1. Hi Andrew, congrats on the release of your new single, Sound The Alarm! Tell us a little about where that song came from:
Thank you. Well 'Sound The Alarm' was written during a break up, I wanted to write a song that would always remind me of something amazing that we had shared. I decided to write about the night that we met, which happened to be at a wedding where we shared a slow dance. We had such an instant connection.
2. Your songs have a real 'story telling' tendency to them, what is it about writing and communicating your experiences through song that you love?
I remember my sister pulling me up after hearing a new song once and said, "not every song you write has to be a story," but it's what I do. I enjoy the story telling side of song writing, I've tried writing songs without a narrative and I've never been happy with how they've come out. I guess I just don't know how to write any other way.
3. How did you get started in songwriting?
Songwriting started as an outlet for me while I was going through depression in high school. I'd lock myself in my room for hours on end just writing away. I wish I still had that amount of time on a daily basis to sit down and write like that. In saying that, they were terribly written songs!
4. Tell us about performing at Tamworth Country Music Festival:
I must admit that I enjoyed Tamworth much more this year than I did last year. This year was a bit of a last minute decision so I was picking up some gigs while I was up there. The thing that really made it for me this year was meeting Jen Mize, a fantastic songwriter and musician. She pretty much took me under her wing and introduced me to the alt country scene up there. I felt much more at home.
5. Do you have any tips for anyone who wants to get started in songwriting?:
Ah this is a tough one. I'm a very slow song writer, I seem to be too busy for my own good lately which doesn't help. Song writing for me is something I can't exactly make time for and it works, I think it's important to write down ideas when they come to you, otherwise they're gone. The best songs are never forced, just let it come.
6. What does the rest of 2015 hold for you?:
The plan for the rest of this years is to gig more, write more, a trip to the states around mid year for a few shows, hopefully enough written by the end of the year to get started on a new release for next year.
Thanks so much for chatting with us and all the best!!
Thanks for chatting with me!