The music of Andrew Foshee is mix of lushly arranged pop, psychedelic folk and self-deprecating lyrics that the artist himself calls "Beatles-inspired pop music with the slightly apathetic undertones of an underachieving loner coming to grips with his mortality through embracing the humbling experiences of every day life." Foshee's latest album, Strange Relations,was produced by Andrija Tokic, known best for his work with Alabama Shakes and Benjamin Booker.
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Please introduce yourself and describe your music for new listeners.
Hello, my name is Andrew Foshee and I am a singer-songwriter from Kansas City. My newest record 'Strange Relations' has been described as "a voyage through saloon style honkey-tonk, psychedelic folk-rock, and lush, luminous baroque-pop." But to me, it's all just Beatles-inspired pop music with the slightly apathetic undertones of an underachieving loner coming to grips with his mortality through embracing the humbling experiences of every day life. Oh, and my voice is sort of nasally, like a country crooner. So maybe I should just write country music.
Talk about the journey to your debut album, Strange Relations. How long had the songs been in the works?
Well, it's kind of a mixture of old and new songs. When I decided to do the record with Andrija, I basically sent him a hard drive worth of demos so he could help me narrow things down. I'm not the greatest at judging which of my songs are 'good', so it was really helpful to have someone narrow the field a little bit and then from there I tried to select a dozen or so that would tell a story and still feel emotionally relevant in my life.
You recorded the album in Nashville with your “High Clergy of Musicians and Contributors.” What was this process like? What did you learn that you’ll take to future projects?
Yeah, it was amazing. The entire experience. Basically after Andrija and I solidified the song cycle and got on the same page production-wise, he immediately reached out and found a handful of amazing musicians that wanted to play on the record. And from that point, he sent them the demos I had done at home (which were already fully fleshed out) and everyone started learning their parts right away. By the time I got to Nashville and walked into the studio on the first day, everyone was already there waiting for me. We ended up nailing most of the songs in a few takes, which blew my mind. The recording of Whiskey & Wine is the first time we played a song together. I think from that moment on I knew I was experiencing something special. Recording directly to 2-inch was a pretty scary idea to wrap my head around at first, but thanks to the preparation we all did, I think it was for the best.
Do your songs come easily or are you a heavy editor?
Definitely a bit of both. Some songs I can start and finish in less than ten minutes. They just sort of flow out of me. And others have extreme road blocks and can take months, even years to finish. Most of it is just the lyrics; trying to figure out what the hell I'm trying to say with the melody. Trying to make sure it comes off the right way so that people can understand. I try not to try too hard these days, because when I do things sound very contrived and I end up hating the end product.
What’s your favorite music these days?
Well I'm sort of going through a real bummer of a break up right now, so the new Father John Misty record is really resonating with me. Especially the song "Just Dumb Enough To Try". The other night when I was on mushrooms I put the record on really loud in my living room and when it got to that song I just started sobbing uncontrollably. I couldn't stop. The irony that was pouring out after listening to it so many times before that night but finally hearing the lyrics for the first time was too much for me to handle. Of course it ended with a good laugh and some perspective. Other than that, I've been listening to a lot of Migos, George Michael, Frank Ocean and Stevie Wonder's Talking Book on repeat.
What inspires you about original music in Kansas City?
Being the old curmudgeon that I am and having been such a painfully bad songwriter in my youth, it's been really inspiring to hear/see all of the young bloods already kicking ass right now in Kansas City. There's a lot of talent here. Some of my favorites are Belle and the Vertigo Waves, Dylan Guthrie and the Good Time Guys, Instant Karma!, Vela, Chase the Horseman, and Rachel Mallin. And of course the current hometown heroes, The Greeting Committee, who also ended up having Andrija produce their new record. I am also a really big fan of The Whiffs, The Grisly Hand, The Beholders, Keef Mountain, Merlin, Shy Boys, Kelly Hunt, Fullbloods, Violent Bear; I mean I really could keep going but I don't want to sound insincere. And how about Olivia Fox? They're probably going to be selling out Sprint Center in a few months. Amazing. The Kansas City music scene is on fire right now, and I'm going to have a lot of fun watching everyone blow up. If anyone needs a bartender for any private events let me know! XO
Books
The Book (On The Taboo of Knowing Who You Are) by Alan Watts
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamont
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
Cinema
Music
Harvest by Neil Young
Let's Get Lost by Chet Baker
The Party by Andy Shauf