Originally beginning life under various names and finally settling on the title of one of his many script attempts Writers Revenge, these were the incredibly earnest beginnings of The AM band as it would narcissistically become (Andy had to cram his initials in there somewhere).
Andy's first musical collaborator John Falcini co-wrote songs in 1982 that would eventually be recorded some Thirty Five Years later on the With Love Marie album. In those days, it was just John and his trusty Juno 6, a sort of drum machine called a Doctor Rhythm that seemed to be impersonating a distorted typewriter and a Fostex Four Track.
Obviously inspired by this, John quit and so entered Austen Hornbrook to add this rare concept of a guitar to the sound which was now reduced to Andy clomping incoherently on the piano and various ancient second-hand keyboards he found in a dusty section of a local music shop, ESS.
By his own admission, these early bands with multiple line ups were terrible and he had his beady eye on getting a proper keyboard player in, his piano teacher Neil McDougall. This indeed happened and the band finally started sounding like... well, a band really. No more incoherent clomping and a
lot more guitar rhythm and piano blues.
Anyway, through many names and personnel changes which often included John adding to the vocals, the band stumbled along until about 1992 when they all pretty much had enough.
In its final years, the AM Band was not auspicious, so this strange period saw Andy redirecting his energies in covers projects and the odd ill-advised short-lived creation, such as Comedy Without the Humour formed with pure sarcasm and disdainful virtuoso Warren Wills on piano.
After a surprisingly enjoyable 20th anniversary gig, Andy has recorded several new albums under the guise of his past musical form which have all featured Austen, Neil, and John augmented with various rhythm sections.
From the origins to the regrouping, you can find out the story of The AM Band on its own official website. Flick through the albums including Mess is Law and the brand-new revamp of A Global Carol, and find out if there any new releases.