Astronautalis

Andy Bothwell aka Astronautalis is your grandpas old house in back-bay Florida. Creaking with every step, filled with the fear of finding lost stories and skeletons that breathe on the nape of your neck every winters night. His lyrics are compulsive tales of anger, deception and love that echo the night Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil.

Andy met up with us an hour before the show to share his stories from the road, love for tattoos and a bitter attitude towards Kanye West. Check the podcast for the full interview. With a jump to his step Andy peddles towards us immediately anticipating a hug that felt friendlier than expected. His attitude stank of excitement and an ernest desire to spill all the thoughts bouncing in his head. Andy’s hometown of Seattle has missed him since he started his tour with Sole in Europe. A growing fan base has helped each show become a bigger success than the last however none compare to the house shows he performs in Virginia.

To describe Andy’s music you would need to imagine a utility blender and mix the melodies of Modest Mouse, the passion of Against Me and the lyrics of Bob Dylan. A cross between Hip Hop and Indie Rock if you will. His voice can be compared to a young Tom Waits, with a grind to each word and a depth unexpected of the lanky white guy in in the black V-Neck and white track shoes. After we chatted for a while Andy led us backstage where a welcome bottle of Jim Bean was inviting a makeout session on the torn up black sofa so many bands have destroyed at the Knitting Factory. Andy continues to share his history and the stories behind songs such as “The Case of William Smith”: which is about the biblical critic William Robert Smith who approached the Bible with substantial evidence that errors were evident within the scriptures and was chastised by the Catholic community. The artistry of Andy’s lyrics portray the story with vivid imagery.

As he took the stage you could see the real fans of his worm their way toward the front where he stood. His performance began full throttle and would only slow down between songs where he would “bullshit” and talk to the audience about stories of his childhood that humorously led into the next song. He poured so much energy into each song that after his set we went backstage to see him and every ounce of energy was drained and all that was left was a hollow ragdoll slouched over the knees and dripping with sweat. At one point of the show Andy started freestyling with subjects that were shouted from the audience including; Mrs. Doubtfire, Artichokes and Pee-Wee Herman. The jaw dropped crowd, glazed and confused never expected the fluidity of words that spilled from his teeth and slipped into their ears. Andy finished his set with a fight anthem that serves as the perfect ‘night out’ chant for a group of guys. “Trouble Hunters” whose name describes itself is an intense song for Andy’s voice and is horribly difficult to resist singing along.

Following Andy came Sole whose Hip Hop performance and cleverly crafted melodies would normally get me off my feet however I was prepared to call it a night after the amazing performance by Astronautalis. With conviction I will continue to spread the word of this amazing musician. I readily anticipate the arrival of his next album and wil continue to make all my friends addicted to his music.