Andrew Christopher, as he often says, is “living the dream”. He values time with his wife, three kids and his work as a father and husband in Ryder Lake, above all else. The fact that he is able to create and perform music as a career is a result of hard work, passion and difficult life lessons which have molded him into the artist, and man he is today.
Andrew lost his daughter, Lilee-Jean, to cancer in 2013 at 2.5 years old. His dad went to jail in 2017 and was mostly absent since adolescence. A sense of responsibility to live a good life in honour of his daughter, some deep soul-searching, plant medicines and reading a book given to him by his drummer, Dylan, changed Andrew's life in a way that cannot be explained via biography.
Growing up with The Beatles, Garth Brooks, piano lessons and singing in the church choir gave Andrew a great head start in music. He played drums in band class, picked up an acoustic guitar along the way and wrote some of his first songs in high-school.
After a pretty serious, but financially frustrating stint as front man in Pardon My Striptease (“Pray for LJ” #1 iTunes + top 20 99.3 “Fox Seeds” band) Andrew started busking on Granville Island to make ends meet and built up a substantial cover song repertoire which now amasses over 500 songs. He recorded his first solo album “Gone” and busking quickly turned into warmer, dryer venues such as pubs, and private parties. His busiest year to date had him performing 274 gigs and sold over 1,000 copies of his debut album.
For his most recent original project ‘AC’ teamed up with his close friend, fellow beer lover, hockey fanatic and family man, Jamie Rowe. Parliament of Owls (credit Jamie with the name) was a match made in heaven and is as much about family and friendship as it is songwriting. Their self-titled album has sold over 2,000 CD’s. Yes, Andrew is still selling compact discs off stage as an ode to his longing for the good ol’ days, but it can also be found everywhere music is streamed.
To get a glimpse of who Andrew really is you must see him perform. You have to feel his joy, his pain and his insatiable lust for life connect with you through his songs.
Host: Geoff Edwards
Guest: Andrew Christopher
Live video production: Tim McAlpine
Location: Studio C at Cowork Chilliwack
Creative Third Thursdays is a creative networking event series brought to you by the Chilliwack Creative Commission and Cowork Chilliwack. Each monthly get together features a unique speaker followed by informal networking. Come meet and mingle with likeminded creative types on the third Thursday of every month!
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