The Proper Authorities
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2005 | INDIE
Music
Press
...Perfect Alibi is an upbeat, strident pop/rock track that really showcases Keith Adams’ considerable abilities as singer, songwriter and producer…
...It takes great skill to write a first rate pop song and then huge talent to make the creative vision a reality. Adams achieves all this with consummate ease and the result is the best single I’ve yet heard this year and I’ll be surprised if there’s a better one. - The Faulkner Review
...“Perfect Alibi” is one of those tracks that will make you feel like you are in outer space as you listen to it. It is powered by dreamy synth, electrifying guitar-play, and a tempo that will make you nod your head violently. The song also features a roaring vocal performance that will effortlessly seep through every part of your mind, body, and soul, memorable melodies, and lyrical content that will remind you how important it is to assess, grasp, and accept the downfall of a relationship that you are in that might not be as rosy as it once was. - Ratings Game Music
Introducing a brilliantly crisp and warm rock sound, with soulful vocals taking a little inspiration from the likes of Prince as much so as the heavier bands of the nineties – The Proper Authorities weave a creatively melodic and conceptual web around listeners with this new single.
Emerging complete with a strangely captivating animation for a video, the song brings through the band’s unique vocal drive and organic, funky yet almost grunge-like instrumental approach in a powerful way… - Stereo Stickman
Among the explosion of "one-man bands" that technology has made possible, the usual common thread is a lo-fi sound or at the very least an intimate feel. Keith Adams is having none of that. With Public Service Announcement, the veteran of local Techno-Rock faves Sound Mind (and more recently Power Pop trio Giant Wow) has made an album that celebrates the view from his corner of the music world, which is danceable, hard-hitting, eclectic and selectively introspective. With synth-heavy grooves, unexpected key changes and a healthy dose of Rock charisma, the project is part Information Society and part '80s Genesis. Adams' smooth voice has appreciable range, and his keyboard and guitar playing show off his inventiveness and compositional chops (although my one complaint with the disc is that the potential variety of guitar and bass tones and crunch aren't fully explored). Naturally, the drumming is phenomenal; as in Adams' other bands, he displays the metronomic precision that makes you wonder if the parts were programmed, and the tasty feel to prove they weren't. Released in January, PSA's tunes have already been snatched for compilations and podcasts, and "The Ninth Life Jitters" has even won some very legit songwriting awards. Taking DIY to a new level, Adams has also produced a video for the song "Devastate" using the CGI skills he has honed at his multimedia design company, further illustrating that anything can happen where talent and determination intersect. Hopefully Adams will assemble a band to eventually bring this outstanding virtual project into the live realm. (Ezra Waller) Grade: B - Cincinnati CityBeat, 6-14-2006
"What? Another review already? I am so far behind,again....forgive me.
Maybe I'll blame Keith Adams, aka The Proper Authorities. I put this CD on at long last and whoa, it's tearin' my s__t UP... this is a great album, nice crunchy rock-pop with some nice hooks, great songwriting and did you notice I only mentioned Keith Adams. Yep, Mr. Adams has pulled a Prince and wrote, played and sang this album all by his badass self.
13 solid, blistering tracks and each have a real big sound. The one band this reminds me of is the mighty Queensryche back in the 'Empire' days... same great pacing and is a bit conceptual. But I think TPA stands fine without any comparsions other then to say its a great table setter to the next album.
Highly recommended"
http://www.thehereandthere.net/music-reviews/entry?id=301 - The Here and There E-Zine, 9-21-2006
The Proper Authorities took home two awards in the 2006 6-Pack Challenge, a six-category music contest sponsored by Broadjam.com! The Proper Authorities came in 2nd Place in the "Lights, Camera, Music" Challenge with the "Devastate" video, and 15th Place (Top 20) in the overall contest!
Visit http://www.broadjam.com/6pack/winners.asp to learn more! - http://www.broadjam.com/6pack
...
9. Determined to give Dave Grohl a run for his money, Cincy drummer Keith Adams (Giant Wow, former Sound Mind) came out of nowhere with a huge one-man Rock show dubbed The Proper Authorities. Public Service Announcement, his debut disc of heavy Progressive Pop, is scheduled for release next month.
... - Cincinnati CityBeat, 12-21-2005 issue
The Proper Authorities was one of the Top 5 winners in the Rock / Alternative category of the 7th Annual Great American Song Contest with the song "The Ninth Life Jitters!"
Check out http://www.greatamericansong.com/winners.html for more info!
- greatamericansong.com
The song "The Ninth Life Jitters" was one of the Top 500 winners in the 13th Annual Billboard World Songwriting Contest!
Although they don't go so far as to actually list the Top 500 for some odd reason, check out http://www.billboardsongcontest.com for more info on the contest! - http://www.billboardsongcontest.com
The Proper Authorities was mentioned in Cincinnati's local news and entertainment weekly magazine CityBeat in their music feature, "The Year In Your Ear," a listing of the top local CD releases of 2006, compiled by music editor Mike Breen! Though not one of the top 20, "Public Service Announcement" made the "Best of the Rest" list, sharing honors with some extremely good Cincy songsmiths like Ruby Vileos, Bulletproof Charm, Noctaluca, GhostMonster, and more! - Cincinnati CityBeat, 1-3-2007 issue
Discography
- "Perfect Alibi" (single)
- "Regain Control" (single)
- Public Service Announcement (LP) featuring the tracks "The Ninth Life Jitters," "Make A Choice for Me," and "Devastate"
NOW STREAMING everywhere online: Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and more
Photos
Bio
The Proper Authorities is the solo project of singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Keith Adams. Known primarily for his work with the bands Sound Mind and Giant Wow, where he shared bills with acts like Filter, Stabbing Westward, Meat Beat Manifesto, Alien Ant Farm, Moth, Jupiter One, Lab Partners, Dink, and many more. Adams created the Proper Authorities to branch out and work on his lifelong compositional and performance skills.
As in past groups, Adams continues to experiment strongly in the modern pop rock genre with sounds and grooves that aren't usually found there. His appreciation for over-the-top arrangements is tempered nicely by his love for good hooks. His lyrics touch on a variety of subjects: matters of self; emotional snapshots in time; tragic and comic figures; and the things that we all want... or at least think that we want.
The most recent single, "Perfect Alibi," uses dreamy synth, high-power guitars, and a pulse-pounding rhythm section to set the stage for an epic, sensual retrospective on a souring relationship, the increasingly visible cracks in its foundation, and the search for a sorrowful truth that seems already uncovered. The single "Regain Control," released in 2019, is a high-speed, hard-hitting rock song about a successful heist, second thoughts, and tough consequences.
The Proper Authorities' first full-length recording, "Public Service Announcement," was also released through the imprint Talon First Records in January 2006. It features 13 tracks and over 50 minutes worth of high-impact material for listeners and lovers of heavy guitar, electro textures, lush vocal harmonies, and booty-shaking grooves.
"The theme I was most interested in was how time affects our approaches to living,” explained Adams about the 2006 album. "A song about 'You can accomplish anything you want' has more weight and realism to it when you add 'But you'd better step up to the task before it's too late.'"
Drawing on his professional skills as a multimedia developer, Adams has created videos for "Perfect Alibi" and two of the "Public Service Announcement" tracks, providing a visual element via self-produced hybrids of CGI animation and live action. The award-winning "Devastate" features a starbound Adams facing an Earth-aimed cluster of asteroids, while "The Ninth Life Jitters" follows a man chased by shadowy pursuers.
The Proper Authorities track "Today" appears briefly in the 2012 short film "Radius," the first-ever game-sourced movie.
Band Members
Links
