CD Review: Andrew Wiscombe “Indiana”

Salt Lake City’s Andrew Wiscombe is not your average singer-songwriter. In fact, while music had been a part of Wiscombe’s life (he’s Berklee-trained), it wasn’t until he left the military where he had served as an Army sniper in Iraq that music truly played a pivotal part in his life. The introduction of music into Wiscombe’s life was a way for the ex-military officer to help with the PTSD that he had been dealing with since getting out of the service so that he could focus on other things, such as his family life.

Andrew Wiscombe’s style of writing is largely based in folk-rock that will remind many of songs from Bob Dylan… but with a lot more of a personal connection in them. Where Dylan may have sung about the atrocities of war, Andrew Wiscombe lived through them. And that personal connection shows in his music as Wiscombe takes the listener to places where only a person who experienced the real life situations could.

While some of the tracks written by Andrew Wiscombe deal with the heaviness of war, Wiscombe ventures into other directions that are much less uneasy but with just as much intensity to their subject matter. As a matter of fact, Andrew Wiscombe writes his songs with a style that makes each song feel like a real-life story. That realistic songwriting approach can be found on each of Andrew Wiscombe’s CDs.

Having already released Stories from Southpaw and The River, The Lark, The Pine, Andrew Wiscombe is currently promoting a brand new EP. That new release is entitled Indiana. With his previous releases, Andrew Wiscombe created each song with a very minimalistic approach with mainly just his guitar and his harmonica. For the Indiana EP, Wiscombe continued that basic idea but added Ben Carey on bass to help add some depth to the on the release. That additional element gives some of the tracks more body but still allows for a simplistic sound to Wiscombe’s music.

The first track on the new EP from Wiscombe is the song “Jinglin’ Jack”. Based deep in the ideals of Folk music and folklore, “Jinglin’ Jack” finds Wiscombe creating a track that has a very strong talltale approach to the lyrics. The story contained within the lyrics is about a man who comes to town only to be misunderstood by the townsfolk as they come to think something different about the man than the truth would actually come to show. It’s only after they chase him out of town that they realize who the man was. “Jinglin’ Jack” from Wiscombe ends up being a perfect example of “never judge a book by its cover because you’ll probably miss out on something.”

With the next song of “On the Run,” Wiscombe changes up the feel of the music. While most of the material from Wiscombe is very simplistic, this track takes the folk feel of his music and adds a lot of energy to the music of the track. The Folk-Rock track stands out rather loudly because of the energy included on the track which includes an electric guitar to help add to that energy level. The folk-rock song of “On the Run” could easily find its way onto modern-day Country radio formats.

Another track that finds Wiscombe adding Country to his new EP is the release’s title track. “Indiana” features a slow, easy pace to the Country/Folk music. As you listen to the track, you feel as if you’re listening to a story. The storyline deals with the everyday lives of men and women who call Indiana home. The simple feel of the track is what makes it easy to listen to.

The newest release from Andrew Wiscombe comes to an end with a new rendition of perhaps the strongest track off of the album The River, The Lark, The Pine. The track is entitled “Holdin’ a Ghost”. While other songs from Wiscombe’s may deal with stories about other individuals, “Holdin’ a Ghost” is very close to Wiscombe’s life since the title comes from a statement made by his wife Kate. As she held him close, she felt that his mind was a million miles away. It felt as if she had been “holding a ghost”. The emotional tug caused by the lyrics makes the song one of the strongest in Andrew Wiscombe’s personal library. It also helps to bring Indiana to a close on a very strong note.

Indiana from Andrew Wiscombe will be released on June 2nd, 2017. Until then, check out the track “Holdin’ a Ghost“.

As an ex-soldier who turned to music to help with his PTSD, Andrew Wiscombe soon found out about others who were also using music as a way to help cope with the stress that comes from combat. Together, they joined Operation Encore, an organization that helps give ex-military and military spouses a musical outlet to deal with inner demons. The organization also gives its members a new way to make a living. For more information on Operation Encore and everything it’s about, check out the organization’s website.