Brock Andrews comes from musical parents and grew up amongst a variety of instruments. The former Wilkie resident who graduated from John Paul II Collegiate in North Battleford has won international awards for writing songs for other people, and lately he鈥檚 been concentrating on writing them for himself 鈥� sort of.
鈥淚 felt responsible as a songwriter to be an emotional outlet for people who didn鈥檛 really have an emotional outlet or didn鈥檛 know how to deal with a situation.鈥�
He believes everyone has at some point in their life been helped through a difficult time by a song.
So he writes songs on behalf of people who can鈥檛.
Andrews will be sharing some of the songs he has written for his first debut solo album Saturday, Sept. 19 as he opens for country artist Codie Prevost at the Dekker Centre for the Performing Arts.
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 be happier to be coming to the Dekker Centre with Codie, for sure,鈥� he says. 鈥淗e鈥檚 an amazing artist and I鈥檓 also looking forward to having a seat and watching him play. I love the guy, he鈥檚 amazing.鈥�
Because he was born in Saskatoon, he says the big goal 鈥� in addition to winning a Juno 鈥� was always to perform at the SaskTel Centre.
鈥淭he North Battleford equivalent of that is totally the Dekker Centre,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t has beautiful acoustics and I鈥檓 looking forward to playing that show and also bringing some more shows there in the future ... It is such a first class facility, the whole thing, the workout area, the swimming area, it鈥檚 just really inspired.鈥�
Andrews is no stranger to North Battleford.
鈥淣orth Battleford is near and dear to my heart,鈥� he says, 鈥淪o is the whole area.鈥�
聽He attended high school at John Paul II Collegiate, graduating in 2000.
鈥淚鈥檓 a Crusader for sure,鈥� he exclaims. 鈥淛ohn Paul II is my high school. I just love that place.鈥�
He says he鈥檚 excited about the news that JPII now has its own football field.
Andrews is originally from Saskatoon. He moved with his parents, Wendy and Jack Andrews, who travelled Western Canada with their band Dear Friends, first to Biggar, then to Wilkie, where they still reside.
Their son wanted to go to a larger city high school because he was 鈥渞eally into music and basketball.鈥�
Fellow student Chris Walls was the lead guitar player in the rock band Andrews had at the time, so he ended up staying with the Garth and Linda Walls family while he attended school.
鈥淚 was their 鈥榠llegitimate child鈥� for a couple of years,鈥� he laughs.
The band he had with Chris was a rock band, but these days Andrews is a country performer.
鈥淚 started in a rock world and had gone through all that stuff, and I was approached by a couple of people who came out of Canadian Idol to write for them,鈥� he says. 鈥淪o I wrote for a country artist and I wrote for an R and B artist and a hip hop artist. I just sort of got involved in this little Canadian Idol world with alumni that were coming out with some cash and wanted to work with some songwriters, so I kind of got a referral system from Canadian Idol people.鈥�
He has worked with international artist in a variety of genres including Anything August, Tyler Lewis, Ebani and Solomon Cyr.
During that time, he realized something about his songwriting.
鈥淚 very quickly realized you could take any of my songs, whether they were rock or R and B or whatever they were, if you stripped them down to acoustic, the heart of it was a really good honest song.鈥�
There are R and B songs, and rap as well, says Andrews, that, if stripped down to acoustic, would get laughed at. People would say, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not a song,鈥� he says.
鈥淢y Lovely Lady Lumps is not an around-the-campfire song,鈥� he laughs.
鈥淪o that鈥檚 really where I was, and it took me some time to finally realize that the songs I was always writing were county roots and folk roots [that] tell a story, make a listener fall in love.鈥�
As he began earning awards for his songwriting his sense of responsibility to tell his listeners stories grew.
鈥淚 really felt an overwhelming urge to focus on that and focus on songs for people who can relate to it and help build a better fan base that way,鈥� says Andrews. 鈥淚 feel like people are more loyal that way, by airing a story and falling in love with your song and allowing that to be part of their growth.鈥�
Andrews is in the process of releasing his first solo album, although he has released singles in the past and won a music video of the year award in 2006.
He hasn鈥檛 been writing songs for other people as he prepares the album.
鈥淚 would certainly do other projects with other people [again]. I love doing that kind of stuff, forcing yourself to think differently,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut the honest side of it is I鈥檝e just been trying to compile my best songs for this upcoming album. I don鈥檛 really want to give any away.鈥�
As he continues to write, with each song he wonders, 鈥淪hould this make the album? If so, which one should I push out? It鈥檚 like having 10 kids. It鈥檚 tough, you always fall in love with the new one.鈥�
He expects he will be playing two or three new songs from the album at the Dekker Centre, opening for Prevost.
鈥淲e actually played a show together in 2008. We were playing a fundraiser for the Saskatoon food bank and it was songwriters in the round and eight different artists at the show,鈥� says Andrews. 鈥淗e was one of them, just a really nice, genuine, humble guy with an amazing talent, and we just kind of reached out to each other. A couple conversations and a couple co-writes together later and we still maintain a good level of friendship, and as much as he is a friend I completely idolize the man.鈥�
When Prevost agreed to take part in a fundraiser for the Battlefords Humane Society on the day of his performance at the Dekker Centre, Andrews got involved, too.
鈥淚 was able to reach out to Fender, who I work with, and I donated a guitar for the humane society.鈥�
He says they will sign it and give it away at the show.
Prevost isn鈥檛 the only country artist Andrews has co-written with.
鈥淚鈥檝e been doing a lot of co-writing with people,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what you do in the country world. 鈥�
Co-writing helps musicians improve and expand, he explains. For example, he writes many of his songs in the key of G, but another writer may use another key, which brings a different element into the mix.
He compares it to a painter taking on a new colour palette.
鈥淵ou might really like blues, and then all of a sudden you want to paint with somebody else and he always uses red and yellow, so now you鈥檙e really expanding your portfolio and now you鈥檙e really showing the world you鈥檙e more than just a blue songwriter.鈥�
Andrews is also more than a songwriter. He has always had an interest in acting, and even has an entry on IMDB where he is 鈥渒nown for鈥� the movies Ferocious, Stained and Iron Road.
One of the first movies he was in, back in 2007, was called the Crooked Forest, renamed for his adventures in the Battlefords area including the Crooked Trees near Hafford.
鈥淚 have copies of the scripts before and after the name change,鈥� he laughs.
Most recently, he was on set for the television show Hell on Wheels.
Wearing several hats, including working with Fender Musical Instruments, Andrews in frequently on the road.
He laughs, 鈥淚 tell people I live at Best Western.鈥濃��
He calls Saskatoon home as well, as that鈥檚 where his girlfriend lives. But, he adds, 鈥淐algary is kinda home,鈥� as well.
As a busy person, he says, 鈥淚 feel like every day there鈥檚 more you could do, but on the flip side I like to know that I鈥檓 further ahead than I was yesterday.鈥�
He compares it to golf.
鈥淚f I鈥檓 golfing and you have a bad shot, as long as you鈥檙e closer to the hole than when you started I feel like you鈥檙e getting there.鈥�
