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Recommended Listening With Damian Erskine : Adam Nitti | “Liminal”
Meet Reviewer Damian Erskine –
Adam Nitti
“Liminal”
www.adamnitti.com
First, a definition:
“Liminal – of, relating to, or being an intermediate state, phase, or condition”
If this is an intermediate phase for Adam, I can’t wait to see where the road takes him!
Let me start this review with a story:
In 2001, I attended the Victor Wooten Bass/Nature camp. It was an all around wonderful experience but one teacher really left an impression on me more than any other. Adam had not only an incredibly kind and warm demeanor and a way of explaining things in a way in which you immediately “got it” but he really walked the talk in so many regards… for example, in an epic bass jam with Adam, Steve Bailey, Victor, JD Blair and Reggie Wooten on Guitar, Adam was the only guy who would step back and simplify to best serve the music and provide a foundation. He is as capable as any up there of trading licks and blowing chops, but he put the music first. I watched him intently and just kept thinking ,”Man.. this guy’s musical ego is REALLY intact and he’s doing everything to make the music FEEL good regardless of whether or not he gets overshadowed in the process”. Now THAT impressed me far more than any solo played that night. That is why Adam is such a wonderful MUSICIAN (and why he’s such a busy one!). It’s this approach that really comes through in this (long awaited) release…
There is studying a plenty to be done by bass players here! Adam’s bass lines are supremely interesting, his soloing is masterful and his pocket is deep, but Adam seems to command a higher level of musicianship and that translates throughout every member of the band. There is a common thread of groove and southern comfort (not the drink) in these compositions with plenty of room for group dynamics and interaction. I was also immediately struck by the tasty B-3 work on the album and was pleasantly surprised to see Johnny Neel’s name. I had the pleasure of playing with Johnny a few years ago at a festival in Idaho (I think?) and he is one of those guys that just emotes pure joy, taste and love in his music. A prefect fit, in my opinion, for Adam’s album.
For those looking for a good study, look no further. Amazing slap work, tasteful tapping, sweeping arpeggiatic runs, solos that leave your jaw on the floor and some of the coolest bass lines and grooves I’ve heard in some time.
And for those just looking for some good music, it doesn’t feel much better than this! My wife, who has an extremely critical ear, walked by as I was listening to “Redemption Street” and actually said, “wow… that feels nice! Who is that?”. If that doesn’t convince you, you obviously haven’t met my wife!
This is Nashville’s A-list doing what they do best! This is also what is so special about Nashville… Music coming out of Nashville is inherently “listenable” and it’s a rare album that can serve both the needs of us as musicians to:
(a) enjoy a musical journey and float along for the ride
but also
(b) as technicians who need something to chew on, transcribe, analyze and dig into in our quest for technical mastery.
This album serves us well in every regard. Alpha and Beta.. it’s all there!
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Photo: Self-portrait by Melissa Auf Der Maur
Melissa Auf Der Maur is a Canadian bassist who played with Tinker, Hole, and The Smashing Pumpkins. She released her own work and is a photographer with photos published in Nylon, Bust, and National Geographic. She released her ‘90s Rock Memoir “Even The Good Girls Will Cry” on 17 March 2026.
KB: Did you always want to be a singer-musician growing up?
I’ve played music my whole life. In school, I played trumpet and sang in a children’s choir, so music was always within me. My mother was the first female disc jockey on the Montreal airwaves; her record collection played a huge role in my inspiration and love of music.
KB: When did you start playing bass, and why this instrument?
When I was 19, the early 90s music explosion began to percolate in tiny clubs around the world. I was lucky to be a ticket girl at Montreal’s underground music club. In one year, I saw Hole, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins, White Zombie, and The Breeders – all had female bass players. That’s when the seed was planted. By the age of 22, I was the bass player of Hole.
KB: Which brands of basses have you used in your career, and which one are you using now?
The first bass that I learned on was a vintage Squier Precision. Hole was sponsored by Fender guitars, so I upgraded to Fender Custom Shop Precisions. That is all I play, but I have a cool vintage 8-string Greco that I use on recordings to thicken up guitar parts.
KB: What equipment do you use or have you used with your basses?
Ampeg SVT amps and cabinets, a couple of Sans-Amp pedals, and that is it.
KB: How did you become a member of Hole, and what is your fondest memory of that time?
Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins was helping scout a replacement for (RIP) Kristen Pfaff, Hole’s bass player. My band, Tinker, opened for them on the Siamese Dream tour, so Billy had seen me play and could vouch for me. Courtney trusted her talented friend, and that was it. I initially said “no thank you” due to my commitment to my photographic studies and the drama and chaos surrounding the band during the “Live Through This” album release. Courtney took it as a good sign that I said no, so convinced me to reconsider, and soon after, I accepted their invitation, in the name of helping put females in the male-dominated landscape of rock music. My fondest memory is every show we played as a mostly female band, symbolizing what a woman could do in a rock band. Every show had a purpose: get more women to play music.
KB: You are a photographer as well. What makes a great picture? Do you shoot in color or b/w?
I started shooting photographs at age 15. Initially only shot black & white and worked in the art school darkroom. In university, I took a color photography course, and shifted mostly and forever to that, because it was easier to process film on the road when I joined a rock band. I experimented with many cameras, point and shoots, manual, polaroids, medium format, and vintage finds. The trick to a good photograph is to shoot many and all the time – the magic is in the edit and selection process.
KB: Are there artists you would love to collaborate with or wish you had?
??I’ve been lucky to collaborate with some of my favorite musicians in my career. I would still love to collaborate with a new generation heavy electronic artist on an analog bass, heavy electronic drums, and synths collaboration project. Take me out of my usual zone, merging the past and future: my love of 80s dark new wave and new artists exploring that genre. It was very futuristic back then, and we are now, after all, living in the future. I am in the mood to play bass to heavy beats I want to dance to.
KB: What are your 7 favorite bass lines in music across all genres? And why these 7?
“Mountain Song” – Jane’s Addiction (love a rambling, rolling bass line – feels like the ocean waves)
“Black Top – Helmet” (was the first bass line I taught myself)
“Gold Dust Woman” – Hole from “The Crow 2” Soundtrack (it was my first bass line contribution to the band)
“Get Ready” – The Temptations (Motown just feels so good, because of the bass)
“Lucretia My Reflection” – Sisters of Mercy (makes me want to hit the dance floor and play bass simultaneously)
“Be My Druidess” – Type O Negative (full chord bass playing at its best by iconic, demonic, Peter Steele, RIP)
“Romantic Rights” – Death from Above (1979 – unique distorted overdriven tone, combined dance rhythm and melodic intelligence, all in one shot – also! Shout out to a bass & drum only band, which is awesome, and we should have more of, but the bass player needs to be a killer to fill that role.
KB: What are you currently up to?
Releasing my ‘90s Rock Memoir “EVEN THE GOOD GIRLS WILL CRY”. Visceral healing process, it was to get it out of me and write it, but I suspect the real magic will begin by putting it into the world and reflecting with others on what the magic of the ‘90s was all about. Powerful music decade that carried us into what is now a brave new world of digital corporate weirdness – may the past shed a light on our future. That’s my hope for this book release and tour.
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