Adam Sherman provides a place of hope and perseverance on ‘Nowhere But Here’
Adam Sherman provides a place of hope and perseverance on ‘Nowhere But Here’
Cambridge singer-songwriter crafts a rock and Americana invitation through a lush and heartfelt new EP out Friday, March 28
NOW PLAYING: Listen to ‘Nowhere But Here’ on Spotify x Bandcamp
Release party with Robin Lane set for Saturday, March 29 at Club Passim
Official music video for ‘How Hard I Tried’ debuts on Tuesday, March 25
BOSTON, Mass. [March 28, 2025] – Adam Sherman would like to extend an invitation. Those who accept and join him are welcome to choose the location, either physical or spiritual, because for the Cambridge singer-songwriter and Boston music scene veteran, simply being present is the most important thing.
It’s a core tenet that pulsates through Sherman’s new EP Nowhere But Here, a lush and heartfelt four-track record out Friday, March 28 on both compact disc and digital, with the release party set for the following night alongside collaborator Robin Lane at Club Passim in Harvard Square. Ahead of the release show, the pair will also perform live on March 23 at Floodwater Brewing Co. in the historic Western Mass. village of Shelburne Falls.
Sherman understands that the destination suggested in the EP title is wherever we may be – or need to be – in order to truly live in the moment, be present, and develop the human connection that dissipates more with each day.
“These songs are all about finding the strength to persevere and move towards love and kindness, even when there is loss,” Sherman says. “I would love listeners to feel that joy and sadness will always be present in our lives and that we can learn to embrace both and persevere.”
Over the years, Sherman himself is no stranger to perseverance. Known for work that spans decades from early bands like Private Lightning and The Souls to a distinguished modern-day solo career and as former guitarist for the resurrected Nervous Eaters, the musician and accomplished visual artist and graphic designer has carefully cultivated a sound that transcends genre.
And on Nowhere But Here, produced by Ken Field and recorded with Lane providing harmony vocals, Sherman’s creative vision crystallizes. Led by last fall’s lived-in and lovelorn “Pure As Yours” and sweeping February single “Gratitude,” the EP is completed by a pair of new tracks in “How Hard I Tried,” which gets the music video treatment on Tuesday, March 25, just ahead of the EP release; and “Torn And Tattered.” The result is a songwriter fully comfortable in his own skin, and the follow-up to 2021 album Triangle Sky finds him exploring some new sonic territory that feels like a natural progression of his songwriting.
“I’ve been moving towards a style of music that is equal parts rock and folk and I feel I’ve come closer to achieving that blend on these songs,” Sherman admits. “I aimed for a sonically sophisticated sound that showcases those two genres, and these songs cover a range of emotions from joy and hope to sadness and heartbreak.”
For such a tight and condensed record, Sherman covers a spectrum of emotion that belies its approximately 14-minute runtime.
Soaring EP opener “Gratitude” acts as a welcome dose of communal appreciation, where Sherman offers thankfulness for the good things in our lives as he searches for light in the darkness. Not unlike his 2021 single “Hope,” which rallied around optimism and community during the Covid-19 pandemic, “Gratitude” is an unapologetic musical remedy to counter the increasing vitriol experienced in these tense and divisive days. With an expansive rock and roll swagger, a lush sense of earnestness, and a warmth that could heat up even the coldest New England winter, the song is defiant in its joy.
It’s followed by the Americana-leaning “How Hard I Tried,” a tender and orchestral ballad that finds him wishing for a connection and finding that desire may not always be enough to form a bond. From there, the rootsy and alt-country imbued “Torn and Tattered” offers personal solace and reality in equal parts as Sherman sings as a man who has seen his share of loved ones come and go. And the yearning closing track “Pure As Yours” acts as the title implies, finding the artist singing about falling in love deeply and honestly. The EP begins with appreciation and ends with hope; and that’s no accident.
“My lyrics have grown more personal over the years,” Sherman admits, “and I’ve found that honesty is integral in my songs.”
Nowhere But Here also finds Sherman at his collaborative best, enlisting Lane for harmony vocals on each aforementioned track. Lane, a Boston music icon known for her work in the ‘80s fronting beloved pop-rock group The Chartbusters, provides vocal depth to the EP, and headlines the Passim release party that celebrates the record. But despite Sherman and Lane both having deep, rich histories in the New England music circles, the pair began collaborating only recently.
“Robin and I met by sharing songs with each other by email,” Sherman says. “I’ve always loved Robin’s voice and when she responded positively to ‘Gratitude’ I asked if she would be willing to sing harmony. She agreed, and when we began recording in the studio it became clear that her voice would be beautiful on the other songs as well.”
In addition to the production from Field, Nowhere But Here was recorded and mixed by Jon Evans at Brick Hill Studio in Orleans, MA; and mastered by Mark Alan Miller. It represents a bit of a new chapter for Sherman, who self-releases the EP under his own Haddon Road Music. It’s indebted to his past work, but also clears a new path forward as his artist studio in Cambridge provides the backdrop for his various creative passions, from writing and playing music to painting to graphic design to running a successful voice lessons business for the past 12 years.
“Musicians invest time and money in bringing their art to their listeners and I have always found it very satisfying to release the final work to the public,” Sherman notes. “We’re living in a time when I feel that more than ever art needs to speak the truth. Through creativity and community we will persevere.”
And Sherman’s sense of community is well-represented on this EP. Much like his monthly Sunday matinee residency at The Plough & Stars in Cambridge, where he is constantly surrounded by collaborators, confidants, and co-conspirators from all circles and scenes of the Boston music scene, Nowhere But Here is a solo effort in theory only.
Across its four tracks, Sherman provides vocals and acoustic guitar and Lane gives an inspired harmony vocal performance. To execute the full vision Sherman has for the EP, he also enlisted Field (string arrangement); Jon Evans (bass, lap steel, percussion), Mark Usher (guitar); Matthew Hutchinson (piano, organ); Matthias Bossi (drums); Dorothea Samaha (violin); and Eve Samaha (cello) to create the ethereal and expansive sound that emerges poignantly from the speakers.
And it should translate well to the Passim stage, where Sherman and his live band promise an intimate collection of songs that span his solo career. And he won’t be shy about his feelings on what’s going on in the world, especially with the stage located across the street from a central location for higher learning and societal acceptance. “There will also be an undercurrent of my political beliefs which I feel must be expressed at this time,” he reveals.
Because in that moment, as the EP title implies, being fully present is the strongest way to rekindle the human connection that we all somehow lost along the way to where we currently are.
“There's only here and now and nowhere else,” Sherman concludes. “We can only be Nowhere But Here.”
‘Nowhere But Here’ EP production credits:
Music and lyrics by Adam Sherman
Produced by Ken Field
Recorded and mixed by Jon Evans at Brick Hill Studio, Orleans MA
Mastered by Mark Alan Miller
String arrangement by Ken Field
‘Pure As Yours’ produced and recorded by Adam Sherman at Sound Central, Cambridge MA
Mastered by Dave Locke at JP Masters
EP cover photo by Adam Signore
EP inner photo by Carissa Johnson
Jacket design by Adam Sherman
All songs by Adam Sherman ©2025 Haddon Road Music ASCAP
‘Nowhere But Here’ EP artwork:
Musicians appearing on ‘Nowhere But Here’:
Adam Sherman: Vocals, acoustic guitar
Robin Lane: Vocals
Jon Evans: Bass, lap steel, percussion
Mark Usher: Guitar
Matthew Hutchinson: Piano, organ
Matthias Bossi: Drums
Dorothea Samaha: Violin
Eve Samaha: Cello
‘Nowhere But Here’ EP release party, March 29 at Club Passim:
For tickets and info, go to passim.org
Adam Sherman bio:
In the good times and the bad, Adam Sherman never lost his spark –- for songwriting, for collaborating, or for bringing people together through music.
The veteran musician and lyricist, who first made his name in the Boston music scene nearly 50 years ago, has bridged the decades with a straight-line of creativity, a calm demeanor, and a cool factor that extends beyond casual. From his early days in the fertile New England music scene with bands like Private Lightning and The Souls to his modern-day solo output and recent guitarwork for the resurrected Nervous Eaters, the sharply-dressed Sherman has been a steady figure in the northeast, with six nominations for various Boston Music Awards and the ability to play any stage, any where.
Now, Sherman readies a new EP, Nowhere But Here, on March 28 via Hadden Road Music. Led by the singles “Pure As Yours” and “Gratitude” and featuring harmony vocals by fellow scene icon Robin Lane, the record gets the proper release party treatment at Club Passim on March 29, the day after the EP hits the streams and brick-and-mortar CD racks.
But to understand Sherman’s creative headspace in 2025, one must rewind the story back to the start.
Sherman first learned to play guitar when he was eight years old after seeing The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. Soon after that historic moment in pop culture, he had his first electric guitar, learning songs by the British Invasion rock groups and folk artists like Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs. When high school began, the New York native turned out to be the only kid willing to sing in a band, so he quickly, as a teenager with a hunger for music and the arts, became accustomed to singing on stage and performing in public.
A lifelong passion would form, and Sherman would go on to play and sing as much as he could. Soon the confines of suburban life led him to leave New York for Boston’s vibrant music scene, and in 1980 co-founded the rock band Private Lightning, leading to a recording contract with A&M Records. Private Lightning would produce two hit singles, “Physical Speed” and “Song of the Kite.” During this period, Sherman began to study with Boston voice teacher Merrill Shea, working with him for three years to develop his confidence and approach.
After Private Lightning split, he formed The Souls to put the focus back on his songwriting. The band’s rock anthem “Shoot for the Moon” was nominated for a Boston Music Award for Best Song.
After eight years of playing clubs with The Souls, Sherman decided it was time for a break from the music business and began to focus on his other love of painting. While painting, he listened to jazz and slowly began to wonder if he could sing jazz standards, gravitating to the work of Chet Baker and experimenting with various vocal styles. In 2014, he wrote the song “January, February” with a jazzy, Baker-inspired feel, and the composition was brought to visual life via a Jeff Hudson music video. Around this time, Sherman released his first critically acclaimed solo album in Songbird.
An interest in jazz singing inspired him to attend a jazz vocal master class led by sought-after performer and teacher Shawnn Montiero, who taught him invaluable lessons about performing and finding his own voice. Sherman felt he had gained enough knowledge to share with young musicians and started teaching voice at his own studio, Voice Lessons Cambridge, where he has been teaching for the past 12 years.
Through the years, rock and roll never vacated Sherman’s spaces, and in 2018 he began writing songs that would become his sophomore solo album River of Dreams. He formed the Adam Sherman Band and released the album with a celebratory performance at the Cloud Club in Boston.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, Sherman found that rather than being shut down creatively, he was inspired to write new music. “Hope,” written during the first days of lockdown, is a plea for strength during dark days. “Justice Lies” is a response to the murder of George Floyd. Both songs formed the core of Sherman’s third solo album, 2021’s Triangle Sky. As the pandemic wore on a small group of musicians began to meet socially on Zoom. The desire to make music together led to the formation of Back Porch Carousel, a collective that would host monthly livestream shows on Facebook and go on to record and release five singles, all completed remotely, that can still be heard on all major streaming services.
With a new EP on the horizon, as well as a successful Sunday matinee monthly at The Plough & Stars in Cambridge, Sherman’s spark shows no signs of fading. Creativity keeps him going, and from those first transformative moments hearing The Beatles to now releasing his most buoyant and self-assured batch of songs more than 60 years later, the one constant in Sherman’s life has been music. It’s at the core of his spark, still burning bright.
Media praise for Adam Sherman:
“Longtime Boston rocker Adam Sherman aims straight for the heart on this EP of gorgeous baroque pop. Over 40 years after he first appeared on local stages with the storied band Private Lightning, and after a more recent stint with the Nervous Eaters, Sherman is coming into his own as a songwriter. The lead track ‘Gratitude’ was written after Sherman considered what could lift him up during a dark and discouraging time, and features harmony vocals from another local legend, Robin Lane.” _WBUR’s 2025 Spring Arts Guide
“‘Gratitude’ has that Americana inflected power pop sound that we seem to love around here. …This is a solid rock song with a positive message that actually rocks. Plus, it features fellow Boston rock legend Robin Lane on backing vocals, and you simply can’t go wrong with that. It’s the type of song that acknowledges things may not be where we want them to be, but they can and will get better, which is a message we could all use right now.” _If It’s Too Loud
“We were immediately taken with ‘Gratitude’ from Adam Sherman, featuring Robin Lane. There is a heartfelt message of hope that lingers gently within the beautiful melodic tapestry of the song that stays with you long after the music has faded.” _The Whole Kameese
“Always a questing artist, Adam takes another exciting step in a career that has produced local legends Private Lightning and The Souls. It’s great to have him back!” _Carter Alan, WZLX
“Adam Sherman makes music that is subtle poetry. His gentle vocal melodies and carefully shaded lyrics echo maturity and grace; his arrangements a sensibility that extends from the coffee-house to the jazz loft and the West Bank. Plus, all the playing on Songbird is note-perfect. A lovely, well-crafted debut.” _Ted Drozdowski, The Phoenix
“Tasty folk-jazz — music for the sheer joy of it and a welcome change of pace.” _Steve Morse, The Boston Globe
“Adam plays a mix of funk, jazz, and blues. When I hear him, I hear Van Morrison, Mose Allison, and Kenny Rankin. That’s a powerful combination, and to find it all in one artist is really a gift.” _Fred Taylor, Scullers and Jazz Workshop Entertainment Director
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