Song Spotlight: Andie Yagher's twenty something (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

I noticed that the WFNM showcase featured Andie Yagher three or so times last year. After seeing her name pop up on the schedule a few times, I wanted to catch a set, but it just never worked out for me. One time I was shooting the Greek Theatre. Another time, it was squeezed into a rather busy week. One other time, a favorite local band of mine, Ramonda Hammer, was playing. Luckily for me, she popped up on the January 13th WFNM schedule at Hotel Ziggy. 

Andie Yagher at Hotel Ziggy

Since I had never taken a listen to her music, I decided to head over to Spotify. As per her Spotify bio, her music is "a blend of an acoustic pop, folk, and country sound, she strives to shed light on heartbreak as well as joy from new perspectives." The first song that I played was "twenty something" and I knew I was going to make an extra effort to make it out to Hotel Ziggy. I should also be transparent by mentioning that Sophia Roze was also a draw as I had caught a set at The Goldfish. Multiple things can be a driving reason to head out on a specific night. 

Her set had a Nashville country vibe. The full five-piece band gave each song a rich feel -- Yagher especially called out her appreciation for having a friend playing the banjo. Each song was given an introduction explanation or background story. One theme that she laughed about was how "boys" played a role in her lyrics. She has an upcoming album coming out on the most appropriate of days, Valentine's Day, and she performed the title track "pickup game." She mentioned to the crowd, "This one wasn't very nice to me. It's kind of a diss track, but it's also a melancholy whatever." Her mom was in the audience and yelled out just as she was about to start the song, "He was an idiot." Her final song of the night "if i wrote about you" is a song about falling in love with another artist.    

Andie Yagher at Hotel Ziggy

Not all her songs were about "boys." In 2024, she graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in New York with a degree in Film and Theatre. She mentioned that "camera man" was about a cinematographer she met while working towards her degree and an appreciation she had for his camera talents. 

The song spotlight has to go to the opening song of the set "twenty something." A song where you can hear the banjo adding a country undercurrent throughout. Of course, the best part of the song is Yagher's vocals that have a playfulness while singing the lyrics:

Andie Yagher at Hotel Ziggy

Sweet desire
The world's on fire.
Oh, where do I begin?
It's a magic game, a tiresome mess we're in

It is a song about the joys of exploring life as a twenty something. Sure, the world might feel overwhelming, but you're only in your twenties for ten years of your hopefully long life.

Andie Yagher at Hotel Ziggy

Setlist: twenty something, sweatshirt, boxer's tale, camera man, real things, pickup game, if i wrote about you.