“Parry Adams may not always tell you what you want to hear,
but we know you’re going to want to hear this.” – Parry Adam’s bio
No smoke and mirrors here – Parry Adams is a singer/songwriter who prides herself in writing the truth and uses her voice as the force to get the truth out. Involved with music throughout most of her life, the Pennsylvania native’s debut EP Puzzle Piece came out in 2011 and now she’s back with her album Whiskey Aftermath, which was just released yesterday (4/25).
We caught up with Parry to talk about mugs and whiskey, the new album and more.
CN: For our readers who may not be familiar with you, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
PA: I grew up just outside of Pittsburgh, PA and fell in love with music (singing in particular) basically the moment I came out of the womb. I went to Point Park University for Musical Theatre and found myself moving around quite a bit before I landed in NYC to take a stab at the Great White Way. When I reached the point of not being able to eat AND pay rent, I took a 9-to-5 which lead me roundabout to songwriting via singing with fellow songwriters in the area and learning how to play the guitar myself. I started playing out in NYC & fell so in love with being a singer-songwriter that I am absolutely unable to stop.
CN: With everything that’s going on in the world in regards to COVID-19, we hope everyone in your circle is safe and healthy. How are you holding up?
PA: Thank you. I am both safe & healthy as well as my family. I hope all of you over there are, too. I am lucky enough to have a day job currently that allows me to work from home. I have also been able to do some vocal coaching via video conference and am busy getting everything together for the album launch. I don’t have to take time out to commute anywhere so I may actually be more productive now. Ha!
CN: Being a die-hard Pittsburgh Steelers fan, are you prepared for a possible shortened/canceled NFL season?
PA: I haven’t even thought about it. I’ve been so focused on finishing the album and all the details that go along with that. Now, I have to mentally prepare myself for a possibility of little to no football?! That’s sad but it might make next year’s season even better.
CN: How has the current situation affected your craft? Perhaps productively such as inspiration (providing some or a lack of)?
PA: The second week of the PA quarantine I started doing a weekly live stream on Facebook so I could help relieve boredom and spread a little sunshine. I haven’t written anything new but I’ve re-learned so many of my old favorites which is always inspiring. I have a lot of ideas that I’ll start to play with in the coming months.
CN: At what moment did you realize that you were destined to follow a path of music?
PA: I wrote a song (piano only) for the Cultural Arts Fair when I was in 1st grade and I won 1st place. There was no turning back from there.
CN: What was the first album you ever owned?
PA: That is tough. I think it might have been Xanadu, my favorite 80s-movie-musical.
CN: Which musicians, country or not, have influenced you both personally and as an artist?
PA: There are so many but, to name a few, Waylon Jennings, Kenny Rogers, Whitney Houston, Sara Bareilles, Dixie Chicks and so many more.
CN: We heard that you have a collection of Starbucks mugs, which is right up my alley as I am quite the coffee drinker. Are they the state mugs? Do you have all 50? When did you start collecting them?
PA: YES! I started collecting them many years ago when I worked for Starbucks (which is why my brand loyalty is so strong). I have about 35 mugs at this point. There are so many series that they have now that I don’t have a complete set of any of them but I persist. I have states, cities, & countries. I try to find a Starbucks wherever I go.
CN: In addition to a love of music and mugs, you are also a bit of a whiskey connoisseur. How did your love for it come about?
PA: Funny enough, I started drinking whiskey because I decided one day while I was living in NYC that I was a terrible Scotch-Irish person for not drinking it. I started my education of whiskey with rocks but rather quickly learned that I drank those entirely too fast and I progressed to whiskey neat. Whiskey is a fascinating subject. There are so many different kinds and so many different facets to each kind. I am constantly learning new things. I have very decided opinions regarding peat & smoke but I love a good whiskey tasting.
CN: Do you have a favorite type? Brand?
PA: My favorite is Irish whiskey and Jameson in particular.
CN: That leads us to your latest single Whiskey Aftermath, which is the title track of your EP that hit the shelves yesterday (4/25). Tell us about the single – whose story line describes a more mature way of looking at a break up.
PA: It is ultimately a break up song because I wrote it about one of my break ups. We loved each other but it became clear that we wanted very different things out of life which meant that we needed to part ways and follow our own paths. We parted amicably wishing nothing but the best for each other.
CN: What can fans and readers expect from the album?
PA: Whiskey Aftermath is an album based on the many forms that love takes and, I believe, has a song for however you are feeling in the spectrum of love.
CN: You are quoted as saying that you “investigate the truth rather than dress it up or hide behind it” and how important this is for you and your craft. Can you take us through your songwriting process?
PA: I find that talking about the truth is interesting since each of our truths has a tendency to morph over time and what my truth was a decade ago is not what my truth is today. There’s also the side of truth that has the little voice in my head saying,”Should you write about that?…Your mother would not like that…Maybe that’s too truthful…etc” and I have been finding more and more that I need to write the truth no matter what my fears are for what others might think. If I’m inspired to write about something, I should not look that gift-horse in the mouth.
CN: As a songwriter, which do you lean on more when writing – the piano or the guitar/ukulele?
PA: I tend to write with whatever instrument I hear in my head as I’m writing the lyrics & melody. I tend to write those pieces first and they always guide me to the instrument they want accompanying them. Though, I have found that, once they are written, I like to transfer some of my songs between instruments to reinvent them as time goes by and give my fans a fresh perspective on them.
CN: If you could collaborate with any one artist, who would it be?
PA: That is tough because there are so many that I would LOVE to collaborate with but I think that Sara Bareilles and I would have a great time collaborating. Those harmonies would be killer!
CN: What was the first concert you ever attended?
PA: My first major concert was Brooks & Dunn. It was awesome. I had so much fun!
CN: If you could describe yourself in one word, what would it be and why?
PA: Multifaceted because there are so many layers to my life and my songwriting. Just when you think you know everything there is to know…another facet appears.
CN: What’s next on the horizon for you?
PA: I had originally been planning to do an album release tour throughout May and June but now I will be looking to that being a possibility in the Fall…fingers-crossed. In the meantime, I plan to do more live streams to stay connected with my peeps.
Stream Whiskey Aftermath on Spotify here.
For more information on Parry Adams, visit her website at www.parryadams.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.