Adam Marsland brings lifetime pop career to Kent

Performs Aug. 2

Adam Marsland has lived the life of a touring musician for many of his 36 years, and now the California-based, genre-jumping artist will make a stop in Kent.

Marsland, former front man of pop-rock band Cockeyed Ghost and longtime solo artist, will play 7 p.m. Aug. 2 at Kona Kai Coffee, located at 124 Fourth Ave. S., in downtown. The stop is one of many he’ll make this summer in support of his latest album, “Daylight Kissing Night: Adam Marsland’s Greatest Hits,” a 20-track collection of songs spanning his career.

“I’ve had this weird journey from punk guy to indie guy to pop guy to this kind of elder statesman, do-it-all person who’s rooted in a classic sound,” the artist said in a press release. “Every one of my albums was different. So if someone said to me ‘What do you do?,’ I didn’t have an easy answer for them. Now, there’s this record with 20 of my best songs, and it covers everything I’ve done without sounding inconsistent, and people can come away from it understanding who I am and what I do.”

Marsland began his musical career recording and touring with Cockeyed Ghost, releasing five records with the band between 1996 and 2001. After the band broke up when its record label collapsed, the front man began touring as a solo act, eventually releasing his debut solo album, “232 Days on the Road,” in 2002.

He toured non-stop until 2004, when he gave up life on the road for a desk job.

“I kind of bailed on it and had a normal life for a while,” he said. “But about a year ago, I just realized I wanted to go back to it full on.”

He said he’s glad he did, as his new album has already met with success. A pre-release of the album sold out, and his label, Karma Frog Records, had to order more CDs for the actual release date. Marsland said he’s come a long way as a performer, and his new album is an accurate portrayal of that journey.

“It kind of pulls the whole story together,” he said. “It’s some of the strongest stuff I’ve ever written, and it’s the best it’s ever sounded.”

He’ll bring that sound to Kent, noting that he’s glad to be coming to the Northwest, especially to the intimate venue Kona Kai will bring. He said he booked the gig at the downtown coffee house randomly, after seeing an ad the shop posted on www.craigslist.com looking for performers.

“The attitude of the people (at Kona Kai) seemed just so nice that I e-mailed them wondering if it would be of use if I came and played,” Marsland said. “Playing in smaller places is really cool because you sometimes find a lot more appreciation there.”

He said people who come to listen can expect to hear solid pop songs.

“I’ve always been a pop musician, not in the Britney Spears sense, but like in the Beatles sense,” he said. “I consider myself a pop songwriter, but in the lyrical tradition of people who put a lot of depth into their songs. I write about a lot more than just cars and girls.”

Though he often tours with a full band, it will just be Marsland on stage at Kona Kai, and he said he likes it that way.

“I like solo touring a little better than band touring because there’s less to think about,” he said. “The great thing about playing by yourself is that it really forces you to think nimbly. It really makes you a better performer.”

Marsland will be on tour for the rest of the summer, after which he’ll return to the studio for his next album, this one consisting of all new material. He hopes to release the album in February.

“Daylight Kissing Night” will be available at Marsland’s show, at Easy Street Records in Seattle and at www.Alpha XR. For more information about the artist, visit www.myspace.com/adammarsland.

Adam Marsland live

Touring pop musician Adam Marsland will play a solo show at 7 p.m. Aug. 2 at Kona Kai Coffee, located at 124 Fourth Ave. S. in Kent. For more information, call Kona Kai at 253-859-5662 or visit www.myspace.com/adammarsland.