Adapter
photos and music courtesy of americanrockstar
by Steve Ackerman
posted 2006-09-04

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Americanrockstar's latest release, Adapter, is a foray of intense, high-energy audio tracks that rock harder and deeper then anything that we have heard from them before. Aside from the many setbacks that have plagued ARS and this release over the last year, they have really put together a great album. When you listen closely, you can't miss hearing their focus, determination and love for music packed into each track.

All of the new songs are good... but 'Surgery', 'Shine On', 'We Don't Know Ourselves', 'Watching Them Fall' and 'When I Fall Apart' are definitely among my personal favorites.

A couple weeks ago, PMN talked with americanrockstar's guitarist / vocalist, Dallas Riffle. It has been nearly 2 years since we talked with ARS and as you know, in the fast-paced music industry, things can change, literally overnight. In addition to the success of Adapter, a lot has been happening for the members of ARS. So when we caught up with Dallas, he spent a few minutes filling us in on what's happening with the band.

Dallas told us about some of the recent happenings in his life, "My wife Lisa and I were married in August of 2004, and shortly thereafter I returned to college. I had taken a 'break' from school back in 1996 and hadn't returned. We decided to rough it for a year on one income so I could go full time and finally finish. I graduated in December 2005 with a degree in Graphic and Web design, and have been working at an ad agency since then."

And how about Derek? "Derek and a good friend of his took a huge plunge and bought the legendary Cleveland concert club Peabody's in October 2005. It's been a really intense year for him so far... he's put in many 23 hour days, but things are rounding a corner, and he's really happy. It's definitely a labor of love. On top of that, he and his wife welcomed their first child, a son, into the world in May of this year. So that eats up the 24th hour. Somehow he finds time for it all, though. There are certain shows that he can't play (we have a fill-in bassist) but he works hard to get it all done."

And let's not forget about Scott... "Scott showed incredible determination and skill through the last part of '05, when he broke his right foot jumping off a stage in Pittsburgh. Even in a cast, he adapted, playing a customized kit. He played kick with his left foot, and had 2 sets of hats, one open and one closed. He never missed a show. He was amazing. Played like that for a few months before he had healed enough, and was strong enough to switch back to his normal setup. And his playing actually improved after the experience. As soon as he was back on his feet, we finished recording the album."

Dallas - We split with the guitarist we had just brought on board [at the time of the last interview] after only a few months... he wanted something different out of the band than we did, so we ditched the songs that we had been writing with him at that point. And honestly- we seriously considered hanging it up. The revolving band member door was really getting to me at that point. I was just tired of the drama.

"Needless to say, we have all been very busy... but a 'good busy'", said Dallas.

PMN - Well I guess 'good busy' would be a perfect description... I am amazed they found any time to record an album... Tell us about the line-up changes that have happened since all that's left is all that's right?

At the same time, we were in serious talks with our first record label, so it was a shit-or-get-off-the-pot situation. Needless to say, we decided to shit. We signed the deal, and went forward as a stripped-down 3-piece. This ended up being a great decision. The result was a tightness that we had never achieved before. We brought on a great friend of the band, Mark Brown, to help us deliver the songs live, because all of them have a strong guitar duality. And he's been a crucial part of ARS since the album's release.

PMN - In... Out... what ever happened with the Bandaloop deal?

Dallas - Bandaloop pulled the rug right out from under us. They just up and decided to stop putting out albums. And it was when we were just about to release the record. Obviously morale was pretty low at that point. After everything we had been through, it seemed that Adapter may never see the light of day. But, it turned out to be yet another blessing in disguise.

PMN - Has ARS talked with other labels since?

Dallas - Shortly after the Bandaloop episode and all of the dispair they caused, we got a call from Jason McMahon, former A&R head at Bandaloop. He was striking out on his own with a new label, FlipSide Records, and wanted us to be his first act. So, we put pen to paper and sealed the deal.

At that point, Jason stacked on 3 hats. Not only was he a label head, but also a marketing director and most importantly, a producer. Basically we went back to the studio (Creekside Audio with engineer Wes McCraw) and took a carving knife to the album. We cut songs, remixed and re-recorded parts of existing tracks, and I ended up writing some new material. The end result was an album far superior to what it once was. We owe it to Jason for pushing us to take it to that level. I'm really excited about the result.

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