Music is a huge part of my life, but it’s not everything. No one thing can be everything without turning into an unhealthy and unsatisfying obsession. So I’ve been reading and absorbing in a more buffet-style/sample-platter style these days and seeing what sticks. It not only informs and enhances my own writing & songwriting, but makes me think more broadly and I feel like I’m living a more holistic life.

But maybe that’s just the Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies Major in me talking.

Follow me?

http://andrewrohlk.tumblr.com/

Click the link above to see me living out my teenage dream of playing the National Anthem via electric guitar similar to my homie Jimi Hendrix.

I plan on blogging a lot more now that I’ve finally graduated and have some free time so stayed tuned, and check out the link below for a promo vid of the Rocktown Rollers Derby team I played the anthem for.

http://vimeo.com/41563062

Last weekend I played a fun-filled show at the Pigeon Hole in Charlottesville. Saw some old friends that I haven’t seen in a while and met some new ones that totally rule. The vibe was very much like a chill house show which I’m always a fan of. Also got to hang with the dudes in Adam in America which is always a plus.

Last night, I played a benefit show here at my lovely university for the Tyler Clementi Foundation and it was a good time as well. The Human Fly opened things up with a solid acoustic set then I was up. Halfway through my set I decided to get the people going with some Hall & Oates. They were all too happy to oblige me and proceeded to shred up the dance floor. Forward Smash kept the energy going and then Money Cannot Be Eaten rounded out the night with their set of tasty songs.

I’ve been hanging with my a cappella group a lot recently and haven’t done a solo gig in a while. So I’m excited to get back at it and play with my friends Adam in America in Cville this Saturday and then play in JMU’s Festival Ballroom for a great cause. Dates and details below.

More exciting and less strictly promo blog posts coming never soon.

Use the following code for a discount when you purchase online tickets for my Dec 30 show at Kingdom in Richmond. Click the flier above to go to the ticket link.

PROMO CODE: ANDREW509

Less than two weeks left and I’m done with this semester!

Make A Decision

I’m a Mess

You Make My Dreams (with a bit of “Little Bitty Pretty One” thrown in)

Every time (aka the Bobby Pin song)

What This Will Be

Ahhh I had a blast last night. My set was super sloppy and extra goofy but man was it fun. Ingrid’s set was fantastic and hilarious, and she was super laid back from the brief interaction I had with her.

Conversation About You sounded a bit weird, and people probably thought I was nervous or something but here’s what really happened: I decided to do some jumping jacks backstage to get pumped, but it just left me gasping for breath cause I’m horrendously out of shape. So I was kinda struggling for the first half of my opening song. WAY TO MAKE POOR CHOICES, ANDREW.

By Make a Decision, I sorta recovered though and felt like a normal breathing person again. You Make My Dreams had some nice audience hand claps going on and then I decided to throw in a snippet of Little Bitty Pretty One just for kicks.

I’m considering referring to my song “Every time” as “The Bobby Pin song” since the first line references bobby pins and everybody thinks that’s funny or whatever. Seriously though ladies, why do you have a thousand of these things? They end up in the weirdest places. It’s like you shed them or something.

Anyway, the LAAAAAA DAH DAHHHHHHHHH DAH DAH DUHT DUHT DUHT DUHT DAHHHHHHHHH sing along on What This Will Be was pretty gnarly. That made my day.

Long story, short: Last night was amazing. Thanks so much to the friends and family that made it extra special and drove long distances to come see my face. That was the biggest group of people I’ve ever played for, and it was probably the most fun I’ve had playing music.

Much love,

-A

OH and PS: I had an epic fail last night – Jess and I went to Ham’s afterwards to get some food but were told they weren’t serving food when we got there. The place was bumpin’ and karaoke was in full tilt so we left and got Sheetz. Anyway, we went home and I turned off my phone but saw that Ingrid tweeted she was at a bar with karaoke. I thought to myself “Hey we were at a bar with karaoke. HAHA LOL” and then went to bed….. In the morning I found out SHE WAS AT THE HAM’S THAT WE HAD LEFT. Moral of the story: I suck. I could have been more social, but instead I decided to be lame.

I’m a Mess

Conversation About You

Through the Fear [New Song!]

You Make My Dreams (Come True) [Hall & Oates cover]

Everytime

Tonight I played a benefit show for the JMU Nursing Program with my good friends Big Creek Revival + Annie Lawrence & Mikaela Steinwedell.This show was super laid back since everybody was folksy and acoustic-y, but it was still buckets of fun.

Annie & Mikaela had a cool duo thing going on complete with piano and guitar. They managed to have a lot of variety with this simple set up, and I was digging it.

I got to debut a new song I’ve been working called “Through the Fear” and Annie joined me for part of “I’m a Mess” since we used to jam together and she’s heard me play it before. I mumbled a few of the words to the new song as I struggled to remember it at first and Annie did a bang up job remembering the words to “I’m a Mess” and pulled these really cool harmonies out of nowhere. We haven’t played together in a while, so it was a treat to have a little trip down memory lane. The Hall & Oates cover was a good time and was also the first time I’ve played it live. People seemed to know it, so I tried to get sing along going. I didn’t push it though, cause it would’ve gotten awkward real quick.

Big Creek rounded out the night with an assortment of originals and covers with four part harmonies, and even some solo songs from Casey and Spencer. They made me blush a little when they helped plug my show with Ingrid Michaelson on Friday, but I’ll forgive them for that.

Overall, not a bad way to spend a Wednesday evening. Going to try to do more of these post show recaps, hopefully you like this idea. If not, at least it gives me a chance to reminisce.

Thanks for reading!

-A

I’m playing with Ingrid Michaelson this Friday, December 2nd, at JMU‘s Wilson Hall.

• Get online tickets here. For more info, check out the Facebook event.

I wonder if her hair will be as crazy in real life as that pic. Also, I hope she’s not really that pale cause it definitely reminds of this:

See you there!

-Andrew

On school breaks, I always bring my faithful acoustic, but usually my electric guitar and all the toys like an amp and pedals that go with it too. But this time, I decided it’d be best to just bring my acoustic home since my acoustic chops have gotten pretty sloppy. My goal was to become an acoustic ninja, but instead I became a couch ninja like this cat.

Instead of practicing for a string of gigs I have and getting a jump on some school work, I spent the majority of my time playing video games and watching movies. It wasn’t for a lack of trying, but every time I went to really buckle down and get some work done, I found myself with no energy. I guess I needed some R & R though, this semester has been pretty hectic with little sleep and little semblance of a sleep schedule. I guess sleep deprivation on top of no circadian rhythm really does take its toll after a while.

But now that I’ve recuperated and have some more energy, it’s time to put on my game face and get down to business.

Check the calendar for upcoming shows!

Thanks for reading,

-Andrew

Anyway, got some neat-o stuff going on including…

• I’m featured on MP3.com today! Click here to check out my featured article and free download of my song “I’m a Mess.”

If that’s not enough for you, as always, you can download both my debut EP and a live EP at my music tab right here on AndrewRohlk.com

In other news, I mentioned a show at Kingdom on Dec 30 in Richmond in a previous post, and tickets for that are online now AT A DISCOUNT PRICE!

• Click the button below to get tickets and get $3 OFF by typing in the following promo code: ANDREW654

I promise you I didn’t pick the code- I’m not quite that self-absorbed. But hurry up and use that discount code because it will expire soon.

That’s all of my shameless plugs for now. I am working on having more engaging blog posts soon instead of just self-promoting myself out the wazoo all the time. Maybe that free time thing will help with that.

-Andrew