Adam Gnade

Adam Gnade
Background information
Origin	San Diego, California
Genres	Talking songs Noise folk Americana
Instruments	Vocals, banjo, four-string guitar
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Punch Drunk Press, DeathBombArc, Drowned in Sound, Try Harder Records
Website	www.adamgnade.com

Adam Gnade is a San Diego, California-born American musician and author currently living on a farm in rural Kansas. In his bio he defines his music as "talking-songs", which he describes as mixing the spoken vocals of talking blues songs with country music, Appalachian folk, noise, psychedelic folk and drone music influences. His work is issued as a series of records and books, which continue the stories of each others characters and further develop plot-lines. Considered a regionalist writer, he writes mostly about San Diego, a bordertown city in Southern California, namely the area around the US/Mexico border, though many of his stories take place to the south of San Diego in the city of Tijuana, Mexico.

History

In late 2005, Gnade signed to the California-based Loud + Clear Records, toured the US, and issued Run Hide Retreat Surrender, his first official full-length record after a series of self-released, extremely limited edition CDs and cassettes.

In 2006, he issued a set of limited run experimental albums (We Are Ghosts and Bones Down Stone-Walled Wells and the 2 CD single) expanding on his "talking songs" idea before signing a UK label deal with Drowned in Sound (also home to collaborators Youthmovies). Drowned in Sound released Gnade's EP Shout the Rafters Down! in Nov of 2006, after which he toured Europe in support of the record, alongside Oxford, England's Youthmovies and Brighton's Blood Red Shoes.

Gnade also recorded a "talking song"-style track with Faux-Hoax in mid-2006, a side project band featuring Dave Allen, the bass guitar player of the 1970s British post-punk band Gang of Four, John Askew from Oregon indie rock group Tracker, and Danny Seim of Menomena and Lackthereof. The track, "Your Friends Will Carry You Home," was released on a 7" of the same name by Polyvinyl Record Co. in May 2009. The 7" also features members of Portland, Oregon's Modest Mouse and 31 Knots.

Recent U.S., European, Mexican, Canadian, and United Kingdom radio singles include "Hymn California," "Honey Slides," "Dance to the War," "The Winter/Their Apartment," "Room for Three and the Bayou Summer," "Palaces," "Lanterns, Rakes, and Shovels," "We're Unknowing in the Crosshairs," "The Old Lover," "Snake Lore," "It's Five O'Clock in America," "We Must Come Home Again," and "We Live Nowhere and Know No One."

2007 saw a two-month US tour, a five-week tour of England and Scotland (alongside Youthmovies, Jonquil, House of Brothers, Blanket, and Eugene McGuinness), and the release of Honey Slides, a collaborative EP with Youthmovies on the Try Harder Records label. There was also a tour-only novella, entitled Seasons Loving Nothing, that was available on the UK dates. As of December, 2008, Gnade requested that Seasons Loving Nothing be taken out of print following its fourth printing.

His next full-length, Trailerparks, was released by Try Harder Records as a limited-edition, tour-only pressing in late 2008 in time for a three-week tour of Europe with Youthmovies.

In September 2008, DutchMoney Books released a novel of Gnade's writing that continues the stories of the albums' characters. It is called Hymn California. A novella of connected material entitled The Darkness to the West was released in December 2008 via Punch Drunk Press.

In November, the experimental label Blast First (Petite) released a Youthmovies EP entitled Polyp which features Gnade contributing lead vocals to two tracks, "Sad Trash" and "Become an Island" which also features contributions from Joe Shrewsbury from 65DaysofStatic and Hugo Manuel of Jonquil. The resulting tour in November 2008 featuring both acts was called the Polyp Tour.

On February 22, 2009, Gnade announced the release of a new EP. Island's Islands will be released on cassette and limited to just 100 copies. On his website Gnade revealed that each copy of the EP would be recorded separately and each would be completely different. Gnade's next record The Wild Homesick was released in May 2009 on the Punch Drunk Press label.

In July and August 2009 Gnade joined the Van's Warped Tour as a book tour along with Microcosm Publishing. His tour diaries were published on the Asthmatic Kitty Records website and by the Willamette Week newspaper.

In August 2009, Punch Drunk Press, released a three-way split CD album featuring his songs and the songs of Ohioan and COASTS. It is called Hello America!

Live and on these newer recordings Gnade plays a four-string guitar he rebuilt and modified to play in the tuning of F, A sharp, D, F.

In January 2010, a new cassette EP, Surrenderland, was released by Punch Drunk Press.

In March 2010 he toured with Youthmovies as their support act on their final tour and then turned to England for shows with Calvin Johnson and Fixers.

In November, 2010, he announced via his website, adamgnade.com, that his second novel was finished. He stated that it would be read (and edited) by someone else and that after that he would be looking for a literary agent to handle the search for publishers.

On January 31, 2010 he announced the release of a collection of rare tracks, From Farmhouses to Tour Vans.

In 2011, Gnade released three novellas. California was released by Double Suns studio and The Heat and the Hot Earth and Hey Hey Lonesome were released by Punch Drunk Press. In August, 2011 it was announced via the Lungs, Dirt, and Dreams website as well as via assorted media outlets that Gnade would be touring alongside Atlanta experimental country band Damon Moon and the Whispering Drifters. On Gnade's website he announced there would be a special tour-only cassette featuring both acts as well as a split cassette featuring folksinger Megan Michelle.

Name pronunciation

According to his website, Gnade's surname is pronounced "guh nah dee."

Influences

Gnade has said in interviews and on his website that his music is influenced by Neutral Milk Hotel, Joanna Newsom, noise recordings, field recordings, and old country music. In interviews he has said that his writing is influenced by William Faulkner,Saul Bellow, James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway, and Roberto Bolano.

Tour

Gnade tours regularly and generally plays solo or backed by a band. Recent tour-mates have included Youthmovies, Jonquil, Blood Red Shoes, Eugene McGuinness, Blanket, and House of Brothers. He has performed on bills and festivals with Calvin Johnson, Starf*****, F**k Buttons, Angelo Spencer, Castanets, Levon Helm, Dark Hills, Damon Moon and the Whispering Drifters, Under White Pines, Sydney Eloise, Alana Amaram, Virgin Forest, The Album Leaf, George Pringle, Foals, and many others.

Discography

Full-length albums

• Run Hide Retreat Surrender (2005, Loud + Clear Records)
• We Are Ghosts and Bones Down Stone Walled Wells (2006 self-release, 2008 Lazy Acre, 2008 Red Red Sun Records)
• Trailerparks (2008, tour-only limited edition release, Try Harder Records, wide release June 2010 Punch Drunk Press)
• From Farmhouses to Tour Vans (2011, collection of rarities, Punch Drunk Press)

EPs

• Palaces/Whidbey Island (2007, limited edition double-EP/CD, Bad Drone Media 2007, Red Red Sun Records 2008)
• The Wild Homesick (2009, CD, cassette 2011, Punch Drunk Press)
• Whidbey Island (2010, reissue, Punch Drunk Press)
• Shiv Shiv Shake (2010, tour-only reissue, 30 copies, Punch Drunk Press)
• We'll Out Run Debt and Curse Out Oil Wells (2011, tour-only release, rare tracks collection, Punch Drunk Press)

Split albums and collaborative albums

• Adam Gnade and Ohioan (2006, Native Kin, limited edition split album with Ohioan)
• Wilderness and the Holy Gold (2006, BelowPDX, limited edition collaboration with Argumentix)
• Hello America! (2009, Punch Drunk Press, three-way split with Ohioan and COASTS)
• Honey Slides (2007, collaboration with Youthmovies Try Harder Records 2007 and Zankyo in Japan 2009)

Singles

• "Prince of the Confederacy" (2006, split cassette release with Gang Wizard, DeathBombArc)
• Shout the Rafters Down! (2006, five-song digital EP single, Drowned in Sound's "Singles Club")
• 2 (two song single, 2006)

Cassettes

• Island's Islands (2009, limited edition cassette EP, Punch Drunk Press)
• Surrenderland: You Could Quit Your Jobs and Run Away Like You Used to, Back When You Did Things Just Because, and Because it Felt Good to Run Away, and Because You Didn’t Worry so Much Like You Do Now… just Because and Leave the A**holes Behind and F*** ‘em Anyway, They Don’t Mean *S*** (2010, cassette, Punch Drunk Press)
• Live on Simple Folk Radio (2010, Punch Drunk Press)

• Split cassette, side a The Wild Homesick EP by Adam Gnade. side b Upon Awakening EP by COASTS (2011, Punch Drunk Press)
• Split cassette, side a Adam Gnade (various live tracks), side b Megan Michelle (various selected tracks.) (2011, Punch Drunk Press)
• Split cassette, side a Adam Gnade (various tracks), side b Damon Moon and the Whispering Drifters (various tracks) (2011)

Compilations and miscellaneous appearances

• "Look at What the Light Did Now" (Little Wings cover) from Happy Birthday, K Records (Asthmatic Kitty, digital)
• "Hymn California" from DiS is 6 (Drowned in Sound sixth anniversary compilation, LP)
• "Room for Three and the Bayou Summer" from We Made This, Portland
• "T'was the Night Before Christmas" from Another Grey Xmas
• "Snake Lore" from Loud News UK Magazine Compilation CD
• Various tracks from Bad Drone Media Sampler
• "Psalm" from Wood-Land Remixes
• Lead vocals on "Sad Trash" and Become an Island" from Youthmovies EP Polyp (Blast First Petite)
• Lead vocals on "Your Friends Will Carry You Home" from Faux-Hoax (members of Gang of Four, Modest Mouse, and Menomena) 7" (Polyvinyl)
• "Robbie and Lauren and the Silver Sunrise" (with Argumentix" from Sonic Couture 2007 (BelowPDX)
• "Prince of the Confederacy" from DeathBomb Arc Tape Club Year Two Sampler 3-CD
• "We're Sick It" from Invisible Children charity comp
• "You're Just a Skull on a Body, Baby" from Backlash Magazine Comp CD
• "Your Friends Will Carry You Home" (with Faux-Hoax) from Live from Nowhere Near You Vol 2 (Greyday Records)

Books and zines

• Seasons Loving Nothing (2007, limited-edition novella)
• Hymn California (2008, novel, Dutchmoney Books)
• The Darkness to the West (2008, novella, Punch Drunk Press)
• Hey hey Lonesome (2011, novella, Punch Drunk Press)
• The Heat and the Hot Earth (2011, novella, Punch Drunk Press)
• California (2011, novella, Double Suns)

External links

• Official site