Music
Press
The insanely talented 19-year-old Andrew Collberg composed, arranged and played all the instruments on his home-recorded debut disc, including drums, organ, harmonica, banjo and guitars, plus lots of special effects. The all-original set is a wonderfully integrated but varied, grit-pop romp around the edges of country and blues. There’s some Dylan flavor, although Collberg’s phrasing seems often to run from Beatle to Beatle. The real gripper is the unexpected gravitas in his lyrics, in which a recurring theme is sleep – the lack, seduction, and/or dread thereof – and related bouts of drinking. “Back To You” is a unique, believe it or not, take on the breakup song. “Come Home With Me” lovingly evokes cobblestone-and cathedral memories of Collberg’s Swedish birthplace. - No Depression
Just when you thought a generation had been lost to the PlayStation and Xbox, along comes a teenage prodigy like Andrew Collberg to emphatically say otherwise. At 19, his bag is folk rock, much of it Beatles-influenced, tuneful and showing immense promise. Collberg's talent extends to the one-man band trick; he plays everything on this disc, a list that includes banjo, guitar, organ, harmonica, percussion and um, whistling. He conducts this sonic orchestra to great effect, adding a psychedelic organ sound to "Not Me," a garagey vibe to "Prolong the Night" and a swirl of instruments and voice to the record's most realized take, "Eyes of Mine Are Your Son." With more life experience under his belt, this kid may become a world beater. - Harp
The insanely talented 19-year-old Andrew Collberg composed, arranged and played all the instruments on his home-recorded debut disc, including drums, organ, harmonica, banjo and guitars, plus lots of special effects. The all-original set is a wonderfully integrated but varied, grit-pop romp around the edges of country and blues. There’s some Dylan flavor, although Collberg’s phrasing seems often to run from Beatle to Beatle. The real gripper is the unexpected gravitas in his lyrics, in which a recurring theme is sleep – the lack, seduction, and/or dread thereof – and related bouts of drinking. “Back To You” is a unique, believe it or not, take on the breakup song. “Come Home With Me” lovingly evokes cobblestone-and cathedral memories of Collberg’s Swedish birthplace. - No Depression
The Line of Best Fit’s infatuation with singer songwriters continues with this, rather sprawling release, from American Andrew Collberg. I came across Collberg whilst reading the latest issue of Harp magazine that infrequently appears in my local Borders. The way his sound was described intrigued me enough to pop along to the, now mainstay of new music, Myspace and listen to some tunes. A quick exchange of emails with the good man himself and a copy of the album winged its way across the Atlantic to sunny Cambridge for me to listen to.
What immediately struck me about this debut was it’s, obvious, influences. They’re mainly British, his voice reminiscent of the late John Lennon and the musical arrangements similar to the groups of the 60’s in The Beatles and The Kinks. Infused with this though is some history of Americana. There’s twists of early (and now more recent) Wilco and The Jayhawks. But this isn’t an alt-country or Americana album, this is most definitely a pop/rock album. The dirty guitars of Eyes of Mine Are Your Son rock along like something from a Ryan Adams album, but his hushed and whispered vocals sound more sinister than anything Adams could muster. The opening Roll On In Bed sounds like the song Julien Lennon always wished he could have written with it’s gentle acoustic guitars and lo-fi production whilst Dream Tonight is reminiscent of Crowded House and Neil Finn’s solo output with it’s tremelo guitar and upbeat pop feel. Most of the songs follow this pattern, it’s not quite out and out AOR as the production isn’t clean enough for that, which is this records greatest asset. It feels as though it was produced forty years ago in Abbey Road. If there is one problem with this record though, it’s just a little too long. There’s sixteen songs on here and, towards the end, your attention does start to wain. But it’s worth making it through to the last track, the excellent The Water Fell with it’s acoustic guitars entwined with some nicely piercing electric ones that hints at some deep melancholy trapped at its heart - a hidden gem tucked away at the end.
For a debut record this is great stuff. The fact is that Collberg is under no illusions, he’s not aiming to be something that he’s not. This record is steeped in the past and is all the better for it, the Beatles-esque production and guitars just add up to an impressive record and one that suits the sunshine soaked days we’re currently enjoying. Let’s just hope Collberg has plenty more of these pop tunes up his sleeve.
- The Line of Best Fit
The Line of Best Fit’s infatuation with singer songwriters continues with this, rather sprawling release, from American Andrew Collberg. I came across Collberg whilst reading the latest issue of Harp magazine that infrequently appears in my local Borders. The way his sound was described intrigued me enough to pop along to the, now mainstay of new music, Myspace and listen to some tunes. A quick exchange of emails with the good man himself and a copy of the album winged its way across the Atlantic to sunny Cambridge for me to listen to.
What immediately struck me about this debut was it’s, obvious, influences. They’re mainly British, his voice reminiscent of the late John Lennon and the musical arrangements similar to the groups of the 60’s in The Beatles and The Kinks. Infused with this though is some history of Americana. There’s twists of early (and now more recent) Wilco and The Jayhawks. But this isn’t an alt-country or Americana album, this is most definitely a pop/rock album. The dirty guitars of Eyes of Mine Are Your Son rock along like something from a Ryan Adams album, but his hushed and whispered vocals sound more sinister than anything Adams could muster. The opening Roll On In Bed sounds like the song Julien Lennon always wished he could have written with it’s gentle acoustic guitars and lo-fi production whilst Dream Tonight is reminiscent of Crowded House and Neil Finn’s solo output with it’s tremelo guitar and upbeat pop feel. Most of the songs follow this pattern, it’s not quite out and out AOR as the production isn’t clean enough for that, which is this records greatest asset. It feels as though it was produced forty years ago in Abbey Road. If there is one problem with this record though, it’s just a little too long. There’s sixteen songs on here and, towards the end, your attention does start to wain. But it’s worth making it through to the last track, the excellent The Water Fell with it’s acoustic guitars entwined with some nicely piercing electric ones that hints at some deep melancholy trapped at its heart - a hidden gem tucked away at the end.
For a debut record this is great stuff. The fact is that Collberg is under no illusions, he’s not aiming to be something that he’s not. This record is steeped in the past and is all the better for it, the Beatles-esque production and guitars just add up to an impressive record and one that suits the sunshine soaked days we’re currently enjoying. Let’s just hope Collberg has plenty more of these pop tunes up his sleeve.
- The Line of Best Fit
Prodigious teenager Andrew Collberg is a singer-songwriter whose work evokes such timeless performers as Elliott Smith, Simon and Garfunkel, and Bright Eyes. Once this kid gets a little bit of living under his belt, he’s going to be truly dangerous. - Tucson Weekly
At 20, Andrew Collberg already is a three-year veteran of Club Crawl.
As a regular performer on the local club scene, the Tucson musician also has spent more time in bars than most legal-age college students.
But while starting out young gives him an advantage over other musicians, it also has its downfalls.
"I remember performing at Plush a few years ago, and some jerk yells out, 'Can you even drive a car?' " recalls Collberg over coffee at Fourth Avenue vegetarian restaurant Casbah Tea House. "So I get hassled every now and then, but I just keep playing," he says, reflecting the indifference that would convince you of his rock star quality.
That same stoicism manifests itself in the relaxed confidence of the lanky singer-songwriter, who says he loves food and that his favorite hobby is cooking.
Just don't ask him about the best way to roast a chicken or what his favorite food is, because "I don't know" is often his default reply.
Does he plan to stay in Tucson after releasing his second album?
"I don't know."
Where does he see himself in 10 years?
"I don't know."
Which presidential candidate will he vote for?
"I don't know."
One thing he does know? Music. It's all he's known since he was 7, when the Sweden-born rocker moved with his parents to New Zealand and then five years later to Tucson. His parents relocated to teach at the University of Arizona. His father, a computer scientist and musician, passed on his love of music, encouraging and mentoring him in the studio he set up in their home.
"My dad is a big reason that I play music," he says.
That music is a mix of retro rock, indie folk and whispery vocals accompanied by guitar, banjo and harmonica. The uninitiated can hear Collberg live when he performs at Club Crawl on Saturday. The biannual musical extravaganza features 80 bands performing at 25 stages downtown and along Fourth Avenue.
The event will showcase Collberg's inventive and original compositions that draw on many of his influences, such as The Kinks, Bob Dylan, The Velvet Underground and The Beatles.
Collberg's personal style is also unmistakingly '60s rock. Clad in vintage/retro sunglasses, a white linen shirt rolled up at the sleeves, and tight brown trousers that most women would struggle to fit into, he has never been one to fit in with the crowd.
He graduated from Catalina Foothills High School in 2006, after managing to show up as little as possible, even opting to skip his high school graduation.
"It was a really stupid couple of years," he says. "Kids got teased for no reason and I could never relate to the other kids. Going to school where everyone drives Beemers is just ridiculous."
Instead of getting mixed up in the often superficial world of high school, Collberg would practice his music at a studio his father built in their home, producing all the content for his 2006 self-titled debut album, for which he played all the instruments and wrote all the tracks. His second album, a collaboration with producer Nick Luca, is still in the works, and features cameos from other musicians, such as Calexico's Joey Burns on cello.
"It's upbeat and kind of overproduced, with lots of pianos and organs. One section is so much stuff, you can have this landscape but you can't tell what's there," he says. "It builds on songs instead of being just flat. It's more of a hodgepodge of musicians and a collaborative effort."
Tucson music insiders and fans have taken note of Collberg's talent. His manager and Club Crawl promoter Jeb Schoonover signed Collberg after seeing him perform at Battle of the Bands in 2005. Collberg also won a Tammie for Best New Artist in 2006.
Those who nominated him for the local music award likely saw him perform live, which he loves to do. But he says the "small townliness" of Tucson can be drowning.
"I mean, it's not like I'm an a--hole, (Collberg's soft voice and calm demeanor make this believable), but Tucson crowds are always the same," he says. "You can underplay or overplay in a place like Tucson and it gets kind of overbearing."
One of the reasons he looks forward to performing at Club Crawl is because the crowd is constantly changing.
"I mean I make music that I like and I enjoy, but if you're gonna perform it, it should be something people want to hear," he says before excusing himself to answer a cell phone call from one of his buddies.
Collberg tells his friend he's in the middle of something, listens for the reply, and then, what could easily be adopted as his life motto, replies, "No worries." - Tucson Citizen
Prodigious teenager Andrew Collberg is a singer-songwriter whose work evokes such timeless performers as Elliott Smith, Simon and Garfunkel, and Bright Eyes. Once this kid gets a little bit of living under his belt, he’s going to be truly dangerous. - Tucson Weekly
Discography
2006 Andrew Collberg-self titled CD
Photos
Bio
Who would have known that LPs would be hip again?...Perhaps Andrew Collberg, because the Swedish born songwriter has been listening to them since the day he could crawl. When you hear Collberg’s original music you might surmise that those records would have included a dose of the Beatles, Kinks and Bob Dylan. What is less suspecting is that his collection would contain lesser-known artists such as Leonard Cohen, The Velvet Underground or Townes Van Zandt. Or that his newer influences would be as diverse as the songwriter Nicolai Dunger, Wilco or fellow Tucson band Calexico.
Collberg’s reverence towards his predecessors is the foundation that supports his artistic vision. His musical style is a blend of 60’s rock and folk-soul. He has a penchant for composing sweet melodies with poetic lyrics, songs that are both simple yet somehow sophisticated. Part of the magic is that he hears how a song should be produced as he is writing it. This process started when he was only ten years old and was creating songs on his father’s four track cassette recorder. On Collberg’s 2006 self-titled debut he wrote, performed and produced all sixteen tracks. Quite an accomplishment especially considering they were all recorded when he was still in high school.
Just as Collberg turned 21 this year, his music shows a definite growth from the promising teenager to a self-confident artist. He has just finished recording 11 new tracks with Nick Luca who has been an engineer/producer/musician at Tucson's own Wavelab Recording Studio for the past 10 years. Luca has worked with such notable artists as Devotchka, Neko Case, Iron and Wine, M Ward, Calexico, Robyn Hitchcock and Evan Dando, making him an integral part of some the most significant indie albums of the last decade. In Luca, Collberg has found a kindred spirit who immerses himself in the production process. The results of their collaboration are intense sessions that have produced his most distinguished recordings to date.
Collberg’s new music has reached a certain maturity that comes from the desire to work at the songwriting and recording process. This is not an artist that is looking for overnight success, but one that wants to have a career of creating songs that are both special and potentially everlasting. With that work ethic in mind, the day may soon come where Andrew Collberg’s LPs are spinning on that same turntable that once only played his heroes, but for now Collberg is just excited to have begun that process.
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