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Troyboy Andrews: The story of an unsung local musician |
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Written by Paul H.
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Monday, 07 September 2009 00:00 |
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 Jamestown, Ca -- Troyboy Andrews was a long time resident of Jamestown, California. In 1998 I came to hear about him through his music. You see, he made these wonderful tapes of himself singing old blues and folk songs. He would literally fill them up with music and talking, as if he were playing for an audience. He would take these self-made recordings and pass them out to friends and acquaintances, perhaps looking for some sort of recognition. Often he would say that he had deigns to get a recording contract with "Nashville". So it was around this time that I overheard this wonderful, poorly recorded, soulful music coming form the room of my house-mate, Jason. I went to investigate.
Jason said that he was just going over some old tapes to find one that he could record over. I was shocked to discover that the Troyboy cassette hadn't made the cut and was slated for the mixed-tape pile. I quickly snatched up the recording and begin to listen in earnest. I was instantly curious about who this guy was. Who could have done this? I mean, the music wasn't played with virtuosity and the singing was a bit far from what one would call good, but there was something about it, a soulfulness, an earnest artistry, and a yearning for recognition that really struck me. And the fact that this was an original, one-of-a-kind recording made me feeI as If I had stumbled upon something truly rare. It was this that inspired me to write and produce the following - my first and only - audio documentary. Producing this documentary was quite a journey of self discovery for me. After the first cut was made and I begin to look for an audience, I realised that I was Troyboy. That is to say that I too was making tapes and handing them out to friends and family, hoping for some recognition. I was never sure if my work was good enough. Like Troyboy, I also wanted some recognition and get my documentary on the air, a la This American Life. The fear that I had perhaps produced something terrible was too much for me and I never got the courage to actually solicit a public radio show. So now here I am wrestling with my own mediocrity. When I listen to this now, I almost cringe. But it is what it is. Like Troy's recordings my work stands on it's own, naked and exposed, mediocre or not. Listen to the Troyboy Andrews Audio Documentary
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