Artist Profile: Adam Payne

From the artist's MySpace, written by Amanda Crump:

WHO IS ADAM PAYNE?

The problem with rising acoustic talents is that a lot of them sound the same; but there is no mistaking the sultry sounds of Adam Payne. With a smile and sound as big as his Afro, Adam entertains full crowds with his fusion of Funk, R&B, Folk, and Acoustic. There's no denying his musical talents so the question is, who is he?

Adam is about as eclectic as his sound. He was born in Lynn, Massachusetts to an Italian mother and African American father. In the late eighties, Adam and his family moved to Sarasota, Florida. By the age of 8, Adam drew his musical inspiration not from haughty music teachers, such as Mozart or Beethoven, but from Saturday morning cartoons, Sonic the Hedgehog and Mario. Adam picked up the piano as he mimicked the music from cartoons and video games. During his senior year of High School he took on the drums, and later in college, he picked up the guitar. Although music is a major part of who he is, there's much more to him than that.

Adam earned a B.A. in Psychology with a Minor in Statistics and was a founding father of the Eta Psi chapter of Pi Kappa Phi at the University of Central Florida. He continued on to earn a M.A. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Payne was featured three times on CBS Channel 4 Boston's 'Sundays with Liz Walker' and he was also generously recognized in the Boston Globe. "Recognition is not something I strive for..." says Payne - "Connecting with the audience and putting on a good show is more important to me than that. But, it's always nice to get a tip of the hat from people whom you respect."

These days, Adam can be found vibing out solo, with full band 2ADAM12 or even with his beatboxing compadre Adrian Reid. His solo show is always entertaining, with Adam making up songs on the spot with words from the audience, doing on-the-fly guitar, vocal, and percussion loop arrangements, or simply delivering the message of an original tune or eclectic cover. The full band presents some of the finest players in the Greater Boston area, with pieces ranging from the standard four to the gargantuan eight. Adam's performances with Adrian Reid are a testament to the power of communication through music, with Adrian holding down the beat while Adam sings, raps and plays guitar. No matter the line-up, an Adam Payne show is surely one to remember.

So who is Adam Payne? He'll make you dance, make you smile, and help you with your homework all in one day. He's the Northeast's resident father of Soul Rock and he's coming to a venue near you.

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