San Diego Reader

Andy Robinson: Drums, Electronics, Guitar (acoustic), Guitar (electric), Hammer dulcimer, Harmonica, Keyboards, Percussion, Vocals

Genre: Acoustic, Electro | DJ, Rock, World

RIYL: Brian Eno, Optiganally Yours, the Residents

Upcoming Local Shows

Related Links:

• http://www.andyrobinsonmusic.com/

• Jam Session: "Music Bucket Amateur Video Contest: $100 - $250 Cash Prizes" · Feb. 26, 2012

• CD Baby

Synoposis

Influences: The Beatles, Brian Eno, Jeff Beck, League of Assholes, Laurie Anderson, Devo, Kraftwerk, the Residents, Jean Ritchie

Background:

Andy Robinson first earned local notice as a drummer, formerly with local progressive rockers Horsefeathers and L.A. underground groups like Elton Duck and Invisible Zoo. Now, however, he specializes in a different instrument, though he still uses sticks to play it.

“I play the dulcimer, sometimes with my fingers, sometimes with a popsicle stick,” says acoustic/electronic/world/folk blend performer Andy Robinson.

“One of the things that first attracted me to the dulcimer in the late sixties was noter-style playing. At that time, George Harrison of the Beatles was opening up the pop music world to the delicate drones and exotic textures of the Indian sitar. I was, and still am, a Beatles fan, so when a friend introduced me to the mountain dulcimer, I fell in love with it. It wasn’t a sitar, but it was close enough for me! I was a drummer, with no prior experience with melodic instruments, and the simplicity of making up a melody on a couple of closely spaced strings and having instant musical accompaniment in the form of a droning partial chord appealed to me.”

In addition, “I play the kalimba [and] I play mostly acoustic instruments, but I really love synthesizers, with their infinite sound-making potential. I drum, I play harmonica, I loop, I sample, I sing, but I don’t sing actual words very often.”

His debut solo full-length Exotic America, an exercise in electro-acoustic Americana, was released in 2004.

Taking an experimental approach to recording, Robinson says “I like to roam San Diego’s back country with a digital recorder, sampling stuff like a dried branch tapping out patterns on a dirt road, or fence post xylophones, or a broken down piano, or a pile of pots and pans that have been left for dead. You can hear some of these things in [my songs] ‘Cartoon’ and ‘The Golden Feather.’ There is something that appeals to me about doing things the wrong way, like grabbing sounds that aren’t necessarily meant to go together and introducing them to each other.”

Robinson released his mostly instrumental full length Music Bucket at the end of 2011, featuring guest players Mike Keneally, Carlos Olmeda, David Ryan Norgren, Dennis Caplinger, Tripp Sprague, Jamie White, PJ Bovee, Coco Brown, Chuck Elledge, Nicki Elledge, and Doug Robinson.

“Once again, I’ve combined dulcimers, kalimbas, guitars, loops, samples, fiddles, saxes, pots and pans, etc., to create what I believe is a fresh blend of tuneful, upbeat music.”

“Even the cover of the CD has sort of a found object theme. Each letter in the title was taken from separate photographs I took of road signs. Usually, the results of my experimenting surprise me.”