Australian singer/songwriter sings like an angel. He's a lyrical anomaly, and a phenomenal poet. He has just released a new full length album called "Revisited", an eclectic collection of inspiration. He defies genre bounties and has a fan for each song....
I shared questions with Andy regarding his music, his sensitivity and his compassionate way of creating music. The album is compelling and captivating and nearly addicting. ....
You are very poetic, do you write your songs from "life" experiences? I guess most Artists are modern day Sponge Bobs (Haha, yes I have a 4yo daughter !) in that they absorb and reflect what is going on in their personal lives and what is going on around them. I am very sensitive and intuitive to that and am also very spiritual, although probably not in a strict religious sense. I get inspiration from words that seem simple but convey enormous power, and I try to convey that compassion and hope in my songs. Everyone remembers these sayings :"Some men see the world as it is and say 'Why?' I see the world as it could be and say, 'Why not?" 'We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope" These words were said over 40 years ago and are still timeless, but do they have any less power and relevance today ? I think not!
Who were your musical influences growing up? My mother was my inspiration and I remember her playing Cat Stevens to me when I was like, 5 years old and I was thinking wow, that’s awesome ! At high school everyone was listening to Queen, Deep Purple or AC/DC and when it was my turn, I put on Neil Young or Leonard Cohen, or someone else with cool lyrics, and my friends would say "What the **** was that !". So many Artists have deservedly become famous for their lyrics and others for
their melodies, it’s the ones that have the exceptional gift for both, like the Beatles, that become immortal legends.
Do you plan on touring in support of your new album? When I finish and release my next album, yes definitely. I have so much wonderful new material that I am restless and impatient to get it "off my chest". I would rather tour with 25 or 30 great songs that people know and love rather than just a dozen. If I did that the show would be over in a hour !
You sing like an angel, or at least the way I'd picture an angel singing....do you have a favorite song on "Revisited" that your most proud of it that you love performing live? I am proud of all of them and I think it was radio station in Canada that said, "there’s a song on there (Revisited ) for every age and genre." I write from my heart and my soul and I think most listeners pick that up straight away.
" Lucretia's Eylandt" is special as it is based on a true story (the wreck of the Dutch East Indies Ship "Batavia" and the resulting massacre of over 300 people, including women and children, over 350 years ago. Although kept as concubine ,Lucretia was one of the very few survivors and the song is about her). It has everything, unspeakable Horror, love, lust, heroism etc and is just a classic good vs evil story. It will be a major international film blockbuster one day and I just hope I will still be around to see it ! "Will there be Love" still gives me goosebumps when I perform it, it's a very moving and reflective song.
If you could have your ultimate stage fantasy what would have to happen? Just having someone come to see you perform is already the ultimate fantasy come true. Honestly, what more could a performer want ? Anyone that cares to give up their time for you are already special. They may come from all walks of life, or maybe they are busy and going through their own personal issues and emotions, but they have still come to see you, because there is something in your music that they connect to. The stage fantasy is when you hope there is a little part of you that they take away, but it gets deeper than that. I got an email from a woman recently whose daughter had been tragically murdered and she said listening to "Angel" finally gave her closure and some peace after so many years of grief. That’s when it’s not fantasy anymore, it’s a soulful and emotional
experience.
What inspired you to become a part of the music industry? I was born and brought up in a remote rural area of Western Australia, where you had to create your own fun and entertainment. My mother sang and played guitar, and every Sunday after the ritual local footy was finished, everyone would stay and be enthralled by her singing and her playing guitar by the camp fire. It was probably only her only respite from raising seven kids in brutal and harsh conditions. I remember thinking then how much music
can change peoples' lives and whether you were a footballer, a burly local farmer, a housewife, a local school teacher, or a farm labourer, music was the ONE common factor that brought them all together at ONE time. My mum never stopped encouraging me from the first time I picked up a guitar, and although she has now passed , her wonderful legacy will stay with me forever.
What advice would you give the younger Andy? Just be yourself. I know that’s a cliché but its true. We were ALL born into this world as blessed, talented and unique individuals. Our purpose in life is simply to find AND be yourself. We are not here to please someone else's ego or conform to their expectations, however well meaning they might be. Just Follow your dreams , that's why we have them !
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