ADAM WARNER

Wednesday August 9, 2023

@ The Basement in Nashville, TN

(Review By: Jeffrey Kurtis)

As Nashville’s rapid expansion continues to change the vibe of the city, many of its music venues are experiencing souped-up facelifts and/or a total rebranding, each which are creating static atmospheres that are eliminating the uniqueness of the original grit, history, and charm that once radiated through those walls.

Boldly puffing its chest out in stance against these types of changes is the iconic venue, The Basement.

Just a drop South of the flashing neon lights of the Broadway district, The Basement (est. 1972) holds its own as one of the cities strongest venues for live music, presenting an eclectic blend which on any given night can see rock fluidly together with Americana, punk, and country.

Cramped into what is literally the basement of a 3-flat, the history of the venue reads like a who’s who on the posters of the past shows and across the stickers of the many bands who’ve inhibited the venue for a night that cover of every square inch of the black walls, outlined only in the glowing Christmas lights that hang loosely over the always crowded side bar (stage left).

With several achievements already notched on his belt over the past few years, which includes 3 album releases, over 5 million worldwide streams, a country song of the year with “Semper Fi” at the 2019 Independent Music Awards, and a first-time appearance on stage at the Grand Ole Opry with the popular Sunday Mornin’ Country, Lawrenceville, IL native – and United States Marine veteran – Adam Warner has a resume that’s the envy of most every independent artist.

Never one to rest, though, 2023 is already shaping up to be an even stronger year for the country rocker as his yet to be titled new project will be releasing later this year, which he showcased at The Basement this past Wednesday night.

A blast of harmony immediately grabbed the crowds attention as Warner and company slid into the guitar onslaught of “Where I’m Coming From” as he introduced who he is through the morals and values that the map dot place where he was raised instilled in him, taking us on a backroad drive to middle of nowhere, Small Town USA where the stars and stripes still hang proudly on front porches and people still kneel down to pray at night.

His current single, “The Farmer,” continued to lean into shredding guitars as their edgy, rock licks slapped the melodic punch while Warner turned up the pure grit of his voice to electrify the entire venue with his tribute to the blue-collar farmer as a pulsating rhythmic beat quite literally had the crowd bouncing along with the fuel of the song as it vibrated the cement floors of the venue.

“I believe that music is a piece of time, and there’s no better time than right now for this one,” he declared. “This is a come together song! And I think it’s safe to say that in these past five years we’ve all been through some S**T….and like it or not, we’re all in this together!” he exclaimed as he drove into “The People,” lyrically running through a list of symbols that casually define the United States – Lady Liberty, bald eagle, Liberty Bell, etc. – only to then poignantly flip away those common descriptions to spotlight the true essence of what makes America…America! The people!

Softening the pace into a nostalgic piece that flipped us metaphorically through a Polaroid photo album, “Back When” saw Warner striking the right chord with the crowd, invoking their own youthful memories as he reminisced on days gone by while taking us back to when life was a little simpler, a little slower, and a little more innocent.

“This is my new favorite love song….but it’s not a slow one,” Warner mused with a chuckle as the guitars dripped into the chuck heavy riff of “Boots In The Bed,” a song which will release next month (September 2023) that saw Adam impressively sliding his vocals into a deeper drawl while holding tightly to his naturally gravel tones through the chorus, pounding out the rocking edge of the otherwise lyrically sexy song.

Just as how the night opened on harmony, he bookended his set in the same way when he slid into the intro of “Cowboy Crazy” before the energy of the guitars punched into the song which saw a revved-up Warner heating up at the teasing advances of his blue jean, country girl during their night out on the town.

Utilizing this thirty-minute blast as a bold preview of things still to come, Adam Warner left a lasting impression on the gathered crowd as he weaved through each of his defining characteristics to spotlight the signatures that make his brand of country rock a unique piece to the overall puzzle that is the current country music genre.

FULL SET LIST
1) Where I'm Coming From
2) The Farmer
3) The People
4) Back When
5) Boots In The Bed
6) Cowboy Crazy   

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