The support isn’t that surprising for Peter Bradley Adams, but he does admit it’s humbling. After raising $20,000 on Kickstarter to fully fund his next album, it’s clear the acoustic songwriter’s style resonates with many. As if that’s not proof enough, perhaps it’s the 40+ programs that chose an Adams’ tune to highlight a scene — a sign that the ebb and flow of songs from Leavetaking or Traces highlight any scene.

Now, Adams is back in the studio working on his latest with the direct support from his fans. We were anxious to talk to him in a time where press interviews aren’t typically encouraged to get an inside look at what’s happening, how the songs are shaping up and his own response to the Kickstarter program.

SSv: Can you talk about this new recording you’re working on? What’s the best part or what is most exciting?

Peter Bradley Adams: For me, it’s really all about the songs. I’m really excited about this batch of songs. They’re the best stuff I’ve written so far, so that sets the tone for the next record. I don’t know if I had a definitive direction I wanted to go in, but I did want to make the production of this new record raw and bold. I would say both of those, because I didn’t want things as smoothed over as my other stuff.

It really all starts with the songs and then going out and playing them and recording them. I’ve just spent so much time with them. The ones that don’t cut it, they just fall away before you get to the end of the process. So that’s the first thing, but I’m excited about how it’s all come so far.

SSv: Did Traces do what you hoped it would do?

PBA: You know, I didn’t have a lot of expectations for it. It got a lot of TV and film placements, which is more than I had expected. I was really grateful for that. I didn’t have a lot of expectations though. I just put it out there almost too quickly after the last one. I didn’t think of what I was really expecting it to do. I have more expectations for this one than I did for Traces.

SSv: How did you put it out too quickly?

PBA: Well, I mean I just wrote and recorded it really quickly. It was a little over a year, but it was ready before that year was up. That’s the way I did it, so I’m not going to regret it. [Laughs] But I learn so much making these records, and I’m really using what I’ve learned on this new one that I’m working on now.

SSv: Let’s talk Kickstarter, because I saw you just made 100% of your goal.

PBA: Yeah, I made $20,800. The Kickstarter website is really designed for smaller, more interesting projects and it’s not really made for me. It’s for cause-oriented projects and I think it attracts people like that. So I was just using it as a platform to organize the fundraising. I wasn’t really expecting the random people who go to Kickstarter to give any money, so it was really just a way to direct my fans to a place where they could give money in a really secure way. We could keep track of donations really well.

I was resistant to the whole idea of asking my fans for money. When people started to do it a lot, the more I thought about how ridiculous it was to not at least try it — at least for this one. I don’t know if I will do it again, but it worked out great for this one and it’s incredible that I’ll be able to own the masters when we’re done. I don’t have to owe back a record label, which is what makes it so difficult nowadays.

SSv: Were you surprised at the response of people and reaching that 100% goal?

PBA: I would say I am more grateful than surprised. I had a feeling that I had just enough support that I could reach my goal. I’ve been getting enough feedback over the last few years that I trusted that I could do it.

SSv: You said you were resistant to that.

PBA: The only resistance was an ego thing. You put out a couple records on a label and then suddenly you do it by yourself. That’s ridiculous, because if anything, the process of doing this and getting people’s reaction has made the whole thing seem a lot more important than if a label just gave me a record project and some A&R guy works with me. The whole thing seems more important because you realize why you’re making it and who you’re making it for. It’s really humbling in a way I would say. That’s been my experience with it.

Also, including people in the process has been really good. I trust these people that they give me money and support me in what I’m doing and they’re into it.

SSv: The earlier emphasis on the songs make me curious about the songwriting process. How different does that process look than it did two or three albums ago?

PBA: Well, the songwriting process is a mystery to me still. I don’t really have a process. It’s always crazy how they actually get written. [Laughs] The process generally is that a vital part or chunk of the song will come to me pretty quickly. It will be a really transcendent experience and then the rest is just work making it as perfect as it can be, lyrically and musically. I don’t know if that has changed for me, but I hope it’s getting better and coming from a deeper place. It’s hard to describe really. Maybe it’s more that I’m figuring out my voice more — not my actual voice, but I’m digging deeper into what exactly it is that I’m doing.

SSv: What are you finding as you dig deeper?

PBA: That’s a good question, man. [Pause] My favorite stuff seems to also be the most simple stuff. In some cases, it’s even, for lack of a better word, the rootsy stuff. It’s the stuff that when it comes, it feels old in a way. [Laughs] I don’t know how to describe it. I would also say that lyrically, I’m digging a lot deeper, too.

I’m about to do a few shoes opening up for Mary Gauthier, who is an incredible songwriter. I read this review where she said that she wrote a bunch of songs that were very directly about her life and just putting herself out there. Eventually, she had to make it about something bigger than just herself.

I would almost disagree with her because the stuff that was just about her is for everyone. You don’t want it to be just a confessional. I don’t want to be a confessional songwriting writing about a break-up or whatever. Even if you use that material, which you have to, it will resonate in a place bigger than your little experience. When you hit it, you kind of know that it’s not just about you.

SSv: Are you getting better at reading or tapping into that transcendent experience?

PBA: I say that, but the great thing is you have these moments is that you think you’ve found this incredible part. You sit down and record it and then come back the next morning and think, ‘What the hell was I thinking? It’s total oversentimentality.’ I think sometimes you can’t always read it, but if nothing else, I will know it the next day and then throw it out.

SSv: You mentioned the multiple placements on TV and film. Are you surprised by what people grab on to?

PBA: I never know. It always seems strange. I think it’s just that I’ve gotten lucky and the producers are looking for this vibe. They’re looking for a song that will lyrically work but will not be too specific, because that will work against the scene. But I don’t know, it’s always strange to see all these things get picked up. Then again, I don’t have a TV, so I haven’t seen a lot of these shows. But the ones I have seen make me say, ‘Really? Okay.’ [Laughs]

You can purchase Peter’s CD here.