andylindquist.rocks

"Shhh....can you keep a secret? Don't tell anyone I said this...but Andy Lindquist's album 'The Tell Tale' is a feast of all shades of Classic Rock...check it out...but remember don't be a Tell Tale - Campbell Stewart

Andy Lindquist is the most prolific BMI songwriter you've never heard of... OK, that's clearly not the case for every music fan on the planet, particularly those in Florida where the North Dakota born musician resides and primarily performs (via a productive time in Minneapolis and shorter stint in Seattle), but its certainly true of many blues/blues-rock fan in the UK and Europe.

And that's because it isn't all about the Blues for Andy Lindquist. Full Pain Love is his 7th Blues based offering but Lindquist has recorded and released albums of Rock, Instrumental, Power-Pop to Old school Funk and Soul, Fusion and Celtic New Age. Nor is the prolific recoding career the only string to Andy Lindquist's multi disciplinary bow- he owns and runs his own label and publishing company, is a guitar luthier(building and playing his own instruments), published pretend successful commercial writer.Add to the running a ministry with his wife that helps get women and young girls in Pakistan out of the sexual slavery trade and you have a musician and activist who, frankly, I doubt ever finds the time to sleep. With Full Pain Love, Andy has covered all the blues bases from similarly framed, slow shuffling bar-room brace "A Stone" and 'Karma's Gonna Get You Good' to the slower blues spaciousness off "Funky Kinda Voodo"(Which it is) through muscly, ZZ Topified 'You Got Two Faces'and onto the piano led and Gospel effected 'Man has got to sing the blues'. The later number also highlights the rawer, earthy sound of Andy Lindquist. This is not over produced blues for the middle class masses, this is very honest blues music from a very honest musician (similarly Lindquist's singing which, while sitting in a slightly higher register, reminds of the expressive vocality of British blues stalwart Danny Bryant).

The more boisterous stops blues on 'Hold Onto That Love' and gritty pace applied to 'In the Devil's Snare' are full of Full Pain Love winners, as is the traveling down a dusty, riff-driven southern road sound of 'Kerosene Shakes' and the melodic soul sultriness and guitar licks that shape 'Inside My Skin'. By way of good and deserved promotional fortune, Full Pain Love was cited as a pick of the month for November by the Independent Blues Broadcasters Association, helping raise Andy Lindquist's profile to the most prolific BMI songwriter, musician and performer many a UK(and further afield)blues fans have now heard of. If you haven't heard Full Pain Love give it a digital spin or three; better still buy a copy(all mechanical royalties go to charity/ toward the efforts against the sexual slave trade) then introduce yourself to what is a massive and interesting back catalogue.You owe it not so much to yourself or the blues as the tireless efforts and positivity of Andy Lindquist - Ross Muir

Andy Lindquist has a story to tell. North Dakota born and Florida resident, Lindquist, lived a life to supply more than one bluesman with a portfolio of material, including and unfulfilled membership of the legendary band, Heart. Full Pain Love is the glossy, over-produced Blues churned out by many these days, this is an album that has a certain gravitas. There's something for everyone here whether it be the big booming, chugging Blues of 'A Stone' or the Delta vibes of 'Ainto no Suga Coat'n it.

There's more than one element to Karmas Gonna Get you Good with Delta, New Orleans and Chicago Blues styles combining well on a stop start slow paced boogie.Its not all about the guitar and piano led Man Has Got to Sing the Blues is a particular highlight with Lindquist singing from the heart. The title track encompasses him in one track. The gritty, staccato guitar delivery and rocking vocals give the theme for the album. Lindquist goes from one extreme to another between the slow, sultry Blues of Funky Kind of Voodoo and the bombastic Blues Rock of Hold Onto That Love with the latter having underlying Funk and vocal often reminiscent of of Sammy Hagar.

In the Devils' Sanreis a great name for the Blues Rocker and well named as the snare drum gets a funding to compliment the smokey vocal and smoking guitar. The vocals and guitar are not always on the gritty side as highlighted on Inside My Skin where he shows his mellow side vocally and produces some clean, concise guitar fills. However, he does excel in the filthier side of the tracks and the Kerosene Shakes and You Got Two Faces both exemplify that.The former has a dirty vocal and guitar perfect for the iidpaced boogie and the latter has the heaviness ramped up with fuzzed and fractured guitar solo.

Lindquist has been prolific throughout his career and forays into Blues now number seven. Long may he continue as proceeds from non-digital forms of this album will of towards charitable efforts against the sexual slavery trade.  - David Blue

That American musician Andy Lindquist has popped out another album not long after previous release Full Pain Love became an Independent Blues Broadcasters Association album of the month choice is no surprise given just how extraordinarily prolific the Florida based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer is. Nor are Full Pain Love and NuffYoStuff, none of which cover all the musical colors of Andy Lindquist's songwriting palette.

While Fuain Love is his seventh blues based work and NuffYoStuff described by Andy Lindquist as "Southern Rock with a British Slant",  the musician's output ranges from Rock Blues, Soul and Sci-Fi-Fi to Power Pop, Funk Fusion and a touch of Celtic Inspired New Age. And that southern rock with a British slant summation is only half the story of NuffYoStuff.

British rock (of the 70's) is clear influence but so is American Rock of the same vintage, with gritty, thick riffed guitars and a big-soul-funky backing vocals. Of which make themselves heard immediately on the bullish title track and second number "A Knife to a Gun Fight", 'which I'm pleased to report, has more than enough cowbell to keep time behind some seriously muscly guitar work (a reccurring theme). The funkier "Ghost to Me" slows the tempo a little but is less guitar earthy and forthright in its musicality and lyricism (you';re knocking on my door like you did before...but you're still a ghost to me"). Its also another song that has those big, multi-layered backing vocals to the fore(so stylized and distinct as to be decidedly Lindquistian- is that even a word? It is now).

That opening trio also help locate the southern rock road more precisely in the American Southeast. You won't find any Freebirds, Green Grass or high tides on NuffYoStuff but what you will find is a whole dose of southern fried Louisianna Cajun and Floridian gator country, heard to great effect on the seriously weighty closing brace of 'Long Tall Woman' and 'That Southern Groove.' But southern rock tinges are heard elsewhere, such as the lighter touch of 'All This In Between' and don't look back/ look for better times number 'Yesterday's Blues,' while the hope and positivity of Andy Lindquist is heard loud and positively on the melodically framed rock song 'Little Bit of Magic.' Such positivity (also heard on heavy -poprocker'Promise me a Little Time') helps balance the lyrical theme of having had enough or telling it like it is- titles such as 'Better Watch Yourself' (another muscly little rocker), the aforementioned 'Ghost to Me' and the title track's "I've had enough of your stuff"!" tag line telling the time to move on tale. There's also a lyrical finger pointing gain on as heard on the ballad 'Cold as a Stone'(What makes you better than the rest of the world? You stand in judgement with your flags unfurled...").

Andy Lindquist is in a rich vein of form right now-Full Pain Love was a very good album deserving of its IBBA recognition but the weightier NuffYoStuff is even better. Check it out ch'all. - Ross Murr