Name: Andrew Jonathan

Band: NORTHERN ROOM

What’s your story for being in a band? How did you come to have a career in music?

My dad was in a cover band in high school. They were called Purple Haze, yes, a direct rip from Jimi! After he stopped playing he kept his guitars for many years after. I was rummaging through our basement one Saturday afternoon when I was sixteen and found his Vox 12-string electric guitar. I was immediately drawn in. That same week my parents bought me The Beatles “White Album”. I was changed forever.


Why are you in a band? What keeps you doing what you do day in and day out?

Songwriting is in my blood. I can’t NOT write. It comes out of me very easily. Very fluidly. For some reason God made me obsessed with creating melody.

What do you love about music?

I love how a song can transform the shape of a room. How it can color a moment. I also love the fact that a great melody has the ability to make you compete against it. I mean this in a songwriting kind of way. For me to hear a song that I love actually pushes me to grab my guitar and beat it by writing a better melody.

Who are some of your favorite bands, and albums that have inspired you?

My top 5 albums are:
1. “Achtung Baby” – U2
2. “White Album” – The Beatles
3. “OK Computer” – Radiohead
4. “Grace” – Jeff Buckley
5. a tie between “Definitely Maybe” – Oasis / “A Northern Soul” – The Verve

I am also a huge fan of Wilco, Ryan Adams and Joseph Arthur.

What are some of your passions in this life?

My biggest passion in this world is my family. My wife, my son and my daughter mean more to me than anything. They give me life and inspire me. They have made me a better person.

What are things that you love and care about in this world besides music?

Again, this would have to go back to my family. My wife and I have recently decided to adopt a child from Ethiopia. That has been an all consuming chapter in our life as of late.

Have you come in contact or been affected by any groups or charities that you’ve seen doing amazing work?

Definitely. Charities such as World Vision and various AIDS organizations.

Have you been involved in any charities?

We presently support 3 children every month through “World Vision” and “Keep A Child Alive.”

What are some of the biggest needs that you see in this world?

There is a need for true love. But love with action. It’s easy to say you “care” about something or “love” something but it’s about stepping up to the plate and taking control of that love. Taking a risk, putting yourself out there and trying to change someone’s life.

To go along with that If you had to pick an area of life to change where would you start?

I would change the amount of fear I have in my life. It has a hold on me many days. It doesn’t allow me to take the risks I want to take. To be free is to be a soul that’s ridden of fear.

Finally, what is more important to you than music?

Simply put, knowing there is a God that has created this world. When I am reminded of this my life is put into perspective. And when my life is shifted into perspective I am a better husband, father and I actually end up writing a damn good song!

www.northernroom.com
www.myspace.com/northernroom