Every year around my birthday I think about Gene.

Gene “Eugene” Andrusco was an amazing musician, songwriter, record producer, singer and all-around human. He created and helped shape extraordinary music that was formative and inspirational to me. Besides all of the tremendous records he produced, I loved his band, Adam Again. I have very fond memories of riding the Poor Old Lu van, listening to their albums Homeboys and Dig. His meaningful songwriting and the vulnerability of his voice stood out in that crowd of early 90’s alternative Christian music.

Gene had a studio in Huntington Beach called The Green Room where Poor Old Lu recorded our first album. It was there I got to meet him for the first time but really didn’t get the chance to KNOW him on a deeper level. He was working on another album by a band called The Waiting and we were alternating sessions passing each other coming in and out of the control room. A short few years later I had the opportunity to produce an album for Bloomsday at The Green Room. Later that same year, my band Poor Old Lu flew him up to Seattle to mix our album, A Picture of the 8th Wonder. It was during those times I discovered his gentle nature and generosity.

On my birthday in March of 2000 I got a phone call with the sad news that Gene had passed. I remember feeling like it was the end of an era and I struggled with processing my grief. Gene had a very profound effect on me. The time I spent listening to the music he created and gleaning from his personality will always be part of who I am. I know there are a lot of people around me that were much closer to Gene on a more personal level but I’m grateful for the time with him and to learn from him.

This year on my birthday I want to celebrate his life and music by releasing a cover of his song Worldwide from the album Dig by Adam Again. This song was so impactful on not only myself but my brother so we decided that Blank Books should record it. The message from this song is still as poignant today as it was when Gene wrote it in the ‘90s.

You can find it here:

Please let me know what you think!