Lying bedridden for a year unable to stand straight was blessing in disguise for Ryan Adamson.
Now the 28-year-old frontman of Australian punk band Regular John, Adamson suffered a serious infection in his back after the insertion of metal rods inserted to correct his spinal hunch.
While recuperating he bought vintage synthesisers to experiment with “weird sounds” that later formed a basis for his band’s latest album, Strange Flowers.
“It was a pretty heavy time for me,” Adamson told the Independent.
“I couldn’t really socialise or anything, so I saved my money and bought these old ‘70s keyboards.
“I’ve always been into making weird sounds and when I started I just ran with it.”
Adamson, bassist Caleb Goman , drummer Ryan McDonald and guitarist Miles Devine will play Lorne’s 20th annual Falls Music Festival this summer.
Adamson promised a solid performance for Regular John’s fist Falls appearance.
“To play any gig is awesome,” he said.
“If you play to one person I think you still owe to that person to play well. Having a whole festival of people is even better.”
Adamson said the band would play songs from its new “Aussie psych-rock” album.
The genre suited the band members’ adoration of science fiction, he said.
“We’re all pretty cosmic cats.”
Adamson said co-songwriter Goman penned track Time Machine as a dedication to sci-fi novelist Philip K Dick.
“We’re really into his stuff and Caleb wanted to incorporate something to do with him in the album, so we went with it.”
Adamson especially enjoyed sharing song-writing duties with Gorman, he said.
“Caleb’s amazing with words,” he enthused.
“I’ve got these letters from when we were pen pals when we lived away from each other and even when I read them now I’m so stunned to remember that they’re written by a 14-year-old kid.”
