kcbass history: Claire has had Johnny play quite a few gigs with her original music when she plays the guitar. He was in this video above and as you can see having a great time playing with kc great musicians. Johnny also played many gigs with Mikal Shapiro and other projects of his when Claire was playing bass. She really plays and does everything including writing music for strings. Her teaching at kcbass is to highlight the many facets of music that bass players typically do. Her talents also include how great she teaches all levels of bassists so you are in for a treat if you get a class with her at the workshop. Currently she relocated to Mexico so we are also very excited she could make the week in her busy schedule.
Musically curious and multifaceted, Claire Adams has spent more than a decade touring, recording and songwriting to hone her melodic instincts and vision. A bassist, guitarist, singer and songwriter, Adams has lent a discerning ear and versatility to a number of projects.
Picking up guitar as a teenager, Adams was immediately drawn to songwriting. Her penchant for wordplay and melody led her to Nashville to study, write and perform, sparking an interest in traveling, touring and working in collaborative environments.
Upon returning closer to home in 2010, Adams set up shop in Kansas City, Missouri, and founded the eight-piece genre-jumping collective Claire and the Crowded Stage – a project that united her pop sensibilities with non-traditional instrumentation. This project teamed her up with guitarist Katy Guillen and drummer Stephanie Williams, leading them to form the nationally touring blues-rock trio Katy Guillen & the Girls in 2012, with Adams on bass and backing vocals.
2020 finds Adams performing solo, collaborating with the KC based string quartet Rewound, and in a trio featuring pianist Alyssa Murray.