Andy Davis
Music Man
Andy is an extraordinary musical talent who has played at our shop twice over the last year. He sounds like Late Sunday Afternoon, which is why we knew we had to be part of his journey. Check out all his music after you read this and be ready for your ears to fall in love.
Why music?
I grew up in a music-loving family, and always heard my parents singing and harmonizing around the house. As a teenager, music felt like the easiest way to express myself….and it still gives me that good ole teenage energy now. I’ve also started seeing it as one of the main ways I can be most useful to the world around me. I find it amazing and mysterious watching how it affects people on so many levels.
What is the Weekly Song Club?
In January of 2018, I committed to writing and recording a new song every week for a whole year. (As I’m writing this I’m on week 46 out of 52). I invited my listeners online to get involved and cheer me on thru the process (and keep me accountable). It’s been such a HUGE learning experience for me on so many levels. Aside from having a hopper full of new tunes, there’s something rewarding and momentum-building about finishing an idea every week--even if it doesn’t turn out to be a “masterpiece.” That weekly feeling of being proud of yourself adds up, and it has made me a happier person this year. I’m thinking about doing it for the next 52 years.
What are your biggest struggles?
Aside from cereal serving sizes…. historically I’ve been a bit of a procrastinator (thus this dramatic self-challenge to write 52 songs in a year). I’ve always had tons of ideas, but I've had to learn how to slow down, prioritize, and find the discipline to see them through to the finish line. Also collaboration has been a huge teacher for me, and I’ve been lucky to find some amazingly talented friends along the way to join forces with on projects that I could’ve never pulled off alone.
What are your favorite accomplishments?
Thanks to my touring opportunities over the past 15 or so years, I’ve been able to make a ton of dear friends across the US and around the world. It also brings me a ton of joy when I get the chance to connect those dots and bring some of those people together for creative projects, or just to hang out. Also it means I have a lot of antique stores bookmarked on the backroads of middle America.
What part of your personality are you most thankful for?
I guess I’m most thankful for my explorer side. I love being in new situations and around people that expand my awareness and understanding of things. I find a lot of topics very interesting and love diving into “why things are the way they are.” Sometimes you learn something that changes what you thought was right, and the process of letting go of the old ways can hurt for a bit, but in the end I’d rather be a crazy explorer than a person that never changed.
What does your favorite or ideal sunday afternoon look like?
Maybe going on a solo hike while listening to a podcast, a little writing if it feels fun, then meeting up with a crew of friends for dinner…maybe even tag on a couch movie….
What gives you hope for the future?
Right now the idea of helping people connect with their creativity makes me excited. This 52-Week song project has been so good for me that I’ve decided to facilitate an online community where people commit to doing a creative task for 52 weeks that brings them joy and recharges their soul. When I think about how that will look at the end of next year, and the years after, I get super pumped. I think artists can get tunnel vision when it comes to their gifts/skills, and they can forget to simply focus on 1) what really brings them joy, and 2) how they can be useful to other people. When people get wrapped up in “am I good enough to be doing this,” they either structure their work around the search for that validation, OR they give up and put it on the back burner indefinitely. My hope is to encourage people to rescue those back-burner dreams, even if only for the sake of injecting and scheduling joy into their weekly schedules. Over the course of a year, it really makes a difference in your overall growth and happiness levels.
What would you like to bless the world with? Pick one word.
What excites you about being an LSA ambassador?
Being introduced to a crew of excited, creative, hard-working people that love creating community (and sick hats.)
What are you doing next? How can people get involved?
I’m going to be compiling a “best of” playlist of the songs I wrote this past year and upgrading them into a proper record soon, as well as organizing this new 52-Week online group challenge program (which will be launching Jan 1, 2019). People should hit me up on Instagram (@andydavismusic) to get info on those things and all the things.
Where are all the places people can learn more about you?
Instagram - @andydavismusic
Facebook - andydavismusic
Patreon - andydavis
