Adrian & The Sickness “Listening”

Adrian & The SicknessArtist:
ADRIAN & THE SICKNESS
Label:
FANTOM RECORDS
Video:
“LISTENING”
Director:
Heather Webb
Add Date:
December 11, 2009

 

Hey, everybody, it’s Andy Gesner and the staff from HIP Video Promo, here to direct your attention to an all-female power trio that strikes an effective balance between sweet melody and sheer sonic power. That Adrian & The Sickness knows how to rock is beyond question: guitarist Adrian Conner and drummer Melodie Zapata also play in Hell’s Belles, an AC/DC tribute band so fearsome that Angus Young himself is a devoted fan. Conner takes her role in Hell’s Belles seriously — she’s made herself a Young-styled titan on her SG. She’s a deft soloist and a sure hand with a stinging riff, and she’s demonstrated her talents in front of rabid — and demanding — AC/DC fans all over the world. But she’s also a formidable pop-rock songwriter, penning honest, forthright songs spiked with catchy, irresistible hooks. Adrian & The Sickness showcases her endearing melodies as well as her scalding six-string, and the band has caught the ear of another high-profile admirer — fellow Austin, Texas resident Kathy Valentine.

The Go-Gos bassist and songwriter produced BFD, their latest and loudest, with attention to sonic detail and an eye for the architecture of pop composition. The result is an album that combines the rock fury (and dazzling solo guitar) of Angus Young’s best with the approachability and energy of early Go-Gos-style pop-punk. Slamming hard-rock songs like “Modern Freedom” are adorned with pretty vocal harmonies and indelible singalong choruses. The album’s title cut, a slow-burning ballad, is given a sawtooth edge by Adrian Conner’s stratospheric guitar solos. “Listening”, the lead single, marries the two approaches: the tense verse combusts into a radio-ready release, and every measure is decorated by Conner’s confident six-string.

Valentine’s production makes sure to preserve the volatile live energy of the band — Adrian & The Sickness has become a live favorite in Central Texas, and BFD suggests why. In concert, the three women of The Sickness are commanding and untamed, careening from song to song with abandon. Conner, Zapata, and bass player Heather Webb do plenty of performing in the “Listening” clip, but they aren’t in a club. Instead, they’re rocking on the open range, and treating the viewer to some spectacular Texan desert scenery. The musicians explore the ruins of a stark (and maybe even spooky) old fort; abandoned swingsets and strange crosses hover over them as they play. Shot by bassist Webb — who has also directed the band’s other videos and their kinetic DVD release — “Listening” is a prime bit of allusive frontier storytelling that casts the three members as intrepid explorers. Rifle over her shoulder, dreadlocks flowing underneath her cowboy hat, Adrian Conner cuts a particularly striking figure — and when she picks up the SG and solos, it looks like she was born with a guitar in her hands.

We are very pleased to be working together with Adrian Conner and Heather Webb at Fantom Records to bring you this unapologetic rock clip. They’ve been kind enough to hook us up with copies of BFD for you and your viewers to enjoy, so please drop us a line if you’d like to get your hands on some! If you need more info, call Andy Gesner at 732-613-1779 or e-mail us at info@HIPVideoPromo.com .

Adrian and the Sickness