Adam Norsworthy - The Mustangs

Caroline Miller (CM) interview with Adam Norsworthy (The Mustangs) - April 27th 2010

CM - Does singing the Blues come from experience?

Adam - I think it’s important to write about how you feel, as I think blues is, more than anything, an expression. But I think it’s daft for us all to pretend we can sing the blues as well, or as captivatingly as the greats did…they lived it, breathed it, wrote it and died doing it….so we have to create our own experiences and use the blues as an inspiration – whether it be a chord sequence, a sound, a piece of imagery…it is so rich that there is vast well we can draw on to help us sing about our own experiences.

CM - What was the first gig that you played?

Adam - Well technically it was with a band called the Hornets when I was 9 in Washington DC! I strummed a guitar with 2 strings while a mate bashed out Copacabana on the drums behind me. We played in a pal’s back garden and sold 5 tickets. The school bully came and he threw oranges all the way through the first (and only) song, so I put down my guitar and jumped on him. He beat the living hell out of me. You can’t say I don’t suffer for my music!

CM - Which young act on the British scene impresses you most?

Adam - Haha, do the Mustangs still count as young?? I suppose not with Derek in the band. I love Jason and the guys from the Brew. And Chantel has a superb touch. Oli Brown, Sean Webster – all great players…what I’d really love to hear now is a singer who just blows me away..someone who walks on stage, opens their mouth and has me bewitched…I want to hear a new Little Milton!

CM - If you had the opportunity to play with any blues artist, dead or alive, live on stage who would it be?

Adam - Well I’d make an utter fool of myself trying to play with Robert Johnson and all his tempo changes….but I’d love to have played with Muddy Waters…he used to just sit there benignly, in the middle of his band like an tribal chief, in total command of these songs being played by some of the greatest blues players ever. It must have been something to be the band leader of those guys. I wouldn’t even have to play, I’d just sit and listen and watch and learn.

CM - Is there any instrument you would like to add to your line up that you think would enhance your sound?

Adam - Oh well I can often hear places for a Hammond in the songs, and occasionally in the studio I have added one to an appropriate song, but on stage I like to keep it clean and simple..that’s the Dr Feelgood influence coming out in me…! The power comes from the tightness and the context, not the amount of instruments on stage.

CM - What can be done to keep the blues music fresh and modern or do you think it should stay in the past?

Adam - Well I don’t see the two sides of it as being mutually exclusive. The Mustangs love to play Muddy, Troyce Kean, Cyril Davis, Robert Johnson, Leadbelly..but we like to do it our own way, as I have said, we will never beat them at their own game, so add your own flavour….blues is a folk music, and folk music has survived centuries because every generation adds their own verse or twist to keep it relevant and interesting. We also only play originals on our albums, and it’s very important that people write new blues songs instead of doing the oldies for the millionth time.

CM - What do you do to relax when you have some spare time away from music?

Adam - Well I have a 3 year old daughter, but I’d hardly say she’s relaxing…she’s quite a ‘threenager’! But I love being with her…I’m also – and Barry will hate this! – a Liverpool fan, so I watch them as much as possible…though I’d hardly say that’s been relaxing either this season. I like to cook too, though I’m fairly average at it.

CM - If you weren’t a musician (in a band) what would you be doing?

Adam - I studied journalism at college and I was a reporter for a while, then I started writing about music and film. But my first and biggest passion has always been music. I still love writing and enjoy doing blogs here and there, but I always knew I’d end up doing music in one way or another.

CM - Who was the last blues act that you paid to see?

Adam - I’m off to see Clapton and Winwood in 2 weeks and I’ve already paid for that! I can’t wait. I love Clapton and have seen him countless times…so graceful. Winwood is just an awesome musician…he was immense at Cropredy last year. I’ve actually recently been getting back into the Blind Faith album – hugely underrated I think.

CM - What was the last blues CD that you bought for yourself?

Adam - I’ve just bought the Dr Feelgood ‘Going Back Home’ DVD and it has a live CD of them at Southend in 1975 in the package. They have been a massive influence on the Mustangs, and Wilko Johnson is an inspiration, his stage presence is mesmeric. They were so tight, powerful, simple….watching that original line up play on the DVD is just about as exciting as live music gets, I think. Someone once called the Mustangs a cross between Led Zeppelin and Dr Feelgood and I tell you, I could have died happy there and then!

CM - What’s next in your musical career?

Adam - Well the latest Mustangs album is out, Cut Loose, and we are gigging that a lot before the end of the year. We were offered a lot of good festivals in 2010, but we had to turn down a few because of scheduling, so we are hoping to be everywhere at the festivals in 2011. Aside from that, I am about to release a new solo album – my fourth – which I always like doing - means I don’t have the others telling me what not to do for a change! There are a few great songs in the ‘garage’ already for a new Mustangs album too, so if schedules permit, we may see one next year.