My first new release in 15 years: "Darn." is here!

***Don’t miss the release party on Saturday, May 16th at 8:00 p.m. central!

http://facebook.com/andrewyonda/live

“I’m so filled with regret

I’m like a poodle that got wet

I’m not the dog I used to be.”

So begins this depressingly cheerful, easily digestible rocksploration of nostalgia and regret.

Click here to hear it on this blog, or if you prefer Spotify, click here or listen below:

I’m super excited. I’ve never had my own music on Spotify before (!). The last music I released was in 2005 with my band the Buffali, when blogs and iPods were new inventions, and Spotify and Youtube were just glimmers in Mark Zuckerberg’s eyes. I feel that I have overcome a hurdle, and look out, world, I have more songs!

These 6 songs took, unbelievably, 3 years to make. It turns out I’ve never really recorded and released songs on my own before. Oh, sure, I’ve released lots of “demo” quality recordings on this blog, but taking a song from demo to finished product is something I’ve always done with a band. But now it’s just me and my alter-egos, and I had to figure out a whole new recording process, and learn how to play the drums, keyboard, guitar, and bass. I brought in my good old friend Dan Hardgrove to play guitar on some tracks, but I ended up wasting his amazing talent because I couldn’t figure out how to keep the vibe of the songs at that point. After a year or two of floundering around (3 hours a week, since, as a father of young children, time is scarce), I finally figured out a process that resulted in recordings I like:

  1. Lay down a live track of me singing and playing acoustic guitar, complete with dynamics, uneven tempo, and je-ne-sais-quoi.

  2. Add drums, bass, and re-record vocals and acoustic

  3. Add harmonies and other instruments, like such as usually Wurlitzer and misc. percussion.

  4. Mix in ProTools.

  5. Master using landr.com.

At this point when I start a new recording I assume it’s going to be the “whole band”, which is:

-Amazingly Andrew on lead vox and acoustic

-Willie Andrew on bass guitar

-Clyde Andrew on drums

-Professor Andrew on Wurlitzer keyboard and harmonies

I hope to bring you more 6-song EPs soon, and hope that this process I’ve identified continues to work, and fast!

I’ll be playing a live album release concert on Saturday, May 16th at 8:00 p.m. central, check out my Instagram for the live feed, I may try to do FB live as well, I have no idea.

Thank you to Audre Rae Krull for beautiful backing vocals on “You Animal” and “I Am In Control”. Thanks to Dan Hardgrove for guitarrific inspiration. Thanks of course to my lovely wife Jennifer, for supporting me in this fun but ultimately vain endeavor!

I'm so filled with regret, I'm like a poodle that got wet [new song]

New song comin’ atcha! Could this be my greatest record ever?!! Just like the Grammies, I distinguish between records and songs—though this track could also be a greatest song ever nominee, I think it would win greatest record because the quality and vibe of the recording are “da bum.” A sweet mix of vocals and harmonies, Wurly, drums (with hot rods instead of sticks?!), and a funky sample. And for some final, nasty pizazz I even had it mastered over there at LandR.com, a crazy new mastering service that uses Skynet to determine the best sound for your record. As my 5-year-old son says, you git what git and you don’t throw a fit. Now if only I could run it through the hit-song-rating algorithm to find out what my chances are. . .

This song is going to be featured on the forthcoming EP tentatively titled “Darn.”

LA Times the song

Los Angeles = Rilakkuma bear iPhone cover with citrus

Here's a li'l ditty I composed when I was visiting LA for the first time. I think it does a good job of evoking that toddling town. I made it in Garageband on the iPad, which I have such a love/hate relationship with. On the one hand, I love it! Other hand? HATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guitar Hero interrupted

Look, I'm sorry to make this blog an archive of sorts, but honestly, I recently gathered together and listened to all of the recordings I've made since I got my first 4-track in 1997, and there are 900 of them, only about 50 of which have ever made it into the ears of another human. So from time to time, you are going to get a taste of oldie-but-goodies!

This one I wrote in 2007 when Guitar Hero was all the rage, and it features a kid who doesn't want to stop playing when his mom comes to pick him up at his friend's house.