Album Notes

"A collection of stories detailing battles for hope and companionship. Women from the perspectives of lone travelers, felons and family men-their execution sways from folk-ish, Townes Van Zandt-like ballads to fuller Flying Burrito Brothers-inspired, laid-back country rock.” Andrew McAllister sings with a voice characterized by Three Imaginary Girls as “…a country-esque Damien Jurado” and by Seattle’s Stranger as “…a younger more innocent Jeff Tweedy”. These are just a few of many descriptions of Andrew McAllister’s music.

After releasing two records with the sleepy-country outfit Conrad Ford, Andrew McAllister, with the help of a gray Seattle winter, decided on a change. The winter of 2008 brought him to sunny Los Angeles where he nestled into a hillside bungalow to write and record, collecting makeshift and thrift store instruments to aid his task. Six months later he emerged with a series of songs that were soon whittled down to a proper full-length record, entitled Vanish Valley.

After college McAllister moved to Austin TX to pursuer a career in film work. It was there that he began frequenting the popular roots bar, The Continental Club, and fell in love with Western Swing and Honky Tonk. Digging further into the local music scene he discovered a love for Dale Watson, Daniel Johnston and Townes Van Zandt. When his career in film wasn’t taking off as he had hoped, McAllister returned to Seattle. Back in Seattle, he began recording his own lonesome country songs under the name “Conrad Ford”. He assembled a band with Jordan Walton (record engineer for Damien Jurado and Denison Witmer) and over the course of four years made two albums with Phil Ek (The Shins/Band of Horses/Fleet Foxes) and Tucker Martine (The Decemberists) that were released on Tarnished Records. Conrad Ford mounted several tours, opening for Holly Golightly, Jason Isbell, Eef Barzelay and Firewater.

Now in Los Angeles (where he works as a film editor), McAllister has assembled a group of musicians for Vanish Valley - Henry Derek Bonner/bass, Cara Batema/keys, and Julio Javier Trejo/drums. “I guess I would say this is the first project that just sort of rolled with the heart of the song”, says McAllister. “I was recording while I was writing so the nuances didn't get muddy. And it was freeing to grab whatever instrument was lying around, find the personality of the song and not over think it.”