Andy’s Bio
From a wide-eyed new-Aussie kid to an Oz rock veteran, Andy Zarins has navigated a musical apprenticeship that has been somewhat culturally diverse to say the least. Born to parents displaced by WWII, he began his classical piano training at the age of six, and by then had already written his first original song. His mother, sceptical of his talent, suspected plagiarism. In response, Andy hid the composition in a jar beneath a floorboard, only to discover it thirty years later – still intact and sounding great!
Andy was fortunate to learn piano accordion from a Hungarian–Jewish teacher and Auschwitz survivor, whose dignity and resilience in the face of the worst aspects of human experience affected the young musician deeply. It also instilled in him a love of Eastern European music of many kinds, from the exotic strains of klezmer and Romani to the wild rhythms of the Bulgars. Soon, though, the siren call of rock ’n’ roll proved irresistible, and he traded the accordion for a Gibson Flying V, making his mark on the Oz rock scene with heavy metal band Tyrant in the early ’80s, and Slyder/Latvian Gearbox Overdrive in the ’90s, rubbing shoulders with legends like Cold Chisel, Rose Tattoo and The Angels.
Andy has been a semi-finalist in several UK Songwriting Competition categories and a finalist in the Nashville-based International Songwriting Competition with his song “I Am Released”. Additionally, his track “Cheryl Noble” was a contender for the Latvian Eurovision entry. Andy has been a street choir leader and the Artistic Director of the Quaama Choir. He has performed at Four Winds and multi-cultural festivals.
These days, Andy still churns out songs at a tremendous clip and is an integral part of Wrack & Ruin, finessing Phil Moriarty’s tunes with blow-torch subtlety and rhythmic verve on piano, guitar and piano accordion. A lovely backing vocalist, too.