Maritime born and raised, Adam Cotterill flushes his powerful vocals into thoughtful rhythms and lyrics, all of which root from stories and experiences of his home in the East Coast. Heavily inspired by the local musicians that make up Nova Scotia, Adam strives to join them in telling the stories of his home, through rugged folk, traditional country, and soulful tunes.
From a young age, music filled the empty space around him. At 20, he tuned into inspiration that came from his family, and merged it with his passion for performing. Living with his wife in a shoebox apartment in Vancouver, he took to busking, looking for the coastal community he was missing.
“On a whim, I decided to sit down and play on the corner of West 4th and Vine near my home in Kitsilano. Busking was a pivotal point for me, my passion for music and entertaining shifted, and became the spark I hadn’t realized I’d lost.”
Like most East Coasters, Adam sees opportunity in obstacle –– “maybe that’s because things don’t come easy out here, but the connections made by music make all of the hard work worth it.”
Returning to Nova Scotia in 2008, Adam began to focus on building his presence in the music scene. In 2010, Adam joined Sidetracked as a vocalist and guitarist until 2014. Then, helped in founding his last band, NSFW [Not Safe for Work] playing together for three years, until parting ways in 2018.
Over the years, Adam devoted time to performing both as a solo artist and with various groups. He’s performed at Truro Summer Concert Series [2014 – 2016], River Words Festival in [2015], weekly at The Nook and Cranny as a summer artist in residence [2019]. He has also graced many other stages across Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Most recently, you can hear him with The Notorious Tellers. Backed by bandmates Peter Arseneau, Kellan Menhennett, and Jeff White, the group focuses on crafting original music in the heart of downtown Truro.
The Notorious Tellers
- Peter Arseneau – percussion
- Kellan Menhennett – lead guitar
- Jeff White – bass guitar
Named rightfully so in respect to the historic bank vault that housed their rehearsal space in the core of downtown Truro. The group was formed in the fall of 2018 and continues to hone their performance and collaborate on new music that is driven to connect people and explore the connections we all share with one another.