John Andrews & The Yawns

Associated with a mix of lo-fi, indie folk, and psychedelia from his solo work and the New England bands he plays in, John Andrews is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist best known as a member of Quilt, Woods, and John Andrews & the Yawns. Already a solo artist and veteran of several area bands, the New Jersey native opened for Shane Butler and Anna Fox Rochinski’s Quilt on their 2009 tour before accepting an invitation to join the lineup on drums in 2011. He appeared on the self-titled Quilt later that year. Andrews began working on his solo debut in 2013, the same year he joined established indie rock group Woods as keyboardist. Founded by Jeremy Earl (Meneguar), members at that time also included Jarvis Taveniere and Aaron Neveu. Working as a full-time member of both Quilt and Woods, Andrews released Held in Splendor with Quilt in early 2014 and Woods’ With Light and With Love that spring. His first solo album, Bit by the Fang, arrived in 2015 on Earl’s Woodsist label. It was released under the name John Andrews & the Yawns, though he played all the instruments himself. That year, he also contributed piano, organ, and voice to Widowspeak’s All Yours LP. The year 2016 brought another string of releases, with Quilt’s Plaza arriving in February and Woods’ City Sun Eater in the River of Light following in the spring. Andrews also co-produced and performed on EZTV’s 2016 album High in Place, and played on Singing Saw by former Woods’ bassist Kevin Morby. John Andrews & the Yawns’ second album of rootsy psych-pop, Bad Posture, arrived in March 2017. This time, it included performances by several musician friends, including Rachel Neveu, Lukas Goudreault, and Joey Schneider, who were living with him at the New Hampshire farmhouse where the album was recorded. The Woods LP Love Is Love followed that May. ~ Marcy Donelson