it was a Beatles album but really it’s hard for me to pick between 2 albums that changed my life. One of them being Sublime’s Sublime and the other one being The Suicide Machine’s Destruction by Definition (The album that got me into ska).
First gig you ever went to?
Depends how you define gig, I saw Blink 182 with Taking Back Sunday and the Used at the Molson Amphitheatre when I was 13. That same year I saw Tea Leaf Green at the El Mocambo bottom floor.
There are many good bands and musicians out there, who would you, ask the readers of musicmuso to look out for?
Personally I am a huge fan of Panama Red which is another Burlington Band that we have played a few gigs with. Another great act really making me love them (I have seen these guys probably 40-50 time) is a band that started in London called After Funk.
Favourite venue to have played at?
I have been gigging since I was 12 I believe the first venue was the El Mocambo a long lon time ago. Adam’s Mind’s first show happened at Rancho Relaxo and we were a 4 piece band with just a trombone player.
The members have played in many other bands such as Planet Smashers, how does being in Adam’s Mind differ to the other bands?
Well for one our song structures are very different; we have key changes and time signature changes which is not typical in ska music. Beyond that though the emotion in our songs is there you can really feel what we are trying to get across. Also there is no best or worst member of the band, no one is in the band to be better than the next, and they are there to add to the collective sound while playing with enthusiasm as opposed to a formula.
If you could describe your music in the form of a fictional character, who would it be?
This is going to sound a bit weird but maybe Jimmy McNulty from the Wire. Only because you know he cares soo much even about things that he is not assigned to. For me it is the same with Adam’s Mind we put in so much work into our music and the ska scene in general, I believe we are doing it for the greater good of ska music.
Do you have a hangover cure, if so what is it?
Gatorade definitely helps! A good meal in the morning will help you feel more energized and sometimes drinking more beer helps with the headache.
What are your plans for 2014?
We plan on finishing up our album Eat Money. We are going to try and hit as many festivals as possible. We are already confirmed at Pouzza and are playing with Mustard Plug again which will be awesome because we love those guys and that band. We are confirmed for Illumination with the Heavy Pets personally one of my favourite jammy/reggae/ska bands. We also are confirmed to play the Lindsay Ribfest this year which is always fun.
Daniel opted for the Waltzers and about 2 minutes into the ride, he looked like he made the wrong decision. Upon exiting, we took Daniel to a 'quiet place' so he could gather his thoughts and compose himself. Midway through some deep breathing and gentle back rubbing, we posed a few quick fire questions to him....
Coffee or Tea? Tea
Coke or Pepsi? Pepsi
Massey Hall or Bovine Sex Club? Bovine Sex Club
Mac or PC? PC
Taco or Burger? Burger
Lemmy (Motorhead) or Ozzy (Black Sabbath)? Ozzy
CD or Vinyl? Vinyl
Car or Motorbike? Car
Acoustic or electric? Electric
Angelina or Jennifer? Both at once
Shower or Bath? Bath
Tattoos or Piercings? Piercings
Robert de Niro or Al Pacino? Al Pacino
God or Google? Google
You've come this far and have learnt so much about the band, why not spend just a few more minutes checking out their social media pages, we've taken the trouble to list the major ones below, all you need to do is hit the link and enjoy the content, go on, it'll make their day if you do !!
Social Media
Forthcoming Canadian Live Dates
Fri Apr 25 2014 8:00pm The Hopper, Cambridge, ON, CA
Thu May 15 2014 8:00pm Lee's PalaceToronto, ON, CA
Fri May 16 2014 6:00pm Cabaret UnderworldMontreal, QC, CA
Sat May 31 2014 8:00pm The Clarkson PubBarrie, ON, CA
Fri Jul 11 2014 12:00pm Frontier Ghost TownDurham, ON, CA
Sat Aug 16 2014 11:30am Old Mill ParkLindsay, ON, CA
Musicmuso would like to thank Daniel May from Adam's Mind for sparing the time to chat to us and we wish him and the band every success in the future.
interview by Mark Wincott