Adam Marsland (born March 24, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist.
He was born on March 24, 1971, in Greene, New York, United States. He is best known as the leader of 1990s power pop band Cockeyed Ghost and later for extensive Concert tour and sideman work.
Music career
Cockeyed Ghost (1994-2001)
Marsland relocated to
Los Angeles and formed
Punk rock-flavored power pop band Cockeyed Ghost in 1994.
Along with bands such as The Negro Problem,
Baby Lemonade and
Wondermints, Marsland and Cockeyed Ghost were part of the mid-1990s "pop underground" in
Los Angeles and signed to
Rykodisc-distributed indie label Big Deal in 1996.
The band's debut album
Keep Yourself Amused followed shortly thereafter and was acclaimed by
The New York Press as "finest debut album of the rapidly aging year.".
The band was noted for its high energy and work ethic, performing at the SXSW festival
and touring with labelmates
Shonen Knife,
as well as opening for Fastball,
Redd Kross, Third Eye Blind and others.
The band was also featured on the cover of
LA Weekly in November 1997
and appeared briefly in the
Television film Friends 'Til The End that same year.
Cockeyed Ghost made two further albums for Big Deal, Neverest and The Scapegoat Factory, the release of which coincided with Big Deal's bankruptcy in early 1999.[[1]] Cockeyed Ghost released their final album, Ludlow 6:18, in 2001 on Marsland's own Karma Frog label.
First solo releases (2001-2004)
Marsland embarked on a series of coast-to-coast solo tours, performing hundreds of shows a year
[[2]] and establishing a reputation as a DIY workhorse.
He released his debut solo album, the live CD
232 Days On The Road, in 2002. The album was produced by
Robbie Rist, who also participated in sessions for
The Scapegoat Factory.
Chaos Band (2004-2008)
Marsland's album
You Don't Know Me was released in 2004 and featured the first appearance of his "Chaos Band," inaugurating a long-running collaboration with soulstress
Evie Sands.
Ex-Cockeyed Ghost guitarist Severo Jornacion also performed with the band until joining the
The Smithereens in 2006.
With the Chaos Band and Alan Boyd, Marsland released Long Promised Road: Songs of Dennis and Carl Wilson Live in 2007, recorded by Grammy Awards-winning Beach Boys engineer Mark Linett.
Second solo releases (2008-2017)
Marsland returned to his original music with the compilation album
Daylight Kissing Night in 2008. Marsland followed in 2009 with a 23-track
double album,
Go West, and six months later with
Hello Cleveland, which was recorded on the road in less than 9 hours.
Both
Daylight Kissing Night and
Go West briefly charted on Amazon's top 40 best seller list on the strength of a
Grassroots push to fans.
After a three-year hiatus, he released
The Owl And The Full Moon in Spring 2013, which was promoted by tours in the US and, for the first time, Europe. Four years later, he released the southeast Asian-influenced
Bulé, partly recorded in
Bali.
Other notable achievements
Aside from his songwriting, Marsland has an extensive resume as a sideman in various capacities including guitar, keyboards, and vocals. His more notable credits include working with 2008 Tony Award winner Stew/The Negro Problem,
members of the
Beach Boys,
The Wrecking Crew,
,
, Carnie and Wendy Wilson of
Wilson Phillips, and many others. He performed on
Badfinger vocalist
Pete Ham's posthumous
7 Park Avenue album
and was a member of a latter-day incarnation of the
Standells, as vocalist/guitarist prior to leaving the band in 2011.
That same year he also participated in comeback shows by SST art-punk band
Trotsky Icepick and longtime collaborator Evie Sands. His numerous production credits include Beach Boy
David Marks' 2016 album
Back In The Garage. He also operates
Karma Frog Studio.
Discography
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| Cockeyed Ghost |
| Cockeyed Ghost |
| Cockeyed Ghost |
| Cockeyed Ghost |
| Adam Marsland |
| Adam Marsland |
| Adam Marsland's Chaos Band |
| Adam Marsland |
| Adam Marsland |
| Adam Marsland |
| Adam Marsland |
| Pacific Soul Ltd. |
| Adam Marsland |
External links
