A big heaping helping of proud Texas country and Alabama bred country blues hit the Jupiter last night for Josh Abbott Band and Adam Hood.

Hood took to the stage at around 9:45 and unleashed his brand of soulful, country tinged blues on the growing crowd. A native of Opelika and resident of Northport, Adam pounded his way through songs from his latest release The Shape of Things and even turned the spotlight on a jangly southern blues number called ‘Grandpa’s Farm’ which has made its way onto releases from both David Nail and Frankie Ballard.

Around 10:45, the Josh Abbott Band took to the stage to continue the party started earlier by Hood. The Lubbock, Texas residents rolled through various tracks from each of their three releases. They kicked the show off with ‘Road Trippin’’ then on into songs like ‘FFA/Flatland Farmer’, ‘My Texas’, and ‘If You’re Leaving (I’m Coming Too)’. But I think the highlight of the night came when Adam Hood was invited back on stage to join JAB for a rowdy run through ‘I’ll Sing About Mine’. A song penned by Hood and featured on both artists current discs.

Josh Abbott Band finished off with ‘Touch’ and the Jupiter crowd immediately started a chant of, “Encore, encore, encore!” It started our mildly enough but grew into a full room yell by the time Josh and his band mates came back on stage for three more songs.

I was more pumped up to see this show than I have been about any show for a while and neither artist disappointed. I think everyone of the 300+ party goers who came through the door Friday night left with a smile on their face and the words to “She’s Like Texas” running through their heads.

Josh Abbout Band and Adam Hood Rocked The Jupiter On Friday Night.

It’s Friday in T-town and I’m so excited to be getting out tonight and going to The Jupiter to see Josh Abbott Band with special guest Adam Hood!

Texas-based Josh Abbott Band have risen to the top-tier of texas country musicians with blazing speed having formed the band less than 6 years ago. They’ve done this by capturing audiences during their live performances, touring across the country with a very heavy touring schedule. Luckily one of their dates is here tonight!

This week I’ve successfully listened to almost nothing but JAB’s new disc Small Town Family Dream! From start to finish this record could be the best dose of Texas country I’ve ever had. Whether it’s the rockin’ Adam Hood penned ‘I’ll Sing About Mine’, the bluegrass tinged ‘Flatland Farmer’ or the sugary sweet ballad ‘Touch’, this record is one of the most refreshing listens I’ve had in a while.

Please join us tonight at The Jupiter, doors open at 9. Tickets are $12 at the door.

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On Friday night the Josh Abbott Band invade Jupiter Bar on the Strip for a rowdy night of country music with special guest and Alabama native Adam Hood!

Texas-based Josh Abbott Band have risen to the top-tier of texas country musicians with blazing speed having formed the band less than 6 years ago. They’ve done this by capturing audiences during their live performances, touring across the country with a very heavy touring schedule.

Opelika, AL native Adam Hood will open the show and during my investigation of these two artists I discovered a cool way they’re connected. Let me boil it down for you…

The current single from the Josh Abbott Band’s latest release Small Town Family Dream is ”I’ll Sing About Mine” a song co-written by Adam Hood and one that is also featured on his new release The Shape of Things. Here’s two questions for you, who will play the song Friday night? Will a wild “all bands on deck” party ensue when someone does?

Please join us Friday night at The Jupiter, doors open at 9. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 Day of show.

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“I’m fired up about getting new music out to folks. So many talented people contributed to this project and the experience was humbling and inspiring for me. A lot of heart and personality went into this music and the result is really special, and REALLY fun. It’s a little bit of spit and a lot of shine, and I’m proud of that,” said Angie.

Angie Johnson Sing For You EP track listing:
1. Sing For You Angie Johnson/Catt Gravitt/Josh Leo (BMI/SESAC)
2. Grandpa’s Farm Brent Cobb/Adam Hood/Jason Saenz (BMI)
3. Runaway Cary Barlowe/Sara Haze/Catt Gravitt (SESAC/ASCAP)
4. Swagger Angie Johnson/Josh Leo/Phoenix Mendoza (BMI)

Angie’s announcement comes on the heels of her first trip to the Academy of Country Music Awards, where she announced her debut EP on the awards show red carpet. Highlights of her ACM trip included an impromptu acapella performance of “Heartbreaker” during ACM FanJam at The Orleans Arena, a performance of the national anthem at the ACM Party for a Cause, and time with several of her musical influences and fellow upcoming artists during Cabela’s Great Outdoors Archery Event as part of The ACM.

Born and raised in Missouri, Angie Johnson had always been drawn to music. A former intelligence analyst and Air Force Band Vocalist, Angie’s military musical career began with a group of active duty volunteer entertainers called Tops in Blue, where she traveled to bases around the globe, putting on shows for fellow troops. Following her time as an intelligence analyst, Angie became a full-time vocalist in The Air Force Band before leaving active duty to pursue a musical career in Nashville, Tennessee. While deployed on her seventh tour performing for the troops in the Middle East, an audience member from a small acoustic show posted Angie’s pitch perfect cover of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” on YouTube (http://bit.ly/12JdIes). Over 3 million YouTube views later, Angie’s performance garnered critical praise from Good Morning America, The Hollywood Reporter, Mashable, CBS News, and Fox and Friends as well as appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Entertainment Tonight and finally a contestant slot on Team CeeLo on NBC’s hit show “The Voice,” after host Carson Daly viewed her YouTube performance and tracked her down through social media. Angie still continues to serve in the Air National Guard as a band vocalist.

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By Coti Howell | chowell@al.com
on April 11, 2013

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama — There aren’t many southern musicians who choose to stay in the state they grew up in lieu of moving to Nashville to record their music, but Adam Hood is an Alabama native that doesn’t plan on leaving the place he calls home.

Born in Opelika, Hood married a University of Alabama graduate, and they moved their family to Northport last August. Hood credits the move to the good school systems in the area, he has a 14-year-old daughter, but he also says this area really inspires his music.

Hood will perform before The Josh Abbott Band Friday night at the Jupiter Bar on the Strip in Tuscaloosa. Doors open at 9 p.m., and tickets cost $10-$12. For more information on this show, check out the Jupiter Bar website.

We talked to Hood about all things Tuscaloosa, his music and songwriting and what you can expect from his live show.

Coti Howell: Let’s talk about your album “The Shape of Things,” which is currently available. Tell me about recording that album.

Adam Hood: We put the record out last October, and this was a little bit of a different process because I did it with Carnival Music, my publisher, the people I write my songs for. Instead of taking the time to sit down and come up with 10, 15, 20 songs to write for a record, this was just kind of a pile of demos. Usually about every three months we’ll go in and record the best of the songs that I’ve written in that three-month time period. It came time to make a record and the one that I had made before I had made out in Los Angeles, and I wasn’t going to be able to get out there. To travel just wasn’t realistic, and I couldn’t afford it. So we said, why don’t we take these demos, polish them up a little and make a record out of that. So again instead of having 10, 12 songs I had probably 40 songs to choose from. It was really nice. It was tough, but it was already done so that was the process with that.

CH: Do you have a favorite song on the album?
AH: That’s tough. Actually, I’m pretty proud of this record. I think just because I had a lot of time, and I had a lot of songs to choose from, a lot of these songs mean a lot to me. “The Shape of Things” is probably one of the most personal songs on there, so that’s a favorite. “The Tennessee Wheel,” I think that turned out really well. That’s a favorite. “Moving Mountains” is another favorite of mine.

CH: You’re a double threat. You’re not just a talented singer, but also a songwriter. What can you tell us about your songwriting process?

AH: It kind of varies. For me, it’s a work in progress. I’m still trying to figure out how to do it well and do it consistently. It’s just all about finding ideas. That’s really the hard part, to tell you the truth. They can be musical ideas, and for a long time, I was a lot more productive when I sat down and came up with musical ideas and just tried to figure out lyrical content aside from that. I’m sort of in a different space now, I’m coming up with lyrical ideas now, and it just depends. Sometimes I’ll come up with the second line of the third verse first, and I’ll write around that instead of writing around the hook. It all depends. It’s just a matter of having an idea. It doesn’t even have to be a specific idea. It can be anything you can see or hear in a day’s time, and say, “Hey that comment or that picture in my head is worthy of a song.” Then you sit down and try to paint the picture of it lyrically.

CH: What are your biggest inspirations as far as songwriting is concerned?

AH: That’s a good question. Honestly, and I know I’m going to sound like a cheater when I say this, but other music. I draw from the things that I hear, to be honest with you. It’ s a tricky kind of thing because usually when you hear someone say, “Well I pull from other music,” you think to yourself well they’re ripping somebody else off. It’s not really the case. There’s a lot of songs that I hear that will kind of create sort of a mood for me. I try to take that mood and make my own music out of it. So other music is pretty inspiring to me and just everyday conversation. I have family and friends, and I travel a lot, there’s all kinds of stuff that goes on in a days time that is well-worthy of writing now.

CH: You said you’re inspired by other musicians. Are there certain musicians that really inspire you the most?

AH: John Hyatt was a big influence of mine and still is one of my biggest influences. I’m a huge Rolling Stones fan. I love the Rolling Stones. That Stones stuff and Eric Clapton stuff around that era is kind of just neat southern music. I always kind of go back to that a lot. I think Jason Isbell does some of the best music I’ve ever heard to be honest with you. I listen to his stuff a lot.

CH: You’ve opened for Taylor Hicks. You’ve toured with Pat Green, Miranda Lambert and you were on the Willie Nelson Throwdown Tour in 2011. Is there a favorite tour you’ve been on?

AH: That Throwdown Tour was one of the best ones. That was the first experience I’ve had being a part of a tour in its entirety. Usually what I’ll do, like in the case of Miranda or Pat, is I’ll kind of find shows that work for me out. I don’t really do the entire tour. I just do the southeastern area of the tour or the Texas area of the tour. That’s just how it’s always worked out as a support act for me. The Throwdown Tour was the first time I’ve ever said from start to finish that we’re all going to do this together, Adam is a part of the posters and all that. I got to see Willie Nelson every night, and not only that, Jamey Johnson was on the tour, Lee Brice, Randy Houser. I was part of the Bluebird Songwriter’s thing. I got to know the people I was in the brunch with. A few of them were friends of mine, and a few were people I didn’t know so we developed a lot of friendships. I learned a lot about kind of what I wanted to do and what kind of scale I wanted to travel. That was a big touring circuit and there were a lot of things I loved about it, but I don’t know if I could do it on that level constantly.

CH: How would you describe your live show?

AH: It’s a pretty stripped-down version of what the album is. We’re really never more than a four-piece band. It’s a pretty kind of grass-rootsy rock and roll show, to be honest with you. I consider my music more southern music than I do country music, so that’s kind of where we’re at with that. We’re pretty spontaneous on stage. I don’t give myself a whole lot of rehearsal time. It’s pretty much about what you’ll hear is what you’ll see when you come see us.

CH: To anyone who’s on the fence about going to the show tomorrow, how might you convince them to come see you and The Josh Abbott Band?

AH: Coming from someone that was born and raised in Alabama and someone who travels a lot and goes all over the place to play my music, I would say this is an area I would really love to see support live music. Not just for myself, I’m coming as a support act for Josh Abbott. This is home for me and I want this place to feel like home, and I’d love to see support not just for myself but for the guys I’m opening for. For the sake of supporting live music in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, come out and see the show even if you’ve never heard these guys before, take a chance on somebody. I know in this instance, you won’t be disappointed.

CH: Now let’s talk Tuscaloosa. What are some of your favorite things to do in the area when you’re not touring, writing or recording?
AH: There’s good food here. I always like to go eat good food. I’m a dad, so there’s plenty of stuff we can do here. My daughter is pretty active in church and stuff that like so we just do stuff and we hang out with our families.

CH: Favorite food here?

AH: Northport Diner.

CH: Last question: Where do you think 2013 will take Adam Hood?

AH: This is the time to get started on a new record. I’ve been talking about it with management and myself and with my wife and the different guys in the band. I’m ready to make a new record, I’ve been writing a lot. We’re two months into the year, and I’ve probably got half a dozen songs now. I’ve really been busy writing. I’m ready to make a new record. I’m on the fence with how we’re going to do with that with how things are with the digital age. I wrote with a guy named Matthew Mayfield recently. He lives in Birmingham. He had said that there was a time where he released an EP a month. So instead of having to wait a year to put out a 12-song album because of the digital age now, you can put out a single every week if you want to. We’re kind of just exploring that. I’d like to do something as far as a live record goes, I think sooner or later I need to do something like that. That’s what my plans are this year just trying to figure out what to do as far as getting my music out there to people.

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Friday, February 22, 2013

Hello out there to my dozens of readers. I have been a little quiet this week. I only like to write when I have been inspired to. I don’t want to force things. Nothing good comes from that…in all areas of life that rule applies. I am looking forward to fun weekend of shows. There are some other shows and people to tell you about coming soon. This Saturday one of the shows I am really excited about is happening at Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos, TX. The wonderful Ms. Courtney Patton is opening up for Adam Hood. If you have never seen Adam play you don’t know what you are missing. What I love about Adam’s songwriting is that he is country but not in the way that is sold to us by someone who hasn’t lived the life. He tells the story of how it really is, there are no references how big the tires on his mud truck are. What you get is an appreciation for the small town stories that are real. The good and the bad. He has this distinctive voice and guitar licks that are unmistakably him. When I asked Adam if he would answer my little want to be Barbara Walters questions I was thrilled he said yes. So here it is people a Q and A with one of my favorites Mr. Adam Hood! Here are some videos as well of Adam to listen to while reading. Enjoy

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Adam Hood joins Waters Bluff Clothing Company to share the common passion of “Small Town, Big Dreams”. Live music and new designs are currently in the works! Check back for more details!!

The Making of Waters Bluff Clothing Co.

High atop the white bluffs at the confluence of the Black Warrior and Tombigbee Rivers sits a region that continues to adhere to the principles of true southern living, a place that has evolved with the times while managing to hang onto ideals of the past and where more often than not it is perfectly acceptable to live for the moment or a Saturday outdoors.

This region of the south, known as the Canebrakes, is the inspiration for Waters Bluff Clothing. Existing to provide high-quality clothing that is appropriate for a day on the lake or a small town wedding and everything in between. Waters Bluff stems from a rich heritage that dates back to the first French settlers of the region, who intended to bring class and sophistication to the outdoors. We intend to do the same.

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By: Alanna Conaway

This week Chuck Dauphin takes a look at a group of 10 tracks that are mostly from new, promising talent like Ashley Monroe, Jaida Dreyer, Rachel Farley and Adam Hood. Billy Ray Cyrus is the lone ‘veteran’ artist on the rundown. The songs from Monroe, Dreyer and Farley are all vying for mainstream radio success at some point but Hood and Cyrus are looking at secondary smaller radio markets with their new potential hit singles.

Rachel Farley – “Ain’t Easy” (RedBow Records)
Gritty and personality filled. The second coming of…Tanya Tucker! She definitely loves up to the hype!

Adam Hood – “Hard Times In The Life Of Plenty” (Carnival Recordings)
A churning number about missing a loved one. Adam Hood continues to impress with each release. One of the most impressive male newcomers in Nashville (and Texas).

Billy Ray Cyrus – “Hillbilly Heart”
Definitely has a backwoods – outdoors feel. Song benefits from some incredible guitar work, and Cyrus sounds like he is having as much fun as he has in years!

Eric Lee Beddingfield – “That Ol’ Outlaw Song” (Rebel Dawg Records) – Beddingfield gives a spirited and reverential treatment to a style that he is not only knowledgeable about, but one that influenced him during his club days in Georgia and Nashville. With performances like this, there is no reason he should not be a star.

Ash Bowers – Red (Wide Open Records)
To be honest, I loved the instrumentation as much as the rest of the record. Vocally, a lot of Aldean influence, but haven’t we heard the lyrics before?

Half Broke Horses (Streamound Records)
Jaida Dreyer continues to show why Byron Gallimore has confidence in her. Great vocals combined with a deep lyric.

Clinton Gregory – Too Much Ain’t Enough (Melody Round-Up)
A flawless performance from an artist who has been through the emotional wringer a time or two, and has lived to tell the tale.

Ashley Monroe – Like A Rose (Warner Nashville)
A song that is nothing short of real life. Monroe deserves to be a star, and with more songs like these, she will be.

Bart Crow – Dandelion (Smith)
Vocally and instrumentally, the band is very tight. A definite winner.

Anthony Orio – Girls Will Be Girls (AO)
I didn’t want to like it. I really didn’t. It’s been done before, and though the song is nothing earth shaking, Orio’s vocal does leave you wanting to hear more…

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