Andy Zipf

Over the past few years Washington, D.C. based musical artist Andy Zipf has built himself quite a cottage industry by constantly writing, touring and by building a fan-base one friend at a time. With two independent releases and over 200 dates under his belt in the last two years, Andy was a PurePick at Purevolume (1/08/07) and has attracted the attention of the Today Show, XM Satellite Radio, VH1 and MTV by building a growing and sustainable model that relies on a stunning live performance, amazing music and a close connection to his audience. Representing the new breed of musical artists who are taking charge of their careers, Zipf is constantly finding new ways to reinvent the rulebook. From Podjacking (using an iPods broadcasting capabilities to send bursts of short targeted marketing messages) to making customized t-shirts for his fans, Andy constantly pushes the boundaries of clever self-promotion, yet never loses sight of the music or his fans. Obviously, the music that I write and perform is the most important part of what I do, says Zipf who adds, its about finding ways to connect with my audience and creating valuable one-of-a-kind experiences for them. The proof lies in Andys soaring vocals and pin-drop falsetto that often leave audiences in utter jaw dropping silence. Not content with waiting for something to happen with his career, Andy and business partner Shawn Matthews set out to do their part in changing the rapidly evolving music industry. They certainly werent the first to raise independent funds for a creative project, however they did manage to break new ground with the creation of their artist driven micro-label called Keep On! Music, a novel approach built on artistic freedom, creative commerce and sound legal structure. In the Spring of 2006, the duo began a four month grassroots fundraising assault. Through a series of fundraising concerts, house shows, investor parties and a well crafted business plan, they raised $45,000 to complete 13 recordings with veteran James Barber, who has worked with such artists as Aimee Mann, Guns & Roses, Ryan Adams, Lisa Loeb and Courtney Love. Andys story, diligence and great material attracted the talents of several well-known session musicians whose collective credits include: Sheryl Crow, Depeche Mode, James Taylor, Iggy Pop and Sarah McLachlan. Andy has shared the stage with a wide variety of great performers including Cold War Kids, Mute Math, Badly Drawn Boy, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Van Hunt, Evan Dando, The Ataris, The Wrens, Dave Bazan, Nicole Atkins and Mary Lou Lord. He is on the road most of the time, traveling from rock club to cafe to coffee shop finding new ways to share his music - one friend at a time.