Andy Guthrie

Andy Guthrie is a singer, pianist, guitarist, songwriter and composer. He has recorded and produced three albums least common denominator, 1616 Burdette, and Milk and Waste. His music has been described as soulful, haunting, catchy, and sincere using a mix of genres, moods, and poetry. Andy Guthrie was born in 1972 on a Navajo Indian reservation in Arizona and his family moved permanently to Pittsburgh in 1974. Piano lessons began at the age of eight thanks to his mother and continued through college at the University of Delaware where he received a Classical Piano Minor and a B.A. in Economics. In high school he began to teach himself acoustic guitar and write songs for both the piano and guitar. After undergraduate studies, Andy moved to Santa Fe and attended the College of Santa Fe studying jazz piano. While in Santa Fe Andy was the singer and keyboardist for the band Telefunken U-47’s which played regularly at clubs in the region. He also played piano for the musicals Rent and Rocky Horror Picture Show staged by Live without a Net Productions, and with the band Soulful Blessings. In Santa Fe Andy Guthrie produced the album least common denominator with members of Telefunken U-47’s and local jazz musicians. The album a mix of jazz and funk was the first successful large recording project of Andy’s career. Andy Guthrie moved to New Orleans in 1998 and attended Tulane University where he received a M.A. in Music Composition. At Tulane his classically derived pieces were performed and recorded at two concerts and during the 2001 commencement ceremonies by members of the Louisiana Philharmonic. His thesis was a three movement chamber symphony in which he was the conductor. In New Orleans he played with rock band Daydreams and Curry which performed regularly at clubs and garnered a nomination for Off Beat magazine’s “Best of the Beat Awards” and performed solo and with his own band at clubs around the city. While in New Orleans he recorded the album 1616 Burdette. 1616 Burdette was recorded by Will Simons during one week in Andy’s living room (where the solo guitar and vocals were done) and at Tulane University’s Recital Hall (where the solo piano and vocals were done live). The album is a different path from least common denominator in that there are no other musicians except for one guitar solo and a back up vocal by Will. In 2001 Andy Guthrie moved to New York City. He began to play solo piano/guitar/voice shows in clubs around the city and worldwide forming his own band. He also composed for the Off Broadway play Women Slightly on the Edge which ran at the American Globe Theatre. In 2005 Andy Guthrie completed his third and most ambitious album Milk and Waste as producer, writer, singer, pianist, and guitarist with the finest New York musicians on trumpet, cello, double bass, drums, and percussion. The rest becomes news for now.