Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Drew and the Medicinal Pen: Dose #1



“Sometimes it’s just nice to have some trees around you and not step in puddles of human piss.” –Drew on the difference between New York and Philadelphia.

Let me introduce you to Drew Henkels. He’s 22 and he’s originally from Philadelphia, PA. He goes to Fordham University at Lincoln Center in New York as a film major. He’s got a lot of quirky things about him that you will find endearing. One of his favorite things is to make music. Therefore, let me introduce you to Drew and the Medicinal Pen. When I first heard about him, I thought to myself, “why a medicinal pen?" and surely enough I got my answer. “When I was a kid I had all kinds of health problems, chronic fatigue, stomach issues, a brief cancer scare, Lyme disease, all kinds of lousy stuff. I was depressed, and I think a lot of my health issues were psychologically based.” Thankfully, none of these diseases have killed Drew. Instead it has helped to fuel the creation of his first recording.

About a month ago, Drew released his first EP called “Dream, Dream, Fail, Repeat.” It is a journey of sorts. Instead of exploring the exquisite array of countryside from New York’s dirty Chinatown through New Jersey’s fields of chemical laboratories to finally the place he calls home, Drew brings his own experiences and travels into this small six-song EP. "These 6 songs were kitschy, rough around the edges, so it just made sense to record them entirely analog, on reel-to-reel machines, actual spring reverb and the whole bit."

From songs like “Hole in my Sail” to “Merry-go-Round,” Drew keeps a consistent sound throughout the record while maintaining a rollercoaster of events that any twenty-something-year-old would undertake. "They’re about frustration, being young with a broken heart, sorting through old lies with a shell of optimism. Kind of about figuring out that you own your own life, and then asking 'Now what?'"

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I love EP title, "Dream, Dream, Fail, Repeat." That sums up my perception of life in a nutshell.