Review Fix Exclusive: Adam Zwig Talks ‘Stones, Bones, and Skin’

Review Fix chats with singer/songwriter Adam Zwig, who discusses his upcoming EP, “Stones, Bones, and Skin,” which is set for an August 18 release.

Discussing everything from his eclectic musical influences to the inspiration for the EP, Zwig gives us an inside look at the creation of his newest work.

For more information on Zwig, check out his official site at www.adamzwig.com.

Photo by Travis Shinn.

Review Fix: When was the moment you knew music was going to be your career?

Adam Zwig: I don’t think there was one moment I knew music was going be my career.  But there were definitely some important experiences.  A few happened when I was a kid.  I used to pass by a music shop walking to school and would often be late for class because I was obsessed with the guitars in the window;  I would stand there imagining that I could play one.  Sometimes I’d go inside and ask to hold one and the man would say I’m not allowed to touch them, and that made me even more obsessed!!  Also my mother told me that when I first started to talk I couldn’t make proper words but I was making melodies in my attempts.  When I was a teenager, I went to a blues concert, and I was so affected by it that I actually did have a revelatory moment.  As I was watching the performer a feeling of identification with him swept over me, and I said to myself, “That’s what I’m supposed to be doing.”  Of course, I didn’t know how yet, but it was a beginning.

Review Fix: Why music? Why not something else?

Zwig:I‘m interested in anything that expresses the deeper truths in life, and songs are a powerful way to do this.  I mean songs can also express lies and drival, but if you’re seeking something with power of spirit, a song can get you there.  So can literature, poetry, art, meditation, and any kind of consciousness raising.  It’s all similar.  But music is also really simple and universal.  It can bypass your ego and all your ideas and go straight to your heart.  It’s also incredibly fun and ecstatic to create and play.

Review Fix: Who are some of your favorite musicians?

Zwig:I like music from the 1940s and 1950s – mostly blues.  Also 1960s folk and rock ‘n roll, which was really an extension of the blues.  The best music was done without the spotlight, before the corporate world got a hold of it, defined, it, packaged it, and sold it back to you.  I think they killed something essential, snuffed the breath out of it.  A lot of it has been neutralized and is no longer challenging, threatening, or magical.  A lot of it is just hooks, fish hooks in the back of your neck, not a lot of meaning or truth, a lot of showing off, like dancing to a pack of lies.  So I like artists like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Albert King, and 60’s artists like Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen.  I guess it comes down to the difference between being an artist and an entertainer.  I identify more with the artist path.

Review Fix: What musicians do you love that people might not expect?

Zwig:My music is kind of mellow so people might not expect me to love Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and AC/DC…but I do.

Review Fix: What was the inspiration for this EP?

Zwig: Inspiration is a mystery to me.  I really don’t know where it comes from.  If something really powerful happens in my life, I suppose I could write about it.  But that’s not what usually happens.  Songs come to me for no rhyme or reason, well, until after they’re written, and then I see their meaning and purpose.  But I never set out to write a song or an album.  It just happens.  I don’t have a set of musical goals I want to achieve.  I just get up one morning feeling strange or excited or like something in me is cooking, I walk around my apartment, look at my guitar, pick it up, and suddenly a song appears.  That’s how my new EP happened. And after I finish a song, I never think, it’s going to turn into a whole album.  I just think it’s a song.  The process itself creates an album.  At some point, I look at what’s there and think, “Oh, this seems like a record.”  It was raining a lot in Portland when I was writing the EP, and I felt a heaviness in the air, and suddenly all these songs poured out of me.

Review Fix: What was it like to work with David Bianco?

Zwig: Working with David is an incredible experience.  He’s been doing this for so long that he has an highly integrated sense of old school and new school.  He usually let’s me do my thing but once in a while comes up with a really cool idea that really helps a song.  Like on “Sunshine Waves,” it was his idea to introduce a key change after the bridge.  He’s also known as the best mixer you can find.

Review Fix: You have a great backing band for this EP.  How did everyone come together?

Zwig: David Bianco introduced me to drummer Brian Macleod, and Brian brought bassist Davey Faragher with him to Portland.  Stuart Sikes, the other producer on the record, introduced me to other players. They’re all great musicians.   Sometimes in rehearsal they debate parts of my songs in highly technical terms, and I have no idea what they’re talking about.  They ask me to explain myself using music theory and numbers, and I reply by playing it, and saying, “It goes like this.”  We did a 30 city tour last year, and had a blast.  I’m looking forward to hitting the road again soon!

Review Fix: What did you learn about yourself through the recording of this EP?

Zwig: Songwriting is like a form of therapy or meditation.  You absolutely can learn things and grow as a person by diving into your subconscious and confronting what’s in there.  When I write a song, I’m not in control of what’s happening, and that’s when it gets interesting.  Strange images and feelings come over me, sort of like dreaming.  While working on the EP I felt like I was connecting to something impersonal and ancient in myself and in humanity, and it felt healing.  It reminded me of what I’d read about shamanism. That’s how I got onto the EP title and imagery.

Review Fix: Anything you’d do differently?

Zwig: I can’t think of something I’d have done differently, but I’ve been inspired to try more songs with an orchestra.  The remix of “Waiting On Heaven (To Make A Move)” was a blast to do.  I never thought I could sing with an orchestra, but it sounds really cool.

Review Fix: What’s your favorite song on the album? Why?

Zwig: I never have a favorite song on a record.  It’s sort of like having children; they’re all your favorites.  But “Sunshine Waves” is the most personally meaningful to me because it expresses something really deep toward someone I love very much.

Review Fix: How do you want this EP to affect people?

Zwig: It would be cool if people listened and felt into the words. How that affects someone is totally personal, so I can’t comment on that.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13819 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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