An Interview with Bassist Andrew Cushing of Adelitas Way

Adelitas Way is a rock band who, without a doubt, does things their way. Formed in 2006, the Las Vegas group released three albums with Virgin Records. However, when it came time to put out a fourth, the Adelitas Way decided to take another route. They ditched the label, received crowdfunding support from fans, and in 2016, released Getaway under their own record label called Vegas Syn. The process clearly worked because in 2017, the album Notorious followed.

Without the support of a record label, the Adelitas Way has had to work extra hard, and as 2018 wraps up, they show no signs of slowing down. Adelitas Way is currently recovering from a U.S. tour with Fozzy, Stone Broken and The Stir. Recently, the tour made a stop in Omaha at The Waiting Room. (I was there of course.) Andrew Cushing, bassist of Adelitas Way, took a moment to share his personal musical influences, underrated songs by the Adelitas Way, thoughts on the current climate of the music industry, and what’s next for him and the band.

Who’s been your favorite band to tour with?

Andrew Cushing: Alter Bridge was one of my favorite bands to tour with. I’m such a big fan of them and grew up listening to them. They’re one of the only bands I watched every night on tour. Usually I watch a couple songs from the other bands and leave because you’re seeing the same show everyday. But with Alter Bridge, I couldn’t leave the venue. I just had to watch everyday. They’re amazing.

Who’s an artist you’d  like to collaborate with?

Andrew Cushing: Oh man. There’s so many people. It’d be amazing to work with Mark Tremonti.

A few years ago, Adelitas Way decided to put out music independently, was that a hard decision to make? 

Andrew Cushing: It wasn’t really that hard of a decision to make. The current climate of the music industry is pretty rough. Record labels don’t treat bands very well anymore. It’s hard to make money because record labels take it from merchandise and touring and licensing and things like that. So we figured we’d make a lot more money doing our own thing, and we’d be a lot more independent and free to release songs whenever we want and tour with whoever we want without having to check in. We feel like we’re bigger than we’ve ever been right now so it was the right decision I think.

Would you recommend other bands do the same?

Andrew Cushing: Yes. I feel like Independent is the future. Streaming is the future.

What can we expect to see from Adelitas Way in the near future?

Andrew Cushing: We’re working on releasing new music by the end of the year, and then we’re gonna record a whole new CD hopefully early next year to be released in maybe summer time or fall. There’s a lot coming up. 2019 is gonna be a big year for us.

Being newer to the band, how involved are you in the writing process?

Andrew Cushing: Rick (DeJesus) does the majority, but for about half the songs, we all collaborate together. For half of the songs on Notorious we just sat down and jammed it as a band and took input from everybody. For this next record, it’s probably gonna be the same, but now we have Tavis (Stanley) working with us. So it’ll be interesting with the new dynamic. Hopefully it will be some of the best music we’ve ever written.

Which Adelitas Way song has the most personal meaning to you?

Andrew Cushing: That’s a tough one. Actually, I was just listening to “Shame.” I had a little part in writing that one. That’s from the Getaway album. I feel like that’s a little underappreciated song. Not many people know it or listen to it. It’s got a special place in my heart because we were just sitting in the jam room and it just slowly turned into that song. It’s just a good song.

Any other songs you feel are underappreciated?

Andrew Cushing: Maybe “Filthy Heart” and “Real World.”

Favorite band in high school?

Andrew Cushing: System of a down. I grew up listening to a lot of heavier stuff: Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Slipknot, Korn.

Would you like to see Adelitas Way move in an even  heavier direction?

Andrew Cushing: I feel like we have gotten a little heavier with “Notorious” and “Ready for War.” I’m definitely always pushing for a little bit heavier riffs, but I like that we’re very diverse. We could play something like “Sick” then something like “Tell Me.” Such a contrast and two different feels, I like that we do that.

What bands are you currently listening to?

Andrew Cushing: On the heavier side, I’ve been listening to the new Westfield Massacre. Also the new Tremonti record.

What about the rest of the band?

Andrew Cushing: It all ranges. Tavis likes classic rock like Foreigner and Journey. Trevor’s into Offspring. Rick likes Nirvana. It’s a wide range between all of us.

Any message to relay to fans of Adelitas Way?

Andrew Cushing: We just want to say thanks because we’re bigger than we’ve ever been. Our Spotify followers are almost up to a million. I feel like that’s pretty impressive for a totally independent band. “Still Hungry” has over a million streams, and it’s only been out for a few months. We’re just super thankful, and we can’t wait to gain more fans and perform for you all.

Take time to support independent artists like Adelitas Way by attending a concert, picking up band merch, or even streaming their music.