Van Andrew talks about inspirations, goals, and dreams.
Written By: Delaney Hamilton & Veda Verner
On April 15, 2023, we had the opportunity to sit and speak with the outlaw himself, Van Andrew. He has been releasing music as early as 2018 but has been interested in music since he was between the ages of 8 and 9. He started with violin lessons which only piqued his interest even more. At the age of 14, he taught himself how to play guitar. “That was where I was like, ‘Okay, I love this’. I would climb out to the back pasture of our farm, wail my little songs, and write songs. We didn’t have a lot of money growing up so I would write my mom songs for Mother’s Day.”. That’s when he expressed his interest in songwriting. “In my late teens, I found this pocket of singer/songwriter, indie-rock music from the early 2000s. I got into Joshua Radin, Regina Spektor, Plain White T’s, all those; The Fray, Lifehouse, and so that scratched an itch in my head with my songwriting.”
Following up with his great answer, we asked him to go further into his inspirations. “In the sad boy/folk genre that I write a lot in, Joshua Radin was a huge inspiration. He started late, but he had these very heartfelt and very simplistic chorus songs. He was a big inspiration but I also grew up in the NeedToBreathe, Switchfoot, and The Fray, like that whole indie-rock scene from the Early 2000s. I, somehow, missed the whole ‘emo’ scene until later. I’m probably more of an ‘emo kid’ now, more than I was growing up. Over the years, I got more into the folk scene. I started listening to Jason Isbell, David Ramirez, and a lot of the singer/songwriter types. It started to feel like ‘Oh, this is the kind of music I love, this is the kind of music I want to write.’.” He went on to talk about his new song, Now You Know, which happened to be released the day prior on April 14th. “It’s more rock ‘n’ roll, which is like my ‘emo’ side.”, this is how he described this newly released track.
The next thing that we discussed was what he wanted people to feel when they listened to his music. “I think this past year gave me a lot of clarity on why I do music. I’ve written songs for years and you can get so close to it and not even know why you’re doing it. There’s always that elusive ‘you have to chase success to make it pay the bills’ kind of thing. I will always be a storyteller, whether it be illustration, music, or poetry. It will always be a part of me, it helps me process what I feel inside, but I also realized that with the gift of songwriting, whether it be something you taught yourself or it comes naturally to you. My goal with it is to take what I have gone through, what I have been through, and what I process on a daily basis; I want to put that into a tangible form where someone else can receive it so it makes their world or their journey a little less alone. Regardless of how successful I do or don’t become, that’s my ultimate vision.”. From what we’ve seen of people's reactions to his music, that does translate well. His raw approach to songwriting and even his performances feel very intimate and personal. Having witnessed audience members’ reactions to his music, whether it be dancing or tearing up, his art holds personal value to many people. Van also made it known that he would want to be known as someone who was empathetic and did his best to make the world a better place. “Right now, in the arts and in the music, I think later on down the road, it might look different. I have a huge passion for philanthropic organizations so that kind of thing is always in my heart. I think I would like to be known as someone who was kind.” Someone who was able to make a change, really just leave a positive mark on the world.
If you’re just finding Van Andrew and don’t know where to start, the song he recommends is Sad Cowboys and Rock and Roll. “It’s broad enough for anybody to appreciate it. It can be as happy or sad as you want it to be. The point of that song was, to sum up sad cowboys and rock and roll, the two things that I do. It’s weird being asked that because I’m more excited about songs that I’m writing now in a way but I’ll always be stoked on that song.” With the mention of songs that are in the works, we were curious to know if there was anything to expect in the near future. “The immediate near future is: I’m sitting on a bunch of songs that I’m trying to get mixed, mastered, and put out. I’m finishing putting out a record right now. The goal is always to play more shows. I really want to, eventually, be touring full-time. I would love to be doing music full-time, enough to where I’m touring and making a living doing it.” His stated dream is to continue to make music, buy a little two-bedroom house with a garage for him to work on his motorcycles, have a little studio, and maybe a little pick-up truck to drive around town in. However, the dream is always growing and changing.
All we can say is, be on the lookout for new music from him!
His music is on all major streaming platforms.
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