2008
In his other life as a chemistry professor, JA met up with a colleague who had been given a copy of the newly released Glitter 2005 album. The colleague explained that the album reminded him of Leo Kottke. "Leo Kottke?" JA inquired back. "My guitar playing is orders below that of Leo Kottke." The colleague replied, "Oh yes, that's quite true, but your music reminds me of Leo Kottke because he can't sing either." Left-handed compliments such as these led John Andrew to the door of Bill Reed, vocal coach extrodinaire. The logic: Lacking 12 fingers, playing like Leo Kottke was clearly out of reach. But if you can't stop yourself from singing, you might as well make the best of what you've got. Two years later there appeared a few subtle but welcomed improvements, such as a wider range and warmer tone. But why not play around with changing the voice altogether? For that you will hear the ear-candy performances of nephew Graham on tracks 3, 7, and 8, and nephew Mike on track 5 (plus his sax on track 9). The songs on Sonic Paint were meant to be a bit more edgy, hence the wig. In the end, playfulness overruled and the result was a blend of fast to slow, somber to racy, reflective to reactive. A cross-section of musical ideas. A gallery of musical paintings each with its own flavor and feel.