Andy McGuire

Singer/songwriter Andy McGuire kicks off his latest tour at the Jane Bond on February 1. Supporting his sophomore release, Body of Work, (produced by Danny Michel), McGuire has invited Bob Egan (Wilco | Blue Rodeo) to join him at the show.

Fortunately for me, McGuire had the time in his busy schedule for a q & a.

VR: A brief bio

I’m 28 years old and have worked as a janitor, corn detasseler, Legislative Page, line cook, Christmas tree salesperson, bartender, and busboy. I’m also a published poet and have been writing songs and making records for the past two years.

VR: Tell me about your artwork.

My interests are pretty varied and I think the things I make reflect that. Someone I know once said that the most interesting people he knew were interested people. I really like that and would include myself among the ranks of genuinely interested people.

VR: How long have you been creating music?

In musician years, I’m still a baby. My first attempts at writing songs—like, ever—happened one week in March ‘09. It’s sure been a steep learning curve since.

VR: You’ve got some great support – tell me about working with Bob and Danny?

I’ve been lucky to have some really great people behind me from the beginning. Working with Danny Michel on Moult and Body of Work were both massive learning experiences. At the same time that I was learning how to write songs I was learning what the process of arranging, recording, and mixing a record entails. Bob Egan played on both records and has lately become a fixture of my live shows, accompanying me on pedal steel and guitar. Danny, Bob, and the other folks I’ve been lucky enough to work with are the kinds of people you learn so much from just being in their presence, watching them work, listening to stories, and letting the whole experience of knowing them wash over you. I’m happy to call them both friends.

VR: You’re performing at Jane Bond – why this location?

I worked at the Starlight and Jane Bond for over three years. It’s home and the staff are family. It’s just an added bonus that they’re also the two best live music venues in town. Why the Jane Bond specifically? It’s a cozy space for shows that don’t involve a full band, they have wonderful staff and a vast gamut of beers.

VR: What is your goal for your music?

I think if I were to set goals for myself or my music I’d be setting myself up for disappointment and frustration. Having a blueprinted plan or targeting concrete goals, in my mind, quashes the potential for unanticipated change, unforeseen variables, and new possibilities. When I get an idea for a song, a poem, a record or other project I just do it. I’ve never lacked a sense of orientation with my work because it’s always been moving forward, despite the fact that I’m never sure how the next song is going to sound, what the next record will be like, or how the next poem will read.

VR: You’ve just released your second album. Tell me about it.

It’s called Body of Work and I’ll admit, with a good deal of hesitation, that it attempts to tackle the perennial themes of art, love, time, and death. I figured that it would be good to come to terms with a few things early on in my artistic lifespan. Things of some importance, like the fact that I’m going to die—die with a massively incomplete reading list, having written a fraction of the songs and poems I wanted to, eventually not being able to play guitar because of the carpel tunnel, and so on. I feel like I can sing about more interesting things and focus on becoming a better person and artist now that I have that early solipsistic stuff out of the way.

VR: Plans for a third album coming up?

Technically, the third album is a punk rock record I recently made. I’ll be releasing under the band name Beavers Are Pussies and the record is called “Greatest Hits.” It’s set for a late February release, followed by our first and last performance ever as a band. I do have a collection of new songs I’ve been amassing for a third Andy McGuire album. With this one I’m going to take the reins and produce it myself. Right now I’m building a wish list of people I’d like to play on the record. Not sure exactly where it’s going to be recorded but it’s going to happen this fall.

VR: If you could tell your 16 year old self something about music and the arts, what would it be?

I’d love to flip my 16 year old self the finger. I don’t think I’d like the then me much, and vice versa. He might even flip me off first. I’d probably like him more if he did, actually. Then I’d tell him that, as a lifelong enterprise, punk rock makes it hard to run for more than one melodic block without puking. It’s a beautifully tarry black blot on one’s musical lungs that they haven’t found a cure for yet. And I love, love it.

ANDY MCGUIRE
February 1, Jane Bond
www.andymcguire.ca - Velvet Rope Magazine

By Randi Beers

Andy McGuire is an Ontarian poet-cum-musician who, under the influence of Canadian folk darling Danny Michel, has sharpened his musical blades to create his first full-length album, Body of Work. The men met in 2009, the evening described by McGuire as "coloured by Appleton's rum and a hazily remembered, lager-like bevy." And it was this meeting that was the impetus for Michel to convince McGuire to return to the craft of songwriting and eventually produce the album at hand. It certainly is a product of Michel's particular brand of sweet whimsy. The music lands on the poppier side of folk, especially done well in "Translator" and "Irrational at Heart." The lyrics are playful and easily identifiable as the work of a poet. As of right now, McGuire is working on a musical project entitled Beavers are Pussies, which he imagines will be a country punk homage to Canadiana, including a song called "Elliott Smith for Prime Minister" and a number written for CBC radio host Anna Maria Tremonti on her death bed. While Body of Work is whimsical, apparently we haven't seen anything yet. Until Beavers are Pussies materializes though, Body of Work is a perfectly pleasurable listen.

(Independent) - Exclaim Magazine

By Randi Beers

Andy McGuire is an Ontarian poet-cum-musician who, under the influence of Canadian folk darling Danny Michel, has sharpened his musical blades to create his first full-length album, Body of Work. The men met in 2009, the evening described by McGuire as "coloured by Appleton's rum and a hazily remembered, lager-like bevy." And it was this meeting that was the impetus for Michel to convince McGuire to return to the craft of songwriting and eventually produce the album at hand. It certainly is a product of Michel's particular brand of sweet whimsy. The music lands on the poppier side of folk, especially done well in "Translator" and "Irrational at Heart." The lyrics are playful and easily identifiable as the work of a poet. As of right now, McGuire is working on a musical project entitled Beavers are Pussies, which he imagines will be a country punk homage to Canadiana, including a song called "Elliott Smith for Prime Minister" and a number written for CBC radio host Anna Maria Tremonti on her death bed. While Body of Work is whimsical, apparently we haven't seen anything yet. Until Beavers are Pussies materializes though, Body of Work is a perfectly pleasurable listen.

(Independent) - Exclaim Magazine