The history of American popular music reflects a broad range of musical tastes, styles and influences. The balladeer, starting with artists like Woody Gutherie and early Bob Dylan up to modern day story tellers like James Taylor and currently popular John Mayer, is one of the major contributors to this major part of American culture. ANDREW KURTZ is a balladeer that continues this line of great singer-songwriters who reflect on life through their melodies and lyrics. His songs connect his external environment to his inner life struggles. His musical influences include Nick Drake, COLDPLAY, David Bowie and probably surprisingly Nine Inch Nails. ANDREW, 24, grew up in Idaho and became a working cowboy and rodeo performer. His love of music never abated. He is an accomplished, though self-taught, guitarist and pianist. His voice reflects a wide texture of emotions and these emotions are also engrained in both the lyric and melodies of his songs. He has been asked to write a song to be included in the forthcoming theatrical motion picture. ANDREW is affiliated with BMI as both a writer and publisher. ANDREW has recently moved to LA to play his music live and is currently working on a full length album. ANDREW has described each of the songs on his e.p. album entitled "The Rose": The Rose: "I thought The Rose should be the title song on the album because it means so much to me and everywhere I have played a gig people ask me to play it again as the last song. I wrote this song, like I do most, from an experience in my life, similar to what I think many others have experienced. This song involved a simple event that caused me to reflect on where I had been and how I could change things to move in a different direction." "It was a rainy day in Chicago. All I had was my guitar on my backpack and I was headed to the Art Institute, guarded by two big green lions at the entrance. I had been there before, but this day was different and strangely comfortable. It had been raining all day, and there was no one on the street, which seemed unusual for Chicago in the daytime. I was walking and almost on the steps of the entrance to the museum when I found in the center of the street a single red rose. At that moment, as I stared at that rose, I realized that I had become a drifter in the confusion of my own life. The song talks about that." The Braids: "Hey, this is a fun song. It's about two people, obviously a girl and a boy. They meet and find inside each other a soul mate. It is also related to the life of a man who is a loner and an adventurer and is missing something. Then he finds the girl of his dreams and his life is much more complete." A Night's Fairy Tale: "This song is very mystical. It placing a special feeling, like a tingling feeling in your body when you listen to it, or for me when I play it. I really enjoy playing this song. It's about the conflicts inside the mind at the end of a perfect night. When you listen to a great concert, see a great movie, or experience any kind of moment in your life where everything is perfect, you never want it to end. This song is a reminder that even though it has to end, there is tomorrow, and even if there isn't a tomorrow, there is still the memory of tonight." At the Moment: "This is a powerful song about love that is not supported by those observing it from a distance or close, but still on the outside. For anyone that has loved someone and had their parents or friends tell them that that person is not good for them. I think most of us have had an experience like that or similar to it. The first lines in the song: 'It doesn't really matter if they stay, It doesn't really matter what they say', pretty much gets that sort of mood started." Alexandra's Song "Very simple, a song for the greatest woman in the universe. Alexandra is a greek name. It means 'woman who protects man'". Zarathustra "Ok, ok. Zarathustra is related to the book 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra' by Frederick Neitzsche. Throughout history, books have been falsely identified with their purpose. This is one of them, and all I can really say is that humans are the ones who make history, so we had better make the best of it. You know, in a lot of ways, this song is related to film called 'The Matrix'." Leaf Turns to Water "A feel good song. Water in a forest. Just about simple things that make a person feel good." ANDREW KURTZ is a passionate songwriter with a great voice!