Bob Andrews fell ass backwards into becoming the touring manager for Uncle Tupelo and Wilco. He’d been working at a drum shop in Nashville and was good friends with Ken Coomer, Uncle Tupelo’s drummer. After a brief meeting with the band, Bob was hired. He went on to manage Tupelo, and eventually Wilco through the initial tours for their 1996 opus, Being There. Undertow began the same year that Andrews walked away from the Wilco gig, as he began to take on management duties for clients like David Bazan of Pedro The Lion.
Over the course of the intervening thirty years, Bob and his ever expanding roster of mid-level artists have been building careers amidst an ever-changing and increasingly difficult musical landscape. By leveraging the intimate power of house concerts, Andrews has also helped to foster a burgeoning underground network of alternative venues.
More than a decade ago, Jayne Ballantyne came on board as an intern. Coming from a theater background, Jayne combined her navigational skills with a penchant for logistics and a deep love of music to become a natural at the dark arts of artist management and booking. Today she counts herself as a partner in Undertow with Bob.
Artists That Have Worked With Undertow
Anders Parker
Bad Bad Hats
Bottle Rockets
Califone
Cave Singers
Chris Brokaw
Chris Staples
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Craig Finn (The Hold Steady)
Damien Jurado
Danielle Durack
David Bazan
David Dondero
Diane Cristiansen
Earlimart
Eef Barzelay (Clem Snide)
Emma Swift
Eric Bachmann (Archers of Loaf)
Flock of Dimes
Forrest Kline (HELLOGOODBYE)
Geoff Farina
Jason Narducy
Jenn Champion
Jeremy Enigk (Sunny Day Real Estate)
Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter
John Vanderslice
Josh Caterer (The Smoking Popes)
Julia Nunes
Justin Kinkel-Schuster
Kevin Devine
Lady Lamb
Laura Gibson
Laura Jane Grace
Laura Veirs
Lauren Ruth Ward
Lenore
Maria Taylor (Azure Ray)
Marie / Lepanto
Mark Eitzel (American Music Club)
Matt Talbott (HUM)
Mike Doughty (Soul Coughing)
Mirah
The Mynabirds
Nataly Dawn
Nora O’Connor
Oceanator
Peter Silberman (The Antlers)
Pedro the Lion
Richard Buckner
Rocky Votolato
S. Carey
Samantha Crain
Sarah Borges
Say Hi
Scott McCaughey (R.E.M., Young Fresh Fellows)
Sera Cahoone
Shelby Earl
Spencer Thomas
Steve Dawson
Sydney Sprague
Thalia Zedek
Tim Kasher (Cursive)
TORRES
Up Around the Sun
Vandaveer
Walter Martin (The Walkmen)
Warren Dunes
Will Johnson (Centro-matic, South San Gabriel)
Wussy
Both Jayne and Bob are very cognizant of the myriad changes happening within the music industry. Music is something close to free while concert ticket prices have soared astronomically in recent years. At Undertow, they’re working incredibly hard to create the best possible environment for each and every show. They have developed a network of reliable hosts across the country, and with each show are spreading the gospel of the house concert.
These shows are not just terrific experiences for audiences, they are also a great deal for the artists as well. House concerts help to cut out the middle man costs that exist at most established venues. This means that an artist can keep the vast majority of what they make without the venue taking a big cut on ticket and merchandise sales. For many middle class artists, that means a night playing to just 40 or 50 people can still pay the bills, all without charging ridiculously high ticket prices.
During our conversation Jayne and Bob share some of the frightening economic realities for artists not at the top of the pile. We discuss what a golden age it is right now for house shows and alternative venues. And, we talk about the ever expanding definition of what it means to host a “house concert”. We also cover the unexpected community that has popped up around Undertow, and we even rail a bit against Ticketmaster and Live Nation. This one does include a little inside baseball on the music industry, but it’s a crucial conversation for anyone that loves live music.
So, here now are Jayne Ballantyne and Bob Andrews from Undertow Shows. Let’s get into it.
Cheers,
Matty C
