Andrew Neil and Friends

Andrew Neil is considered an "Outsider music artist” in the spirit of Daniel Johnston, Syd Barrett, Brian Wilson and others. He is included in Ranker’s list of “Best Outsider Music Artists”, which ranks the top outsider music artists in the world. When one listens to Andrew play live, one quickly realizes they are hearing something unique, pure, distinctive and very honest. It’s a combination of Andrews raw unpolished driving rhythm percussive guitar playing on his vintage nylon string Ovation and his soft yet powerful and emotionally charged vocals as he takes one on an uncompromising musical journey. Very subtly, one hears influences of Elliot Smith, Anthony Kiedis, Kurt Cobain, Nick Drake, Daniel Johnston, Neil Young and others in his distinctive vocal delivery and songwriting.

Andrew began writing songs following a head injury sustained in a car accident in 2009. Despite having no formal music training, Andrew has written ~400 songs since the accident. When he writes a song, he has no idea the key of the song or the chording. He plays what he hears in his head. Andrew taught himself how to play Keyboard and Guitar by writing songs. In fact, he has never played a cover song.

After his accident and head injury in 2009, Andrew began his struggle with Mental Illness (MI) issues. He was diagnosed with Bipolar 1 Disorder and schizoaffective Disorder. He writes about his struggle with MI in many of his songs. In 2014 he was hospitalized due to a psychotic episode gone bad and remained in a state hospital for three years until May 2017. While hospitalized he had access to a guitar and a small battery powered recorder and wrote and recorded 70 songs. Upon his release from the Hospital, Andrew decided he wanted to take his story public through his music and decided to release an album featuring some of the songs he had written while hospitalized. Eleven songs were chosen and mastered for the album, which he titled "Code Purple-Andrew Neil”. This Album has been recognized as the only one ever produced in which all the songs were written and recorded in a State Mental Hospital.

Since discharge from the hospital, he has written scores of songs and has released two studio Albums. Both studio Albums were produced by Andy Waldeck. The first, “Merry Go Round” was released in the fall of 2018. This album saw some air play on College radio stations across the country. In June 2019, while recording his second studio album “Freak”, Andrew was diagnosed with a very aggressive Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Cancer. Despite the very intensive and fatiguing Chemotherapy Treatments, Andrew somehow found the energy to finish recording the album, which was released in October 2019. Andrew was declared in remission in November 2019.

Neither Mental Illness nor Cancer has quenched his desire to make a difference with his music. He is doing well and currently living in a Group Home in Charlottesville Virginia and continues to write songs.