The Adam Eckersley Band and The McClymonts are two of Australia’s biggest names in Country and conveniently the lead vocalists Adam and Brooke are married and have a 5 year old daughter together. But now they are extending that to give birth to different kind of baby, their debut album as a duo. Their self titled record “Adam & Brooke” is a collection of euphoric Country meet pop-rock influences and explores their relationship, life and experiences as a couple. It’s very different to their other musical projects and hears them offering a new sound and perspective. They are currently on the road touring and I recently chatted to them about the creative process of this record, couple fights and adapting to the new touring aesthetic. Check it out.
TB: You guys have been in talks to do this collaboration project for 8 years now. So what was the deciding factor to make you both go “okay now is the perfect time”?
AE: Well basically it was just a timing thing. Brooke’s sisters are having babies and like you said it’s something we’ve spoken about for quite some time and one day I was in the studio with my band doing our third album and Brooke and I were talking and I went “what are you going to do for the next 10 months honey”. And Brooke is like “Yeah I dunno”. So because her sisters are concentrating on motherhood we went oh well we have an opportunity to do something together now so we mileswell take it. Although we had like 9 years to prepare and get all the songs together we ended up jamming it all into about 5 and a half weeks of writing and recording which was fun *laughs*.
TB: When you went into the studio how did you go about separating your other musical projects to sonically create something different?
AE: We kind of just let the songs dictate the sound of the album. We knew we didn’t want to do something that sounded like The McClymonts and we knew we didn’t want to do something that sounded like The Adam Eckersley band but it was more in the songs. The approach was really different particularly from how The McClymonts record. And Brooke and I produced the album which we’ve never done before so I think that impact the unique sound.
TB: As a married couple have you found that your intimate connection made the whole creation process easier or harder?
BM: I would definitely say easier, it was handy *laughs*. We know each other so well that we had so much trust and faith in each other that when one wasn’t too sure the other was like “No, no we got it” and we went with our gut instinct. We surprised ourselves, it was actually a really great experience and we got along really well *laughs*.
TB: So there were no couple fights?
BM: No, there really wasn’t. We were very aware before we went into the studio that we needed to communicate properly especially because we didn’t want to get into a situation where if we did get into a fight that it would be awkward. It was pretty easy.
TB: Was there any songs That were harder to create because of creative differences?
BM: There wasn’t actually. When we start writing out songs we get the subject matter and we work out what we want to say together. And the great thing about Adam and I is that we don’t have to be polite to each other during the songwriting process. If someone does a bad line then we can say “that was crap” or “that wasn’t really that good”. We didn’t have a lot of time either to make this record so for us if it wasn’t good enough then it had to go. We trusted each other a lot on that so we could make the songs right.
TB: Adam before you mentioned that you guys had previously written a lot as a couple. So did any of those songs or musical ideas that you’ve created around the house of the years make the album or were they all brand new ideas?
AE: The first thing we did when we started talking about the project was go through our catalogue of songs that we had either written together or with other people that we hadn’t used yet. And then we went through our voice notes on our phones and computers to see if there was anything good lying around. That kicked off the theme of the record as we already had 3 or 4 songs that were pretty much finished. We had to tweak a little bit but that gave us the foundations to be like “alright this is sort of how it’s going to be” and then we knew what we needed to do to then fill it out.
TB: You guys have said you wanted this album to be very different to anything you’ve done before. And songs like “Highway Sky” and “Lay With Me” both have very unique and different euphoric feels to them. So what was inspiring you while you were in the studio to make you go towards that sound?
AE: Our common musical interest is that old school 70’s Californian Country sound like The Eagles. Where as Brooke’s sound with her sisters is more pop and my band is more southern rock. But in the middle there is that 70’s Country sound and Brooke is so great with hooks and melodies which is super important in that style. So it felt really natural to play that style of stuff.
TB: Brooke, with this project how did you go about asking your sisters for their blessing?
BM: *Laughs* I kinda of didn’t really ask. It was a no brainer because I was like “you girls are having babies so I’m gonna go do something with Adam”. And they’ve always loved when Adam and I sing at parties and family gatherings so they weren’t really surprised at all. They’ve been great!
TB: Did you send songs to them for their feedback throughout the process?
BM: No, I didn’t actually. I sent them the mixes when the album was done in Sydney and they loved it. They said that they loved how different it was for the both of us. Like its not The Mcclymonts and it’s not The Adam Eckersley Band, we really did create our own sound.
TB: Was there any songs that they wish The Mcclymonts wrote instead? haha
BM: *Laughs* no, they were really like “wow, you’ve really made your own thing”, so that was good.
TB: You guys are currently on the road so what can people expect from this live show?
BM: Right now it’s just the two of us so basically Adam plays the harmonica and we both play the guitar and we’re just telling the stories about how we came about writing these songs. It’s basically like you’re sitting in our lounge room and listening to Adam and I talk and sing.
AE: It’s great because we get an opportunity to explain where the ideas for the songs came from and we have a good laugh. It’s a really cruisey show. We sing the whole album and we also throw in a couple of McClymonts songs and Adam Eckersley Band songs and covers. It’s a pretty full on show and people have been responding really well to it.
TB: So I guess it’s just a massive celebration of music and you guys as artists then?
AE: Totally! Also because we have been married for nearly 9 years there is a lot of stupid gags about married life and whatever so there really is something for everyone at the show.
TB: How have you adapted to the new atmosphere and vibe of the live show from your past projects? How are you finding the crowds so far?
AE: Awesome! It’s been such a different show to perform but it’s still high energy like Brooke and I still work hard but it’s a different kind of energy because it’s just the two of us. It’s a bit hard getting used to not having the full band behind you and making all that noise that you can use as a safety net because we are very exposed just the two of us.
TB: And some congratulations are in order because the album went number one on the Aria Country Charts. How did you guys celebrate reaching this coveted spot?
AE: Thank you! You know what, since the album has been released we haven’t stopped so it hasn’t been more than us getting excited in the car somewhere when we found out but we are so stoked. You never know how an album is going to be received when you put it out whether people will like it or not so we are very overwhelmed with the response.
TB: You guys are on tour for 5 months over the weekends around Australia. So are you taking your daughter on tour with you?
BM: Yes we are! We are taking her on the Cairns and North Queensland run and we are also taking her to the South Australia shows and crossing the Nullarbor over to Perth. We are going to pull her out of School for that and have a little family working holiday so it should be nice.
TB: Lets play a little game when you answer these questions with the first thing that comes to mind..
TB: My guilty pleasure song is…
BM: “Get The Party Started” by P!nk
AE: “Hit Me Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears
TB: The emoji the best describes our duo is…
BM & AE: Rock and roll hand!
TB: Most people think we….
AE: Are nuts
BM *Laughs* Yes, that’s perfect!
TB: If I could have any superpower it would be…
AE: Teleportation
BM: Ooooh yes, that would make touring so much easier
TB: If we were rappers our rap duo name would be…
BM: DJ Choccy Rapper and….
AE: Captain Finn
You can purchase Adam & Brooke’s debut album here; https://www.sanity.com.au/products/2354336/Adam__Brooke
ADAM & BROOKE TOUR DATES:
Fri 6 April – Young – Young Services Club
Sat 7 April – Wagga Wagga – Civic Theatre
Thur 12 April – Melbourne – Toff In Town
Fri 13 April – Mt Evelyn – York On Lilydale
Sat 14 April – Geelong – Gateway Hotel
Fri 27 April – Newtown – Leadbelly
Sun 29 April – Albion Park Rail – Oaks Hotel
Fri 11 May – Cairns – Brothers League
Sat 12 May – Townsville – Dalrymple Hotel
Sun 13 May – Mackay – Mt Pleasant Tavern
Tue 15 May – Rockhampton – Glenmore Tavern
Wed 16 May – Gladstone – Hervey Road Tavern
Thur 17 May – Bundaberg – Melbourne Hotel
Fri 18 May – Caloundra – Caloundra RSL
Sat 19 May – Toowoomba – Hightfields Tavern
Thur 31 May – Dareton – Coomealla Club
Fri 1 June – Adelaide – Wheatsheaf Hotel
Sun 3 June – Port Lincoln – Boston Bay Wines
Wed 6 June – Ceduna – Ceduna Memorial Hall
Sun 10 June – Donnybrook – Mumballup Tavern
Thur 14 June – Margaret River – Settlers Tavern
Fri 15 June – Bunbury – Prince Of Wales Hotel
Sat 16 June – Fremantle – Odd Fellow
Tue 19 June – Kalgoorlie – Kalgoorlie Hotel
Fri 22 June – Broken Hill – Musicians Club
Sat 23 June – Cobar – Cobar Bowling & Golf Club
Fri 29 June – Evans Head – Woodburn Evans Head RSL
Sat 30 June – Hervey Bay – Bush To Bay Music Festival
Sat 7 July – Dubbo – Dubbo RSL