The talented musician and composer Andrew Neil is making waves in the music industry with his unique and creative approach to producing albums. Unlike many musicians who focus solely on the music, Andrew places equal importance on the cover art, recognizing it as an integral part of the overall album experience. He truly believes that the art that adorns the album is just as crucial as the songs it contains, and his efforts in this regard have earned him a reputation as an artist who is meticulous and detail-oriented.
To achieve this, he has collaborated with two talented artists, his brother Kyle Scott Maternick and Daniel Benayun, to create visually stunning and thought-provoking covers for his albums.
Andrew’s brother, Kyle, is an abstract artist who has created the cover art for two of Andrew’s albums, “Code Purple” and “Freak.” Despite a difficult period in their relationship in 2013, when Andrew struggled with mental health issues, the two brothers have reconciled and continued to collaborate on Andrew’s music.
Daniel Benayun, on the other hand, has created the cover art for “Merry Go Round (shown in the picture above)” “Sunny Side,” and “Alien.” The combination of Andrew’s musical talent and the visually stunning cover art created by these two artists has resulted in albums that are both a feast for the ears and the eyes.
In addition to their musical and visual appeal, Andrew’s albums are also highly collectible. Each album is available on CD, but for the ultimate fan experience, they are also available in limited-run vinyl pressings. “Code Purple” and “Merry Go Round” each have a pressing of 300, while “Freak” has a pressing of 300. “Sunny Side” and “Alien” are even more limited, with only 100 and 200 pressed copies, respectively.
Andrew‘s unique approach to producing albums and his attention to detail has not gone unnoticed. He is beginning to gain recognition on a national and international scale, with fans and critics alike taking notice of his musical and visual creations. In fact, his first album, “Code Purple,” got him recognized as one of the best outsider music artists by Rankers.
Despite the challenges he faced, Andrew found solace in music. He taught himself how to play the keyboard and guitar by writing songs and has never played a cover. Instead, he opted to write his own original songs by making up his own chord shapes, creating a sound all his own. He has written over 400 songs in this manner.
In 2013, Andrew Neil had a psychotic episode and stabbed his brother Kyle’s arm, leading him to be committed to the Virginia State Hospital system for over three years. During this time, he wrote and recorded almost 100 songs onto a battery powered recorder. Upon his conditional release from Western State Hospital in May 2017, he selected 11 of these raw stripped down songs and released his lofi album “Code Purple.”
Andrew met music producer and founding member of the late-1990’s band, “Earth to Andy,” Andy Waldeck in 2018. Together, they recorded and released his first studio album, “Merry Go Round,” which received airplay on college radio stations and was well-received. In 2019, while recording his second studio album, “Freak,” Andrew was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of lymphoma cancer, but he found the strength to finish recording the album despite undergoing intense chemotherapy treatments.
Andrew’s music is a reflection of his life journey, and his lyrics are a window into his innermost thoughts and feelings. He blends grunge, blues, and shoegaze influences to create a truly authentic sound. Despite being a reclusive artist, Andrew Neil continues to perform at local open mics in the Charlottesville area and is working on releasing two more albums in 2023.
