Andy Ard

Not so long ago, Andy was playing the open mic night at the Durango Songwriter’s Expo. He was bummed about not getting into the showcase as he’d done before, so he played a new song about dejection, called “Everyone Loves You (but Nobody Wants You Around)”.

To his surprise, the song went over very well. It was at odds with his recent manifesto to make “music for people who want to be happier” (himself included).
A young lady ran into him later and told him that she enjoyed the song. This is always good to hear; songwriters strive to make songs people enjoy. It was the little bit of description that came with it that stung, though.

“Oh, you’re that old jazzy bluesy guy!”

This was news to Andy. For most of the years leading up to this moment, he had imagined himself as a rock ‘n’ roll kid. A guitar-slinging devotee of The Kinks and power chords, arena rock, that sort of thing. He had spent years slugging it out solo, in duos and bands, for festival crowds and drunks in bars, working towards the elusive momentum that defines working musicians.

This little snippet of conversation completed an era and began a new one. Andy was no longer that wannabe heavy rock guy, but rather an old jazzy-bluesy guy. A songwriter nonetheless. He chose to embrace it rather than resist it, and nowadays even ignore it.

Andy writes songs. He cares not what genre listeners may ascribe to them. He only cares that you enjoy them.

Thank you for listening.