Bio

Andrew Calhoun writes with a paradoxical combination of incandescent intellect and unstudied magic. He is both a lightning rod for "the unconscious rightness of intuitive connection" and a perpetual student of songcraft with deep respect for both tradition and innovation. In the thirty-odd years that he has been a songwriter and performer he has created an impressive collection of songs from which he draws in live performances. On stage he is disarmingly unpretentious, spontaneous, insightful and darkly witty, as he weaves a tapestry that includes not only his original songs, but Scottish ballads that he has translated from dialect, and poems and songs by such exceptional writers as Dave Carter, Mary Oliver and Robert Frost.

At age seven, Andrew memorized W. B. Yeats' "Song of Wandering Aengus," thus earning a nickel from his mother. He got his first guitar in 1967 at the age of ten, and began writing songs at twelve. By the late seventies, he was performing in the Chicago folk scene. He has since toured internationally, performing at folk clubs and festivals, pubs and house concerts. He presents workshops on many topics: Creative Songwriting, Song Appreciation, Scottish Folk Ballads, and Music Theory for Guitarists. In 1992, Calhoun founded Waterbug Records, an artists' cooperative folk label which has grown to 70 titles, bringing some of the brightest singer-songwriters and folk musicians to an international audience. His own recordings have been released on Hogeye, Flying Fish and Waterbug Records.

Andrew Calhoun's vivid and inspired music is a companion for anyone who has ventured off the well-paved road to forge their own path in this world. Now living in Chicago, he recently released his tenth album, Staring at the Sun (Songs 1973-1981).

Quotes

"A wonderful songwriter and funny, warm performer." - The Daily Iowan

"Calhoun is a master at story songs, finely crafted works that swiftly and economically capture a moment or express an emotion. Like the best novelists, he is able to assume different personas and see the world through other people's eyes." - June Sawyers, Chicago Tribune

"He's blessed with a resonant baritone, crystalline fingerpicking, and a writer's ear." - The Oregonian

"Calhoun ...has made himself a welcome presence in local songwriter circles since relocating here from Chicago, where he founded and ran the Waterbug indie folk label. Bring your listening hat for his literate songs, some sober and some silly..." - Jeff Rosenberg, Willamette Week

"His songs are majestic in their imagery and endlessly challenging in their themes." - James Tarbox, St. Paul Pioneer Press-Dispatch

"...he goes an awfully long way toward overturning the prevalent image of folksingers trying to live in a past that never was." - Renaldo Migaldi, Chicago Reader

"...unbelievably powerful imagery." - Merlin David, Performing Songwriter

"Andrew's writing reminds me of impressionistic painting – an image here and there, a splash of color, light and shadow. His songs defy analysis; the impact of word and sound alone is enough to move me deeply. Andrew's music bypasses the mind and goes straight to the soul." - Lui Collins

"The greatest songwriter of his generation, mentionable in the same breath with Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Martin Carthy." - John McLaughlin, WESS

"He is a creative force in the songwriter movement, a dynamite guitarist, and a traditional song interpreter of great skill. His introductions to songs can keep you doubled up with laughter, his songs run the gamut of human experience and emotion." - Phil Cooper

"Andrew Calhoun tells the truth. To my knowledge, there is no better songwriter alive." - Dave Carter

"Andrew Calhoun's persistent pursuit of faith and beauty in the face of everything is the driving theme in his work. A demanding poet among lyricists, Calhoun delivers to standards that many songwriters barely know exist. Calhoun rejects pat answers, and the characters in his songs often follow a heroic journey of loneliness, misunderstanding, and harsh judgments that come with the territory for nearly anyone who has wanted more from life than can be found in the mill of consumerism that labors so hard to define and patrol the borders of "mainstream" American culture.

"Calhoun's music is a great companion for anyone who has ever ventured off the well-paved road to forge their own path in life. If you ever find yourself choosing art over commerce, conscience over conformity, or inner wealth over the kind that you can show off, you will know this man when you meet him. He will welcome you home." - Brad Warren