Artist Spotlight: Andrew X

When I first saw Copeland, U2 and Peter Gabriel lumped together when describing a musician, I thought, “What a strange combination.” However, after listening to Andrew X’s solo project, Language of Love: Heaven and Earth – which released digitally Dec. 8 — I can see the connection. Andrew’s music combines catchy beats, intricate guitars and solid lyrics that makes him 100 percent rock, but also allows him to cross the barrier between the mellow and pop side of the spectrum.

The release of his double disc album just three weeks ago is testament to a young musician finding his ground and moving forward in a way that shakes both himself and his legion of listeners. Soft spoken and endearingly self-deprecating, Andrew shared with me last week his past triumphs, his present successes and future endeavors that made his music all the more appealing in the end.

Let’s start at the beginning
Twenty-five year-old North Carolinian Andrew X — born Andrew Palmer — technically began his musical career after high school in 2003 when he formed his band Hot Vegas. However, his penchant for music began long before. As a youngster, he listened to the likes of Cat Stevens and Van Morrison, but quickly expanded his musical taste to other greats like Phil Collins, James Taylor and more modern and international acts like Travis and Embrace. Then he left his hometown of Wilkesboro for the big city — Charlotte, N.C.

“The only thing from there is me,” Andrew joked about his hometown. “Actually, Zach Galifianakis — he was in The Hangover — he’s from there, too.”

So that makes Andrew the second best export from Wilkesboro. His band had limited successes, releasing a few albums before members started leaving. Five long years pursuing his dream of making music and touring left him with nothing but time on his hands.

“I wanted a fresh start, so I took a year off. There was so much baggage with the band that after a while you feel stressed,” he said.

That’s when the idea of making a solo album came to him, and he began putting pen to paper and writing songs vastly different from what he had in the past. The journey would take a little over a year from beginning to end, but the result — a double disc album — was worth the effort put into it.

The making of Heaven and Earth
“I never intended it to be a double disc. I used to think they were ridiculous,” Andrew explained. “Months before I started the project, I think it was the Red Hot Chili Peppers who had come out with a double disc, and I thought, ‘Why?’ And now that I’ve done it, I have so much more respect. It’s a lot of extra work. It’s like making two CDs at once.”

The reality is it is making two albums at once. When it was all said and done, Andrew had enlisted the help of Chris Stamey (Whiskeytown, Ryan Adams), Jeremy Snyder and Jeremy Griffith (Cartel, Cool Hand Luke). He hadn’t recorded by himself since high school, but knew he didn’t want his band’s polished recording sound on his solo project.

“I wanted to do a folky type of record,” Andrew said. “I wanted to sound like a ’70s singer-songwriter.”

The result, however, took a turn he never expected. The sound is based more in the rock sounds his band created for years, except Heaven and Earth expose a different side to the rock Andrew was used to producing. The double disc, instead, shows his soft underbelly. There’s a raw element to it that makes it intimate, yet possesses a certain energy that makes it easy to flow between the songs, as well as between the two discs. That’s rare, considering the two discs contain varied sounds. Earth is more acoustic, with intricate guitar parts accompanied by simple drumming parts; Heaven features electronic versions of many of the same songs from Earth. Yet the energy embodied on it complements Earth. In essence, the two discs feature two sides of the same story.

To wrap up what he started, Andrew recorded “Autumn” from the Earth disc in his apartment. That’s how close and raw the process became for him.

“There’s nothing like recording a song in your bedroom,” he said. “At the end of the project, there was a personal satisfaction. Every song has a purpose.”

Putting himself in the album
“It’s almost a journal of my life. Some I wrote early on, and some I wrote last year,” he said. “It’s like a scrapbook of my life musically. It’s not like the band. I could be more me and wear my heart on my sleeve like ‘Little Rock.’ It’s a cheesy pop song. I don’t know if anyone will listen to them all the way until the end, but it ends with a keyboard, and I love that sound.”

With his band, there’s a distinct rock sound. This was a step outside the box for him. The songs are a scrapbook of snippets of his life. Every tune recorded is a piece of Andrew and real experiences he’s gleaned from his life and those whom he’s closest to. “Oh Cinderella” is a sweet tune sung to a girl about how she’ll find her Prince Charming one day. It was written for his mom, who didn’t live an idyllic childhood. Then there’s “Superman.” It’s a song for his dad, who has been the rock of the family.

“It references Superman in it,” Andrew explained. “I was at home the other day and found a portfolio from tenth grade of interviews and essays on myself. One had to do with my dad, and I called him Superman, man of steel. I forgot about it.”

Looking at the Horizon
It seems Andrew has come full circle with his album that’s more of a road to self-discovery than just a sampling of his potential. Now, he’s brimming with even more possibilities than when he started and trading ashes for beauty.

He’s reorganized the band, which will have a new name and will produce an album soon. He’s also dabbling in other projects he never saw coming like putting together a solo tour and writing a children’s book.

“At the end of the day, I just love making music and creating things. I aspire to be like Phil Collins, ” he said. “I don’t feel I made just a record of ditties. I feel I really got something out of it.”

Music listeners will get something from the music, too. I think Heaven and Earth is just the tip of the iceberg for Andrew, and I look forward to hearing much more from him.

Click here to buy Language of Love: Heaven and Earth. It’s $9.99 for nearly 80 minutes of music, and at least 10 percent of the proceeds will go to benefit children living in war torn regions of the world. Visit Andrew X’s Myspace page to listen to his tunes.