Isaac: You have some strong iconic influences. Of these influences, which artist/band do you relate to the most and why?

Andrew: Two of my strongest iconic influences are Michael Jackson and Queen. They are so appealing because their music embodies a great balance between meaning and fun. Some of their tunes are drenched in passion and others are just musical articulations of happiness. I’d say that of these two groups, I relate to Queen’s Freddie Mercury the most. His upbeat energy and passion for singing are something I share. It’s also much easier for me to sing along with Queen tunes than to sing with Michael, but that’s another reason why I idolize him.

Isaac: Do you feel that Indie music gets the respect it deserves? Why or why not?

Andrew: Since graduating from law school, I’ve become more active in New York City’s indie music scene. I’ve found that there are a number of artists with extraordinary talent who go unrecognized. But, I’ve also found that the indie artists who are truly trying to get their music heard are having some success. Many of the talented independent musicians I come across don’t care so much about being famous as they do about being creative and developing their own musicianship and art. These musicians are generally slower to be recognized for their accomplishments and they don’t seem to mind. I aim for a happy medium, to bring beauty back to pop music. I think it’s a huge problem when the corporate profiteers have more control than the talented writers. I’d like bring talent back to the radio.

Isaac: If you could change one thing about the music business, what would it be and why?

Andrew: I would change the amount of control the industry has gained over music in the past decade. My conclusion that the music industry has too much power comes from the belief that songs like B-A-N-A-N-A-S aren’t actually good so much as annoyingly addicting. There’s a big distinction between what is good versus what is simply hooky and gets stuck in your head. The industry has reduced music to a formula of creating mind-numbing hooks. Generally, these hooks are shorter and simpler, and they are rarely developed. Of course this is “good” music for the industry to profit from, but it’s not necessarily good in the sense of being beautiful.



Isaac: What type of feedbacks have you been receiving about your music from fans and music critics?

Andrew: So far everyone I’ve spoken to claims to enjoy my music. Whether they actually like it or not I can’t say, but I had 50 people come out to my release show after posting a number of the tunes online and 72 people came to my last show only two months after “Static” was published. The growing numbers tell me I’m doing something right.

Isaac: If you knew that you would never gain fame and fortune with what you are doing now, would you continue to make music? Explain.

Andrew: Absolutely. Anyone who writes music the way I do, does so because they have to. It sounds a bit silly but it’s the truth. I went months without writing during law school and became miserable. Writing is exciting, like an exploration, a stretching of sorts, and I simply wouldn’t be happy if I couldn’t do that.

Isaac: How do you handle negative feedback or negative energy about your music?

Andrew: Negative feedback and negative energy are bound to come in the arts. It wouldn’t matter if I was the most talented, best looking person in the world, there would be lots of people who just wouldn’t like my music and many would feel obliged to say so. When people give me any feedback I listen and take what constructive criticism I can. I dismiss the rest of it.

Isaac: What role do your family and friends play in the equation of your pursuit of a music career?

Andrew: Everyone related to me is extremely supportive. My parents funded my album and my girlfriend is currently my manager and lawyer. My brother is a film producer, and he helps me in any way he can. In fact, when I think of my music I don’t think in terms of myself, but rather in terms of my team. Any success I have will be the result of my family-like team.

Isaac: What is the best site/s that you can be found on the Internet?

Andrew: I’m on almost all the sites available to artists and I’ve honestly found that Craigslist still outperforms the other sites in terms of results. Of course, one has to scour craigslist for opportunities, but it offers the broadest and so far the most rewarding. Reverbnation, sonicbids, thesixtyone, myspace, youtube, tunecrank, bandcamp, soundcloud, ourstage, digstation, automated, fortalent, indaba music, broadjam, and pumpaudio all claim to be great platforms for artists, but I’ve only had marginal success on those sites.

Isaac: The floor is yours; final words….

Andrew: My overall goal in life is to pioneer a new way of living where people are as they should be, well rounded and good at many different things. I’m trying to set an example, to show people that each of us can do lots of things with our lives and should not let societal, cookie-cutter expectations hold us back. That’s why I obtained my law degree and now practice criminal law. I love the law and I love music and I see no problem with balancing the two. I am young and I know if I keep at the pace I’m going, I will succeed at pursuing my passions. 

Official Website:

http://www.andrewmancilla.com/