Andrew Gabriel
Ronkonkoma, New York, United States | SELF
Music
Press
While a student at Sachem High School North, Andrew Kokkosis figured out exactly what he wanted to do with his life: write and perform music.
"It's a way of life," the Class of 2007 alumnus said. "Even though it's not a steady career, it's giving back to you. It's what I like to do."
A recent graduate of Five Towns College with a degree in music education, Kokkosis, now known as Andrew Gabriel, will be releasing his first studio album in August. The album, titled “From Print to Script,” is a compilation of rock, blues and jazz music and contains 11 songs that are all written by Gabriel.
“It’s a little bit of everything I like,” he said. “It’s a mixture of a lot of things. I’m just excited that I’m doing it.”
A long-time resident of Ronkonkoma, Gabriel began playing the piano at the age of 12. When he was 15, his piano teacher suggested guitar lessons, and from there Gabriel said classic rock stars such as Led Zeppelin and Elton John inspired him to take up song writing. Gabriel said that in addition to his love for music, "just looking up to other musicians as role models" influenced his career choice.
Although Gabriel is looking to launch a solo career, he is also in a band called Piper Cubs with fellow Five Towns classmates. Gabriel said the band originally formed for a competition at the college, but decided to stay together after it won.
"It's more focused on experimenting with music and guitar playing," he said. Gabriel described Piper Cubs as a blues-rock band and said it performs a lot of old songs, but puts its own twist on them.
Gabriel performs local gigs on a weekly basis, playing covers at the Sayville Aegean Cafe Friday nights and at the Medford Pastaria Saturday nights.
While at Sachem, Gabriel was involved with band, orchestra and chorus. He recalled performing at Sachem Stock every year beginning when he was a sophomore. He also said his involvement with music in Sachem encouraged him to chase his dream even more.
"The teachers at North and the whole music department definitely inspired me," he said. "[But I also] learned a lot at Five Towns. The teachers taught me how to be a musician in the real world."
Gabriel said the idea of releasing his first album is almost surreal.
"It’s a little nerve-racking, I guess," he said. "It’s my first big attempt at being a recording musician. This is one of the first times in my entire life where I’m excited and nervous at the same time about putting my music out. Whether I get there or not, I’ll always remember that I put myself out there."
For more information on Andrew Gabriel, visit his website, Facebook and Myspace. To book him for a gig or event, contact him through Twitter or send him an email. - Sachem Patch
Discography
From Print to Script (2011) LP
Photos
Bio
“My music is the only place in which I am completely honest with the world—and I look forward to that place every day.” –Andrew Gabriel
Andrew Gabriel Kokkosis was born on October 10, 1989 in Long Island to a hard-working Greek-American family. With no family background in music, Andrew was left to discover his abilities at a later age. At 12 years old, he became intrigued by the classic rock sounds of Elton John, Billy Joel, and Led Zeppelin. Using these influences as a springboard, a formerly shy boy began playing piano. He was encouraged to participate in the church band on Sundays—which not only provided inspiration, but motivation to perform on stage and use his voice. As a suggestion from his piano instructor, he took up guitar lessons at the age of 15, and soon fell in love with the instrument. He wanted the guitar to become an expression of himself, and he looked to the brilliance of players like Keith Urban, Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Mayer, and Buddy Guy. The resurgence of the “singer/songwriter” style encouraged Andrew to begin writing original songs, and he cites the influences of Jason Mraz, Simon and Garfunkel, Melody Gardot, and Jeff Buckley, as instrumental in his evolution.
Looking to hone his abilities, he enrolled in Five Towns College for jazz/commercial performance. He took advantage of numerous groups, including vocal jazz, guitar ensembles, and jazz ensembles. The classroom education he received helped build his musical composition and theory, while his performance participation facilitated his learning of group dynamics. Playing under the tutelage of experienced session players and gigging musicians transformed his perception of life as a musician.
After a couple years at the college, he formed a blues-based trio with colleagues—guitar, bass, and drums. With Andrew as the lead vocalist and guitarist, The Piper Cubs went on to win a campus-wide talent competition. This promoted their collaboration with other vocalists which led to gigs in Manhattan and session experience for Andrew and his band members. Working in parallel to his band project, Andrew Gabriel was composing and performing as a solo musician. His experience playing covers and exposing his original material to new audiences weekly in Long Island restaurants and clubs has brought him confidence in his style. The constant challenge of being unique has driven Andrew Gabriel to fuse his influences and his own reactions to sound, creating a pop music-style that is deeper than a passing wave. His lyrics transcend colloquial speech with symbolism and metaphors poetically linked, and yet the themes are universally understood.
He is the all-in-one package: vocalist, lyricist, songwriter, musician, guitarist, pianist, and self-produced. Fueled by the human emotion and the reactions from people of all backgrounds, ages, and cultures, he loves the challenge of translating the indescribable into a 4-minute song. Andrew Gabriel is looking forward to the future that lies ahead and is always enthusiastic for the input of a finely-tuned ear.
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