Andrew Sa

Andrew Sa's vocals and songwriting are on another level. He draws on a diverse source of inspiration from such writers as Walt Whitman, George Gershwin, Randy Newman, Roy Orbison and Arthur Rimbaud. A natural-born and intuitive performer, Sa spent some time pursuing acting and theater in the Bay area before a short stint in Portland, Oregon. It was the alluring prospect of furthering his songwriting education through a class at the Old Town School of Folk Music that finally brought Sa to Chicago’s shore, which led to meeting the collaborators that would come to shape his musical career in Chicago for the years to come: Liam Kazar and Sully Davis. It was Davis who first invited Sa to open for the legendary queer country band Lavender Country at The Hideout and also tapped him for the brilliantly campy music revue Cosmic Country Showcase, started by Davis and Dorian Gehring in 2018. It was largely through Cosmic Country that Sa became a sought-after voice in Chicago’s independent music scene, enveloping audiences with his signature, siren-like croon and delectable charm. In 2021, Sa worked together with Kazar to develop some of the early ideas that would begin to shape American Rough. Shortly thereafter, Sa was introduced to producer and musician H.C. McEntire, and found himself completely enthralled with her songwriting and singing style. Sa felt she possessed a truly authentic country rasp, highlighted by her vulnerable, cathartic lyricism, and eventually asked her to be the lead producer on the album. Together, McEntire and Sa assembled a robust team of musicians to record with: Luke Norton (piano, guitar), Casey Toll (bass), TJ Maiani (drums), Spencer Tweedy (drums and percussion), Nick Broste (trombone), Hunter Diamond (saxophone), Ivan Pyzow (trumpet), Allyn Love (pedal steel), and Macie Stewart (violin). Most of the recording occurred at Fidelitorium in Kernersville, North Carolina, and additional recording took place at Fox Hall in Chicago. The team was rounded out with North Carolina-based producer and engineer Missy Thangs who co-produced, engineered and mixed the album. It isn’t lost on Sa the importance and impact of having two women as the lead producers and engineers on American Rough, an arrangement that is unfortunately rare to find in professional recording spaces. It’s clear to Sa that he wouldn’t have been able to make American Rough with the kind of honesty, openness, and vulnerability necessary to the music without McEntire’s and Missy Thangs’ leadership and contributions.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the artist