Secondary school music teacher Adam Wilson, AKA S'AD, has released a record looking at the effects of lockdown and social media
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A LOCAL music teacher has released a record which looks at the effects of the coronavirus lockdown and social media.
Adam Wilson (29), AKA S’AD, teaches at Forres Academy and performs as a musician and singer, but he has also spent free time over the last year in his spare bedroom creating the EP Only the End of the World Can Save Us Now.
He said: “I’ve re-branded my solo music with a full band, punk-rock sound. It’s a very DIY project that I focused on a lot more during the initial lockdown, as I had the time to work on it. The EP has a tongue-in-cheek view of the world. It touches on politics but the recurring theme is the concept of doom-scrolling: the 24-hour social news cycle that feels really oppressive at times. It can be so easy to develop a bleak outlook, especially with regards social media, which can take a toll on our mental health. I tried to channel that angst and sadness into the music.”
Adam has been dedicated to music since an early age.
He said: “My parents enjoy reminding me that I got up on stage in Majorca when I was about three and sang Baa Baa Black Sheep! I started brass lessons aged around 10. It wasn’t long after that that my parents bought me my first guitar and I started figuring out my favourite songs. At school, I played with friends in a pop-punk band called Save the Heroics at shows around Forres, Elgin and Nairn. I went on to develop my singing and learned drums, and piano. I’m striving to improve all the time!”
Adam later honed song-writing and performance skills with more bands and as a solo musician.
His passion led to a BSc (Hons) Audio Technology, then a PGDE of Secondary Music and a teaching career.
While studying in Glasgow, Adam co-wrote with pop-punk group Northern Nightlights, performing at gigs and festivals around the Central Belt, and even completed a UK tour in 2016. Since returning to Forres, he has been writing and performing with alternative group, Distance Between Us, and punk band Hurricane Season.
He said: “I’ve played shows in some amazing venues but I had the most fun at the Red Lion in Forres. There’s much less pressure with friends at home but I wouldn’t have the confidence to play in front of people at all if then-landlady Carrie Custodio hadn’t been so supportive and given me the opportunities! The Eagle Sessions across the high street hosted by Eric Kleintges are also a lot of fun to play.”
EP Only the End of the World Can Save Us Now is characterised by personal lyrics and is rooted in Adam’s deep passion of pop-punk and alternative song writing.
Its focus is something that many of his students will perhaps best understand, having experienced a year under the pandemic’s restrictive conditions.
He added: “The pupils are very supportive, which is really inspiring.”
To listen to the album, visit https://compiled.social/SAD
