Today we’d like to introduce you to Anders Drerup.
Hi Anders, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up in Ottawa, Canada, and started playing music as a teen. There is no formal training, but there are several cherished mentors with whom I’m still in contact today. As a result of an inherent lack of focus or maybe because I was learning in such a sporadic way, I was involved in many unique positions over my formative years. I sang in a rock band based in Havana, Cuba, that toured internationally, played traditional Greek music, and toured China, Europe, Australia, Africa, and North America extensively. I played the lead role of Gram Parsons in a touring stage play for several years, more bands than I could be expected to count—all of this and more before the age of 30. I released a couple of solo albums to little acclaim. Truthfully, at the time, I’d fallen into the role of support musician effortlessly, so it’s where I spent many (possibly too many) years. I played bass, piano, drums, guitar, backup singing, and pedal steel, and it all was natural enough to do in nearly any band that would hire me, so I just kept playing, learning, and touring. And so it went until I was about 35. Some major changes presented me with an opportunity to reimagine myself and take whatever skill I had with me to somewhere new. My brother had already been living in Austin for a few years and had always said it would be a great fit for me, so with my life in Canada packed up and looking for a new home, I came for a visit.
Not that this is particularly pertinent to the interview, but it might provide some color: I’d had a recently failed marriage with me in my emotional luggage, not to mention a few more missteps along the way that were putting things into a bit of a tailspin at the time. Music was the last thing on my mind, but then, about a week into my visit, I was brought to the Saxon Pub on a Tuesday at 6 pm. If you know Austin, then you know that it is David Grissom’s time to shine. I often think of that performance stabilizing my then-spiraling existence as a life raft. Watching this absolute legend and his incredible band playing on a Tuesday evening for no cover charge in this inexplicably hip venue got my blood pumping again. Before he’d finished his first set, I had already decided to move to Austin to be part of this exciting world.
The following years were marked by some notable moments. Almost purely by accident, I participated in NBC’s The Voice season 18 (Team Nick Jonas). I assembled an incredible band of musicians, and we still play frequently. Some more mentionable highlights might be performances at The Moodie Theater, The Continental Club and C-Boys, and Antone’s. We even shared a bill at the Saxon Pub with David Grissom. What a trip! I survived the pandemic, holding odd jobs in the absence of the music scene as a repo man, construction worker, and others. Since day one in Texas, it has only gotten better. This town has opened its arms to me since I arrived and leading up to this very moment while I sit in my home in South Austin. I’m grateful and proud to call it home. It feels more like home than anywhere else ever has.
It wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The road is rarely smooth for career musicians or nearly anyone. The benefits of growing a nearly impervious thick skin are that things like global pandemics and fresh starts are no more scary than an average day. Money is always tight, and your hustles are a colorful mosaic of pipe dreams and half-realized schemes over time. It’s a numbers game in that you keep your head above water by continuously getting involved in endeavors that ride the line between satisfying the things you want versus the things you need. Those who stay with it in the long run are rather happy overall. The ratio of items being thrown at the proverbial wall to the ones that stick becomes less important than the fact that you have to do it all yourself. You get to own the failures as well as the victories. There are plenty of both.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to explore my abilities as a writer and a singer, not just an instrumentalist. The work I get tapped for in Austin plays to those two skills. I’ve been part of multiple acts (often at the same time) for nearly 3 decades, and that experience has given me a wealth of knowledge on how to run and manage a music business. My wife and I operate Verge Talent Management LLC, an umbrella for all our services, including writing, recording/production, performance, booking, sound/lighting, film scoring, and nearly any other musically adjacent skill you can imagine needing. In addition to writing and performing songs to our fans, we perform for weddings, private parties, corporate events, ribbon cuttings, bar mitzvahs, funerals, baby showers, etc. There is very little we can’t do at this point. We take great pride in our professionalism and stagecraft. After many years of doing it well, we can walk into any scenario and confidently deliver top-quality entertainment tailor-made for each client. (Who include Goldman Sachs, F1 Racing, Mack Trucks, Google, and countless others). One of the things that makes us unique is that we do logistics in-house. Sound, lights, smoke machines, DJ services, emcee, it’s all in a single phone call to us, and we have it covered. We are also a growing network—a kind of musical co-op. The longer we spend as part of this city, the more experienced, diverse, and capable we become at giving people what they need.
Do you have any advice for those just starting?
Lift with your legs. Wrap cables properly. Stay until the job is done. Become an excellent judge of character.
Pricing:
- Full band package (10 piece + sound/lights) $6750
- Gold package (6 piece + sound/lights) $4750
- Silver package (4 piece + sound/lights) $3750
- Duo package (includes sound/lights) $2500
- Solo (includes sound/lights) $1250
Contact Info:
- Website: https://andersdrerupband.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andersdrerup/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChb3ntdxBWh_mjBI27QeaTQ
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-247156814
