Nineveh Road

Nineveh Road has constructed a musical soundscape that boasts wide range of influences from Hootie & The Blowfish and Earth and Wind & Fire to Seal and Dave Matthews Band. Their genius comes not in the taste of music, but in the artful way that their message removes the mask of the common Christian to reveal the human, sinful side in humility without eclipsing the goal of purity. Where some seek to challenge conventional alternative rock music of their time and others openly embrace as well as comfortably gel hip-hop elements into the presentation of their Christian appeal, Nineveh Road boldly carries the spirit of these CCM mavericks and unapologetically goes to another level. Their music challenges convention by creating a sound that no one has heard yet, but all are deeply endeared to its familiarity. Moreover, every genre they touch, they do with strength and authenticity that promises to take Christian Contemporary music to a place whereby others will define their own .sound by what Nineveh Road does and will do, while delivering a powerfully accessible message to the common man. Their presence in the music industry seeks not only to inspire all ages to really listen, but likewise to really change. The range of genres that they cover in their semi-autobiographical, debut album, “The Life and Times Of….”, speaks to a rich musical history that promises to provide an entertaining journey through life’s lessons – one that they are confident the world has been waiting for.The music of Nineveh Road has such a uniquely broad appeal that is only fitting that would be taken to all nations- The Great Commission realized in song. One of their first singles appears on the Promise Communications compilation album, New Wineskins. As the entertainment & management company CEO and President, Robin Adams (the third sibling in the mix) points out: “Nineveh Road is made up of real musicians playing real music, telling poignant stories that intersect the lives of the broadest cross section of people nationally and internationally.” By virtue of its authorship, the spiritual struggles and experiences shine through powerfully to inspire so many people that Christians deal with real life and not just a stained glass existence, locked away in a monastery setting somewhere remote from civilization. The album brings together over 30 years of talent, inspirations and experiences of 3 generations in their family. Throughout the recording, the imagery and the messages, John, Vinnie, their children, their other sister, their cousin (on bass) and a host of other extended family made this record what it is today, through co-writing, poetry, musical and vocal performance and artwork. As Vinnie relates, “The title of the album, The Life and Times Of…couldn’t be more fitting when you examine how deeply it delves into our lives and experiences. We are confident that more than a few will relate and respond. The name Nineveh Road, taken from the biblical story of Jonah, reflects a musical concept that we describe in various ways from the ‘road less traveled’ to the path to wrong and right. Musically, our concept is that we go places that are more difficult, but come out on top by taking the hard road. It’s matter of choice – and everyone has that choice. There is also a consequence for trying (musical) short cuts to get rich quick or avoid struggle. Just ask Jonah.... Originally formed in 1999 by bass player Leif Lewis and producer/ keyboardist John Adams, keyboardist Sheila Johnson and drummer Vinnie Adams, this group has succeeded in defying the music industry status quo with their brand of adult alternative. Nineveh Road is: Vinnie Adams, John Adams and Vince “Papa Bear” Parker. This debut release is a labor of love and pain, tragedy and triumph, personal loss and defiant victory, as demonstrated in songs like “Granted”, “What I Can’t Have”, The Ghetto Rose” and the flagship anthem, “The Nineveh Road.” The results are an upbeat and hopeful set with a message full of hope. Originally set to be released in 2000, the effort was interrupted when John Adams’ son, Immanuel, was diagnosed with brain cancer as a result of a brain tumor and subsequently, required John’s maximum attention. Then in 2003, as Immanuel overcame the disease, John’s wife, Cheryl, was diagnosed with breast cancer that required immediate surgery. Both Cheryl and Immanuel are alive and well today. John says jokingly, “Naturally, you don’t walk away from experiences like these without something to say. I just decided to put a few of them into a record before a house decided to drop on me.”Leif E. Lewis - Writer, composer, producer, musician, has been playing and interpreting music for over thirty years. With a wide range of musical influences available early on, his blend of jazz, funk, rock, and soul, has given him quite a palette of colors to choose from when it comes to making music. The year 2003 also saw the arrival of the most recent member, Vincent Parker who offers many of his experiences through the songs as well. Hailing from Detroit, MI., this 3rd grade Lutheran church choir upstart discovered his talent and love for singing at a very early age, under the influence of a musical family with two singing parents, a house-music-loving sister, and a brother who loved rock n ’roll – one whom he claims was a major catalyst for his musical awakening. Fast forward and that collaboration lead to Vince singing lead on the Sylvester Cabel penned and John Adams produced track, “Flowers for My Baby.” Since its release in 2005, the breakout dance hit video has catapulted forward by winning the Anime Fan Film Festival at Metrocon in June 2006, thus solidifying Vince’s destiny to be a part of something big. And yet, in many ways for Vince, this is only the beginning….As a musical team since childhood, the release of “The Life and Times Of…” is the literal fulfillment of a lifelong dream for brothers John & Vincent Adams. ‘Vinnie’ reflects proudly on the ‘road less traveled’ which brought them back together, after a few years of individual performing pursuits – one of which led him to Broadway as a member of the legendary cast of STOMP: “Those were times of testing for me which brought about a series of - shall we say, ‘well conceived accidents.’ When John moved toward more production, I hadn’t yet gotten the performance bug out yet. My 1st professional audition in life, apart from the family collab, put me on Broadway. That put me on TV. TV put me on tour with another similar company. And that put me on records. It’s great to have a friend in high places’’, he muses, alluding to the devout Christian faith both brothers share. They are comfortably poised for the wave that will hit the world when their stories are told because they are living testaments of survival. They can’t wait to tell the world. With 2004 seeing a new configuration in the present NR line up, a new A&R effort was launched which gave birth to songs on this debut release.In the past year, the group has broken out on a fierce marketing campaign to bring as much attention as possible to a new audience. Those endeavors garnered them honors in the Emergenza Music Festival, placing 5th nationally among thousands in this – the largest international promotional concert/contest/ tour for unsigned bands in the world. In the vocal category, Vince Parker snagged the top spot for Best Vocalist nationally. In the instrumental category, Vinnie grabbed 3rd place nationally for Best Drummers. Throughout 2006, they could be found making numerous promotional appearances with the help of NYC radio station 98.7 Kiss FM and well into 2007, they were stopping in at some of NY’s premier local venues, like Webster Hall, Crash Mansion and the Bitter End – to name a few. But it is in 2008, that they will embrace their true identity in Christian Contemporary Music – a journey that has taken them through many hills and valleys in search of a market in Acoustic Rock / Alternative. Says Vinnie of their chosen road ahead: “We feel that we are finally at home in the CCM market as it allows us to be who we are in real life. We are not a gospel band. But we can play almost any music genre you put in front of us and make the spiritual message stick. The freedom in that concept is exciting; we think the world is gonna love it.” RKVentertainment, Inc./ RKVMusicGroup, LLC, 2008©