Adam Kontras.com - My Greatest Release





11:16 PM, Saturday, December 19th, 2004: I have to say, I don't take that title lightly. Nor do I really expect many people to agree, as everyone has their own idea of what "good" or "great" is. To me, with every project, I just want to convey feeling to the audience. All art has (or should have) that goal. From laughing to crying to just buying into the story and being lost for a moment in time. That's what entertainment is and you should judge it on those merits. So I sat down today, plopped in this DVD and watched every song, read all the introductions and I'm as happy with handing this to someone as I've ever been with any project, including The Trinitrons. It will take a bit of faith on the part of the watcher to invest their time in what seems like under-produced songs sung into a camcorder, but the pay-off by the end is substantial. I am simply not the man that sings Kenny's 10th B-Day song 5 years ago. If you start with that song and work your way through all 50 tracks, the transformation is just astounding to me. You see someone age before your eyes. Assuming you've read the corresponding entries online before you get the DVD it's even more pronounced. On the back of the cover I wrote this: The songs that are captured in the first five years of The Journey show a transformation unlike any other. These videos were recorded at the moment the songs were written and have a sincerity to them that tends to get lost once you re-record a song in the studio. Because I needed to produce so many videos for the website, it created a canvas with nowhere to hide. It's simply singing and playing live trying to express the emotion that fills every moment of what's easily the most difficult five years of my life. I can barely recognize the man who started this journey 50 songs ago and I can barely comprehend all that I've lost to keep this journey going. Prepare to feel what it's like to be"a free man at the start of a long journey, whose conclusion is uncertain..." -Adam Oh, and here's the front of the cover: Kinda hard to tell, but there's a watercolor effect on it. Neat-o. My only curiosity in all this is whether or not people can even begin to relate to some of the struggles within it all. It's slowly starting to enter into foreign territory for most people. I think everyone has had a dream and can imagine what it's like to follow that against all odds, but at some point - most give in. Be it kids, marriage...something haults the process and it's rarely given much more thought as other things become more meaningful to you... Me on the other hand, I seem to have anvils dropped on my spirits on a yearly basis yet believe now more than ever in who I am and what I'm doing. Maybe it's because that's all I have left to believe in? Interesting to ponder I guess. I also look at this DVD from the perspective of the audience in one grand sense of simply voyeurism. You're watching a guinea pig. Your watching a slightly twisted, but somewhat normal, human being who made a choice in January of 2000 turn the camera on himself and just...well lose his mind. Christ will anyone ever know how humiliating the whole thing has been the past 5 years? Can anyone understand that I don't really enjoy having everything THIS open? I just feel indebted to the entire project to be as faithful as possible and the end result is sometimes this raw? Well, we'll see. I hope you guys want to purchase the DVD. And I bought a new printer and special DVD stock that allows me to print directly to the disc just like REAL DVDs! Ooooooh. It's a pretty kick-ass touch I must say. And from 2005 on, all CD/DVD sales will be professionally done in this manner. To those who had discs from before - COLLECTOR'S ITEM. ;-) - "See kids, this was back in the days when Adam couldn't even afford to legitimately produce his content. He had to print to a LABEL and stick it on. And here? On the Trinitron DVDs? Yeah, he just signed his name on a silver disc." LOL. Oh, and have I ever really explained what this disc is? It's all 50 Journey songs from Years 1-5. Done with a new DVD program, which will only be noticeable to you guys because it has an animated menu...but for me - it was the easiest program ever created. Worked perfect first time. I finally get a good DVD program. Mike...thank you 100 times over. I now no longer curse your name for the hell that was the Planet GameCube DVD. ;-) Anyway, all 50 songs, each with a written introduction explaining their place in the Journey. Obviously, reading the entry for each video provides the most insight, but I figured it needed at least a few sentences for those just wanting to chill on their couches. I'm pretty happy with it. Great way to end the year. Let me rephrase that. It's a productive way to end the year. To say that the career portion of my life was slightly sidetracked this year is to say the least, but I'll get into that more in the final entry next week. Suffice to say that it's difficult to be overjoyed about a project that is fueled by your own misery and heartache. Rather bittersweet I guess. So I'll just be happy about being productive. I'm glad I was able to have the wherewithall during all this to piece together everything for others to experience, but the whole thing still suuuuuuuuucks. The moment is now a few days away and the tears are already starting. It's crazy, Jess and I would be the first to admit that the past few months we have been as distant as two people living together could possibly be, but the thought of her actually leaving just rips through me. Our hearts are not in allignment with our heads here, and we're both gonna feel it Wednesday. I'll let that have it's own entry, as it most definitely deserves it. Man, 380. If I'm still doing this at 1,000 entries I'm not sure if there's enough words in our vernacular to rationalize what I will have sacrificed by then. <shiver> Adam PS - you can buy the DVD now if you'd like. Thanks.

11:16 PM, Saturday, December 19th, 2004: I have to say, I don't take that title lightly. Nor do I really expect many people to agree, as everyone has their own idea of what "good" or "great" is. To me, with every project, I just want to convey feeling to the audience. All art has (or should have) that goal. From laughing to crying to just buying into the story and being lost for a moment in time. That's what entertainment is and you should judge it on those merits. So I sat down today, plopped in this DVD and watched every song, read all the introductions and I'm as happy with handing this to someone as I've ever been with any project, including The Trinitrons. It will take a bit of faith on the part of the watcher to invest their time in what seems like under-produced songs sung into a camcorder, but the pay-off by the end is substantial. I am simply not the man that sings Kenny's 10th B-Day song 5 years ago. If you start with that song and work your way through all 50 tracks, the transformation is just astounding to me. You see someone age before your eyes. Assuming you've read the corresponding entries online before you get the DVD it's even more pronounced. On the back of the cover I wrote this: The songs that are captured in the first five years of The Journey show a transformation unlike any other. These videos were recorded at the moment the songs were written and have a sincerity to them that tends to get lost once you re-record a song in the studio. Because I needed to produce so many videos for the website, it created a canvas with nowhere to hide. It's simply singing and playing live trying to express the emotion that fills every moment of what's easily the most difficult five years of my life. I can barely recognize the man who started this journey 50 songs ago and I can barely comprehend all that I've lost to keep this journey going. Prepare to feel what it's like to be"a free man at the start of a long journey, whose conclusion is uncertain..." -Adam Oh, and here's the front of the cover: Kinda hard to tell, but there's a watercolor effect on it. Neat-o. My only curiosity in all this is whether or not people can even begin to relate to some of the struggles within it all. It's slowly starting to enter into foreign territory for most people. I think everyone has had a dream and can imagine what it's like to follow that against all odds, but at some point - most give in. Be it kids, marriage...something haults the process and it's rarely given much more thought as other things become more meaningful to you... Me on the other hand, I seem to have anvils dropped on my spirits on a yearly basis yet believe now more than ever in who I am and what I'm doing. Maybe it's because that's all I have left to believe in? Interesting to ponder I guess. I also look at this DVD from the perspective of the audience in one grand sense of simply voyeurism. You're watching a guinea pig. Your watching a slightly twisted, but somewhat normal, human being who made a choice in January of 2000 turn the camera on himself and just...well lose his mind. Christ will anyone ever know how humiliating the whole thing has been the past 5 years? Can anyone understand that I don't really enjoy having everything THIS open? I just feel indebted to the entire project to be as faithful as possible and the end result is sometimes this raw? Well, we'll see. I hope you guys want to purchase the DVD. And I bought a new printer and special DVD stock that allows me to print directly to the disc just like REAL DVDs! Ooooooh. It's a pretty kick-ass touch I must say. And from 2005 on, all CD/DVD sales will be professionally done in this manner. To those who had discs from before - COLLECTOR'S ITEM. ;-) - "See kids, this was back in the days when Adam couldn't even afford to legitimately produce his content. He had to print to a LABEL and stick it on. And here? On the Trinitron DVDs? Yeah, he just signed his name on a silver disc." LOL. Oh, and have I ever really explained what this disc is? It's all 50 Journey songs from Years 1-5. Done with a new DVD program, which will only be noticeable to you guys because it has an animated menu...but for me - it was the easiest program ever created. Worked perfect first time. I finally get a good DVD program. Mike...thank you 100 times over. I now no longer curse your name for the hell that was the Planet GameCube DVD. ;-) Anyway, all 50 songs, each with a written introduction explaining their place in the Journey. Obviously, reading the entry for each video provides the most insight, but I figured it needed at least a few sentences for those just wanting to chill on their couches. I'm pretty happy with it. Great way to end the year. Let me rephrase that. It's a productive way to end the year. To say that the career portion of my life was slightly sidetracked this year is to say the least, but I'll get into that more in the final entry next week. Suffice to say that it's difficult to be overjoyed about a project that is fueled by your own misery and heartache. Rather bittersweet I guess. So I'll just be happy about being productive. I'm glad I was able to have the wherewithall during all this to piece together everything for others to experience, but the whole thing still suuuuuuuuucks. The moment is now a few days away and the tears are already starting. It's crazy, Jess and I would be the first to admit that the past few months we have been as distant as two people living together could possibly be, but the thought of her actually leaving just rips through me. Our hearts are not in allignment with our heads here, and we're both gonna feel it Wednesday. I'll let that have it's own entry, as it most definitely deserves it. Man, 380. If I'm still doing this at 1,000 entries I'm not sure if there's enough words in our vernacular to rationalize what I will have sacrificed by then. <shiver> Adam PS - you can buy the DVD now if you'd like. Thanks.