The Proper Authorities

Artist Information

Biography

A few decades ago, a baby boy's parents made a critical child-rearing error: they bought their infant son a toy drum. This error would be compounded by several other errors: playing Motown albums; providing piano lessons; not hiding their old acoustic guitar well enough; singing unabashedly out loud, in key, and with harmony to their kids; etc.

(So as far as "errors" go, they did just fine. Could've been much worse.)

And now that son, tainted by a creative drive so chronic that his day job even involves music, must search for a way to stop the raging beast that dwells inside him. (Yeah, that last bit got changed up so as not to invite getting sued by that 70's TV show with the big green dude.)

The Proper Authorities is the solo musical project of singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Keith Adams. Known primarily for his drum work with the bands Sound Mind, 1000 Watt Revival, and most recently Giant Wow, Adams created the Proper Authorities to branch out and work on his lifelong compositional and performance skills.

As in past groups, Adams continues to experiment strongly in the modern pop rock genre with sounds and grooves that aren't usually found there. His appreciation for over-the-top arrangements is tempered nicely by his love for good hooks. His lyrics touch on a variety of subjects: matters of self; emotional snapshots in time; tragic and comic figures; and the things that we all want... or at least think that we want.

The Proper Authorities released its first full-length recording through the imprint Talon First Records in January 2006. The LP CD, entitled "Public Service Announcement," features 13 tracks and over 50 minutes worth of high-impact material for listeners and lovers of heavy guitar, electro textures, lush vocal harmonies, and booty-shaking grooves.

Drawing on his professional skills as a multimedia developer, Adams released a sci-fi music video for the song “Devastate” in April 2006. This self-produced hybrid of CGI animation and live action features five holographic versions of himself performing on each instrument in the song, an Earth-threatening group of incoming asteroids, and a spaceship fitted with an enormous sound system of doom.

For more information, please contact The Proper Authorities at notify@theproperauthorities.com. You have just been properly authorized.

Instrumentation

Keith Adams - vocals and all instruments

Discography

"Public Service Announcement" (LP CD) featuring the tracks "The Ninth Life Jitters" and "Losing The Now"

NOW ON SALE at www.cdbaby.com/cd/properauthorities and iTunes

Official Website

http://www.theproperauthorities.com

Links

• Official Website
• MySpace Page

Audio

Lyrics

• The Ninth Life Jitters
• Losing The Now
• Penalty
• Devastate
• Whodunit

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Top 5 Rock/Alt Winner in Great American Song Contest [+ Show ]
  

  The Proper Authorities was one of the Top 5 winners in the Rock / Alternative category of the 7th An...The Proper Authorities was one of the Top 5 winners in the Rock / Alternative category of the 7th Annual Great American Song Contest with the song "The Ninth Life Jitters!"
  
  Check out http://www.greatamericansong.com/winners.html for more info!
  

• Honorable Mention in 13th Annual Billboard World Songwriting Contest [+ Show ]
  

  The song "The Ninth Life Jitters" was one of the Top 500 winners in the 13th Annual Billboard World ...The song "The Ninth Life Jitters" was one of the Top 500 winners in the 13th Annual Billboard World Songwriting Contest!
  
  Although they don't go so far as to actually list the Top 500 for some odd reason, check out http://www.billboardsongcontest.com for more info on the contest!

• Locals Only: Locals Disc-O-Fever / Proper Authorities - Public Service Announcement [+ Show ]
  

  Among the explosion of "one-man bands" that technology has made possible, the usual common thread is...Among the explosion of "one-man bands" that technology has made possible, the usual common thread is a lo-fi sound or at the very least an intimate feel. Keith Adams is having none of that. With Public Service Announcement, the veteran of local Techno-Rock faves Sound Mind (and more recently Power Pop trio Giant Wow) has made an album that celebrates the view from his corner of the music world, which is danceable, hard-hitting, eclectic and selectively introspective. With synth-heavy grooves, unexpected key changes and a healthy dose of Rock charisma, the project is part Information Society and part '80s Genesis. Adams' smooth voice has appreciable range, and his keyboard and guitar playing show off his inventiveness and compositional chops (although my one complaint with the disc is that the potential variety of guitar and bass tones and crunch aren't fully explored). Naturally, the drumming is phenomenal; as in Adams' other bands, he displays the metronomic precision that makes you wonder if the parts were programmed, and the tasty feel to prove they weren't. Released in January, PSA's tunes have already been snatched for compilations and podcasts, and "The Ninth Life Jitters" has even won some very legit songwriting awards. Taking DIY to a new level, Adams has also produced a video for the song "Devastate" using the CGI skills he has honed at his multimedia design company, further illustrating that anything can happen where talent and determination intersect. Hopefully Adams will assemble a band to eventually bring this outstanding virtual project into the live realm. (Ezra Waller) Grade: B

• Listopia 2005: Top 10 Local 1 Man Wonders of '05 (by Ezra Walker) [+ Show ]
  

  ... 9. Determined to give Dave Grohl a run for his money, Cincy drummer Keith Adams (Giant Wow, f......
  
  9. Determined to give Dave Grohl a run for his money, Cincy drummer Keith Adams (Giant Wow, former Sound Mind) came out of nowhere with a huge one-man Rock show dubbed The Proper Authorities. Public Service Announcement, his debut disc of heavy Progressive Pop, is scheduled for release next month.
  
  ...

• Review: The Proper Authorities - Public Service Announcement [+ Show ]
  

  "What? Another review already? I am so far behind,again....forgive me. Maybe I'll blame Keith Adams..."What? Another review already? I am so far behind,again....forgive me.
  Maybe I'll blame Keith Adams, aka The Proper Authorities. I put this CD on at long last and whoa, it's tearin' my s__t UP... this is a great album, nice crunchy rock-pop with some nice hooks, great songwriting and did you notice I only mentioned Keith Adams. Yep, Mr. Adams has pulled a Prince and wrote, played and sang this album all by his badass self.
  13 solid, blistering tracks and each have a real big sound. The one band this reminds me of is the mighty Queensryche back in the 'Empire' days... same great pacing and is a bit conceptual. But I think TPA stands fine without any comparsions other then to say its a great table setter to the next album.
  Highly recommended"
  
  
  http://www.thehereandthere.net/music-reviews/entry?id=301

• Devastate Video Wins Awards in Broadjam's 6-Pack Challenge 2006 [+ Show ]
  

  The Proper Authorities took home two awards in the 2006 6-Pack Challenge, a six-category music conte...The Proper Authorities took home two awards in the 2006 6-Pack Challenge, a six-category music contest sponsored by Broadjam.com! The Proper Authorities came in 2nd Place in the "Lights, Camera, Music" Challenge with the "Devastate" video, and 15th Place (Top 20) in the overall contest!
  
  Visit http://www.broadjam.com/6pack/winners.asp to learn more!

• The Year In Your Ear: A Look Back at the Best Locally-spawned CD Releases of 2006 [+ Show ]
  

  The Proper Authorities was mentioned in Cincinnati's local news and entertainment weekly magazine Ci...The Proper Authorities was mentioned in Cincinnati's local news and entertainment weekly magazine CityBeat in their music feature, "The Year In Your Ear," a listing of the top local CD releases of 2006, compiled by music editor Mike Breen! Though not one of the top 20, "Public Service Announcement" made the "Best of the Rest" list, sharing honors with some extremely good Cincy songsmiths like Ruby Vileos, Bulletproof Charm, Noctaluca, GhostMonster, and more!

Setlist

Basic Requirements

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