| Performer / Band Name |
Andru Bemis
Acoustic Guitar, Vocals |
| Original / Cover Material |
100% Original Material |
| History of Performer / Band |
Four years ago, Andru Bemis strapped a guitar and a small amplifier to the back of his motorbike and began playing his original songs of love, loss and longing throughout the Midwest for anyone who would listen. As winter approached, he toured in a right-hand drive postal jeep. When the jeep broke down, Andru used his thumb. And in January of 2004, with a new album (Singer), a freshly acquired banjo, and a worn-out thumb, Andru bought a mountain of train tickets and scheduled sixty days of shows in railroad towns throughout the United States and Canada.
Since then, Andru Bemis has wandered the ends, edges, and in-betweens of North America more times than he can count -- occasionally by bus or by thumb, but mostly by passenger train. While his travels and lifestyle earn him frequent comparisons to Carl Sandburg, John Steinbeck and Woody Guthrie, it's his unmistakeable voice, expressive self-taught banjo and guitar styles, and exquisitely crafted tunes of travel and longing which have earned him rapid respect and a dedicated following in a growing number of American towns and cities.
Andru's three self-produced solo albums (Rail To Reel, Singer, and Plays Past His Bedtime) are played regularly by radio stations throughout North America, Europe and Australia. The newest, Rail To Reel, has been called the best Folk album of 2006 (KDVS-FM; UC-Davis) for its unique instrumentation -- including pump organ, banjo-ukulele, and tuba -- and for bringing new life to a collection of lesser-known traditional songs learned and adopted by Bemis in his travels. As a collaborator and musician, Andru is featured on a 2006 record (How Big Is Tacoma) co-written, performed and released with Seattle's cult-favorite accordianist, Jason Webley. And in 2005, he recorded Rachel Ries's critically acclaimed Waterbug Records release, For You Only, at his one-room shotgun shack in his hometown of South Haven, Michigan.
The songs of Andru Bemis are spiritually descended from an era when music was made and played to express one's deepest emotions while entertaining the neighbors. His are songs of faith, spirit, patience, and hope in the midst of an uncertain, troubled world. Andru's dynamic voice shifts effortlessly between Woody Guthrie's plaintive bellow and the spine-chilling intimacy of Iris DeMent. His delicate guitar work and impossibly fast banjo style tie seamlessly with his lyrics and phrasing to make each performance and album unforgettable.
When he's not riding the rails, Bemis' greatest joys are watching fruit trees bloom, practicing ragtime fiddle tunes, paddling around in little boats and recording himself and others on his old multitrack reel-to-reel. |
| Albums / Where Available |
CD's available at www.andrubemis.com |
= Music samples available for download