Adam Gaffney and the Balladeers “Nomad”
Americana Highways is hosting this premiere of Adam Gaffney and the Balladeers’ song “Nomad” from his forthcoming album Product of Another Sad Song, which is due out May 8. The album was produced and engineered by Jorge Valcarcel of Boxcar Laboratories, and mastered by Alex Saltz at APS Mastering.
“Nomad” is Adam Gaffney on vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar and harmonica; Austin Jones on electric guitar and backup vocals; Ryan Gillespie on bass and backup vocals; Laura Noelani on drums; Karen Choi on backup vocals; and Evan Farris on piano and organ.
As Adam tells about the song: “Sometimes I forget about the time I wrote “Nomad.” It was so long ago now that it gets watered down in my mind, but it was a time of transition and poor choices. I’d just gotten out of the Navy and hit the ground running trying to gig. I think people just thought I was crazy and I really wanted to prove myself to other musicians and people out there. This song was the first one that people really noticed.
“People request “Nomad” when we play live. Give the people what they want. Ha! I think it’s relatable for a lot of people. It’s okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them. I think it’s kind of an anthem for being yourself. It’s okay to go follow your dreams and mess up. It’s also okay if you’re shamed, because there are other people out there that will like you for being genuinely you.
“I had just had a DUI about 6 months prior to this so I had a breathalyzer in my car and I’d have to blow every 30 minutes while I was driving. I think my family had a lot of shame for me around this time and I was trying to get that off my chest. For years after that I never heard the end of it. I felt like I was always trying to prove something to make up for it and was never able to.
“It was a time for me where I was learning the ropes of gigging and defending myself for choosing to do this. Where I come from, you grow up to go to work… and art isn’t seen as work. So, I had a lot of defending to do. I still get a lot of that, but I don’t even acknowledge it these days.
“I was in my early 20s and this was my first time really being on the road. I had some of this song written and Kenny [pedal steel player Kendell Scott] and I were staying at a buddy’s place up in Des Moines for a few days while we played. We were just a couple of kids playing music and gigging around. We’d met a few months after I got out of the Navy. He was 19 and I was 22 and I was bartending in Hillsboro, IL at this place called Broad Street. They had an open mic there once a week and that’s what got me hooked. A few weeks after I started working those open mics, Kenny came in, and we’ve been friends ever since. We’ve been playing for 12 years together now and are both sober too.
“Being a modern musician in the U.S. is complicated. It’s tough in a lot of ways, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. Like any job there are parts that suck and parts that are great. I love touring, writing songs, meeting people, and playing music with my friends. I’ve even grown to love the recording process more and more.
“I recorded the song again for this record because I wanted it to hit harder. I needed more grit and a better reflection of how it sounds live. I wanted people to hear this and go “Fuck yeah.”
“This recording is how I always envisioned this song to sound. Gritty, dirty, and loud. It’s taken different shapes over the years, but I think it finally found a home blurring the lines of rock and roll and country with The Balladeers.
“When I sing, “My brother chalked me up as a loss / my father probably thinks that he failed / my mother used to call me every weekend just to see if I need money to bail”—all true feelings and still true to this day. The line about my mom wasn’t written in past tense, but I changed it to “used to” after she died.
“What I struggle with is the pressure to constantly be online. The industry has shifted toward releasing singles and chasing streams, and that’s never really been how I think about music. I’m an album guy. I like sitting down for an hour and listening to a record from start to finish. That’s the kind of experience I want to create.
“There’s also this influencer culture that’s crept into the music world. Sometimes it feels like the focus has shifted from making something meaningful to making something easy to consume. For me, the goal is always to make music that actually connects with people.
“That said, I’ve heard that audiences in other countries still really love American music and the tradition behind it. I’d love to see that firsthand. Touring Europe and Brazil is something I’ve been really excited about, when the time is right.”
With melodic pedal steel and a gutsy Americana rhythm, this is an honest song about living life on the run, out on the road, while also being a song about running from yourself and dodging life’s pains: “All my friends, they say I’m funny, and funny people think I’m sad. I’m a nomad living on the run.” It’s a rich sorrowful song you can dance to in that cathartic way Americana folks dance.
You can find more information about the album here: https://adamgaffneyepk.com
