Rocket: Where were you born and raised?
Adam: I was born and raised in Belvidere, IL.
Rocket: What first drew you to music?
Adam: I’ve always loved music as far back as I can remember. It’s always been there, ya know. I have lots of family with tons of musical talent and I’ve always looked up to them. Some of them will always amaze me.
Rocket: When did you start playing the guitar?
Adam: I started playing air guitar at around 4 years of age. When I heard KISS for the first time, I was hooked. I got my first real guitar at around 12.
Rocket: Who are a few of your biggest playing influences?
Adam: Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley, Randy Rhoads, Slash, Zakk Wylde, John Petrucci, Yngwie Malmsteen. That’s more than a few. Sorry.
Rocket: Did you ever take any formal guitar lessons?
Adam: I took music theory for a couple years in college. That was pretty cool. I also took classical guitar lessons for a short period of time. That was interesting I must say.
Rocket: What guitars are you playing currently live and in the studio?
Adam: Live, I tend to favor my Epiphone Les Paul. I have done tons of work to it over the years. Right now it’s loaded with the Zakk Wylde EMG set. It’s my baby. In the studio I like to play my Ibanez SZ320 & SZ520 both loaded with EMGs.
Rocket: Briefly, how did get involved with MIND DROP?
Adam: Chris Ruzic and I parted ways back in 2004 with a band called MR.PILL. We went through countless drummers and vocalists after that, but never slowed down or lost our ambition. An opportunity came about to hook back up with an old drummer (Robert Bull) so we jumped on that. As far as our singer goes, I’m not too sure how he (Tim Bourbon) got into the band…I don’t ever really remember telling him he was in this band now that I think about it.
Rocket: I like to have fun with this next one. What’s the funniest thing that ever happened to you on stage while performing?
Adam: I’ve been pretty fortunate on stage let me tell ya, but there was one show with 5 Finger Death Punch where I forgot my belt and I thought for sure I was gonna be fine. As soon as I started moving around, my pants started dropping. I had to keep constant pressure on them with my guitar then pull them back up after each song. I guess you had to be there. I now carry a spare belt in my bag.
Rocket: What are some of the upcoming shows for MIND DROP?
Adam: Please check our MySpace for upcoming dates! I do know that we just played with Vanilla Ice on and Drowning Pool. That was pretty sweet!!
Rocket: Thanks for rockin’ this out with me. Go ahead and give a shout out to your biggest supporters.
Adam: I want to thank you Rocket & The Metal Den for this awesome interview. I’ve got to thank all the loyal MIND DROP fans for their constant support during this journey and the MIND DROP women for their patience, support, and sacrifice over the years, especially my girl(Brook) who has had my back since day one.
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