Lanigan McAndrew

Lanigan McAndrew is the creative culmination and moniker of John McAndrew and Barry Lanigan. The two musicians met in a cozy living-room pub that is iconic of neighborhood watering holes in Berlin; the bartendress introduced the strangers and soon they were in the shared space of McAndrew's project studio.

The collaboration stems from mutual periods of stagnancy. McAndrew had not written a song in four years. Living in Spain and forever being around cover bands had created an atmosphere of disillusionment and jaded indifference to music. The producer came to Berlin with a lucrative job in the oil industry, but after a year realized there was a different path down which he wished to venture. “Quitting my job and bumming around making music for a year has been the best thing I have ever done,” muses McAndrew as his icy blue eyes shine.
Lanigan’s story is not terribly dissimilar. The multi-dimensional musician left behind an innovative post-punk band in Dublin, Liz is Evil, to experience the freedom, both financially and musically, of Berlin: a city without curfews and with space to explore one’s creative side.

With Lanigan lending his gravelly vocals to McAndrew’s tightly produced tracks, the two hit their stride immediately within the studio walls. Lanigan McAndrew’s most recent discography includes four EPs: ten months of songs and four innovatively crafted eras of their ever-developing sound. The band works quickly and purposefully. “I’ve never created so much material in all my life,” admits Lanigan in his charismatic Irish drawl. The material created is always fresh and the spontaneity of the studio sessions linger well after they have been produced. “It if works, it works. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.” explains McAndrew of the writing process. There is no time wasted on songs that don’t wish to be written; the creative flow is never hindered.

Lanigan McAndrew regularly releases music videos for their tracks, realizing that not only must the ears of their audience be engaged but their eyes as well. The DIY spirit of past musical generations reverberates within the Lanigan McAndrew camp. Not only are the mixing and mastering done in-house, but the website, music videos, and album artwork as well. The band is self-sufficient. Music is a passion and occupies the space of a full time job