Brook Adams

Merriam-Webster describes Duende as a mystical force. They quote the poet Federico Garcia Lorca that Duende "is a power and not a behavior... a struggle and not a concept." Oof! What does that even mean? 

I think when a piece…

This post began as one thing and ended up somewhere different. Like Gypsy guitarists seeking  Duende, surf guitarists chase "the drip". This cavernous percussive sound is a defining element of surf. It takes a combination of technique and the right…

Pet owners love to post pictures of their little buddies. pet sleeps, pet does funny thing, pet looks cute. Guitar players do the same thing. And, like pets, guitar pictures reflect their owners, some look sharp, some look beat up…

One of my favorite albums is by the Finnish group Värttinä. I don't know a word of Finnish, but those women harmonize so well, they could be singing the Amazon Prime service agreement and I would like it. So as…

Because of the covid virus, many musicians are putting up video, and many are trying new and amusing things. Some are borderline genius, but you don't have to be a genius to put up something fun. 

On the album Roxy…

I've always been aware of surf music, but then three years ago I became a fan. As I learned to play the style, I found great satisfaction and new growth as a guitar player. How did this happen? I can…

My kids used to ask, "Dad, what's your favorite animal?". I would reply, "My favorite animal is... the monster". This happy memory got me wondering, why do I like monsters? Maybe because a monster is a mystery. 

Before we go…

When you tell people you like surf music, get ready to explain that you don't mean the Beach Boys. I like the Beach Boys just fine but we're talking about fast pickin', whammy swervin', reverb drippin' excitement! Dramatic guitar instrumentals…

We can all name our favorite albums, but some are more favorite than others. Even among your top ten, I bet you could name albums that you played over and over during some period of your life. Maybe it speaks…

Hey there people! It's January and I made a new album. It's called Surf Monster and it has 12 original songs. I call the musical style "Surficana", as in Surf-Americana. There's surf-rock, pop vocals in a semi-60s style, and some…

I saw a band called White Witch in a bar in New Orleans in the 70s (yes, I was under age). They had a smoke machine, a light-show, props, and costume changes. The show was totally choreographed and it was…

Your phone rings, it's a local area code, so you answer it. Oh bummer, it's some jerk trying to rip you off, sometimes it's not even a human. Yeah, you could get mad and hang up, but why not have…

I love this. I hate that. Really? Is it necessary to exaggerate? If everything is huge or outrageous or unprecedented, then how will we express things that are truly out of the ordinary? Florid language is the enemy of clear…

One time after a gig we sat in the bass player's van and smoked some weed. I was a big stoner in my younger days, but over time I kinda lost interest, so I was unprepared for how strong it…

Outsider art and primitive art share a common trait, they are made with limited resources. These limits may be raw materials, knowledge, or adverse conditions. In spite of these obstacles, these works of art have a spontaneous energy and immediate…

The story of a gig gone oh-so-very-wrong.

Back in nineteen-eighty-one… or two, I lived in a tourist town in Colorado. I was trying to get some kind of band together. At the time the band was me, my girlfriend and…