Andrew Lipke’s happy
to be out of a jam

Music Row
By Brian Rademaekers

Before settling down in Fishtown, musician Andrew Lipke lived way down south, as in South Africa. There, as a 5-year-old, he got his first taste of melody, tinkling the keys of his parents’ piano. In 1987, he and his family picked up and moved to Richmond, Va., where Lipke continued playing music, diversifying his influences and instruments.
Somewhere along the way he decided he wanted to spend his life pursuing music. That brought him to Philadelphia, where he studied music composition at the University of the Arts. Ten years later, he still hasn’t moved back — in fact, he has played at nearly every venue in the city.
In February, the 28-year-old Lipke put out The Way Home, his first studio-produced solo album to emerge since he dissolved his former project, the popular Philly jam-band Metagroove. On his latest release, the seasoned musician offers an energetic folk-rock album that has earned increasing attention from WXPN (88.5 FM).
Lipke describes the 11 tracks on The Way Home as a new stage in his musical career born out of his weariness with the jam-band scene.
"When I was in Metagroove, we would usually write songs together at rehearsals, and when we played, people expected us to jam. Eventually I just got tired of making every song into a twenty-minute jam," Lipke said.
After leaving Metagroove behind, Lipke moved into a quieter style, playing more folk-oriented music.
"I got to the point where I was writing whole songs on my own, and I decided to go the exact opposite direction of Metagroove and went completely acoustic," Lipke recalled.
The result of that rebellion was Ghosts, an all-acoustic recording of songs that Lipke authored and then recorded in his basement. The songs on this lo-fi work force the listener’s attention to Lipke’s articulate lyrics and powerful voice, which can range from a folksy take on Roy Orbison to the epical boom of Radiohead’s Thom Yorke. Still present, however, is Lipke’s masterful guitar work and persuasive melodies.
The Way Home is a type of melding of his previous works, Lipke explains. Not a jam-band record, but something a bit more rocking than straightforward singer-songwriter material, and featuring all of his writing. Produced by Drexel University’s student-run record label, MAD Dragon Records, Lipke put together a new band just for the work, a move that has reinvigorated his writing.
"There are just so many sonic landscapes that we can create with all these instruments," Lipke said.
Most of the people who performed on the album will be playing at the Fire with Lipke, but there also are some new additions — like cello player and vocalist Krista Nielsen.
During his Thursday night show (April 12), Lipke planned to offer a varied set composed of older songs, songs from the new album, and some new ones that he recently wrote.
"We want to solidify our playing style, but we are going to be doing new stuff too," Lipke said.
With his new ensemble, Lipke has already come up with about five new songs in the last few weeks. ••
Brian Rademaekers can be reached at 215-354-3039 or brademaekers@phillynews.com

What you need to know
Who: Andrew Lipke on vocals, guitar and piano with his band: Joe Divita, bass/vocals; Krista Nielsen, cello/vocals; Dave Perrin, drums; and Joe Vasile, guitar/synth/vocals
What: A longtime Philly tunesmith showcases his new pared-down sound
When: Thursday, April 12, at 9 p.m.
Where: The Fire, Fourth Street and Girard Avenue in Fishtown. Tickets are $7.