From his home in Chimney Rock, North Carolina, Andrew Wakefield is thankful. “Our house is still standing, so we are grateful for that.” The after-effects were wide-reaching when Hurricane Helene unexpectedly barreled through the Appalachian region. The music community was hit hard. “I lost a bunch of gigs, but it also gave me more time to enjoy with my family.” That family includes his wife, Kristen, and their one-year-old daughter, Irene.
Andrew’s childhood was spent growing up in a musical family. “My father played just about every instrument, and that was inspiring to me. He played in a Christian band in his younger days. My mom played violin, and my sisters played clarinet, flute, and piano. I always sang in church choirs. My dad used to play me to sleep, and he taught me to play ‘Ticket to Ride’ by the Beatles on the guitar when I was in the fourth grade. Of course, that was before I moved on to grunge music, which was easy to play on the guitar.”
Since middle school, Andrew knew he wanted to be involved with music. “It was a hobby for years. I began playing in an electric band when I was 16, and that continued through my early 20s before I moved to Northern California.” Andrew led a nomadic lifestyle for several years, traveling to India, Brazil, the Philippines, Laos, and Mexico. During that time, Andrew was constantly writing and playing. In early 2020, he became disillusioned with the music scene in Northern California, and a friend convinced him to move to North Carolina, where the music scene is quite vibrant.
He got a weekly gig with a house bluegrass band at Jack of the Wood for their Saturday bluegrass brunch. He also began gigging with regional bands, including The Well Drinkers, Supper Break, and The Pigeon River Messengers. That was the beginning of the path he is on now. “I went full-time during Covid.”
Writing is Andrew’s passion, and his verses must have a purpose. “I like co-writing with Jake Bachman from The Well Drinkers. We make a good team.” He typically storyboards his songs. “I don’t freeform it.” Undoubtedly, he has a knack for crafting songs, and his skill on the guitar has folks taking notice. He weaves old with new, and he likes to blur genres, bringing a sound and style of his own to the American roots music communities.
Despite Helene putting a crimp in things last fall, 2024 was very good for Andrew, with performances at the Blue Ox Fest and the AVL Fest. He got radio play on The Bluegrass Jamboree and other stations around the country and appeared live on WDVX’s live radio show The Blue Plate Special in Knoxville. Andrew has had the opportunity to share the stage with such greats as Molly Tuttle, Ketch Secor, and others.
His debut album, Bluegrassish, was released in 2023 it quickly reached 45,000 Spotify plays. At that time, Andrew decided to go solo. “I’m going full tilt with my solo stuff,” he says. “I’m just trying to sell more tickets and expose more people to my music. My goal now is to get more songs together for a new record mid-year. With this next album, I want to be more intentional about how I place the songs, so it should mesh really well. They will be all love songs and all instrumental.”
Andrew says different styles of music inspire him. “I like just about every style from classical music to classic rock– it just depends on my mood. I like Jimmy Martin and probably cover him more than anybody else. I also like Brian Sutton. And I’m obsessed with Tony Rice. To me, he’s the chosen one.”
Comments