2012 in Review for Andy Ard Music
The year started with a new album well under way, hindered by a few inconveniently timed bouts of bronchitis. The songs kept coming, though, and in June "How Easy It Is" finally hit the shelves. It's my first full-length solo album, and I produced the whole thing in the bat cave that is my studio.
 I entered the title track, "How Easy It Is", into the Durango Songwriter's Expo "Write With A Hit-Maker" contest and won the pop category! I performed the song along with James Jacoby on tuba and Rachel Pearl on vocals at the October Durango showcase. While at the Expo, I got to write a song with Adam Zelkind, and you'll hear more about that in 2013. In light of all the other things happening for me musically, though, this one was a huge shot in the arm. I had another song get picked up by a recording artist, but I can't yet spill the details on that. More in the spring. I had some fun cowrites with some fantastic songwriters, among them Lee Johnson, Lauren Brombert, Jeff Zacharski, John Bunzli and Chris Webb. Now I need to figure out how to get all these songs out there. I started work on an album of children's music that parents can tolerate. The first track is "Let Mama Sleep a Little Longer", to be recorded by Micah Guy and the merry band Yo Mamas and Papas. A live version of the song is available already on Archive.org. I recorded an EP with Melle Johnson (as Von Melee) called "Quantum Folk", with six tracks we whooped up as an extension of our participation in the Immersion Composition Society. The eclectic mix of songs was a welcome excursion out of my usual pop-rock environs.  In October, Melissa Axel, James Jacoby and Kailin Yong occupied the studio for a few days to track several songs that involved tuba, piano and clarinet. It was an altogether charming experience, and I'm looking forward to hearing the final project. Going on two years now with funk-soul-r&b band PJ Zahn, I'm having such a great time with them that I've just about stopped doing solo gigs. We performed at the People's Fair in June, Make Music Denver on June 21 downtown, various clubs, private parties and weddings, and we're now planning on recording an original album together.  We've both forgotten how long ago we actually started, but Jill Teas and I have been performing together in an acoustic duo for about nine years. Parties, clubs, weddings, festivals, Red Rocks... This coming year looks toward us finding a regular spot to play some tunes.  The next album is already begun, and is decidedly more uptempo. The batch of songs is in the dozens, and will be whittled down through rewriting and recording as the theme takes shape. In December, I had the privilege of playing the third of the exquisite Katey Laurel's "Denver Dozen" songwriter showcases, this one at the Soiled Dove.  2013 will mark the tenth anniversary of the collection of string & piano music I composed for online tours of the White House for the White House Historical Association. I've been working on rearranging those for rerelease, as the originals were produced for compressed animated segments. Ideally, I'd like to have them recorded with a real orchestra. Maybe this is the year.  I continue to serve on the board of directors for the Colorado Music Business Organization (COMBO) as vice president. We're focused on ways of helping music artists build career paths for themselves, a goal in which I am personally vested. This year began a new venture with fellow musicians and industry personnel June McHugh (Ash Street Music Publishing) and Alex Rodriguez. We're creating an infrastructure for independent artists to be self-employed in music. Seeing a pattern here? 2012 was a year of mostly ups, and the downs were instructive. I'm looking forward to 2013 because of some hard-earned momentum, and I'm excited about working with all of the people I mentioned and more. Andy wins Write With a Hit-Maker Contest!
My song, "How Easy It Is" won the Pop/Film/TV category of the Write With a Hit-Maker competition, and it is quite an honor. At this weekend's Durango Songwriter's Expo I will be meeting with composer Adam Zelkind and we'll write another big hit!
Congratulations to Frank Maroney, who won the Country category. It is an honor to be among such amazing talent. Go have a listen to all the songs. They're amazing!
"How Easy It Is" by Andy Ard
Recorded entirely in my underground bunker studio, this little bundle of songs represents several transformations - as a songwriter, as a recording engineer, as a musician, as a project manager, a father and husband, ex-couch potato, seeker of zen, what have you.
I started out with the simple mantra "music for people who want to be happier", and this is the result. I hope it can in some small way help you on that journey. If you enjoy the music, please share it! Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, mix tape, it's all good. Thank you for listening! Andy performing with PJ Zahn at People's Fair June 2nd
Saturday, June 2nd, Andy will perform from 1:10 pm to 1:55 pm at the 2012 People's Fair on the Cricket Wireless Stage with FunkSoulR&B band extraordinaire PJ Zahn.
This will also serve as an album release, as Andy's new collection Here Comes Another Good Time will be on sale!  Andy Ard performing at 2012 Streetmosphere, Ft. Collins
I'm thrilled to be selected to play this summer's Streetmosphere, a summer-long festival in which Ft. Collins becomes a stage. More details to follow, but I already have the dates:
 |
|
 Andy's on a mission to make music for people who want to be happier. We sure hope you feel welcome here. One little disclaimer: This music is not guaranteed to make you happier. That's a state of mind. Part of a complete nutritious breakfast, so to speak. If you gain some enjoyment from all this, please consider helping Andy continue making music. |
