So, What Is The Encore?
Welcome to something...
Hey friends,
If you’re here, welcome. If you’ve been here for the first few posts — thanks for sticking around. I’m calling this space The Encore, and I figured I should explain what that actually means.
At first glance, it’s a nod to music. Encores are what happens after the show ends — the (now expected) moment when the audience asks for more, and the artist comes back not just to perform, but to connect. But this isn’t just about music. It’s about what comes after the main event. After the protest. After the policy is passed. After the book is read. After the adrenaline fades. What do we do then?
That’s the heart of The Encore. It’s about the "what now?"
It’s a place where music, civic action, politics, and storytelling overlap. Where we talk about climate (yes, without always using the word “climate”), culture, creativity, and the messy in-between where real change actually happens.
You can see some of this in my last post which is the real text that I didn’t end up reading for my commencement address at Columbia’s Climate School.
The Climate Commencement Speech I Almost Gave
A few weeks ago, I gave the commencement speech at Columbia University’s Climate School. I was honored to be asked. But also had very mixed feelings. Columbia is my alma mater. I am both full of pride and shame. I’m sure that I don’t need to explain why.
This newsletter is also an experiment. I won’t pretend I know exactly what it’s going to become — part dispatch from the road, part reflection, part toolkit, part rant, part hope. Sometimes it’ll be fun, sometimes frustrating. Always honest. And hopefully useful.
I’ll share behind-the-scenes from tour, thoughts I can’t fit into a lyric or a lecture, and maybe a few moments where we all figure out how to show back up — louder, smarter, and more connected — for the encore.
To celebrate the release of my book Amplify, I’ll also be sharing a few collaborations right here — conversations with artists, organizers, thinkers, and fans who are doing the work in creative, unexpected ways. Some are planned. Some are spontaneous. All of them are part of the bigger story we're building together.
Let’s see where this goes.
See you out there,
Adam
Thank you Adam! I have been a fan since you started making music. It’s so encouraging to see that you and your brothers are the good people I’ve always thought you were. Congratulations on your book!!!
Thank you for taking the time to share and publish. It is such a difficult time where people want to unify against harm but don’t know how or where to start.