Andrew Cauchi is the most recent contributor to Depth Mag. I’m pretty damn fussy about the content that appears on the website, and it’s daunting opening up to new contributors. However Sydney based writer Andrew has appeared out of nowhere and writes brilliantly, appeasing my high expectations every time! Needless to say, he’s a welcome addition to the Depth Mag team and we just hope no one else poaches him from us!
Andrew got into alternative/heavy music courtesy of a crush he had. The object of his desires was really into A Day To Remember and during his early high school years, he worked hard to impress her by getting to know the band. With the crush evolving into a best friendship, the feigned interest in the band has also evolved into something more; a genuine love and passion for the heavy and alternative scene. “From that point on it just came out of listening to music with a message that I’d never really heard in the general mainstream. I used to be obsessed with artists like LMFAO and The Black Eyed Peas, so to listen to music that didn’t seem quite as one-dimensional was mind blowing for the teenage me. After that, it just came from seeing those same bands I looked up to live which in turn transformed into a major passion for local music and our local music scene.”
Andrew found it hard to narrow his appreciation for alternative and heavy music down to a particular moment, but attributes his parents for a crash course introduction to some influential music of the early 2000s. They gave him a Nintendo Wii for Christmas, along with a copy of Guitar Hero World Tour. “I remember constantly playing “The Kill” by 30 Seconds to Mars, “Decode” by Paramore, “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World among so many other iconic songs.”
“Even though ADTR were the band that really pushed me into heavy music, I had massive love for 30 Seconds to Mars, Paramore and Good Charlotte growing up. Good Morning Revival was one of the first albums I ever bought, and I spent plenty of hours listening to CDs I had burned that had 30STM and Paramore songs on it. Without those three bands I don’t really know if I would’ve become the person I did.”
Beyond those international greats, Andrew has found belonging and purpose for himself in the local scene. “I owe an incredible amount to bands like Hellions, Our Past Days, and the band I’m lucky enough to manage, Oaks. Hellions and OPD (RIP) were my real gateway into the local scene and I’ve been lucky enough to develop close friendships with members of both those bands. Getting the opportunity to work alongside Oaks has really furthered my passion for the local scene and leaves me wanting to give back as much as I can to the local scene.”
Andrew’s decision to pursue writing came from a “Why not?” moment, where the peer pressure encouragement and lack of excuses combined led to him contacting me and embarking on very cool things with Depth! “I can’t count the amount of times I had mentioned to friends that I wanted to start writing but I found reasons to not do it or I couldn’t bring myself to make my words public. Prior to that I had thrown up studying journalism after finishing high school but that never happened for reasons I can’t remember anymore. I owe enormous thanks to the friends that backed me and read my writing when I was too scared to submit, and especially to Kel for giving me the opportunity that has already given back so much.”
Andrew has been inspired with the continued encouragement that he’s received, coming across as surreal in the responses he’s been seeing. “Having something to say that people actually kinda care about is honestly really inspiring. Copping messages from people saying they really enjoyed what I wrote is incredibly humbling and it’s such a motivating force behind my writing. Being able to share my completely subjective thoughts on something and have people relate to that or have it resonate with them is something I never thought I’d be able to do. On the other hand, just being able to give some spotlight to some of my favourite bands is inspiring enough, I love turning that passion into something physical.”
When asked about goals, Andrew is unsure, vibing like he’s a-okay with the experience leading him where it will. “When I began writing it was more for the sake of writing and to have a creative outlet because I didn’t really have any other outlet for my own personal creativity and passion. As I write more now, I just want to continue writing things that people can enjoy reading. Writing has already been rewarding enough for me, and I’ve already achieved more in a very short time than I ever thought I would’ve.”
Though Andrew is relatively fresh to our team, he shares that he has two stand-out pieces. “The biggest one was getting the opportunity to interview Dan from The Wonder Years. I’ve loved that band for such a long time and it was such a surreal and nerve wracking experience to have a chat with him for my very first interview. To pick the brains of an artist I look up to on an album I have a lot of love for was one of the coolest things I’ve ever gotten to do.”
“In terms of reviews, there’s one that I’m really proud of. Getting to review The Story So Far’s new album Proper Dose was insane, and it was the first review I’d been able to do pre-release. It was really interesting hearing those songs for the first time and then immediately recording my thoughts and first impressions. It was definitely a new experience for me and not something I’d ever done before. I loved the review that I wrote for that album and had a lot of people comment on posts or message me expressing really positive thoughts about that review.”
With regards to what he’s learned so far, Andrew immediately considers himself an idiot for not starting sooner! “But in all seriousness, I’ve just slowly honed my writing skills which has been really cool, because since leaving school I didn’t have all that much use for creative writing at all.”
“The only advice I have is just do it. I understand how ridiculously cliche that is but if you have the itch to start writing just give it a red hot crack. If it’s not your thing that’s fine, at least you gave it a go. But if, like me, it turns out you aren’t half bad at it and you really enjoy it, you’ll regret not starting earlier.”
In closing, Andrew’s answer to ‘Why do you love Depth?’ made me tear up. I’ll just leave this here:
“Kel is the reason I love Depth. The passion she has for this scene is incredible and it is impossible to not see how much she wants to give back to it. She slogs away at the site constantly and treats it like her baby. It’s hard to find that level of passion in most people.”
“Everyone involved in Depth is incredibly talented, all the photographers involved are amazing at what they do and all the writers are absolutely magical with their words. If you want genuine passion in the content you read about this scene, Depth is the best place to get it.”
Find Andrew on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elitefourandrew/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/elitefourandrew/
Depth: http://www.depthmag.com/author/andrewcauchi/
Wonderful. Proud to know you, Andrew.
Awesome, Andrew