Adam Michael Terry Is Your Neighborhood Jazz Dealer

Although streaming services have continued to shape the music landscape throughout the past decade, only some have thrown away physical music completely. 

Holding the record, looking at the art inside and the satisfaction of placing a needle on a record are a part of the appeal, but as co-owner of record shop FOUNTAIN Records, Adam Michael Terry puts it succinctly: “It’s just funner.” Collecting physical music such as vinyl opens the door for hours of discovery flipping through bins and a cool community of creatives to boot.

“We partnered with 3hive Record Lounge in Provo on that one and I managed the consignment vendors … and they managed, like the new kind of the new record portion.”

Throughout his life, Terry has always enjoyed the sound of jazz. In our interview, he recalled tuning in to KUER’s now-retired “Night Time Jazz” program almost every night. “I wish they still did it,” Terry reminisces. Growing up in the ‘90s, Terry experienced the fusion of hip-hop and jazz in genres such as acid jazz. Piquing his interest, Terry started picking up records used as samples that hip-hop artists were using at the time. 

“I started making beats and making music like that. And then, all of a sudden I had all this music, and then I started picking up instruments,” Terry says. “So it was a natural progression.” In addition to playing instruments, Terry has DJ’d in both vinyl and electronic mediums, although he vastly prefers the former.

“I started making beats and making music like that. And then, all of a sudden I had all this music, and then I started picking up instruments.”

Terry has spearheaded numerous musical projects throughout the years. In 2022, nestled in Kings Peak Coffee, Terry opened the Elevator Jazz Shop. Terry wanted to utilize the unique space to create an experience like no other in the part-art installation, part-record shop. 

In the summer of 2023, Terry opened 3-Up Record Co-Op to serve as a test drive for the consignment record model. “We partnered with 3hive Record Lounge in Provo on that one and I managed the consignment vendors,” Terry says, “and they managed, like the new kind of the new record portion.”

After a summer of testing, Terry and his wife and partner Alicia decided to go ahead and open a more permanent version of their consignment experiment. That brings us to the opening of FOUNTAIN Records, a more permanent installation of 3-Up Record Co-op. Right across from The Leonardo and connected to Baby’s Bagels through a shared interior doorway, FOUNTAIN Records is unlike any other record store in Salt Lake City. Walking inside, you’re greeted with crates of records to browse, a coffee bar to pick up your favorite espresso drink and a carefully crafted collection of vinyls playing from a player behind the counter. From pairings of vinyls with pulp novels to more experimental electronica, FOUNTAIN Records offers something for any record-lover.

“We’re so lucky to have someone like that with such an extensive academic and world perspective on music.”

A venue for record buying is not the only thing one can enjoy at FOUNTAIN. Drawing from Terry’s love of playing and listening to jazz, FOUNTAIN Records hosts a weekly jazz event called Frontiers of Jazz, where a rotating group of musicians comes in to play in a relaxed, non-academic environment. “I think jazz is really the experimental art form for America,” Terry says. “Yes, it’s rooted in blues, it’s rooted in all these things, but it’s grown and created so many other little side genres.”

FOUNTAIN Records’ jazz night is an all-ages, inclusive event making it accessible to young and old jazz listeners alike. Alongside the musicians, a weekly sketch club creates drawings of the evening. Of the musicians that frequent “Frontiers of Jazz,” not only does Terry himself often perform, but jazz legend Lloyd Miller can often be found playing alongside the weekly ensemble. Miller has become an integral part of not only “Frontiers of Jazz,” but also the record label attached to the store, FOUNTAINavm. “He’s kind of become our mentor, if you will, [or our] teacher,” Terry says. “We’re so lucky to have someone like that with such an extensive academic and world perspective on music.”

As for what’s next, Terry says they’re still tweaking and finding what works. And while FOUNTAIN Records continues to offer new music events and offerings, the future of the Salt Lake City jazz scene continues to look brighter and brighter.

Graphic Designer: Shawn LeBoutillier
thirteentones.com | @thirteentones

Walk us through how you created this month’s cover and corresponding article layout. What inspired you when designing it?

I love collage art and went all David Carson on it. I wanted to distress the SLUG MAG logo to the point of being almost illegible, but at the same time instantly recognizable.

Tell us about your design background. How has your style evolved over time?

I really got into art and design through skateboarding and music. I plastered my walls with torn-out pages from skate and snow magazines as a kid. Doing art for skateboards and snowboards quickly became the dream. I don’t know if I even have a style, since I’ve spent my career designing in so many directions depending on what clients are looking for. I’d like to think my style is humanistic and imperfect. If I get the chance to step away from the computer and be messy, I do it. 

What are some of your design inspirations or influences? 

Like I said, skating, snowboarding and music was everything [to me] at an early age. Since then, my love of film and title sequences have paved my way into motion graphics and video.

What does your graphic design process usually look like? 

I usually start by just making a mess. Finding references, researching relevant topics, word mapping, sketching (anything/everything). Then I slowly refine everything down to the key elements that resonate most.

What is your favorite aspect of graphic design?

My favorite part of design is the exploration phase of project—when you’re just experimenting and not sure what you’ll find, and then all of a sudden something clicks.

Read more about local record shops in Salt Lake City:
The Best Place to Be is Here, At Sunspell Records
A Shipping Crate Full of Record Crates at Diabolical Records