8-15-2011

This is a very special week and I wanted to give y'all a heads up about it. Even though the shows are getting so much better, I'm still not playing in Memphis very much. Be that as it may, I do have a very special show this Saturday night at The Artchurch Studios in Hot Springs at 7:00 pm. This venue is nothing short of amazing having once been an old church now an art school for children with acoustic shows on the weekends. These have been doing very well and I've been asked to be this week's performer. You can watch the show online at the above link for the whopping price of $1.49. Hope y'all will check it out or see ya there.

5-24-2011

If you didn't know, my site got hacked into a few months back and we've just got all the bugs out and back online. This site is very vintage looking and I kinda like it that way. I put it up primarily to give y'all some insight into my life and career, share some memories and let you keep up with what I'm doing these days. Sorry for the down time and I'll try and keep it updated more often. I'll be at Taylor Grocery just south of Oxford, MS this Friday night at 6:00 pm

11-11-2010

Yea, I know it's been a while. I won't use the excuse that I've been busy, but that's pretty much the case again. I'm back on the book full force and love where it's going. I also just picked up a monthly Sunday gig at Central BBQ on Summer here in Memphis starting soon. There's a very cool video of the Echoes of Truth show from July with Lil Rounds and Myself as guest artists at Echoes of Truth 2010 Finale I was a guest artist at the Memphis Songwriters Associaton meeting on 11/9 and had a great turnout and response from the people there. On top of all of this, I have an online campaign going on trying to get "Tennessee Girl" to be the Tennessee Titans cheerleaders official theme song. They would be the first NFL cheerleaders to have this if we pull it off. Check out this You Tube video I put together at Tennessee Girl should be the theme song for the Tennessee Titans cheerleaders and on Facebook at Tennessee Girl should be the theme song for the Tennessee Titans cheerleaders So, a lot of cool things happening. On the down side, just when I thought most of my financial worries were behind me, my mortgage company pushed my home into foreclosure saying that I didn't give them documents that I have proof I did. This is the very thing they're being investigated for now. More later. Much love and many blessings to you all. Thanks for supporting what I do.

7-7-2010

So, there I was minding my own business when my friend, Julia called and invited me to sing at this Echoes of Truth production she was working with. This is 6/28 and the show is 7/1. So, between the rehearsing and other routine Andy stuff, I didn't have time to post it on the site. So I resorted to the usual MySpace, Facebook, Reverbnation sites. Sorry, but it really was that hectic. The show was phenomenal and I had the pleasure of singing with Lil Rounds from the last season of American Idol. I'll be at Cajun's Wharf once a month through September. After a long break, I started working on my book again. I don't remember it being that interesting, but I'm blessed for that. Good things are gonna happen and God is in charge. So, we cool!

6-15-2010

I can honestly say that May was one of the worst months ever. Not just for me personally, but a lot of people I know went through the ringer over loved ones hurt or passing on, property loss, and just life at it's insane worst. Aren't ya glad I'm not one of those Hollywood types that sugarcoat everything and try and make ya think that life is beautiful 24/7. Not me, baby. I live in the south and in the real world. On the bright side, life is looking better and it's summertime in Memphis. I'll be at Front Street Grill in beautiful Dardanelle, AR this Saturday night 6/19 for a show with the Linnie Hice Band. Got songs and arrangments for the new CD. All I need now is money to do it. No worries, because God is in charge and definitely has a plan.

5-17-2010

There's been so much loss and loved ones gone over the past few weeks. Between the devastation of the floods and storms recently and so many of my friends losing family and loved ones. This hit very close to home with Teresa's son, Jeremy Irby passing away on May 5th at 29 years old. Such a sweet guy and so undeserving of the way he went and the circumstances surrounding him. His funeral service is 5/17 and thank God he'll be laid to rest close to his family in Dyersburg. Send love, thoughts and prayers to his family. Played a benefit at The Hard Rock Cafe on Beale St. last night. I had a very cool time with an appreciative and generous crowd. Might lead to something better, but I'm just happy to help out. Check all the dates on my Facebook and Myspace page because it gets busy from here on and good things in the works with some possible shows in Austin, TX, Ireland and Australia later this year. In spite of evewrything, I feel very good about the future. Pray for the Gulf Coast folks and the people of Thailand.

4-27-2010

Time to pay tribute to someone that meant a lot to me. One of the earliest musical influences on me was our neighbor, Tommy Bennett. Tommy played bass for Berl Olswanger and was an amazing guitarist as well. I watched and listened to him play from the time I was about nine or ten years old. His daughter Lois (we knew her as "Cookie" and there's pics of her and Tommy in the Andyism section under Beginnings) Bennett, my sister, Kathy and I were childhood friends. I just found out he passed on in 2006. Check out some Berl Olswanger tracks. Some of the best local players around and Jeanie Page on vocals. The Berl Olswanger Orchestra

4-24-2010

2010 is going to be a good year in spite of whatever is going on in the world. It might be tough to stay optimistic, but I'm gonna do it and have a really great year. I'm baffled about why it's so hard for me to book gigs in Memphis, my home town. With all of her problems, I still love this area and would love to have at least one or two regular in town gigs. People won't follow through or call you back and getting them on the phone is next to impossible. It's giving me a slight complex and I'm wondering if there's some kind of anti-Andy juju here. On the bright side, I'm booked through the fall every month at Taylor Grocery I also booked July through September at Cajun's Wharf and a June 19th show at Front Street Grill in beautiful Dardanelle, AR. And, I'm doing some spot nights at Woodbridge General Store in Somerville, TN. That's a fun spring and summer. Working on some shows in Austin, Tx, Ireland and Australia, but keep that kinda quiet right now. Love and blessings to all y'all.

2-1-2010

Life throws you lemons, drink tequila. The last two years have been the hardest for me since the early 90's. Things started getting more positive around December and still lookng up. In the last month, I lost two family members and two classmates from my Frayser HS days. One of the family members was Uncle Joe Elkins, who was also one my best friends. I'll miss him for a very long time and time will heal that some. All in all, I still believe that 2010 is going to be a great year.

11-7-2009

Been a while since I updated this. Maybe I should lame out more often because I'm getting hits from Moscow, Russia, Maharashtra, India and Palmer, TX. Good to know that folks that far away have some interest in me and what I'm up to. Going into a new room in beautiful downtown Somerville, TN this month. I'll be at the Woodbridge General Store from 7:00 to 9:00 pm on 11/20. Getting more response than I expected from this gig, but since I'm not touring India or Russia anytime soon (actually, I'd jump at the chance), I'm humbled and very grateful for any support I get. I'll be back at Taylor Grocery 11/14 and always look forward to that. Been having weird dreams for the last week or so involving Michael Jackson one night, rattlesnakes another and this young angelic looking girl that kept following me around telling me every detail of her life. Interesting time trying to figure out all of this. Thank God AC Wharton busted the Memphis Animal Shelter. A lot of local animal lovers have known what's been going on there for a long time. Of course, Herenton never gave it a consideration as per his usual handling. When he was asked by the local Commercial Appeal about the astounding infant mortality here in Memphis, he referred them to the health department. I send many blessings to y'all and prayers to the victims and the families in Fort Hood TX and Orlando.

9-7-2009

August was a blur and went pretty quick, but a very cool month all the same. I did have two of the better shows I've done in a while. 8/14 in Mountain Home and 8/15 in Eureka Springs, AR were pretty amazing. Saw some old friends and did some sightseeing at some old home places. All in all, a great time. Going into a new room in Tupelo called The Boondocks on 8/17 and back at Taylor Grocery on 8/12. I'm doing some writing on Memphis creative arts for a online mag called Examiner Memphis My first article is about the recent passing of local music legend Jim Dickinson Check it out. Much appreciation and love to the great crowds and fans lately. You make what I do so worthwhile and blessed.

7-23-2009

It's hard to imagine that so many left us in the past month. The two that stand out for me were Steve McNair and Michael Jackson. I was a huge fan of both of both of them and it hurt deeply that both went so young and so unnecessarily. I owe a huge amount of gratitude to MJ because he, and MTV were so instrumental in turning the music scene around back in the early 80's. I was in LA at the time and it was a sad state of affairs from about mid 1979 until then. I truly believe that I never would have got that gig with Krokus otherwise. Miss Ruby dodged the bullet not once, but twice since she started heart worm treatment three weeks ago. I was convinced that she was headed to heaven on two occasions, but met a vet that sincerely cares about animals and she got her through two different times of her being near death. Just booked two shows in Northwest Arkansas for next month. 8/14 is at The 178 Club in Bull Shoals, just outside of Mountain Home and I'm doing an afternoon show in Eureka springs on 8/15 for their Music In The Park Series. Should be nothing but fun.

6-22-2009

Happiness seems like it comes in a trade off with sadness these days. Saturday night at Taylor's was another high spot for me. It was hotter than I can describe, but a lot of folks came out and I had another banner night. On the way home, I almost hit the biggest dog I've ever seen that was standing right in the middle of the two lane I was on. Earlier that day, my fifteen year old Chow mix, Louie had a bad seizure and it worried me the rest of the day.When I got home, he seemed to be alright. Had a great morning at church and a killer lunch at a local Mexican eatery. Sunday night, Louie passed away in the same spot that he slept in most of his life. Ironically, it was the same spot Gator passed away in three years ago. Louie was my best friend and a long time companion. I loved him very much and will miss him the rest of my life. Father's Day will never be the same for me. Miss Ruby, my Pit Bull mix rescue is fading too. she's my last dog out of eight I've had since 1993. There's been puppies in my yard since I moved here in 1994. I can't imagine this home without them. There's a blog here and on my Myspace page. There's some pictures there too. He was so special. You should check them out.

5-24-2009

I guess it's safe to say that summer is here. Maybe not officially, but here in Bartlett, it hit 90 today. Thank God the humidity is bearable. Got an email the other day from Joe Barnes who was on the Lynyrd Skynyrd 75 Torture Tour with me. Joe actually worked for the band as a guitar tech and had been around almost since they formed. Joe posts a lot on the Ed King Forum Someone posted my Skynyrd story "A Simple Act of Kindness" and Joe liked it enough to write and tell me. There's a nice thread there about BOA, some Krokus video and thoughts on all of that insanity back then. A little voice in my head has been telling me to get busier on the book. That Frayser in me tells me that no one will be interested in this and it's all just a waste of time and energy. This little voice is telling me different. I like the sound of the little voice much better. I tried to help Debra Dejean, who was a pretty prominent local artist back in the late 70's, early 80's. People stood in line for hours to see a Debra Dejean Show. She's homeless now here in Memphis. What started out for me as a genuine act of compassion has turned into a sad, huge and embarrassing mistake. I'll give some more thoughts on this when things calm down some. Much love and summertime blessings to all of y'all. Stay cool, have a great summer and use a good sunscreen. There's a funny blog about this thing that happened at the gig in Kingston Springs with Graham and Kevin last night. You'll have to check it out for yourself, because I crack up everytime I read or think about it. We had such a killer time and what a cool little town KS is. We even had some folks drive down from Nashville to see us. I haven't played with both Kevin and Graham in a couple of years and it sounded great for no practice. I have some time off before the next gig and we're still working on some new ones. Ever since things fell apart in late 2007, I've developed a weird phobia about picking up the phone and trying to book them. Maybe a combination of fear of rejection, having to deal with dumb ass venue owners or just burn out from being jerked around so much by anyone associated with this. Doesn't really matter what the reason is because it's a lousy excuse anyway you look at it. I've got to man up and get past it unless I feel like retiring sometime soon, which I don't. Just found out that Miles of Music in LA has filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. What a shame, because they were the best place to get anything roots, Americana or alt-country. Say a prayer Memorial Day for all of the fallen military people that gave the ultimate sacrifice for our great country. I know we have some problems, but we're still the greatest country on earth and they're the reason why.

5-19-2009

Not sure why or how, but another magical night happened last Saturday at Taylor Grocery. I've played there so many times and it's all good, but every now and then I get a crowd that's very appreciative. This always seems to happen when I'm discouraged about not playing any more than I am or how broke I am or whatever the latest melancholy is. It just feels good to drive home feeling like you made a little bit of difference. This Saturday 5/23, I be at The Filling Station with Graham and Kevin from Tucson Simpson. Should be an interesting show. Still pondering on the book so be patient, it's coming. We're working on more shows possibly in Eureka Springs, Hattiesburg and maybe one in the Memphis area. Take care and keep our country in your thoughts and prayers.

4-15-2009

I sincerely appreciate all of the kind words on the book excerpt. Now, if I can just finish the book without all these distractions. Like, paying bills, doing taxes etc. This week, I'll be back at The Lady Luck Casino in Caruthersville, MO. I'll be in the lounge for a few sets, then Candy Coburn will rock the house starting at nine. The legendary and gorgeous, Lori Morgan will be on the big stage. Should be a pretty exciting night. Somali pirates need their seafaring asses kicked big time. You'd think their own country would man up and do it, but Somalia is actually a safe haven for them. Start arming the ships and when their sorry speedboats head their way and fire a shot or two, blow their ransoming ass out of the water. After a few of these, they might pursue another profession. I'd try aerobic or swimming instruction.

4-1-2009

I just posted an excerpt from my book in the "Blogs" section here in the site. I kinda lost interest after the divorce drama, but coming back around to it. There's some new video of "Crying Angel" on Andy's MySpace Don't ask about the lighting problem. The P&H Cafe had no interest in replacing the burned out bulbs in the stage lights. Back at Taylor's Grocery this Friday. Coach John Calipari is leaving The University of Memphis for Kentucky. Can't say I blame him much. Between the mega money and exposure, it's a no brainer. I'm sure watching our leaders act like buffoons on the local news didn't help much either.

3-18-2009

I'll be at The P&H Cafe this Saturday night with Graham Perry (Tucson Simpson) who's one of my favorite singer-songwriters and a good friend. Should be a great show. We've seen some tragic events unfold last week here in the Memphis area. Ironically, Austin Agee was the nephew of the woman I recently divorced. I'd known him since he was about nine years old and a very sweet guy who was raised in a very loving Christian family. What happened to bring this on is a mystery. I haven't had any contact with anyone from that side in over two years. Regardless, keep them and the family of Lisa Renee Davis in your thoughts and prayers.

3-8-2009

I really want to express my sincere thanks to everyone that came out to my birthday party at Kudzu's last night. We had a fun time that went on until way after normal hours. I'd also like to take this time to send a sincere apology to the Southern California area and the city of Nashville. I've bitched and moaned for years about how hard it was to get people out to see you in these areas. I apologize for this because Memphis is probably the worse place in the USA for this, bar none. I learned a serious lesson last night and will never make that mistake again. Good friends couldn't make it for legit reasons like sickness or whatever, and that's cool. The rest, will find any lame reason why not to get out and do something. Just like, musicians here that have decided that at some point, I don't want to create or be involved in anything that requires effort or time. I won't rant anymore about this because it is what it is. The spirit of the local Memphis music scene is dead and over. I also would appreciate it if old friends of mine would stop contacting me only if someone dies or has a terminal illness. It's morbid and depressing to to know that's the only time you want to touch base with me. I'll be at Taylor Grocery 3/14 and that is always a joy to do even if I do have to drive two hours to get there. It's a breath of fresh air. I'll also be at The P&H Cafe on 3/21.

3-3-2009

Tomorrow, MArch 4 is my birthday. Now, on to more important things. My 55th birthday party is going to be at Kudzu's this Saturday 3/7. I'll do a short set and after that, it's all about the fun. It's open invitation and no cover so come on down. Second...we got two local girls headed to the finals on American Idol. Not only are they home girls, they sing their asses off. We need to show lots of hometown love and Memphis up for them. SO VOTE WHEN THEY ASK YOU TO!!! I send y'all much love and many blessings. Thanks for the birthday wishes... means a lot.

2-24-2009

I'm not sure if most of you know that I was a road crew member on Lynyrd Skynyrd's 1975 Torture Tour. Actually, I was on the sound crew and it was a life altering experience for me in more ways than I can explain. I've written some blogs here and on my MySpace site and there's an excerpt from the book floating around online called "A Simple Act of Kindness" that gets into some it. A couple of weeks ago, I made contact with one of my crew buddies from back then for the first time since 1976. Joe Barnes emailed me after I got in touch with Marley Brant who wrote Freebirds: The Lynyrd Skynyrd Story. If you're a fan of the band, you'll want to read this one. Very well written and more detailed than I ever imagined. Joe and Craig Reed are still in touch, so I'm hoping to hear from him as well. Craig was on the plane that crashed in October of 77 and was their tour manager up until a couple of years ago. I talked to Bob O'Neal who worked for Continental Lighting back then, a few years ago when he was working at The Ryman in Nashville. He's left there and I'm not sure where he is now. More on this as it develops. March 7th is my birthday party and we're celebrating it at Kudzu's on Monroe just east of AutoZone Park. I'll be doing an acoustic set with some new tunes, but mostly, it's a party night. March 21st, I'll be at The P&H on Madison with my good friend, Graham Perry. Got some more gigs in the works so check back.

1-28-2009

I was hoping to make it through this month without any bad news. I just found out that Billy Powell from Lynyrd Skynyrd passed away at his home in Jacksonville, FL. Billy was 56 and apparently died from a heart attack. I saw him at The Horseshoe Casino in Tunica just after Leon passed away. He was still reeling from that because they'd been friends since elementary school. My sympathy, thoughts and prayers go out to his family and the band. Y'all do the same if you would.

BAck to The Lady Luck in Caruthersville, MO this weekend for two shows. So far, so good. I love the people and the way the room sounds. Had some old BOA fans come down to see me. Funny, but most of these people didn't know I'd played with Krokus or had never heard of them. Go figure! Got some pretty cool dates coming up along with some local shows. Also, I'm going to start rehearsing with some other players and see how this acoustic thing works with a trio. Keep checking back for more info.