May Artist of the Month: Adam Schoen
By: Roman Warmke - 5/4/2000
Former Athenian, O.U. Alumni, Athens News Entertainment Writer, and local musician Adam Schoen knew his life was about to change, but he had no idea how much.
He had performed as the bassist with a few bands in his time here, most notably the popular Hot Box Lunch, and then Martizatic!, but it was June, the month that is to Athens Bands what the Time Change Riots are to O.U.'s collegiate reputation, a death blow. He was graduating, and knew it was time to move on.
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So upon Commencement in June of 1999, he packed up the truck and he and his sweetheart were headed off to the East Coast, ready to put that degree to work earning mountains of money in the corporate cog. He was fully prepared, had the job secured, a huge apartment, and even had some folks lined up to jam with in his spare time, knowing full well he didn't want his "thunder broom" collecting space dust in the thunder broom closet.
And then the phone call came, the one that
would force young Adam to sit down at the kitchen table and discuss with his
girlfriend
The call came in from a 513 area code, the caller was a founding member of one of the regions most powerful and popular music groups known as Homunculus, and the reason was an offer to join the band, a group that Adam had met earlier while performing as their opening act on a local basis.
Homunculus is a quirky, intelligent original act originally out of Bloomington, Indiana, now residents of Cincinnati, that have graced Athens with shows on a regular basis.
Their charismatic aura, tight, funky sounds, and fearless stage presence have made them a staple of many nightclubs from St. Louis to NYC. They're experienced, having put out three full-length albums, and even boasted a supporting role on the H.O.R.D.E. Festival to their resume.
Well guess what? They were calling Adam to see if he may be interested in filling some size 15's, considering their current bass player and musical family member, known only as Gil, had decided it was time to move on and leave Homunculus, and experience life off the road for awhile.
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It was a tall order, one worth serious consideration. But the band toured incessantly, meaning, no time to start that career. They're based out of Cincinnati as I mentioned, which meant no place for that huge apartment on the East Coast. They were a struggling up and coming act that involved more sacrifice than a virgin in a Godzilla flick, which meant closing the curtain on that mountain of corporate cash, at least in the short term. And if that wasn't enough for Adam to chew on, Gil was a seriously kick ass bassist, in this writer's opinion, the best this town has seen quite awhile, so I can imagine every aspect of the decision to join ranks was pretty agonizing.
But all it really took was a heart to heart conversation with Kelly, (whom Adam calls his "Savior"), and the two soon realized that if he didn't take the offer, Adam would regret it forever.
| Sound Clips Of Homunculous | |
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The Basic Word |
| A Little Time to Get Down | |
| Other Sound Clips from great local and regional bands can be found on the AMN's Sound Clips page. | |
They also soon concluded that, much like hippies playing bongos on the Monument uptown, his degree and job will always be there, and considering they really hadn't even unpacked the silverware from the box yet, they called it a day, sacrificed their deposit, and drove right back west the same highway they had just driven on days earlier.
Well, the transfer of bass duties was seamless. Gil bowed out like Colonel Blake and Adam came in a la' Colonel Potter, but I was skeptical. I already stated how enthused I always was about Gil's playing, though Adam is no slouch, that's for sure. But Adam's style seemed 'different' to me.
Gil was solid, and funky, while Adam was more jazzy, with Latin jazz influences. Gil was to Donald "Duck" Dunn what Adam was to Mike Watt. Gils' style was supporting, with little glory but extreme consistency, while Adam could blaze and step out, phrase sentences on the bass, and end those musical sentences with big exclamation points! I visioned Homunculus turning in a more jazzy direction, and was unsure if I could handle the swap.
But alas, the Sammy Hagar Syndrome never did set in. Adam learned the style with extreme humility, which was vital to the mix. And even smarter than that, the band moved towards the writing of new material, and the re-writing of older material, instead of just handing Adam charts and saying "That's how the other guy used to do it". It took no time at all, and Adam was adopted as a musical and personal partner.
I went to see the new Homunculus in April at that bar on Court Street that can't figure out it's name, used to be the MacSweeny's, and they were as wonderful as ever. I felt a great sense of respect for Adam, in that he was locked into the music as if it was a Halloween Drunk Tank down at the City Pool. His phrasing was his own, but it brought out the best in the original lineup. He wasn't trying to sound like his predecessor, nor was he trying to steer the bands sound. It was a perfect match.
So now, we can be proud that our local boy Adam is out on the road kicking serious ass with a band that is as talented as any of those schmucks on the radio, usually more so.
If you have yet to see Homunculus, you can expect a great show. These guys are consummate professionals. They occasionally describe themselves as the "Bastard Child of Frank Zappa & the Beatles", which really hits the mark. They keep no format, circling scales faster than Dale Earnheart. They keep no musical laws, shifting from one groove to another in some type of lighthearted but poignant acid trip of a journey through the soundtrack of a life. They are not a bar band, employing complex and rich vocal harmonies, but a coliseum band that plays bars (for now), meaning, when you get really piss drunk on whiskey, the music can be way too thoughtful and inspired to sometimes even dance too, but on album, it's textured and layered, almost painted onto the CD by the performers.
Yes, Adam Schoen is proof positive that sometimes to truly feel rewarded in this life, you have to risk everything, cash, cars, jobs, security, glittering prizes and endless compromises, in the belief that your true calling is in your art. Way to go Adam.
- Submitted from the bottom of 16 fluid ounces.
