Pillar of DC Music, Simkin, Steps Away Perhaps that’s why it’s so hard to begin an article announcing his departure. Since graduating high school 12 years ago, Simkin has grown to be something of a Godfather to D.C. music. He has worked with Chase on “The Capital Scene,” and as the entertainment editor at On Tap. He founded his own business, Entertainment D.C., both reviewing and promoting bands. He’s pushed music festivals like Six Points and post-Katrina charity concerts. The guy is all about music, right down to his wardrobe. “I’m wondering if he had any other clothes in his closet beside band t-shirts and flip-flops,” Chase ponders. “That’s all I ever saw him in. Well, that, and pants. He DID always wear pants.” He was all over the place. During the recent Six Points Music Festival, Amber-Therese Foster, producer of DC101’s “Local Lix,” recalls her difficulties meeting up with Simkin at a venue, because he would keep bolting to another show.
Mike Hume: How did you first become interested in music? Adam Simkin: I was 11 or 12 and went to the H.B. Woodlawn program. They had a dance every weekend and I saw a band called Quickness, this local band from Yorktown . They covered a Ramones song and I was like, “What the f--- is this music? I love this music!” My sister was kind of new-wave, so the Cars and Blondie, Violent Femmes. My Dad introduced me to John Prine, Richard Thompson, The Who, Rolling Stones, Beatles and my Mom was more Jazz – Billie Holiday that kind of stuff. Then I was all about local music: Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Fugazi hadn’t really started at that point yet, but boy… taking it down memory lane, man. MH: Jenni Chase lauded your high tolerance for alcohol, how has that paid dividends for you? AS: You go to a bar, you talk to people. I think 95-percent of my contacts that very first year [with Entertainment D.C.] were all found in bars. In the last year I wasn’t out doing nearly as much as I used to. I can sit back and do interviews, but I kind of miss being at the bar. Me and the people, the musicians, the bartenders. I do miss that. MH: What else are you going to miss? AS: I’ll miss the friendships. I’ll miss being at a concert as a fan. Just sitting with the band while they’re warming up, and you’re one of two people in the room. I don’t know why I’ll miss that, but I like that, it’s just so raw and so naked. And obviously I’ll miss benefiting the local music scene as best we could. It is something I take a lot of pleasure in — being able to walk into a show, like Iota or anywhere, standing in the audience and knowing that we helped them. Like Honor By August. When we saw them there were like thirty people [in the crowd], and now they’ll sell out Iota. MH: Out of all of that, do you have a proudest accomplishment? AS: Honestly, my proudest work was with the charities. Up until I was twenty-two I worked at a food bank, Arlington Food Assistance Center here in Arlington . I started volunteering there when I was in junior high – I worked there as a food manager for two years after I graduated from high school. I’ve always thought, if you have the means, give back. Business-wise and music-wise, that’s my proudest thing, giving back to the community. MH: Do you have a favorite memory? AS: I would say my favorite time was hanging out with a guy named Matthew Ryan. He’s probably the best singer-songwriter I’ve ever heard in my life, he’s amazing. He drinks whiskey and smokes cigarettes. We talked and did some shots before the show … and afterwards we wound up going back to my old place and we sat there and drank on the porch ’till like six in the morning. It was a lot of fun, just asking him normal, everyday questions. We even had the cops called on us. MH: What did you do when a band or artist you knew had no talent? AS: I’ve found the best way is just to be honest with them. I think constructive criticism is probably the best thing for those guys. They might not see it, for two or three years down the road, but I think at some point they’ll think, “Oh cool.” It’s tough because they spend a good year and a half or two years of their life putting together this thing and who am I to say what’s what? I think there has been only one band where I’ve just been like, “This is absolutely horrible. Find another job man, this is not working for you.” MH: Any parting words of wisdom? AS: Just support the scene. Musicians need to make a living. And bands need to support their fans. They’re the ones who will be telling their friends across the country about this music they heard. It’s such a reciprocal thing.
D.C. on Adam SimkinAs Adam Simkin prepares to sign off from the D.C. Music Scene, some of its members sound off on him: What’s your favorite memory of Adam? • “My favorite memories of Adam are seeing him at the end of a long night of checking out local music. The look of exhaustion is priceless. He's always good for one more beer before he calls it a night though. The work of a local hero is never done.” – Michael Jantz
What has he meant to the D.C. Music scene? • “Adam has been a consistent force in developing the DC music scene, operative word being consistent, which says a lot. He has become the ‘go to’ guy for all things DC music — a virtual music yellow pages.” - Michele Samuel, Manager, Shane Hines and the Trance
How did you meet him and what was your first impression of him? • “I was soliciting airplay for some of the artists I manage, and we got to talking about how we should all get together for an industry happy hour, and disregard the fact that we were essentially competing for listeners with our respective radio programs, (which incidentally aired at the same time). He was so unpretentious and really outgoing and friendly … I knew we'd become friends in the scene, and I'm glad we did!” – Amber-Therese Foster, Producer, DC101’s “Local Lix” • “I first met Adam at Rock Bottom Brewery in Ballston and my initial impression of him was ... Wow, I think I found a new drinking partner. That boy has an impressive tolerance … if only he had the money to support his habit.” – Jenni Chase, Former Co-Host, Z104’s “The Capital Scene”
What’s one thing about Adam most people don’t know? • “He has the best subject lines in his e-mails. They always make me either smile or just laugh out loud.” – Michele Samuel, Manager, Shane Hines and the Trance • “His super-deep ‘radio voice’ was made possible by the use of a special equalizer. He REALLY sounds like Pee Wee Herman.” – Jenni Chase
If Adam was a song, what song would he be? • “I forget the name of the band but the refrain is ... ‘Don't give up, you got the music in you.’ [Ed.: “You Get What You Give,” The New Radicals.]” – Michael Jantz
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“Describing what Adam has meant to the DC music scene is virtually impossible,” says Jenni Chase. That from the woman who knows Adam Simkin quite well — the pair hosted “The Capital Scene” on Z104 until the station’s format change last year.