I released a single last week and I want to thank the talented people who helped make this happen👏
Credits for “Better Hold On” by Josh Adams and The Blue Fury.
Drums: @matthewjdanko
Bass: @robchaselettering
Keys and Baritone Guitar: @kylelent
Pedal Steel: @briandouglasphillips
Vocals, Electric and Acoustic Guitar:@joshadamsbluefury
Produced and Mixed by @kylelent
Mastering by @ambientdigital
Recorded at @theaudiovillage
Thanks to @coyote_classics for their help in finding the car!
Fueled by @daveshotchicken , @ale8one and @carljungquotes
Tomorrow is Derby Day @KentuckyDerby so be sure to go out and celebrate🏇🏼🥃🌹
I’m to going to take a few weeks to write some more songs, finish some others and hopefully start playing some shows.
And so it begins…
#harlan
#bluefury
#derbyday
#secretariat
#mintjulep
Carl Jung once said “Where your fear is, there is your task.”
I can think of a million reasons to not release music now. But I can’t shake the feeling that I’m supposed to do this. So here goes…
This song is about a night that my dad and two uncles were being chased down by some no good folks in Harlan, Kentucky. Just when it seemed like they were about to get robbed or gunned down, my dad did what any good Kentuckian would do in that situation: he dropped the hammer on his 1967 Plymouth Fury (like the one pictured) and took off. He made it across the border into Virginia and lived to tell the tale.
In that spirit, I plugged my Telecaster into a Princeton and went for it.
Jung also said that when you are pursuing your path, people will show up to help you out. This record was made with some friends of mine who have good souls and are good at what they do. Special thanks to @kylelent for seeing this thing through.
There is a lot of talk out there about the role of AI in the making of art. Everybody has to sort this out for themselves but I want to be clear where I stand: I don’t want AI anywhere near my music. It had no part in the creation of this song. I refuse to offload my creativity to an algorithm.
I know for sure Hank didn’t do it this way.
Neither did Dolly, Cash, Petty or The Possum.
I had to find the car that my dad drove because I wanted to get behind the wheel and hear the horses thunder down the road.
This song is also about the open road and the promise that it makes. How it calls out to us and dares us to go off into the unknown. There is magic in taking off in a fast car.
I run into people all the time who are scared. They are scared of going after things that have been placed in their heart. I just want to see people dream again, to dance again and get to the place where they aren’t afraid anymore. Where your fear is, there is your task.
I hope that whatever it is you’re supposed to be doing that you get to it.
As for me? I’m starting a band.
Dedicated to my dad, Paul Adams, my uncle John Hopkins, and my uncle Robert Hopkins.
Long may you run
“We lit up out of Harlan like we was shot out of a cannon”
That sounds about right.
Playing a show next week at @waterloorecords 🤘
Friday, April 24 @ 5pm
It’s a short, early set — and it’s free. Come hang for a bit, dig through some records, and catch some live tunes.
It’s going down this Friday! Me and the boys have been cooking up some fun versions of my songs.
Come join us as we open up for @treyharlanmusic . He’s celebrating his new album release, and we’re excited to be a part of it!
It’s going to be a fun night of live music and good friends. Hope to see you there! 🙏🏼
Link in bio for tickets.
Hello world. It’s been awhile! In early 2024, I was forced to move out of the studio space that I had been in. I moved into my house for many projects (see how overcrowded it was in pic #1), and we are currently in the process of expanding into my full upstairs space (pic #2). I’m ready to take on additional production and mixing projects — DM me for special rates!
