Adam Theis Picks His Favorite Slow & Steady Tracks
As an exhausting and emotional 2020 comes to end, we’d like to acknowledge the resilient community of artists and music lovers who’ve kept Slow & Steady Records moving forward through it all. We always see an avalanche of “best of” and “year end” lists flood our feeds come December, and while it’s always a treat to see S&S releases included in these (always in great company), we wanted to create our own list of sorts, by asking Bay Area maestro, community builder and multi-instrumentalist Adam Theis to pick ten of his favorite tracks from the S&S catalog, going back to 2018 when we first launched. Below, you’ll find a tasteful selection that truly covers both the depth and expanse of music that’s found a home on our “hub.” We should also call out that one of Adam’s newest projects, Cosa Nostra Strings, released its debut album on S&S back in August (that feels so long ago!) and it’ll make you rethink what’s possible in a string/chamber music ensemble. OK, enough talk – be safe, be kind to one another, and we hope you enjoy Adam’s tour through the S&S catalog. And if the music moves you, please consider supporting these artists directly on Bandcamp. Take care! - Ross & Steven
PS – if you dig this type of content, and want more of it, please tell us! Also, if you or any friends have a fresh musical project we should consider partnering with in 2021 and beyond, please email us.
Valerie Troutt - “You Suck”
“I remember when I first heard Valerie play this song at a very small venue in SF – instant hit!” - Adam
Max Daniel - “The Way It Is”
“The way this song unfolds is the perfect balance of being surprising, yet delivering a ton of infectious alternative pop stylings.” - Adam
Strike Iron - “The Days of Revolt”
“One of the best horn shout sections I've heard in a while… Michael Bello knows how to write for horns!” - Adam
SLUGISH ENSEMBLE - “Looking at the sun”
“I'm a sucker for a song that mixes Jazz, Marching rhythms and bass clarinet... and Max Miller-Loran's trumpet solo is on another planet!” - Adam
BRASS MAGIC - “FANFARE”
“I love the juxtaposition of the uptempo punk rock beat with the slower rhythm of the Tuba along with the trademark Brass Magic lyrical melodies in the horns.” - Adam
DANNY LUBIN-LADEN - “SUNSET & The MOCKINGBIRD”
“This nails the mood and tone of so many of the classic Rhythm and Blues/Jazz albums from the ‘50s and duh... Lot's of Trombone!” - Adam
JUNIOR REGGAE - “Preciousness”
“Such a perfect album for just letting it play, but this song is a standout to me because of the unique combination of the super low R&B influenced bass, heavy dub stylings, occasional rock interludes and ambient ballad-like horn textures. So fresh.” - Adam
WOLF QUIGG - “For Love”
“So stoked for Quigg on this album and this song's harmonic world is so up the alley of a lot of the music I've been drawn to lately. Lots of McCartney vibes, and yes, that's a compliment!” - Adam
Josh Thurston-Milgrom - “Shepherd’s Song”
“I'm also a sucker for upright bass and bass clarinet - such clever use of arco bass to anchor the song. Really beautiful sax solo as well.” - Adam
Ila Cantor - “Under & Back of”
“I think my new favorite instrument might be the charanga! Along with Todd Sickafoose's incredibly rich bass tone, clarinets and glockenspeil... The place is space!” - Adam