Recipe: mix Sandy Andina (Chicago's resident singing/guitar-and-dulcimer-slinging smart aleck) with Stephen Lee Rich (Madison, WI's friendly neighborhood yodeling cowboy), add harmony and humor, then shake and stir. Result: Andina and Rich!

Two Guitars, A Dulcimer and an Attitude
Liner Notes

Comin’ Home - This started out as one of Steve’s 2009 FAWM songs. For those of you who don’t know what FAWM is, it stands for February Album Writing Month. Songwriters from all over the world join in the on-line challenge to write 14 songs in the 28 days of that month. You can get more information by going to the website at www.fawm.org.
The reason for this particular song was that Sandy and Steve had been on the road for nearly a month and Steve was getting a bit homesick. The following summer, when Sandy and Steve went to record it, Sandy made a few modifications to the lyrics and to the melody of the chorus. It’s the first recorded Andina and Rich co-write. Now that they know that they can do it they’re writing a lot more for the next CD.

Morning - This song was written by Michael Castaneda. Sandy heard it on the radio when she lived in Seattle back in the 1970’s. She fell in love with it and has been trying to get every band or duo she’s been in since to learn it. Steve was the first one to say “yes”. Michael likes what they’ve done with it. You will, too.

Porchlight Blues - From Steve’s copius output in the 1970’s. He spent two years writing a song a week and SOMETHING every day. He’s so fussy, though, that he had only three songs that he felt were “keepers”. This is one of them.

Quarter Rat - The title refers to the nickname given, in New Orleans, to street musicians in the French Quarter. This is Sandy’s observation on their struggles to make a living.

Used Rainbows - This second of Steve’s 2009 FAWM songs came about after his wife, Ingrid, e-mailed him a photo that depicted 50 or 60 whitewall tire half burried in the ground. The protruding upper halves of the tires were in nice, neat rows behind a sign which said, “For Sale - Used Rainbows”. Steve decided that Used Rainbows would be a great title for a song. Somewhere along the line the image stopped being funny to him and he came up with this little, a cappella wrist-slasher.

Everyone Out Of The Gene Pool - Sandy wrote this to illustrate the point that the only guarantees in this life are death, taxes, and stupidity.

Where Did The Good Man Go? - Alan Moorehouse (an Englishman who lives in Germany) and Steve co-wrote this on line. Steve got stuck about halfway through and sent it to Alan. Alan finished the lyric and came up with a very different melody for it than the one Steve had in mind. When Steve heard it he quite liked it. Alan recorded it first on his CD, “A Traveller’s Tale”, thus the new melody was set in stone.

Let ‘Em Eat Moose - When Sarah Palin ambled on to the American political scene in 2008 every comic, comedian, and satirist in the English speaking world dropped to their knees and screamed, “THERE IS A GOD!!” There has been no greater boon to comedy since the invention of the punchline. Sandy HAD to write a song about her.
When it came time to record this CD Sandy wasn’t sure that she wanted to include this particular tune. She thought that it might be “old news” by the time the disc saw release. Little did she know. If you ever hear Andina and Rich perform this song live you will hear slightly different lyrics than the ones on this disc. Sandy is constantly updating the song to keep up with Gov. Palin’s peculiar addiction to making a fool of herself in front of TV News cameras (not to mention the TV News cameras’ equally peculiar addiction to recording her when she does it).
BTW, there’s YouTube video of this song that you’re sure to like. It’s here at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XA_kHvO3oUU .

These Cowboys (Born Out Of Their Time) - Written by the late Tom Dundee, Steve has been performing this song in his solo act for three decades. It, of course, carried over into the Andina and Rich repertoire.

Talking To The Vines - Sandy’s song about realizing your dreams.

Caffeine - For those of you who can’t get started, in the morning, before that first gallon of coffee.

Mudball - One of the other “keepers” from Steve’s 1970’s output.

Shira - Sandy wrote this after a trip to Israel. When she looked out of her window she saw, on one side, the border guards along the DMZ. On the other side she saw a ski resort going full tilt for fun. The contrast demanded a song. It’s told from the POV of an Israeli border guard who is writing a letter to his new bride in Jerusalem. Her name is Shira.

Hymn Song - Although hymn singing is the last thing one thinks of when one thinks of this tune’s author, Bruce “U. Utah” Phillips, it doesn’t diminish the song’s power. Sandy and Steve close every show with it because neither of them can think of a better idea with which to leave you.