One of Brisbane’s best singer/songwriters Andrew Kennedy has just released his sophomore EP, ‘Running Stumbling Bumbling Bursting’. After listening to this terrific EP I just had to find out more about the man with the talent.
So Andrew, tell us how long you’ve been playing music.
“I started piano lessons back in Primary school, I think I was maybe seven years old. It was just one of those extra curricular things you do when you’re in school. I wasn’t until I was about thirteen that I started really getting into music. I had this left of centre piano teacher called Danny who got me to improvise for the first time. Until then, I didn’t even know I was “allowed” to do that. I thought I had to just play the notes on the page.”
How do you describe your sound?
“Well, being a guitarist first and foremost, I’d have to say that a lot of my music is guitar driven. By that, I don’t mean like foo fighters or anything, just that I like to create guitar arrangements that compliment the songs rather than just strumming. When I play solo, I also use a loop pedal so I can build up subtle soundscapes and weave them into what I’m doing. Apart from all that, I’d say my music is pretty catchy, often high energy and strongly built around the lyrics.”
Your new EP, what can people expect to hear from it?
“It’s pretty varied. There’s faster catchy stuff like “Suicide Tuesday”, there’s rock’n'roll like “Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” and there’s tender little ballads like “Little Trooper”. This EP is much more song based than my last release. Everything’s built around the lyrics and vocals. I think it’s come out very strong.”
What was the process like putting it together?
“This record was recorded very differently to my first record. When I recorded “Shrugging It Off”, I did it in total isolation with very little input from anyone else. sometimes I felt like I was going mad because there was no one to bounce ideas off and it was difficult to get perspective. For my new EP “Running, Stumbling, Bumbling, Bursting” I worked with a producer which meant that I could sit back and just be an artist and leave the production to him. Much less stress.”
Andrew’s new EP is well worth a listen and if you want to find out any more information about him or his music check out www.myspace.com/andrewkennedymusic.