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Today, we are extremely excited to bring to you a unique story: the Odyssey of Gigmor Rising Artist Derek Adam. Guitarist, singer, songwriter, lifelong music lover and entertainer, he performs throughout New York City at private events, various restaurants and bars, and the famous Paramount Theatre. We spoke with Derek to learn more about his work and experiences thus far, and to be able to share with you his background and some of his plans for the future.
Foundations:
Derek first became engrossed with music when he was in the fifth grade, but music has been in the family for his whole life. “My father was in a band and had played guitar for a huge part of his life. I was always surrounded by music.”
He told us the story of how he knew he wanted to be a musician: “It’s such a core memory. It kicked me over the edge and got me started. It was fifth grade, one of the last days of school, and we were blasting music in our classroom. I think it was Good Charlotte or something… and I saw this girl I had a huge crush on absolutely rocking out to it and I was like… I have to learn how to play this stuff.” It wasn’t long after this moment Derek picked up his first guitar at age 10.
So, What Kind of Music?
In our conversation with him, he told us the vibe of the music he writes and performs is largely based on his early influences: “My parents were never shy about playing their favorite records in the house. My father is a big classic rock and blues guy. So, that’s kind of hardwired into part of my influence even if I may not even know it at times.”
He told us some additional influences on his guitar playing include Randy Rhoads, David Gilmore, Eric Johnson, Paul Gilbert, John Petrucci, Joe Satriani, Guthrie Govan, Richie Kotzen, and Andy Timmons. For vocal inspiration he pays homage to Chris Cornell, Matt Shadows, Richie Kotzen, Paul Rodgers, and Chris Stapleton.
But of course, deciding on one’s sound is a dynamic process with plenty of twists and turns. “It’s a collective kind of having grown up listening to what my parents listened to and then getting into the guitar virtuosos of the seventies and eighties up until modern day.” He can pull from his early training in high school jazz band, study of classical guitar at SUNY Potsdam, and his early environment and of course his preferences to form the unique rock fusion coming through hit song “The Circle” on the 2021 EP “Silver Lining.” His songs have amassed more than 60,000 streams on Spotify alone, and his audience grows every day. He also has singles “Truth,” (2020) and “The Road I Know” (2022).
Being Your Own Everything:
One of the major topics of our conversation centered around his experiences with the various responsibilities of being a modern working musician. He told us, “I certainly wish there were two of me. I think that the biggest stressor that comes from the seemingly necessary requirement of having to be on social media.” Being a musician in today’s world requires a few steps beyond the music one creates. It requires fluency with an entirely separate skillset sometimes equally or more important than the art itself: “I have a much easier time writing a song or playing in front of a couple thousand people than I do getting in front of a camera and attempting to be “relevant” or “kooky” or “engaging”…and being so concerned with what’s going to get me all the views and likes … you know?”
Beyond social media, rising living costs across the country and the world, and worst of all in New York City, is also a perpetual challenge for musicians everywhere. Keeping consistent work is an extremely important element of making a living doing music, and a popular and consistent act that utilizes the skill set of musicians like Derek are cover gigs. “I feel like we’re in an age of tribute bands,” he said. Establishing oneself as an original artist in this environment is exceptionally challenging. Derek shared that his usual gigs predominantly feature covers, with a few original pieces mixed in, even if people are coming specifically to see him play.
“I’d say to be generous, it’s 80/20 when comparing covers to originals in a live set. I like to think I know how to read the room. If I’m doing a cover gig where I know that it’s not the time to whip out an original, then I’m going to keep giving them something that I know they love. But by the same token, if I have the right audience and the vibe is great then I’ll decide to play one of my own. If they respond really well to it…I think that is an effective tactic.”
Looking Forward:
As an in-demand gigging musician and growing artist, the future is bright for Derek. His music is awesome, his personality is radiant and he’s a hardworking, dedicated artist who has a very respect-driven perspective and plenty of creative ideas. He plans on releasing new music during 2024, so look out for Derek Adam! Find out more about Derek on his Gigmor profile, or follow him on social media. Stay tuned for more!
Discover MIHI NIHIL: Redefining Artistry with Film
We are extremely excited to present Gigmor Rising Artist MIHI NIHIL, a Los Angeles-based band that’s redefining the boundaries of music. Even beyond their art, they offer us some extremely potent, crucial lessons about the potential of alternative methods of monetization for all modern artists: collaborating with the film and entertainment industries. We talked with their lead singer, MIHI, to gain some insight into the group and how they work.
Who Are They?
MIHI NIHIL is composed of an incredible foursome of singer Mihi Vox, guitarist Benjamin Montoya, bassist Nick Steinberg, and drummer Adam Alt. MIHI NIHIL is an emerging band self-described as “a melodic sound redolent with nostalgia” and steeped in atmospheric post-punk and rock music. They formed as a group of music-interested friends, just hanging out: “We’ve been friends in other musical circles and we just decided to get together as a way to, you know, to be together and decided, like, let’s just try writing. We all like whiskey.” With their captivating blend of alternative rock, their free-flowing creative process, and their remarkable achievements in the movie space, they are a noteworthy bulb of creativity in the music industry.
According to other reviewers, MIHI NIHIL establishes itself as a compelling blend of musical genres. Press have described MIHI NIHIL as “street poet post-punk meets shoe gazing art rock,” “a darker cow punk/paisley underground vibe,” and “the most beautiful translation of melancholy to music.” But MIHI NIHIL doesn’t fit neatly into any box. Mihi herself discloses, “The music we create is very free-form. We write all together in one room, and it kind of just happens very naturally, almost like a jam. Someone comes up with an idea, and we create music that way together. So, I would say the end result is categorized as alternative rock music, but we dabble in a little bit of post-punk and various other influences.”
Celebrating Milestones
MIHI NIHIL’s journey has been marked by numerous milestones, including the release of its debut album “MIHI NIHIL” in 2021. Since its release, nearly half of its tracks have been used in feature films. Through these films, their music reached #1 on the Amazon Music charts, #15 on iTunes, and #18 on the NACC most added music charts. Their album was listed in the 2021 Grammy ballot for Best Alternative Music Album. In 2023, they released their single “So Please” at Gigmor’s Showcase at the SXSW Music Festival.
Credit: Tracy Eumont (Gigmor Co-Founder)
Alternative Monetization: Film & TV Placement
MIHI NIHIL is a window into a whole new unique approach that musicians can take in attempting to monetize their work. Many musicians never look past the $0.003 – $0.005 per stream on average Spotify or $0.0013 per stream on Pandora; especially the many artists all over the world who may not have an overwhelming audience from which to financially justify the cost of producing merchandise, generating sponsorships, hosting and booking live shows, or selling physical music. One incredibly interesting way smaller artists can get their start is by writing music for films and television.
MIHI talked with us about her experience with film placement: “So, everyone says like, oh, try to hit up music supervisors, but that really has not proven to be very successful. It ended up that the producer (Adam Lasus) that we used for the first record knew a couple of music supervisors [on film sets, the people responsible for licensing, commissioning, and purchasing music fit for specific elements in the movie] who contacted him for recommendations for specific spots in movies.” These music supervisors often work with a limited budget and don’t have the means to book Led Zeppelin or Blink-182 for every small part of their movie. Instead, they’ll reach out to musicians in the same creative space as what they’re looking for, and ask them to provide music with specific tempos, styles, or other things that will make the music fit their vision. Artists are then paid relative to the amount of music used in the film. This is a significantly more lucrative opportunity for artists than streaming and can have some great tertiary effects due to exposure like MIHI NIHIL experienced.
However, hiccups can disrupt the process. With so many artists out there vying for work, you want to make sure of professionalism, and part of that is ensuring that paperwork is easy for the music supervisors to file. Mihi offered some advice to anyone starting a group and intending to work in this space. She offered that in her experience with MIHI NIHIL, it can be easier to execute these placements if the entire band operates under the same PRO (Performing Rights Organization). Making your work easy to license (not having to ping-pong documents to several institutions for a small clip of work) is an important task. MIHI NIHIL is a great example of the potential for success of film placement.
What’s Next?
As their music continues to captivate audiences inside and outside theaters and their cinematic placements expand their reach, MIHI NIHIL showcases the limitless possibilities of the world of entertainment. This quartet is a cool force to be reckoned with, and their work and story are a testament to the boundless opportunities that await artists who explore the intersection of music and film. Be sure to follow them on Gigmor and social media! Stay tuned for the new album to come out early next year.
