Tag Archives: Adam Lee

Support THE LiNE on The Voice!

7 Feb

Did you watch The Voice last night on NBC?  If so, then you saw that the duo, The LiNE, comprised of Hailey Steele and Leland Grant made it past the blind auditions!  If you missed it,  click here to read an article about how it all went down on last night’s show and view the video of their performance of “American Girl.” 

The LiNE and Adam Lee on the Nashville To You Campground Tour (photo by Abby Corcoran)

Hailey and Leland performed on the Nashville To You Campground Tour with Adam the past two summers.  They sang harmony on each other’s songs, which Adam loved since he is obsessed with amazing harmonies!  On the weekends, they all played beach volleyball during the day and sang around bonfires with campers in the evening.  So it’s pretty crazy to see them on The Voice now!  We are so excited for them and can’t wait to see how they do on this journey! 

Good luck pursuing your musical dreams, Hailey and Leland!

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Tim Tebow: Too Radical? (January’s Dreamer in the Spotlight)

15 Jan

Tim Tebow - Credit: Jeffrey Beall on Flickr.com

Earlier this week, when I woke for my daughter’s 4 am feeding, I started thinking about Tim Tebow.  Why? I have no idea.  Maybe it had something to do with the recent playoff win against the Pittsburgh Steelers combined with a brief article that I read the night before regarding his response to quarterback Jake Plummer stating he wanted him to limit the Jesus talk.  (This happened back in November and Adam had sent me a video link of the interview, but I forgot to watch it.  Click here to read about Tebow’s response – amazing!)  All I know, is that a lot of connections and revelations were going on in my mind at a time I am usually half asleep…

As I was thinking about these things, I realized that Tim Tebow would be the perfect person to feature for this month’s Dreamer in the Spotlight post.  He, without a doubt, is focused on doing whatever God’s will is for his life and is not fazed by what others’ say about him.  He was told he wouldn’t be successful in the NFL, but look where he is right now in only his second year.  He has people who talk trash about him, but he continues to possess a noticeable joy and unashamedly expresses his faith.  He does a lot of volunteer work and has his own Tim Tebow Foundation.  He has worked hard and kept his priorities in order.

Later that same morning, when I was getting ready for work, I noticed a quarter on the counter in the bathroom.  I picked it up and looked at the front to see the words that I already knew were printed there: “In God We Trust.” I don’t think it is a coincidence that the NFL is at its peak in popularity right now and God is working through a Heisman trophy winning quarterback to turn America’s attention back towards Him.  Adam told me that he heard that more people watched last weekend’s wildcard playoff game between Denver and Pittsburgh than any NFL game last season, besides the Superbowl.  In addition, so many people started researching verse John 3:16 that it trended on Google.  (And no, I don’t think the 316 total passing yards or 31.6 average yards per pass are coincidences either.)

Is Tim Tebow too radical?  I think it says a lot about the state of our country, when a man is getting so much attention for publicly giving God gratitude for all his blessings and for doing so many self-less acts.  It says many of us Christians aren’t radical enough.   We aren’t shining bright enough and unafraid to live a life uncommon.  Tebow has been an inspiration to those of us who haven’t had enough courage to stand up for our faith or pursue our dreams.  Some of you reading this may be thinking that I’m too radical right now.  If believing that God has a plan for each one of us and that miracles do happen makes me extreme, then yes, I’m radical – and proud of it!  I need to continue to step up my level of faith and “radical-ness,” especially after reading Psalm 34.

Below are some quotes and verses that came into my mind in the midst of thinking about all this Tebow stuff…

“Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid.” -Basil King

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” -Philippians 4:13

“With God, all things are possible.” -Matthew 19:26

Tim Tebow should give each of us the confidence to not be afraid to show others who we truly are.  We all have talents that God has given us to make the world a better place.  We all have been given a role to aid humanity.  Tebow has definitely been an inspiration to Adam to be bolder and work harder.  He wrote a song last summer, simply and powerfully, titled, “Jesus.”  I woke Adam up after my 4 am revelation to tell him that I felt God was wanting him to share this song.  So please check out the YouTube video “Jesus” by Adam Lee and you’ll see what I mean…

God bless!

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“Off-Season” Update

11 Nov

 

Adam Lee and Tommy at The Listening Room

 

Here is a little rundown of the latest in Adam’s music career journey:

1. Adam Lee/The Adam Lee Trio/The Adam Lee Band – As Adam mentioned in his own personal post a couple weeks ago, he has been rehearsing with his drummer (Tommy) and bass player (Ed) to start playing gigs around town.  (It just so happens that the drummer is my cousin and they are both Adam’s closest friends!  And all of us wives have been able to hang out and watch our babies while the guys jam, too!  Nice bonus!)  Adam has also added a fourth member, who has been a long-time acquaintance and was briefly part of the same 80’s cover band a few years ago before landing a tech gig with Joe Don Rooney of Rascal Flatts.  Dave, a guitar player, has been itching to get out and play again and this allows him an opportunity to do that.  Adam will now be able to play keyboard for several songs.  How awesome is it that he has found three talented guys who believe in his music and will play for free?!    Adam has set it up, too, where he can play a solo acoustic gig if certain people aren’t available, can do a trio if Dave is on the road, or can play a full band set if everyone can make it.  The goal is to get a regular weekly gig at a club downtown, so he can get his music out there!

2. Lending a Voice – Adam played a benefit show last weekend in New York for a charity called Crew’s Voice.  Adam was able to get involved with this fundraiser through a group of friends that he has met and gotten to know over the past two years doing the campground tour.  Adam also has a benefit show this weekend for the West Alabama Food Bank.  A woman that he regularly sings demos for asked him to be a part of it.

3. Eich Audio – I think it’s so cool when people can help each other’s dreams come to fruition.  A high school friend of Adam’s (Jesse Howard) has started a custom guitar pedal business with another guy (Martin Eich).  They are making Adam a customized guitar pedal and want him to represent their business.  Adam went up to Kentucky about a month ago so they could get familiar with his sound and style and create something special just for him!

4. Co-Writing with a duo out of L.A. – A sound engineer that Adam was associated with through his days of playing with Emma Jacob has asked Adam to write with a duo that he is producing from California.  They have written a few times so far when they have come to Nashville.  Adam seems to like the stuff that they have come up with, so who knows where it will go…

5. Too many new song ideas to keep up with – Adam has shown me some new melodies and lyrical ideas for a handful of songs that he has recently been inspired to write.  The ideas are flowing!  His sound is leaning more towards a pop/blues feel now.  As my cousin Tommy describes it – Maroon 5 meets John Mayer meets Los Lonely Boys.

Life continues to be busy with our daughters, work, and music…  There’s hardly ever a spare moment, but life is good!

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Cheering for the Underdog

18 Aug

Golden Dome

Last weekend, we watched my husband’s favorite movie, Rudy, with our 2-year-old daughter.  It is the consummate underdog story and Adam usually likes to kick off football season this way.  This time, he was excited to expand our daughter’s knowledge of Notre Dame football!  He has already been showing her a Notre Dame board book that labels the Golden Dome, Shamrock, Grotto, etc.  Seriously!  And she can name them all!  For about the past year, every time Adam would take her down the stairs to our basement, he’d lift her up and have her hit the “Play Like a Champion Today” sign that we have hanging at the bottom of the stairwell.  Of course, imagine my husband’s delight when our daughter recognized the “Play Like a Champion Today” sign in the movie and immediately ran off the couch to go hit our own sign!  He’s also been having her “practice” field goals with a big inflatable football.  I think she is ready for football season to begin!  Go Irish!

Anyway, this movie got me thinking about how others’ perseverance, determination, and hard work in the face of adversity and doubt is so inspirational!  Who doesn’t love a good motivational story where the unlikely champion/hero/dreamer achieves his or her goal?  It gives all of us hope to continue with our own pursuits, despite what others think and the obstacles that may come along.  Something I didn’t know until recently was that record setting, three-time Super Bowl winning quarterback, Tom Brady, was a 6th round draft pick!  Now he’s debated as one of the best NFL quarterbacks!  Of course, there are lots of great underdog sports movies, such as Hoosiers, Remember the Titans and The Blind Side, but there are also several other great non-sports related stories, like Temple Grandin, Patch Adams, and Erin Brockovich.  I think that we all love hearing about real life, everyday people using their talents and skills to do extraordinary things!

I know that Adam often feels like an underdog.  He’s heard so many times to “wait to have children until you make it.”  Adam loves our family and wouldn’t change a thing, but it is definitely more difficult to devote all the time that he would like to his music career right now.  He stays at home often during the week while I work to care for our daughters.  We don’t have extra money to put into his music, so he makes his own CD’s to sell every weekend and relies on good friends to help with recording, etc., for free.  He feels like higher-ups in the industry count him out as soon as they see him because he does not have the typical male country artist look.  Adam doesn’t quite know what genre/category his sound fits into…

Adam is going to continue to dedicate as much time as possible to his goals and continue to pray for God’s guidance.  He is pursuing a publishing deal and is collaborating more with other songwriters.  Yes, it will take a lot of work, but any progress he makes will definitely be due to God’s grace.

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Musicians Wanted

31 Jul

Alright, so yesterday was a little bit of a rough day.  Adam had his audition for NBC’s show “The Voice” yesterday, and did not get a callback.  Of course, getting on a television contest is a little bit like winning the lottery, but we were confident that he would at least get a callback to make it past the first round.  Adam was basically the 5,999th person out of 6,000 to try out in Nashville over the two-day tryout period.  He was in the last 10-person group of the day and he sang for just one person – a well-known vocal coach out of L.A.  He expressed enough interest in Adam to ask him to sing a second song, but then decided to only ask one young female to return for the second round.  Adam sang “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” and “Here Comes Goodbye.”  Adam said that when the group first came into the room, the coach told them that the Producers/Record Label were looking for individuals who were loyal to their genre of choice, whether that be country, R&B, pop, rock, etc.  Adam had about five various songs prepared to sing and they were from different decades and different genres, so he felt like the coach was talking to him.  This may be the reason that Adam did not get asked to come back for another round.

The Voice tryouts at Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, TN

In Adam’s words, not getting a callback “stings the ego a little bit.”  Last night, we discussed what some next steps may be.  We both kind of feel like we are in a maze and we keep hitting dead ends.  We still are a little lost, but we will continue to pray and Adam plans to brainstorm various things he can do to keep pursuing his dream.  One thing that Adam feels strongly about is wanting to try to find other people to be in a group or band with.  Adam does not feel like he needs the spotlight to be on him.  Adam gets more enjoyment from sharing the stage with others.  The key to making something like this work, though, is finding like-minded people with similar motivations.  It made me think of writing a wanted ad!  Maybe something like this:

Talented singer/songwriter seeks musically gifted individuals who are seeking to follow God’s will for their life.  Must enjoy working with others and don’t mind sharing the spotlight.  Ability to sing harmony preferred.  Only those seriously interested in pursuing a career in music need apply.

More to come later about this crazy maze of a journey!  Have a good week, everyone!  My first post for my new “Dreamer in the Spotlight” series will be coming soon!

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Planting Seeds

26 Jul

Last week, the wheels started turning in my head after my last blog post to start a new “series” within my blog about others who are pursuing their dreams, too.  I often get goosebumps when I hear about people’s personal stories of how God is speaking to them and working in their lives.  I get so excited and passionate about this that I thought it would be a great opportunity to hear more stories and share them for all of us to gain inspiration.  It is refreshing and motivating to be reminded that God truly cares and has a purpose for each one of us.

One thing that significantly influenced this idea was a CD that I listened to of a talk by a woman named Mary Vogrinc entitled, Saying Yes to God; One Mother’s Journey.  She shared some stories about caring for fifty-four foster children over the years and moments where she had to put her trust in God.  One thing that she said, in particular, made a big impression on me.  She talked about how God plants seeds in our soul for the future.  In her own life, she shared how she found an  18-month old baby abandoned in a car of a pharmacy parking lot when she was a teenager.  The baby survived a day in a hot car with no  food or water and was turned over to the Department of Children and Family Services.  Who knew that later she and her husband would be foster parents?!

If you are pursuing God’s calling for your life or know somebody who is following their dreams, please email me at adreamerswife@yahoo.com.  I look forward to hearing from you and can’t wait to see how God is working!  I will be sharing my first “Dreamer in the Spotlight” post very soon!

Update on Adam’s Musical Journey:  Adam will be auditioning for “The Voice” this weekend.  Do you think it is a coincidence that his gigs were cancelled this weekend and then found out today about the Nashville auditions?!  I guess we will find out… He is in the process of figuring out which songs that he wants to sing for the producers/judges.  Please pray for him on Saturday!

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Hope Wins

19 Jul

So I’m finally able to get to the computer after a couple days of wanting to get on here and blog about a few different things that came together in my head about having faith and pursuing our dreams.  Things can get frustrating sometimes and it can be easy to feel discouraged.  It is a continuous battle to try to remain positive and hopeful about the future.  One song that popped in my head when thinking about this was “The Impossible” by Joe Nichols.  Here is the chorus:

Unsinkable ships sink.
Unbreakable walls break.
Sometimes the things you think would never happen,
Happen just like that.
Unbendable steel bends.
If the fury of the wind is unstoppable,
I’ve learned to never underestimate,
The impossible.

This song is just a great reminder that even when we can’t see what will happen and we don’t know what steps to take next, we should not give up hope.  “With God, all things are possible.” (Matthew 19: 26)

I mentioned in my first blog post in the middle of May that Adam had recently had some revelations about the direction of his music career.  That same weekend, my dad was driving to visit my grandparents in Northern Indiana and while listening to Adam’s recent songs, he saw the sign “Hope Wins” outside a church.  He decided to turn around a take a picture of it to send to a friend who was going through a situation and had expressed that she was losing hope.  Little did my dad know that this would turn out to actually be a significant message for Adam.  About the same time that this picture was taken was when Adam was being questioned about what his vision is for his music.  Adam had been very discouraged before this and a light bulb went off in Adam and his passion and motivation was reborn!

The picture that my dad took on his phone 🙂

I’ve come across some inspirational quotes, recently, that I also thought would be motivating and appropriate to share.

“Take care of yourself and continue to persevere.  Do not allow doubt to creep across your goals.”  -Gary Caplan

“Each of us has been given a destiny and a light to shine.” -Marie Jones

“I believe 100% when your heart and  your mind are in the right place and there is no pretense, great things will come.  It’s that simple.” -Jimmy Wayne

“God does not discipline us to subdue us, but to condition us for a life of usefulness and blessedness.” -Billy Graham

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3: 5-6)

“Be patient.  God knows what He’s doing.  God knows what is best for you.  He can see the end result.  You can’t.  All those problems, heartaches, difficulties and delays–all the things that make you ask “why”–one day will all be clear in the light of God’s love.” -Rick Warren

“To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end of life.” -Robert Louis Stevenson

I’d like to wrap up with a prayer from a book that I just started reading on my Amazon Kindle called, I Do… Every Day: Words of Wisdom for Newlyweds and Not So Newlyweds by Cynthia Bond Hopson and Roger Hopson.

Lord, with you we know that anything and all things are possible.  We claim and believe that you have plans for us–plans to nurture us and give us a future.  Direct our paths to the right people, places, and things to help make our dreams come true.  Help us be patient, prepared, and purposeful.  Amen.

God has plans for each one of us.  How wonderful this world would be if we all would strive to seek His will and pursue our gifts!  Anybody have any dreams of their own that they are following?

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9 Years of Dreaming

7 Jul

This month will be 9 years since Adam packed up everything and moved to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue his dream career in music!  He has often said that he would give himself 10 years to make it, and we are approaching that mark pretty quickly.  This time limit doesn’t really mean anything, though, because we are not going anywhere and Adam is not giving up on his musical aspirations.  Adam would not be “Adam” without his musical talents.  He does not have a back-up college degree.  This is what he was born to do.

Adam Lee singing with The Players in 2006

While thinking about this today, I recalled what Matthew Kelly writes in the beginning of The Rhythm of Life (pgs. 9-11):

If you don’t know what you want from life, everything will appear either as an obstacle or as a burden.  But one of the great lessons of history is that the whole world gets out of the way for people who know what they want or where they are going.  Be assured, if you don’t know where you are going, you are lost.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Do not say, “I am too old.”                                                            

Do not say, “I’m too young.”

Tiger Woods was three years old when he shot 48 for nine holes on his hometown golf course in Cypress, California.

Julie Andrews was eight years old when she mastered an astounding four-octave singing range.

Mozart was eight years old when he wrote his first symphony. […]

Bill Gates was nineteen years old when he co-founded Microsoft. […]

Thomas Jefferson was thirty-three years old when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. […]

Oscar Hammerstein II was sixty-four years old when he wrote the lyrics for The Sound of Music. […]

Nelson Mandela was seventy-one years old when he was released from a South African prison.  Four years later he was elected president of South Africa.

Michaelangelo was seventy-two years old when he designed the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. […]

Dimitrion Yordanidis was ninety-eight years old when he ran a marathon in seven hours and thirty-three minutes, in Athens, Greece.

Ichijirou Araya was one hundred years old when he climbed Mount Fuji.

Whether you are sixteen or sixty, the rest of your life is ahead of you.  You cannot change one moment of your past, but you can change your whole future.  Now is your time.

I love what Matthew Kelly writes about here.  I think we often give up on our dreams too soon because we don’t value our gifts enough and truly believe that God can do anything at anytime.  In Adam’s case, he often feels like his weight is holding him back.  He has struggled with this for a long time and it prevents him from thinking he deserves his chance to be successful yet.  Even though he writes amazing songs, has an outstanding voice, plays several instruments, and is very knowledgeable about different aspects of music and performing, he still lets this one thing hold such a significant place in his mind.

People are capable of amazing things with God’s grace.  He wants us to use the talents that he has given us.  Our dreams are what make us unique and give us purpose.  We just need to learn to have faith in God’s timing and have confidence that he will lead us to where we are meant to be.  This, of course, is easier said than done, but Adam and I are not going to lose hope!

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