Adam Gnade
1. What are your top five albums that were released in 2018? (Preferably in order 1-5)
- Planet B - self-titled
- Phosphorescent - C'est La Vie
- Hop Along - Bark Your Head Off, Dog
- Daughters - You Won't Get What You Want
- IDLES - Joy as an Act of Resistance
2. What band did you discover in 2018 (can be a brand new band or an older band) that had an impact on your life? What made them significant?
Big Thief. Holy shit. The lyrics are outstanding. Each record is like reading a Ray Carver story collection. Adrianne Lenker is a damn good writer. I have a hard time staying inspired as far as lyric writing goes, but Lenker does the trick. She could be the new Springsteen. She's got what it takes. Thank you, Adrianne! You are great. Please stay alive and make good things, okay?
3. How will you remember 2018? (In terms of music)
Probably because of the shit state of our government, 2018 has been the gothiest year I can remember since I was obsessed with Robert Smith in 9th grade. I don't like why we're here, but the music is fucking killer.
4. What can we look forward to from you in 2019?
I've got a book that I've been putting everything I have into these past few years. It's called This is the End of Something but it's Not the End of You. It's a short novel with ideas in the same spirit as my only nonfiction book, the Do-It-Yourself Guide to Fighting the Big Motherfuckin' Sad. I plan to finish it on Valentine's Day. I also have a new record written called CampfiresFightSongs that's connected to the book. Played the songs live on a UK tour in the spring, but nothing's recorded besides acoustic demos. It's dark. Maybe too dark. I might not put it out.
5. What records are you looking forward to most in 2019?
I have no idea what's coming next year. Been slugging it out in the moment lately. Life is scary. Would love a new Blanck Mass, Fuck Buttons, Hudson Scott, Lower Dens, Chad Valley, or something from our boy Andrew Mears.
6. Right now there are two primary types of digital services: subscription streaming and the bandcamp approach that's more individualized. Do you have a preference and what direction do you think future streaming/download services will move toward?
As a human being who doesn't have the internet at my house, I don't give a fuck about music's place or future online. As an artist, I like Bandcamp because it's customizable, especially the fact that it allows you to have a merch page. Really hope it sticks around. As a listener, I like vinyl and buying music at record stores and shows, and I'm going to keep doing that no matter how the digital world turns. I have one of those giant console furniture record players from the '70s. It's a big, old, courageous monster -- and it sounds like one. It also has an 8-track player, so everybody tell your grandparents to send me their 8-track tapes. I only have five of them so far, but I like the format.
