Catfish Seminar is a wily and unpredictable Americana duo from the farmlands of Illinois, now living in Nashville, Tennessee. Together, Andi Jane and Craig Anderson are a musical yin and yang. Like a cross between Bob Dylan and Stevie Nicks, or John Prine with Patsy Cline, they manage to bring what seem like two opposing styles and blend them to create an exciting and magnetic sound.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Catfish Seminar about the latest music, adapting during a pandemic, and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and how do you describe your style of music?
We both happen to be from the farmlands of central Illinois, our childhood homes only an hour from one another, but we didn’t meet until we both moved to Nashville, TN (at the same time for the same reason!).
How did you get here? As in, what inspired or motivated you to take on this journey through music and the music biz?
Andi: I have always been a singer and a songwriter, but it wasn’t until my life in Chicago imploded that I realized what I really wanted in life. At the time, I had just started performing again after a 7 year hiatus, and it revived my soul in a big way. So after losing my house, my job, my boyfriend, and my two bands all in one week, I realized the universe was trying to tell me something. A new friend had just told me she was moving to Nashville, and with no ties left to the city that had been my home for 9 years, I packed up my life and was off to Music City to get to work making my dream a reality!
Craig: I can always remember writing lyrics or stories as a kid. Then I discovered music through joining band playing a baritone in middle school. When I was around 16 years old, I started carrying a harmonica in my pocket everywhere I went. I was determined to learn the harp riff to John Lennon’s “Love Me Do” part. I annoyed my friends to the point they made me ride in the bed of their pick up trucks, because I was terrible and couldn’t stop playing. I then asked my Mom permission to by a guitar, “She responded, why would you do that?” I took that as a yes, spent 200 dollars I had saved on my first left handed acoustic guitar. I then taught myself every chord to “House of the Rising Sun,” when I found a guitar songbook in the library. Not much to do on the farm in Illinois, so music was a form of discovery and a release of imagination. When I was 23 I decided to move west, didn’t really know where, then ended up in Denver for most of my adult life.
I then somehow became “Stuck In Nashville” due to a bad break up with a girl that basically left me in music city on the side of the road at the airport.
Then I met Andi Jane! Catfish Seminar was born out the sky, I suppose.
How does your latest project compare/contrast with your previous release(s)? Were you setting out to accomplish anything specific, follow a specific theme, or explore different styles of creation?
Andi: I didn’t write a single country song until I moved to Nashville. My previous style was dark pop, and when I first landed here, that’s what I set out to make. My first 2 electronic pop tracks ended up getting erased from my Producer’s hard drive right before being mastered, perhaps it was another message from the Universe? But something about the honesty and simplicity of country music really drew me in, and living in Nashville, I discovered the world of Americana—country at the core, but blended with so many other styles, and not just about beer and horses. So I started writing within the genre in my own way, with my own influences. Coming from a country-loving rural background, it felt like home.
Craig: The lyrics of a song and the story have always been more important to me than the melody. I have always steered toward the path of a Folk writer like Guthrie, Dylan, Prine, Goodman, Croce, etc.. When we started Catfish Seminar, Andi became an inspiration with her vocals as an instrument that helped me discover the impact a melody can have when paired perfectly with a story. When we combine forces, we try to take the listener on a journey that they can dance or cry to. It’s all music!!
Name the biggest challenge you faced as a creative during these unprecedented? How did you adapt? How have you kept the creative fires burning during all this?
The biggest challenge was still needing to play and create, but feeling like nobody was listening. The internet is a helpful tool, but the love you receive as an artist in person is what has always fueled our engines. We adapted by playing around a lot of campfires! We spent much of the summer of 2020 camping, and when you play around a fire, in a time where live music doesn’t exist, the audience will always come to you.
What was the last song you listened to?
September by Earth, Wind and Fire! If you haven’t mopped your floors to Earth Wind and Fire, you haven’t truly lived.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? 8-tracks? Cassettes? CDs? MP3s? Streaming platforms?
Spotify because it’s so convenient (Alexa, play me some Earth Wind and Fire!). Vinyl because it feels special every time you put a record on the player. CDs because I have a 6 CD changer in my car and when I enjoy a show, I buy a CD. It’s the best way to get to know local music.
Where is the best place to connect with you and follow your journey?
Definitely Instagram or Facebook! Just search for Catfish Seminar!
