Wednesday Elektra [Wednesday]: Hi Andrew! I think you're one of the first musicians we've interviewed from Ireland, what's the music scene like over there?
Wednesday: Please introduce yourself to the readers of Space Junkies Magazine and tell us a little bit about your history in music.
Wednesday: Tell us about your past bands Grover and Booster and what experiences have you taken from them and put towards your solo efforts?
Wednesday: How has listening to artists such as Elvis and Bob Dylan influenced your own music?
Wednesday: Who are some of your other favorite artists and/or influences?
Wednesday: Any favorite local/regional bands?
Wednesday: How is the recording for your debut album coming along?
Wednesday: When is it expected to be released by and what can we expect from it?
Wednesday: Where can people go online to hear samples of your music?
Wednesday: I hear you're moving to San Francisco, California, that's a long ways away from Dublin, Ireland! Why the move?
Wednesday: Will you be touring in support of your upcoming debut release? If so, what areas are you considering in performing at?
Wednesday: Do you have a live band that tours with you or do you go all out solo live?
Wednesday: What instruments can you play and which is your most favorite?
Wednesday: What's in your CD/Mp3 player right now?
Wednesday: What are your plans for the future?
Wednesday: How can people get a hold of you for more information and where can they check you out online?
Wednesday: Thanks Andrew for the interview. I wish you well with your move to San Fran! Is there anything in closing that you'd like to mention to our readers?
Interview with Wednesday of Space Junkies Magazine August '05
Andrew Handrick [Andrew]: Well I'm glad to be one of your firsts from Ireland, always a pleasure. The music scene in Ireland is pretty healthy and to be honest there are probably too many bands for such a small place, especially in Dublin. A lot of the bands seem to take they're cue from the English sound of the moment though, which ain't my thing! Bands play every night of the week in Dublin so you never get stuck for somewhere to go. It's hard to make any money from playing gigs though, in fact in some cases it's pay to play which really sucks! A lot of the time it's not how good the artist is but how many people they can bring in, but hey, it ain't a perfect world!
Andrew: Hi all I'm Andrew Handrick from Dublin, Ireland. I've been writing songs now for about 12 years, spent 10 years drumming in bands before going solo. My first ever solo recording got into the top 100 songs in Ireland's premier music magazine Hot Press and I recently got a demo of the fortnight in the same magazine!
Andrew: Well I was actually the drummer and songwriter in these 2 bands, Booster kinda came out of the remnants of Grover. I learned a lot about how the music scene works from these bands and made a few contacts along the way. When Booster finished I just decided a solo gig would serve me better for a while - learn my trade a bit better, and there is no better way than solo gigs!
Andrew: Elvis was just an amazing performer and singer with a good sense of humor, so I like to think I've taken some of that on board. As for Dylan well I kinda came to him pretty late after I saw him playing in Ireland a few years ago, his story telling is second to none and he isn't afraid to put his heart out there, you know, show the pain and the happiness!
Andrew: I have a very eclectic taste in music but I grew up listening to Elvis and Dean Martin then moved on to Blondie, The Jam, The Who. REM was the first big gig I ever saw and Michael Stipe was a big influence on me. The Lemonheads/Evan Dando and Beck are pretty cool too!
Andrew: Well like I said earlier a lot of the music here isn't really to my taste but a few artists I have a lot of respect for are Dr. Millar (Sean Millar), Paddy Casey and I guess The Frames are a great live band.
Andrew: I actually have most of it recorded and a few songs mixed but I'm not happy with them so I'm in the process of looking for someone to mix them again. I like to leave that up to the people who know what they are doing - I just like to play the music.
Andrew: I'm hoping to get it finished before I head to San Francisco in September, fingers crossed on that one. [Laughs] Everything takes the time it takes! As for what to expect, well I've lived with these songs for a long time so it's hard to be objective about them, but I think it's a good collection of songs that listeners will be able to identify with. They are more of a "band sound" than acoustic so there will be more going on in them musically and maybe they'll make people think a little - there's no harm in that! I'm not really into making the perfect record or having the best of production and all that jazz. At the end of the day people will listen to a good song and you gotta do the best you can with the budget available, especially as an unsigned artist!
Andrew: You can check out some songs at http://www.andrewhandrick.com or http://www.myspace.com/andrewhandrick or http://www.isound.com/music/andrew_handrick. Lots of places so there's no excuses not too [Laughs].
Andrew: I took a trip over to San Francisco last September and had a great time, met some cool people and recorded some acoustic songs while there. I like the vibe there and the sun. [Laughs]. There just ain't enough sun shining in Ireland. I need an adventure and just want to shake up my life some. I also believe my music will be received better in US - here's hoping!
Andrew: Well I am taking the whole album thing as an ongoing independent venture, so it will be available for sale at shows and on the Internet. I'll be playing every place that will have me in California and beyond, so the best thing to do is check my website for details and if you have a show for me in your area and I can get there don't be shy and let me know. I guess I'm going for the whole troubadour vibe!
Andrew: At the moment I am playing both solo shows and band shows but I will be heading to the States solo. I may find some musicians to play with while there, you never know!
Andrew: I can play drums, bass and guitar and one finger keyboard [Laughs]. Drums were my favorite now it's guitar...has to be really!
Andrew: Beck's latest album "Guero" (is that the name of it or did I just make that up?) Aimee Mann's "Whatever," and Cake's "Comfort Eagle."
Andrew: Eh...to conquer the West Coast of America, or at least a few coffeehouses! Learn to surf, smile lots and enjoy the ride! Oh yeah I'm heading down to Texas for the Austin City Limits Festival in September - should be a good one! I just want to play as many shows as I can and get my music out to as many people as possible.
Andrew: If anyone wants to contact me with some ridiculously outrageous compliments they can email me at info@andrewhandrick.com or check out the site at http://www.andrewhandrick.com.
Andrew: Thank you for having me and I'd just like to say to your readers keep checking out independent unsigned artists as there are some gems out there just waiting to be found - Viv la Revolution