'The Commitments' star on life after the iconic Irish film

Andrew Strong has made a name for himself - outside of 'Deco Cuff'

In addition to working on future albums, Strong is spending a great deal of time on a side project called the Bone Yard Boys. The rock duo composed of Strong and Bent Larsen Peterson delves into a harder, more rock oriented sound than Strong’s previous work.

“There’s very much of me in this music, a hundred percent of me,” Strong said of his side project. “I’ve really expressed myself here, and don’t get me wrong, I love soul music and I’m thankful for the success I had with it. But this new work, it’s contemporary… With this new record I want to get out and set the record straight… It’s much more contemporary rock. Not that it’s so contemporary. I mean I’ve played it for people in their 50s and they dig it, but it’s very different from my other work.”

The Bone Yard Boys, whose debut record can be expected early next year, has provided a place for Strong to release music which turns away from the soul sound fans have come to expect from him into the arms of a heavy alternative sound. Having fought the fight for creative freedom within the industry since he was a teenager, Strong seems most excited to release this new work which reflects where he is musically now. The new direction proves a challenge for Strong but one he is more than willing to accept. “There’s always that uphill corporate battle so many bands have to go through, and I have survived the music business for 20 years,” Strong said.

A great deal of Strong’s talent and influences can be traced back to his family. His father Rob Strong was a soul singer whose career led the family to make homesteads in Kansas City and Las Vegas before settling more recently in a country setting outside of Dublin. “Most kids only go to two or three schools in the course of their whole education whereas I went to twelve or so different schools, so really to be honest even though I was born in Dublin I lived less of my life there. Also the last fifteen years my family have been based about twenty miles outside of Dublin so it’s more country oriented. So [musically] I was more oriented in that way than what Dublin influenced.”

Strong’s mother owned a chain of hairdressing shops before she entered the music business as his manager for a time. Strong’s fans are also likely familiar with his sister Maeve who lent vocals to a duet on Strong’s third album which was extraordinarily successful on the European airwaves.

Now fresh off his American tour, Strong is focusing on the Bone Yard Boys and his new solo material and splits his time between Ireland and Copenhagen.

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Nster.com