Adam Zehms first discovered his passion for music when he joined the middle school band. He started by playing the flute, but he soon found his true calling in the strings of the electric guitar. From those early notes emerged a journey that would shape his life, fueled by the influence of both his family and mentors.

Now, Zehms is a junior, and his passion for music has only grown since then. Zehm’s interest in guitar began even before he joined the middle school band. At a young age, his parents introduced him to guitar music, leading to his decision to play the guitar. Zehms said, “I chose to play the guitar because I always liked guitar solos and thought they were cool, along with my dad playing guitar.” The influence from his taste for rock music, and his father was why he chose the guitar.

When Zehms first started playing, he was self-taught for his first few years. When he got to high school, he joined the jazz band, where some of his band instructors taught him. Additionally, he had the opportunity to meet some local professional guitar players who taught and advised him a lot about playing the guitar, Including singer-songwriter-guitarist Jim Kennedy. Zehms earned his spot as the lead guitarist in the Mount Vernon High School jazz band with some lessons and endless hours of practice.

Zehms might be the lead guitar for the jazz band but he also said, “I play multiple genres rock and jazz and sometimes metal.” Zehms recalls a memory of him and his father going to a rock concert to see John5, an American guitarist. Zehms looks up to John5 and loves listening to and watching him play. Ultimately inspiring Zehms to play rock and metal music and leading him to play small weekend gigs with a band assembled of a few of his friends. The band does not have a name now, but Zehms said “Maybe in the future.”

Zehms wants to continue his career of playing the guitar by continuing to play in the Mount Vernon jazz band and also playing weekend gigs with the band he is a part of. After high school, Zehms wants to continue playing for fun and does not plan on pursuing it as a career, but his passion for playing will always be a part of him.