Adam Ragusea - Free To Be (Not So Mean)

[@YannisManesis]

Why I season my drumsticks and not my snare drum

[@TheCHRISCaPWN]

Gold

[@TheBeastyBlackSheep]

+

[@benlavine6259]

Vinegar drumstick is on the right

[@Kenjiro5775]

I season my fingers, that way EVERYTHING tastes good. 😉

[@SkippyZii]

​@@benlavine6259 VINEGAR DRUMSTICK IS ON THE RIGHT REMEMBER THAT

[@realkingofantarctica]

Hardest you've cooked on this channel.

[@joewatson7069]

Ragusea's cooked

[@iuristasiv9360]

😂😂😂😂

[@Rex-golf_player810]

Telling my kids this is weezer

[@anathemasoul8393]

it is weezer.

[@cacafart1399]

first thing i thought

[@ciocio-san]

wdym? this is weezer

[@chelybeann]

My favorite thing is that Adam just vibes and we’re just here for him lol

[@hobbyguy99]

Remember when KZbin used to be like this? When someone's channel would convey the range of interests they have.

[@saidchammas]

Atomic Shrimp

[@raraavis7782]

​@@saidchammas I was going to say the same. KZbin's last 'renaissance man' 😅

[@guieming3018]

@@raraavis7782 lol same

[@JoeAuerbach]

Some channels still are. You just never see the other stuff. That's the algorithm you're detecting.

[@jacobbass6437]

Rajiv Surendra! Is like that.

[@chilldude30]

Dad rocks

[@breadley2687]

Bro decided to stop cooking meals and began cooking music

[@mrdanthesnowman]

He seasons his sheet music and not his steaks.

[@Guardian_Arias]

Or maybe he cooked up a batch of extra special brownies.

[@JHaven-lg7lj]

He’s always been cooking music! I made Adam’s crust pie a couple years ago because I knew my son-in-law would love it as much as I do, and he about died laughing because he’s only ever known Adam through his music!

[@JoeAuerbach]

Breaking Good

[@wobblysauce]

When you used to use Metal and now Nonstick.

[@samueltabotta]

Never been happier to have subscribed to a cooking channel

[@Nilejavxip]

and a COOKING channel.

[@TR0NDAONE]

Same

[@channelcooking2533]

Waiting for next hit song "rather cringe than rude" ❤

[@Pedun42]

Cringe is an end user phenomenon

[@LightSpinAngler]

Guys we really shouldn’t have let the short shorts slide, he’s out of control.

[@tiaxrulesall]

The shorts are a big part of the sick garage vibes here lol

[@LightSpinAngler]

@@tiaxrulesall sick for sure

[@devnullsrevenge]

Okay Adam, that G - F#min/A - F#7/A# - Bmin progression at 1:05 is a total earworm. I've been listening on repeat. That contrasting guitar and bass work really does help showcase the relative minor V-i harmonies. Good work and thanks for pointing those LPs out.

[@Tunturisorsa]

that progression is so anime in a great way :D

[@OddBod]

Not crazy for the vocals/lyrics, but I really dig the instrumental composition. And either way, good on you for doing and sharing the stuff you are passionate about, I think that is what has brought me and many others to this channel in the first place. Some people in the comments are just being dicks, ironically on a song about just that lol. Screw them and more power to you Adam.

[@JoeAuerbach]

I like the actual content of the lyrics, and Adam has quite a nice voice, I just think there's a certain audio quality that we're accustomed to hearing when it comes to vocal tracks. This just doesn't meet those expectations, but I don't know that I dislike that. I'm actually thinking about how I detect the difference between this and a Pomplamoose song. And I Don't know enough about audio recording to say except that I suspect Natalie is using a different microphone setup or maybe she's encoding differently. But this is very promising

[@ivanv754]

For the vocals he could go for some distortion or compression, like Arctic Monkeys. Would make him sound stronger while he trains.

[@bulbinking]

@@JoeAuerbach The production isn’t the issue here. Ask any signing coach.

[@sheipi2855]

@@JoeAuerbach I feel like I like the idea of the lyrics but its maybe a bit too blunt in its message, it feels a bit like he's just saying the idea without much "decoration" to them

[@drportland8823]

For a guy who is such an excellent writer, I did not expect the music to be better than the lyrics.

[@mattperegrine873]

I came to say the Same! Although I appreciate the "Free to Be You and Me" and the Nick Lowe references.

[@matnovak]

He has a background in classical composing so personally i did expect that

[@SaiChooMusic]

Writing lyrics is way different than writing non-fictional prose

[@joshbrowngames]

There's the people that will like the song. And then there's the people who have watched Adam from the beginning who were going to GET this song.

[@D34DParadise]

The lyrics make me think that this is the kind of song you will hear a band play live in a coffee shop in Portland, Oregon.

[@aprilderg7241]

Very uncanny hearing the voice telling me how to cook suddenly start singing Kinda like a random ai cover But this is far, far better than that

[@Nilejavxip]

preach, sis.

[@izzy4reel]

This is surprisingly in line with his other content.

[@Megaman231122]

I remember years ago when you teased about your music during the ad for the split speakers. I never thought about it, but man this was a joy. This truly is the Adam Regusea channel, not cooking, not mini docs, not music, not starting a business. It's actually all of those things, because they are all Adam. Thank you for sharing yourself to the world, cause you truly are just a great lad

[@spencermorgan5972]

I like adam but I feel he drops in something about how well financially setup he is into every second video lately, and now he's writing song lyrics to that effect as well haha. Also sorry, but this song... man, I dunno...

[@VitorPinheiro]

I stopped listening right after the line about money for this reason. I'm happy for Adam's financial success, but hearing him talk about it every other video is getting annoying

[@hidarling641]

@@VitorPinheiro Mans flexes so much you'd think he's a rapper instead of a cooking channel lol

[@Jordan-ru8yf]

Is it so bad though? Pretty much, he is trying to convey the fact that at a certain point people have enough money. From that point, needlessly seeking more can be bad, both for yourself and for others. Frankly I wish many other people would see that as well. Is it a bit annoying still? Kind of, he could definitely tone it down a tad after the initial point was gotten across. But its still not a flex necessarily, and the whole point is that he doesn't really care about what others think at this point. Lol, it was even the point of this song. If you dont like it he probably doesnt care since, as he makes abundantly clear, he has plenty of money and doesnt need any more.

[@aaaaa359]

He's not flexing. He's acknowledging his privileged position. He often even criticizes the very systems that benefit him. That's probably already too much self reflection to ask from a rich American.

[@MayoBytes]

Love the dad rock!! I'm 100% down for the renaissance man direction your channel has taken! This is very inspiring to me as a hobbyist guitarist and music lover. I've always had dreams of recording myself and sharing it out but that's also a really scary idea when it comes to music. I'm so glad you decided to share this with your audience on KZbin!

[@Ruhma.]

Some nice riffing...has potential. I liked 2:10 onwards. The songwriting needs help though. Once you use "butthole" in a song you have to commit to the bit - fully lean into the goofiness or it doesn't work. I get that it's "dad rock" but it's giving theatre kid/musical and your guitaring deserves better than that.

[@chrisa2657]

This mentality has been holding the nuances of self expression back for far too long. Say butthole if you mean it Adam

[@seronymus]

Adam is a theater kid

[@poopman384]

Hard agree, i checked out after the first couple lines. It doesn't work.

[@shwarma]

It is 100% sounding like a song from a musical

[@BurgerKingRuefe]

I am sort of glad that english isn't my first language, i can ignore the lyrics if i focus on the bassline for example ^^

[@adampavelec857]

As a seasoned drummer (pun intended - been playing since the mid/late 80’s), it’s refreshing to hear the decisions you’ve made after only a year of commitment! Keep pushing on, and most importantly, enjoy the journey! Respectfully, a fellow Adam from the CLE!

[@AndrewChiNguyen]

Finally, Bo Burnham's Inside 2

[@enriquehernandez8947]

I love that you're insane now 😂

[@OttoKreml]

He's a dad now.

[@Pedun42]

He's always been a musician. Now he just doesn't care as much about his channel metrics. You could say he's 'over it,' like Marco and those Knorr commercials.

[@kiraishere69420]

I listened to the whole ep, dont like the music but it makes me so happy that hes making it and hope he doesn't stop! :)

[@vargorn9345]

To be honest i think its peak content. To think he came all the way to this point. Cheers man

[@giorgioortiz]

So Adam can cook, garden, science, video edit, storytell, sing, play guitar, play drums, write music, produce, and build fish habitats. What's next? CNC machining?

[@thalente8074]

Probably

[@onam3000]

I have a feeling this comment is going to age like the finest wine

[@CharlesVanNoland]

Opening a pizza shop.

[@bulbinking]

Idk what you were watching but I think its pretty clear adam can NOT sing…

[@giorgioortiz]

@@bulbinking Will he win the Voice? probably not. Can he sing? Better than average. Please leave your negativity behind.

[@theFatTubist]

Just finished listening to the songs, super glad you're doing this. Way to go!

[@kozangla8833]

absolutely stunning performance.

[@paulgerald1985]

NGL, this was actually quite a bop. Keep up the good work Adam!

[@RedGulleem]

You're such an inspiration to me Adam! I love the way this whole KZbin experience changed you and made you a better person. I love that you are able to dedicate enough time to learn/practice and compose all of this, all by yourself, and post it to us. That really means a lot! And I loved it. I dig the vocals, it matches what you are saying and who you are. The lyrics are great and a clear letter to your kids on your reflections. Well done sir

[@veggie62a]

Honestly, having followed your career basically since the start, I understand where your lyrics are coming from entirely. Really good on you for learning literally every instrument in this!

[@t3dwork]

After this, the yt algo served me a radiohead tune. I consider that a compliment, and so should you!

[@juju-been]

I really dig that riff! It itches something in my brain

[@cyberneticsiren]

Just when I thought this channel couldn’t get any better 😭😭😭😭

[@stevef.8708]

Damn, Adam! A guilty pleasure not only enjoying your music, but because I was not expecting two videos in a week either, yay! Keep cranking these out, 10 or 11 more and we got an album to enjoy!! Edit: holy crap! I watched the previous one just now…Adam actually dropped an entire album? How awesome is that?!

[@rayanrahal2944]

That guitar lick isn’t going to leave my head for at least another week! Thanks Adam!

[@jonS-42]

#1 quick capo placement was slick! #2 I love the extra spice on the drums at the end. Great work Adam

[@UnwittingSweater]

I've had that crackly guitar riff stuck in my head all week but I couldn't remember where I heard it from then I worked it out this morning and had to give it a re listen. This is a great track.

[@ALK2009]

Love it, great work Adam, proud of you for putting all this out for us to see you and your process.

[@PhaythGaming]

Remarkable for the level of experience you have. I understand you have schooling but we know schooling is so little compared to repetition. There’s good composition here, just some production and performance polishing but that’s why we make things. Thank you for sharing this piece of yourself so vulnerably.

[@ninjabiscuit1095]

Can't say I thought it was great, but I respect you putting something out there that you clearly really wanted to do, that takes serious guts, and I can only respect that

[@seronymus]

"this is ass bro but good on you" what you really said

[@ninjabiscuit1095]

@@seronymus that's a little harsh, I felt a good deal of the composition and instruments were strong, can tell Adam's background is in composing rather than song writing

[@ratsalad178]

that lead guitar part is a total earworm! love it so much

[@ratsalad178]

third time listening today. genuinely hooked

[@DizzyEyes94]

What a unique sound! Didn't expect it but let's go Adam!

[@Shiveyful]

Unironically good, broadway vibes

[@playingshadows123]

When he hit "I know that you feel me, because you have empathy", I can't explain it, but I did feel that.

[@MedalionDS9]

I love it when Adam resurrects his more music side that his channel was built on to just talking about cooking and food

[@diegoalomeli]

Amazing man, you are incredibly great at writing guitar rhythm sections and melodic fills in-between your vocal lines, genuinely. Can’t wait to hear you keep expressing yourself in this way!!!

[@SkasztaGD]

I never expected Adam to make music but here we are i guess! Fire song 🔥

[@Bottled-Soap]

Many people don’t realize his firsts ventures on this channel invoked music; love the return, Adam!

[@nickdager123]

ive never been more happier to listen to a song until now

[@devandestudios128]

Oh What the, Holy Effin Eff Is This? I LOVE It! Completely unabashed, make of it what you will, reckless style. I'M ALL FOR IT MAN!

[@Krossxc]

As a fellow KZbinr who also has been tinkering with music production, it makes me very happy that you're releasing this project.

[@KerryHallPhD]

I'm glad you're out there abiding :D You do you really well, Dude

[@andrij1848]

Living the dream... good for you, mr Ragusea! 💪

[@sinthetale8354]

songwriting is like if you tried really hard to make a bill wurtz song serious

[@Checkmate1138]

Awesome Adam! Great potential. I'm excited to hear your other songs from this EP

[@chrisold7519]

Good song Adam. You've put a ton of work in and I say 'more power to your elbow'! Keep them coming and goo luck.

[@dongonzulman6478]

How did I not know Adam was a musician? like at all? Sick

[@BobJoeman]

I first encountered him in Vox's terrible Maria Carey video!

[@grant1133]

Lkving your best life. Takes guts to share music with such a big audience.

[@ughaghost]

love to see adam become his own midwest emo adjacent band lol. i enjoy watching people have fun exploring whatever so i support you adam and i like your song. the riff felt like i could have been on an American Football album.

[@ronnietheram]

i figured this was just another random video in my feed, but as soon as i looked at the thumbnail i was like “holy shit is that adam?” lmao im glad youre doing music and enjoying yourself, keep havin’ fun!!

[@Exiled_Rouge]

The channel evolution to just Adam vibing is great.

[@i_am_blur]

That is a lot of talent in one handsome package. Well done, you deserve to be proud of yourself.

[@Slaeowulf]

This is genuinely pretty good, and I was ready for it to be a bit crap but be supportive because I like you. Good job, Adam.

[@semjart]

Love this, excited to have this in my Spotify likes

[@Boganella]

i know that you feel me 'cause i know you got empathy is such an incredible line god damn

[@FelixWheatfield]

YES!! I love it. I would play in your band if you ever took this live.

[@Austin-hm6qq]

Better than I would’ve expected. Nice work, this isn’t easy and it sounds good

[@arlopaden9794]

That lead guitar part is fucking awesome!!!!!!!! I can't wait to listen to the rest of the album!

[@Drarok]

Nice! Based on the clips in the previous video, I wasn’t expecting quite so much vocal range, but I was pleasantly surprised. Love the ethic of only doing a few takes, too. One bit of drum advice; check some videos on stick holding/technique. Pivoting it around thumb and pointer lets the other fingers power the movement rather than your arm. Hard to describe in text!

[@garibalderdash]

I see Adam is moving smoothly into his Ben Folds era! Looking forward to your score for Over The Hedge 2

[@PankoBreading]

If Adam Ragusea has a 1000 fans im one of them If Adam Ragusea has one fan, that's me If Adam Ragusea has no fans, that means im no longer in this world

[@GuitarCeas]

Cringe af

[@FutureCommentary1]

​@@GuitarCeas Ultima Verba by Victor Hugo. Si l'on n'est plus que mille, eh bien, j'en suis ! Si même Ils ne sont plus que cent, je brave encor Sylla ; S'il en demeure dix, je serai le dixième ; Et s'il n'en reste qu'un, je serai celui-là !

[@EmilyGOODEN0UGH]

Absolutely NOT what I was expecting. Very glad I came. Awesome.

[@JPONDETRACK]

Been watching for years, never knw you could cook so hard!

[@owenhey3187]

youtube didn’t even recommend this to me! wtf. so cool

[@J.Skyler]

We need Fantano to cover this IMMEDIATELY.

[@FinalStage4L]

The man of many talents this is awesome

[@trickster80]

I now understand why it's called Dad Rock, very nice

[@OskarAnthon]

Honestly, Adam is one of the most HUMAN KZbin channels. This is what humans are meant for to me. Diverse and intelligent. That's how we evolved!

[@luka-ut7yk]

Wasnt expecting this

[@Groovebot3k]

Oh man! Dad Rock Adam! I am here for it.

[@strangled_chicken]

I wasn't expecting this from you.. but I love it nonetheless! Hey, I want to share something. I've noticed that the music I love usually, basically only comes from the media I love. I got into lyric-less music through gaming, then some Japanese stuff through anime.. I believe it feels more special that way? And I do dig this!

[@user-iu1vo5vr1k]

from broiled cookies to dad rock, now that's range

[@FernandoDANTE]

Don't show this to Catatonic Youths.

[@vsanthos]

The long con. Adam never cared about cooking. He just gathered us all here for the music.

[@playingshadows123]

Somehow, this song really conveys Adam's...essence, I guess? The voice sounds like what he was going for: polished dad vibes.

[@matthijsdejong5133]

Best Adam arc yet.

[@fiveminutezen]

Thanks for sharing Adam, keep making videos please!

[@tomacalin86]

Even before I read the description I just thought this is the epitome of Dad Rock

[@TheHamstergeddon911]

Adam's absolutely living his best life

[@atomcraft4067]

This has abig Lou Barlow feel. Love it. Great stuff Adam.

[@Greennoob2]

I didn't know you played the drums too. I started 2 years ago... I haven't cooked much since, I love it that much. Nice song

[@JoysticKnight]

It ain’t no greenday, but I feel the spirit, good stuff man 👍

[@SullivanDnB]

Love that main guitar melody, almost gives me Midwest emo vibes

[@luclx]

EXACTLY

[@veo16]

That character arc of when you’ve been on KZbin so long that your entire brand shifts.

[@SpeezyOTB]

I’m a musician and I’ve been following your channel for about a year, I had no idea you made music

[@tann_man]

Would love an instrumental version of this. It'd be a pretty solid "math rock" piece.

[@Vinson-Tran]

I would’ve thought you’d be a Les Paul guy but glad to see you on team strat 😎

[@youknowme.]

Man Adam really cooked something!