If You're Not An Andrea Wittgens Fan Yet, Don't Worry: It's Not Too Late

Promo. Photo by Bradley Hanson. Copyright Andrea Wittgens.

Andrea and Bob.

The Full Band.

Membership has it's privileges: Andrea and Shawn Colvin at The Showbox here in Seattle.

I'm extremely pleased to be able to publish a little Q & A with Seattle indie pop singer/songwriter Andrea Wittgens. I've met a lot of independent artists over the past few years and I have to admit that Andrea is one of the most talented, professional, polished, and hard-working songwriters out there.

If you like what you hear in the audio above (I have confidence you will), you can check out more on Myspace or on her personal web site. In particular, be sure to listen to I know Better, which is a sparkly little pop gem (it's under "audio" on her personal site).

The audio on this article is called Alibi and can be found on her debut album of the same name. Here's a link to her video, directed by Sue Corcoran of VonPiglet Productions.

I'll let the music speak for itself while you check out the Q & A:

Your 1st album, Alibi, is in regular rotation on my personal iTunes and I have to admit I'm ready for some new tunes ... how's the new album coming? When can i get it? And can you give any insight as to what we can expect when we hear it?

Yes! There will be a new full-length album, in fact, I'm knee deep in the recording process right now. I'm aiming for a summer release. It's turning out to be quite a musical adventure with anything from string quartet/piano arrangements to full blown pop anthems with the band. I'm always excited to release new material but I have to admit I'm EXTRA excited about this one.

Many people do not understand just how difficult it is to write a great pop song ... is there any way to describe the challenges so everyone can understand a little about what goes into the songwriting process in terms of inspiration, energy, effort, mechanics, etc?

Yes, it is indeed hard but I enjoy the struggle. Three things I try to remind myself of all the time:

1. Stay out of the way of the simple ideas. Most artists have found out how easy it is to over-complicate something and dilute it or worse yet ruin it. Of course the other side of the coin is that you want something fresh and new too so it can't be so simple that it's boring or derivative of someone else. (I guess that's the struggle part)
2. Inspiration or that "brilliant idea" can come from *anywhere* and usually the last place you expect (overhearing a conversation in line waiting for coffee, your dog, the bathroom wall. etc etc). So you have to keep your mind open to noticing these things at all times. I have many ideas scrawled on bank receipts.
3. Sometimes it feels like magic and the song seems to write itself. Great. But sometimes it's not. Sometimes it's just toiling over many sheets of paper for a long time. And that's certainly less glamorous but it works too!

Working over a camera is a lot different than working over a microphone .... what was it like to work with Von Piglet productions on the Alibi video and are you happy with the promotion opportunities that have arisen as the result of having a music video?

Like a dream. Sue Corcoran, the director of the "Alibi" video and brains behind Von Piglet Productions not only had really wonderful creative ideas on how to bring the song to life in visual terms but she and her production team are also fantastically efficient at making it all happen on set. It was an incredible experience. The finished video has been a wonderful promotional tool, mainly on the web because it's so easy to post all over the place for extra exposure. It's also playing in festivals, contests and other online features. I feel like it shows another side of me as an artist too which is really fun.

I once heard someone say that "all songs have already been written", implying that it's getting more and more difficult to write original songs with original themes. Do you agree with this? (Why/why not?).

No, not really. There are just too many variables: the musical components, the words and then all the intangibles like the personality, timbre, inflection that get infused into the voice and instruments. I think that there are always themes (and of course chords) that return again and again just like in literature and film. But artists, the lasting ones, will always find a way to put a unique stamp on things.

I'm always looking for new artists to listen to ... who have you heard in the indie scene lately that everyone should check out?

Hmmm...so many and so little time so I'll just name the first two that pop to mind. Leah Siegel out of NYC is stunning. The Board of Education (fantastic kids project offshoot of Seattle band Central Services) is going to release an album soon.

Author's Note: Agreed, Seattle's Central Services is definitely a great band.

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