|
One look at the big man says it
all - that four letter word "BASS". He thumps his bass
to the rhythmic beat, finding notes we never knew were there! His
wide array of influences are evident in his versatility. Andy is a
rock solid bass player - can play just about anything - and man, can
that guy sing!!! He pulls the passion out of the melody. When we're
sorting out the harmonies, Andy's perfectly pitched ear guides and
directs us to find the right key. Andy is a force to be reckoned with be it
singing or playing bass. Our SBD bass god - Andrus Magnus, with a
magnanimous personality and a gentle way that belies his imposing
stature, lays down meaty bass lines, beautiful vocals and brings a
precision both to his playing and vocal arrangements.
HIStory:
(Andy does confess that some of these dates may be inaccurate -
"those early years were a little murky if you get my drift" - but
he's sure they're close enough.)
Parallax '82 - '84
¯"We looked
up words in the dictionary and this word means
'cross-eyed' - which looking back now, was a perfect
description for this band (use your imagination)." |
First Strike '84 - '86
¯Andy
thinks the name may have been inspired by the Reagan
years.
¯They
rented the garage outside Albino’s band practice
warehouse. (Okay - there's a true test to your knowledge
of the Syracuse music scene. Everyone remember
Albino's??)
¯"I think
two of the guys were actually living there at different
points before the band broke up. We played more parties
there than actually playing out anywhere, but we were
getting better" |
|
I can’t remember the name of the 3rd band…(I
wonder why haha) -
Sometime between '86 - '87
¯"We were
actually a real good power metal band, come to think of
it, maybe we were only together a short time and never
actually named the band…" |
|
Krysis '87 - '88
¯This is
the first band Andy actually had to audition for and was
psyched when he got in.
¯"Unfortunately,
we spent all our time rehearsing and recording and never
played out." |
The late '80's and early 90's
¯Several
years passed while Andy chased his, now, wife down to
Florida.
¯"The only
notable point during this period was when I met some
dudes and went over to jam with them. The first thing
the singer did, was tell me that he had a great idea - to
go on the road, pick up the local paper for each town,
and scream out the local headlines to a song he had
written. Appeal to the locals kinda thing I guess...this
was my first clue that it was time to go back to NY to
play."
¯'90 - Andy
flies back to Syracuse to do some recording with Krysis.
¯'91 - Andy
returns to Syracuse and joins back up with Krysis - "But
we still were in the studio, and I wanted to play out,
so we parted ways...2nd most regrettable ending to a
band I was in." |
|
Madhouse,
Quest, and No Cheese '92 - '94
¯"These
were three of the most fun bands I had the opportunity to
play in."
¯The groups are listed together because they
had several of the same players. One of those players
was Jerry Barber on vocals, who had great regional
success with bands like Tokyo.
¯Jerry and Andy clicked
from the day they met. Sadly, we lost Jerry to cancer a
couple years ago. |
|
Culture Shock '94 - '97
¯"Best shot
at actually getting somewhere."
¯Power
trio, really good original songs. Dedicated people.
¯"Age old
story of finally getting close to breaking out, and
everything falls apart." |
|
Electric Blue / Acoustic Blue '98
- '00
¯Andy
originally hooks up with Mark and Shelly.
¯Great
4-piece acoustic band with several guest percussionists.
This is the band that opened Andy's horizons to playing
all styles of music, and opened his mind to all creative
possibilities. This band also allowed Andy to explore
becoming a more complete vocalist. |
|
The Remnants '01 - '02
¯After
Electric/Acoustic Blue broke up, Andy, Mark and Shelly
decided it was time for something new and formed 'The
Remnants'. This is where John Kap comes into the picture.
The band played well together and had some good times
and good gigs, but were still incomplete until 2002.
This is when
"my brother-in-rhythm, Pete, joined us for the ride."
What was to become a band called 'Shelly & The Barndogs'
was finally complete. |
What does Andy think of
Shelly & The Barndogs?
"This is truly the band I have always waited for. These folks are my
family and it shows when we get together to play. Whether it’s on a
large stage, or in the smallest of clubs, we always have fun, and
the love we share for the music and each other makes it happen."
Someone
said:
¯"Andy's voice harmonizes with mine perfectly if I must say
so myself! You just have to hear it! We could be brother and sister
except we don't look much alike."
¯"When we started
singing harmonies together my muse was healed from the loss of Jim." |
