Andy Cairns
Encyclopedia
Andrew James Cairns is a founding member, singer, guitarist and songwriter for Therapy?
Therapy?
Therapy? is an alternative metal band from Northern Ireland. The band was formed in 1989 by guitarist–vocalist Andy Cairns from Ballyclare and drummer-vocalist Fyfe Ewing from Larne, Northern Ireland. The band initially recorded their first demo with Cairns filling in on bass guitar...

, a hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...

 band from Northern Ireland.

Therapy?

After attending Ballyclare High School
Ballyclare High School
Ballyclare High School is a co-educational, non-denominational grammar school in Ballyclare, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. There are approximately 1,200 pupils at the school, taught by around 90 teachers. It was opened in the 1890s in the village of Doagh, a few miles south-west of Ballyclare...

 in the town, Andy then began working as a quality control inspector in a Michelin
Michelin
Michelin is a tyre manufacturer based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne région of France. It is one of the two largest tyre manufacturers in the world along with Bridgestone. In addition to the Michelin brand, it also owns the BFGoodrich, Kleber, Riken, Kormoran and Uniroyal tyre brands...

 tyre factory. After playing in local heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...

 and punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

 bands, Cairns started the band Therapy?
Therapy?
Therapy? is an alternative metal band from Northern Ireland. The band was formed in 1989 by guitarist–vocalist Andy Cairns from Ballyclare and drummer-vocalist Fyfe Ewing from Larne, Northern Ireland. The band initially recorded their first demo with Cairns filling in on bass guitar...

 in 1989 with drummer Fyfe Ewing
Fyfe Ewing
Fyfe Alexander Ewing , is best known as the original drummer and founding member of rock band Therapy?.-Therapy?:...

 who he met at a local charity gig. Cairns quit his job and became a professional musician when Therapy? signed to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 based independent label Wiiija
Wiiija
Wiiija was a British independent record label. It was founded in 1988 by staff from the Rough Trade Shop in Notting Hill, London. The name Wiiija is a corruption of W11 1JA, the postcode of the Rough Trade Shop in Talbot Street....

. The band, completed by bassist Michael McKeegan
Michael McKeegan
Michael Robert McKeegan is best known as the bassist with the rock band, Therapy?.-Evil Priest:...

, went on to widespread success, perhaps in particular with the much-lauded Troublegum
Troublegum
Troublegum was the second major label album by the band Therapy? It was released on February 7, 1994 on A&M Records. The album was recorded in 1993 at Chipping Norton Studio in Oxford, as well as Rak Studios and Church Studios, both in London. It had a melodically dark, metal-like sound. The album...

album on A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...

 in 1994, which has sold over one million copies. To date, he has recorded ten full-length albums, two mini-albums, two compilation albums and numerous EP's with the million selling outfit. Along with McKeegan, Cairns is the only original member still with the band.

Cairns' earliest work with Therapy? was characterised by an interest in psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...

, psychosis
Psychosis
Psychosis means abnormal condition of the mind, and is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality"...

 and human isolation
Solitude
Solitude is a state of seclusion or isolation, i.e., lack of contact with people. It may stem from bad relationships, deliberate choice, infectious disease, mental disorders, neurological disorders or circumstances of employment or situation .Short-term solitude is often valued as a time when one...

. Later Therapy? albums saw his lyrics become concerned with recurring themes such as doomed romance, loneliness and loss. He has a reputation amongst music fans for being a pleasant natured and approachable artist, happy to sign autographs or converse with fans. This "easy going" persona has marked him out as being quite different from fellow rock musicians, and has bolstered his enduring relationship with the music press. Despite a decrease in widespread popularity and changing personnel, Andy Cairns remains as active as ever as Therapy? frontman, with passionate support from fans at home and abroad.

Side Projects

Prior to Therapy?, Cairns was a member of Likwidatorz (school punk band), Crash Into June and Falling Eiffels. He has also played with roadie/radio presenter Diamond Dave Thompson in a band called The Buzzwreckers.

In 1990, while still unsure of Therapy?'s potential, Cairns formed another group called Catweazle. The trio, completed with Michael McKeegan
Michael McKeegan
Michael Robert McKeegan is best known as the bassist with the rock band, Therapy?.-Evil Priest:...

's brother Charlie on drums and a bassist known only as Chappie, played live around Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

 and recorded a seven track rehearsal tape which has been circulated in trading circles. One of the tracks recorded, "This Isn't (Where It's At)", later re-appeared with different lyrics as "Jude The Obscene" from Therapy?'s 1995 album Infernal Love
Infernal Love
Infernal Love was the third major label album by the band Therapy?. It was released on June 12, 1995 on A&M Records. The album was recorded at Real World Studios in Box, Wiltshire from January to March 1995....

.

In 1995, Cairns (tremolo guitar and vocals) alongside Therapy? cellist/guitarist Martin McCarrick
Martin McCarrick
Martin McCarrick is an English cellist, keyboardist and guitarist.He is best known for his work Siouxsie and the Banshees from 1987 until 1995. He recorded with them three studio albums : Peepshow, Superstition and The Rapture...

 (cello, organ and vocals), formed a short-lived and highly experimental combo called The Casey Jones Reaction. The duo demo'd a few tracks but nothing concrete arose from the sessions and nothing was officially released. However, in 2008 Andy posted several of the tracks on Therapy?'s official website. Two of the tracks, "Serge" and "Apple" featured Michael McKeegan
Michael McKeegan
Michael Robert McKeegan is best known as the bassist with the rock band, Therapy?.-Evil Priest:...

 on bass and were recorded in a studio. The remaining nine tracks were recorded on Martin's four-track.

The Casey Jones reaction is cardiac collapse from cocaine use. It derives from an entertaining yet false story in which a railroad worker named Casey Jones
Casey Jones
John Luther Jones was an American railroad engineer from Jackson, Tennessee, who worked for the Illinois Central Railroad...

 competed against a machine in hammering down nails on railroad ties. According to legend, Jones won but died afterwards because his heart literally “exploded” from beating so fast and working so hard. While Casey Jones was indeed a railroad worker, in reality he died heroically attempting to save lives.


In 1993, Cairns co-founded Dublin based record label Blunt Records with Dan Oggly of Friction PR. The label produced and released work for alternative Irish bands such as Mexican Pets
Mexican pets
Mexican Pets were formed by Pat Clafferty and Jill Hahn in Dublin, Ireland in 1990 inspired by American bands such as Hüsker Dü and Dinosaur Jr. The two soon drafted the late Derrick Dalton in on bass whose distinct and accomplished style was an invaluable contribution to the bands sound. The band...

 and Pet Lamb
Pet Lamb
Pet Lamb were a hard rock band from Dublin, Ireland. They formed in 1991. The band signed to Blunt Records, a label owned in part by Andy Cairns of Therapy?, in 1993 and released their first EP, Paranoid from the Neck Down. After this EP, the band signed to Roadrunner Records, released the Black...

. The label is no longer operating as of the late 90's.

Gear

In the March 1998 issue of "Guitar Magazine", Andy had the following to say:

My amps were just Marshall
Marshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification is a British company, founded by drummer Jim Marshall, that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, brands personal headphones/earphones , and, after acquiring Natal Drums, drums and bongos. Marshall amplifiers, and specifically their guitar amplifiers, are among the most...

 JMP100s. Pedals-wise, I've always used Boss - I bought them all when I was 17 and they're still going, so I can't really fault them - and we added the Coloursound pedals for a bit more bite. The thing about the Coloursounds is they're basic. On the beginning of Tightrope Walker I started playing the riff and picked up this American radio station through the pedal. Left it on, though. They're great; they only make one sound - kkkkkkhhhhh! - but it's a great kkkkkkhhhhh!.

For live work and the bulk of studio work I use my Gibson SG
Gibson SG
At the launch of the SG in 1961, Gibson offered four variants of the SG; the SG Junior , the SG Special, the SG Standard, and the top-of-the-line SG Custom. However, Gibson's current core variants as of 2010 are the SG Standard and the SG Special...

, just straight off the factory line. It's very power chord-y - good for stuff like Screamager, Nowhere
Nowhere (song)
"Nowhere" is a song by Therapy? and a single released on January 17, 1994 on A&M Records. A remix CD was released a week later on January 24, 1994. The song is featured on the Troublegum album...

- but I've also got this cherry '63 SG which I bought in America. That's got a lot more bite, it cuts through more. And Chris Sheldon
Chris Sheldon
Chris Sheldon is a record producer, particularly of rock music, based in London, UK. He has produced or mixed records for the Foo Fighters, Garbage, Feeder, Biffy Clyro, Oceansize and Pixies amongst others...

 also lent me this beautiful early-70's Fender
Fender
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, commonly referred to as simply Fender, of Scottsdale, Arizona is a manufacturer of stringed instruments and amplifiers, such as solid-body electric guitars, including the Stratocaster and the Telecaster...

 Tele Deluxe - so solid, not that thin, almost transistor-y sound I find you get from a lot of Teles. There's also a Jaguar
Fender Jaguar
The Fender Jaguar is an electric guitar introduced in 1962. A descendant of the Jazzmaster, the Jaguar quickly caught on in the emerging Surf music scene...

 on a few tracks.

What I really want though, is a good Les Paul
Les Paul
Lester William Polsfuss —known as Les Paul—was an American jazz and country guitarist, songwriter and inventor. He was a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which made the sound of rock and roll possible. He is credited with many recording innovations...

. In my head, when I hear a Les Paul I hear Appetite For Destruction
Appetite for Destruction
Appetite for Destruction is the debut studio album by American rock band Guns N' Roses, released in July 1987 on Geffen Records. It was well-received by critics and topped the American Billboard 200 chart...

, Generation Terrorists
Generation Terrorists
- Personnel :Manic Street Preachers*James Dean Bradfield – lead vocals, guitar*Richey Edwards – guitar*Sean Moore – drums, percussion, backing vocals*Nicky Wire – bass, piano on Little Baby NothingAdditional personnel...

 or Never Mind The Bollocks, but whenever I play them they sound like Soup Dragons b-sides, this tinny, non-descript indie fizz. I'm one of these people who's probably played every type of Les Paul ever made and they all sound shite. And James
James Dean Bradfield
James Dean Bradfield is the lead guitarist and vocalist for the Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers.- Early life :...

 from the Manics, who's a mate of mine, is one of these lucky bastards; he told me "I just walked into the shop and there it was!" I was, like, "no you didn't, you spent hours in shops searching for that, you specky little twerp!" I've had no luck with them, and I don't know why!

Andy has since switched to using Framus
Framus
Framus is a German guitar, bass, lap steel guitars and banjo manufacturing company, that existed from 1946 until going bankrupt in 1975. The Framus brand was revived in 1995 as part of Warwick GmbH & Co Music Equipment KG in Markneukirchen ....

 Guitars.

Personal

Andy lives in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...

 with his wife and child. He married English born Kristina in May 1997. Their son, Jonah Ramone, was born in October 1999. Since 1994, Cairns has been a season ticket holder at Chelsea Football Club
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...

.

Albums

  • Babyteeth
    Babyteeth
    Babyteeth was the first album by the Northern Irish band Therapy?, released on July 15, 1991, on Wiiija Records. Tracks 1 and 3 were recorded in January 1990, with the remaining tracks recorded later that year, all at Homestead Studio in Randalstown, Northern Ireland...

    (1991)
  • Pleasure Death
    Pleasure Death
    Pleasure Death was the second album by the band Therapy?. It was released on January 27, 1992 on Wiiija Records. The album was recorded in 1991 at Southern Studios, London. It reached number 1 in the UK Indie Charts....

    (1992)
  • Nurse
    Nurse (album)
    Nurse was the first major label album released by the band Therapy?. It was released on November 2, 1992 on A&M Records. The album was mainly recorded at Loco Studio in Caerleon, Wales, apart from "Gone" which was recorded in Annamoe, Ireland. It marked a departure from the noise punk style of the...

    (1992)
  • Troublegum
    Troublegum
    Troublegum was the second major label album by the band Therapy? It was released on February 7, 1994 on A&M Records. The album was recorded in 1993 at Chipping Norton Studio in Oxford, as well as Rak Studios and Church Studios, both in London. It had a melodically dark, metal-like sound. The album...

    (1994)
  • Infernal Love
    Infernal Love
    Infernal Love was the third major label album by the band Therapy?. It was released on June 12, 1995 on A&M Records. The album was recorded at Real World Studios in Box, Wiltshire from January to March 1995....

    (1995)
  • Semi-Detached (1998)
  • Suicide Pact - You First (1999)
  • So Much For the Ten Year Plan - A Retrospective 1990-2000
    So Much for the Ten Year Plan
    So Much for the Ten Year Plan: A Retrospective 1990-2000 was a compilation album by the band Therapy?, and the second to be released by Ark 21 Records. It was released on October 2, 2000 and allowed the band to fulfill some outstanding obligations to Universal Records...

    (2000)
  • Shameless
    Shameless (album)
    Shameless was the sixth full-length album by the band Therapy?, and the third and final to be released on Ark 21 Records. It was released on October 1, 2001...

    (2001)
  • High Anxiety
    High Anxiety (album)
    High Anxiety was the seventh full-length album by the band Therapy?, and was the first to be released on Spitfire Records. It was released on 5 May 2003...

    (2003)
  • Never Apologise Never Explain
    Never Apologise Never Explain
    Never Apologise Never Explain was the eight full-length album by the band Therapy?, and the second to be released on Spitfire Records. It was released on September 27, 2004. The album was recorded in June 2004 at Parkgate Studios, Hastings....

    (2004)
  • One Cure Fits All
    One Cure Fits All
    One Cure Fits All, was the ninth full-length album by the band Therapy?, and the third and final to be released on Spitfire Records. It was released on April 24, 2006. The album was recorded in January 2006 at Jacobs Studios, Surrey...

    (2006)
  • Music Through A Cheap Transistor: The BBC Sessions
    Music Through a Cheap Transistor
    Music Through A Cheap Transistor is an album by the band Therapy?. It was one of the first releases in Universal Records 2007 series of BBC sessions...

    (2007)
  • Crooked Timber
    Crooked Timber (album)
    Crooked Timber, is the tenth full-length album by the band Therapy?, and the first to be released on Demolition Records. It was released on March 23, 2009. The album was recorded from July to August 2008 at Blast Studios, Newcastle, with additional recording at The Beauchamp Building, London from...

    (2009)

Singles

  • "Meat Abstract" (1990)
  • "Teethgrinder
    Teethgrinder
    Teethgrinder was a single released by the band Therapy?, taken from their Nurse album. It was released on October 19, 1992 through A&M Records. The single reached number 30 in the UK Singles Chart, and number 19 in the Irish Singles Chart....

    " (1992)
  • "Shortsharpshock" (E.P.) (1993)
  • "Face the Strange
    Face the Strange
    Face the Strange was an EP released by the band Therapy? on May 31, 1993 through A&M Records. Its lead track is Turn, which reached number 18 in the UK Singles Chart, and reached number 5 in the Irish Singles Chart....

    " (E.P.) (1993)
  • "Opal Mantra
    Opal Mantra
    Opal Mantra was a single released by the band Therapy? on August 16, 1993 through A&M Records. It reached number 14 in the UK Singles Chart, and reached number 6 in the Irish Singles Chart....

    " (1993)
  • "Nowhere
    Nowhere (song)
    "Nowhere" is a song by Therapy? and a single released on January 17, 1994 on A&M Records. A remix CD was released a week later on January 24, 1994. The song is featured on the Troublegum album...

    " (1994)
  • "Trigger Inside
    Trigger Inside
    "Trigger Inside" is a song by the band Therapy? and a single released on February 28, 1994 on A&M Records. It is featured on the Troublegum album...

    " (1994)
  • "Die Laughing
    Die Laughing (song)
    "Die Laughing" is a song by Therapy? released as a single on A&M Records on May 30, 1994. It is featured on the Troublegum album. The single reached number 29 in the UK Singles Chart, and number 14 in the Irish Singles Chart....

    " (1994)
  • "Isolation" (1994)
  • "Femtex" (1994)
  • "Stories
    Stories (therapy? song)
    "Stories" is a song by Therapy? and a single released on May 22, 1995 on A&M Records. The song is featured on the Infernal Love album. The single reached number 14 in the UK Singles Chart, and number 15 in the Irish Singles Chart....

    " (1995)
  • "Loose
    Loose (Therapy? song)
    "Loose" is a song by Therapy? and a single released on July 17, 1995 on A&M Records. The song is featured on the Infernal Love album. The single reached number 25 on the UK Singles Chart, and number 23 on the Irish Singles Chart...

    " (1995)
  • "Diane
    Diane (therapy? song)
    "Diane" was originally recorded by US band Hüsker Dü for their Metal Circus EP in 1983. The song was written by drummer Grant Hart, and concerns the murder of West St. Paul waitress Diane Edwards by Joseph Ture in 1980....

    " (1995)
  • "Stories" (re-release) (1996)
  • "Bad Mother" (1996)
  • "Church Of Noise
    Church Of Noise
    "Church of Noise" is a song by the band Therapy? and a single released on A&M Records on March 2, 1998. It is featured on the Semi-Detached album...

    " (1998)
  • "Lonely, Cryin’, Only
    Lonely, Cryin’, Only
    "Lonely Cryin' Only" is a song by Therapy? and a single released on A&M Records on May 18, 1998. It is featured on the Semi-Detached album. This single reached number 32 in the UK Singles Chart.The single was released on CD, CD Digipack and Blue 7" Vinyl....

    " (1998)
  • "Hate Kill Destroy" (2000)
  • "Bad Karma Follows You Around" (2000)
  • "Gimme Back My Brain" (2001)
  • "I Am The Money" (2001)
  • "If It Kills Me/Rust" (2003)
  • "My Voodoo Doll' (2003)
  • "Polar Bear/Rock You Monkeys" (2005)
  • "Rain Hits Concrete" (E.P.) (2006)
  • "Crooked Timber" (2009)
  • "Exiles" (2010)

Other Releases

  • Thirty Seconds Of Silence (1989) - Demo tape
  • Meat Abstract (1989) - Demo tape
  • Caucasian Psychosis
    Caucasian Psychosis
    Caucasian Psychosis is a US compilation album of Babyteeth and Pleasure Death by the rock band Therapy?. It was released on April 13, 1992 on Quarterstick Records...

    (1992) - a US compilation of the first two mini-albums
  • Have a Merry Fucking Christmas (1992) - a 7" given away at Dublin and Belfast gigs
  • Born In A Crash
    Born In A Crash
    Born in a Crash is a European compilation mini-album release by the band Therapy?. It was released on August 25, 1993 on A&M Records. All tracks were previously released in the UK on different EP's...

    (1993) - a European only mini-album
  • Hats Off to the Insane (1993) - a US and Japan only mini-album
  • Live In Japan (Fan Club Edition) (1994) - a fan-club only cassette recorded live in Tokyo
    Tokyo
    , ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

     in October 1993
  • Official Fan Club (1996) - a fan-club only CD recorded live in Arnhem
    Arnhem
    Arnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...

     in July 1995
  • Scopophobia
    Scopophobia (dvd)
    "Scopophobia" is a DVD release by Therapy? on Eagle Vision, a subsidiary of Eagle Rock Entertainment on October 27, 2003. The bulk of the DVD is a full length 19 track concert recorded live at the Mandela Hall, Belfast on June 6, 2003....

    (2003) - a DVD release recorded live in Belfast's Mandela Hall in June 2003, plus promo video clips and extras
  • Gold (2007) - a DVD release featuring promo video clips
  • Webgig (2007) - a live studio video/audio download from the official website, recorded in September 2006

Guest Appearances

  • The Almighty
    The Almighty (band)
    The Almighty are a hard rock/heavy metal band, from Glasgow in Scotland who formed in 1988. They have released seven studio albums, two anthologies and one live album.-1988-1993:...

    - Crank (1994) song: Jonestown Mind
  • Manchild - Untied States (2000) song: Rehab
  • Throat - Knievel Is Evil (2002) song: Gleason
  • The Wildhearts
    The Wildhearts
    The Wildhearts are a British rock group originally formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The band's sound is a mixture of hard rock and melodic pop music, often described in the music press as combining influences as diverse as The Beatles and 1980s-era Metallica...

    - The Wildhearts Must Be Destroyed
    The Wildhearts Must Be Destroyed
    The Wildhearts Must be Destroyed is a 2003 album by The Wildhearts. The album's title makes reference to 1969 horror film Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed....

    (2003) song: Get Your Groove On
  • This Is Menace
    This Is Menace
    This Is Menace was a British metalcore supergroup formed in 2004.-History:The band was formed by bassist Mark Clayden and drummer Jason Bowld during the hiatus of their previous band, Pitchshifter. The group released their limited EP, Collusion in 2005...

    - No End In Sight
    No End in Sight
    No End in Sight is a 2007 documentary film about the American occupation of Iraq. The film marks the directorial debut of Academy Award winning documentary film producer Charles H. Ferguson. The film premiered January 22, 2007 at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. The film opened in limited release...

    (2005) song: F8
  • This Is Menace - Emotion Sickness (2007) song: F8 (live)
  • Inferno - Pompa Magna (2009) song: The Second Triumvirate of Lavonia

External links

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