Adam Shead is an American multi-disciplinary artist of Armenian descent living in Chicago, Il whose practice spans the realms of music, painting, photography, and poetry. Throughout his work Shead hopes to create a sense of spatial presence in which the codification of experience is dismantled in the search of personal truth. Through this pursuit of truth Adam hopes to provide a reprieve while simultaneously challenging himself and his audience through active participation in invention, compassion, trust, and grace.
Shead can be heard performing regularly throughout Chicago at such venues as Constellation, Hungry Brain, Elastic Arts, and Experimental Sound Studio; performing alongside such muscians as Jason Stein, Damon Smith, Josh Berman, Steve Swell, John Dikeman, Jasper Stadhouers, Angel Bat Dawid, Matt Piet, James Falzone, and Mary Oliver. Adam has recorded music for Amalgam Records, Ears & Eyes Records, Scripts Records, and Impermanent Records. In 2016 he was selected as Artist in Residence for the Birdsell Project’s summer season. Adam has performed at renowned festivals such as Edge Fest, DOEK festival, and Homebody Festival. Shead holds a Bachelors of Music in Percussion Performance from Columbia College Chicago as well as Masters of Music in Contemporary Improvisation and a Graduate Certificate in World Performance Studies from the University of Michigan.
“Shead stands out with a frenetic sensibility that injects fractured patter informed by European free improv within the lurching grooves.” — Peter Margasak, The Quietus