Interview: ADAM DOLEAC (Part 1)

 

I knew I wanted to get a lot of interviews done at C2C Country 2 Country, but without a doubt the one I was most excited for was with Adam Doleac! After becoming a staple of my playlists from 2020 – present, it was fantastic to catch up with him and chat about his experience at C2C, tattoos, Paris, touring and more!

 

Ciara’s Country (CC): Adam, it is so wonderful to meet you! Thank you for joining me!

 

Adam Doleac (AD): You're so welcome!

 

CC: We’re speaking at the tenth anniversary of the C2C Country 2 Country music festival – how has the festival been for you?

 

AD: It's been really great. It's my first time in the UK playing music, o it's been a really special experience. Everything I've done this this week has been smaller, intimate and acoustic, which has been really cool to see. I didn't really know if anybody was going to know the songs when I got over here, but everywhere I've played, the crowds have been bigger and louder than I thought. They’ve been super attentive too - the crowds are very respectful of the music. It's been really cool to see it. I've had an absolute blast so I'm going to try to come back as soon as I can.

 

CC: We’ve loved seeing you in these intimate settings and getting to know a bit more about the stories behind your songs. Is there one song in particular that you really like sharing the story of?

 

AD: I think my favourite story is actually for a song called The Puzzle of Us. It's an older song written back when I used to play music basically anywhere that would hire me. This one particular night, I was in a biker bar in South Alabama - you can picture me on stage singing love songs to a bunch of bikers, not a great fit! I ended up taking a break and I sat down next to this biker guy, he was tattooed from head to foot with a leather vest and leather chaps, and I noticed on his right arm a tattoo of a puzzle. You could see every piece of the puzzle but he had left one piece out. 

 

I asked him about it, and about two minutes later, his wife came and sat down right next to him. She was in the same kind of leather chaps and leather vest, but she only had one tattoo - it was a puzzle piece, in the same exact spot that he left out of his tattoo to kind of complete his puzzle. I didn't know bikers could be that sweet to each other, to be honest with you! I wrote that down on my phone and I think I wrote that song the next week. That's always been one of my favourite stories.

 

CC: That’s so cute!

 

AD: Yeah, no one would know that that song was inspired by two bikers from South Alabama!

 

CC: I see you also have a few tattoos yourself.

 

AD: I've got two, and they have stories too. My little brother Alex drew the one that's on my left arm, which is special to me for that reason, and then I have Mississippi tattooed on my chest because it’s where I'm from. I haven't regretted either one of them! I'm looking at getting a third, and maybe a fourth pretty soon. I'm a fan of tattoos!

 

CC: Maybe we can inspire you to get a UK-themed tattoo.

 

AD: Maybe!

 

CC: Speaking of the UK, is there anything particularly British that you have or want to get up to while you're here?

 

AD: We've done all the sightseeing, things like Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace because we’re staying down in that area. I was really excited to see The O2 actually, where C2C is held. I've never been here but Kings of Leon: Live at The O2 was one of the first music DVDs I ever had when I was a kid so I've always heard about it. It's been really great. It's been a little more of a work trip than sightseeing though - we've played something like seven shows this week! So we've been busy, but I feel like we've done most of everything we'd like to do while we've been here.

 

CC: You had a bit of downtime before you came to London, spending some time in Paris. What was your highlight there?

 

AD: Oh, man. Yeah, my wife and I went to Paris for three days before we came to London. The highlight was just kind of being in Paris! We'd never been so it was our first time – I thought the Eiffel Tower was actually quite stunning in person, it was bigger than I thought it was going to be! It was really cool. We'd always talked about going to Paris so it was a great three days there. That was a good chance for us to just have three days with no plans and roam the streets of Paris, walk around, eat baguettes, eat a lot of good food, drink a lot of good coffee. It was a great time.

 

CC: Where’s next on your list of places to travel?

 

AD: I actually have a flight in about three hours to New York City! I've got a show that I'm happy to say is very sold out at the Bowery Ballroom, so I’m really excited about it.

 

CC: You’re right in the midst of your Barstool Whiskey Wonderland tour, right?

 

AD: Yeah, my very first headlining tour which is a little bit scary! You know, when you do your first headlining tour, no matter who you are, you're a little scared that tickets aren't going to sell. Luckily, we’ve had a lot of these selling out and the crowds have been incredible! It's been really fulfilling, really special. We're about halfway through the tour right now so I’m excited to keep it going.

 

CC: What are the best and worst things about being on tour?

 

AD: You know, I actually like being on the move. I like the hustle and bustle of being on the bus and staying up late. I like seeing new people new places, meeting new people. I think the most important thing about being on tour is being on tour with people you like - you have to spend a lot of time with these people, so if you have a good crew, which I'm very lucky and do have, you look forward to being out there. Really the only downside for me is that a lot of times my wife can't be on the road with me, so being away from home and being away from her is hard. You have to make a lot of memories without each other sometimes which is tough.

 

CC: But a lot of stories to share when you’re back, I’m sure.

 

AD: Yeah, I think most of my titles and ideas for writing songs come from being on the road. That's why covid was such a weird time -you know, we were just stuck at the house and writing songs, so I’m happy to be back out on the road for sure.

 

Don't miss Part 2 of my interview with Adam, where we chat about UK vs US fans, favourite songs to write and play, artists to watch and more - stay tuned @CiarasCountry!