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Pfriends – I am home. The tour with Damion Suomi & Lauris Vidal was an incredible success on many levels for all of us. We’ve already been talking about going out again in the new year, so stay tuned for something bigger and better!

I’ll be taking most of the next few weeks off. I’m excited to be with family and friends, eat my mom’s home cookin and work on some new songs in the off time. I have a couple shows planned for early January. 1/8 IN NYC at PETE’S CANDY STORE and 1/9 IN ORLANDO AT HEAVY & LIGHT (BACKING UP Damion Suomi).

2009 was a pivotal year for me, with the completion of THE LONG TAIL, my signing to P is for Panda and the release of my new EPs OUR VOICE IS A WEAPON & TRAVELER’S PSALMS & CAROLS. I want to thank you for listening. Thank you for helping me achieve so much.

I could not do this without you. We are all in this together. Have a wonderful holiday season.

- Love, AZ

Hi, blog. Nice to see you, buddy. Been a while…

I save my deepest thoughts for thee, blog. All the things I can not tweet, I give to you.

I recently asked some of you out there if you still read these.  Some do. Some don’t. So, this is for those of you that do.

First things first – I AM SO HAPPY WITH HOW THE LONG TAIL SHOW WENT. WOW. INCREDIBLE.

220 of you came out on a rainy Wednesday night to celebrate with us. THANK YOU! Man, that was a good time.  Pete, Harry, Kevin and Brad were awesome, weren’t they!? We rehearsed and prepared for that night for so long.  Not to mention the two years that so many of you worked along side of me to complete the record.

I’m on my way to Charlottesville, VA now with Damion Suomi and Lauris Vidal.  We’re playing at Eunoia tonight at 7:30pm.

I am writing this blog from the passenger seat of  the van TWLOHA donated to us. What a great organization. Such amazing, generous and sincere people.

I am excited about this tour. I can’t wait to bring The Long Tail, Traveler’s Psalms and Carols and Our Voice Is A Weapon to you.

So many things are coming to fruition now that I have worked towards for years. It’s wild and surreal. I am so grateful to be able to do what I love, my pfriends. (Actually, I was thinking about that word/gimmick that I came up with. Pfriends. You have now taken ownership of it. It’s not a gimmick of mine anymore. It’s your word. I don’t like calling you fans. It’s more personal than that.)

You are the reason I’m out here. I make music for you and I. Thank you for sharing my songs with one another. Thank you for feeding me when I was hungry. Thank you for giving me a place to rest when I could not drive through the night.

Thank you for listening.

I look forward to seeing you again soon.

AZ

Home.

A is for Awesome

I’ve been doing my thing independently for the past few years, and I thought I’d continue to do that for a while. As you know, the music industry is in quite a transitional period. Every one is trying to figure out how to adapt. With your help, I’ve adapted and changed with the tide as best I know how. It’s not been easy, but you’ve supported me all the way. Thank you. I would never have gotten this far without you.

Some things in life happen when you least expect it. This is one of those wonderful surprises…

I’ve signed on with a label called P is for Panda. The founder, Chad Pearson, told me, “I don’t want to change what you’re doing. I want to come along side you and help you achieve your goals.” It’s a fair and honest deal and I’m thrilled to have his help. He is a pfriend.

Tomorrow, P is for Panda will release my new EP, “Our Voice Is A Weapon“. There are four new songs on it. That will be my first release with them. I would be so thankful if you’d pre-order it now, or download it tomorrow. I want to show them I will work hard and my pfriends are behind me.
The second release will be a Christmas EP. That will come out in late November, or early December. There will be six songs on it: one original, two carols and three hymns (one my grandpa wrote!).

I’m excited about this new chapter.  I have a lot more music in me and many more places to sing.  I’d like to get to the UK and Europe in the next year. Who knows? It could happen. I am stubborn enough to try.

We are all in this together.

Always gratefully yours,

Andy Zipf

Driving home. Charlottesville tomorrow. Thanks to all that came out to these past few shows. Love ya.

Florida, little wolves and To Write Love On Her Arms LIVE webcast

I’m staying with my friend Shem in Tallahassee right now. His dog, Tee Loup (Little Wolf) is one of my favorite creatures in the whole world. She is sitting next to me now, trying to get me to pet her.

I’ve got a show tonight in Gainesville, FL at a place called The Exchange. A really cool band called Paxico Via Mexico is playing as well.  I’m off to Tampa on Friday to play The Crowbar, Orlando for Redlight Redlight on Saturday, a possible house show on Sunday
and then…

On Monday, Oct 5 I will be playing with my good buddy Damion Suomi at the To Write Love On Her Arms offices.  I’m sure you’ve heard of them, but if not, go here to read up on the amazing work they are doing. http://www.twloha.com

We’ll be sharing stories, playing some songs together and taking questions from the audience – live and via Twitter.

Please listen in and support this incredible organization.

Andy Zipf – September 2009 Recording Session

Matt Williams took this cool video the day before I left for tour. The soundtrack to this video is a guitar loop I made for one of the songs on the Christmas EP that will be out in December.

Sitting at DFW, waiting for AC to be fixed. Surrounded by DBs.

Dear NJ Turnpike

I’ll be seeing you again today.  I will not be eating at the many Sbarros and Nathans, you have so graciously provided for me over the years.  I will be over paying for coffee, V8 and Smokehouse Almonds.  Thanks for always being the only way to get to where I need to go.  I hope I have enough cash, lady. You’re an expensive date.

I’m playing a benefit for some friends in north Jersey tonight at Ninety Six West.  I went to high school in NJ.  You can see the building from the turnpike.  It looks (and felt, though any high school anywhere would have felt this way) like a prison. Actually, it wasn’t all that bad.  I did play guitar on a stage for the first time there.  That’s kind of cool, I guess.

Tomorrow night, I’m going back to my favorite place to play in Brooklyn – Roots Cafe.  A band from the UK called Your Vegas is on the bill as well.  Very cool stuff.  There’s another band from Denmark playing called Brothers Moving.  I’ve never seen them live, but I hear they are a force to be reckoned with.  I’m stoked.

Next week, I go back to Orange County, CA to work with the band I’m singing and playing guitar with.  We have one song mixed and it sounds pretty great.  As soon as we come up with a name, we’ll put something up to listen to.

I’ve been writing some new songs.  Here’s a bit of some lyrics I was working on last night…

I walk a weathered canyon

you’re the rapids, cutting through it

years and layers start to show

in the soil

there is a swelling, beating rhythm to it

some earnest prayer I used to know

On the one side, I reach you

on the other, try to leave you

in between the faults of my youth

I stumbled on the line to love you

AZ

Hey, there. I’m a real person. You’re a real person. We should totally hang out.

Lots going on, folks.  The Lay it Down EP and The Cowards Choir are up on iTunes. I’ll be putting out some more music very soon. Keep an eye out.

I’ve been writing a bunch of new songs.

Some for my stuff.  Some for the band I joined in California.

Yes.

I joined a band in California. A rock band. I’m gonna sing and play guitar. No name yet, but we’re working on it.  Should have something for you to listen to soon.  It’s legit.  We are pretty good, if you ask me.

Here’s something I wrote with them while I was out there…

Wound up, we hit the street running

cut through the belly of a breakdown

gas lights the shine and the warning

burning alive in the underground

Feels like we could be brothers

maybe we are in the right kind

Ain’t sure just where we’re going

Don’t matter now for the first time

We keep running

I heard some minor prophet

wiping his brow with the headlines

“Change is coming to the believer!

Rise up, or cower for the last time!”

I got this great hope feeling

right down in the pit of my bones

might run out of breath trying,

but ain’t nothing gonna hold us down

We keep running

I’ll be going up to New Jersey and Brooklyn next weekend.  Please come out and say h i.

After all, this computer stuff is just where we continue the real conversation, which begins in a room of real live people.  No?

I’m a real person. You’re a real person. Speaking of real people, I need to get ready for a birthday party with good friends tonight.