Denver singer/songwriter Andrea Ball is a true indie artist. She writes and plays songs that speak to a specific set of people; she does her own marketing, mainly on the Internet; and she does the kind of music that she loves, rather than trying to cater to the market. Her new release, Dial Tone, available today on iTunes, is a combination of eclectic arrangements and some suprisingly memorable melodic hooks--mostly driven by piano, bass and drums, and accentuated by stringed instruments, guitar riffs, horns, and even--was that a banjo recorded backwards? A highly creative effort, to say the least.
From the opening line of "Put on your parachute" to the song "Plane Crash", the record carries an overarching theme of falling from the sky, which Ball claims is a metaphor for stepping (falling?) into something new. Even more than that, Ball says, "A lot of the songs are reflections of trying to love people who didn't necessarily want to be loved." Beyond that, don't expect too much in the way of explanation.
"People ask me all the time what the songs mean," she says, "and a lot of times I don't really want to tell them. I think people definitely take away what they think the song means, which is the whole point."
Perhaps an unintended coincidence, the record's theme of falling actually reflects how Ball came to be a musical artist. "I just kind of fell into it," she says, laughing.
"When I was a kid, all I did was play the piano all the time, and my Mom decided that I was musician...and anytime I would try to do anything else, she was like, 'Nope, you're a musician.' [laughter] And it was like she was recognizing that in me." Ball went on to be a music major in college by the encouragement of her piano teacher, where she kindled an interest in songwriting. Then, she says, "I quit a job, and randomly someone recorded my songs for free...it was this really quick experience where I quit my job, I didn't know what to do, this person literally called me the next day and I went and did that." She has been pursuing a musical career ever since.
Dial Tone comes out today, but Andrea Ball will be celebrating with a CD release concert this Friday night, March 26 at the Hi-Dive, located at 7 S. Broadway in Denver. Helping her celebrate will be O'Holloran and Cody Crump. Tickets are $6, plus a $2 service charge, available at the Hi-Dive website. Show starts at 9:00 PM, ages 21+. You can listen to a sample song from the CD at The Oomph Music Blog. Go check out the show at the Hi-Dive; Andrea Ball is one to watch.
UPDATE: Speaking of watching...Andrea Ball will make an appearance tonight locally on The Deuce (KWGN Channel 2 in Denver) on the 7PM news program. Save Idol for the DVR and tune in!
Buy Dial Tone on 
.
Comments