With today marking the full release of his latest EP “Time Stands Between,” singer-songwriter Andy Sydow steps up to the plate for a five-week, baseball-inspired “Dirty 30” road tour to debut the album. With a nod to what Sydow calls the “bases of life,” the artist belts his latest sounds at venues from Colorado to Tennessee, as well as busking outside of a few baseball stadiums along the way.
Representative of a bases-loaded lineup, the tour spotlights “Time Stands Between,” a metaphorical walk through three heavy hitting themes. With raw honesty, each track delves deep capturing paradox in the face of tough realities. As the tracks study personal crossroads, past relationships and death, Sydow said, “These three songs are a reflection of life in a way. It's not necessarily a pretty reflection either.” Encapsulating snapshots to emote identification with fans, the album boasts an all-star lineup.
On first base, “Alibi” contrasts the irony of external and internal barriers in juxtaposition to personal breakthrough. Birthed from a period of career disillusionment, Sydow first recorded the track in 2016. As a crowd favorite, the artist remastered the track’s previously slower and more intimate cadence to match the energy he continually encounters from fans in live concerts. Earning Sydow distinction as a Club 7 member, “Alibi” placed as finalist in the 2021 Kerrville Grassy Hill New Folk Songwriting Competition Festival. Additionally the track received notice as finalist in both the 2020 International Songwriting Competition and the 2020 Durango Songwriters Expo Song Competition.
Lamenting the loss of attention of a past love interest, “Just Want You to Notice Me Again” speaks from the voice of the forgotten partner. Holding position as second base on the EP, the piece garnered attention as semi-finalist in the 2020 International Songwriting Competition.
As the third base on the album, “When It Ends” is an exposition of the temporal importance of daily decisions weighed against the inescapability of an individual’s waning significance in death. Another award winner, it received recognition as finalist in the 2021 Kerrville Grassy Hill New Folk Songwriting Competition Festival.
Sifting multiple influences over his years as an artist, Sydow identifies the style for “Time Stands Between” as modern Americana and folk. Sydow stated, “This is just maybe the first release that I feel sounds like me.” At the same time, he does not intend to pigeonhole into a defining sound. Leaning into ranging styles to produce fresh music will continue to characterize Sydow’s unique artistry.
For Sydow, his music reaches farther than songwriting. Sydow paints in lyrical imagery infusing satire while building both common and pivotal narratives to relate with listeners. When asked to define the bases of life, the artist stated, “It's life. It's the process. It's the joy and the pain and the curiosity and the melancholy all at once. It's a symbol of everything.”
The “Dirty 30” tour schedule lands the artist at gigs in six states. Tying into the overarching theme of the album, Sydow seized the opportunity to plot a tour route throwing back to a tradition of visiting baseball stadiums while on summer vacation. “Planning my own trip and doing it around my own career feels like it’s come full circle … rounding the bases,” said Sydow.
Sydow launches tonight with the first show at the Lair of the Swamp Fox in Grand Island, Nebraska. While on the road, the musician will perform solo, but he will close the tour headlining with his band at Dazzle in Denver on Sept. 22.
Rounding another base, Sydow will celebrate his 30th birthday playing a gig at BB’s Jazz, Blues and Soups adjacent to Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. The artist will also deliver impromptu busking performances outside of baseball stadiums along the tour circuit. Appearances will be spotlighted on social media.
Whether wielding a guitar, a piano or a baseball glove, Sydow extracts thought-provoking analogy from life experience. The three tracks of “Time Stands Between” capture reflective themes to load the bases and drive the tour in for a grand slam.
Tracks for “Time Stands Between” are available on SoundCloud.
To see Sydow’s full tour schedule and to buy tickets, visit www.andysydow.com.
