Meet Adam Schwartz | Bassist and music producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Adam Schwartz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Adam, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
The riskiest parts of my life have involved either stopping or starting something. I tend to over-analyze a lot of the time, but once I know my true dreams and goals I find that I am putting myself in a situation that forces an issue and a large change in my life. That is, it could be forming a band or project, writing and performing music, producing a track, or pursuing the love of my life. I feel like every accomplishment in my life has required me to take the risk of committing to it, usually in small steps until I find myself facing another huge life-changing decision.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m probably not alone in thinking that what sets me apart is the combination of things I bring to the projects I work on. Musically, everything I’ve learned and heard feeds into everything new I work on and play.

What I’m most excited about is what I’m working on right now, which is a larger musical piece written mostly using Arabic modes. I’ve always loved non-Western music from India and Iran. Over the last several years I have learned and played several Arabic maqams or modes, and finally feel familiar enough with them to really fluidly use them in this project.

One path for me has been traditional learning, the theory and standard music. So, in my case that includes rock cover tunes, jazz standards, and some orchestral sheet music a bit longer ago. What I take from that, the big lesson, is how to chart music. It can be done many ways, I use a sort of modified Nashville notation, and a variation of it for the Arabic tunes.

For the original music, the Americana music, the heavy alternative rock band, and some art rock, my more important lessons have been in putting together the tunes, creating the music and managing to record and publish it. There is a real balance required to have everything come together naturally on a recording — and indeed somewhat different approach to performing in the studio versus live.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Dallas has a few neat areas, and lots of great restaurants. Maybe start by going to White Rock Lake which is a huge park, a great place to ride a bike. Definitely have to get some tacos at some point, maybe Tacos La Banquetta on Gaston by White Rock Lake. El Ranchito on Peavy is good too. Downtown has the arts district, Klyde Warren Park, and free art museum, sculpture garden. Perhaps catch a play at the Undemain Theater. On Sundays there’s good jazz at the Balcony Club. If you want to spend the money or get free tickets you can see pro sports year-round (Cowboys, Rangers, Mavericks, Stars). Some folks I know would prefer catching music music at some of the clubs in Deep Ellum, or The Granada on Greenville, maybe the Majestic Theater, or the Kessler. Of course there are historic places like Dealey Plaza to see, and 508 Park Avenue where Robert Johnson made his last recordings.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My friend Erin Willis is the founder and executive chef at her restaurant RM 12:20 in Dallas. She created this pleasant neighborhood bistro that has a unique atmosphere and dishes, a great place to hang out and dine. Another place to shout-out about is Six Springs Tavern in Richardson, a great venue that has been a constant supporter of local talent for ages. I also should mention Original Soul, a Dallas native R&B hip-hop lyricist who also runs M4G Entertainment. I keep thinking Original Soul will suddenly become really widely known, he has released probably a dozen records of his own and produced others.

Website: https://alkdale.com/