Andy Krikun: Singer-Songwriter

Andy and the Ratttlesnakes
In 1978 and 1979, while working in a record store and living in an apartment blocks away from Venice Beach, I began putting together the band that became known as Andy and the Rattlesnakes. Featuring Paul Lacques on guitar, Morley Bartnof on keyboards, Rob Hasick on bass, Jeff Hollie on sax, and Barry Wisdom on drums, the band moved from their home base at the Taurus Tavern in Venice to the L.A. club circuit, including the Whiskey, Roxy, Troubadour and Starwood. After releasing the single "Solitary Man" in 1980, Andy and the Rattlesnakes recorded a single for Rocket Records and were included on D.I.Y.'s "Best Ten Bands in America".

"Neil Diamond never had it so god as one of his chestnuts ends up onthe long end of an electric update that threatens to drag folk-rock out of the closet"
- Bill Bentley, L.A. Weekly


	I began writing songs as a teenager and started performing them for family and friends shortly thereafter. For the next few years, I played my songs at open mikes, libraries, school events, parties, political rallies, restaurants, clubs and occasionally, on street corners in New York, New Jersey and Boston. One night, while watching a late night TV movie that featured Kris Kristofferson strolling along Venice Beach at night, guitar case in tow with palm trees swaying in the balmy breeze, I decided to follow in his footsteps and headed to the West Coast.
			Andy and the Ratttlesnakes In 1978 and 1979, while working in a record store and living in an apartment blocks away from Venice Beach, I began putting together the band that became known as Andy and the Rattlesnakes. Featuring Paul Lacques on guitar, Morley Bartnof on keyboards, Rob Hasick on bass, Jeff Hollie on sax, and Barry Wisdom on drums, the band moved from their home base at the Taurus Tavern in Venice to the L.A. club circuit, including the Whiskey, Roxy, Troubadour and Starwood. After releasing the single "Solitary Man" in 1980, Andy and the Rattlesnakes recorded a single for Rocket Records and were included on D.I.Y.'s "Best Ten Bands in America". "Neil Diamond never had it so god as one of his chestnuts ends up onthe long end of an electric update that threatens to drag folk-rock out of the closet" - Bill Bentley, L.A. Weekly
	"Beautiful Country" (Quicktime Video) "Beautiful Country" (Real Video)		Urban Artillery I returned to Los Angeles in 1984 after completing my B.A. in Music at Hunter College. In the next few years, I played with a number of bands, studied theatre and appeared in The Curse of Bigness at the Wallenboyd Theatre. During this time, and while studying ethnomusicology at UCLA, I played keyboard and sang with the band, Urban Artillery, led by my musical comrade, saxophonist, singer, and songwriter, Jeff Hollie. "Gets ya dancin' if you're not wearing lead boots" - Music Connection
	"You Are My Flame" (MP3)		Blazing Wheel I formed Blazing Wheel with my longtime collaborator, Paul Lacques. The idea was to combine all our music influences together and come up with a unique musical gumbo. We mixed some country and folk into a dark jazzy R&B roux and self-released the EP"Racing Through My Heart" in the summer of 1993. Featured on L.A. radio stations KLOS, KPFK and KCRW and other stations nationwide, the band also performed in Austin, Texas for the 1994 South-by-Southwest music festival. "Fine CD it is, too .... skronkoid James Chance-y yakkety sax throughout, some folky Neil-sims, tres eclectic, tres bien." - Johnny Angel, L.A. Weekly "Blazing Wheel is both a testament to where Andy Krikun's been and a vision of where he's headed. It's good to dance to his spooky brand of hope." - Michael Ventura
	"Hollywoodland" (MP3)		The Shot My former bandmate, Morley Bartnof, and I were asked by actor-writer-director, Dan Bell, to provide songs for his Hollywood spoof, "The Shot" in 1995, which features Wayne's World alumni and a cameo appearance by Dana Carvey. Two of our songs about life in Hollywood were featured in the opening and closing credits. For more information about the film, visit The Internet Movie Database: www.imdb.com. The video is available for purchase at Amazon.com: www.amazon.com.