Andy Squyres is a singer-songwriter born and raised in the mountains of Northern California but after moving east in the late 1990’s, he’s spent the last few decades carving songs out of the foothills of his North Carolina home. Heavily influenced by the poetics of Leonard Cohen, Squyres leans heavily into the lyrical tradition of artists like Bob Dylan, The National, and John Mark McMillan, having a passion for words that are equally worshipful and honest.
His live show is ache on display, a joyful protest, at once humorous and tragic, weaving together songs and tales of heartbreak and hope, making audiences laugh and sometimes cry while feeling the wonder of the sorrows and joys of life.
David Zahl of Mockingbird says of Andy, "Andy Squyres; I love this man and his music. There's simply nothing else like it. When I listen to Andy I hear something that hasn't existed before. Closest I can come to a description is if Leonard Cohen grew up Assemblies of God, was raised by Saturday morning cartoons, could recite the McDonalds menu by heart, had binged Robert Capon, and could build a boat with his bare hands if required. But really you just need to listen. Andy Squyres is not the poet-priest we deserve, but he's certainly the one we need.
In 2016 he released his album Cherry Blossoms and most recently in 2021 he released his album Poet Priest which journalist Brett McCracken named the album of the year stating that "If people claim Christian music is all schmaltz that sugarcoats reality, they haven’t listened to Andy Squyres. The Charlotte-based (by way of California) singer-songwriter makes beautiful, brutal music that wrestles with grief, pain, and the struggles of faith."
In 2021 and 2022 he also released books called Poet Priest Vol.1 and Poet Priest Vol.2, respectively. In Nov 2024 he released Poet Priest Vol 3. They are each compilations of essays about being content with living a small, faithful life.
