Adam Schmitt is simply rock 'n roll. He writes great songs, they rock without pretense, his lyrics are poignant and never ridden with cliches, he can record the songs as well as any producer in the world and his body of work is something that producers twice his age would be proud to call their own. Releasing two (2) albums on Reprise/Warner Brothers in the '90s, Schmitt has been labeled a wunderkind, a teen idol, a flag waver for "power pop" and all sorts of things that, to this writer, shifted the focus away from his music, music which sells itself.

For those unfamiliar with Adam's work, his music combines a keen sense of melody supported by compact chord structure and a willingness to radically change the key, tempo, theme and mood of a three (3) minute song. This ear trickery creates sonic candy, allowing one's ears to be awakened constantly, all the while being reinvigorated as his songs push and pull you. Only the best in any genre can do this well. Adam Schmitt is simply one of the best at what he does. Buy his records and you will know what I mean.

Adam has released a new recording, Demolition, a collection of "demos" that are classic Schmitt songs, each standing on its own in a compositional sense. Although the songs are individual with their own themes and feel, they contribute nicely to a cohesive whole. As is becoming a tradition for those artists we interview here at Fufkin.com, this is a release which will rank high among the best of 2001. We at Fufkin.com want to welcome Mr. Schmitt back after a few years of hiatus from his last recording. It's our pleasure to present our conversation with Adam Schmitt.

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DF: The new album, Demolition, is described as a collection of home demos. These are the best sounding demos I have ever heard! Do you feel most comfortable creatively producing yourself and taking time to create? Did that contribute to the 7 year period between CDs?

AS: No, not really. I would have loved to have a producer and/or an engineer to help me in the process of recording. I'm flattered that you think that they don't sound like demos because that was what the title of the album was meant to imply.

AS: I'm not so sure that anybody does such a thing as a demo anymore. I think that the line between a demo and an actual record is blurred a little bit. Recording at home has been a hindrance to completing a recording quickily, but lends itself to being a little indulgent in terms of how long it takes for me to complete an actual recording. It takes me a week or two to do one recording of one song. These demos have been spread out over a period of four or five years. It is hard to find a straight month or two where I don't have anything else to record other than my own material.

DF: Do you work at writing everyday?

AS: I try to pick up a guitar once or twice a day. I'll jot down some of my ideas. In the vast scope of what I have been doing over the last 4 or 5 years, when you throw in the mix recording and producing others, the last thing I want to do after a 12 hour day is pick up a guitar.

DF: Is it true that you have a few albums recorded since your last released recording?

AS: I think that's true with a lot of people. I downplay that because I have spent so much time recording and not actually releasing records. That was sort of the big lightbulb that finally went off that led to the release of this CD. This CD was actually done maybe 2 1/2 years ago. I didn't feel confident enough to release it at that time.

DF: Well, I've heard the CD. You should feel very confident in the release from the songs to the production and all aspects. I think of Demolition as a logical step beyond Illiterature in that the songs sound just as huge sonically, but the themes seem more personal. There is a maturity on Demolition on a lot of levels.

AS: Part of what I have realized about myself in the last 3 or 4 years is that I am not very good at believing what I do is that good.

DF: You and Brian Wilson!

AS: Maybe a lot of others too. It's sort of like jumping off of a cliff. You want to make sure that everything is going to go right. You hope that you choose the right songs, and that they are in the right order. What it finally comes down to is that you have to take that leap.

DF: I think taking that leap is a little easier when you are leaping with Parasol. You were involved with Parasol and its family of labels early on. I have considered them to be one of the very few labels with a true independent sensibility. They don't release bad records. How did you meet them, and how much do you enjoy that the new CD is coming out on Parasol?

AS: I think it's great. I have a long history with Geoff [Merritt, Parasol head], even before I was on Warner Brothers. Geoff was the manager of my first band in high school. Parasol is exactly where the record needs to be. I'm a little frustrated with myself that it took so long for me to give something to them to put out. There was a time when I was on Warners that I contractually could not release a record on Parasol. Then, there was a period of time when I almost got signed to a different major label, and that, in a funny way, is sort of the beginning of the story of this third album.

AS: I spent a period of 2 or 3 years right after Illiterature's release just working on demos. I never really considered the recordings to be an album because I felt like, in 6 months, I would be recording the album for real. Finally, in 1997, I had done so many records on Parasol for other bands that Geoff asked if I wanted to put out a record with them, even if a major came along later.

DF: What did you learn as an artist from your Warner/Reprise experience? Did it become a burden when they tried to label you this wunderkind producer whiz kid? Do you think that this shifted some of the focus away from your material?

AS: I kind of felt like that. It wasn't Warner Brothers fault in anything specific marketing me that they failed to do so much as they didn't know what to do to market me. They were kind of grasping at straws. I understand this more now than at the time it was actually occurring. There were a lot of discrepancies on the first album. For example, artwork. I thought the art on World So Bright was pointed more in a teen pinup sort of direction. Around that time, I picked up the new Jellyfish CD [Bellybutton]. When I heard that, I felt that this was what I was trying to do. The pinup image and the artwork issue made my image a bit vague and, to top it all off, the wunderkind concept made no sense where I did not play all the instruments on World So Bright. It's one of the big ironies because I played more of the instruments on Demolition than I did on World So Bright.

DF: I am so impressed with you as a writer. Is it a conscious decision to write parts so that they create tension up to the choruses? I'm always waiting for your choruses to kick in, and just when you think you've heard it, the chorus kicks in. I always feel like you have a little button that you push bringing the songs to a certain sonic level. Do you take a lot of care to create that pull and release?

AS: Yes, thanks, I know exactly what you are talking about. I can't quite claim that it is 100% conscious.

DF: That little extra is the Adam Schmitt trademark. "See Me Fall" off of the new CD is a good example. The little extra gives your work power.

AS: There's something to that from influences that I have had. Specific examples would be something like "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" where the verse is so completely different than the chorus, making the song so unique. I was a big fan of early XTC, who I think also took their cues from "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." I'm thinking of Andy Partridge's early writing. "Senses Working Overtime" is a great example of that. Or "This is Pop" or "Respectable Street", verses which are really dissimilar to the choruses. You are not sure where the song is going.

DF: To the extent of even complete key changes and modulation.

AS: Exactly. It's not quite so drastic as "Bohemian Rhapsody", but at least it alleviates any sort of boredom that might occur. A song can completely flip flop. One of my favorite songs is "Go Your Own Way" by Fleetwood Mac. It does the same kind of thing where it has a twisted verse combined with a chorus that just comes in forcefully.

DF: Describe your songwriting process.

AS: Usually what happens is I'll get the idea for a song without lyrics. I may conceptualize a title sometimes. That helps form a song. Conversely, I'll very often just pick up a guitar and try to come up with a musical idea and put that down to a little cassette tape or try to remember the chords or melody and go back later and attach a title that fits with that melody. It is an intangible thing that is hard to explain. You fit pieces together that seem to make sense.

DF: The manner in which you record is a feat. Do you see the use of digital formats hurting the overall sound of some of the recordings you hear. Some say you get no low end unless you are recording to 2" tape. What do you think?

AS: Demolition was recorded all digitally. I put more low end on Demolition. I like the sound of analog immensely. It is a tried and tested format. The cost of analog has skyrocketed. Parts have skyrocketed. Since digital has now gone beyond 16 bit, I am convinced that digital has become a valid way to record.

DF: Isn't it true that it's the person using the equipment, not the equipment that determines quality? Some have told me that the front end (mic pres and mic) will determine the quality of sound in a digital format.

AS: I would totally agree with that and say that it doesn't matter what format you are using or what type of tape machine you are using just so long as you know how to use it. My whole theory would just be that if you know what type of sound you are going after and you arrive at it, it doesn't really matter what format you use or what microphones you use to get it. It's more important that you are happy with what you wind up with. Hopefully, it will be pleasing to the listeners as well.

DF: Favorite producers?

AS: Steve Lillywhite, George Martin, so many...I love what Jon Brion is doing nowadays.

DF: I think Jon understands what you are talking about which is that it doesn't matter the format. You just have to listen with your ears.

AS: I think I have arrived at that partly due to necessity. To not have $200,000 every other month to make a record leads you down a path where you have to find an alternative to a $50,000 analog tape deck that is meticulously well maintained.

DF: Will you be releasing Demolition in Europe?

AS: Yes. Parasol has world wide distribution.

DF: Are there any artists that you have worked with recently that we should look out for?

AS: Robyn Ranglund. It has been #1 on Amazon.com for the Midwest region. It took about 5 months. I'm proud of that recording. We recently did a remix of the Three Hour Tour CD, the first one to come out on Parasol. There's also The Great Crusades CD

DF: Any plans to tour?

AS: I don't know about a full fledged tour. I plan on playing some live shows around Chicago and Minneapolis. Maybe some St. Louis and Ohio shows.

DF: Where can we get the new recording?

Through Parasol's website.

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Editor's Note: If you like what we recommend here at Fufkin.com, Demolition is near the top of the list for 2001. We usually present a review with our interviews, but we think we will let you be the judge of Demolition by listening for yourself. To listen to Windows Media clips of songs off of Demolition and/or to purchase the CD, click the album covers above or click here.

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