Wantagh’s Robbers: Improv meets music
Despite the plural name, Robbers is a solo act started by Andrew Accardi, a comic book buff from Wantagh, in 2006.
And that’s not the only reason Accardi’s act stands out.
He wants to bring back improvisation during performances, which he said past bands, such as The Doors, perfected.
It’s about going up on the stage and surprising people by changing up the sound, he said. Perhaps with the unplanned inclusion of 32 more bars or even a saxophone, one of the only instruments he doesn’t play.
“Keep it fresh, keep it spontaneous, keep it wild,” he said.
Accardi will try this technique at his upcoming performances, where he plans to play his latest album “Delicious Dark Myths.” His next scheduled show is Aug. 19 in Manhattan.
Although he considers himself to be a solo artist, Accardi enlists other musicians to play with him on stage.
“I always wrote music alone,” Accardi said. “So I just needed some dudes to play it with live.”
While he said he’s toured almost everywhere in the United States, except for Arizona, this will be the first time the 23-year-old will perform in nearly a year.
“I almost felt like a robot,” he said of his past shows. “It was getting to a point it felt like a job and I didn’t want it to turn into that at all.”
The latest musicians he’s chosen to collaborate with have shown so much excitement to play his music, it has inspired him to get up on stage again, he said.
He’s also ready to get back into the studio.
“I have all this music waiting around to be recorded, and I just want to get it all out,” he said.
Although Accardi notes Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and Prince as his prominent influences, he is trying to bring back some old sounds of rock and roll.
Just like his performances, his future music will also slightly evolve. The new recordings will embody a more upbeat sound, as opposed to the relaxed tone of his older songs, like “Leave Liar.”
To date Robbers has released four albums, and Accardi, who plays the guitar, drums, bass and piano, has written every song on his own.
While he says he’s just “going with the flow,” Accardi feels the need to keep evolving on stage and through his music.
“I’m really figuring out the spontaneity,” he said. “I’m very excited.”