He performed last year as the opening act for an already established artist. Then he returned as one-half of the "Night of Openers" in the Rat. And now Adam Richman is back in his own concert for the students at the College.
Richman began his career at the tender age of 12, when he began recording himself with computers. By then, he had already begun playing guitar and piano.
He began pursuing his musical career after one year at George Washington University. After creating an acoustic debut album, Richman dropped out of school to pursue music professionally, touring different colleges and performing for small audiences.
"Fortunately, there is barely an instance in the creative world that requires a degree," he said.
Richman has since established himself on the college scene, playing at schools including the College, where he will make his third appearance on Oct. 8 in the Rat at 5 p.m. He has found many fans, especially with the release of his second album, "Patience and Science," with its mix of rock and pop songs.
In response to why he enjoys playing at colleges, he simply replied, "The joy of a cafeteria raid after every performance." Richman began his career as a solo artist, performing with only his voice and an acoustic guitar. He has since graduated to having a full band back him up and being signed with Or Music, a division of Sony Music.
With 12 tracks, "Patience and Science," which will be re-released in early 2005 from Or Music, is a collection of songs written by Richman, each one with a different message about relationships and life in general. Richman claims not to want to be confined to any one musical category and with his rock undertone and expert use of bass and drums in his songs, he has clearly mastered his alternative sound.
The album tells a story, beginning with Richman desiring the attention and love of a girl. As the songs continue, he experiences the loneliness of losing her, but by the end, has learned to let go and wait for the right person to come along.
Probably one of the best songs on the album is the first track "Mary-Anne," about a girl who is too caught up in the Hollywood lifestyle. Despite the smart lyrics, it seems the one line that everyone always remembers is in the chorus as Richman sings, "Mary-Anne, you're such a whore." Although this can be taken with the usual nasty connotation, blending the statement with Richman's other words about the drugs and parties actually makes it work.
"You have to love any songwriter that can incorporate calling his ex-girlfriend a whore and make it sound as good as he does," Michelle Dunlap, sophomore history and secondary education major and fan of Richman's music, said.
Richman said he wants people to smile "because it sounds like a feeling that makes them smile, or it says something that they relate to and that makes them smile. I'm just trying to change each person's world the way music changes my world everyday."
Dunlap has been a fan since Richman's performance as the opener last January. "I love the live solo performances that he's given at the school so far, and I really want to see him perform with his new band," she said. "Based on what he writes on his Web site, he's excited about it, and I really want to see how they all work together on stage."
Richman's unwillingness to settle for listening to any one type of music is reflected in his songs. Although he used to dismiss country and hip-hop as not being among his musical tastes, he now is open to anything. "Someone thinks it's worth hearing - sometimes it feels like we are so starved for good stuff - how can we afford to miss something because we didn't let it in?" he asked.
