NEPA Scene’s Got Talent spotlight: Singer/songwriter Adam Bailey
Every week of NEPA Scene’s Got Talent, our free open mic and talent competition at Thirst T’s Bar & Grill in Olyphant, we feature a quick Q&A with the latest audience vote winner, which was singer/songwriter Adam Bailey on May 26.
The weekly winner receives $50 in cash and the headlining slot for the following Tuesday, and all other performers are encouraged to compete again as often as they’d like or simply show off their talents for fun.
After 12 weeks, the 12 winners will face off against each other in front of a panel of local celebrities who will determine the winner of the grand prize – a vacation package that includes $500 cash, three days and two nights in Cleveland, Ohio to tour the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and the Great Lakes Brewing Company, tickets to a Cleveland Indians baseball game, and a free recording session at TwentyFiveEight Studios in Scranton when they return home.
We asked the 23-year-old Scranton resident about winning Week 10 with his original songs on acoustic guitar as well as his creative a cappella rendition of folk/gospel song “The Wayfaring Stranger,” with himself as backup using vocal loops.
NEPA SCENE: What brought you here to this event?
ADAM BAILEY: I have been performing at Thirst T’s every week since it began.
NS: How long have you been practicing your music?
AB: I have been performing since before I could remember. My mom has videos of me screaming at the top of my lungs, trying to sing above all the other kids at my preschool Christmas show. I began playing guitar in the 7th grade.
NS: What interested you in music in the first place? How did you get started?
AB: I thought playing guitar was cool. My biggest musical influences in my early years were Linkin Park and Eminem.
My stepdad bought me my first guitar; it was a junior electric guitar with a tiny amp. I began to teach myself a few chords and tried to perform my first song a few months later at my intermediate school’s talent show. My amp was so small, however, that they needed to mic the amp, which caused a ton of feedback. It was pretty terrible!
NS: Is this something that you’re pursuing as a career or is it just for fun?
AB: I plan to make this a career. With the couple of songs that I have written, I plan to release an EP shortly. I will not charge anything for it, but it will get my music onto people’s iPods and get people talking about my music. I feel like I am just starting out in the entertainment industry, and building a good fan base is my first step.
NS: What was your immediate reaction or feeling when you won?
AB: I was surprised. I didn’t feel like I was at the top of my game, and there were some other people there who could have won.
NS: Why do you think you won the audience vote?
AB: I feel that people who attend the show every week have seen my progress and were impressed by my performance. As I said before, I didn’t feel like I was the best that I could be, but practice makes perfect.
NS: How will you spend your $50 prize?
AB: It already went to the dreaded credit card monster.
NS: Do you perform live in front of an audience regularly? Where can people see one of your performances next?
AB: I have a few shows lined up for the summer – most notably will be on June 6 at the Origins Gallery and the Kirby Center’s Chandelier Lobby on July 17.
NS: Where can people find your music online?
AB: People can follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and look up my music on SoundCloud.
Photo by Robb Malloy/NEPA Scene
