One of the advantages of making politically tinged folk music is that it never seems to age much. Folk music is by definition a tradition. Politicians come and go, but the same underlying issues have remained static for decades and are unlikely to change any time soon. The trick is to be non-specific in the details and universal in your message. Maybe throw in some horns for flavor. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
Adrian + Meredith’s “Bad For Business” was written and recorded in their Nashville home back in 2019, but hasn’t aged a day since.
“Somehow we got the feeling that the topics of Systematic Racism, Climate Change, and finding more common ground as Americans, was starting to reach a boiling point, and needed some empathy. It’s not our responsibility, per-say, to initiate the uncomfortable conversation any more than anyone else, but we can do it with a killer backbeat.”
Blending together Southern folk genres like western swing, blues and New Orleans jazz with elements borrowed from Spanish and Balkan traditions, Adrian + Meredith have created a sound that perfectly compliments their in-your-face attitude. The title track “Bad For Business” is a tongue in cheek acknowledgement that singing songs that touch on sensitive issues is not necessarily path to commercial success. But it’s clearly who they are to write about what they know and feel, and they do it in a way that’s meant to unify not divide. Perhaps we could all use a bit more of that in our lives.
