Andrew Stern - Twenty | Twenty (2020)

Artist, eccentrist…These are terms that come to mind when describing the indefinable and infinite tonal territory that Boston-based guitarist Andrew Stern presents, each and every time he picks up and plugs in.

The range of his appreciation for any genre you can think of is clearly stated in his recordings and performances with the bands he leads: AS3 and AST, two wide-ranging gtr/bs/dr trios; Old Soldiers, his rock and roll songwriting outlet; Telescope, with a tribute to the Telecaster, who rip and nail hip-surf-garage grunge. It doesn’t end there.

Playing along with Naftule’s Dream, Andrew is in the midst of a wildly free-form, psychedelic Klezmer band that expands horizons. Holding down the weekly guitar chair for 14 years with the Gill Aharon Trio (usually a quartet), lending deep reverb and twang to the eclectic “desert-noir” of Beat Circus and Brian Carpenter and the Confessions. We are just scratching a surface. He also provides solid backing and soundscapes for singer-songwriters Dennis Brennan and Mark Erelli. Versatility is one way to describe Andrew’s abilities, however, it’s more about absorbing and appreciating all the music that one has heard…and presenting it in one’s words…or chords, or retinue of guitars and catalogues of LPs…reflecting on all that has been deeply listened to.