Andy Powell

Congratulations, you’ve survived the “holiday season.” My apologies to those that didn’t survive. For the rest of us, our extended families have left town, our Christmas trees are dying and we’re broke. Sure, the kids liked their presents, but that will fade in a few more days, leaving us to wonder why the hell we […]

A few days after Thanksgiving, I was with a friend and fellow musician listening to some music that stopped me in my tracks. It wasn’t new to me, but let’s just say it had been a while since I last heard it. (I won’t get into it, but let’s just say it was obscure enough […]

The idea of being grateful for all that we have daily is a nice one. Perhaps a naive one as well. Granted, it only takes a few seconds to reflect upon the innumerable wonders of our time, but the ridiculous modern lives we find ourselves in don’t often leave much time for our minds to […]

For those of you that have been reading this column in weeks past, you’ll be familiar with the reoccurring themes: Out-of-town talented musician is coming to Humboldt, check them out; or, local — and starving — musician is still here, check them out. This column will focus on the latter. Humboldt is terribly lucky to […]

Music is like glue. It’s what keeps us together. Try and think back to the last time you went out where music wasn’t involved. Took the missus out to dinner? There was probably forgettable music playing in the background. Got a massage? Remember that gentle major-key harp music with no dominant chords? My point is […]

Hey kids, Halloween’s on Saturday. Of course you know that, but did you know that it’s also your parents’ favorite holiday? That’s right, Halloween was once a children’s festivity, with the occasional parent dressing up to humor/embarrass their kids. After stealing some of your candy, parents realized that pretending to be someone else for a […]

A week or so ago I sat down with a new friend I recently met through playing music. He wanted to get together and chat about music, the Beatles, and more music. I happily obliged. He’s a musician himself, a producer and attorney by day. One of the first questions he asked me was, “How […]

I wrote in a previous column about the rather common financial situation in which local bands and music venues find themselves. Not only do bands and venues have a lot in common, they also exist in a type of symbiotic relationship. That is, they need each other. Now, it’s easy to complain about the $14 […]

Similar to many of the changes that have come along with an evolving music industry, show promotion has morphed and permutated throughout the years. At a local level, the days of wheat pasting yielded to staple guns and telephone poles, to hoofing it around town throwing up 11-by-17-inch posters in supportive local businesses, to emailing […]