Andy Hackbarth

"Hackbarth is tailor-made for hot AC radio and would fit seamlessly alongside acts like Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz, Howie Day and Mat Kearney..." (Dave Herrera, Westword Magazine) - Westword Magazine

"A VERY enjoyable CD!" - Grady Kirkpatrick - NPR/WPR "Morning Music with Grady Kirkpatrick"

Andy Hackbarth at Wildwood Sounds

DEL NORTE – Wildwood Sounds presents Andy Hackbarth, July 11, Doors open at 7 PM.
Nashville based songwriter and acclaimed classical guitarist Andy Hackbarth is know in Nashville as a true country/pop crossover artist with lush, but gritty John Mayer-esque vocals and a writing style much like that of Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban and Blake Shelton, has already established himself atop the Who’s Who list of next generation performing songwriters.
Andy's Wildwood Sounds concert marks the end of a nine-day tour throughout Colorado in support of his new album, “The Nashville Sessions�, available now in hard copy for and for download in mid-August.
Hackbarth made his classical symphonic debut at age 15 with the Symphony in the valley and spent two summers studying at the Aspen Music School. He went on to win several major contests, including the prestigious National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts competition. Andy holds a BM from the University of Colorado at Boulder and has been mentored by some of the biggest names in classical music, including John Williams, Christopher Parkening, Kevin Gallagher and Julliard’s Sharon Isbin.
Several of Andy's songs have garnered radio attention, including “The Last Love Song�, “Guam� and “Seven Stairs�. His anthem, “We Ain’t Done Yet�, written for the Colorado Rockies during the World Series received substantial airplay on more than 40 major radio stations in the West.
Tickets are $10, reserved at 657-4757 or www.wildwoodsounds.com. - Sangre de Christo Valley Lifestyle Magazine

"...What refreshing, smooth music for your soul, that enters your ear and exits through a wonderful exhale of fine listening. Andy Hackbarth, I am hitting the repeat as I type! Thanks for the musical smile." - Preshias Harris (Nashville Music Journalist) - Nashville Music Journal

"Andy Hackbarth writes and sings of love lost and love found so convincingly, your heart breaks and swells several times just listening...then Andy throws a curve as he rocks out "Pour Me A Double". This is a beautifully layered album musically that still manages to preserve the spirit and intimacy of one of his live performances." - Scott Southworth - The Music Row Show

"We recently hosted Andy Hackbarth at our 8th annual Cuchara Summer Nights Singer-Songwriter series and Andy brought his "A" game to town. An Andy Hackbarth show includes his own well crafted pop songs and some really cool original country songs with very good hooks, a sprinkling of songs from those who have influenced him the most, including great songwriters such as Kris Kristofferson, and most surprising to those who have never seen his shows, virtuoso performances from the classical guitar canon. Where else can you hear mind bending classical guitar so pure it will make you weep for joy followed by a really great kick- ass country song like "Pour Me a Double." Only at a Andy Hackbarth show. Not to be missed.
- Claude Appel

"...as young as he looks, but he is so damn good. Andy Hackbarth's CD, 'The Nashville Sessions' has not one un-listenable song. Andy has a homegrown honesty that can only come from an open heart. So give your tired soul a rest and listen to love out of thin air with Andy's music. His melodies immediately pull you into the song, his voice smooth and clear and mellow, combined with rhythms a step above the ordinary. Andy's writing reminds me so much of early Dylan, Folgelberg and Anderson it's eerie..."
- KRZA Radio

Top Ten Artist Feature Article
Soundsugar
He may not wear a cowboy hat or sing with a southern drawl, but
Andy Hackbarth is as country as it gets.
Hackbarth has finally gone back to his country roots after years of intense classical guitar study. His music is a fusion of pop, rock, folk and country, great songwriting and a virtuosic approach to the guitar that makes his music so unique. Andy grew up in a town of 800 people where his parents owned a llama farm. He shoveled his share of manure and dug his share of fence post holes. His town didn't even have a stoplight! It doesn't get much more country than that! From an early age he had always loved the instrumental sound of country music. "You can feel the heartache in a steel guitar solo, freedom in a great mandolin part that's been added just below the surface," he says. He moved from Boulder, Colorado to Nashville, Tennessee in hopes of pursuing his dream of writing and performing country music.
His vocal style is closer to John Mayer than Alan Jackson, but his deep country roots and amazing guitar skills make his music stand out immediately. Playing in bars and clubs in Nashville fashion, Andy rubs elbows with some of country music's most influential songwriters and performers. His musical style continues to expand and he is continuously influenced by his favorite artists ranging anywhere from Jim Croce and Bob Dylan to Fiona Apple and Jimi Hendrix.
Most recently, Andy wrote a song dedicated to the Rockies in light of their first time ever participation in the World Series. Immediately his song was picked up by over forty radio stations and broadcast to an audience of over 200,000. MLB.com, the official site of Major League Baseball, did an extensive story on Andy and his music. Everywhere Andy and his music go the fans are sure to follow. You may not be a die hard country fan, but give it a chance. Even the most die hard rockers might be singing along in that country twang after a few tracks. Andy's new album is due to be released in December. - SoundSugar

Major League Baseball
Doug Miller, Senior Writer for MLB.com/Entertainment
Nashville musician pens ode to Rockies
'We Ain't Done Yet' garnering attention for Colorado native
By Doug Miller / MLB.com

Andy Hackbarth is living in Nashville and pursuing the dream of becoming a country music star, but when summer turns sweltering in Music City, the first thing on his mind is the cool Colorado air and the baseball played by his beloved Rockies.
Andy grew up in mountain towns in Colorado and fell in love with baseball. He played through high school and up until he blew out his arm his freshman year in college. He traded a leather glove for a guitar and has been writing songs ever since, and his latest one, "We Ain't Done Yet," was written specifically for the Rockies team that he's come to know and love since the franchise began in Denver in 1993.
Hackbarth said he started writing the song simply from the inspiration this band of unlikely stars has given the long-suffering Rockies fans. Once the club won 21 of 22 games on its stunning run to the World Series, Hackbarth rushed to get the final mix done.
And then, when the team lost Game 1 of the Fall Classic to the Red Sox by the ugly score of 13-1, he rushed it even more.
"The song was created more from the regular season," Andy said. "But it really fits now, too, because even though we went on the big run, people didn't give the Rockies the credit they deserved. To do what they did, the players and the fans had to believe that we ain't done yet. We're gonna do what it takes to get to the end, and that certainly was the World Series that I had in mind."
The lyrics are straightforward and easily recognizable to any Rockies fan.
"Welcome to the West, welcome to the big show, this Rocktober Wild Card run/Welcome to the spotlight, to a touch of the old times, that mountain baseball fever high," Hack sings. "'Cause we're old school with young guns, defense and home runs, that ball is gone and it ain't comin' back.
"We ain't done yet, we ain't done yet/Helton and the boys are gonna do it again. We ain't done yet, we ain't done yet/Let me hear you say, we ain't done yet."
Hackbarth said the original title for the song, conjured with the help of his Rockies-fanatic father, was "A Touch of the Old Times," because of the team's throwback style.
"My dad and I always talked about how this Rockies team is bringing baseball back for a lot of people, and not just in Colorado," Andrews said. "They developed these players on a smaller payroll, they're nice guys, they get along, they don't bicker, there are no drug problems, so yeah, it's a touch of the old times.
"What was so cool about this team is old-school baseball. That's why people are rallying around them. It's just a really cool team and I feel like there's nobody that's more deserving. Rockies fans have had pretty dismal seasons over the years, but the fans for the most part have been really supportive and positive."
And now that the Rockies are in the World Series and find themselves up against a wall heading home for Game 3 at Coors Field, Hackbarth said he has an idea of what needs to happen to turn it around.
"I feel like we just have to get the bats going," Hackbarth said. "We have great young players we've developed, and they're good hitters. It was kind of hard to watch Game 2. It was frustrating, because it seems like they're timid up there, not swinging with the confidence they had in the regular season. It's time we got hot with the bats."
Meanwhile, Hackbarth is getting hot with this song. He's hoping to take the exposure he's getting and turn it into radio play for his upcoming album, which he's putting the finishing touches on in the studio in Nashville.
"It's huge for me," he said. "Tons of people are hearing it and people are calling me from (Colorado) saying they're saying my name on the radio. It's really exciting, a really big step for me. The whole thing has exceeded my expectations, but the coolest part of all of it would be for the fans to hear it (at Coors Field), in that setting under the lights, that would be the ultimate for me."
OK, maybe not quite the ultimate.
"I would take them not playing that song one more time ever if it meant the Rockies winning the World Series," he said. "And I still think they're gonna do it. They're gonna come back because that's the kind of team they are.
"And if they don't, you better watch out next year."
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
- Major League Baseball Doug Miller, Senior Writer for MLB Entertainments