Adrian Croom

Some of Adrian Croom’s best relationships are completely nonverbal. As a songwriter, composer and producer, he creates captivating instrumental music that is sometimes lavish, sometimes elegantly spare and always evocative.

As a service provider for Austin Travis County Integral Care (ATCIC), he assists clients ages 17-52 who have behavioral health needs and developmental disabilities, and his music is often a fundamental component of his work.
Communicating Without Words

One client, an 18 year old young man named Robbie Morse, has been with Croom for several years and is the inspiration for the song “Morse Code.” Morse does not speak, but Croom has learned to understand his client’s nonverbal communication.

Music is an especially rich topic of engagement between the two. Croom can now anticipate which elements of his own music will be most appealing to Morse. Because he creates all components of his songs, either organically or digitally, Croom can experiment with various tones, pitches and instruments to find those that best help him to connect with his clients.

“Robbie is by far my most cultured kid,” Croom said of Morse. “His parents want him to experience as much art and music as possible, so I take him out to a lot of places.” Destinations such as the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, musician Isaac Pena’s studio and local live music events are favorites, as are local restaurants. “We’ve eaten just about everywhere in town,” Croom joked, “but enchiladas from Amaya’s are his favorite.”

Morse’s parents, Kevin and Catherine Morse, are amazed at Croom’s ability to motivate Robbie. He will often resist going out, but Kevin marvels at the fact that “with the promise of music, Adrian can take Robbie almost anywhere.” The Morses consider Croom essential to their son’s wellbeing and an irreplaceable help to them as well. For caregivers like Croom “to come and bring respite and also grow your child…they’re like saints among us,” Kevin Morse asserted.

Living the Dream as a Working Musician

Croom, a native Austinite, has found an ideal balance between his “day job” and his music. As an independent contractor with ATCIC, he is able to set his own hours, which allows him time for creating music, managing the business aspects of his catalog and playing the occasional gig with his friend Ira Henderson as the duo Virgin Shores.

Croom has also collaborated with other skilled local talents including Whiskey Jonez, Roberto Riggio (Atash), engineer Travis Bonner, Isaac Pena (Trio Los Vigilantes), Jon McMahan (Caspian) and producer Tim Moore.

Croom has three albums to his credit so far, all of which are available on iTunes, and his music can be heard on Pandora as well. He has also had success licensing his music for film, a growing revenue stream for contemporary independent artists.

John Aielli is a fan and has welcomed Croom to his KUTX-FM show “Eklektikos” multiple times. Among Aielli’s reflections on Croom: “Just you wait. Hans Zimmer move aside!…You have a really good sense of what makes music, the melodies, the harmonies, the rhythms and percussion are all very strong.”

While some musicians measure success by how frequently they play out or how much recognition they receive in the media, Croom is content with the career he’s constructing outside of those realms. “I’m building my brand, which is just myself,” he noted. “I’m not trying to ‘make it’…I’m making it.”

Learn more about Adrian Croom at AdrianCroom.com and catch him at Cherrywood Coffeehouse for a rare DJ set November 16. 2014 between 12-2 PM during the East Austin Studio Tour. - the Austinot

Music has a way of making people feel ways as they are played, which is what music is supposed to do, connect to a listener on an emotional level. Each musician has their own way of playing and for the Austin, TX based composer Adrian Croom, his style is one that would be very easily suited for a movie. The new album of his, Sub Divo, is full of electronic songs that are all instrumental with unique and stylish beats. Adrian Croom style is to make his songs have an ambient quality to his music, a quality that has a way to be relaxing and invigorating at the same time.

This was the first time that I have heard the music of Adrian Croom but for the first time I must say I was pretty impressed with the music on this CD. At first I was not expecting the album to be instrumental but I actually enjoyed it. Though I must admit that as much as enjoyed listening to this album it's still poses a difficult review to write. When it comes to most normal bands I have the vocals, the lyrics, and the instruments to talk about, but on Sub Divo I only have the instruments. As I listened to the music though I found that it was quite easy to like what I was hearing.

My first thought while listening to Sub Divo was that this music had such a somber tone to it. It's moody, it has a range of sounds that covers mus emotions, but I also realized that it's being played very well. Adrian Croom has composed an album with a wide range of sounds being played by different instruments that blend into a smooth song. What's impressive about this music though is that even with having 10 songs on it, they don't sound alike. These songs are played and composed quite well with the different sounds being used and the way the songs gives an emotional reaction in the listener. - Shakefire (Lee Roberts)

While a label deal might be elusive for this
composer, we can certainly hear film and
TV prospects, perhaps as a show composer.
Suspenseful yet soothing, “Volcano”
emits a steady flow of floating, ethereal
synths, complete with chirps deep in the
track that give the recording a rich, plush
dimension a la Harold Budd. We especially
like how the composition builds to its sonic
eruption. In “Never Stop,” acoustic guitar,
shimmering cymbals and trumpet are
part of a melodic progression that evokes
a mythical coastline. Synths inhale and
exhale on “Airwaves” which features piano
and an R&B beat. As commercial as it is
affecting, Croom’s music is well-suited to
film, TV and videogames. - Music Connection Magazine (July Edition Pg 52)

Every artists work is a culmination of their experiences, influences, and personal tastes. In Adrian Croom’s new album, Sub Divo, you can hear influences from everywhere; single guitar notes reminiscent of the cure, lush string swells straight out of a dreamy drama film, and kick drums the remind you that hip hop still exists. Adrian’s new album sounds like the ambiance of life. He was kind enough to answer some interview questions we threw at him. Here’s what happened:

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Give us the who, what, where, and when of your new project, Sub Divo.

Sub Divo is my third studio album. This album has a very atmospheric, relaxing, down-tempo vibe to it. I produced it in Austin with some of my good friends I grew-up here with. The album just released digitally on June 3rd, 2014.

Your sound is really eclectic with a lot of different genres thrown in. What was your first favorite band as a kid?

My favorite producer growing up was Swizz Beatz. I love his style and overall knowledge of beat making. My favorite band was probably Weezer. Track ten, Only in Dreams off of the blue album, was probably my favorite song. I was pretty all over the place in terms of taste.

Would you fourteen year old self like the music you make now?

Haha, great question. Maybe. I’ve always been a fan of soundtrack music, which parallels a bit with my music. However, when I was fourteen, I preferred a bit heavier sound.

What do you use to produce your music (ableton, logic, Cubase, pro tools, blah blah blah)

I use all sorts of software and techniques. I produced this last record using Ableton, Reason, Pro Tools, FL Studio, Maschine and Sibelius. I used FL Studio primarily for percussion sounds and 808 bass sounds. I would write most of my melodies in either Ableton or Reason with an Axiom MIDI keyboard. I used the Maschine to give me a different style approach of sampling my own creations, a technique I picked up from Swizz Beatz. I used Sibelius to create sheet music for the strings and brass parts. I record all live instruments, mix and master in Pro Tools.

What side of the “analogue synth vs plug-in synth” war do you fall on?

I would pick analogue synths all day over VST synths, if money didn’t matter. With that said,

I only used VST’s on this album. One day I’ll get myself a Prophet and go to town.



What percent of your live show is live instrumentation vs midi syncing and automation?

The live-show for this type of music is rather challenging. It’s been about a 50/50 split of both
live and synthetic elements. I just released the album in a theater here in Austin. It featured live strings, brass, guitars, and timpanis, all on top of the beats. We even had a dancer join us. It was fun!

What’s your idea of “making it”?

"Quit waiting to make it and start making it!" This is a personal quote I came up with and often reiterate to myself. The more you put yourself out there then the better chance for success.

What do you want listeners to know about Adrian Croom?

I hope my music can help people in their day to day life.

This is what my commercial would sound like, “Have you had a long day? Are you tired? Are you sick? Maybe sick and tired? Then, throw on some of these chill down-tempo beats and drift away.” Lol.

Thanks for the interview, Adrian! Anything else?

I do have a Pandora station:

http://www.pandora.com/adrian-croom

Create it, share it, listen, enjoy! - Unsigned & Unleashed

Adrian Croom is a songwriter, composer and producer born and raised in Austin, Texas. His music interweaves programmed beats and synths with live instruments including drums, guitar, cello, violin, flute and euphonium, providing instant appeal for fans of Explosions in the Sky, Sigur Rós and DJ Shadow. Croom just released his third studio album, Sub Divo, via digital retailers on June 3, 2014. - No Echo

Digital Interactive Magazine - Follow the link and go to page 22 for the feature. - Vents Magazine (Pg 22)

Adrian Croom is a musician/composer/songwriter/producer based in Texas.

Over ten tracks, his third album Sub Divo presses all the right buttons for fans of ambient alternative/post rock-leaning acts like Sigur Ros, Explosions In The Sky, Inuit and J Sigsworth.

Perfect music for movies, it’s fitting that Adrian’s music has already featured in prominent television shows and movies

Have a listen to album lead track Volcano, an instrumental ambient/post rock track that sounds just like the soundtrack to your life.

Gorgeous. - Deadly Music

Our friend Adrian Croom first came to our attention through his work in garage pop duo Virgin Shores, but he also has an impressive pedigree in electronic music, making ambient leaning solo works and also producing scores for the likes of ESPN and the From Dusk Till Dawn tv series. So we’re very excited to have the opportunity to premiere his new single “Iter Transtemporale,” which unites his dreamier ambient work and the more supernatural tones he brings to From Dusk Till Dawn. Check it out and let us know what you think! - Ovrld (Morgan)

I hadn't ever heard of Adrian Croom before I checked this out, and dude has under 100 SoundCloud followers to his name, so technically I didn't feel bad for being out of the loop. First listen, though? Even with it only being a shade over two minutes in length, this tune caught me. Premiering with us today on DAD is Croom's super ambitious and cinematic piece "Fast Forward" and the short length I think actually increases the replay factor. The minimal piano intro that almost lulls you to sleep before things take a gigantic upswing with crashes accompanied by epic layers of haunting melodies. And it all gets quiet as quickly as it gets loud. Kind of breathtaking honestly. "Fast Forward" is the first single from Croom's soon-to-be released EP, 2080. - Complex (Brent Tactic)