Andrew Parker-Renga (APR) grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana where he took piano, quit piano (which he regrets -doesn’t everyone?), taught himself guitar, started songwriting, got kicked out of prep-school, and decided music was to be his life.
With the release of his latest record, Issue 4:Portraits, Andrew has created a “finely honed, artistically savvy collection,” -Dan Bolles, Seven Days. The record is a huge step both artistically and creatively from his last, Issue 3: Emily, focusing on his vocal delivery and melody. Each track is a snapshot of Andrew’s “considerable talents” as a singer ranging from lush quiet tones, on Portrait, to heavenly falsetto, Sun, to gut wrenching growl, Drawing Dead, to touching, Twenty-Five. As Dan Bolles writes in his review of Portraits: “(Portraits) should propel the singer into the upper echelon of local songwriting talent.”
His live show has continued to impress. Accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, his performances are interactive, recording grooves he beat-boxes on the fly and layering parts on top of it. Listeners are always surprised to see one man on stage and hear a wall of sound.
Andrew currently lives in Burlington, Vermont and continues to perform primarily in the New England area.
