Nuanced. - 181. Andrew Christopher Performs LIVE and Talks About Overcoming Loss

Episode Date: December 21, 2024

Aaron Pete hosts an intimate live event with singer-songwriter Andrew Christopher, exploring his artistic journey, the challenges of balancing family and art, and his bold pivot to original music and meaningful projects. Through heartfelt performances, Andrew reflects on personal loss, his creative process, and the healing power of music.Send us a textThe "What's Going On?" PodcastThink casual, relatable discussions like you'd overhear in a barbershop....Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the shownuancedmedia.ca

How is everybody doing? Are you having fun? Is it everything you expected and more? Yes. Okay, let's have a vote. Who thinks I pull off the top hat? Okay, perfect. It was a point. I just wanted to make a point that I can pull it off. Thank you guys all so much for coming. This has been a blast.

I hope you're having fun. I hope the food. How is the food? How did it hold it? Good? Yeah? I'm so excited to be doing this again. It's been since I think June that we last hosted one of these and people are so nice and supportive of everything that we're doing here and I'm so grateful that you're all no pressure on you man, no pressure on you. I would not want to be that guy. This is such a blast to host like the goal of these has always been just for people to have fun. Like, I want everybody to know people here, feel comfortable, and be able to have a good time where you're connecting with people that you know and not feel like you're walking into a room. I hate going to events.

Rebecca can attest to this where I don't know people and I feel uncomfortable. And so the goal of these is always for people to just be able to have fun with a friends, family, people they know, and just relax, eat great food and enjoy amazing music, which is what we're doing tonight. And so thank you all for coming. I hope that, how did the jello shots hold up? Did anybody expect it or was it good? Did it hold up? I'm glad. I get bullied all the way leading up to it that I'm doing something like jello shots.

And people are like, people aren't going to like that. And you guys ran those out. And the last time we did it, which was the first live event we did, nobody had any of them. And I looked, I was pouring them out. And Rebecca looks over me and she's like, this was such a waste of time for you. And so we killed it this time. and you guys all finished out. We're like out of alcohol.

So kudos to you guys for figuring that out. Tonight we're listening to a musician. I've had the pleasure of interviewing previously, and he's taken a new direction, and that's why I wanted to re-interview him, speak with him again, because I think, and I don't know if all of you know this, but the challenges of being an artist, like, they're real.

Like, people aren't always, like, they say they support you, they say they want you to continue, but like it's an uproad battle and nobody understands the grind of trying to get it on social media, trying to get views on like Apple music or all of those things. So I hope that you can appreciate the amount of work that goes into this. This is his whole life dedicated to producing and creating music that we're going to be hearing from tonight. It's not an overnight thing. It's 10 years to create something like this.

And as many of you might know, like that's the journey of so many creators and entrepreneurs is putting in work to kind of get there. then people think that you made it. And it's so much work to create that and build that. So I'm so excited to be able to speak with Andrew Christopher tonight because he's putting a lot of work to be here. And I think we're lucky to highlight him. And I hope all of you are able to celebrate the amount of work that goes into building a brand and trying to grow your craft in the way that he does. And I certainly appreciate it because all of you came out tonight to support what we do. And we're trying to do this podcast. We're trying to host these live events and I just I really want you to appreciate yourselves because you're the people who

actually show up like I message out to people hey this event's going on and people go yeah sure me I can make it but maybe my I'm busy that night I'm doing chess or something and it's just like ouch I get it but ouch and so all of you are the people who do support entrepreneurs creators people are willing to put themselves out there so without further ado I don't want to bore you but Without further ado, can we please give a gigantic round of applause for the man, the myth, the legend, Andrew Christopher. Appreciate it, buddy. That's what we're settled in here.

Oh, you are so late. You missed all of that. She got the grand entrance. Before we start, I just want to do a huge cheers. whether it's water, pop, whatever you guys are drinking, to coming out tonight, to celebrating the endeavor of an entrepreneur. Please, cheers for all of you guys coming out tonight. Cheers, buddy.

Thanks. All right, I missed you. So before we start, I want to pull it back to the beginning and just understand, like, I think it's important for people to understand why you're here. Like, how do you start on a music journey? that start for you? Well, I think I always kind of bring it back to my being raised in the church and joining the church choir and being in piano lessons as a kid. That's kind of where I would say the music got started. You know, singing in church choir and taking piano lessons and my

three older sisters, you know, same. They took piano lessons and, you know, Carolyn took it a bit more seriously than everybody. And so I saw her really excel in that. And I would think that's a big part of it for me is seeing her take it seriously. And so thankfully, she kind of kept playing music. And so it was always around. And then, you know, getting into high school, I joined the high school band. I played drums throughout high school band and picked up a guitar in grade 12. I believe, joined my first band in grade 11, maybe just singing for some older guys that were starting a band and needed a singer. That band was called Argyle. So that's your trivia note. My first band ever was called Argyle. And yeah, so I guess those are kind of the real early beginnings.

Was it a way of expressing yourself or sharing a part of yourself that people didn't understand? did that start to become a part of why you participate in music? You know, I think a lot of the early days were more centered around me getting a bit of attention. I think I liked performing and, you know, I played a lot of sports and did pretty well at a couple of them. And so I always kind of had a lot of attention on me and I think I liked it. You know, I think I've I've grown a bit out of that, I think I would say. But as a kid, you know, I think a lot of kids want to be kind of welcomed in that way and paid attention to. And so anything I could do that was grabbing some attention from people, I kind of was drawn towards.

And music was one of those. Again, I was lucky. I was pretty naturally gifted at it, I believe. And so I think more so than expressing myself, it was about having people. you know, kind of looking at me, paying attention to what I was doing. I think that was the draw at first, and then it evolves more into the expression part of it.

Could I challenge that maybe a little bit? Sure. Maybe not needing attention, but I think for so many young people, they want to be seen. Yeah. They want to be recognized in a positive, pro-social sense. Yeah, yeah, I think so, you know.

And there was a lot going on in my childhood years. in adolescence and reasons that I would want to be seen, I think, and... Talk about that. And performing. I think there was a lot going on around the home that didn't really sit well with me, whether I really knew it or if it was more subconscious. And so, again, music and sports, I think, were a way of excelling at something that people would recognize me for and a way for me to, yeah, to express myself, I think, in an extent,

but it might have been, as I said, a bit more subconscious at that time of my life. The other piece I just want to understand is what do you think your why is now? Now, you know, over the last few years, it's definitely developed more into helping people, people and expressing myself, but with the goal of connecting with people to help them through something they might be going through, whether that's trauma they've been through as a kid or things they're going through as an adult, any tough times they might be experiencing and to really connect with people on a deeper level, which I think is really important and I think is getting more and more lost in some ways, in some aspects of society.

Can you talk about your early music career, Parliament of vowels, those early days? Yeah, so as I said, the first band was called... Okay, good, well done. And then, you know, I joined a band called Pardon My Stripteys, as a group of local Chilliwack. Somebody knew that. Yeah, yeah. Somebody just learned that for the first time.

I'm sure. So it was a group of local kids from Chilliwack and I was from Agassi and I started singing as the front man for their band. That was my first kind of serious project, I would say. And that was, you know, fresh out of high school. I was going to college and joined this band and decided to drop out of college to take this band more seriously. And that was, you know, we did quite well locally, you know, around the province. and a few accolades were built up, you know, in a bit more than just local here. So that was a good experience.

And then when my daughter got sick, that was ultimately kind of what ended that. And because we had to take a break while I was helping taking care of my daughter, Lily, who had brain cancer when she was only 10 months old, she was diagnosed. And so we were in the hospital for a couple years or going through treatment. she eventually passed away. And during those couple years, you know, the band obviously was slowing down. We couldn't do much. And then one of the other members said that was kind of it for him.

He was moving on to other things. And so that's when part of my striptease ended. And I started doing more solo stuff, just busking a lot on Granville Island I did to make some money. That's where I got a lot of my logged a lot of hours, just performing and perfecting all my cover songs that I did. And then the next original project that came up was Parliament of Vowls with a family friend. You know, we both had young kids and connected out in White Rock with Jamie Rowe. Jamie Rowe is the friend that we wrote all these tunes for Parliament of Vowals together and performed a few shows. And it kind of ended up being a bit more of a one-off project, but it was awesome while we did it.

And it was more so a friendship, you know, and connecting over other things. things, but he was a great guitar player, and he would write a lot of just guitar lines and strumming chords, and then I would write lyrics and sing over top of them. So it worked really well that way, and he moved to the island, I moved out this way, and we still write together. Whenever we can get together, we still like to get the kids together. They're still good friends, and, yeah, so I guess, you know, that kind of brought us, Parliament of Vowls.

that album came out in 2019 and that was the last kind of original project I had and now going back towards a bit more solo stuff. So that's my goal for everybody here tonight. My hope is that perhaps you can play some music from those early days and then at the end of the night you can play music that you're doing right now. And my dream, if I had a dream, is that people would be able to see that journey and the differences and perhaps your growth over those years. So could you take us back? Sure. Do the first couple of here now?

Let's do it. Is everybody ready for live music? Yeah. Yeah, they're done with me, man. I get this. So the first one I'll do here is I wrote it. I was probably about 20 years old. I wrote a few songs in high school.

And then this one, about 20 years old, I was traveling around New Zealand, Australia at the time. And it's a very innocent, you know, love is the answer, love everybody, love everything. It says love a lot in it. Which, you know, is a value I definitely still hold today. It's, you know, about helping each other and just caring for each other. And this, another part of trivia here for you guys. this is the only song of mine that I know of that has its lyrics tattooed on somebody

so yeah it's called cookie jar I didn't plug in Tim should I plug in it's coming out yeah it's called cookie jar It's something that should be said Every day A four letter word that's okay

But sometimes we get so caught up in it all Get stuck with the backs against the wall So don't forget Tie that ball around your finger Said right now Don't let it linger This song is just to say I love you

And I think the whole world of you In case I don't get the chance tomorrow, I'll say it right now, just so you know. I, I, I, I, love you. This isn't just for my girl, all my brothers, oh, my sisters, all my mom, my dad. But for every brace and every name,

of this world Because we're all going to need it bad sometimes We all should give it We all should show it We all should receive it So everybody everywhere Throw your hands in the air Sing with me and I know that you'll be there

Yeah This song is just to say I love you And thank the whole world of you In case I don't get the chance Tomorrow I said right now Just so you know

That I I I love you life should be easy there should be no cuts no scars just people helping people reach those cookie jars so be someone's bridge over trouble water love a perfect stranger like a mother loves your daughter it's gonna happen soon with some help from it's not that whole all you need is love this song is just to say i love you and thank the hope of the In case I don't get the chance to my boat, I see it right now just so you know. I, I, I, I, I, love you.

I, I, I, I love you. So that one's on a record I did called Gone. This was kind of during the part in my striptease days towards the end of it. And an acoustic album, just my guitar and I, a couple features of other instruments on there. And yeah, there was, I think, you know, 10 songs or so. So in that variety that I had written in my younger days. And then I'm going to do one more. So this one then kind of jumps right ahead to Parliament of Vowals.

And a song, one of the first songs I wrote with Jamie, Jamie Roe, my friend from the island there. And he kind of came to me just with the strumming pattern that he had been working on. And as I said, it was a friendship thing, family. we had a couple young kids, you know, in our relationships and watching the girls play and grow up. And we would take awesome trips together, you know, to the Sunshine Coast or something and rent a place out. And that's where this song really got solidified. It was on one of those trips. And it talks about the emotion of, you know, going on vacation.

And when vacation is done, you got to go home, but you don't want to leave. and kind of morphs into a bit of any situation you're in where you don't think you really want to leave it because it's such a nice feeling, it's a good situation, but you know that eventually, you know, all good things end someday, and you've got to move forward. So this one's called Vacation Song. The sun knocks at my door stay,

But I'm not ready to leave No, I don't No, if I'll ever Be ready to go back home The waves crash at my doorstep How could I ever leave I don't know when I'll be back But I'll be back

You best believe And I don't No, if I'll ever You're ready to go back home So you can't stop a train on the railroad track You can't turn around if you don't look back But life's not about where you've been, my dear It's where you go from here.

The clouds are taking over And it started to rain Too young to care With curly hair They just kept on playing And I don't Know if I'll ever Be ready to go back home

so you can't stop a train on a railroad track you can't turn around if you don't look back the night's not about where you go from you it's where you go from you A Yeah A Yeah A late night at the drive A late night at the driving, she put her hand in mind.

I could take it slow, but I know, I know she wouldn't mind. Oh, I'm not ready to go. go back home. No, I'm not ready to go back home. Oh, no. Thank you very much. One of my favorite lessons of that song is that, like, that really is how life is. Like, I proposed to Rebecca, and I spent two months, three months, planning how that was going to go.

And then it's over in moments. Like, it's gone out of your hands in such a short piece. period of time with these events like when we start planning them what did we start planning this five weeks ago and then we get here and i spend all this time worrying about what are we going to serve what are we going to do how are we going to do it and then it's over and then it's a memory already and it just gives you a deeper appreciation for time yeah for for the moment and making sure you really enjoy it but then also i think one of the one of the things in life that'll help you the most is knowing that you know there's always the next thing you know there's something to look forward to

coming afterwards too, right? And so, you know, don't hesitate to move into something new or to move on and enjoy the moment while it's here, but then make sure you're not stuck looking back at that moment and you're into the next moment fully, you know? There's another piece here that I think a lot about. I feel like so often we give the wrong people our time. Like somebody wrongs you, somebody cuts you. somebody cuts you off in traffic or maybe a loved one is pushing your buttons in the wrong way

and they're not appreciating you. You're doing your best. And then you give all your mental time to them when the good people, the people who are on your side advocating for you, supporting you, showing up for you. And it's like, thank you. But you know who really pisses me off? It's these other people. And like, I think a lot about that because I hear so much of like, this person bothers me.

That person's frustrating me. And it's like, fair enough. But like, how do you make sure that you don't give all of your time to the people who aren't, like, really on your team? And how do you make sure that in these moments, in these vacation song moments, how do you make sure you appreciate the people who make that moment possible? Yeah, you know, and I think you'll probably hear this team a lot. But I think it starts with, you know, making sure you know who you are and align. yourself, surrounding yourself with people that you know will gel with you, you know? And I think a lot of the time if you're hanging on to people that aren't jiving with you

or that are pissing you off all the time or getting you on your nerves, you know, you might start by looking in at yourself and what maybe you're unhappy with in there that sometimes you can be projecting onto people as well or it could be that they are just a shitty person that, you know, you should cut out of your life. But, you know, that's one thing I learned is sometimes, you know, the thing you dislike about someone is often reminding you of something you dislike about yourself. And so, I mean, it just comes to, you know, yeah, don't be too judgmental, you know, every time you point a finger, how many are back at you. And then if it is a negative interaction or a negative person, try and let it roll off your shoulder, brush it off, and find that person that is making you feel. feel good or take some time to yourself and find happiness there i think you you mentioned this earlier

and it's an incredibly heavy topic that you've raised and it was the loss of your daughter and i can't even imagine how that impacts you or but like i just i want to understand how you what are those next steps and how like it's not comparable but like everybody goes through something and Like, I'm just, I'm curious, what are those next steps when you're going in a direction of trying to grow? I'll start with the comparable thing, you know, and a friend of mine said to me, you know, well, everybody's gone through something terrible. And the worst thing to happen to you is the worst thing that's happened to you. You don't know any worse than that, right? So, you know, everybody can relate in some way to the worst thing that's happened to them in their life, you know.

And in terms of how do you kind of start growing and moving on, again, I would turn it, turn it inwards, you know, and really thinking about what you believe and what you value. And, you know, it took me quite a while. And there was a big speed bump in the way after Lily passed away when I was, you know, starting to grieve and trying to figure all this stuff out. And then a lot of really terrible stuff came out about my dad and things that he was doing and brought up a bunch of stuff from my childhood. And so that really interrupted this whole grieving process that I was in and threw a wrench in there that, you know, I've only recently really started getting a handle on and starting to figure out.

you know in terms of lily specifically it was uh yeah it was tough for for quite a while you know and i'm i'm not proud of some of the things i did or who i was really following that and and and but that's something i've had to accept and and forgive myself for you know and people that maybe i hurt in relationships where i wasn't my at my best and um and friendships too and um it's uh yeah It's definitely a healing process that's ongoing. And then, like I said, when there's stuff with my dad got thrown in there, and now it's been working out stuff from when I was a kid, and then seeing how that affected me as I was trying to deal with what Lily was going through,

and then the aftermath of that and how I was grieving, and these things about myself that had to look inward and try fixing. You know, and yesterday was Lily's birthday. It would have been her 14th birthday. And, yeah, it still hurts, that's for sure, you know. It still shed a lot of tears about it. And, yeah, it's tough. You know, the biggest thing that I come back to is I just feel like it's so unfair

that she didn't get to experience life like we do. And, you know, that's one of those questions that, you know, will always kind of haunt me, you know, no matter what I find out or learn or believe, you know, about life and spirituality, it's still something that will always, always bug me, you know, and dealing with that, it's just taking the time again, some quiet time with yourself and letting the emotions out, writing them down, playing some music, something, yeah. The piece that I find really important is, like, people have ways of expressing themselves, whether it's writing in a journal, going for a run,

like there's different ways. Do you find that music is your way of kind of processing this information? It is. It definitely has been a big part of it. I think over the last few years, I've developed some other practices that are maybe even more powerful for me personally. But in terms of the music, there's been, you know, revelations happening on stage. where I'm playing a song and I finally really feel the lyrics

or really know what they're about, kind of read them differently this time or sing them differently. And I'm like, whoa, that really hits me hard. And then, yes, it completely changes that song for me when I'm even as I'm performing it. And so there's been a few very healing moments in that way. And then otherwise, you know, I think writing in general, So I have started journaling every day, you know, and writing more kind of essay style or blog form writings that have really helped, you know, just getting those emotions and thoughts into the world, you know, physically, right?

Like on paper, writing them down. That's really helped me. And then the other part of it is just stillness, quiet. You know, I've taken up a meditation practice over the past four years. and that's where a lot of help has come from there, just creating the space to allow some of these thoughts to figure themselves out and ideas and feelings to come to me that I can wrestle with a bit and then put to rest.

With that knowledge that this is one of the ways you process your emotions and your experience, can you share some of those songs now? Yeah, yeah, let's do that. I think I'll start with the one about Lily Jean is also on the Parliament of Owls album. And, yeah, this one I wrote, I couldn't quite tell you when, probably, you know, around 2015. No, probably earlier than that, 2013 or something, let's say 2014.

And, yeah, it's called Sweetheart. It was just written to her after she passed away. Yeah, it's... Get that mic. Yeah, I need the mic. Thanks, Tim. Thanks, sir. Did I move that?

Here we go. I hope this reminds you of a wahoo chilling under the palm tree Oh Hannah, just me and my family The way that you'd sing along To all of our favorite songs

Help keep the peace between me and your mom we did everything for you do anything for you sweetheart sweetheart that sounds for you if i drink i'll drink to you sweetheart sweetheart if i'll drink to you sweetheart sweetheart when i sing i'll drink to you sweetheart if i sleep i'll drink to you I'd dream of you, sweetheart, sweetheart. You can't count the sands of time, but I wish I could give you mine. You're slipped away when we froze inside.

I scream out at night now, trying to reach you somehow. I hope there's somewhere out there above the cloud. When I dance out, it's for you, when I drink, I'll drink to you. Sweetheart, sweetheart. When I sing, I sing to you. If I sleep, I dream of you. Sweetheart, sweetheart.

I'll always remember the start of September when the rainy day that it ended would not dance on just for you when I drink I'll drink to you sweetheart sweetheart when I sing I'll sing to you If I sleep, I drink with you, sweetheart, sweetheart.

When I dance out, it's for you. If I drink, I drink to you, sweetheart. Sweetheart. When I sing, I sing the inn. If I sleep, I'll dream with you, sweetheart. Thank you guys very much. That one's for Lily Jean. If you have to go to the bathroom, please go.

The last time I hosted one of these were leaving, and people are like, you did not let me go to the bathroom, and they were not happy. So please, go, go. Take them up on it. Take them up on it. Yeah. Should I move on to the next song still, or would you like me to wait?

Yeah. We won't wait for the cat. No problem either way. No problem either way. This next one I've only performed once before. And this one, again, was the guitar part was written by Jamie Rowe. And he was out here once a few months ago, and he played at, he joined me for a few songs at Major League Pub there. And we actually did this one, but no one was listening.

So thank you guys very much. And a somewhat fitting holiday song just because it says happy Christmas in it, although the sentiment is not of a joyous celebration or anything. You know, it's kind of tongue in cheek, happy Christmas that we always had. Although, having said that, you know, I should be completely honest that, you know, I do have a lot of good memories of my childhood and good Christmases, you know. And, but, you know, things you kind of figure out and learn about later in life that make you look back on things a bit differently. And so this one is very personal, you know, and kind of written as a letter to my sisters and my family and, you know, kind of almost some things I think maybe they've dealt with in regards to our dad and our relationship with our dad. and you know the kind of the guy that the guy that i thought he was anyways kind of getting turned upside down and not quite uh not quite being who who i thought he was um and so it's called

a happy christmas i guess uh yeah and i'll just try it here for you guys and see how she goes She took 10 years on Tuesday She started when she was young Her dad gave her her first bottle You should have known what she'd become Well half her life was wasted And the other half was dry The only way of coping

Was out there getting high We always had a happy Christmas You could have swore he was religious He always drove us there to practice But he never passed the taste We all thought she was the good one But she struggled all the same

She never could let herself be happy She pushed them all the way So before you close your Bible Can I make one last request Learn to read between the lines And go forth and repent We always had a happy Christmas You could have swore he was

religious he always drove us in practice but he'd never pass the test My sisters, I'm still sorry I was too confused to hell I tried once and sent it back fire that's the scar I've always felt and I still feel it could never heal it Thank you very much.

I'm curious as to how you process your career to date, because that's a lot to go through, how do you reflect on that period? Um, I, uh, as far as my career goes, you know, I, I, I think I was, I was preaching a lot to myself and, and even to some people that I wasn't quite practicing myself or not comfortable practicing yet. And, you know, I'm at a place now where I'm very comfortable talking openly about, you know, anything that's, you know, that I've been through that I think could be relatable or could help somebody. And, you know, that started with, you know, conversations with my family and letting them know that, you know, I'm pretty comfortable with this stuff, you know, and it's something I want to start putting out there. And, again, in hopes of helping and healing. and yeah, it's been a journey, you know.

There's some pivotal moments I can remember that really kind of crack to open this new piece that I want to start working on and living a life more aligned with the values that I know I have. And I really putting myself out there and putting the work into it that should, you know, that should get me to where I want to be.

Before you came on, I talked about this journey of being an artist. You talked a little about performing in Granville Island, the work that goes on there, performing at bars. Can you reflect on that? Like, you're choosing to walk away from a lot of that. Right now, like this month, you're choosing a new path. Can you talk about why you're pivoting away from that? You know, and I think that kind of that time of my performing career in music was, you know,

getting those 10,000 hours that everybody talks about before you can master something. And so that was that, you know, I spent time busking around Australia when I was there and in England, you know, just performing on the street, more so singing these songs for myself and practicing as people are walking by. And then that turned into the bar scene and the pubs where I've held down a few, long-term residences that, you know, one has come to an end already at the Jolly Miller there. It was just time to move on. And part of that is, again, surrounding yourself with people you want to be, want to be around, you know, every week or in places where you want to be. And it was time

for something new there. And so that kind of, that part of the career was, yeah, really building up towards this. I think in terms of now, I've written a lot of songs, tons of songs, more songs in the last six months probably than I have in my entire life. And learning from all these other songs that I was playing so many times, you know, and learning so much music of other artists and bands that I really loved. And now being able to kind of let that fester in my musical mind and, and come up with something, you know, that I would like to think is original, you know. We're all building off the shoulders of people before us, or what is it, you know, standing on the shoulders of giants.

Yeah, so it's all got, got, it's start from all this music I learned to play of other people's and kind of developing my own style or my own taste for what I think I like. And now that's really where I want to put the focus on my own. music and and my own ideas and writing as well as I said and bring it back to podcasts you know and yeah that's kind of where I'm at today is trying to just make it more personal and a bit more purposeful to me you know I found in the last few years that all these cover gigs I was doing that I wasn't able to put my best foot forward because I knew I had more to give than than what I was doing there and and I think I was you know my purpose lately over the past decade let's say even

was my family you know my kids that I that I have you know I've got a beautiful daughter who's 11 years old and my son who's five and my stepdaughter who's 16 and that was my focus and that was my purpose and and I think that's a very good value to have to make that your number one but then I started to learn that there's something else that people need a drive and a purpose outside of that, you know, to kind of spread to the community and help others. And that's where these bar gigs and stuff, it wasn't really lining up with a purpose that I could find. And so I think I've found that now more with my original music and these other things

I'm really enjoying getting into you. Can we hone in on that a little bit more? Because, again, before you came out, I was just talking about the challenges of being an artist that, like, so many of us see somebody doing something great, and we go, like, congratulations, but, like, you're giving up a residency spot at a bar, guaranteed income, reliable, you know that it's coming. Like, you're giving up these positions where you know what next week is going to look like for sharing your purpose.

and like it's the same with the podcast like nobody's paying me to do this i don't have a big sponsor i don't have any like this is because i love it and i believe in what i'm doing but nobody's guaranteeing next week i'm chasing something because i love it and you're doing the same and that's like i just think that risk that you're willing to take on to share your gift and what you have to say sometimes goes unnoticed or like underrecognized perhaps in terms of like your commitment to this pivot and i do think think that risk and taking those chances, doing something scary or uncomfortable is very important in everybody's life to put yourself out there like that. And I think that's where

the biggest rewards lie, you know, and those rewards, you know, not not financially always, but, but, you know, things that you value other than that, that can lie in places that you only get to if you take those risks and take those chances and yeah you know i've i've had a lot of nervous excitement uh scared feelings over the past few months as this is all approaching and and and and now it's kind of happening and yeah it is a little scary you know it's it's uh like you said giving up some comfort and a regular paycheck uh for something that honestly i i don't know if it's going to work out the way i want it to. I'm really hoping it does, and because I do think there's

a lot of value that I can give if I can focus a bit more on this original work and speaking like this and writing, and I think it's

good to take those risks if you're going to put the time in and the effort, and one thing you said, I heard you talking about was, yeah, putting yourself out there and hearing people, you know, that want to support you and that love you and that say, yeah, we'll always be there, you know, supporting you. And it's a tough conversation when you call them to the table, kind of, right, and say, well, now, here it is. This is what I'm doing.

You know, you've said you'll always support me. And, you know, it's weird because there is the money side of it, right? Where, yeah, you still got to pay the bills. You want to do something purposeful that you really feel passionate about but not everybody can do that and I don't even know if I can do that if I can really double down on this and make a living at it

or if I go back to the Jolly Miller with my tail between my legs which I don't think I'm going to do I was thinking about landscaping if this all doesn't work out you know so any good landscaping companies out there I love being outside on this stuff but yeah

it's an important conversation because like to be completely transparent like this was a risk when I started it like I remember having the conversation with Rebecca like I was traveling back and forth between law school UBC driving all the way out here and and I was listening to a ton of podcasts like eight hours a day of podcasts and going like maybe I could do this and like the thing I always said was like I can't quit until I know that I've I've done what I wanted to do in the space and it was a huge risk at the time like I was a broke university student who invested $2,000 in podcasting equipment betting on this and like just continuing to chase it and there isn't there isn't a clear end point and you're asking people to commit to an undetermined amount of time to your goal and like my vision was always like there are voices we're not hearing from. There's conversations we're not having that I know we're not having that I want to have and I want to be a part of that and take that $2,000 initial investment. Now I'm personally spending $20,000 probably a year to do this because it's all love for the voices I get to hear

from. Like I wouldn't trade this for anything. Like when other opportunities come up, like this is what I love to do. Like speaking with individuals like yourself highlighting you, like I wouldn't trade this opportunity for any other business job, any other opportunity, because it's a privilege to hear from people who have something to say, who have a gift that they need to share. And any opportunity you can highlight other people who are doing something beautiful. It's like, that's a gift to me to be able to do that. And like, with all of you here, like, you make this possible. Like, this is, I'm not being sponsored by some big company that pays me to do this.

This is all because of people like yourself supporting the vision of individuals like yourself and I'd like you to all quickly give yourself a round of applause for supporting individuals like yourself and I want to speak a bit to you as well and because we did an interview a couple years ago now and and that was kind of towards the end of the podcast I was I was doing and you know as I kind of wrapped that up and that was mainly just kind of me figuring out where I how much time I have to put in in different areas of my life and and the time wasn't quite there, but then as I wrapped it up, and I started seeing a lot of your podcast and the way you were running yours, and I looked at that, and I said, wow, that's, that's a guy who's doing

it right, you know, and it really solidified for me that, for me, I was like, I need to take some time, you know, and. I didn't do that, right? No, no, no, no, no. This was the after effect, but then it was just reassuring to me to know that, you know, if I'm going to do something like this. Like the podcast for me, I just flicked a switch and started to talk to people. Like I didn't really have much of a vision. It was more a hobby, a fun thing for me.

But then looking at how you ran your show and how you built it and where you are now, it's incredible. And I intentionally thought, you know, there's a guy who's doing it right, putting the hours in, putting the work in. And so that kind of, it was always in the back of my mind that this podcast

might come back for me. But I always said, you know, never until I'm ready until I have the energy and the time to do it right, you know, to really know what I'm talking about and to really know what I want to put out there. And that's something

that I feel like you had right away and you just built on it and made it better and better and it's been awesome and I really appreciate the opportunity to be here. So a round of applause for yourself. I appreciate you, man. I was not expecting that. Not great at taking compliments. So I'm just going to

laugh it off and get used to do my best to put on can you tell us about this next chapter what does it look like what are some of your goals how do people support such an endeavor because you have this right here i believe they're right over there for people to purchase can you tell us about this next chapter so it it you know i was i knew i needed to put a new album out and and i knew i i had the songs and and i tried getting in the studio and with a full band and trying to figure that out and really piecing it together but man people are busy and studios

are busy and I was still pretty busy and so a couple of the players I really wanted to play on they were on tour with other acts and it wasn't going to line up but I knew I needed to get something done and get something out there so that's specifically where this album came from

it's a live acoustic album I had finished a home studio at my place that I knew could fit a decent size audience, you know, about half of this. And so that kind of morphed into the idea of, yeah, I'm going to do this live recording at home of these songs, just my guitar and I, because that's kind of what it's been for the last, however long, is, you know, most of the time I'm out there on my own just with my guitar.

And, you know, sometimes Dylan, my drummer's still with me, but he's also getting very busy and very successful doing what he's doing with drumio you know the drumio i too website and the videos and so so i thought i just got to do it you know i've i've put the work in i'm i'm ready um whether i have the band around me or not um i'm ready for this and and then the writing pieces uh i was i was doing it for fun in my journal you know writing quite long form stories and thoughts and ideas that I had and and and I thought you know I think some of this could be helpful to some people if if I can explain this well enough in a in a very informal way you know I'd I say that I'm a feel guy you know I'm not an expert and it was actually my my golf coach in

university who said that to me actually you know him mr. doctor Chris Bertram because and it was more so a joke because I never spent enough time practicing because I was just a feel player. That's what they call. Someone just goes out and hits the ball and he feels his way around the golf course. He's not worried about the technicalities of it, you know. And so I've felt a lot and I've practiced a lot. And it's what I'm hoping is that I can be that kind of middleman between the experts and between the common person who might not understand all the expert advice they get and where I can, and I'm just talking from my lived experience in things that have helped me and things that I've been through and what I've felt and what I've helped or what's helped

me. So that's what a lot of the writing is and that's where a lot of the podcast will come in, will come into that. And I just decided that, you know, between, you know, the music, all this original music I have that I want to release and all the people that have always said, you know, they would support me and and and then with this new studio space I had I thought I had an opportunity to try something a bit unconventional and and so you know the music isn't isn't going to be for free on Spotify and Apple music it'll be on well so the main website is called Patreon it's an app on your phone as well or a website that will host content for creators and a lot of podcasters use it a lot of bands use it for extras for merchandise or special edition CDs or vinyl and that and so I looked at that and I said well hey you know if I can supplement the income that I used to make at the Miller and the lakeside these kind of things that these pub gigs that just weren't quite doing it for me anymore and and I can start putting my original work and myself and my purpose into this a bit more and online for

people to access and and view and if I can start changing those gigs the free public cover gigs into a few more ticketed events you know at spaces like this or spaces like the cultural center you know a few bigger events where it's just my music for people that really want to hear me instead of doing smaller gigs a couple times a week where it's easy people can come see me anytime they want. So it's creating a bit of exclusivity around my work and my performances. And so it's all kind of behind this paywall, you know,

of patreon.com slash Andrew Christopher. If you're taking notes, this is the time to do so. And it is. It's a subscription, you know, just like you would for Netflix. And some podcasts have, you know, strictly subscription-based content. And, you know, there's different tiers. different levels of it where you'll get this content or at the next year you'll get this content,

the next tier, you know, you get a show at your house. And so there's lots of different perks for each tier is kind of what it comes down to. And you kind of sign up for what tier you're comfortable with. And that's kind of where the music will be, where the podcast will be, where my writings will be. And one of the main goals that I'm trying to explain to people that I feel very passionately about, and I'm trying to word in the right way on the website is taking these small monthly subscriptions from people in the community and using that money to be able to help youth around Chilliwack and to help involve them and show them the power of music,

have them come work with me at the studio, just try out any instrument they want and hang out and jam, you know, and just introduce kids to music and then see, you know, hey, yeah, I do really like this. Maybe I do want to go take lessons, but keeping the cost away from their families so that there's no cost to their families, and it's kind of sponsored by my subscribers. That's kind of the humanitarian pitch in there, you know, and I also think that there's value on that page that a lot of people or a friend of a friend could really. relate to and grow that community where we can talk about things and help each other out.

That's kind of the main goal, is introducing music to kids and helping people and conversing and connecting with people on a deeper level. I think we need to hear some of this new music. I think we're incredibly excited. I'm going to open the door because I can hear people's legs starting to move and I think they need to go to the bathroom. Yeah, yeah, no problem. So I'm going to open this door.

Please give it a beat, and then we can get started. So this one is actually where the title of the album came from, and because at one of these live shows. So I had two groups. I recorded the album over two nights with a group of about 25 people who came to the studio. And again, it was just my guitar and I and played these songs.

And I did a lot of talking in between as well, which is kind of on the recordings. And you can skip that part and just go to the songs or you can listen to the stories about the songs. And this one, I kind of talked a little bit about how I think this could be a great song with drums and with the guitar. And I said, so, you know,

picture the imaginary band behind me. and so if you hear a guitar solo just play it in your head and if you can hear the drum beat then yeah move along to that so that's where the name the Andrew Christopher and the imaginary band is what the album's called

because it's just my guitar and I so this song is kind of got a weird name called Poca bands and Poker Hands and we had just gone to a 40th birthday party where there was a polka band and the first first talks about a band And the second verse is my favorite.

It's about my son Ledger being at the pump track. He loves going there. And so a little message about, you know, just do it. If it feels good, go for it. You know, don't overcomplicate things. And, yeah, take some chances once in a while. So, yeah, it takes some chances once in a while. The cover charges past the cold check.

A call girl's business card A wooden bar stool sings a creaky tune And the band can't quite find the group But you swear this is the place she walked into You finally find her face in a crowd Making eyes up at the bass guitar player She catches you creeping

As she turns around If there's a shot in the doctor, take it You'll never hit if you never play You can't complicate something complicated, baby And I really think it's better that way Chalk on the pavement and popsicles The biggest friggin' drop of your life You're so close now, boy don't look down

Just close your eyes and go for a ride If there's a shot in the doctor, take it take it I'll never hit if you never play You can complicate something complicated, baby But I really think it's better that way pocket rockets and your palms are sweating the clocks at 1 a.m. in your dream you've been bluffing all night to no avail and the river card makes you want to scream if there's a shot and the dot to take take it you never hit you never hit you you never play you can't complicate something complicated baby I really think it's better that way if there's a shot in the doctor take take it you never hit if you never play you can't

complicate something complicated baby and I really think it's better that way yeah I really think it's better that way. You know, I really think it's better. Really think it's better. I really think it's better that way. Thank you very much. Are we still on track if I do two more? Yeah?

Is that cool? Is everybody just comfortable fitting? you got to do yeah stretch your legs stand up yeah take a look at the CDs if you want both there's two albums there there's the Parliament of Owls one which I've done a couple songs from and then there's the the imaginary band um live acoustic album that that these last three songs are are from this next one's another pretty personal one and then I'll finish it on a on a happy note this one is a bit of the story of me changing my name and so now I'm Andrew Christopher, I decided to drop the family name a few years back. And again, things just not lining up

with my dad and who I thought he was and something I just wanted to do for myself. And I kind of make a joke about it when I meet people and say, my name's Andrew Christopher, two first names. And so this is a bit of a juxtaposition of that where it's a bit more of a serious side of that story and why I might have changed my name. Yeah, so it's called the man with two first names. for all the good he's done for all the good he's done the bad keeps pace trying to outrun the darkness is a never-ending race He's got some skeletons in his closet Some are his and some are his fathers

He is the name The two first names He is the name He is the name He is the man The two first name Is it the living or the day We should envy you said

Even though they're gone they rest In a better place than it is So it's the darkness of death That we should embrace instead Of living alive Instead of living alive He is the man He is the man

He is the man He is the man The two first names And if you tell her I know everything will change And if you tell her I'm afraid that you run away And if not ever, I know everything will change for the name, the two first names.

done the bad keeps pace he is the man with two first names he's got some skeletons in his closet some are his and some are his fathers he

is the man with two first names two first names So two words So if you hear this, it's goodbye Just go on with your life And I'll be fine with two first names

Thank you very much. Okay, I promise I'll end it on a fun note here. So this is a tune that I wrote. One of my favorite things to do, I spoke about creating space to allow things to happen, healing or thoughts or ideas. And so I go walking my dogs up the hill from my place and nice and quiet area where I live.

So walk the dogs up there. Usually the first 20 minutes I'm listening to music or a podcast as it's uphill, getting my workout in. And then the next 20 minutes, I kind of do a lot of thinking, kind of deep thinking, I like to call it. I'd like to think it's deep. And then, you know, the last 20 minutes, it's trying not to think too much. And letting those thoughts kind of sink in, you know. It's where a lot of learning happens.

It's kind of like when you go to sleep, you learn a lot in your sleep, right? things that you've been working on or studying and then you go to sleep you wake up oh that's figure it out or sometimes that's how you learn songs or memorize things and it's the same thing if you can take that time break up your day with some meditation and and seated stillness and and a lot of things can work themselves out in your brain or you can learn things and remember things you've been thinking about so I write a lot of songs on these walks and this this one in particular, I was picking up garbage, as I like to do once a month or so, I bring a garbage bag with me and pick up everybody's old Milwaukee beer cans or weed wrappers. There's always a lot

of, like, gummies, weed gummy wrappers or those tubes that the joints come in. And listen, I, anyway, I drink old Milwaukee, I smoke weed. But as you'll learn in this song, I don't litter. And the last thing I found was a bunch of McDonald's garbage. There's always fast food garbage out there too, right? So I picked all these things up and I set it down on the porch because during my thinking and then I meditating. I came up with this song and I got home and put these things on the porch and my wife said, why are those things on the porch? And I said, come here and I'll show you. I wrote this song while walking my dogs picking up trash along the way. It's kind of short but important like a PSA

Smoke weed, drink booze and eat your fast food But please, please don't litter Smoke your read and drink your booze Go ahead get yourself fat eating on that fast food but please please don't litter when I got home from walking my dogs and I heard my big gas powered generator on because the power at my house had gone out and I thought how environmentally friendly could that be well i don't know but at least i don't litter

so smoke weed and drink booze and eat your fast food but please please don't litter smoke you eat and drink your booze go ahead and have some fun eat and all that fast food, but please, please don't litter. Well, yes, I was 19 once, and I thought that it was fun to drive around in my friends pickup truck chucking beer cans out the window. And I'm really sorry about that.

And yes, this is me confessing I was young and dumb, But that's what life's all about And I didn't know a song like this one To tell me not to Smoke weed, drink booze And eat your fast food But please, please don't litter I smoke weed and I drink booze

Even sometimes I will eat fast food, but I do not litter. Thank you very much. Thank you. My apologies, I just feel like you deserve the stage all to yourself sometimes. You earned it. I like the talking too. The talking, too. You killed it, man. Tonight has been a blast.

How's everybody feeling? Was this to live up to what everybody expected? I, for one, I'm so proud of the direction you're choosing to take all of this. Like, that's exciting. It's a big risk. Hopefully, people subscribe on Patreon. Thank you, yes. But it's such an exciting risk because it's your voice.

And I think, like, freedom of expression gets talked about a lot. in today's culture, polarization, I think, is increasing. But the idea that, like, you have a responsibility to share your voice. I don't think that can be understated, and I think that's what you're choosing to do with this, is truly share your voice and put out what you're experiencing. Yeah, you know, I think a problem today is, I think a lot of people are scared to talk and share their voice for many different reasons. But part of it being that, like you said,

everything is so polarized right now that people don't feel comfortable talking about certain topics and in fear of getting in trouble, you know, or saying something wrong or stupid, but I say stupid things all the times, and then I correct myself or I look for better information. And, you know, I do see that that's a problem, and that's something I want to try and correct, too, is say, yeah, let's have these conversations, you know. and don't worry if you don't know something ask or say what you think and then maybe you get corrected and then you decide what you believe or not but you got to be able to talk about it that's for sure and yeah you know and especially on the mental health side of things you know and for men especially

something I'm very passionate about about diving into is being an ear for people and and again just from my lived experience you know giving my advice on what's helped you know and what can help people. And I think that does often just start with talking, you know, in a safe place with someone you love or someone you trust. You've talked briefly about the podcast. What is the podcast called? What are you talking about? You've just brought it back, I think, a week or two weeks ago. Yeah. So it's still under the title, the AC show. You know, it's on Patreon. And the podcast can get linked to your Spotify page and your Apple Podcasts, but it's a locked page. So once you subscribe, then you unlock that content.

You know, the first one's discussing a lot about what we talked, where I'm heading with all this. And actually, it was a story about this $10 bill I found on my walk, taking the dogs, and found this $10 bill on the side of the road and then lost it by the time I got home. And then two days later, went on the same walk, and somehow, through the rain and storm, that $10 bill was somewhere else on the road, and I found it again. And I thought, wow, how fortunate that is. Did you lose it again? I kept it.

It's in my bar. And so there's a whole other story behind it, this nice young man I met on the walk who I want to give him this $10 bill if I find it because I thought, oh, maybe it's his, but didn't see him again. Anyway, and it's just, and then it's a lot about, you know, things we do in life to maybe deserve good fortune or not and what we think is fortunate. And that's kind of the deeper, deeper side of it is that. And some of the podcasts are going to be very music specific, music I grew up with or loved and talking about some of my favorite bands and playing those songs. And as well as explaining the stories in more in-depth about my original music. And then a lot of healing, you know, healthy practices, self-improvement, you know, growth. That's kind of the main topics that I'll be covering on there. So your album is sitting right over there. If anybody wanted to pick that up, how would they go about doing such a thing? So I'll selling them here for 20 bucks apiece.

I do have a square tap thing that would work. or if you feel so inclined to jump on the Patreon right now and sign up and then you can grab one if you're at that tier you'll see the options there otherwise grab one from me just for cash or whatever

and then check out the Patreon page later and see what you feel you want to do or not grab one here that would be a great way to start but again yeah if you subscribe now I'll flip your one for free there's a deal

this is the thing I'm going to have a hard time was this salesman kind of strategy, right? I don't want to do that. So what I think I'll have to for the first few months is, you know, try and sell people. We'll keep you over here if you want to buy them. They're over there. Okay, the thing I want to end off with is an opportunity for the audience to be able to ask you any questions that they have. I don't have any notes. I don't have anything. I just, we just sit down and I kind of gave you a rundown of kind of my vision of how this would flow, but I got nothing. So if anybody else has that. has better questions, more than welcome.

I think Rebecca has the microphone. Does anybody have any questions for Mr. Christopher? Front row right here. Now that you started up your podcast again, how are you running? Are you just flicking the switch and talking? So now I've, again, a lot of the ideas have come on these walks that I take, and so I'll get those ideas in my head and sometimes jot it down on my phone, but I like to kind of pressure myself to remember them.

And again, that's when the meditation I think really helps. And then I've got home and I'll scribble out those notes and then maybe look at it the next day and start piecing it together. And so a bit more writing. So a lot of it will kind of come out in the blog form as well. And then the podcast would be even more expansive than the blog is. And it's, and I'm playing with the idea again of having

guests my in the first 84 episodes I did of the AC show it was it was mostly with with guests and and I would like to incorporate that again um I think the first few I'll be I'll be doing on my own and then uh yeah so I would like to think a bit more preparation than just flicking the switch this time and again coming from a place of really wanting to be able to speak passionately about what I'm feeling and and and connect with people that way Does that answer it a bit? Yeah. Any other questions?

So I've heard you play the piano. I didn't know you played it when you were young, but do you solely write with the guitar or do you do stuff on the piano? What's the difference? There's been a couple songs recently-ish that I did write on the piano. And, yeah, the difference being,

I think it, for me, With the piano, I play it less rhythmically. If I'm playing the guitar and strumming some chords, there's always a rhythm to it. With the piano, it leaves a lot more room for the melodies rhythm, for what I'm singing, because I'm just playing chords, kind of open chords, and then the next one, because I'm not that great a piano.

But it does help. It definitely helps create different sounds and different melodies and rhythms that I probably wouldn't get on the guitar. So that's one difference there, and I should play it more and write that way, and I probably will. The good news being that I haven't struggled to write more music yet with my guitar, so it's just been coming pretty nice and easily, which knock on wood, it keeps going. But then, yeah, I've definitely sat down on the piano sometimes and just hit a couple chords,

and different melodies seem to come, and I think maybe that's a bit of space, and just the voicings of the chords are a bit different on piano as well. I guess the way I'm playing them, there's less notes than there is on the guitar if I'm strumming a chord. I'm usually just hitting three notes on the piano at a time. And so that leaves a bit more space again

to something different to be created. Thank you, Andrew, for being willing to do this and share your gift with everybody. I will again recommend people go check out your albums We also have calendars with Alex. Would you mind standing up? We have calendars with Mr. Alex Hart. He took all of the photos for the calendars,

and we've got a 2025 version available for everybody. Thank you all so much for being willing to attend tonight and to celebrate this gifted artist. I appreciate you so much for being willing to come out tonight and share your gift with everybody. I'm very thankful to be here for the opportunity. Thanks, man. Give me a hug.

I love you, buddy. All right, I'm going to open the doors now. Thank you so much for watching. If you enjoyed this, please consider liking, commenting, and subscribing, and telling a friend about it. One of our goals right now is to reach 10,000 subscribers, so please consider hitting that Subscribe button.