Album Notes

One look at the cover of "But Seriously..." will tell you this is a far-from-serious album. Eight songs, by turns ironic, goofy and in-your-face - poking gentle fun at all those topics you're not supposed to talk about at large family gatherings - politics, religion and lurv. Fine songwriting with a flair for the ridiculous!

Andrew Kreider was born and raised in London, England '" growing up caught between the sounds of the English “folk-baroque” scene and new wave musician poets like Elvis Costello. Throw in the influence of Canadians Joni Mitchell and Bruce Cockburn, then stir in the upheaval of a move Midwestern Indiana in his 20s, and you get the fertile soil for some first-class songwriting with a “transatlantic drawl.”

Today, Kreider splits his time between pastoring a Mennonite church in Elkhart, IN, and writing and performing his music. And while he doesn’t explicitly identify himself as a “Christian artist,” his deep Christian faith lies at the heart of his work. Kreider intentionally refers to himself as a "bi-vocational musician" - a poet and pastor who finds joy in addressing the spiritual alongside the remarkable and the banal in everyday life.

The songs on “But Seriously" were all written between 2005 and 2007, but never found their way onto another project. "Mega Shredder Man" is a protest song, written in response to the massive car-crusher built on the edge of a residential neighborhood in Elkhart, Indiana. "Darling Goodbye" has no basis in reality. And "Jesus and Me" - well...

With strong melodies, carefully crafted lyrics and understated playing, Kreider’s songs reward repeated listening.