Exploring Andra Suchy

First of all, I have to admit that I like really good singers.  Not just any singer but a really good one.  I think that a good voice can relay so much emotion that it is impossible for anyone to deny the beauty of it.  There are so many vocalists that can certainly go through the motions but the good ones… well, you know from the first note that they can really sing.  The power, poise, pitch and performance can make even the untrained ear sit up and listen and extract all the emotions that are encompassed in a song.  In this era of pretty faces, posed personas, unmerited egos and polished facades that seem to rule the day, I long for someone that can really sing.

Enter Andra Suchy.

Andra has released her debut album, “Patchwork Story,” a collection of songs written by her and her husband Andrew Pierzina and backed by some fabulous players. It is a fantastic recording that, even with the great musicianship that is on display, allows her fabulous voice to shine.  From the first chord of her song, “Little Things,” I was taken in. When she started singing I sat back in my chair and thought, wow, a really good singer.  Her pitch, power, poise, and soul reminded me of Lucinda Williams and Sheryl Crow so much that I immediately wanted to listen to the whole record in a single sitting.  As the record played on, I was not only taken by her voice but her clever lyrics that occasionally rhymed and the seemingly impeccable delivery of the songs. It is an insightful record running the gamut of country, folk, bluegrass and soul.

Andra was born and raised near Mandan, ND and grew up in a family of musicians.  She calls her father, Chuck, more of an inspiration than an influence, yet being surrounded by music likely led her down the road she now travels. Her father, her brother Ben, and now her, have a name that must surely, or soon will, strike a chord with so many.  When she was younger, she traveled to folk festivals to perform with her family, studied voice in high school and performed in musicals.  She started playing in local bands around Mandan and Fargo, eventually winding up in the Twin Cities around 1996.  There she has continued in the music business being, as she says, fortunate enough to work with musicians she admired and now works with on a regular basis.

Personally, I’m not certain that fortune had anything to do with it.  It’s been a busy life filled with hard work and, obviously, that has led her to where she now stands.  When I quizzed about her future plans she says she continues to work hard knowing that the hard work will open doors for her.  They may not always be the doors that you thought would open but, doors have opened.  From her commercial internet music business to one of the several bands she plays in to her moonlighting nanny gig, she keeps going.  It has led her to Garrison Keillor, Dave Pirner, Jonny Lang, The Honeydogs, The Dolly’s, Emmylou Harris and Brad Paisley.  It also helped her garner nominations for Minnesota’s best female vocalist in 2004, 2005, and 2006. 

She continues to do the Prairie Home Companion Show, is in the process of making a new record, and watching her commercial music business grow slowly yet steadily. She believes that if you work hard you will be rewarded and in speaking with her I have no doubt of her work ethic and the rewards that she will reap. This is a charming and upbeat woman to talk to and, when you do, you can feel the energy and excitement that she undoubtedly brings to her performances. And man can she sing! She can really sing.

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