1. Introduction and Background
a. Can you please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your musical journey and background?
I’m a multi-instrumentalist songwriter/producer and video maker based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. I grew up in the rural midwest of the United States. I was always immersed in music—from singing in choirs in church and playing trombone in concert band and jazz band in school to playing guitar and bass in rock bands with my friends after school. My mom was an avid musician and music lover and was always playing the piano or music on our stereo. I started writing and recording music when I was in high school in the early 2000s.
My high school jazz program toured playing in competitions on the weekends. I wanted to do that for a career and tour the country playing music, so after high school I went to school at the University of Northern Iowa to study jazz and trombone.
After college I decided I wanted to write and perform music and I did that through the vehicle of starting a band called Lick it Ticket and did some of my first touring for a couple years. In 2012 I formed the duo Har-di-Har with my wife Julie and we worked for years as an independent touring band releasing five EPs and one LP. We put out our last EP, DONE DONE ALL DONE this last June in 2023.
In 2018 I started building my own studio out of my home and began to self-produce my own music. In 2019 I started releasing music as Andrew Thoreen and have released four EPs and three singles along with six covers of The Shaggs music.
I just became a father last year and that has given me a new focus on how to work and has been a really wonderful part of the journey. Since 22’ I have put a pause on performing music live so I can devote time to producing and fostering a program for young musicians to teach them everything I know about how to compose, write, and rehearse songs in a small group.
Outside of teaching and parenting I try to find 3-10 hours a week to work on passion projects, recording, and make videos.
2. Musical Influences
a. Who are some of your biggest musical influences, and how have they shaped your sound and style?
I’m inspired by a lot of different music–avant jazz of Ornette Coleman to Weezer and 90s pop music I grew up listening to. Some significant artists that come to mind are Stereolab, Grizzly Bear, Sufjan Stevens, Dirty Projectors, and David Byrne. All of these artists showed me that pop music can be intricately composed and arranged and that songs can be a wonderful vehicle for making meaningful art. All of these artists have demonstrated to me how to take risks in making music and writing songs.
b. Can you share a specific artist or album that has had a significant impact on your music?
Stereolab Margerine Eclipse. I bought this album my sophomore year of college a few years after it came out, and I remember being so inspired by the complexity of the songs and instrumental writing. I remember thinking, wow this band is using lots of interesting chords and the melodies are still singable and hooky. It didn’t sound like any other band I had ever heard.
3. Creative Process
It always changes from project to project, but I really like writing chords and harmonies as the first part of writing stuff. It’s such a mysterious process to create new colors and textures experimenting with harmonic structures and different keys when creating the form of a song. Once I have a chord progression that is working well, then I usually start writing through improvising melodies and adding lyrics on top of that. However, for this current project covering The Shaggs, I started by transcribing the melodies and lyrics of the original songs and then put that to an alternative chord progression and rhythmic structure. As an aside, this will make more sense after question 5 to have the context of what The Shaggs melodies sound like.
4. Favorite Song
a. Among all the songs you’ve created, do you have a personal favorite? If so, what makes it special to you?
No I don’t have favorites, but one that stands out in this moment is “Bodies in a line” from Songs of Invitation for Guitar Duet. It’s special because it marked a time in my life that I started breaking away from a very unhealthy relationship with social media — one that created false expectations and anxiety in my life.
b. Can you share the story or inspiration behind that particular song? I wrote this song right as I was reflecting on the overwhelming amount of musicians and creative people at the moment. So many are striving to be known and everyone is waiting for their chance to “break through” so-to-speak. Writing this album, I was confronting my feelings of despair, as it seemed us creatives were all just lining up and waiting for something to happen and actually never advancing forward in the line. As I continued to work on the song it became a deeper reflection and commentary on our (artist, musicians, and other creative people) desire to “be seen” on social media. Ultimately these subtle messages given by our culture and media are driven by a company that makes money off of our attention. I also really like how the guitar hooks in this song turned out… There is more to the story of Songs of Invitation for Guitar Duet as while finishing that album I had a spiritual awakening and became a follower of Jesus Christ, but that’s definitely a longer story.
5. Latest Song
a. Let’s talk about your latest song. What’s the title, and what’s the story or message behind it?
“What Should I Do?” is the song and it’s a cover from late 60s era outsider band, The Shaggs. I should say a preface before I go into more detail about this song. If readers don’t know the story about The Shaggs yet, you should look them up and get some important context for this song. After doing that —this is the sixth cover of the Shaggs that I’ve released in collaboration with other artists. My experience and interpretation of The Shaggs music may be different from others in that much of my appreciation of their music comes from the honest simplicity of their lyrics paired with the complexity of their melodies and song structures. I don’t see their story as a tragic one as some do, but I do hear their music as a strange and beautiful phenomenon.
(Taken from press release)
Originally penned by Dorothy Wiggin during the late 1960s and released on their 1969 album, « What Should I Do? » has long been regarded as a song that delves into the complex emotions following a teenage breakup. The lyrics paint a picture of a young girl struggling to come to terms with her feelings, torn between the pain of a tumultuous relationship and the enduring love she still holds.
However, this cover offers a fresh perspective, infusing the song with a deeper layer of meaning. My interpretation focuses not on a romantic relationship but rather on the dynamics of a close friendship that has soured due to deception and betrayal. This rendition explores themes of forgiveness, the struggle to reconcile with a friend’s transgressions, and the ultimate question, « What Should I Do? »
Incorporating some of my own personal experiences, I found relevance in the lyrics as I contemplated the possibility of still loving a friend who has wronged me deeply. The line « don’t tell me I still love him, ’cause I know that too » becomes a powerful statement on forgiveness and the potential to maintain affection for someone despite their shortcomings.
Thinking about it this way may not have been the exact intent of the authors, but it offers a moving exploration of the intricacies of human relationships and the difficult choices we face when confronted with the actions of those we care about.
All of the songs in this series of covers have featured different musicians—this song features Minneapolis musicians Toby Ramaswamy on drums and Maddie Theis on bass and vocals. The song was mixed by Mike Noyce.
This song will only be available on YouTube until I complete the goal of covering all twelve songs off of the Shaggs’ seminal album “Philosophy of the World” when they will become available on vinyl and streaming services.
6. Live Performances
a. Share a memorable or unique experience from one of your live performances.
Ha! We have many stories! But one that will go down in history took place when Har-di-Har was on tour and we were playing at what we learned was a biker bar outside of Orlando, Florida. We were working with an agent at the time and we just showed up at the venue unawares with our brightly colored clothes and smiles. There were very few people there and none of them looked even remotely happy we were there. As we started playing our set, they actually tried heckling us but we didn’t realize it so we just played along with it cheerfully. After a few more songs, we noticed people literally spilling into the bar. At the end of our first set, we were approached by nearly everyone there – apparently, we were so different from what they were used to (and maybe because we weren’t jerks) that they had invited all their friends to come see us. One guy (you can’t make this stuff up) came hobbling up to the stage with his shirt full of gold dollar coins that he poured out on the table for us to have. It was a surreal experience.
7. Hobbies and Interests
Making live music videos. I just started getting into it when I made the first Shaggs cover in 2019, so I’m definitely learning as I go.
I used to have more hobbies before I became a parent like running, golfing, disc-golfing, hiking, and making drawings with color pencils, but now mostly finding new ways to play with newly found objects and going on walks to the park are my main go-to hobbies. Theology and philosophy are topics I spend time thinking and learning about, but I don’t think those are hobbies.
8. Collaborations
a. Is there a dream collaboration you’d like to pursue in the future?
I don’t think I have one of those. I have thought a few times about asking Dave King, the drummer in band The Bad Plus to play on one of these Shaggs covers at some point… but other than that, I haven’t thought much about dream collabs.
9. Advice for Aspiring Musicians
a. What advice would you give to aspiring musicians who are just starting their journey in the music industry?
As a fairly obscure artist you can take this with a grain of salt, but there are a lot of things that people in the music industry tell you have to do to be successful, but ultimately the only thing you really have to do is make art that is genuine and impactful and enjoy that process. Repeat and refine that process and you will be successful in the endeavor of making art. Ultimately that’s the goal, right? Yes you have to make time and energy for all the other stuff depending on what your goals are for where the music that you make is heard, but you don’t have to do these things if you don’t want to. They take up a lot of time and brain space.
10. Upcoming Projects
a. Can you give us a sneak peek into any upcoming projects or new music you have in the works? What can your fans and listeners look forward to from you in the near future?
I do have something else coming out on Nov 22nd — my wife Julie and I have started an art-song project called Alaylon, and we will be releasing a modern cover of one of those old and perhaps forgotten Christmas carols on Wednesday, Nov 22nd.
I also have another song from The Shaggs coming out this year in December. I am working to keep releasing more songs from the Shaggs here steadily over the next year or two. Though its taken me four years to complete seven songs, I only have five left to finish and am motivated to finally finish them! I have an ongoing gofundme page to help me reach this goal and fund a printing vinyl when I’m done. I don’t have a track record of moving very quickly based on my time and resources, but maybe that will change?