Adam’s World Weekly 5/4

Over the past few weeks I’ve started to get back into the swing of things when it comes to attending concerts.

Two weeks ago I saw Save Ferris (and a bizarre opening act) at FTC Stage One – it was a good way to jump back in since the venue is just ten minutes from my home – and this past Friday I made my return to NYC to see Future Mondays, and three other bands at Arlene’s Grocery.

Save Ferris

Future Mondays

My show hopping has taken a bit a downturn over the past few years, due to age, and the tragedy involving my parents, but there’s a third reason I’m no longer concerned with how many bands I see – I realized no one’s keeping score other than me.

When you think about it, we give ourselves some pretty nonsensical goals in life, and one of mine has been attempting to see as many bands as possible each year. Yes, it’s quasi work related, but a large chunk of it is just a silly numbers game.

It reminds me of when people decide they’re going to read some large number of books in a year, and I’m like hey man, I love books more than anyone, but how about just read because you want to, not to hit some sort of mark. This isn’t a middle school contest, we should be doing things because we enjoy them, not to talk about some arbitrary number.

We’ve also all seen the country collectors who brag about how many places they’ve been. I mean, sure that’s cool and all, but did you go because you wanted to experience each country, and their culture, or was it just to check another box off a list?

I think we had the concept of volume drilled into us in school – we had to get X amount done to get a grade. Well guess what, we aren’t getting graded on what we do for enjoyment!

So whether I see 100 bands, or 50 bands, read 25 books, or 12 books, learn a full song on piano, or don’t get there quite yet, none of it goes into some life-encompassing record book, and no one’s judging us by these things … at least not anyone worth hanging out with.

Do what you want to do, at the pace that you want to do it. No one’s keeping score.

Well, maybe you’re keeping score of how often I show up in your inbox, but you know that’s every Monday!

Speaking of why you’re here, let's get to this week's articles! Leading things off is my column on why indie artists should consider making more music videos, as the medium has a surprising relevance in 2026.

In addition to that column, I also have fresh editions of Pop Shots, and my NYC Scene Report for you to check out.

Read the full column here

Read the full column here

Read the full column here

As always, thanks for reading, and have a fantastic week.

– Adam Bernard