Adam Kurtz, birthed from the Portland Maine music scene, and best known as Viktor II of the legendary Kino Proby, relocated to Los Angeles, CA to continue the musical odyssey. With three full-length albums under his python-skin belt, Kurtz is moments away from releasing a 5-song acoustic EP ("Wrought Iron EP") before finalizing a follow-up collection of unreleased yet album-worthy recordings called "Unreleased Seasides".
Kurtz's music is personal in theme and melodic, catchy, and sing alongable. Before the forthcoming Wrought Iron EP, Kurtz released 2009's "Open Road" (an alt-country styled album), which documents transition, leaving a place (or a person, a life) behind in search of the next chapter. All songs were written and recorded in the one month between deciding to leave Maine and before embarking on a months-long US exploratory road trip.
"The Devil is defeated," released summer of 2008, is more progressive pop rock than alt-country. Songs on this album delve into images of emerging from a dark time, with the perspective of hindsight, and no regret and having learned from mistakes. It ends with the upbeat "Westbound," declaring that it's time for what's next. "Westbound" is on "Open Road," too, quite fittingly. A more demo-feeling album, "Halfway Rock" from 2006 is acousticly-layered and explores the emotions of the mid-20 year old searching for what he's doing, while falling in love and seeing how those two experiences pull and tug at each other.
All of Kurtz's music is recorded, engineered, produced and labored over by Kurtz himself - he grew up in the Boston area using a 4-track tape recorder to do the same. After playing in various bands in Boston (Lost Pilot, Fifty Mission Crush, Mony Mony Band), Kurtz moved to Portland ME where he co-founded and co-rocked out with the Russian tribute band Kino Proby (tribute to Russia's great KINO). He also then headed up Someday Driver, a band of his originals, before going it alone and releasing 3 albums under his own name.
The entire catalog of songs is personal and autobiographical, which sometimes makes you feel like you're reading Adam's journal. Adam doesn't keep a journal though, he just writes songs about it, so that is indeed what you're doing, except you're listening to it, sort of like a book on tape but with music. But really, more just like a rock album where the music is heartfelt and meaningful. You'll see when you listen. Hear. You'll hear when you listen.
