Andy Shauf Premieres New Song Live on KCRW: “Magician”

Andy in the middle! Next to DJ Eric J Lawrence, who is in blue

Andy Shauf is an artist that a lot of KCRW DJs are excited about. With comparisons to Elliott Smith, his music saddles up nicely next to Nick Drake in a radio set.

DJEric J Lawrence recently hosted a live session with the Canadian artist, saying he “comes from that tradition of certain singer/songwriters who don’t rely on theatrics to convey their point in their songs. He sings in a delicate, almost hushed manner, never needing to raise his voice to build the drama – the drama comes from his superior storytelling.”

As he points out, “such songs might seem underwhelming at first, but given time they can sink quite deeply and meaningfully into the minds of the listener”. And LIVE they work even better at grabbing your attention.

The whole set was phenomenal.

He played a handful of songs from his “remarkably mature” debut full length – “The Bearer of Bad News” – and graced us with a new track that will appear on his forthcoming album.

“Magician” is noticeably more upbeat and Andy said it’s a sign of things to come as he’s exploring more psych rock sounds for his sophomore effort. Most of the recording is already ready and we can expect to hear it next year.

Find the full session here!

RR