INTERVIEW BY JOE FITZPATRICK

PHOTO BY FELICIA MCCROY

In a scene where cover bands are the mainstream, how can an indie band set themselves apart and rise into the spotlight? Through a unique blend of genres coupled with the ambiance of their surroundings, DEAR ADAMUS has begun to do just that. Consisting of vocalist and guitarist Raytheon Dunn, drummer Severin Di Croce, and bassist Chris Wilkins, this trio has forged something special. After playing one of the biggest local showcases in the history of the local music scene, the band has become one of the area’s top rising talents. Maybe there is hope for the local scene after all? We spoke with Di Croce about his band’s new single and their upcoming EP to be released later this year, in addition to their views on what needs to be done to save music in Hampton Roads.

I saw that you guys opened for WITNESS FOR HOPE at the NorVa for the KCCO Black Lager release, and it was the top-selling local showcase in the venue’s history. What was that experience like?

Personally, I thought it was a blast. I have always dreamt of playing there, and I had only been there once before. So it was really cool to be playing such a big show my first time performing there. We found out the day after about the ticket sales, and we were really glad we could be a part of a show that went down in history. When we started playing, we instantly felt the energy of the crowd there to support us and the three other local bands. We are very thankful WITNESS FOR HOPE gave us a chance, as well as the guys at the NorVa.

In your bio, you say that you are an “indie/alternative band with a unique approach towards the genre”. What is it about your approach that is unique?

I guess a lot of other bands use influences from other bands, but we are influenced by everything from birds chirping to a train rolling across the tracks, and leaves crunching under your feet. It’s a universal thing. It can be anything you want. We take other elements and bring it to our band. Some people tell us we sound like CIRCA SURVIVE and others tell us we sound like INCUBUS. We try to bring the spectrum of all bands into one. All of the songs have different feelings, and we are trying to paint a picture of where we want to take our listeners. For example, our vocalist Raytheon recorded a voice memo on his iPad to capture the ambient noises of a subway. We want our music to really put you there.

What is the meaning behind your band name?

Raytheon was going through a lot shortly after graduating high school, and his anxiety level was at an all-time high. That’s when he started having these dreams of this man who looked like an older version of himself, who later found his name was Adamus, but in his dreams this man would be the protagonist and then in others as the antagonist. None of it made sense, but he remembered that his mother told him, “If you ever question your dreams, write a letter about that situation or to that person.” So as he wrote that letter, the top of the paper said DEAR ADAMUS. The music is the same, writing about the good and bad times and everything in between, being honest with ourselves as musicians and to the listener.

Tell me about your latest single “Ch. 1 Blood, Diamonds, and Gold”.

This song is the one that represents the band in a nutshell, which is why we decided to make this one our title track for our EP. This song came from angry stand point in Raytheon’s view on everything that was going wrong with the band and people’s views on us saying, ‘here’s another band who thinks they all that and a bag of chips.’ But when they say that, its like we don’t know who we are for you to say that because even today we are still trying to figure out who we are and a clear image of how DEAR ADAMUS is seen to everyone. The song centers around that and how blood represents health. When I say that, I mean it as someone making sure they are happy before attending to someone else’s problems or situation. Diamonds represent one’s appearance or how they are viewed by others. They want to be perceived as if they are flawless, like cut diamonds. Pretty much, they think are better than you to deal with you. Gold represents money, and these are the people that have everything or seem to care much more about that than to believe in a band or to even their music. The song is about really how whatever we go through as a band, we are here. That those people don’t matter when we play. No amount of negativity or bad energy will stop us from doing what we discovered to truly love.

CLICK ON THIS IMAGE TO STREAM “CH. 1 BLOOD, DIAMONDS, AND GOLD”

I also saw that your single will be featured on Old Dominion University’s Relay for Life album due out later this year. How were you chosen for it?

It’s kinda weird how it was brought up. Our teacher Mr. Bob Right is the music production and live audio teacher at ODU, and he was trying to get bands to donate songs about hope for the album. When we were recording the song at ODU’s new quarter million dollar recording studio, he came in and liked the song enough to ask us if we would be interested in donating it to the cause.

Do you have an album in the works?

We have been trying to on and off to record, but it hasn’t been working out lately because we were promised free studio time from one of our friends and he changed his mind since it wasn’t in his best interests. We are hoping to have a six-song EP out by this summer but that is tentative. We are still trying to get a tax ID for our band so we will be able to release it on iTunes and Reverbnation.

What are your thoughts on the local music scene?

As of now, it’s not so positive, and it’s slowly getting worse and worse. It’s become more of a cover band scene, especially in Virginia Beach. There are a lot of bands trying to bring it back into its prime, but from my experience, most of these bands are all talk. It would be cool if there were more local-based festivals with original music. I don’t see any uniqueness, and for the most part, we are always matched up with the same bands playing to the same local support.

Do you think that there is hope for the local scene to survive and improve?

I think the problem starts with the public school system cutting fine arts programs from their curriculum. We wrote a song called “Lucy”, which we are planning on doing a music video for. Before we do that though, we want to release it as a single and allow people to donate as much money to the song as they want, and we want to give 75% of the donations to public schools to help fund their music programs. Education should be more than just the basics. Music helps benefit the learning process, and it isn’t about just one genre. It has to be a part of people’s lives. It saves people.

Who are some of your favorite local bands and/or solo musicians?

Mainly HONOUR CREST. They didn’t give up, and they pushed to do everything in their power to make things happen. They are living the dream, persay, but they sacrficed everything to achieve it. If they can do it, maybe we can too.

For more updates on DEAR ADAMUS, be sure to “like” their Facebook page, follow them on Instagram and Twitter, and listen to their music on Bandcamp.