Singer-songwriter Adam Zwig was on tour supporting his sixth studio album Stones, Bones, and Skin when he felt something happening. Each night there he was experiencing that symbiotic interaction of energy and emotion between the band and its audience. This is the kind of thing musicians and their fans seek to tap into at every show, or what Adam Zwig refers to it as the “conversation”. So, instead of trying to replicate that “conversation” in the studio – which is something many musicians spend boatloads of time and money attempting to pull off – Zwig decided to capture the “conversation” in the moment. Enlisting the expert help of the Grammy Award-winning engineer David Bianco (U2, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash), Zwig decided to record his entire concert at legendary art deco theater the Wiltern in Los Angeles to release as the forthcoming album, Adam Zwig: Live at the Wiltern Theatre (Conscious Records), which comes out on September 25th.
Zwig may be known as a “contemporary” artist, but his new live album reveals something far more dynamic. With the help of his talented band, Zwig locks into a sort of power pop meets Americana sound. His catchy songs remain in tact even while letting the band explore new territory and venture into loose, in-the-moment jams. The result may best be heard on the album’s final track “Raising People” – presumably played as the final song of the show – which we are excited to premiere exclusively on Glide. The song is the kind of song you’d want to hear at the end of show with its anthemic sing-a-long chorus, message of positivity, and infectious keyboard hook. It is also one of the longest songs on the album and finds the band jamming on full throttle.
Reflecting on the performance and the song, Adam Zwig says, “‘Raising People’ is a song about making change in the world by raising consciousness and improving peoples’ lives instead of just trying to force everyone to be a certain way. I wanted a sound that has a celebratory feeling and a funky feel-good vibe. We used a Fender Rhodes and a theremin for the melody and an old synthesizer to make some really cool noises. This live version is more up tempo and funkier than the studio recording, and it has a crazy unplanned jam at the end. I really felt the Wiltern crowd rocking to this tune.”
Give a listen to Adam Zwig’s live performance of “Raising People”…
Adam Zwig: Live at the Wiltern Theatre comes out on September 25th via Conscious Records. For more info and music check out adamzwig.com.
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