By Paul Cashmere, undercover.com
Just weeks after his surprise departure from the band, Matchbox Twenty guitarist Adam Gaynor has launched his solo career and he he says he couldn't be happier.
"I am amazingly happy with the work I am doing right now" he tells Undercover News. "It is a truly exciting period for me".
Gaynor performed his first solo performance last week (February 5) and at a benefit show at the home of Miami attorney Roy Black. He gave Undercover the low down on the next phase of his life.
Q. So how was the first show?
A. "The first show was a great experience. It was a bit surreal. It was a bit humbling and a bit exciting. Surreal in that I am used to having a lot of musicians around me and covering lots of space and sound. I had hired a cellist and percussionist to accompany me singing and playing acoustic guitar, so while it was kinda haunting, creepy cool. There were a few seconds where I thought it could have been a moment at your graduation or Bar Mitzvah. Meaning lots of extremely wealthy people by a pool, kinda the Billionaires club and that was cool. I think at some point having a good rock band beside me is gonna feel a tad more comforting in the near future".
Q. Adam, are you thinking of putting together a band and touring in the near future?
A. I am sure I will go out and do some damage to planet Earth but right now the focus is finishing up my project and getting it out there for people to hear. Then we'll take the next step and see if the Planet is as excited as I am about my work".
Q. What was the humbling part?
A. The humbling part was my car never showed up. My driver had gotten into a crazy accident and injured himself, so fast forward this tape 40 minutes and now I am driving myself (fill in a speedy number here) to get to my sound check where I had planned on rehearsing the musicians for a few hours but all good plans lay on the ground as I jumped into my bat-mobile and got to the site an hour plus late. That led me to quickly running down the songs and them throwing me in another car to the dinner site and into a crazy press line and an auction where I was to announce an old friend, Jon Secada who performed a jazz set at their club. Then it was back in my car with the production guy whizzing me around. Fast forward to me tuning, leaving my picks out and a nice bottle of water, remember Paul, hydration is key, Aquaman once told me that when vacationing in Hawaii a few summers ago. Then the people showed up at the house for the after party and being it was a benefit, had no peeps there for myself and things were loose, but fun and kept me on my toes. It was a lot different animal than six tour buses and 30 plus people crew. I was hoping that the nature of my straight forward Pop/Rock songs could suppress the feeling of little Timmy Lipschutz asking me to cover "I am woman, hear me roar" and winning over the Society Peoples and leaving the show feeling I actually done pretty damn good. Not really the demographic I am used to but it was for an amazing cause, for Bay Point Schools, a troubled Teen School that gives them a seconds chance to enroll in great colleges and make something of their lives honestly. As much as I want to think it was all about me, it was much more important to help them on a night like that. They raised over $700,000.That in itself made me feel it was a success".
Q. What did you perform?
A. I did four of my songs. Right now the key is to have the strongest possible project I can create and have a few others in the can, and of course a bunch I am going through to finish up. I am amazingly happy with the work I am doing right now. It is a truly exciting period for me. I hope you guys feel the same way when you hear them.
Q. When will we hear them Mr Gaynor?
A. Well, funny you should ask Sir Paul. When my site launches (adamgaynor.net) this month, Feb 27th is the date, I will have a song there for the peeps to hear and a lot of other music to listen to as well. You'll get a good sense of what I have been creating. It will really will be a great time for me to share this stuff with everyone. Everyone is yelling at me not to give away my music and I should be selling it at this point and I think sharing it at this point is kinda a way of thanking the people that have supported me for all these years and all the people who are still showing up in my mailbox, e-mail and life. Even the ones who offer me freshly baked apple pie".
Q. Do you plan on more shows soon?
A. I had been approached by a few other people to do some one offs, and am considering that right now. At this point, the main focus is to finish my project and put together a great body of work I can be proud, pleased and delighted with. I am almost there and I have a long way to go to get those four missing buses back. But I enjoy the challenge, and well Paul, I already got your bunk all picked out. So pack your backs my Aussie Friend, you're riding with your very own, American Idiot. (Adam Gaynor would like to thank the band Green Day for the opportunity to borrow one of their song titles as a reference to his outwardly and slightly eccentric personality.)