Andrew Ewing

What a great night! There was a real great friendly vibe the whole night.

The Killer Beez played 5 really great tunes, including one of my all time favorites, Psycho (which I was surprised to find out wasn't a Beasts of Bourbon original tune, but I reckon they own it!) and Fade Into You. I really enjoyed Ben's lap steel playing (more to come later!), and Alex Archers guitar & clarinet work were also really enjoyable (most appropriate on the Tom Waites cover).

Then The Painkillers punched out a loudish set of their standard (but great) songs. James Baker played drums at the time the Beasts did pyscho and aparrently commended Racey on their version earlier.

Fall Electric sounded great, until Andrew's amp gave up on him!

Then came the other Andrew, and his carnival of friends (more of Ben on lap steel, Tristen on cello, Racey on piano accordian and backing vocals, the two piece brass section whose names I didn't catch, Brendan Ewing on bass, Greg Hosking on drums, not all at the same time though). He can really write some great lyics, and the tunes were wonderful. The assortment of varying line-ups during the set gave the whole thing a really fresh sound with each song. It was great to see a whole bunch of musical friends pulling together for such an event.

I listened to the CD this morning and re-lived some of those moments. One of my favorite gigs of the year for the quality of the line-up and the great friendly vibe!
- Perthbands

Riff-doctor for The Devil Rides Out and Thumb, Andrew Ewing is already known to the public for his abilities on a six-string. As his latest solo EP The Man I Never Was shows, Ewing is nothing short of an amazing all-rounder. Ewing, along with a cast of Perth’s finest musicians, launches the EP on Saturday, April 28, at the Hyde Park Hotel. MIKE WAFER reports.

Though not his first solo record, The Man I Never Was is the most significant project Andrew Ewing has ever undertaken, as it has seen him face his own insecurities head on, and overcome them.
He’s still a little sceptical as to whether or not he’s won the war outright, but the fact that Andrew Ewing’s latest record is plastered with photographs of himself is proof enough that he’s won a battle. Naturally shy in spite of his commanding presence on stage, Ewing fretted over several issues with The Man I Never Was, though so important was this record that, after encouraging kicks up the jacksie by his friends, Andrew Ewing decided to allow himself a bit of attention.


“I never done this before with my solo releases,” says a proud Ewing, his smile emerging from the sanctuary of his own beard like a hermit crab. “I’ve never made a fuss before. I’ve never put photos of myself on the cover. I’ve never come down to X-Press to talk about my records. I was very reluctant at first to do all of the things I’ve done with The Man I Never Was, but I’m lucky to have very talented friends who were very encouraging along the way. Also, I think I’ve reached a point where I’ve asked myself ‘what am I doing this for?’. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with people making music that stays in their bedroom, but this record is something I really believe in, and people like Joe Kapiteyn [The Devil Rides Out] and Rachael [Dease] Schvendes were nudging me like ‘don’t just do another EP that disappears’.
Which is exactly what has happened with Ewing’s past solo releases. Pressing only 50 or so copies to give to friends, Ewing’s past approach has been stifled by guardedness.
From a listener’s perspective, this guardedness seems grossly unwarranted. Even when you take away the fact that The Man I Never Was contains the skills of the likes of Ben Franz, Tristen Parr, Greg Hosking and John Clark… even when you take analysis right back down to one man’s voice, his guitar and his poetry… the record is breathtaking.
“I’m just lucky I have so many talented friends,” Ewing blushes modestly at the compliment, resisting the interviewer’s constant prods to accept praise. Graciously and endearingly, Ewing simply says ‘thank you’ and deflects the attention away from himself.
It’s upon seeing this reaction that it becomes obvious just how special a record The Man I Never Was is, because it is a true artist inviting the world into the depths of his soul. To do such a thing has been a huge leap of faith for Ewing, but it has allowed the world to see the beauty and darkness that exists within a unique man, echoing truths within all of us.
In a world where so much music means nothing, and serves no purpose but to distract, having such an honest and vulnerable glimpse into another human being is a rare and beautiful privilege. And although he doesn’t yet know it, by inviting the world to peer through the looking glass, Andrew Ewing has become the man he thought he never was. - Xpress

Andrew's deep country drawl creates the mood of his fourth solo release perfectly making 'The man I never was' one of the best laid back releases to come out of Perth so far this year. And why shouldn't it be? Ewing (himself a talented singer/songwriter) has assembled some of the city's best musicians to accompany him including Ben Franz, and Greg Hosking.


The title, and opening, track is a meandering reflection on marriage and growing up with the clincher of a realisation "you don't like rock and roll and I don't like getting old". 'Falling' and 'Goodnight Good Luck' are not without their highlights but both lyrically resort to an overkill of repetition. All is forgiven though on the slightly more upbeat track 'Hal Hartley' where Ewing suddenly sounds similar to 'Shame about Ray' period Evan Dando while EP closer 'Hammer' sees the baratone channeling Johnny Cash.

While Andrew laments the man he never was we should all be thankful that the artist Andrew Ewing is what he has become if its going to deliver an EP like this. - www.perthbands.com

Devil Rides Out riff master and half of Thumb’s sibling content; Andrew Ewing is a Perth music veteran in spite of his age. So too does his poetry weave the kind of emotionally complex rollercoaster one would normally associate with artists twice his age and experience.

What The Man I Never Was proves, then, is that wisdom doesn’t care how long you’ve been around. Putting the man he ‘never was’ through an autopsy of sorts, Ewing’s latest batch of songs see the artist having an out-of-body experience, and effectively looking at his own existence through someone else’s eyes.

To put a more exact sense of finality to this examination, Ewing’s deep, rich voice carries an authority not dissimilar from that of Leonard Cohen’s, which serves to give each song’s narrative a more timeless and universal sense of accuracy. What better way to give authenticity to songs that exorcise demons than to give them a booming voice from the heavens, more poetically put.

Melodically, Ewing’s ability to write instantly attractive hooks as a rock guitarist translate to the vocal realm in this more acoustic setting, with verses and choruses both being catchy, whilst properly definable as different parts. So too does he employ short and direct phrases in his lyrics, which, by and large, get straight to the point without resorting to clumsy cliches or obvious rhymes.

Ewing’s self-examination shows little mercy, but a wonderful understated optimism that, in the greater perspective, leaves overused words like ‘cathartic’ completely and utterly flaccid sat next to the concept they are attempting to explain. - www.xpressmag.com.au