Composer and bandleader Adam Bartczak joins PiSa the Evening Star on KGNU’s Heavy Set to discuss his song “Little Clyde,” inspired by his young son’s mischievous hammer adventure. He talks about how teaching influences his composing, and announces the 11th annual holiday show on December 22 at The Pearl (formerly the Mercury Café), where the new album was recorded. Bartczak also plans to record and release a holiday album next year, featuring vocalist Tanya Katz. He highlights other groups he performs with, including The Democracy and The Grown Ass Man Band, and shares his aspiration to arrange a full big-band album of music by the late jazz legend Ron Miles. (Interview: 10/21/25)
PiSa the Evening Star: You’re listening to The Heavy Set, and we’ve got a special guest in the studio this evening: Adam Bartczak from the Adam Bartczak Republic. So that was “Little Clyde,” and Adam, tell me about that song. To me, I’m hearing Clyde scampering around on the ground. What’s going on with that song?
Adam Bartczak: Clyde is my son, and at the time I wrote this, he was about three. I had already written a couple of songs for my daughter and wife, and I was kind of looking for ideas to write about him. One day, when I was out and he was home, he was supposed to be taking a nap. We had been doing some construction in the basement, hanging drywall and stuff.
My wife Amanda heard this kind of banging racket while he was supposed to be napping downstairs. She came downstairs to find he had gotten into our tools—which maybe we hadn’t hidden carefully enough—and had taken a big 18-inch claw hammer and started pounding holes in the drywall.
[00:16:00] So I was immediately inspired by that action to go ahead and write a kind of crazy, rambunctious song about him. If you picture a three-year-old with a hammer, the little piano riff at the beginning is something he had accidentally played on the keyboard around that time when I had him messing around. And I was like, “Oh, I’ll maybe do something with that.” So that’s where that song came from.
PiSa the Evening Star: That’s great— influences from various places. What about when you’re teaching and you have students? Does that affect your compositions?
Adam Bartczak: Oh yeah, absolutely. I feel like one of my favorite parts about teaching is you’re constantly learning while you’re doing it too. All the people you interact with as students—you’re learning from them almost as much as they’re learning from you in some cases. So being able to identify what things they want to learn or work on, and what would be good for them, really helps me grow and expand my terrain and knowledge too.
PiSa the Evening Star: What’s next for the Adam Bartczak Republic and other bands that you have? Tell us about what’s coming up.
Adam Bartczak: Since we’re talking about this band, we do an annual holiday show that we’re going to redo again at [00:17:00] the venue formerly known as the Mercury Café, now called The Pearl. We’ll be in the same room that this album was recorded, on December 22nd this year. It’s traditionally a holiday show, so I arrange holiday music—not just Christmas, but other types as well. It will not only be our 11th annual holiday show, but also a party to celebrate the release of this album.
We’re also going to record this again and take the holiday arrangements that I’ve done and probably release an album of holiday music for the band next year.
PiSa the Evening Star: That is great. I’m looking forward to that. For listeners who are not familiar with your music, where do you think the best place for them to start? I would think they should come to the show, but what do you say?
Adam Bartczak: Definitely—welcome everybody to come out and check this out. It’s a big room, probably 300-person capacity, so plenty of room. It’s a really nice, fun place to see a show, especially during the holidays.
In addition to this group, I freelance and lead a couple of other groups. The Democracy is a five-piece jazz quintet that plays frequently around town at places like The Muse in Lafayette and Dazzle here in Denver. I’m a member of several other bands, including one kind of fun, funky New Orleans-style band called The Grown Ass Man Band that plays frequently around town. We’re playing at the St. Julian Hotel in Boulder on Halloween.
PiSa the Evening Star: And I can say that they’re a lot of fun. I’ve seen them. I recommend it. So let’s close out with a track—also unreleased, but not on the latest album. This is from the previous holiday show. This is “Shalom Aleichem” on KGNU Community Radio on The Heavy Set.
This is PiSa the Evening Star on KGNU Community Radio. You’re listening to The Heavy Set. Thanks for listening. So that was “Shalom Aleichem,” and that’s a track that’s unreleased at this point but is planned to be released on the holiday album coming out next year. The singer on this track—tell me a little bit about that.
Adam Bartczak: She’s been singing with our band for a number of years. Her [00:24:00] name’s Tanya Katz. I met her as a student at Metro State University, where I teach. I loved her singing voice and style and have arranged a few things for her to sing with us. Hopefully we’ll be doing more of that in the future. I’m arranging a couple more newer holiday songs for her to sing with us so that, in addition to what you just heard, they’ll be included on a new album that we’ll record as part of this live show on December 22nd at The Pearl.
PiSa the Evening Star: And are there any plans or hopes in the future—artists you’d really like to play with?
Adam Bartczak: One of the songs that I arranged for this album that’s being released was a song by the great Ron Miles, who we unfortunately lost a couple of years ago.
PiSa the Evening Star: A great artist.
Adam Bartczak: Yeah—one of my personal greatest influences. I really wouldn’t be a musician if it wasn’t for this guy. So I arranged one of his songs, “Coward of the County,” that’ll be featured on this new release. And I would love to do some other big band arrangements. I’ve done a few, but doing a whole album of his music for big band is something I definitely aspire to.
PiSa the Evening Star: Wow. That’s something to look forward to. Adam, thank you so much. This has been Adam Bartczak of the Adam Bartczak Republic here on KGNU. Thanks so much.
Adam Bartczak: [00:25:00] Thanks for having me.
