Matt Connarton Unleashed: Andrea Paquin

We have a wonderful musical guest with us here, Andrea Paquin. I've learned

how to pronounce the the last name correctly. How are you welcome? Thanks?

How are you very well? Very well? Looking forward to this.

So you're gonna play a few a few tunes for us, and then we're

gonna we're gonna talk get to know you a little bit. So, um,

this will be uh, this will be fine. Oh, and I

will say before we go any further, Hello to Amy Bates, if one

of my radio brethren, if she is listening, which she probably I think

she is, Yeah, I think I think she most likely has I actually

shared the uh I shared the Facebook feed to her page so and did good

good good, So she'll definitely she'll definitely see it. Uh so uh yeah,

these are songs that are from your upcoming album? Is that correct?

Yeah, I'm doing it. I'm doing a six song EP and I'm gonna

do a few songs off of that project that I actually started the project today.

So we can talk about that after if you'd like. Absolutely, Yeah,

very very curious to know more. Alight, my friend, I'll let

you go ahead and introduce the first song. All right, this song is

called If you were mine, we could take out time, but I want

you by my side whatever we do. I'm so happy if you would Are

you thinking of? Oh, what are you thinking of? So much that

was left behind? Sometimes on my mind the view of the horizons new,

and I don't see an end insight. I don't see an end insight.

Would it be all right to say I think our stars are aligne? I'd

be at sure I take if you were mine. I know you've been down

and out for you. Open up your eyes and see that blue sky,

and it will be all that you ever need. It will be all you

never need. There is nothing I wouldn't do to see that you with you.

I know I've been there too. But there's a whole living inside of

me. There is a hope right here inside of me. Would it be

hard to say I think our stars are aligne? I'd be a true oh

mate? If you were mine, I'd be a true oh mate. If

you were mine? There is a feeling I am longing for. So hold

me close, sitting beside me now, shoulder to shoulder, just you and

me, just you, oh, just healing me. Would it be hard

to say A thinker stars orline. I'd be a true mate. If you

were mine, I'd be a true mate. If you were mind, I'd

be a true mate if you mind. Oh my god, I love your

voice. Thank you, I really do. Absolutely were you gonna say,

Mikey, looks you were about to say something. Yeah, that that describes

my got voice up right now. There you go. Yep, you're getting

a lot of love in the chat room to Jenny is in there of course

and uh n h women folk Yeah group on Facebook. Yeah, ye,

my ladies, they say bravo. Anne Roy is in there and says she's

awesome, and also h Terry Waite, oh yeah, nice, says hello.

Yeah that was my friends in Connecticut. Yeah, oh, very good,

very good. Um well yeah, let's keep going. What are you?

What are you gonna play next? About a song I'm gonna do And

this is a song I'm gonna do a song all recovery. Okay, this

is also going to be on the new the new EP. Very good,

very good, All right. I lost at see spoking home to bee my

feet, I'm in eyes no hell to steer. My blue sail was never

really clear and it forces me to a badest ship. No lens in view.

The eye enforces and me to a bagesship nolans in you. These starts

are killing me. Oh and the recovery. These starts are killing me.

Oh and the recovery from this their vote. I flee ending of my enemys,

I see I like to stay. Oh the swells my longing four the

side of sir, and it leads me to and I'm not sure how I

swear I've been there before. Yeah, in leads meet you, and I'm

not sure how I swear I've been there before. He starts a killing me.

Oh, I need recovery. It's not killing me. Oh and the

recovery ah ah, seem love it, love it. That is awesome.

That is awesome. And Roy in the chat room says she exudes emotions.

Definitely, Melanie Liberty, our friend from the great state of Vermont. She

says, she loves you, and uh, that was fantastic. Um Miriam

Banish says, great voice, thank you. Yeah, you're getting a lot

of love in there. Definitely. Definitely you want to play one more and

then we'll and then we'll talk. Sure, I'll do one more, all

right, excellent If you're just joining us Andrea Paquin is with us in studio,

So I'm gonna do a song called this is Us. Okay, there's

a hole in the wall behind the picture frame that I took down. Like

the gaps in our history, we are been ignored for far too long,

and these dozens of hangings made us look so happy. But we were just

covering it up, covering Eater, covering Eater, covering it up, covering

Eter. We're so settled in our ways, we don't know what to say

anymore. It's funny coming to me what I felt to see every day waking

up routine of the mondane we often ignore, and it fell into our laughs.

We never woke up, No, we never woke up. Yeah,

we never woke up. We never woke up. Now, witch blindding,

How did I not see that that is us and nents blinding? How did

I not see that that's set us. There's a hole in the wall behind

the picture frame that I took down, Like gaps in our history, we

often ignored for far too long, and these dozens of hangings made us look

so happy. But we were just covering it up, covering Eter, covering

Eter, covering it up, covering eterna. It's blinding. How did I

not see he its its it's us na omits find not see this wonderful.

Andrea Paquin is here in studio with us. That was fantastic. H n

H. Women folk in the chat room says, what a great way to

start at the weekend. Thank you, Andrea, thank you. And Jean

Foudgate Oh yeah, I don't know if I'm saying that correctly. Uh.

She gave a big smiley face. Awesome, So you're getting a lot of

love in there. Jan Curtain Derosia. Oh nice, sounds great. Andrea,

thank you, and uh, we have a call. This might be

might be a fan calling in. Maddie. It's scary. Hey Gary,

what's up? What a beautiful voice, what a powerful voice? Yeah,

thank you? Or just and those songs are fantastic. I'm just sitting here

and wow, they're they're meaningful. Thank you. I got meanings what she's

singing, there's there's meanings and they kind of hit they kind of hit home

a little so good. Well that's what music should do. Absolutely. Yeah,

she's amazing. She's amazing. Just that just that powerfulness and her guitar

playing is fantastic. Yeah, thank you, very very good. I'm I'm

in love, love love with her voice. It's beautiful. But yeah,

I always loved Jenny, but yeah, we know its fantastic. But yeah,

what another what another great what another great musician they had on yep,

and yeah it starts to week on, it starts to weekend up right,

really cool. Absolutely, I just add my I just had to add my

two cents because you know, being a musician and just she's really great.

She's really really great. So I'll let you go untill listen to more.

Love you Maddie, all right, Gary, love you Jenny, And what

a lovely day. Thank you, thank you for the love, and thank

you for a wonderful day, Maddie. And thank you, thank you so

much for her She's great. Lobe bye, all right bye Gary, thank

you for the call. Appreciate it. All right. That was our friend

Gary. And h We're gonna take a quick break. I'm actually gonna play

a studio track here of Andrea's boxer. This is another one of my favorites.

Uh. That is on the website. It's a nice website, by

the way, Andrea Paquin dot com. I'm a website nerd. So I

notice a nice websites. So no, Andrea Paquin is here with us in

studio. Don't go away. There is plenty more to come. The day

is long, in the rain is holding out like a tire the boxer in

the ring. I want to throw a punch, buddy, due to my

chat all this sun. No, for sure, I am swearing up and

I have lostened up to take this jigantic fall. I didn't one two three,

I stapping out one to feel. The day is long, and the

sun it's finally calming out. It's hotter than exterday. Let you down back

now, that ain't no surprise twenty one at all. But I bit myself

back and keep on moving on. And this is where I say, but

in one to three, I'm stipping out one to three, one two three,

I'm standing out one you free. The day is long and the rain

is holding out like a tire boxer in the ring. And on the couch.

She just played a few wonderful songs for us. Andrea Paquin is here.

Well manage it, Hi, how are you good? Good? It

is uh wow? Thank you again for playing for us. That was fantastic.

Thanks for having me, and you're getting a lot of love in the

Facebook live chat and um, now you mentioned those are gonna be on an

upcoming album that you're recording. Now, yes, yeah, Actually today was

the first day that I went into the studio. It's the Greenhouse Studio in

Guildford, Okay, And so I recorded uh my master guitar tracks and some

scratch vocals for the production piece. And then I'll be finishing up the actual

production in Portland, Maine at a different studio. Oh okay. Now why

I'm always uh kind of a geek for knowing about recording and how why musicians

approach it the way they do, So why why at different studios doing different

parts of it. There's gonna be some more musicians in the Portland area that

are going to be able to join in. We're gonna listen to you earlier

on the break that I'm gonna have some pedal steel yeah on the record,

and I'm going to have this like little old country feel to it. So

yeah, and the Portland area is a lot of musicians that are accessible in

that actual studio, they have a lot of connections. So we're gonna just

wrap it up there, I think, and I'm going to du allment my

master vocal tracks in Portland, Maine. What what's the studio in Portland.

I think it's just the studio in Maine. The studio in Portland. Oh

that's what it's called. I'm pretty sure that's what it's called. Oh wow,

yeah, I think so, don't quote me up. I'm not sure

yet. That's cool. That's cool. Great music scene in Portland. Oh,

it's awesome. Yeah. I always always been a lot of very talented

musicians there, so, so that's gonna be uh yeah, you're also telling

me during the break too, So it's gonna be kind of a different vibe

than, um, than your previous work. It'll be it'll be a little

similar, but it's gonna be more of that alternative country feel, kind of

like a like a like a Jayhawks type sound. Oh cool. Yeah,

so definitely, like, you know, just kind of incorporating some new instruments

just to just to change it up a little bit. And um, I'm

with I work with New Hampshire Music Collective. They are a booking agency throughout

New Hampshire and so he they do a lot of my booking and they actually

connected me with this studio. So oh, very good. Yeah, I

worked out really well. Why the why the change in approach as far as

the music, and I don't know, I just I just feel it.

I just felt the different. You know, I'm listening to a lot of

different artists lately, and uh, I've just been kind of been influenced with

that sound. Yeah. Yeah, and you actually so you were telling me

earlier. So you live in Connecticut, but you come up here to record

and play shows. Yeah? So, I mean I do play in Cannecget

sometimes and I play in Maine. I do most of my shows in New

Hampshire through New Hampshire Music Collective. Okay, which is which is a very

large booking agency in New Hampshire. Okay, and you're you're from here originally,

I'm from Manchester, New Hampshire origin. Woh yeah, you grew up

here? Oh yeah, I was a Central High school. I went to

Oh I'll be doing okay, Okay, what you did you graduate? I

graduated in ninety seven? Oh, okay. Do you know do you know

Peter White? I know because he kind of because he grew up See.

I grew up in Conquered I didn't grow up in match, but Peter grew

up here and he seems to kind of know everybody. So um, yeah,

so you so you so you grew up here, you went to high

school here, and then, um, what what I took you to?

Connecticut? Uh? Well, you know, Connecticut was I moved in.

I moved to Connecticut in two thousand and six, okay, and then I

ended up performing full time and I was touring the Northeast. Connecticut was central

to everything, you know, like you know, Boston, New York,

RhoD Ireland, mass everything was within two hours for the most part. So

that was a real great way to tour that the Northeast. You know,

that makes sense. Yeah. So I did that for a few years,

you know, full time. Um, and then you know, the booking

and the managing myself got pretty exhausting. I didn't have a lot of help,

so so I decided to back off a little bit. And then I

just got a job in the field where I have my degree in human services,

and so I've been doing that. But I still do that now,

but now music is back again at almost full time. Yeah, I perform.

I perform every weekend. Okay, okay, good good, Um,

And how did you connect with New Hampshire booking? Collective, New Hampshire Music,

New Hampshire Music. Yeah yeah, New Hampshire Music Collective. Yeah.

So somebody had mentioned to John MacArthur, who um is one of the owners

for that agency, and then he reached out to me, and then I

reach back out to him, and then we connected and we have a great

relationship now. Yeah, excellent, excellent. You know, honestly, he's

made my career what it is right now. Without him, I wouldn't be

playing as much. So oh, no kidding, Yeah, they're they're phenomenal

people. Yeah. So are you literally up here every weekend or just about

no kidding, yeah, just about just about. So I'll do Thursday,

Friday Saturday shows or Friday Saturday Sunday. Yeah, and I'm playing three two

to three nights a week. Okay, yeah, okay, very good.

Yeah that's pretty cool. Now do you have any kind of an eta yet

on when the new album will be done? July? Early July? Okay,

Yeah, I'm gonna put I'm gonna be posting my CD release states on

my website and my social media. Yeah yeah, so I'll be letting everybody

know when that's going to happen. Oh, very good. Do you know

how many songs are going to be on six songs? Okay, so it's

just it's just an EPP. Yeah yeah, um yeah, what what goes

into the decision to to do? Because and this is something I ask everybody.

I'm always curious about this. You know, obviously we live in a

time where, um, you've got a lot of different options because of the

Internet. You know, you could do an EP, you could put out

an album, you could just put out singles, right. Um. I've

met in the last few years especially, I've met a lot of artists who

they do the thing where they're just putting out singles, but eventually they're going

to take those singles and put them into an EP or put them into an

album. That's the plan. Is that the plan? Yeah? Yeah,

okay. I actually was talking to John about that today and we're talking about

pushing the singles and then and then having the EP come together. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. It's funny because you know, when I was growing up,

it was, you know, artists would put out an album and then

go on tour and then eventually they put out so different but yeah, yeah,

it's like night and day different, is it? Oh? Yeah?

Is it hard to make those those I mean, on the one hand,

it's nice to have all these options, right, But at the same time,

um, is it is it difficult for you to make those choices as

far as well, do I do an EP? Do I? Do you

know how many? How many songs am I going to record for this project?

Well? I mean, so you know, I had plenty of songs

to pick from I could have recorded. I want to. I want I

want to at some point re record some of the older stuff that I recorded.

Yeah, but these were six new songs or five new songs that I

had that I had written, So I just wanted to get the five new

ones out. Yeah. And I'm also covering John Denver's Country Roads on the

new EP. Oh kidding, Yeah, Yeah, I've been playing that one

forever and I just I finally I wanted to get it recorded. Yeah.

Yeah. Do you um, when you play out, do you do mostly

originals? Do you mix in some covers? So there's like, you know,

original venues and there's cover venues, right, Yeah, So I mean

like listening rooms like I'm gonna I'm gonna give a shout out to the teetotal

or and conquered. Uh, that's a listening room. So when I play

Teetotal or it's ninety five percent originals. But I play places like um around

you know, if I play places like Foster's Tavern, yeah, or if

I play over here at the Foundry, like, I'll do mostly covers and

I'll throw in a few originals here and there, just because that's that's the

kind of scene, you know. Yeah, But listening room events, I

will do all my originals. Yeah. So when you say it's a list,

it's a listening room. So it's people are there to actually hear the

music, right, Yeah, they're there to listen and have it be a

non speaking event where they're they're focusing on the music. Like let's say it's

like a concert hall kind of thing. Yeah yeah, okay, yeah,

whereas at a bar it's uh yeah, it's like it's like, yeah,

you play covers and you get a reaction to people, and then they start

listening in then you get a rapport and so then I throw on a few

originals at that point. Yeah. Yeah. Do you do any um,

do you do any covers that are kind of obscure. I've met some artists

who you know, they'll they'll do a few covers that are are fairly you

know, they might be from well known artists, but maybe they're deep tracks

or whatever, and and sometimes um, sometimes the audience doesn't necessarily know that

they're covers. Yeah, I know, I definitely do some songs like that.

I'm not quite sure Tom Petty all or nothing. Um, okay,

I'm not sure if you know that song, but I do that one.

I'm trying to. I probably know it, so I'm sure I have a

catalog somewhere in my brain. Yeah, it's a great it's a great song.

So I I do a lot of Tom Petty, I do a lot

of Credence. I do some pretty Carlisle, I do Tracy Chapman, I

do uh Paul Simon, Simony Garfunkle, I mean I cover, I do

Ed Sharon. I mean big plethora of of songs I do here. Yeah,

so from boy back from the sixties, all the WAYE toil currents is

the songs that I cover. Do you have any idea how many songs you

know? Could you put a number on it? I have about almost five

hours of music I could play. Yeah, it's a lot of music.

Wow. Do you ever do you ever? Do you ever go back and

re learn something you might have might have forgotten. Yeah, I'll go back

and look. But you know, so I'm old school. You know.

All these artists are out with their tablets and like, yeah, you know,

I just I still have the old book. Yeah. I have my

old book on my stand and I flipped through and you know it's about this

big yeah. Yeah. But they're like, you're probably kind of my friends.

I want to get a talble it. I was like, I don't

know, because I just I'm used to this this you know, this book

because it's full. It's my cover songs. I can't remember I five five

hours of cover songs right right, of course. But yeah, that's my

lifeline right there. Yeah. Are there any other artists that you play a

lot of shows with? You know, sometimes people sort of it happens almost

by accident, people sort of team up and end up just on the same

bill a lot. Well, speaking of that, not really, but I

am with the New Hampshire women Folk Singers. Um there's four of us actually,

okay, and uh, there's gonna be a big festival in September September

sixteenth up a way up north Sugar Shot Campground, and there's the creator of

the festival kind of found the three of us to join in with her,

and it's just a really amazing, amazing group. You have to if people

are interested in hearing this folk group, which I would highly suggest and recommend,

It's New Hampshire Women Folk. Okay, Yeah, it's just amazing.

It's going to be a really great event. It's it's focusing on music and

for it's focusing on women's music. Yeah, and um, bringing in artists

who you know, are independent, who don't have a name yet for themselves.

Yeah, featuring these people who are very talented who deserve the stage.

Is this an annual event? This is the first year? Oh, this

is the first one. It's pretty amazing so far. Yeah. Yeah.

So Erica Cushing, Um, she's she's the creator. Okay. Yeah,

she's a wonderful folk artist as well singer songwriter. She's great. Okay.

Is she the headliner at the uh not the headliner, but she's pretty much

created the whole thing, gotcha? Yeah? Yeah, Oh that's cool.

It's very cool. Yeah, um, yeah, it's um. It's nice

to see too. Just a lot of live music happening in general, because

obviously with COVID. Uh, you know, everything really shut down for a

while there. I mean, what is did that because you had mentioned too

that you know, you would kind of you would really slow down with the

music career for a while. Um, did that play any kind of a

role in that, sort of just having that you know that the pandemic foisted

upon you. Yeah, at some point it did. So I had I

have my son, he's eight years old. So when I had Noel,

I was playing a little bit. But then I just kind of really maybe

four times a year, I was playing yea very low key okay. And

then over the past year is when I started getting back into it. But

the pandemic I didn't play out at all hardly. But I am a program

director for a nonprofit agency in Connecticut and I we serviced people disabilities. Yeah,

so I oversee programs where people live there. So during that year of

the initial pandemic year, they weren't able to leave their houses, they weren't

able to see family, they were like literally secluded in their home. So

what I did was I created a Thursday night live music event called Together at

Home. Yeah, so I would go online every Thursday at six o'clock and

all the group homes would join in and they would be able to see live

a live music. I did that for an entire year every Thursday. Oh

no kidding, Yeah, that was pretty awesome. Oh that's cool. Um.

Were you able to tell how many while I was? Yeah, so,

well it started it's because it was zoom, because you could see all

the zoom people entering in. So yeah, I started off like five or

six people, and then it turned out to be about thirty people. Thirty

thirty individuals but several locations. So yeah, it was a pretty It was

great for them because they were able to have a community during pandemic. Yeah,

yeah, um it did. Uh did you write any Have you written

any songs about about that that period? No? Not really, um,

because I was working in the group home and yeah no, I really really

didn't because it didn't it wasn't that different for me because we went to work

and I couldn't not go to work, So yeah, yeah, my lifestyle

didn't really change exactly. Yeah, no, that makes sense. That makes

sense. Um. Do you so you're you're up here every weekend playing?

Are there also? What's some music scene like in Connecticut? Are you able

to or do you even have time to engage in the music scene much there

because you're you're up here quite a bit. Yeah, it's just different.

It's it's weird, it's it's a it's a different kind of scene. Like

New Hampshire loves music. Yeah, I feel like New Hampshire is just like

music driven on the weekends, like local music is really you know, big

here. Yeah. I think it's okay in Connecticut. Yeah, it's a

it's a it's just a whole different it's a whole different way to approach music

in Connecticut. I think booking myself has been difficult there really. Yeah,

it's really weird. Yeah, there is there just a lack of do you

think there there's a lack of appreciation for local music. They're just not Yeah,

it's different, it's different. Yeah, I would say I would I

wouldn't know if I would say that, but it's definitely a different feel.

Yeah, yeah, it's not the same. When I come here, it's

like amazing. Yeah. Yeah, do you do you ever? Do you

do shows in Boston or so? I used to play in a band called

The Everyday Visuals and I was their bass player. I remember the Everyday Visuals.

Yeah, I was. I was the bass player for about ten years.

Yeah, and then we played a lot in Boston and a lot around

here. But yeah, so I haven't been to Boston in a while.

But with Hampshire Music Collective, the goal is to get more in Mask.

So okay, yeah, so ten years you were in that band, ten

years all through high school, college and a little bit after college, no

kidding, Okay, what when when you left that? I mean was the

band ending or did you know even they kept going? No, you know,

I just wanted to pursue my solo career. Yeah, I mean I

love the music. I mean it was like four part harmony, three part

harmony, awesome band. I mean we were like a independent rock band,

you know, very very very awesome music. Yeah. Yeah, but I

just um parted ways. And you know, all of my projects that you

hear were was were engineered by some of the guys in the band. Oh

no kidding. Yeah, so everything everything that's recorded was done by the guys.

Yeah. Yeah. Do they still Does that band still exist in some

former Yeah a little bit so. Um lead singer Christopher Pappas he does his

own thing. Um, Kyle Frederickson was the guitar player, engineer type guy.

He's doing his own thing. And then Joe Cider is the drummer,

is actually now the drummer for the New Pornographers. Oh okay, no kidding.

Yeah, that's pretty good. That's pretty cool. Good for him for

him, is right. Yeah. And then and there torn all the time,

Yeah, selling out places and yeah yeah that's the Oh wow, he's

I mean, all those guys in the band, I mean amazing musicians.

I mean Chris was the main song writer who wrote all the songs and uh

yeah, just very talented guys. Is everything that you're doing now, is

that all? Is that all you in terms of the writing, Yeah,

yeah, it's all me. Yeah. Do you ever um, have you

ever considered collaborating with anyone or do you want to keep your solo stuff?

No? Well, you know, Erica I mentioned before her and I've been

talking about doing some co writes. Yeah. Um, it's really important,

I think to co write because it opens you up to different ways of songwriting.

Sure, you know, because you're kind of boxing in your own way,

and then if you cart somebody it's like, oh I never thought of

that, and then you start, you know, start opening up your writing

style. Um, and you mentioned you played bass and everyday visuals. What

what was your your first instrument was bass? You started on bass and yeah,

I had a four spring Washburn okay, Yeah, and then I then

I upg to a five string Ernie ball oh, which is a music man,

which is an amazing bass. It's a solid rock bass. Yeah.

And then I then I got my tailor, my tailor acoustic. See,

I'm a bass player, So as soon as somebody mentions more than four strings,

I'm like super impressed. I'm like, used to play a five strings.

Oh man, it's the best. That loby is that the lowby on

that on, that bass can make so many different sounds. And I'm sure,

I'm sure it's awesome. I can't. I've never I've never attempted it.

See, I started on bass because um, and bass players hate when

I when I say this, but it's just the truth. So when I

was a kid, I took guitar lessons and unfortunately I was one of those

lazy kids who, Um, if I wasn't good at it right away,

I would get bored with it. So because you know, okay, I

you know I could continue to learn these scales and chords. But I really

like that video game and I'm good at that. So it was that kind

of thing, you know, I would I, I mean, I took

lessons, and but I I plateaued because I just I didn't have the discipline

I wish I had. But anyway, so then in high school I picked

up a bass, you know, just fooling around with some friends. Musically,

I picked up a bass, and I seem to have a feel for

it, but I also was keenly aware. I remember that this is the

part that bass players hate when I say this, But I remember thinking,

two less strings, and I don't have to know any chords. I think

I found my instrument. And then I went on to play bass and a

bunch of bands. But that's cool. Yeah, yeah, so so I

and I, you know, so I can play guitar a little bit,

you know, this power chord, like I could be in a punk band

if I want to write, probably, but that's about the best I could

do. But but so you started on bass and then you went to guitar,

Yeah, yep. And then I usually play all the bass tracks on

my records usually, Okay, this one, I don't know if I'm going

to or not. I haven't played in several years, so i'm a little

I'm a little dusty. So um and that guitar you have sounds fantastic.

It's got a very rich, full sound. Yeah, it's my tailor.

It's it's it's only a three fourteen or three fifteen, um, and it's

I bought it. That's This guitar is twenty years old, Noki. Yeah,

wow, Yeah, it has the original Um has the original Fishman pick

up. Yeah, in the in the Taylor because the new tailers have a

new a new model okay, and people just love this old model much better.

Oh wow. Yeah, and that sounds amazing, Yeah it does.

Is that the only guitar you use? Yeah, for the most part.

Yeah, I don't blame you, no, really, it sounds it sounds

really good. It is a good one. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

And it's warmed up over the years, you know, the wood ages and

you get that deeper tone because because Taylors tend to have a higher end sound

to them. Okay, but you know, when you play Taylor for twenty

years, it's it's a lot warmer because Taylors are very bright. I've heard

people say that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Martins are Warmer, Guilds

are warmer, Taylors are bright. Yeah, yeah, that's interesting. Yeah.

So I assume that's that's the guitar you use on all the all the

oh yeah in the studio. Yeah yeah, oh very nice, Yeah,

very nice. It's pretty sweet. Yeah, that's my pal, you know.

Yeah. Um, do you have I know, I asked you how

many songs you know, do you have any idea how many songs you've written?

Um? God, probably like I'll be eighty hundred. Yeah, yeah,

I would say maybe like a hundred. Um. Do you still play

any anything that you know if you think back to early when you started writing

songs, do you still play anything that goes there's one there's one song,

so the very first one of the very first songs I wrote. I still

do that one, no kidding, yeah, oh yoh yeah, that's a

yeah, that's the only one really that I do. That's really old.

Oh that's cool. Has it changed over the years or do you stay faithful

with the original, faithful to the original arrangement? Yeah, that's cool.

Yeah, yeah, that's awesome. That's awesome. Um, and when did

so the studio material that we've been featuring on the show. Obviously, you

know you've got the new one that's coming out, and you said probably July,

yes, early July. Um. When so the songs that are on

your website currently that we've been playing, when did those come out? Those

are twenty fifteen? I think fourteen, twenty fourteen or twenty fifteen. Yeah,

it's it's still been a while since I've done anything. Yeah, yeah,

and that's what that's what I mean. So I was kind of I

kind of laid low, but now that I'm back in it, I'm like,

well, I gotta get something new out there, right right, no

doubt. Um, that song reach Up, do you do you play that

live? Yes? Yeah, oh yeah yeah, plan to play Boxer right,

I do a lot off that record still yeah, oh yeah yeah No,

that's uh, that's really good stuff. Absolutely. Um. And what's

uh, what's kind of the the future trajectory? So you've got the new

album should be done in July, and then, um, you have plans

because you you know, you said, you know, things were kind of

low key for a while and then started really ramping back up. So do

you plan to just just keep going, just keep touring? Yeah, I

really would love to do this full time and be able to leave my human

service job. Yeah, if you know, once and for all and then

uh perform music, you know, four nights a week and have that be

full time and yep, um yeah, I mean with New Hampson Music Collective,

they're definitely helping me with that. Yeah, it sounds like you're on

your way. Yeah. Yeah, they're They're great, They've been amazing.

Yeah. Do they have is are they a big Do they have a lot

of fun? They have a lot of artists. Yeah, yeah, they

have a lot of artists. I'll have to look them up. I'm curious.

I feel like I've heard of them, but I'm sure you have.

I mean, because they're they they book many venues in the state. Okay,

yeah, okay, they've been around a long time, I assumed,

Yeah, for a little while. Yeah, I don't think very long,

but long enough for they have a really they have a lot of venues.

Yeah, yeah, oh that's cool. Yeah. You do you ever open

for anybody, any national acts that come through or I've opened up for several

in the in when I was playing a while back. Yeah, I opened

up for Blissed Union of souls. Oh yeah, yeah, I opened up

for Howie Day back in the day. Yeah, I opened up for a

couple independent like independent singer song it was like Melissa Ferrek, Yeah, Garrison

Star, Edie Carey. Um. Yeah, that's that's what I've done so

far. And hopefully John over at a Hampshire was a collective is going to

hopefully start getting me into those roles. Do you have a dream headline or

you'd like to open for? Yes, the Indigo Girls, no kidding,

for years I've wanted to do that. They m. Yeah, they used

to come. I don't know if they still do. They still come around

a lot. They used to go to uh Meadowbrook every summer. Yeah,

they're also with the Flying Monkey now every every year. Oh no kidding,

at least once or twice a year. Yeah. Oh so that's so.

That's good, that's geographically, that's uh. I'd say that that Tipsy Odds

in your favor. Yeah, I hope that would be awesome. Yeah,

that would be great. It seems like they've been around forever, around to

the eighties. Wow, Yeah, what's their so they m. What I

appreciate about artists like that is they're they're an example of someone who's been able

to build such a career and a following, a loyal following, with very

little support from radio, you know, And and that is true. I

mean I think there I think there might be one or two songs that yeah,

and I'm sure you know, it depends on the format you're listening to,

but as far as like mainstream radio really is there is there one song

that was kind of big that I've closer or fine, Oh yes, yes,

yes, that one. Yeah, that one was on the radio a

lot. Yeah, that one was kind of a hit. Yeah, yeah,

But but they've never had a big presence on radio, and that just

always impresses me. Um completely different genre obviously, and not someone that I

enjoy their their work personally, but just another example that I happen to be

discussing on the show the other day with somebody insane clown posse. Yeah,

I don't like them, but you know, they've got this this empire that

they've built with no support from radio, like at all. Ever, It's

that's impressive. It is impressive. In the same thing with Annie de Franco.

Oh, I love her. She is like very self made. I've

met her. Yeah, oh, she's she's amazing. She is amazing.

Um. I think the last time I saw her was in Providence, Um

it was it was quite a while ago. I haven't seen her in a

long time. But yeah, but yeah, you're right, she's another example.

Yeah, someone who really you know, she uh started I remember she

started her own label. She probably still has it. Oh yeah, definitely

Righteous Babe Records here, yes, yes, and uh yeah really just uh,

I remember when she was first starting to really get traction because at the

time I was working obviously you remember Strawberries Tapes and I was working at the

One and Conquered and uh, that was where I first really became aware of

her. And um, people started coming in looking for looking for her stuff,

and at first we didn't have it because nobody, it was like nobody

that worked for the company was aware of her. But somebody was aware of

her because we kept having people coming in, you know, asking for Annie

de Franco. So finally we started getting her music in. But uh,

but yeah, you're you're right. She's another example of because honestly, off

the top of my head, I can't think of a big radio hit.

I'm sure there's something I'm forgetting I think possibly. Okay, yeah, but

but again someone who's never had a big press. It's on radio, but

who's very successful. Oh my gosh, you knew this. She sells out

in a day. Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah. Um.

I always respected that about the Grateful Dead too. Again, I'm not not

a big fan. Take them, relieve them. But you know, they

other than a touch of gray, they didn't really have No, you're right.

I mean I think that had one. Other had had a few,

but nothing never dominant. But Ripple Ripple was pretty big. Yeah, but

they could you know, sell out anywhere in the world really, Oh yeah,

absolutely, And when Jerry Garcia was still alive. So and uh,

what should people know Andrea as far as well your web, You've got your

website Andrea Paquin dot com. Did you build that yourself? Yeah, that's

just a dragon drop from a squarespace. Yeah, it's like I said,

I'm a website nerd. It's a good site. It's not bad. Yeah,

it's clear, it's it's you know, it's it's easy to it's easy

to maintain, season managed. And I'm gonna use the bands in town.

Yeah, keep my my tour listed on there. Yeah, yeah, No,

I like the layout, and I know, thank you, I'm geeking

out on your website. No, I appreciate it, but I I like

the layout. It is very clean, easy to navigate, but but modern

looking. That's that's what that's what really matters. You know, it's got

to look. And you can also go to my link tree, so it's

oh yeah, it's it's link tree dot com, forward slash Andrew Pequin and

my Instagram, Facebook, you know, my tip jarm, my newsletter.

Everything's there. Excellent, excellent, So all the lengths of the social media

and all of that fantastic. Oh and uh, how do you for for

the spelling impaired, how do you spell Pequin? It's p a q u

I N very good. I'm sure I'm sure everyone can figure out Andrea,

but you never know with e Andrew, with an E an d r e

A. There you go.