About Me
I got my musical start from my mother and The Beatles, both of whom still inspire me today (awww...). Played rock and blues guitar, as well as bluegrass dobro and slide guitar throughout my school years. Grew up in Minnesota, lived in Rio de Janeiro, Honolulu, the Wisconsin northwoods, and back to Minneapolis, absorbing musical ideas and inspiration from each. In 1987, my musical partner Molly Scheer and I formed the high energy country-rockin' band Molly & The Heymakers. In 1990 we signed with Warner/Reprise Records in Nashville, releasing one album which yielded 5 charting singles and a top 10 video. The band successfully toured the US and Europe for several years, releasing three subsequent indie albums which were well recieved on Americana charts and radio.
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Moved to the Minneapolis metro area in 1998, focusing on becoming a session musician and gigging locally. Since then, I've done lots of TV and radio session work including national and regional spots for Coke, Miller Beer, BMW, ESPN, MTV, Walmart, Kmart, Chipotle, Best Buy, United Airlines, Harley Davidson, Purina, Gedney, Target, Lee Jeans, John Deere, Arctic Cat, Cub Foods, LL Bean, Culvers, Berkeley, US Bank, Crystal Farms, Old Home, Union Pacific, American Standard, Delta, Mall Of America, Marshall Field's, Staples, and others.
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I also keep busy playing on album sessions for top Twin Cities and national artists such as Soul Asylum, The Proclaimers, Jonny Lang, Joey Molland (Badfinger), Courtney Jaye, Robby Vee, Kevin Bowe, GB Leighton, Renee Austin, Shane Henry, Mick Sterling, Randy Casey, Shannon Curfman, and others. My writing credits include TV and radio spots for BMW, MTV, Oxygen TV, Chipotle, Walmart, United Airlines, ESPN, History Channel, Culvers, Timberlodge, Gedney, John Deere, and Marshall Field's. Some of my music has also been featured in the indie films "Get Back To Dirt", "Kwik Stop" and "10 Yards". I've also been busy producing/coproducing CD projects with Forty Watt Bulb, Paul Mayasich, Charlie Roth, Kevin Bowe & The Okemah Prophets, and Corey Carlson.
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My "musical tool box" of stringed instruments includes electric, acoustic, 12-string, baritone and slide guitars, dobro and National guitar, electric sitar, acoustic hawaiian guitar, ukulele, bass, mandolin, pedal steel, banjo, and my signature instrument, lap steel. I also end up singing on many of the projects I work on.
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Although I don't consider myself a solo artist, another project of mine that has been turning heads recently is my long overdue, slightly overdone, totally self-indulgent, sonic fun fest SWEET SOUL SEWAGE. Written, performed, produced and recorded all by my lonesome (with a few goofball guests), recorded on everything from boomboxes to Protools, mostly in the wee hours over the past several years in various basements, living rooms, and even a milkhouse. Created for no other reason than the joy and freedom of home recording, SWEET SOUL SEWAGE has become an oddball favorite among the likes of Steve Earle (that's what I've been told), the ever-talented Bill Lloyd, The Warren Brothers (them too, I guess), with even Dick Clark (yep) exclaiming "Who the fuck is Andy Dee??!!"