171 – Adam Bowman: The Toronto Scene, Playing for Modern Dance, Making Your Playing Emotional

Drummer/percussionist Adam Bowman has been a mainstay in both the Canadian and international music scenes for nearly two decades. As a touring musician, Adam has been heard on stages across five continents with artists such as Juno-award winners Kellylee Evans and Carlos Morgan, Canadian independent music trail blazer Ember Swift, improvising guru VINX and country-folk songstress Dawn Langstroth, among many others.

In the studio, Adam has become the drummer of choice for producers and songwriters on dozens of recordings. 2015 saw Juno-nominations for Eccodek’s Singing in Tongues and Alysha Brilla’s Womyn albums. In 2018 Alysha’s Rooted album received another nod.

Currently, Adam can be heard playing with Elise LeGrow, Alysha Brilla, Jeff Eager and Jason Raso as well as providing accompaniment for modern and contemporary dance classes with IMAGEO artworks, Dancetheatre David Earle and Guelph Dance.

In this podcast, Adam talks about:

How saying yes to a seemingly insignificant offer determined the course of his professional and personal life

Dance concepts that translate to other art forms, and how modern dance principles have made him rethink his drumming approach

Cultivating long musical relationships with the same people and the same songs, and going deeper into each

Using the feeling of making music you believe in with people you love as a reference to recreate that emotion in situations where everything is less familiar

Accessing emotions in music, and letting them inform your musical decisions

The Toronto scene, and why he lives just outside the city

How easy it is to get “too comfortable” on a scene

Adam Bowman endorses Headhunters sticks and Murat Diril cymbals.

This episode is sponsored by Session Ace.

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