Face the Music: Jonathan Andrews
by Marie Yarbrough
Jonathan Andrews grew up in Shreveport, La., playing and listening to blues and gospel music. As with so many others, his major influences are The Beatles, Sting, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Pink Floyd and—the Stone Temple Pilots? Uh-huh. Since graduating from Belmont University with a degree in music, singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Andrews has made the rounds at numerous local clubs, playing his brand of Dixie-fied acoustic rock. He is currently working on an EP, set to be released early in the new year. Here he talks about the magic of Stevie Wonder, making his wife cry (and being proud of it!) and his fascination with Oompa-Loompas. For more info on Jonathan, check out www.jonathanandrews.net. Hear him play at The French Quarter Cafe on Dec. 30.
1. Describe your music style, in 5 sentences or less. Southern acoustic driven rock and roll.
2. What's the first and last concert you ever went to? The first concert I ever went to was Stevie Wonder when I was about ten years old. My mom surprised my sister and me with tickets and I can still see so many details vividly in my mind. The rich sound of his songs along with the flashing lights and atmosphere definitely plunged me into a lifetime of wanting to duplicate that feeling and emotion. It was awesome. The last major concert I went to see was Sting the last time he came through Nashville. He is another one I have been following all of my life and it was an awesome show, by the way.
3. What's the last local music event/concert you went to? I went to a songwriter's night the other night at the French Quarter Cafe out in East Nashville. No cover charge - my kind of evening.
4. What's your favorite cheesy song? Eddy Grant, "Electric Avenue."
5. What's the best and the worst gig you ever had? The best gig I ever had was about three years ago when I was fronting a band called Mr. Majestic. We played at Third and Lindsley with Charlene Ibrahim and Early Evening. It was an awesome night where everything was as it should be. The sound was perfect, the harmonies were tight and we got to play with two of my favorite local groups. It was a fun time. The worst gig was when a local booking agency (which I won't mention) booked us to play for a bunch of teenagers eating pizza in an empty foyer of a coliseum. What a waste of time. All they wanted to hear was N'Sync and I am quite the opposite.
6. What's your favorite holiday record? Believe it or not, it is a Pottery Barn record that I just bought called Chill. It has all of the old favorites, but remixed. The first track is Bing Crosby singing "Happy Holiday" with a funky beat. It is fun and it makes you move.
7. If you could be in any other band (past or present) for 24 hours, what band would you be in? The Beatles!!! How cool would it feel to walk out on the Ed Sullivan Show and sing "She Loves You" and know that you are doing something that has never been done? No other band has influenced me or popular music in general more than those guys. To be there in the middle of that creative monster of a group would be a dream to experience. My luck, though, I would get stuck with a "Ringo Role" and be the always forgotten Beatle. It would be unbelievable to just be a part in the creative process of the most successful band in history.
8. What's your opinion on the Nashville music scene? Who are your favorite Nashville musicians/artists? The Nashville music scene is a little too cookie-cutter for me. It is a country-music song machine. They know what works and just keep pounding it. You can't deny that the town is saturated with a lot of great talent—every waitress, mechanic and nanny is an aspiring Faith Hill. And because of that, there is always something going on that is good, but it is hard to find the kind of music I am interested in. Every show is something you can learn from, though, so I like to go out and watch people as much as possible. My favorite Nashville artists are Gypsy Hombres, The Jack Silverman Ordeal, and...uh, Jonathan Andrews.
9. What is your proudest moment in music? My proudest moment in music is the first time I made my wife (then girlfriend) cry when I played her a new tune. She is also a musician and I knew the song must have been really good if she could forget the theory and structure behind the song and just enjoy it. That tune is still her favorite song.
10. What's your most humbling moment in music? When I graduated from college with a music degree and realized that I had gone from being a rock star at school to being one in an ocean of talent all competing for the same goal. Humbling to say the least.
11. Are you excited about Tim Burton remaking Charlie & The Chocolate Factory? What?!?!?!? Remaking a classic like that? I actually hadn't heard that Tim Burton is remaking it, but I'm sure he will come up with some killer effects and it will be awesome. If not, we can always go back to watching the old version. Talk about being somewhere for 24 hours! What I wouldn't give to be an Oompa-Loompa for a day.
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