Adam Arcuragi's brand-new album, "Like a fire that consumes all before it," comes out today on Thirty Tigers (you can stream it free at NPR for a while longer).
I caught up with a busy Arcuragi at the Empty Bottle last night, before his show. He's been on tour for about a week and a half, with another two and a half weeks to go.
"This whole trip has been very satisfying," he said as he sprawled out on a questionable-looking couch in the basement of the Bottle.
From the beginning of the process, Adam said his album has been two-and-a-half years in the making.
"The biggest challenge was getting all the pieces to work at the same speed," he said. "It was totally worth it. Thirty Tigers is a great label." His video also just premiered (you can watch it below).
Adam has felt called to music for most of his life.
"It was this horrible decision my brain made when I was 11 or 12," he said. "I heard 'Be My Baby,' and I just remember my whole mind changing. You know that warm, hot feeling a good song gives you?"
Shortly after that, he heard Ben E. King's version of "Stand By Me," and the same thing happened. His mom fueled the fire by giving him his first Bob Dylan tape, which Adam said he literally wore out.
It's easy to see his passion for music when he's onstage. His songs are a raw, visceral experience - they move through you like a long-forgotten instinct. Adam is a captivating performer, throwing himself into each song headlong and emerging from the other side radiant and sweating. The entire band flowed through the set effortlessly. I don't think that anyone in the room was standing still by the last song.
When I asked Adam what being a musician has taught him, he said, "To listen."
It's apparent that he's done a lot of listening; I think now we all need to listen to him for a while.
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