8/17 – Adam Ekl @The Knickerbocker WHEN?
August 17, 2018 6p-9p
WHERE?
The Knickerbocker ()
417 Bridge St NW
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49504
DETAILS
Week 11 of our Singer-Songwriter Summer Series in the Beer Garden!!! Each week we will feature a different artist/artists focusing on Singer-Songwriters from all around Michigan and beyond. Our artist this week will be Adam Ekl. Adam Ekl was a bit surprised when he was invited to play his first live show at the beginning of 2018; but this ambitious, young artist and his blues folk sound has been building a buzz in the Grand Rapids music scene since he started playing local venues this year. The journey began in college when Adam met several aspiring musicians during his first year in the dorms. Fueled by a passion for music, Adam began teaching himself how to play the guitar by watching others, in addition to endless hours alone in a room practicing. It became clear right away that he had a knack for songwriting and his ability to tell a story through lyrics allowed him to start creating original songs. At first, Adam was heavily influenced by Jack Johnson and Donovan Frankenreiter due to their laidback, melodic styles. As time went on, he explored many rounds of rediscovery through shifting interest in many different genres and artists, such as Muddy Waters, Three Legged Fox, Quinn XCII and Grand Rapids local group, Jesse Ray and The Carolina Catfish. The ever-growing repertoire of influences gave Adam the unique edge that defines the musician’s sound. Adam uses blues based progressions with funk and rock & roll inspired fillers to compliment the folk origin of his songwriting ability. He currently performs solo but has been playing around with loop pedals and drum tracks to aid in his stage presence. He is also working on adding some additional musicians to the mix with plans to bring in a full-time drummer and lead guitarist. Excited as he was with the progressive singer/songwriter sound he was putting out, Adam never anticipated the enthusiasm with which fellow musicians and the local community welcomed him to the Grand Rapids music scene. Within a few months of playing open mic events around the city, he was booking official shows at many of the local hot spots. Although he couldn’t be happier with his progress at the venues he frequents in Grand Rapids, Adam has set his sights on reaching the rest of the city and the state of Michigan as a whole. Following his 2018 summer concert series, the singer/songwriter is planning to start work on recording his debut album. ‘As much as I love just getting out there and playing, the next logical step is to get a few records out there,’ Adam says, ‘and with a few live shows under my belt, I’m ready to take the next steps toward expanding my fan base.’ ’What it comes down to for me,’ remarks Adam, ‘Is that I really dig what I’m doing, and I hope I’ve
brought a lot of people something they can relate to and appreciate.’
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