Andrew Calhoun w/ Billy Brandt

In the thirty-odd years that he has been a songwriter and performer, Andrew Calhoun has created an impressive collection of songs from which he draws in live performances. On stage he is disarmingly unpretentious, spontaneous, insightful and darkly witty, as he weaves a tapestry that includes not only his original songs, but Scottish ballads that he has translated from dialect, and poems and songs by such exceptional writers as Dave Carter, Mary Oliver and Robert Frost.

At age seven, Andrew memorized W. B. Yeats' "Song of Wandering Aengus," thus earning a nickel from his mother. He got his first guitar in 1967 at the age of ten, and began writing songs at twelve. By the late seventies, he was performing in the Chicago folk scene. He has since toured internationally, performing at folk clubs and festivals, pubs and house concerts. In 1992, Calhoun founded Waterbug Records, an artists' cooperative folk label which has grown to 70 titles, bringing some of the brightest singer-songwriters and folk musicians to an international audience. His own recordings have been released on Hogeye, Flying Fish and Waterbug Records.

Andrew Calhoun's vivid and inspired music is a companion for anyone who has ventured off the well-paved road to forge their own path in this world. Now living in Chicago, he recently released his tenth album, Staring at the Sun (Songs 1973-1981).

Influenced by the likes of Gram Parsons to the Grateful Dead, Billy Brandt has molded his sound by creating his own unique guitar picking that creates a haunting melody which stays with the listener long after the song is over.

After moving back to Michigan in the late 1980’s, Billy moved into artist development and started his own label, Drum Dancer Records, in 1993 as a management label and cultivated several bands to the point of major label interest. Drum Dancer soon grew to become a full record production label, and soon after he met a singer-songwriter named Jill Jack and signed her to his label. Billy helped launch Jill’s career by releasing her first four CD’s, managing and playing guitar in her band, and co-writing several songs with Jill. Billy continues to perform frequently with Jill both as a duo and with the full band.

In 2002, Billy started his latest music endeavor called Grievous Angel, an all-star caliber band of Detroit’s top musicians that blends the best elements of roots-rock, folk, bluegrass, and country. Grievous Angel took the area by storm and quickly became a staple on the Detroit music scene, winning two Detroit Music Awards for Outstanding Folk/Acoustic group in 2004 and 2005.

Billy Brandt is the winner of the 2006 Detroit Music Award for Acoustic/Folk Instrumentalist. He has been recognized with 11 more DMA nominations for Songwriter, Guitarist, and Vocalist in both the Acoustic/Folk and Country categories, as well as almost two dozen additional DMA nominations as a member of Grievous Angel and the Jill Jack Band.