Biography
The Steve Adamyk Band channels old-school punk rock shaped by '70s U.K. punk and '80s power pop while channeling the high-octane drive of contemporaries such as Jay Reatard and the Exploding Hearts. Guitarist and vocalist Adamyk has anchored the project through a revolving cast of supporting players, issuing a run of singles and full-lengths that attracted the attention of Dirtnap Records. The label signed the act in the early 2010s and issued a succession of tightly coiled albums noted for the precision of punk on 2011's Forever Won't Wait, the swagger of garage rock on 2014's Dial Tone, and crackling pop songs on 2019's Paradise.
Having previously performed with the Sedatives and the Million Dollar Marxists, Steve Adamyk grew weary of ensembles that dissolved before realizing their promise and launched the Steve Adamyk Band to serve as an outlet for his songwriting while preserving a consistent vision and personality amid personnel shifts. He enlisted Million Dollar Marxists bassist Davey Quesnelle and Sedatives drummer Dave Williams, and the trio recorded a pair of 7" singles for European labels before making their live debut in 2010. Before the year closed, Waterslide Records issued two additional singles along with a self-titled debut album. In 2011 the group, now featuring ex-Sedative guitarist Emmanuel Sayer, toured North America and Europe, appeared at SXSW, and inked a deal with Dirtnap, which put out the second album Forever Won't Wait late that year. Further roadwork followed before the band entered the studio with producer Paul Granger for its third record. With new drummer Dave Forcier joining after Williams shifted to a supporting role on guitar and vocals, Third emerged as a lean punk blast, prompting another round of touring soon after its release. Adamyk and company leaned harder into garage rock for the fourth album Dial Tone, tracked in Oakland with producer Matthew Melton. Dirtnap issued the set in 2014, now featuring bassist Sebastien Godin of Sonic Avenues.
By the next release, Max Desharnais of Sonic Avenues had taken over guitar duties from Quesnelle. The refreshed lineup recorded in Montreal with engineer Adrian Popovici, added backing vocals from guests Colleen Green and Mike Krol, and delivered the band's most polished album to date, Graceland, which Dirtnap released in August 2016. That configuration disbanded shortly afterward, and Adamyk took time before reassembling. He resurfaced in 2019 with the power pop-leaning Paradise, now backed by Pat Johnson of the Acorn on drums and Johnny O of Uranium Comeback on bass. Former member Dave Williams contributed vocals in the studio alongside producer Mike Bond.
Having previously performed with the Sedatives and the Million Dollar Marxists, Steve Adamyk grew weary of ensembles that dissolved before realizing their promise and launched the Steve Adamyk Band to serve as an outlet for his songwriting while preserving a consistent vision and personality amid personnel shifts. He enlisted Million Dollar Marxists bassist Davey Quesnelle and Sedatives drummer Dave Williams, and the trio recorded a pair of 7" singles for European labels before making their live debut in 2010. Before the year closed, Waterslide Records issued two additional singles along with a self-titled debut album. In 2011 the group, now featuring ex-Sedative guitarist Emmanuel Sayer, toured North America and Europe, appeared at SXSW, and inked a deal with Dirtnap, which put out the second album Forever Won't Wait late that year. Further roadwork followed before the band entered the studio with producer Paul Granger for its third record. With new drummer Dave Forcier joining after Williams shifted to a supporting role on guitar and vocals, Third emerged as a lean punk blast, prompting another round of touring soon after its release. Adamyk and company leaned harder into garage rock for the fourth album Dial Tone, tracked in Oakland with producer Matthew Melton. Dirtnap issued the set in 2014, now featuring bassist Sebastien Godin of Sonic Avenues.
By the next release, Max Desharnais of Sonic Avenues had taken over guitar duties from Quesnelle. The refreshed lineup recorded in Montreal with engineer Adrian Popovici, added backing vocals from guests Colleen Green and Mike Krol, and delivered the band's most polished album to date, Graceland, which Dirtnap released in August 2016. That configuration disbanded shortly afterward, and Adamyk took time before reassembling. He resurfaced in 2019 with the power pop-leaning Paradise, now backed by Pat Johnson of the Acorn on drums and Johnny O of Uranium Comeback on bass. Former member Dave Williams contributed vocals in the studio alongside producer Mike Bond.
Albums
