Adam’s World’s Best of 2017


Can you feel the excitement? We’ve reached that special time of year. No, not the holidays! It’s time for my top ten albums, live performances, and interviews of 2017! Let’s get into it!

Top Ten Albums of 2017



1. Larkin Poe – Peach



Sister blues/roots rock duo Larkin Poe had one of my favorite albums of 2016 with Reskinned, and knocked it out of the park once again this year with Peach. One half classic blues covers, one half original content, everything from the slide guitar to the vocals are fantastic.

2. Lights – Skin & Earth



Lights has become a mainstay here, as this is her fourth appearance on my year end top albums lists. Every time I think this queen of pop can’t possibly top her previous work, she does, and Skin & Earth is the latest album of hers to prove this.

3. Lola Coca – The Only Child



Cheeky Brit-pop at its finest, Lola Coca’s The Only Child is one part early Lily Allen, one part Eliza Doolittle (now Eliza), 100% fun to crank up.

4. JC Brooks Band – The Neon Jungle



With a sound that mixes rock and soul with a dash of ‘80s influences, JC Brooks Band’s The Neon Jungle is one jungle you’ll definitely want to spend some time exploring.

5. K.Flay – Every Where Is Some Where



An introspective, deeply personal, album that exists at the fringes of multiple genres – hip-hop, rock, and pop – K.Flay’s Every Where Is Some Where is a powerful, dynamic, ride.

6. Tashaki Miyaki – The Dream



If you dream of great dream pop, you dream of Tashaki Miyaki’s The Dream.

7. PVRIS – All We Know of Heaven, All We Need Of Hell



Lynn Gunn and crew squashed any concerns regarding a possible sophomore slump as their follow up to White Noise was just as overflowing with impassioned vocals, and synth rock goodness as its predecessor.

8. Fiona Silver – Little Thunder



Fiona Silver’s killer retro-soul vocals, that she combines with an indie rock vibe, and a dash of modern pop, made Little Thunder one of the indie scene’s biggest treats.

9. Shilpa Ray – Door Girl



With a history that includes being a door girl at one of NYC’s premier indie music venues (Pianos), it turns out Shilpa Ray should’ve been on the stage the entire time. There’s rock n roll in her soul, and her grit, and emotion, would fit in with the city’s finest rock acts of any era.

10. Halsey – Hopeless Fountain Kingdom



Halsey’s BADLANDS was my favorite album of 2015, and Hopeless Fountain Kingdom is a heck of a follow up. It’s no surprise mainstream success has come her way.


Top Ten Live Shows of 2017


You know my deal – I love live music. Traditionally, I see 100 to 150 live acts per year. This year, however, I had a few issues – testicular cancer, chemo, and two surgeries –  that prevented me from attending as many shows as I normally would. That said, I still managed to see around 75 acts in 2017, and the following ten performances, which are arranged in date order, are the ones that stood out most.

March 4th – Chaser 8 at Pianos

March 17th – PitchBlak Brass Band at The Acoustic

June 1st – The Motor Tom at Mercury Lounge

June 14th – Fjer at Pianos

July 8th – Barb Wire Dolls at Warped Tour

July 20th – I Am Snow Angel at Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2

August 26th – Talay at Rockwood Music Hall Stage 1

October 2nd – Tony Lucca at Rockwood Music Hall 2

October 25th – The New Tarot w/ Janna Pelle, Boy Band, & Eden Ariel at Bowery Electric

November 3rd – Corina Corina at Pianos


Five Other Memorable Nights

January 28th – Anna Rose at Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2
March 4th – Super King Armor at Leftfield
June 1st – The Cosmic Coronas at Arlene’s Grocery
September 7th – Weakened Friends, & Toy Cars at Mercury Lounge
November 24th – Kasador, & The Either at Bowery Electric


Top Ten Interviews of 2017


Nelson – An incredibly open, and brutally honest, conversation about the music industry, and how genres both rise, and fade away. Gunnar also told amazing stories about a fan who chose to live, and a stalker who had her sights set on Matthew. – Myspace

Birch – As soon as Michelle mentioned her list of guys over 70 that she’d f*ck, I knew this Stacking The Deck interview was going to be fun. Pulling the Dread Zeppelin card added to the craziness. – AdamsWorldBlog

2Mex – The story of 2Mex having to have his foot amputated, and what he did to bounce back from the surgery, is incredible. He was so open about everything during our interview that the feature became one of the most gripping I’ve ever written. – UndergroundHipHop.com

Tony Lucca – Stories of seeing New Edition as a child, sneaking into Madonna’s Truth or Dare, and doing a little fashion modeling to one of the Material Girl’s classics, highlight this Stacking The Deck feature. – AdamsWorldBlog

Everclear – On the 20th anniversary of So Much For The Afterglow, Art Alexakis related stories of the band’s ascension, and becoming TRL favorites. – Myspace

Jake Palumbo – This Stacking The Deck feature is special because it’s the one John Popper of Blues Traveler tweeted a clarification about regarding the infamous masturbation story. – AdamsWorldBlog

Dia Frampton – I spoke with Dia about how she heals emotional bruises, and the feature turned into something I hope helped anyone who read it. – Myspace

Lee – Now that he’s a Buenos Aires resident, it was definitely a treat to be able to sit down with Lee while he was visiting NYC, and talk about everything from Teddy Riley, to 3rd Bass, to the beauty of the old NYC scene. – AdamsWorldBlog

Anna Rose – One of my favorite kick ass women in rock. Plus, how can you go wrong with an interview that includes stories about both The Doors, and Huey Lewis? – AdamsWorldBlog

FITNESS – Totally batsh*t insane concept feature where I brought up famous dynamic duos, and FITNESS attempted to compare themselves to them. Their assessment of Beavis and Butt-Head will leave you with a new appreciation for the musical critiques of the cartoon duo. – AdamsWorldBlog


Non-Music Interviews

James Roland – The creator of Blood Drive, which was my favorite TV show of 2017, had a ton of fun with this one, as we discussed the best ways to survive a cross country death race. – AdamsWorldBlog

Brendan Robinson – As a longtime Pretty Little Liars fan it was a treat to speak with one of the show’s cast members, and get some behind the scenes stories from seven years of PLL. – Myspace


That’s a wrap for my Best of 2017. Here’s hoping 2018 provides just as much greatness!

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