Steve Adams (musician)
Encyclopedia
Steven Rue Adams is a California
-based American
bassist
and co-founder of San Francisco rock/pop/jamband Animal Liberation Orchestra
(aka, ALO
). In addition to his work with ALO, Steve has toured and recorded with many other musicians. Recording credits include Forest Sun, Tim Bluhm, Nicki Bluhm, Zach Gill
and Big Light
. Performing credits include Brett Dennen
, Sara Bareilles
, Tea Leaf Green
, Jack Johnson
and Matt Costa
.
, and has been in California
most of his life. He lived in Germany
for a couple years where his little brother was born. By age 5, his family had settled in Saratoga
, California
. Steve and his two brothers and one sister all studied music growing up. His older sister studied piano
and his older brother, the baritone horn. Steve took piano lessons off and on from age 5 and up. He also joined the school string orchestra in 5th grade playing violin
, and played alto saxophone
in the school concert band in 6th and 7th grades.
By the end of 7th grade, Steve had met up with future ALO bandmates Zach Gill and Dan Lebowitz to form their first rock band, One Percent Away. Steve bought a short-scale electric bass guitar
and started lessons at the local guitar store, Torres Guitars, as well as taking notes from Gill's dad. The band changed their name to Django in high school and recorded their first album during their senior year, entitled Contact.
, California
after graduating high school to pursue degrees in music. After waivering between different studies within the UCSB Music Department, Steve took his last couple years of college to focus on a degree in ethnomusicology
, writing his final thesis on the origin and evolution of Mariachi
music from Mexico. Steve was also very active in the Jazz and Middle Eastern Music Ensembles. In the middle of college, Django had picked up drummer Dave Brogan for the Summer, just before folding the project all together. Following Django, Steve and bandmates Gill and Lebowitz continued creating new bands, including Magnum Family, I.V. Dogs, The LAG Acoustic Buffet and eventually, in their last year at UCSB, The Animal Liberation Orchestra & The Free Range Horns.
After graduating from UCSB, Steve went on tour with Gill, Lebowitz and high school friend Rob Binkley, driving around the U.S. playing coffee shops, bars, small clubs and street corners, under the name The BLAG Buffet. On this trip, Steve acquired his grandfather's Vega Artist banjo
upon a pitsop visit in Billings, MT. Upon his return to CA, Steve resettled back in his hometown of Saratoga for a few months, just before moving to San Francisco
, California
, which would be his home for the next 6 years.
ALO reunited in the Spring of 2002 with college bandmate Dave Brogan on drums, and has been touring the globe and recording steadily ever since. Through their college friendship with surfer/singer/songwriter Jack Johnson, Steve has also became part of the Brushfire Records
family with ALO signing a record contract with the label in 2005. Steve has not only recorded two full-length records with ALO for Brushfire, but also appeared on several label compilations such as A Brokedown Melody and Thank You... Goodnight. With occasional breaks and the on-going interest to promote side-projects from within the band, Steve has additionally toured with Brett Dennen, who he met at the High Sierra Music Festival
one Summer. And while on tour with Dennen, met support act Sara Bareilles which later resulted in touring with Sara and her band as well. Through the Bay Area jamband scene connection and from a long-time friendship with keyboardist Trevor Garrod who also graduated from Saratoga High, Steve has also done substantial touring with San Francisco rockers, Tea Leaf Green, filling in for their permananent bassist, Reed Mathis.
, California
where he has been since 2006, and has spent a lot of the 2008 Summer recording and playing with San Francisco indie/jam/rock band Big Light. Steve is scheduled for more shows with ALO, Tea Leaf Green and Big Light in the Fall, as well as debuting a new project, Region Of Darkness.
With Other Artists
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
-based American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
and co-founder of San Francisco rock/pop/jamband Animal Liberation Orchestra
Animal Liberation Orchestra
Animal Liberation Orchestra is an American musical group, currently signed on Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records label. They have released three full length albums...
(aka, ALO
Alo
Alo or ALO can refer to:* Afghanistan Liberation Organization* Ahwaz Liberation Organisation * Air liaison officer* Alloa railway station in Clackmannanshire, Scotland* Alo , also known as Tu`a...
). In addition to his work with ALO, Steve has toured and recorded with many other musicians. Recording credits include Forest Sun, Tim Bluhm, Nicki Bluhm, Zach Gill
Zach Gill
Zach Gill is a multi instrumentalist/singer/songwriter/member of the rock band ALO and a member of Jack Johnson's band. He also performs regularly as a solo artist.- History :...
and Big Light
Big Light
Big Light is an independent rock and roll band from San Francisco, California. Founded in 2007, the band originally consisted of Fred Torphy , Steve Adams from ALO, Bradly Bifulco , and Colin Hoops . In addition to writing their own material, the band also covers songs by modern American...
. Performing credits include Brett Dennen
Brett Dennen
Brett Dennen is a folk/pop singer and songwriter from Northern California.-Biography:Brett Dennen attended UC Santa Cruz from 2000–2004, where he was a student at Kresge College....
, Sara Bareilles
Sara Bareilles
Sara Beth Bareilles is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She achieved mainstream success in 2007 with the hit single "Love Song", which brought her into the number one spot on the Billboard Pop 100 chart. She has sold over 1 million records in the United States alone and has been...
, Tea Leaf Green
Tea Leaf Green
Tea Leaf Green is a five-piece jam band from San Francisco Bay Area, comprising Josh Clark , Trevor Garrod , Reed Mathis , Scott Rager , and Cochrane McMillan .-History:Tea Leaf Green began in the fall of 1996, when Scott Rager met Ben Chambers on the...
, Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson (musician)
Jack Johnson was born May 18, 1975 is an American folk rock singer-songwriter, surfer and musician known for his work in the soft rock and acoustic genres. In 2001, he achieved commercial success after the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. He has since released four more albums, a...
and Matt Costa
Matt Costa
Matthew Albert Costa is a singer-songwriter from Huntington Beach, California.He has five independent releases: two self-recorded EPs, and three full-length CDs released via Brushfire Records.-Life:...
.
Early years
Steve was born in San JoseSan Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, and has been in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
most of his life. He lived in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
for a couple years where his little brother was born. By age 5, his family had settled in Saratoga
Saratoga, California
Saratoga is a city in Santa Clara County, California, USA. It is located on the west side of the Santa Clara Valley, directly west of San Jose, in the San Francisco Bay area. The population was 29,926 at the 2010 census....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Steve and his two brothers and one sister all studied music growing up. His older sister studied piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and his older brother, the baritone horn. Steve took piano lessons off and on from age 5 and up. He also joined the school string orchestra in 5th grade playing violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, and played alto saxophone
Alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
in the school concert band in 6th and 7th grades.
By the end of 7th grade, Steve had met up with future ALO bandmates Zach Gill and Dan Lebowitz to form their first rock band, One Percent Away. Steve bought a short-scale electric bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and started lessons at the local guitar store, Torres Guitars, as well as taking notes from Gill's dad. The band changed their name to Django in high school and recorded their first album during their senior year, entitled Contact.
College years
Steve and his bandmates left for Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
after graduating high school to pursue degrees in music. After waivering between different studies within the UCSB Music Department, Steve took his last couple years of college to focus on a degree in ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology is defined as "the study of social and cultural aspects of music and dance in local and global contexts."Coined by the musician Jaap Kunst from the Greek words ἔθνος ethnos and μουσική mousike , it is often considered the anthropology or ethnography of music...
, writing his final thesis on the origin and evolution of Mariachi
Mariachi
Mariachi is a genre of music that originated in the State of Jalisco, in Mexico. It is an integration of stringed instruments highly influenced by the cultural impacts of the historical development of Western Mexico. Throughout the history of mariachi, musicians have experimented with brass, wind,...
music from Mexico. Steve was also very active in the Jazz and Middle Eastern Music Ensembles. In the middle of college, Django had picked up drummer Dave Brogan for the Summer, just before folding the project all together. Following Django, Steve and bandmates Gill and Lebowitz continued creating new bands, including Magnum Family, I.V. Dogs, The LAG Acoustic Buffet and eventually, in their last year at UCSB, The Animal Liberation Orchestra & The Free Range Horns.
After graduating from UCSB, Steve went on tour with Gill, Lebowitz and high school friend Rob Binkley, driving around the U.S. playing coffee shops, bars, small clubs and street corners, under the name The BLAG Buffet. On this trip, Steve acquired his grandfather's Vega Artist banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
upon a pitsop visit in Billings, MT. Upon his return to CA, Steve resettled back in his hometown of Saratoga for a few months, just before moving to San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, which would be his home for the next 6 years.
Professional years
In San Francisco, Steve worked restaurant jobs and eventually picked up a full-time job at a design firm where he learned print and web design skills that would later apply to a number of years as a freelance designer. Steve continued playing with ALO while in SF, with the addition of Shree Shyam Das on drums, who became a close friend and musical collaborator. Steve also picked up many gigs within the local scene, playing local clubs as well as private events for the booming dot-com businesses in the Bay Area. Through an outreach from Gill's keyboard repair technician, Steve ended up joining a bluegrass outfit called Philboyd Studge, playing string bass and singing occasional lead vocals. He also filled in occasionally with college friends who had also relocated to SF, The Court & Spark, as well as lending string bass to several of their studio recordings. During a break with ALO, Steve and Lebowitz did some Winter touring with the group Global Funk Council, a spin-off of Karl Denson's Tiny Universe.ALO reunited in the Spring of 2002 with college bandmate Dave Brogan on drums, and has been touring the globe and recording steadily ever since. Through their college friendship with surfer/singer/songwriter Jack Johnson, Steve has also became part of the Brushfire Records
Brushfire Records
Brushfire Records is a Haleiwa, Hawaii based record label owned by singer-songwriter Jack Johnson. The label, formerly known as The Moonshine Conspiracy Records, was originally made to release soundtracks for Woodshed Films, a surfing movie production owned by Jack Johnson, Emmett Malloy, and...
family with ALO signing a record contract with the label in 2005. Steve has not only recorded two full-length records with ALO for Brushfire, but also appeared on several label compilations such as A Brokedown Melody and Thank You... Goodnight. With occasional breaks and the on-going interest to promote side-projects from within the band, Steve has additionally toured with Brett Dennen, who he met at the High Sierra Music Festival
High Sierra Music Festival
High Sierra Music Festival is a multi-day music festival held in Quincy, California, a mountainous area about 80 miles northwest of Reno, Nevada.The festival is held each year the weekend of July 4...
one Summer. And while on tour with Dennen, met support act Sara Bareilles which later resulted in touring with Sara and her band as well. Through the Bay Area jamband scene connection and from a long-time friendship with keyboardist Trevor Garrod who also graduated from Saratoga High, Steve has also done substantial touring with San Francisco rockers, Tea Leaf Green, filling in for their permananent bassist, Reed Mathis.
Present
Currently, Steve resides in OaklandOakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
where he has been since 2006, and has spent a lot of the 2008 Summer recording and playing with San Francisco indie/jam/rock band Big Light. Steve is scheduled for more shows with ALO, Tea Leaf Green and Big Light in the Fall, as well as debuting a new project, Region Of Darkness.
Discography
With Animal Liberation OrchestraAnimal Liberation Orchestra
Animal Liberation Orchestra is an American musical group, currently signed on Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records label. They have released three full length albums...
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1998 | ALO vs. LAG |
| 1999 | One Size Fits All: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack |
| 2002 | Time Expander EP |
| 2006 | Fly Between Falls Fly Between Falls -Personnel:Animal Liberation Orchestra*Steve Adams – bass, acoustic upright bass, lead vocals on track 8, backing vocals on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 and "Possibly Drown", pennywhistle on track 2, wood flute on track 2, production... |
| Surf Stronger Vol. 1 | |
| 2007 | Roses & Clover Roses & Clover -Personnel:Animal Liberation Orchestra*Steve Adams – bass, vocals, production*Dave Brogan – drums, percussion, piano, wurlitzer, synthesizer, vocals, production... |
| Thank You. Goodnight. | |
| 2010 | Man of the World |
With Other Artists
| Year | Artist | Album | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Philboyd Studge | Philboyd Studge | |
| 2001 | Matt Butler | Good Options | |
| 2003 | Jack Johnson Jack Johnson (musician) Jack Johnson was born May 18, 1975 is an American folk rock singer-songwriter, surfer and musician known for his work in the soft rock and acoustic genres. In 2001, he achieved commercial success after the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. He has since released four more albums, a... , Zach Gill Zach Gill Zach Gill is a multi instrumentalist/singer/songwriter/member of the rock band ALO and a member of Jack Johnson's band. He also performs regularly as a solo artist.- History :... & Dan Lebowitz |
Thicker Than Water | Featured on "Sandbar" on the bonus content |
| 2004 | Samantha Stollenwerck Samantha Stollenwerck Samantha Stollenwerck is an American singer-songwriter. She has recorded 2 full length albums, “Square One” and “Carefree” and also released a 4 song EP, “Summerlove”... |
Square One | Featured on all tracks, except "Don't Ya Know" and "The Party Life" |
| The Court & Spark The Court & Spark The Court & Spark was a San Francisco-based indie rock band formed in the spring of 1998 around the nucleus of Scott Hirsch, Alex Stimmel, James Kim, and lead vocalist M.C. Taylor... |
Witch Season | Upright bass on "Steeplechasing" | |
| 2005 | Forest Sun Forest Sun Forest Sun is an American troubadour and songwriter.-Career:In 1999, he started his own label and named it Painted Sun Records. The name was inspired by the small, dingy, smelly, dark room in which he was living in San Francisco. It only had one window that opened into the wall next door in a foggy... |
Walk Through Walls | Upright bass on all tracks |
| Jack Johnson Jack Johnson (musician) Jack Johnson was born May 18, 1975 is an American folk rock singer-songwriter, surfer and musician known for his work in the soft rock and acoustic genres. In 2001, he achieved commercial success after the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. He has since released four more albums, a... |
A Weekend at the Greek | Bass guitar Bass guitar The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... on "Girl, I Wann Lay You Down" and "Walls of Jericho" |
|
| 2006 | Michael Talbott & The Wolfkings | Freeze, Die, Live | Upright bass on "Winter Streets" and "Angel of Light" |
| The Court & Spark The Court & Spark The Court & Spark was a San Francisco-based indie rock band formed in the spring of 1998 around the nucleus of Scott Hirsch, Alex Stimmel, James Kim, and lead vocalist M.C. Taylor... |
Hearts | Upright bass on "We Were All Uptown Rulers" and "The Oyster is a Wealthy Beast" | |
| Jack Johnson Jack Johnson (musician) Jack Johnson was born May 18, 1975 is an American folk rock singer-songwriter, surfer and musician known for his work in the soft rock and acoustic genres. In 2001, he achieved commercial success after the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. He has since released four more albums, a... , Matt Costa Matt Costa Matthew Albert Costa is a singer-songwriter from Huntington Beach, California.He has five independent releases: two self-recorded EPs, and three full-length CDs released via Brushfire Records.-Life:... , Zach Gill Zach Gill Zach Gill is a multi instrumentalist/singer/songwriter/member of the rock band ALO and a member of Jack Johnson's band. He also performs regularly as a solo artist.- History :... & Dan Lebowitz |
A Brokedown Melody | Bass guitar Bass guitar The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... on "Let it be Sung" |
|
| Tim Bluhm Tim Bluhm -Biography:Tim Bluhm was born and raised in California. As the singer/guitarist and primary songwriter of rock band The Mother Hips, Bluhm has spent the last two decades performing, writing, collaborating on, and producing music.... |
Surf Stronger Vol.1 | Featured on "Junipero Dusk" | |
| 2007 | Jack Johnson Jack Johnson (musician) Jack Johnson was born May 18, 1975 is an American folk rock singer-songwriter, surfer and musician known for his work in the soft rock and acoustic genres. In 2001, he achieved commercial success after the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. He has since released four more albums, a... & Animal Liberation Orchestra Animal Liberation Orchestra Animal Liberation Orchestra is an American musical group, currently signed on Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records label. They have released three full length albums... |
Endless Highway: The Music of The Band Endless Highway: The Music of The Band Endless Highway: The Music of the Band, a tribute to The Band, was released on 30 January 2007.-Track listing:All songs written by Robbie Robertson unless noted otherwise.#"This Wheel's on Fire" performed by Guster - 3:24... |
Featured on "I Shall Be Released I Shall Be Released "I Shall Be Released" is a 1967 song written by Bob Dylan.The Band played it on their debut album, Music from Big Pink , with Richard Manuel singing lead vocals, and Rick Danko and Levon Helm harmonizing in the chorus... " |
| 2008 | Forest Sun Forest Sun Forest Sun is an American troubadour and songwriter.-Career:In 1999, he started his own label and named it Painted Sun Records. The name was inspired by the small, dingy, smelly, dark room in which he was living in San Francisco. It only had one window that opened into the wall next door in a foggy... |
So Nice | Bass guitar Bass guitar The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... , upright bass, acoustic bass guitar Acoustic bass guitar The acoustic bass guitar is a bass instrument with a hollow wooden body similar to, though usually somewhat larger than a steel-string acoustic guitar... and electric guitar Electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... |
| Harlequin Goodnight | |||
| Zach Gill Zach Gill Zach Gill is a multi instrumentalist/singer/songwriter/member of the rock band ALO and a member of Jack Johnson's band. He also performs regularly as a solo artist.- History :... |
Zach Gill's Stuff | Featured on "Back in the Day", "Bettina", "Handy Man", "Poseidon's Navel", "Beautiful Reason" and "Fine Wine" | |
| Surf Stronger House Band: Tim Bluhm Tim Bluhm -Biography:Tim Bluhm was born and raised in California. As the singer/guitarist and primary songwriter of rock band The Mother Hips, Bluhm has spent the last two decades performing, writing, collaborating on, and producing music.... , Adam Topol, Dan Lebowitz & Jackie Greene Jackie Greene Jackie Greene is an American singer-songwriter and musician.-Career:Greene was born Chris Nelson in Salinas, California, and developed an interest in music at an early age, starting with the piano. At 14, he began to play guitar and within a short time, was able to sit in with local bar bands. As... |
Surf Stronger Vol. 2 | An original soundtrack by the Surf Stronger House Band | |
| Nicki Bluhm | Toby's Song | Featured on "Love, Home & Me", "Down The Beach" and "Danny's Song" | |
| Tim Bluhm Tim Bluhm -Biography:Tim Bluhm was born and raised in California. As the singer/guitarist and primary songwriter of rock band The Mother Hips, Bluhm has spent the last two decades performing, writing, collaborating on, and producing music.... |
House of Bluhm | Featured on "You Can't Dive In" | |
| Big Light Big Light Big Light is an independent rock and roll band from San Francisco, California. Founded in 2007, the band originally consisted of Fred Torphy , Steve Adams from ALO, Bradly Bifulco , and Colin Hoops . In addition to writing their own material, the band also covers songs by modern American... |
Big Light EP | Featured on "Hard Knocks" and "Separation Anxiety" | |
| Tistrya | Seremplicity | Featured on "The Way I Like To Be", "Nervous Hands", "Inspiration Song" and "Creeping Thoughts" | |
| 2009 | Bill Schafer | First to Believe | Upright bass and bass guitar Bass guitar The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... |
| Jeconte | Sweet Northern California | Featured on "Downtown Brown" and "Run to the Sea" | |
| 2010 | Big Light Big Light Big Light is an independent rock and roll band from San Francisco, California. Founded in 2007, the band originally consisted of Fred Torphy , Steve Adams from ALO, Bradly Bifulco , and Colin Hoops . In addition to writing their own material, the band also covers songs by modern American... |
Animals in Bloom | Bass guitar, back-up vocals, piano, organ |