Adam Hammer has a story to tell. It’s a story of fatherhood, homelessness, love, addiction, recovery, pain, comfort and unity told in front of a backdrop of his own unique style of “tattooed folk” music.

Hammer’s music is inspired by his roots in small-town Henning, Minn., (population 735) where he was born and raised and started playing guitar when he was 12. He learned in the true folk tradition picking up chords and songs from his mom, aunts and uncles.

The musical melting pot that makes up Hammer’s influences is why his sound is so unique.

“I was raised on ’60s folk revival, gospel, Hank Williams, ’80s rock and alternative music with a splash of punk rock influence. I was an outcast in my tiny town who dressed different and got in a lot of trouble,” Hammer said.

After performing in punk and heavy metal bands throughout much of the 1990s, Hammer turned his focus back to his roots in acoustic music where he has carved his place through his EP and LP releases throughout the 2000s and 2010s.

After releasing short runs of the “Figments EP” solo and “The EP” with Doug Yorgason in the acoustic group East Arm, Hammer took a few years off from recording. His second solo EP release, the “Tattooed Folk EP,” was released April 2008 and he followed that with the “From the Basement” EP in 2010, which previewed his next two projects that were released in 2011 and 2012.

In March 2012, Hammer released his first solo full-length CD “Broken Like You,” which quickly broke the top 10 on the CMJ charts at 88.1 FM KVSC in St. Cloud. For this release, Hammer put together a backing band that includes some of Minnesota’s best with Jeff Vee on drums (Bobby Vee, Jack Knife and the Sharps), Tommy Vee on bass (Bobby Vee, Brian Setzer, Rosie Flores), Kurt Rodman on lead guitar, George Maurer on piano, Nils Loewen on cello and Cofell on guitar and backing vocals.Hammer released the “Let it Burn” EP with his band the Impact on Jan. 25, 2011 featuring some of his darker, drop-tuned cuts (“Let it Burn,” “The Drive,” a new rendition of “Ballad of Lucy” and others). The Impact included Dave Cofell on guitar and harmonica, Cody “Scribbles” Jergenson on bass and Jon Schulte on drums.

The result is an album filled with thick simple layers, poetic songwriting and a few catchy sing-a-longs. The soundscape spans from somber tones to acoustic rockabilly, a dash of twang, modern folk and blues.

Hammer is returning to his roots for his latest project, “Simple Songs.” While some demos have been floating around in different iterations since 2017, the first official single, “The Love You Take” was released in September 2019. The single was recorded live by 88.1FM KVSC at a sold-out Granite City Radio Theatre show at the Pioneer Place on Fifth in St. Cloud. It was a moment of unexpected musical magic with the Collective Unconscious house band.