Meet Adam & Cherish Hamby | Lead Duo of Nashville-based Americana/Darkgrass Band, Dark Waters Project

We had the good fortune of connecting with Adam & Cherish Hamby and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Adam & Cherish, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Adam: I believe it’s something you’re born with. It’s a fire that you can’t put out. If you try, you’re miserable until you pick it back up. That’s how it is for me anyway. I bounced from career to career in my 20’s, but had no peace until I started playing music full time. I feel like nearly every time I’m on stage, I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be at that moment. Real life leaves me wandering.
Cherish: God hand crafted me to play music. I wanted to make an impact on the world since I became aware that I could. It’s a pure expression of my soul that I’ve poured out since I was 9 years old.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
There are so many people out there trying to “make it” in music. We talk to and meet them all over America in our travels. We didn’t know what to call our music. We didn’t really fit in anywhere, so we decided to create our own genre. We decided to call it Darkgrass, although we typically get played on Americana stations and podcasts.
Our lyrics are mostly from our experiences, so they’re unique. They’re our life’s poetry; but relatable to anyone that’s been where we are. The thing that sets most poets, artists, writers and song-writers apart is the unique ways that we describe what everyone else sees and even those things that go unnoticed.
Being a professional musician isn’t easy. It never has been and probably never will be, no matter what level of success one finds. There’s a famous saying in Nashville, “every over-night success is 10 years in the making.” That’s brutal truth, but it’s honest. There’s a lot to figure out and often it’s on your own. There are books, but it’s hard to account for all of the free radicals in our industry.
We have each other and a pretty good support system of good friends, industry pros and others that help us. We rarely go to places that we don’t have at least 1-2 solid connections in and we continually build those relationships. All of the crazy has taught us to hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst when we’re on the road.
Our story isn’t over. We ultimately want to leave a legacy of incredible songs that will be remembered for generations to come.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Nashville is an incredible city with a beautiful Southern culture, some of the best music you will find in the world, rich American history, amazing food and interesting people. We have our touristy hot spots too, but if I were to spend a week showing a visitor around, we would eat at a new place every night. Starting with Prince’s Hot Chicken (the original and undisputed best hot chicken in Nashville), Brown’s Diner, Elliston Place Soda Shop, Monell’s, Chef’s Market to name a few. We would take them to see the Frist Art Museum, The Parthenon in Centennial Park, The Johnny Cash Museum and Country Music Hall of Fame, live music all over the city at iconic venues like The Ryman and the Grand Ole Opry. A week is too short of a time to see all the Nashville has to offer.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We have each other and that’s a lot more than most. Our fans are a huge reason that we continue to travel all over North America and play our music. It may sound cliché, but our fans are the reason we can and will continue to do what we do. They really do mean the world to us. Some of them have traveled across the country to see us and that’s quite humbling.
Website: https://www.darkwatersmusic.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DarkWatersProject
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/darkwatersmusic
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK2PyOAHsoXJEvajrTlcPPg
Image Credits
Barb Potter Photography
Cherish Hamby