It’s impossible to improve on the sound of a well-recorded electric guitar. The overdriven six-string is one of the cornerstones of popular music, and the musicians and engineers who can make instruments ring are indispensable to rock music. Craig Parker Adams is one of those guys — one as formidable behind the boards as he is with a guitar in his hands. “She’s Alright,” his latest single, showcases all of his talents at once. His licks, runs, and rhythm parts sing, and they’ve all been committed to tape with impressive fidelity and richness of tone.
True believers in the power of fast guitar have noticed. Craig Parker Adams is the engineer of choice for the Zappa Family Trust, the organization that oversees the legacy of one of the most visionary instrumentalists in the history of rock music. When the Trust decides that the world is ready for more music from the sprawling Frank Zappa archive, Adams is the man who brings it to release quality. At his Winslow Ct studio, Adams has overseen recordings by artists of all kinds, including country-rocker Dave Alvin, offbeat singer-songwriter Nellie McKay, Latin alternative voyager Gaby Moreno, and frequent collaborator Dweezil Zappa, son of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer.
There’s plenty of Zappa in Adams’s approach to his instrument, but “She’s Alright” betrays the influence of another guitar titan: Eddie Van Halen. On the track, Craig Parker Adams shifts effortlessly between frequency-spectrum saturating rhythm parts, quick-fingered phrases on low strings, and electrifying leads, just like Eddie used to do in the heyday of the band that bore his name. As for the song itself, it’s a swaggering come-on worthy of Van Halen’s classic period with a massive singalong chorus hook — and Adams’s studio skills ensure that the message gets across and the beats keep moving. By tipping his cap to Van Halen, Adams is carrying on Zappa family tradition: Eddie was Dweezil Zappa’s guitar teacher and first producer.
Eddie Van Halen surely would have liked Maria Ramirez-Adams’s clip for “She’s Alright,” too. He would have appreciated Craig Parker Adams’s cherry red guitar, his demonstrations of technique, the neon ’80s aesthetic, and the provocative images of women. Adams is a genial master of ceremonies, and he holds together the video with a performance that reinforces his reputation as a studio perfectionist, a dynamic live performer, and an appreciator of beauty. Now that Adams has made the firm commitment to make music, not just record or curate it, it’s a safe bet that this debut music video will be the first of many to be released in the months and years to come.
“She’s Alright” feels like such a bold statement both musically and visually. What made this the right track to step out front with?
That was exactly what I was aiming for. I’ve always liked the upbeat feel and energy of the song and even the memory of the “long ago and far away” experience that inspired me to write it lyrically, but I also felt that it would be the right song for me to introduce my voice publicly for the very first time.
You’ve built a reputation as both a guitarist and an engineer—how does wearing both hats shape the way you approach a song like this?
I usually have a clear overview of all that’s happening or expected, so I handle all of the creation and playing aspects from the perspective of a musician on the hunt, and so I follow my inner guidance. The engineering-production aspects are also based on feel for me too, but those subjective sonic aspects are related more to equipment and industry standard guidelines, etc It can be overwhelming, no doubt, and so patience and determination are key, but my aim was a kick ass song with a hit mix. Whatever that means.
The influence of Eddie Van Halen really shines through in your playing here. What is it about his style that speaks to you most as a guitarist?
I would say his purity. I always viewed his playing as a direct spigot from the source and for whatever reason, there was and still is nowhere else that I want to drink from. His feel, touch, and tuning really spoke to my heart, bones, DNA and soul.
At the same time, your work with the Zappa Family Trust clearly left a mark. How do you balance the Zappa spirit of experimentation with the Van Halen swagger in your own music?
It is my dream to someday understand Frank’s compositions. I’ve felt for many, many years that I’m a few lifetimes away from understanding the inner intricacies of his music because he was such an advanced Being. His music carries the same intense influence over me as Ed’s, but in a different way. The thing is that early Van Halen & Zappa go hand in hand in terms of the quest for excellence, and so in that sense I see it as just one thing. VH is singular & Zappa is singularly all encompassing .
The chorus of “She’s Alright” has that massive, sing-along hook. Did that come together naturally in the writing process, or did you really hone in on crafting something that big?
First, the music comes in terms of a hook, riff, vamp, etc.. With this one, the music showed up right out of the gate, and then I sang melody shapes over the parts until I ended up with lyrics. I have no conscious recollection of intending to write a song about the experience; it just fell into place when the first lyric showed up. However, with that being said, I do recall honing in on the 1 line “ from a town in another world” because I had a difficult time deciding between “ from a town in another world” or in a town from another world. Other than that, all other honing happened during the mix approach.
The video, directed by Maria Ramirez-Adams, leans into neon ’80s vibes and classic rock flash. How did the two of you develop that visual style together?
I knew what I wanted in terms of that candy lip-smacking lip gloss, bright color striped ooolala approach mixed with the summer and the swimsuits and the cruise up the coast in the green Pantera, but those were just words that I used to describe what I wanted. It was Maria who then actually brought it to life with her expertise visually, and then I would just ask for whatever fine-tuning I wanted.
Your cherry red guitar almost feels like a character in the video. Do you have a special history with that instrument?
I do. That is the guitar that is used on the track, and that is why it’s in the video. That strat has been with me for a few decades, and it’s basically another limb for me. It’s one of those guitars that just fits like a glove in my hands, that I originally got from my longtime friend, Curtis, who said this thing is made more for you than for me.
After years of recording and curating other artists, what pushed you to leap and release your own music and videos now?
The time has been coming for quite a while now. I never ever thought about or planned on getting diverted from having me & my art on what I call the front burner of my life but somehow that happened and it happened for 20 plus years. The good part of that scenario is that I was improving and expanding my overall skill set while working with super-talented artists in varying styles from all over the planet. I was being musically and technically enriched and so all of that was coming to a head, and I had to make a stand and start releasing some of my music. Basically, I was bursting from the inside out and so the time is now.
You’ve worked with such a wide range of musicians in your studio—has that experience seeped into how you write and perform your own songs?
Yes, it absolutely does. It’s a cream rise to the top sort of thing. Musical styles aside, what gets things done in the studio is whatever gets things done,so I’ve experienced literally thousands of recording sessions and so I have much to draw from, whether it’s from the perspective of the writer, the player, the artist, the engineer, producer, manager, promoter & on & on & on. So it’s an efficiency deal in every way technically, but artistically, it’s a hunt, and that in itself is a delicate and nuanced art form.
Before we wrap up, what can fans expect from you next now that you’ve committed to putting your own music front and center?
Song after song after song and a heap of sweet gigs, sales, placements, and some proper stadium touring is the aim and ideal. I have several songs that I am working on and completing now as well as the back catalog of my previously released instrumentals from the Vistahle Buel record and the VH esq Demos release that are available on my website. I think that when all of that is sprinkled together, it will make for a fast-paced, killer set that will be entertaining and a whole lot of fun to play.
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