Photo by Jeff Cooke
While Halifax’s Adam Baldwin may have first came to the attention of audiences as a member of Matt Mays’ band, the dynamic singer-songwriter has been working hard at carving out an impressive career on his own.
The leaps and bounds made by Baldwin in between the release of his self-titled EP in 2013 and last year’s fabulous full-length debut No Telling When (Precisely Nineteen Eighty-Five) were truly impressive. With the latter release, the songwriter spread his wings, crafting arena-ready rock songs that positively soar, while earnestly embracing the influence of legendary artists like Bruce Springsteen.
In his first return to Moncton since performing in support of Sam Roberts this past November, Adam Baldwin performs at Moncton’s Tide & Boar Gastropub on Saturday night.
The band had the chance to support your pals in July Talk on a Western Canadian tour late last year. How were the dates?
The shows were great. It was the first tour in a while with my band where we were out for a few weeks and really got ourselves “road tight”. Great rooms, great crowds in a part of the country we’d never played before. That coupled with watching July Talk play their hearts out every night made for an amazing trip. It’s always nice traveling with buds, and those folks have some of the biggest hearts in the business.
Your show in Moncton this weekend is an acoustic performance. You’re leaving the band behind this time around. I’m sure you enjoy playing big rock shows, but is it also nice to dial things back every once in a while as well?
I enjoy the acoustic shows because I always feel like the words I’ve slaved over are heard. I don’t mean audibly necessarily, I mean consciously. I love playing band shows, though I they tap into a different part of an audience’s brain. And certainly where this is an “Adam Baldwin” show, I know I’m not bound by any constraints, time or otherwise. I can get to know the gang I’m playing in front of a little better, and hopefully they can get to know me.
Heading into the East Coast Music Awards at the end of the month, you’ve secured nominations and are slated to perform during the big gala show. What’s your take on the state of Atlantic Canadian music these days?
Atlantic Canada always seems to pump out the jams. Whether or not the rest of the country or world is paying attention doesn’t seem to matter. The scene out here is important, and I think ought to be protected, funded, and promoted so we can keep our artists around here, and indeed import artists from elsewhere. Governments like to take a lot of credit for snapping up ugly, expensive buildings and calling it progress, but I tend to think art has been the backbone to progress everywhere, always.
What: Adam Baldwin
When: Saturday April 15, 10 p.m.
Where: Tide & Boar Gastropub, 700 Main St., Moncton
Tickets are $8, available online at www.tideandboar.com/music