***THIS IS THE NEWS May 16th, 2003***

Well here it is folks. "Rockstars & Superheroes", my first record. Final mixes, final mastering... all the knobs have been turned and the artwork is all done. The record is even on its way as we speak. It's taken a long time to complete but I think time was a luxury and we were able to turn a little living room recording into something I'm actually very proud of because of it. I have a lot of people to thank for helping me see the album to its completion and (in a few days) into your hands, and if you don't see your name in the thank-yous of the liner notes it's because I'm going to thank you personally. I think the most important people would be Alex Stevens, Steve Short, Jimmy Ether, Sean Phipps, Bruce Brodeen and my father Pat McIntyre. These people were either hands-on helping actually to mold the album into what it is, or came along at just the right time to give me the support I needed to believe in it and myself. Without you, the album would simply not exist. You'll be able to buy the record initially through two internet sources: Headphone Treats and NotLame Recordings.

Remember how I gave many of you free (or nearly free) advance CD-Rs of the album? Or rough mixes? Why would you want to buy it if you already have it then? First, to have the artwork. Haha. Artwork sets the mood for a record, and we tried really hard to capture what I was feeling on paper. Second, It's a real CD, not a CD-R. CD-Rs (homemade CDs) are a temporary medium, and get damaged more easily than a real CD. Trust me, if you wiped your finger across a CD-R really hard, you'd damage the ink (long story) and lose the music on the CD. So that's another reason. Third, very few of you have the final master and I guarantee it sounds a LOT better. Fourth, the running order: a final surprise was unleashing the "concept album" aspect - it tells a story. This storyline is included in the BONUS CD-ROM material! Other special features in the CD-ROM include extended liner notes, bonus tracks/alternate versions/demos (and the stories behind them) including a taste of one song from the NEXT record. Full lyrics to every song. There are photographs in there too... all stuff to enhance your listening experience and enjoyment of the record, basically. Finally, it's not going to be very expensive to get the album. I've tried in many, many ways to make sure that this CD is going to be something that you are going to enjoy many aspects of. Remember when you were a kid bringing home a new record, tape or CD? The smell of the paper, the colors, the pictures, the lyrics, the special stuff they might have included just for you? I'm bringing that back. It's rock and roll, for heaven's sake. Let's make it fun.
So sit tight, just a couple more weeks. It's going to be exciting for me to hold a real CD in my hand, the product of so much hard work, so much heartbreak, drama, elation and wondering... all for a little CD that I only wanted to share with you.
And if that weren't enough, I'm already demoing songs for the next record which I'm going to work as hard as I can on to make sure it's the best album that I can possibly make... I promise it won't take a year this time :)

Coinciding almost perfectly with the album's release is the next Powerpop Explosion festival, June 13th at the Blue Sky Court. This Explosion's going to be bigger and even better than last time. I'll have the CDs with me for sale. I can't wait to start sharing them with you.

***New news of newsworthy news January 28th, 2003***

Hello and happy new year to everybody. Very happy. I rarely put events from my personal life in the "news" section of this website, as this site relates pretty much exclusively to the musical side of what goes on. But I thought that just this once, knowing a little more about what's been going on in my life-life might be an interesting background to the music.

On December 1st, my wife Ellen moved out. I don't care HOW bad the relationship is, that's always a hard thing to deal with. And it was, for both of us. We've been together since 1995, and the past couple years have been just a bad trip for both of us. Maybe it's that we grew up since we got married two years ago and found out we were different people. It's not entirely her fault, it's not entirely my fault, and I'm not really sure the blame for the marriage falling apart can be placed on either one of us. It just happens sometimes, ya know. Long story short, we were both miserable and she moved to the Louisville, KY area at the beginning of last month to start a new life. I'll just end this segment by saying that change, whether for better or worse, is always stressful. And when a marriage ends, that's especially stressful. Neither one of us though really realized how depressed we'd both been for two years. Things had been particularly bad, and I can't go into it here. But suffice to say that we'd been through things as a couple that no young married people should ever have to go through.

I'd already been sick since the end of October, and around December 19th all the stress and sickness finally caught up with me. I awoke that morning to find myself in the most intense pain of my entire life. On top of that, I was vomiting. A lot. Like a lot of Nashville-based musician cliche`s, I have a day job. I couldn't even make it to the phone to call in sick. They called me. And fired me. I didn't care. I was in such intense pain that I was passing out to escape from it, waking up only to throw up. I couldn't even keep down a sip of water, and I wanted so badly to drink something. I was parched. Every time I sipped water, tasted it, or gulped down a glass in hopes that SOMETHING would stay down, it all came right back up. This desperation combined with the horrific pain in my lower back and abdomen all started catching up with me. I got hysterical, started crying, and called my mother...

13 hours, one shot of Phenergen and a codeine pill later, the vomiting finally stopped and so did the pain. I'd been severely dehydrated and I'd lost 20 lbs (I've lost 10 more since then). Many things happened to me that day, both in my body and in my soul. I woke up the next morning still nauseous, still in pain, but I was amazed at how beautiful the sunrise was. All the people I saw seemed beautiful. Drinking a glass of water was a beautiful, miraculous experience. Even crackers and soup tasted like something I shouldn't be allowed to have because it was so good. Every song that came on the radio was the most amazing thing I'd ever heard - I realized that listening to the music that I love is the same feeling as love itself. I began to realize slowly that we as humans don't deserve anything we have. If you could for one moment look around and see things as I do, you'd be overwhelmed.

And then on December 25th, as I slowly recovered at my Father's house in Ramer, Alabama I was given the present I truly did not deserve: Love. I won't bore you with the details, but that was the day that Heather and I started talking. I never thought I could love again and I didn't even want to. But the moment you give up, the moment you stop looking, the moment things seem their darkest - that is when it happens. You have to lose everything to appreciate anything. And I promise, Heather is nothing less than an angel. Every day I'm astonished by the things she says and does, and how much we love each other. Now that I'm getting over whatever that sickness was (Norwalk Virus?), and everything seems so amazing, it's LOVE that is almost too overwhelming. It's the most wonderful thing that we as souls can know. In fact, I believe that it's the entire point of living. Every moment spent not loving (someone special, yourself, God!) is WASTED time and I would urge everybody to please go out there right now and love. Please. And don't waste it. Don't let it die. People lie on their death beds with a lifetime spent trying to make money, or seeking fame and they think "I didn't know I was wasting my time. I should have been in love instead."

My health is still not good. If it's not one thing it's another. But I never knew how empty my soul was until it had been filled, and that's why every day I'm with Heather is the greatest day of my life. I feel like I've been given my life back, and that this time I'd better not waste it. So if you see Heather at a show, go up to her and say hello. Thank her, and know that you're shaking hands with an angel. I love her so much, I didn't know it was possible. You know what else? Ellen's in love too. And he makes her VERY happy. It's a sad story with a happy ending - and I wouldn't trade all that bad stuff that's happened for anything in the world, because then I wouldn't appreciate what I have. Ha. It's like I had to be beaten down to be built back up again. The world is full of wonder again, love is the most important thing in the world, and music is the only way I can express that wonder.

So how have the shows been? Well, if you ignore the fact that I've been sick (and most people do), they've been great. Better than ever, if I may say so. A few weeks ago I did a solo acoustic show in Atlanta. I did a set of all love songs. Yes, people hugged and cried - it was great. I even did a cover of Big Star's "I'm In Love With A Girl", which brought the house down. I did a show at the Blue Sky Court last week, though I was fighting a horrible nagging cough and hoarseness people said it was the best show they'd ever seen us do. Longtime fan Deitra Totten exclaimed "what a difference! There's JOY in his guitar playing now!" (ha. there is, though. she's right) and superfan Sean Phipps was treated to some new lyrics just for the evening (he's in love too). Even though I'm still sick, I'm trying harder than ever before to put on a great show and have a lot of fun. Every time I walk onstage, I'm treating it like it's my last show, because who knows - it might be. I'm not dying or anything, but you know what I mean. I've lost people. Friends. Best friends, actually. And it's taken a long time to realize that we need to appreciate what we have while we have it. Because we don't deserve it. I don't deserve to be able to walk onstage and feel the love that you people give me, but maybe deserving isn't what it's all about, huh? Accept it and live life to its fullest.

Hey, I'm giving away some free CDs at the show tonight. I don't have a printer anymore, so I couldn't make labels. So you kids out there who got the CDs, you can go here and get the track listing and stuff so you can make your own. Because my handwriting is awful! Thanks a lot everybody, I'll see y'all at the show.

Love to you all,
Adam

***quick update November 14th, '02****

Well we've played the new Blue Sky Court two times in about as many weeks now. Much thanks to Pheromone for having us the first time, and to Legends of Rodeo and Spout for the 2nd time. Mostly thanks to Freddie Upp at the BSC for likin' us. Photos of the most recent show are up on the "photos" page.

How was Halloween? I was sick. Very ill with a massive cold. I watched an Evil Dead marathon and passed out before The Flaming Lips aired on Conan. I also passed out a lot of candy to happy kids in the neighborhood. But me? I was sick.
Alex on the other hand...

Yes, well, that IS Alex, and not a member of the KISS ARMY. He was out on the road when Halloween hit, and he was having a great time, judging by this photo. Then he went all... well... ME. Yes, ladies - Alex was able to convince the barbershop quartet to stop singing four-part harmonies long enough to get them to give him a haircut and a shave. New photos of the gig this weekend are up, featuring a very Jason Priestly-looking bass player named Alex. So if I'm John Cusack, Zach is "Skippy" from Family Ties and Alex is Jason Priestly, then who the hell does Massey look like? Hmm. HMMMM!!!! And no, Massey isn't fired and replaced with the animatronic bear (yet), though you'll find no photos of him at the last gig. He had other obligations and will be back onstage with us at the next show, which is....

Speaking of live photos, let me direct you to Jason Fortuna's site, where he has photos of last August's AUM show up. Now, if Trent Reznor looked so cool when he cut all his hair off, why didn't I?! The world may never know. Just remind me never to cut it all off that short ever again. So here's those photos. And yes, my shirt IS tucked in.

Love to you all,
Adam and Alex and Dave C and Dave Ray and Massey and Zach!