Antonio Andrade - Here We Go!

Here We Go!, the ninth full length release from Pennsylvanian Antonio Andrade, finally shares the covers that got moved to the back burner as he recorded and released Jingle All The Way (2021 - holiday classics) and My Reward (2023 - all original songs). Despite the success of his songwriting, Andrade has always displayed a gift for interpreting other people’s songs. He modestly admits that “my ability to re-interpret songs might be a noteworthy skill. My perspective as an entertainer leads me to cover songs in which I find a character that speaks to me. I become that character when I act out the song. I believe the words when I say them.”

The songs on Here We Go! had their beginning in August 2020. Remember Covid? Live shows had vanished, and Antonio moved his work to the studio. Andrade had featured most of the tracks in his live performances, some for several decades. “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” (1908) is the oldest and “Love Shack” (1989) from the B-52s the youngest of these songs. Antonio reminisces that his early musical memories are attached to watching cartoons on TV. As he made the final song selections, the “Looney Tunes Medley” presented a proper opening to the collection.

On Here We Go! Derek Euston engineers his seventh album with Andrade at his Green Room Recording Studio in Harrisburg, PA. Credited as co-producer, Euston also contributes mightily; playing bass, electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, and organ. Amma Johnson returns for her fifth record with Andrade on vocals, while singer Kj Reimensnyder-Wagner is the lone performer on board for the first time. Broad patterns are again painted by Richie “raggs” Ranaglia as he plays all the saxophones, clarinet, and flute. Denny Niedich on drums and congas and Ed Lesser on drums both return to round out the studio band.

Antonio Andrade is a songwriter who has co-written with Louisa Branscomb and Freebo, a performer with 50 years’ experience, and a recording artist backed in the studio by Ordinary Elephant, Freebo, and Mark Stuart. At his very core, Antonio Andrade is an entertainer, winning audiences with his spirited performances of what he calls “rockin’ folk.”