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Andy Maher has been kicking around in Boston bands for some time now. He’s played with Jean Claude Jam Band, the Needy Visions, Maine Coons, World Map and more, but with I Am The Candy Man we have Maher going out on his own. And the results are quite pleasant. Throughout the five songs given to us on this record I found myself coming back to hearing Brian Eno-esque pop as filtered through a 90s, indie rock sort of filter. “Chromatose” has to be the standout track with its plodding simple funk back beat, conjuring at times the work of 90s fringe indie funk popster Self. I’m pretty sure there are plans to make this a live endeavor, so check out the site, and watch this space for more info. Andy also answered a few dumb questions below…

LISTEN TO: Andy Maher Candy Bar- I Am The Candy Man

how did you go about recording this record??

i recorded these songs up in dover, nh with doug tuttle from mmoss.
in the early fall, i had had some song ideas kicking around in my head
for a bit and was itching to do something with them. i really liked
the way the mmoss record “i” came out and i was regularly going up
to nh to visit doug and his girlfriend/bandmate rachel, so having
doug record me made sense. we’d usually just do one song a day on
sunday mornings. i’d start with drums, which were usually miced
with only one microphone, add bass, then add guitar, organ, whatever
in no particular order. finally we’d throw vocals on top. no
different really from recordings i’ve done with other bands, but
more work because i had to do everything.

what are some bands you’ve been listening to lately??

i’ve been listening to a lot of j dilla and brian eno recently.
however, i tend to listen to the radio more often than my own music
library. i really enjoy the intercontinental show on wmbr 88.1fm, the
secret spot on wers 88.9fm, and the general programming on jamn 94.5.

how do you think living in boston/new england affects your songwriting??

i haven’t written lyrics specifically about living in new
england/boston (aside from a reference to walden pond in one song)
and i don’t think my musical style is really typical of the bands i know
in the local music community. so, i guess i’m not really sure how
boston/new england affects my songwriting. i lived in nh and ma my
whole life. the area has definitely shaped the person i am today, but
i think it’d take someone more worldly than myself to point out how
my new england roots manifest themselves in my songwriting.