A love letter to
Cannon Beach
JUNE 21, 2018 // 7
Adams & Costello’s new album, ‘Soul Storm,’ is
about the good, bad and ugly in the town
By BRENNA VISSER
COAST WEEKEND
I
t’s easy to write poetically about the soft sands and
rugged coastline of Cannon Beach. Even the rain can be
romanticized.
But parking issues?
This spring, local musical couple Adams & Costello
released a new album, “Soul Storm,” all inspired by what it’s
like to live in Cannon Beach — warts and all.
Julie Adams came to Cannon Beach 15 years ago to be
closer to her father, and Michael Costello came two years
later to be closer to Adams. The two are known for their
bluesy, soulful, rock-Americana sound, and produced their
first album “You Better Believe It” in Cannon Beach two
years ago.
Unlike their previous projects, the songs on “Soul Storm”
are rooted in Cannon Beach’s ruggedness, as well as its
history and current events. One song, “Let’s Blow It Up,” is
about when Haystack Rock was dynamited in 1968 to deter
tourists from climbing it.
“Three Day Gale” retells the story of the windstorm in
2007 that knocked out power in Cannon Beach for a week.
There is even an emergency preparedness public service
announcement weaved in there with the song “Tsunami,”
which tells the story of the 1964 wave and opens with a
recording of the town’s famous “mooing” warning siren.
“(This album) is for visitors who love the area, but maybe
don’t know all the history,” Costello said as the main lyricist
for the album. “But it’s also for the people who have lived
here a long time and know it’s not easy sometimes. It’s a
tribute to life in Cannon Beach.”
Many of the songs are lighthearted, with one even poking
fun at people from California who buy homes in the summer
and then must learn to love the rain in the off-season.
“Rain’s definitely a main character,” Costello laughed.
But some songs drill down deeper into cultural divides
within the town. “This Little Town” is a cautionary tale
about overcrowding and overdeveloping the area, Adams
and Costello said. Costello, who grew up on the East Coast,
likened the future of Cannon Beach to Cape Cod, which
he said has been overrun with too much traffic and trashed
beaches.
“It’s great to grow thrive and expand,” Adams said, “but
when you grow you start to lose the natural aspect that
makes it so special.”
The conflict is highlighted by the album’s name, which
Costello said is a double entendre, connoting physical storms
and a “battle for the soul of the town.”
Adams and Costello hope locals and visitors alike enjoy
what they consider to be an authentic, humorous but not
sickeningly sweet look at Cannon Beach.
“It’s like a love letter to Cannon Beach,” Costello said.
“And like any relationship, there’s ups and downs.” CW
TOP: The cover of ‘Soul
Storm’
LEFT: Cannon Beach mu-
sical couple Julie Adams
and Michael Costello
PHOTOS COURTESY
ADAMS & COSTELLO