Branford Native Releases Record Album; Tour Starts at “The Stand”

BRANFORD, CT - A singer-songwriter who grew up in Stony Creek is just about to release his debut album and will holding a full-band album release and show and party at Branford’s own The Stand: Road BBQ & Market this coming Saturday (April 21st) at 8 p.m.

Andrew Biagiarelli is releasing his debut album VAGABOND.

Biagiarelli said VAGABOND has been in the making for about 18 months, starting with a crowdfunding campaign which was launched in November 2016.

He recorded the album with acclaimed producer and multi-instrumentalist Eric Lichter at Dirt Floor Studio in Haddam.

Over the course of many sessions throughout the year of 2017, he was joined by a whole cadre of CT-based musicians, including Atticus Kelly who plays piano and organ for the Hartford-based rock band McLovins, making the album a true statewide endeavor. The result is an album that tells a tale of a young man seeking and, at times, even finding the spiritual and physical freedom he so craves.Bridgeport-based songwriter and musician That Virginia says of Andrew’s new album,

“In the age of single releases, Andrew Biagiarelli has tapped into the art of making an album that is cohesive, where all the songs are different but fit together like tracks of a train. Bring it with you on your next road trip, or listen for inspiration to feed your wanderlust - with your eyes closed, allowing its images to show themselves to you.”

Biagiarelli grew up as aStony Creek native. Having grown up in this little bohemian hamlet of Branford, he said he felt the timeless urge to travel very early in life. After finishing high school in East Lyme he wasted no time packing his bags and heading west.

He made it from Connecticut all the way to California on less than $1,000 in the early summer of 2005, driving a battered old 1987 Chevy Caprice the entire way. It is one of the classic pilgrimages of young Americans - heading west to seek opportunity and adventure on the frontier, and he found plenty of both. He has translated those experiences into a sonic adventure in the form of a classic album of eight songs.

In an interview with the Patch, Biagiarelli talked about his journey.

“Started playing guitar at 16. At 19 I bought an 87 chevy caprice for $300 and drove down to Tennessee to go to Bonnaroo, then headed out through the midwest, sleeping in the car, camping at campgrounds a night here and there.

“When I got to Colorado I went to Rocky Mountain National Park and spent a few nights camped beside the Colorado River where it is still only a stream, and from that moment I was hooked on the western United States. I continued on traveling through southern Utah and to the Grand Canyon, and then finished what would be the last leg of my trip to California and my uncle's house in El Centro, California.

“A few days after arriving, my radiator exploded, stranding me in the desert town of El Centro with only about $20 to my name. So, I stayed a while. 10 months to be exact. And I helped my uncle around the house, used my skateboard to get around town, volunteered at the local hospital, consumed mass quantities of books from the library, including every Kurt Vonnegut book they had in their collection, and even met a girl and had a fling for a short while.

“And of course, I played my guitar, and I wrote songs, a few of which ended up on this debut album. I would hang out with the neighbors in the cool hours of the evening, out in our back courtyard and play guitar while they freestyle rhymed to it, and encouraged me how to craft rhythms and melodies that were conducive to hip-hop. After a while, I realized I was never going to find a job in El Centro, so I started looking online, and found a job in Alaska. But now I needed money to get there, so I hatched a plan to hitch-hike to Colorado and crash on my friend's couch in Vail, and off I went in the last week of February, and hitched a series of rides right up to the Continental divide. After a few months there I had the money I needed to get to Alaska, and then the real fun began.