I had a chance to catch up with Chicago native Andrew Belle at Rockit Bar & Grill Wrigleyville on Sunday night. This laidback, personable, and very talented musician and I spoke about his big break and what made him move from Chicago to Nashville last year. Belle and I slowly made our way thru the packed bar and down the stairs, while he embraced excited friends and fans with a hug and a smile of gratitude. As we walked down the stairs he said, “being back in my home town was great, but also overwhelming.”
Belle described his first big accomplishment as when his EP, All Those Pretty Lights, came out in the fall of 2008. Andrew had been in Chicago’s music scene for about three years performing at Rockit Bar & Grill frequently, along with a plethora of other venues, like coffee shops and bars. He even has a live CD recorded at Rockit, which can be purchased on iTunes along with his other CD’s. He had a friend that lived in Nashville and impulsively decided to pack up and move last June. Belle said, “I just seem to fit into the whole Nashville scene more than Chicago’s”. His mother told me she used to help Andrew manage his music, but he grew so quickly that he needed to hire more help. This proved to be a wise decision since his music has received national attention since then.
His song “I’ll Be Your Breeze” was featured on 90210 in September and then he performed in the Ten Out Of Tenn music tour with other Nashville musicians. He found his inclusion in Ten Out Of Tenn as having the most impact on his career. For people that don’t know what Ten Out Of Tenn is, it's a community of ten talented individual musicians based in Nashville that have produced a compilation album, three tours, and a documentary Check out this you tube video from the tour. Recently, Belle’s song “Open Your Eyes” from his sophomore album The Ladder, was featured on CW favorite One Tree Hill. You can check it out at the cwtv.com. Talk about a dream come true for this brilliant star!
Andrew Belle is a Chicago native and rising Nashville, TN star. His record All those Pretty Lights was nominated for the 2009 MTV VMA award for ‘Chicago Breakout Artist of the Year.’ At first listen, you can’t help but to fall in love with his distinctive voice. His music has been featured on shows such 90210, Ghost Whisperer, The Real World, Keeping up with the Kardashians and just last night on One Tree Hill, so it is very likely you're already familiar with his sound.. Andrew was also part of the Ten Out of Tenntour, which is a group of Tennessee musicians that travel around the Midwest further, performing classic and modern day Christmas songs with an indie rock twist. This rising star shows no sign of fading, with his new album The Ladder comes out TODAY. You can also catch him on tour, performing at Rockit Bar & Grill –Wrigleyville, February 28, and back in Chicago again on March 28th, performing at Schubas. Andrew is also making his rounds at colleges campuses, along with popular venues like Hotel Café, Los Angelas, CA and SXSW, Austin, TX.
