Hanna Tsepesh: Hello Adam Powers! Thanks so much for accepting this interview and Welcome to THE GATES OF METAL! First of all: how are you and how are the things doing with your concerts?Adam Powers: Things are going great! We have been playing shows over
the summer but have been concentrating on promoting our new video for
the song Hollow Earth. We just won the grand prize for best overall
video for the month of August on Our Stage. We are very proud of the
video and excited that people seem to be loving it.
Hanna Tsepesh: For those who do not know Twisted Roots could tell us a little how it all started?
Adam Powers: It started 20 years ago last June in Portland Maine. We
signed our first record deal in 1992 and our first album "Turn To
Stone" came out in 1993 on Cherry Disc Records. We would go on to
release another full length album, "Communication", and the ,"Red"
,E.P. on Cherry Disc before moving on to 1997s "Body In The Trunk
Brick On The Gas" on Down With The Man Records. We took a break for a
few years and then regrouped to put out "The Seed" Ep on our own
record label in2005. We were introduced to Joe from Rat Pak in 2006
and put out our first album 12 Skies Fire And The Black on the label in 2007. Our 2009 album Volume 1 is a retrospective of our 20 year career filled with currently non published music, alternate mixes, never before released songs, and 2 brand new songs.
Hanna Tsepesh: What are your favorite bands? You have any musician that you admire the most?
Adam Powers: I listen to many kinds of music and admire them for 1
reason, songwriting. Whenever I hear a song I try to figure out what
kind of thinking went into writing it. I have pulled many ideas from
music that is nothing like Twisted Roots. My guitar idol is Jimmie
Page because of his awesomeness and indelible stain on Hard
Rock/Metal. For new bands who I feel are great songwriters and doing
something important I like Metric, Neko Case, Queens Of The Stone Age,
Muse, Blue October, and Mastadon. That's just a sample of the
diversity of things I listen to.
Hanna Tsepesh: When you start to play guitar? It was difficult to learn?
Adam Powers: I started playing guitar when I was 15. I learned on an
old nylon string acoustic. It was hard at first but I was so excited
to be able to write my own songs that it helped me play through the
initial learning pains.
Hanna Tsepesh: What inspired the most to create the lyrics? The band writes the lyrics first or first the band creates the riffs to comply with the lyrics?
Adam Powers: It depends on the song but we usually write the music first and then figure out the vocals later.
Hanna Tsepesh: Let’s talk about the “Volume I” album. For people who don’t listen yet can you tell to us about this album?
Adam Powers: Well, I stated to describe this album in the second
question but will elaborate here. Joe, the president of Rat Pak, came
up with the idea of releasing older material that was no longer in
print and the band decided to go in and record 2 new tracks to help
flush out the collection. It is also peppered with a live track, an
alternate mix, and 2 never before released tracks.
Hanna Tsepesh: Everything went well at recording studio? The band feels pride with the final result or in your opinion is something that you like to change?
Adam Powers: Everything went great in the studio. We went in to the
studio and recorded both new songs top to bottom in 6 hours. That
includes getting sounds. When it comes to recording we enter into it
fully prepared.
Hanna Tsepesh: How has the response been to the album by the fans and media?
Adam Powers: It has been amazing! People love the mix of songs and
love the video for Hollow Earth.
Hanna Tsepesh: If one of our readers wants to buy your album, what they can do?Adam Powers: Go to our MySpace site: myspace.com/twistedrootsonline
and buy a hard copy from us or order it digitally from all major
digital stores.
Hanna Tsepesh: what is your favorite music in this album and why?
Adam Powers: The song Hollow Earth because of its intensity and the
fact that making the video introduced us to the amazing people at
Zenfilm in Houston Texas.
Hanna Tsepesh: What is your big advice for a young musician?
Adam Powers: Believe in what you are doing, listen to other people’s
advice but always be true to what you are trying to accomplish. This
will not always be the most popular way to do things but in the end
you will always have integrity and know that you did the right thing.
Musical trends come and go but great music lasts forever.
Hanna Tsepesh: Do you want to send any message for the people who going to read this interview?
Adam Powers: Support original music and people who are breaking the
mold and doing their own thing. Take chances and listen to Loud
Fucking Music!
By: Hanna Tsepesh
To listen to some TWISTED ROOTS music’s and for future information’s go at:
www.myspace.com/twistedrootsonline
