Local Star Jack Adams
Runs With the Dog
By Lisa Bower
For DDL.
DDL: “I remember the first time I ever heard you play was about 11 years ago, at a place in Linesville, ”
Jack: “The Duck Walk Inn”
DDL: “Yes! The Duck Walk Inn. Waaaay back. I had just moved to
Jack: “Well good!”
DDL: “It was so much fun! It was just like out of a country-western video, a smoky little bar way out in the sticks, and everybody was just whooping it up and having a good ole time, so I want to thank you for that!”
Jack: “Probably all drunker than Hell…”
DDL: “Oh yeah, everybody was… ”
Jack: (Laughing)
DDL: “Everybody was having a good-ole time! I know Dale (Thompson) from when he had the band “Fester’s Quest”, in fact Dale played at our wedding.”
Jack: “Well Dale was in that band out there in Linesville!”
DDL: “Was he? I don’t remember that.”
Jack: “Was it 11 years ago, or was it longer than that?”
DDL: “Well, it was probably longer than that, probably closer to 13 years ago.
Jack: “I’ve been back about 13 or 14 years so it’s probably been about that long.”
DDL: “And you’re still playing.”
Jack: “Well, I gave it up for about 7 years. I’d just quit. I’d had enough of it.”
DDL: “How does a person with so much talent just quit?”
Jack: “I just did it. I was so burnt out I had just enough of it. I didn’t miss it at all. In fact when Dale called me about this band we have now, it was kind of strange. He said, hey are you interested in doing anything ~and I said “No!”. He said, well how’s about coming out and listening to these guys, and tell me what you think. So we went out, and I was thinking, I knew what he was trying to do, and I was working a lot of hours at the time and I didn’t want to do anything, you know.”
DDL: “What kind of work do you do?”
Jack: “Property Maintenance. I have 120 apartments that I take care of. Anyhow, we started singing some songs, and jamming, and the harmonies started coming together, and I was like Holy Shi*, I think ~yeah, ~okay, I am interested in doing something!”
DDL: “So you got “the bug” back?”
Jack: “Oh yeah! But I had played with Randy Shields for a while too. Randy is one of my best friends in the world.”
DDL: Who are the other guys in the band? I know you, and Dale.”
Jack: “Dale Thompson is on bass guitar, and we have Dick Mitcham, he’s on lead guitar and pedal steel guitar. “
DDL: “He’s good. He’s real good. He’s interesting to watch too.
Jack: “And Kevin Wright plays drums and sings.”
DDL: “How long have you and Mr. Biscuit been playing together?”
Jack: “We’re right at a little over a year now.”
DDL: “Is that all? You sound really good. Of course you’re all experienced.”
Jack: “We’re pretty much old road-dogs!” (laughing)
DDL: “And how did you get the name Mr. Biscuit?”
Jack: “Dale thought of it. When we first started the band we called it “Diamondback”. But then we were checking out different clubs and there were about 4 different bands called Diamondback, and they were all really bad (laughing) so we decided to scratch that name. We wanted something that nobody else had. I wanted to call it “Out on Bail”. There was a biscuit company down south Dale had said, and so we are Mr. Biscuit. You either like the name or you hate it.
DDL: “Your music has a great southern rock feel to it, as well as some old classic rock, mixed in with some favorites people seldom hear, which was a real treat to hear some different songs.”
Jack: “Well that’s what we try to do. We don’t want to do what everyone else does. We try to pick different material and work really hard at it, practices and…we really bust our balls to do songs that nobody else can do. A lot of the bands just don’t have the harmony. So we're doing
DDL: “Plus you have a lot of your own original music. How often do you practice together?”
Jack: “Once a week. Every Wednesday night.”
DDL: “Were you born and raised around here?”
Jack: “Born in
DDL: “And how long have you been playing guitar?”
Jack: “Since I was 4 ½ years old. That’s 35 ½ years. My dad plays. So he was always playing guitar and I was always watching him.”
DDL: So you learned from your dad. That’s pretty cool. Who was your greatest musical influence then?”
Jack: “There’s three of them. Merle Haggard, Elvis, and Verne Gosdin.”
DDL: ”I don’t know Verne Gosdin’s music”
Jack breaks out into a medely of songs of Verne’s. “They call him “The Voice”, and he’s got many, many hits” said Jack.
DDL: “Well, in my defense, I haven’t listened to a whole lot of country music. Hardly at all up until just about a year ago when I met Randy Shields. Now I can’t hardly stand to listen to anything else.”
Jack: (Laughing)
DDL: “Classic rock ~yes, but some of this new stuff is not for me.”
Jack: “Do you know Rick and the Roadhouse Rockers?”
DDL: “Yes, I’ve met them and in fact they have lent Dirty Dog Live their original song “Dirty Dog” to use as our theme song and for our advertising.”
Jack: “I’ve known them for over 20 years.”
DDL: “Well, you probably know most everybody locally.”
Jack: “Yeah, or played with them at one time or another. I’ve played with the best of the best, and the worst of the worst”
DDL: “Who do you consider to be the “best of the best” around here?”
Jack: “Vocally?”
DDL: “Whatever.”
Jack: “Well, Sonny Sly is gone now, did you ever hear him?”
DDL: “No, I never did.”
Jack: “He died of cancer many years ago. He was a great singer. Randy Shields is great, especially doing the Merle stuff. Of course I got spoiled. I spent 10 years in
DDL: “I know what you mean. I’ve heard a little about you going to
Jack: “Well, I went and I cut my first album in 1990. I had a management deal, and a booking deal, and all kinds of stuff but they wanted me to be somebody I wasn’t.”
DDL: “What do you mean?”
Jack: “They wanted me to act a certain way, sing songs a certain way, and I did it for about two and a half to three years, but it just wasn’t for me. I had two singles off that album that charted. “Looking for Me” went to number 12, and “I like to Rock” went to number 6.”
DDL: “Wow! Is this on the country charts?”
Jack: “Yeah, independent. This was when they had real vinyl, when CDs were just coming out but I had 45’s.”
DDL: “What year do you think that was?”
Jack: “1990. And the flip side of “Looking for Me” charted at 49. All three that pushed out there charted, which was kinda neat! I worked for two and a half years off of those two songs.”
DDL: “You must have played some fun places.”
Jack: “I’ve been to 40 different states! But the overhead killed me, renting the bus, paying the driver, paying the band. I was eating peanut butter and they were eating steak. I didn’t like that a whole lot! (laughing).”
DDL: “You’re preparing to go out on the road here in October for a two year tour. What will be different when you go out on the road this time?”
Jack: “We’re all independent. We’re all in it together, It’s not like I’m paying everybody’s bills. Everyone is responsible for their own. This time I’ll need to send money home to my wife and two boys.”
DDL: “How old are your boys?”
Jack: “6 and 7. Jackson and Justin.”
DDL: “6 and 7? Someone was very busy!”
Jack: (laughing) “Oh yeah, they’re 11 months apart. I tell people we were celebrating
DDL: “Tell me a story about a day in your life.”
Jack: “Get up, get the kids to the babysitter, go to work, bitch all day, come home, work on stuff around the house, practice on Wednesdays, pretty boring life.”
DDL: “So things are really going to change when you hit the road again.”
Jack: “Yes, and my wife is a little bit concerned about it. She knew this day was coming, but as long as I make it home every 6 weeks …that’s a must.”
DDL: “And where will you be?”
Jack: “Everywhere. I’ve heard everything from
DDL: “I would really like to track you guys on our website. Keep track of where you are, where you’ve been, where you’re going and update people about you. I’d like to keep in touch with your wife, Nancy, and she can let me know where you’ll be.”
Jack: “Great! We have a website too. It’s www.mrbiscuitband.com “
DDL: How would you describe your music to people?”
Jack: “It’s more personal. I still like the cry-in-your-beer country stuff. I’m a balladeer. I like making the women cry. It’s the truth, I do.”
DDL: “What is your favorite song?”
Jack: “Merle Haggard song, What Have You Got Planned Tonight Diana. It’s a story about the late 1800’s, them going out and chopping the trees down and building a homestead in
I love you more than ever now Diana I'm sure you're the reason I was born. ” And the end part of the song is, “It's been almost two years now since since you've been gone
Speaking of time I guess you know that mine's bout up I'm gonna see you tonight
Just another breath or two and I'll be home by the way
What have you got planned tonight Diana...”
That’s rip-your-guts-right-out stuff there.”
DDL: “So you like to make the girls cry?”
Jack: “I like to make them dance too!”
DDL: “I noticed you like to make them dance! That says a lot about a band, when you can get them up and dancing!”
Jack: “Even the blue-hairs. Love to get them up and dancing too!”
DDL: “Who is your publishing company?”
Jack: “I have my own publishing company. Sun Wolf Publishing. I have my own label, the whole 9 yards.”
DDL: “How would you describe your fans?”
Jack: “They’re loyal. Everything from teens to 110 year-olds.”
DDL: “What is your favorite part about performing in front of an audience?”
Jack: “It’s better than any drug. There is no drug that can make me feel the way I feel when I am performing. There’s nothing like it. It’s just a high. “
DDL: “And what is your least favorite part about performing?”
Jack: “Setting up and tearing down.”
DDL: “You would think some club owner would come up with a plug-in and play type set up for bands. All the equipment they could need right there, just bring your guitars and plug in.”
Jack: “And coming up soon, I’m going to hate being away from my kids, and Nancy. I really don’t know if I can handle it.”
DDL: “Have you ever written her a song?”
Jack: “Not yet, but I have a feeling I’ll be writing her plenty of songs while I’m gone.”
DDL: “So how will you know when you have reached success?”
Jack: “Well with this band, I will know when we have another song charted, on the radio, then I have to just keep going and have more, because it never ends.”
DDL: “And finally, what is your outlook on the music industry? Where do you see the music industry heading?”
Jack: “There's a big change coming in country music. Every 10 years there's a roll over of some sort. I hope it's good to me, but I know it's going to be hard work."
© Dirty Dog Live