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A Very Fond Bon-Voyage to Adam Corbett

Adam and Crystal (D. Machado, 2005)

Adam Corbett had played music since he was a kid, but I first saw him perform at his band’s rehearsal space in Red Bank, SC on a hot Sunday afternoon in 2003. His songs featured idiosyncratic lyrics about personified moons, mystic wolves, snakes, and surviving the wasteland with an empty tank of gas. The arrangements were simultaneously acoustic and electric. The band rocked, and featured a funky backbeat. His voice and guitar were distinct and felt authentic both to who he was and where he was from. I was immediately a fan.

Guitar Show (J. Labbé, 2005)

A few years of shared bills later, Adam joined up with my band at the time, Guitar Show, on bass guitar. Together we released an EP and a 16-track album while Adam continued to write and perform under a few equally engaging projects ranging from lofi folk as “Creature the Preacher” to prog as “The Ghost of FDR”—I’ve never known anyone who can so effortlessly re-imagine and rearrange songs and musical ideas as Adam.

Guitar Show: myself, Bill Elliott, Adam Corbett (2005)

Solo promo (2005)

Co-bill, Atlanta, GA (2005)

Guitar Show in NYC (2007)

In 2007, burnt out on 90s-inspired rock and autobiographical songs that somehow felt detached from who I was and where I was from, Adam seemed like the perfect person to hear my pitch for The Restoration, a band seeking to make regionally-inspired music. We rehearsed early songs in my apartment’s living room with fellow founding members Lauren Garner, Sharon Gnanashekar, and Eddie Lord until playing our first shows in 2008. We released an EP in 2009, our first album in 2010, followed by another in 2012, a second EP in 2015, and a full-length, West, arriving October 2019.

The Restoration: Eddie Lord, Adam Corbett, Sharon Gnanashekar, myself and Lauren Garner (M. West, 2009)

Early show (2009)

Nashville, TN (2012)

w/ Shovels & Rope (2014)

Adam has given The Restoration his incredible talents through distinctive arrangements on bass and percussion, and the composition of some of our favorite songs: “Reverend Samuel Harper” and “The Werewolf of Balentine,” along with a batch of songs about the Harper character that formed a major story arc in the Constance musical produced by Columbia, SC’s Trustus Theatre. 

Paul Kaufman as Rev. Samuel Harper w/ ensemble in Trustus Theatre’s Constance musical (B. Martin, 2018)

During his time with The Restoration Adam also released an EP of lush, upbeat folk rock under his name, and performed and recorded electronic indie-pop that only he could make under the projects “Lazy A and the Green Thing,” and, later, “Husband,” a band featuring compositions and vocals by his wife, Bekah Rice Corbett.

Over a year ago, after completing his parts for The Restoration’s new album, Adam mentioned that he might want to step back from playing bass to focus on his own projects sometime in the future. After seeing us through the completion of West and performing at its Columbia, SC release party, Adam feels the time is right to make this move. With our full support, the release party on October 4th will be Adam’s last show with The Restoration. And with Adam’s full support, The Restoration will continue the promotional circuit for West, with shows planned in Washington, D.C., Burlington, VT, the SC regional area and onward.

Husband: Adam and Bekah Rice Corbett (S. Sanders, 2016)

For 15 years, hundreds of shows, and 5 hours of music across 8 recording projects, Adam has lent his talents, ideas, songs, influence and rehearsal space to my music. Simultaneously he’s been and continues to be a great friend, creative inspiration, and collaborator in other mediums.

When Adam released a new solo single in July I excitedly clicked the link and loved every minute of another track only he could make. I’ve never stopped being his fan and I'm so excited to hear what he does next.

— Daniel

Pre-show in Asheville, NC (B. Lach, 2011)