Adam Sweeney profile picture

Adam Sweeney

New album 'Technicolor Halo' available now!

About Me

"Adam Sweeney is one of the more talented young west coast songwriters."
--Tom May, River City Folk, WFMT Fine Arts Radio

"Adam Sweeney is a promising young folksinger... he combines intricate acoustic guitar hooks with powerful lyric storytelling."
--Passim, September 2005

"Adam Sweeney's sincere songwriting mixes impressionistic imagery, religious iconography and the kind of strikingly personal observations that seem lifted from a letter to a friend. That lyrical blend is delivered through appealing melodies and expressive singing, with a hint of grain to it that sometimes suggests a violin bow drawn tenderly over his vocal cords."
--Willamette Week (Portland, OR)

"A true folksinger... he weaves his words together telling stories of the times."
--The Southeast Examiner (Portland, OR)


BIO:
Adam Sweeney cut his teeth as a songwriter in Portland, Oregon's thriving independent scene. Heavily influenced by local heroes Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer, Adam's homespun acoustic style and gospel-tinged lyrics pay tribute to new old-timers like Gillian Welch and Julie Miller as well as folk revival poets like Paul Simon and Cat Stevens.
Adams debut album, Places & Names (2004), showcases his evocative lyrics and folk pop sensibility. It also features some of Portland's finest: soulful vocals by Anne Weiss and Bryan Free, lively accordion by Jenny Conlee (Decemberists) and the energetic stylings of bluegrass duo Jacob Henry & Bill Jolliff, whose song "Laughlin Boy" was made a folk radio hit by Tracy Grammer.
Adam has performed throughout the Northwest and in New England with acts like Tracy Grammer, Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem, Phillip Price (Winterpills), Jim Henry, and the Amity Front, among many others.
Now based out of Northampton, Massachusetts, Adam is preparing to record his second full-length album with acclaimed producer Dave Chalfant (The Nields, Erin McKeown, Winterpills) to be released in Spring 2007.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 11/3/2004
Band Website: adamsweeney.net
Band Members: On the new record it's: Dave Hower (drums), Anand Nayak (upright bass), Dave Chalfant (bass, electric guitar), Jazer Giles (accordion/rhodes), Jacob Henry Jolliff (mandolin), Erin Eichenberger (vocals), Joel Bock (guitar), Tracy Grammer (fiddle), Jim Henry (dobro), and The Primate Fiasco (dixieland sweetness). Oh yeah, Adam Sweeney sings and plays guitar and banjo, and that's how you'll usually see him... er, me that is... whatever.
Influences: Dave Carter, Steve Earle, Patty Griffin, Paul Simon, Josh Ritter
Sounds Like: music to me...
Type of Label: None

My Blog

New tunes and August shows

Hi Friends, Let's just cut to the chase. I've posted a few tracks from the new record on my MySpace page (www.myspace.com/adamsweeney) that I hope will whet your appetite for the whole thing when it c...
Posted by Adam Sweeney on Wed, 01 Aug 2007 06:54:00 PST

Songs from the new record

Howdy folks,I've posted a few tracks from the new record. If you visited here in the past, you've probably heard the demos for Heading South and Say a Prayer, but here they are their latest-and-greate...
Posted by Adam Sweeney on Thu, 26 Jul 2007 11:16:00 PST

Studio pictures, new YouTube video

So I realized I hadn't yet posted any pictures of the recording process, so I've put up a couple rounds on the news page of my website at www.adamsweeney.net/news.html Also, here's a  video of me...
Posted by Adam Sweeney on Thu, 05 Jul 2007 07:20:00 PST

New record, new record, new record

Friends, folkies, family: lend me your... wait, wrong speech. But I do have some oh-so-exciting news to tell youexciting enough even to warrant one of these: "!" [I know, I know, I'm a dork, but...
Posted by Adam Sweeney on Tue, 26 Jun 2007 06:38:00 PST

February Shows, Recording, & the Ministry of Folk

So in true indie folksinger fashion, I'm running behind behind behind. So, many appologies in getting this update out late, but there's lots goin' on. If I can just keep my head screwed on straight I'...
Posted by Adam Sweeney on Tue, 06 Feb 2007 09:27:00 PST

Holiday shows / banjo video / recording

With record #2 soundly underway (of course the pun is intended), I'm gearing up for my last couple of shows for 2006... one in western MA, the other in Portland, OR. (Sorry Seattle folks, I ...
Posted by Adam Sweeney on Tue, 12 Dec 2006 05:33:00 PST

Iron Horse debut w/ Tracy Grammer, Toad on Halloween

This Sunday I make my debut at the Iron Horse Music Hall, opening for friend/hero/fiddlin' folkie Tracy Grammer. This is a great venue for acoustic music--one of the best in western MA. And I'm such a...
Posted by Adam Sweeney on Fri, 27 Oct 2006 06:41:00 PST

Neil Young, Tracy Grammer, etc

Awhile back Neil Young took a lot of flack for a comment he made criticizing the current generation of songwriters for their failure to write modern protest songs. Apparently the backlash to this was ...
Posted by Adam Sweeney on Wed, 04 Oct 2006 06:59:00 PST

Recording plans

I'm excited to announce that I'll *finally* be returning to the studio this fall to record my second full-length. It's been a long road since the modest release of Places & Names back in '04,...
Posted by Adam Sweeney on Mon, 18 Sep 2006 09:26:00 PST

Tracy Grammer on fiddle!

Man, I couldn't be more excited for the rest of this month! On July 15th, my friend and folk hero Tracy Grammer (www.tracygrammer.com) will be joining me on fiddle for a special evening at the Bo...
Posted by Adam Sweeney on Fri, 07 Jul 2006 08:04:00 PST