Brooklyn-born-and-raised, longtime Chicago resident (with a stretch in Seattle in between), Sandy Andina has been performing professionally for over 25 years (not counting occasional forays onstage in college and law school). She started as a solo folk singer-songwriter and guitarist, soon adding mountain dulcimer, frailing banjo, 12-string guitar, harmonica, autoharp, ukulele and electric bass to her arsenal of instruments. Along the way, Sandy honed her humor chops as a house opener in Chicago's comedy clubs, and was bassist and singer for the rock bands The White Women and Lake Effect; she also lent her bass, guitar and vocal skills to Emanual Congregation's 100% Kosher Ham-it-Up Band, playing rock, Broadway, jazz and klezmer. Occasionally, she still sits in on bass or guitar and performs for the temple's ad hoc coffeehouses.
Sandy took some time off to raise her son Gordy (a talented bassist and improv comedy actor-playwright in his own right) and practice law part-time. Ten years ago she decided it was high time to get back into the swing of things and put out her first full album (during her comedy club days, she had a cut, "The Preppy Anthem," and some acting parts on the now-out-of-print Eclipse Records LP "The Preppy Comedy Album"). After re-polishing her songwriting skills at the Old Town School of Folk Music with instructors as diverse as the Bad Examples' Ralph Covert, folk legend Michael ("The Dutchman") Smith and Americana country-rock Renaissance Man Steve Earle, Sandy chose Ralph Covert to produce her first CD on her Essay label, "Ghosts and Angels," which also features the talents of Corky Siegel. Dave Specter, Michael Miles, Frankie Donaldson and Tom "Pickles" Piekarski, as well as other talented side musician and singers. Released in 2001, it enjoyed a 72% pickup rate in a 50-station promo campaign.
A song she wrote a couple of years later, "Because We Can," soon became a Dr. Demento hit (twice landing in the Funny Five and featured on his annual compilation "Basement Tapes #13" Demento Society CD) and still garners recognition and requests. She also was a 2003 artist-in-residence for the Coffeyville (KS) Humanities program and has performed solo across the upper Midwest, Great Lakes, and venues in NY, OH, CA, VA, MD, TX,TN, Canada and Mexico. Her songs have been played worldwide on terrestrial, satellite and Internet radio, she's done numerous in-studio radio performances; and she's been on local TV several times. In 2004 Sandy was part of the "Give Peace a Chance" Remake Sessions (spearheaded by Cathy Richardson, Alice Peacock and Jim Peterik)--on vocals, dulcimer and percussion, live and in-studio, featured on NPR.
Sandy is also a member of two other bands: in 2001, she rejoined former Chicago comedy club singing partner Stephen Lee Rich (your friendly neighborhood yodeling cowboy comedian), now a resident of Madison, WI, to form the eclectic acoustic Americana duo Andina & Rich; their debut CD, "Because We Can," featuring the duet version of the title tune, was pre-released in 2005 and remastered and released in early 2006. (An FCC-friendly version is availble--just contact us). Steve & Sandy have performed all over the upper and lower Midwest and mid-South, appearing on their own and opening for Michael Smith. Sandy returned, this time as half of Andina & Rich, to the Coffeyville Humanities Project in 2009, presenting their eclectic program "Humor and Music Through the Hard Times." They've since expanded their program to libraries, schools and senior centers.
She has also been part of SASS! and The SASS! Trio, both on the back burner for now (see below).In 2004, Sandy joined forces with veteran UU "wise woman" singer-songwriter Susan Urban after they were both booked into the same slot at a suburban Chicago science fiction convention (as part of Bob Berlien & the White Women, Sandy discovered the sci-fi con scene, was a Musician Guest of Honor at Minicon and is a member of MN-StF, the science fiction society of the Twin Cities). Having thrown harmonies at each other from the audience for twenty years, they decided to try doing the same thing standing on the same stage, this time playing instruments---thus was born the all-original classic-folk duo SASS!, whose CD "Album One" was released on their BWC label in Nov. 2006. Adding traditional and contemporary/classic folksinger (and percussionist, Morris and ace bellydancer) Kate Early, they morphed from time to time into The SASS! Trio. The three of them have appeared in various permutations and combinations all over the Midwest, Great Lakes, Middle Atlantic, South and Southwest, gracing various science fiction conventions, UU churches, folk festivals, college campuses, house and municipal concert series, live radio broadcasts, and myriad clubs and coffeehouses. The SASS! Trio is currently on indefinite hiatus as Sandy and Stephen have kicked Andina & Rich into high gear and Susan and longtime companion Phil Cooper hone their duo February Sky.....but spontaneous reuinions have been known to happen (as one did in April 2009).
Sandy (as well as Steve and Kate) are proud members not only of Folk Alliance but also of Local 1000 (The Traveling Musicians' Union) of the American Federation of Musicians--whose board she joined as Midwest Rep. in 2009. She is a longtime Board member, past President and past and current Registrar of FARM (Folk Alliance Region Midwest), past President and current Media director of the Chicago Songwriters' Collective, and past Chicago Chapter Head of Just Plain Folks (still an active member). Other affiliations include the Chicago Bar Association and The Recording Academy (NARAS, the Grammy organization, of which she's a Voting Member). Sandy just finished her eighth year in the Chicago Bar Assn's annual "Christmas Spirits" revue, this year titled "I'm a Lawyer, Get Me Out of Here." It's a fully choreographed and staged B'way-style musical topical parody revue, and runs five performances each December at the Merle Reskin Theater in the South Loop of Chicago. All proceeds go to the CBA Charities. Sandy is always available to perform for public and private functions, and teaches mountain dulcimer and beginning guitar. She's not taking on new law clients, however--she considers herself a "recovering lawyer" and self-confessed political junkie--having been a former precinct captain and political organization officer and volunteer in Seattle and Chicago. When she is not careful, she finds herself accidentally volunteering again and again.
Andina & Rich recently finished producing their next CD, "Two Guitars, a Dulcimer, and an Attitude," engineered, mixed and mastered by Gary Gordon at Inside Out Studio in Sparta, IL. It's due out just before this summer's festival season....but a 6-song sampler EP, "Appetizers," has been manufactured and is being released at Folk Alliance Int'l's conference in Memphis beginning Feb 16. But you can hear it (and a bonus cut that'll be on the full 14-song CD) streaming right here on this site--just click "Music" in the left sidebar! Some of the mid-South's top talents lent their deft and subtle touch to the project: engineer Gary Gordon is best known, with his wife Roberta, as one of North America's top award-winning Americana/bluegrass/traditional country duos The Gordons, who have graced stages worldwide. You can also hear his harmonica, dobro, blues guitar licks, and Roberta & his harmony singing. Multi-instrumentalist and Nashville session ace Robert Bowlin, who's played at the Grand Old Opry with and without partner Wil Maring as well as all around N. America and Europe, lends fine fiddle, mandolin and accordion; versatile and always tasteful string bassist Ross Sermons (just back from an Australian tour) is on every cut that's not a cappella; and young Shane Cordevant plays some deft percussion on one track. Nashville studio vet Mike Lescellus adds some edits with near-microsurgical precision. One tiny (and delightful) corner of Southwestern Illinois probably has more bluegrass and Americana talent supplying Nashville, Louisville and Knoxville than much of Tennessee and Kentucky, and we are pinching ourselves as to how lucky we are to have them grace our work. (And Chelsea, MI's Annie Capps, who with husband Rod are part of the brilliant songwriting consortium the Yellow Room Gang--and our new FARM President--is hard at work making our CD as good to look at and easy to navigate as our Southern Illinoisans are helping us sound like ourselves on a great night when the planets are in alignment, the audience vibe is upbeat, and our voices are going with the flow. Normally, I anticipate a recording session with as much enthusiasm as I do for an hour of dental X-rays followed by an unanesthetized root canal......or an all-day session as an election judge subsisting on stale donuts and coffee, but this time I had a blast and can't wait to go back down to Sparta to record my second solo CD!
Andina & Rich, having emerged from studio hibernation, are already once again actively booking all over the Great Lakes and mid-South from March through September--check "Calendar Dates" here and on their Facebook fan pages for where to catch them...and check our contact info if you'd like us to play in your town, cafe, festival, house of worship, or your home or backyard. We're polite, don't make a mess, can be as loud or soft as you want, make scintillating conversation, and usually bring great coffee (mostly roasted by yours truly).
And a special shout-out to Sandy's real-life "angel," biggest fan, and soulmate of four decades--without Bob's appreciation and support, she'd still be doing Traffic Court call (or worse, be a politician).