radoslav lorkovic
"Accordion player, pianist, fine artist and mid-western/Croatian king of the Montana ski-slopes.
Living somewhere between Austin TX and his accordion case, Rad's website is usually out of date but that's because he is so busy playing incredible piano either solo or with Odetta, Jimmy La Fave, Greg Brown and so on. The list of people he has played with, however, doesn't tell you how closely connected he is to the soul of his muse and artistry. History, culture, jazz, blues, Mozart and having a good time are only some of the things on Rad's mind (along with a devotion to The Weather Channel). He also has the kind of accent which means he can say things like "Now we're stylin'" and get away with it. An amazing guy and a virtuoso musician, he'll be on tour with me this autumn in the UK, Italy and Switzerland." AW
stephen fearing
Close friend, Canadian songwriter and guitar player, co-writer of 'If I Catch You Crying', 'Trying To See God' and more, Stephen is one of the conglomeration of musicians who play with Andy under the name 'The Tall Friends' in and around the Guelph/Toronto area of Canada. Lately, Stephen and Andy have been playing as a trio with the wonderful Colleen Hodgson on bass, and you can see all of them plus other tall friends Andrew McPherson and Brian Hodgson in the tour diaries. As well as his solo career, Stephen is in a Canadian group called 'Blackie And The Rodeo Kings', hard-wearing road warriors who make The Band in The Last Waltz look like The Wiggles. Blackie recorded 'If I Catch You Crying' and have another two of Andy and Stephen's co-writes lined up for their new studio album. AW writes:
"My co-writing collaboration with Stephen will bear fruit under another name, some time in the future. All we have to do is find the time in amongst the serious business of eating toast & homemade scones and drinking Canadian microbrewery beer."
monique brumby
"Monique's vocals on the new album 'garageband' are going to blow you away. She's a singer from Tasmania, where the wild brumbies - beautiful wild horses - roam free. Swept by winter winds and warmed by the summer sun, she can take you from whispering sweet songs in your ear to crazy Patti Smith rants and back to intimate melody all in one song. She's got three albums for you to discover and not only sings back up on 'garageband' but takes the lead on 'A Long Time Coming' and 'Waiting For Someone'. A true friend and an amazing singer. Gallery girls rule ... OK!" AW
hester doove
"Hester took the 'garageband' photos one bright blustery afternoon down by the docks in Amsterdam, with sun splitting the sky and a bitingly cold wind coming in from the North Sea. I had just put in some eye drops I bought at a truckstop in the Midwest (no wonder they are banned in Europe) so shades were a must. Just arrived from three weeks of 24 hour a day work and play mixing 'garageband' in Italy, and a further three weeks in Belgium and Holland mixing another group's album on 4 hours of sleep and a diet of beer and sandwiches. I first met Hester in Dublin 1993, when she came over to do a photo assignment for OOR magazine. We did a photo session at the 'James Joyce' martello tower, which I should have used for something and I'm sure will use some day. We bumped into each other again in Amsterdam a couple of years ago and kept in touch. There are great portraits on Hester's website - Barry White, Tori Amos, Jon Spencer and others. And yes, that's her in the 'garageband' sunglasses." AW
wenne
The Dutch band whose debut album Andy produced early this year. They were introduced by a mutual friend, joined Andy onstage for his birthday concert in 2004 and they have been friends ever since, playing together when they can. Andy produced the album, with recording sessions in Belgium and the mix in Maastricht, Holland. He writes: "I cycled to the studio every morning and got lost every evening on the way home before snatching sleep, getting up and doing it again. Surviving on a Belgian beer whose name escapes me and trying to avoid the soft white 'broodjes' beloved by Dutch musicians and 'croquettes' which form the staple diet of Belgian engineers, it was a great experience for all of us. The guys pulled out some fantastic performances and the songs are excellent. We'll be playing together in Maastricht this autumn at their album release show."
tim finn
"I have heard Tim's new single and it's great!" AW. Not a lot on his website, though the Finn Brothers' is erudite in black and white. you can find it through ...
frenz.com
Everything and everyone related to Crowded House or Split Enz, run by Debbie with due respect to the Delphic Oracle of All Things Finn, Peter Green who writes ...
peter green
... the 'mousetrap' of web diaries, now in its 92nd year. Peter runs the Crowded House club and lives in the hills outside Melbourne. Andy says that the line-up to meet Peter after the recent Split Enz Melbourne show was much longer than the one for Neil and Tim themselves!
david crichton
Violin player, surfer, conversationalist and king of connections. This is David's personal site for all of you who have seen him on stage and want to find out more. David's brother Stuart has co-written a lot of songs with Andy and you can find him through Andy's myspace site.
paul litherland
Andy's cousin is a photographer and performance artist. You might find a photo of him in a coffin if you click the link. See if you can find the video of him jumping off high buildings and
the 'random photos'.
damon coward
"Damon is Jens, a Prince of Denmark living in an Italian town. He speaks several languages - including better English than mine - keeps up this website under the name Contempo Web, and writes and sings his own songs under this nom-de-plectrum. A great guy, we met through his lovely partner Monica who worked for Red Ronnie, Italian music TV maestro - you can see a clip of the show on this site or the myspace page.
michael
wrycraft
"Michael is a wonderful designer and the funniest hugest grooviest guy ever. For years he had an answering machine message saying "Press 1 for 'Michael Wrycraft', press 2 for 'A Man Called
Wrycraft'. For years I pressed the buttons. He claims to have no cell phone, he loves trying to do a Northern Irish accent, and screaming at his Mac. He is an amazing artist and his website is the worst ever, since even after designing a million great album sleeves you can't see EVEN ONE!!!" AW
yamaguchi hiroshi (heatwave)
Hiroshi is a guitarist from Tokyo who has joined Andy onstage the last few times he visited Japan. His band is 'Heatwave' and he writes a daily diary. It's mostly in Japanese but I know you will understand the title. "A great player, Hiroshi and I have a special connection. We were born very far apart in distance, but not in musical taste." AW
peter
gabriel
Peter's site is run by the fountain of all knowledge, Tina. The whole
Real World site is incredible. If you have a look around, take the 'tour' of the recording studios. Andy's new album was started in the Production and Stone Rooms, the 'Speechless' album was recorded in the Big Room with the poetry recorded at a performance in the Stone Room.
womad
"This is the WOMAD section of the Real World site. The most fantastic organization and people to work with, I am so proud of being asked to play their festivals and having the chance to meet the most amazing musicians from all around the world. The WOMAD people have become close friends and I hope you can feel the vibes from their website - music, arts & dance. What it's all about. Peace, and working together towards some kind of enlightenment - or at least a good time for as many people as possible, it's how these things should be done. Very strong." AW
