[Editor’s Note: In November, Chicago singer-songwriter Andrew Marczak introduced the world to his country-folk solo project Orillia via a self-titled album. The album features five country-inspired originals and three covers – Jason Molina’s “Whip-poor-will,” Estil C. Ball’s “Troubles, Trials, Tribulations” and Rio Bravo’s “My Rifle, My Pony, and Me.”
Marczak moved to Chicago just prior to the pandemic and found himself getting into country folk courtesy of the city’s rich music scene. He’s co-fronted indie rock band The Roof Dogs and also plays in the band Toadvine. However, he’s long wanted to share his songs via his own project, hence Orillia. He tracked the songs for his debut in ten hours in one day on tape at Jamdek Studio in Chicago with the help of producer Doug Malone. In the album press release, he says “I decided early on I wanted no overdubs, seeing this as a way to achieve a certain sound and also get out of my own head. There’s less room for trying to fix every little detail or spend too much time making smaller decisions.”
Orillia also features Tristan Hugyen (Elizabeth Moen, Toadvine) — who performs acoustic guitar, both lead and harmony vocals, and the dobro — and Trevor Joellenbeck (Toadvine, The Bascinets) on harmonica, harmonies, mandolin, and piano.
Below, Marczak – who will start his tour January 23 – penned an essay about how finding a new way to write songs paved the way to his solo debut.]
Back when I was in college in Ohio and just beginning to write, I wasn’t satisfied with a song unless it emerged in one sitting; words and all spilling out effortlessly from that secret place where I thought all songs came from. I became a passenger in the process, doing my part to get out of the way of the muses when they decided to show themselves. Any sort of conscious effort on my part sullied the authenticity of the tune. If I could see my own actions or influence on the final composition, I couldn’t bring myself to use it.
It wasn’t until a couple years ago that I started to really trust how I could contribute to my own music. Around this time, I ended a toxic long term relationship and began a lot of psychic healing. I started a healthy relationship with someone I really love. I began to have fun writing and de-mystified the process. I went easier on myself when a song didn’t turn out the way I thought it might and tried to celebrate my failures along with my successes.
I started playing solo for the first time after almost a decade of playing in bands. I trusted in my own artistic vision, at least enough to play a few shows on my own without the safety net of creative partners. I sold custom songs at these solo shows. I asked for a flat fee and a short prompt and a few weeks of time. Aside from the obvious financial motivation, there was something about inviting someone into the process of writing that felt very special. Not co-writing with someone (which I’ve also really enjoyed), but allowing someone to offer up the initial morsel of inspiration that could lead a million different ways. This custom song experiment allowed me to fully immerse myself in the process with no room to second guess whether the idea was worth pursuing. I had to write it. I was paid to.
My songs “Pontoon Boat” and “Cannery Row” were born this way, and they each made it onto my debut self-titled record, Orillia. Using simple prompts (“Pontoon Boat”’s was something about a girl with potential that was too afraid to reach it, and “Cannery Row”’s was something about overcoming existential dread in a silly way), I mined my brain for whatever resonated with these ideas and surprised myself (and probably the client) with the end result. What a creatively freeing process it is to write for someone else.
I’ll be on tour in January, playing 7 cities across the Midwest and Canada, living in my partner’s cute little Fiat. Just me and the cold open road. I’m finally doing things that I’ve wanted to do since I started making music as a mercurial 19 year old Bluegrass minor with dreams of train hopping and societal collapse. The earth feels a lot steadier these days. I’m no longer a passenger afraid of the muses–they’re sitting in the back seat now–I’m driving.
You can find upcoming Orillia tour dates below:
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Andrew Marczak
Contributor
Andrew is a Chicago based singer-songwriter. In addition to co-fronting indie rock band The Roof Dogs and playing in the band Toadvine, he performs solo under the country-folk tinged moniker Orillia.
