Drawing on a unique bank of rhythmic influences and an extremely accurate ear I’m known for delivering fluid, unbroken and emotive leads on electric. I’m also a prolific composer who sings with power and pliancy. My skills grew out of a unique combination of influences that you may find of interest if you read on.

EARLY INFLUENCES

Although blue grass and disco funk sit at opposite ends of the cultural spectrum they both feature music with loose and spontaneous rhythmic interplay that motivates listeners to move.. Growing up I couldn’t get enough of songs from these genres and they eventually became the parallel pillars of influence most important to my development as a lead and rhythm guitarist.

The exaggerated and outrageous fiddle and horn sections heard in these styles agreed with my ears completely, eventually leading me to me to absorb their melody lines in entirety, so much so that I have ever since sought to emulate their free-flowing movements in my solo guitar scripts. Listen to my song “Fire It Up” and you’ll hear a good example of how these early voices still find their way into my phrasings.

More so than other styles, musicians in disco and bluegrass gave me the impression that they were using their instruments to catch and re-direct sound, rather than create it. Players seemed to shoal around an ever-changing center of rhythm, opening in me an understanding that music did not necessarily emanate from ideas on paper but instead was an ongoing exchange of motion invisibly carried between band members. The Spinners "Rubber Band Man" captures this idea as well as any song I can think of.

It was endless hours of watching HEE HAW and hundreds of listens to singles from The Ohio Players that built in me the ability to navigate almost any shifting mesh of rhythms. To this day “Love Rollercoaster” and “Who’d She Coo” stand as two of favorite songs while Brick's "Dusic" and Roger Miller’s “Whistle Stop” also proved to be noteworthy ground-level influences.

MY SONGWRITING

I’ve been writing songs ever since I was big enough to sit at a piano and strong enough to grab guitar strings, and while my songwriting has taken me through numerous styles, including the quiescent singer / songwriters of the 70’s my compositions have stayed closely anchored to jazz rock. Once my obligatory adolescent obsession with nu wave acts like The Cars and Utopia had melted away I listened devoutly to schlock deviants Steely Dan and sophisti-pop stalwarts like Sade and The Style Council – completing the bed of sounds for much of what you would hear in my music today. Listeners have also remarked that I must have been paying close attention to the Wings and Doors in my earliest years and it has to be said I still find myself reaching back to those influences in my arrangements.

LYRICS

With lyrics set in a disposition that closely resembles the disaffected and direct lectures of Stevie Nicks I like to write about the ins and outs of relationships both intimate and societal. I’m adept at sewing together into one lyrical thread viewpoints from multiple subjects feeling their way through a confusing world. I usually avoid trying to guide the listener too closely, as I am of the audience that enjoys songs that invite listeners back to investigate further.

LIVE

I’ve played my share of Seattle club gigs over the years, mostly with a band named Lobsterboy. We performed a solid mix of acoustic driven rock that audiences were actually able to dance to!! We had some big shows opening for national acts and other nights, cold and rainy in the dead of winter when where we were lucky to entertain only a few lost souls. Either scenario was fun for me because I really thrive and perform at my highest level when in front of an audience. That's been the case since I first started playing in bands at age 12!!

After some time away from playing live I've recently returned to the stage with a batch of acoustic and vocal tunes. It's been great connecting again with the audience and other live performers. When performing solo one discovers very quickly from the audience what is working and what is not. So many lessons learned to carry into my next set of compositions.

Music is undeniably a cradle to grave journey for me and I’m happy to be reaching new levels of growth in songwriting, arranging and performing. Bringing to completion ideas I had previously shelved has-recharged my enthusiasm and I'm looking forward to working more closely with other musicians once again.

If you hear anything in my compositions you feel you might be able to add to please reach out.

Andrew