10 Questions with ... Adam "Adrock" Lebensfeld

1. What made you want to get into the music business and what was your first job?

In college I was interning at a company (I can't remember its specific name) in Buffalo that sold recording equipment and had a sound studio. They sold Select Sound Studios in Buffalo the first automated board (the Studer Dyaxis); the owner was installing the board at the studio and we were chatting. He asked me what I wanted to do with my life after college. I told him I wanted to be a recording engineer and he said to me "Son, that's a career where you live in the studio. You seem like a bright kid, go work on the business side and you'll have a much happier life." And ... he was right. So, jump a few years later ... I called every promotions person working almost weekly, asking if they needed an assistant. Most of them never took my call, but Frank Murray -- at that time at Capitol --did. He told me to keep checking back and a few months later he moved to Hollywood Records and hired me as his assistant.

2. Can you give us a history of the labels you worked for before joining In De Goot?

My first gig was at Hollywood Records as a promotions assistant. While I was working at Hollywood, during the week I worked at Hot 97 as a street teamer on the weekends. That morphed into promo assistant and video promotions person. Then Hollywood cleaned house and Frank Murray brought me over to S.I.N. Magazine with him. It was a brutal gig and I left a few months later. I then was a temp for Ron Poore at RCA.

3. When and how did you hook up with Bill McGathy and In De Goot?

I was hired as a temporary promo assistant when Phil Kaso, Elias Chios and Dave Loncao all moved from RCA to Roadrunner. I took Phil's assistants gig as a temp for Ron Poore. I worked there for a bit under two months and was able to clear up a lot of things that the other assistants just couldn't do. Tony Couch was Bill's assistant at the time and he was taking a job at Hits and looking for his replacement as Bill's assistant. I knew most of the guys and girls there and Rose knew me well, as I used to come to the McGathy office to help pack bags and make badges for the McGathy party. I interviewed with Bill and he offered me the gig on the spot.

4. In De Goot started out primarily as a promotion company, but has also grown into a major artist management company. Who were some of the first artists you guys began to manage?

Back when promotions was the primary business, the company managed bands like Screamin Cheetah Wheelies, Into Another, Seaweed, Samiam, Fluffer, Shades Apart. All of those were there before I got there. I came in on the tail end of those bands. The big switch to management started when we picked up 3 Doors Down and Chevelle, followed by Puddle Of Mudd and Shinedown.

5. Now let's fast forward to today. Who are some of the Rock artists that In De Goot manages and works with today?

Chevelle, Shinedown, Highly Suspect, Biffy Clyro, Black Stone Cherry, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Halestorm, In This Moment, Jesse Malin, Jon Langford, Neon Trees, The Picturebooks, Royal Republic, Theory of a Deadman, Slothrust, Spirit Animal, Story of the Year, Wilson.

6. In De Goot also recently joined forces with Scottish superstars Biffy Clyro for U.S. representation. How is this project going for you?

The project is going really well. We were all fans of the band before we signed them, but after I got to see them play several times I'm obsessed. We had a very great run with the first single, "Howl," and I thank the PDs and MDs who invested in this band. Our game plan from the beginning was to find people who wanted to make an investment in a band that headlines the Saturday night main stage at Download Festival; a band that draws hundreds of thousands of people overseas. A band that has a cult following in the States (and if you go to a show, you see how interactive the audience is in the set they do the sporadic claps of "Re-arrange" or the whoas in "Many A Horror").

7. You've done Rock promotion and worked with many great Rock artists at a high level for years. What's your take on the current state of Rock radio?

Rock radio is in a transition period. It's the same place that Alternative was in four or five years ago. It's a pendulum and currently it's swinging towards Alternative. Rock Radio is responding by playing a wide variety of rock. Some light, some mainstream, some hard ... and it covers a wide spectrum of the current tastes and hits a wider demo. With all of the access people have to get music instantly, the day of a listener only listening to, say, metal and not liking anything else is a shrinking demo. Today's listener has a wide range of styles they like ... and radio is responding to that.

8. Looking ahead, are than any other artists who you're going to be working with you can tell us about?

Well, we just picked up Aryon Jones & The Way out of Seattle. It's got some blues elements mixed into a rock presentation with a sprinkle of very early Lenny Kravitz mixed in. New Years Day on Century Media. Ash Costello has a big following and is on the cover of Revolver Mag this month and AP next month. She also has her own clothing line via Hot Topic. NYD is doing dates with Halestorm and then doing Warped Tour. Their fan base is loyal and growing tremendously.

9. You recently made the move to Nashville to open an office for In De Goot there. Why did you guys decide to open up a shop in Music City?

In the last few years, there has been a few labels and booking agencies opening up offices down here in Nashville ... and not to do country, but to do rock and alternative. We thought that now would be a good time to get in on the ground floor and have representation in the Southeast. With Chris Frank in St Louis to cover the Midwest and our consultants on the West Coast, with me in the Southeast we now cover all territories. Plus, we have several bands who live in and around Nashville. We don't have an office yet, but we will have one soon.

10. Finally, I know you have a crazy busy schedule. When you're not in rock promotion/management work mode, what do you like to do to relax and get away from the business?

I have been training jiu-jitsu on and off at Renzo Gracie Academy NYC for almost 12 years now. I enjoy the mental chess aspect of jiu-jitsu and it also keeps me focused and reinforces discipline which I try and bring into my work. There's a panic that could happen when someone is trying to choke you out ... when you are disciplined and believe in the techniques you can relax, assess the situation and execute the escape techniques. That translates into the same philosophy I use for work. Outside of jiu-jitsu, I like to unwind on a chair or hammock in a relaxing place by myself and listen to music on my headphones. I use the scenery and the music to meditate.