Music at its core, is a communal thing and that’s easy to forget when it becomes a commodity that has to be charted, marketed to demographics, and ranked and compared like sports teams. Music to me is not nearly as interesting when the artist is disconnected from the fan.
Andrew Osenga has taken that connection to the next level and released an EP of songs inspired by fans. He made a petition for poems, phrases, and photos to inspire his writing and emerged from the studio a couple weeks later. The EP features only his acoustic guitar and vocals except for the last song “Swing Wide The Shimmering Gates” which features background vocals, once again, submitted by fans accompanying his vocals on the song. The EP is available for free, but donations are suggested to offset the costs of making the EP and quite frankly, put food on the table for him and his family.
As gimmicky as the idea is, it also just happens that its a good EP. “Wanted” cuts to core of everyone’s desires. “Anna and The Aliens” sounds like a Springsteen song until the humorous twist at the end. “The Ball Game” laments the passing of his band, The Normals, and his younger days of playing music. “Swing Wide The Glimmering Gates” makes a fantastic closer with a memorable chorus and a memorable hook.
I love the idea of this EP and I hope more artists are daring enough to try something like this. As evidenced by this product, it’s a low cost adventure that Andy can quickly recoup costs and gain more attention to his name. I’m glad to see an artist make such a personal contact with his fans and respond to them by adding their input to his own art.