I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen Andra play.

But I can tell you it’s been different every time. Gathered together in grand worship spaces, huddled around small intimate campfires, sipping bourbon in a smoky bar, or sitting in the sunshine, talking about what makes music of all kinds so sacred.

I can also tell you her shows remind me of the same thing every time: Sitting in a dorm room, debating our favorite bands. When I tried to convince her that I was a bigger R.E.M fan than she was, Andra pulled out a vinyl copy of R.E.M.’s Reckoning, complete with a price tag from a used record store in Germany.

She won the argument. Then she gave me the LP. For keeps.

That’s the sort of person Andra is. The kind who will disarm you with her wit and intelligence, but who radiates both a resilient hope and an understanding that life is very, very complicated. That’s the sort of artist she is, too.

Andra studied music formally at Belmont University in Nashville, TN, all the while apprenticing in Nashville’s bars and clubs, swapping songs and stories. Her honest, passionate writing won her respect and friendship—and those friendships helped her hone her skills as a writer and performer.

Andra’s music expresses both a deep sense of faith and a mature sense of self. She attributes that to being the daughter of two insightful, progressive ministers, one of whom worked as an Army Chaplain whose calling took the Moran family all over the world. She grew up making friends from all sorts of backgrounds, seeing people at their best and their worst, and discovering that she was able to call both Liepzig and Leavenworth home.

In Small Things, the follow-up to 2005's critically acclaimed studio release Listening, Andra partners with some of Nashville's most accomplished musicians. In Small Things was mixed by Grammy winning engineer Neal Cappellino. Andra has been a big fan of Neal's work-- especially what he's done for Allison Krauss, Dolly Parton, Mindy Smith, Gabe Dixon and Joan Osbourne-- so having Neal on board to mix this project was a big treat!

Andra’s other recordings include 2003’s acoustic EP, The Someday Sessions and 2001’s If Not for This with Josh Elson, produced by Dexter Green. In addition to her recordings, Andra’s songs have also been published in a Chalice Praise and are sung in churches, summer camps and (fittingly, if you ask me) dorm rooms across the country.

Accessible but unique, hopeful but never naïve. Andra’s the type of musician you want to hear over and over and the type of friend you want to keep forever. Buy her record, go see her play, or book her to perform. She’ll teach you a thing or two, then give you her blood, sweat, and tears in her performance.

For keeps.


--Rev. Brandon Gilvin
Fellow Seeker, Fellow Writer, Friend.
Associate Director, Week of Compassion