Singer/songwriter and guitarist Antonio Andrade will be releasing new album, Here We Go!, on March 21st, 2025. It shows his biggest influences and favorites from his live shows by covering seminal tracks from classic artists.
Tracks from this record had their beginning in August, 2020 when live shows vanished and Andrade moved his work to his studio, conjuring the magic of his studio in recorded form. Here We Go!, marks his ninth full length release, and these covers were always in the works, but “moved to the back burner” when he recorded and released his holiday album Jingle All The Way (2021) and originals album My Reward (2023).
Among these covers taken from his live shows, “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” (1908) is the oldest, and “Love Shack” (1989) is the youngest. Since Andrade’s earliest musical memories are attached to TV and watching cartoons, the “Looney Tunes Medley” became the opening to the album.
Today, we’re very pleased to premier the single and video for his new track covering “Forever Young“, originally written by Rod Stewart and his bandmates, but with an interesting Bob Dylan connection as well.
Andrade and his band’s take on the song builds from a very spare but clarifying opening to a sweetly layered and meditative experience. Andrade’s picking is a major part of the personality of their interpretation, and his vocal take is equally important to rendering this version of the song a kind of mantra that becomes as much a reflection as a blessing being passed to another person. However the vocal harmonies are also key to suggesting the grace and warm feelings that the song intends to convey. Great choices in terms of the bongo drum and flute really break down any previous assumptions about the song the audiences may have in mind and deliver an original atmosphere in which this new interpretation can flourish. It is, in essence, a rugged song that can handle directness, but Andrade’s interpretation takes that ruggedness and makes it sweeter, possibly even more vulnerable.
Andrade’s video really conjures the full band experience and shows what goes into building the power of the song. We see how its elements are laid out and how they come together to become an energetic but meditative medley of roles. The setting is also a nice addition to the atmosphere of the song. The draped and decorated but home-like environment suggests a small gathering and the inviting nature of roots music. Even small elements, like the carpeted floor rather than a separating stage, bring home the intimacy of the performance and invite audiences further into the welcoming aspects of the song. You might even pick up on the sign about being thankful hanging in the background to get a further hint about the vibe of these players and this particular performance.
Andrade shares about this choice:
This song was first released by Rod Stewart in 1988. The structure of the lyrics of this co-write, by Stewart and two of his band mates, was similar enough to a Bob Dylan song of the same title the the two of them agreed to participate in the ownership of the song and share Stewart’s royalties. If Here We Go! has an anthem, this might be it.
Derek Euston is the engineer on Here We Go!, marking his seventh album with Andrade at his Green Room Recording Studio in Harrisburg, PA. Credited as co-producer, Euston also contributes on bass, electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, and organ. Singers include Amma Johnson on her fifth record with Andrade, and Kj Reimensnyder-Wagner as the only newbie on the album. Richie “raggs” Ranaglia plays all the saxophones, clarinet, and flute. Denny Niedich provides drums and congas, and Ed Lesser also appears on drums as part of the studio band.
Andrade comments on covering songs in this way:
…my ability to re-interpret songs might be a noteworthy skill. My perspective as an entertainer leads me to cover songs in which I find a character that speaks to me. I become that character when I act out the song. I believe the words when I say them.
