Andrew Hyra

Andrew Hyra (born February 2, 1964), is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is one half of the folk rock duo Billy Pilgrim with singer, songwriter, and record producer Kristian Bush, and one half of the band Smokin' Novas with Atlanta, Georgia guitarist Brian Bristow.

Hyra began playing guitar in his mid-twenties in the late 1980s, later performing actively with his sister Annie as the Hyras. After collaborations with Bush on their debut albums, Hyra had Bush tour with him when Annie took a job in Miami, Florida. They later created the album St. Christopher's Crossing, and later Words Like Numbers, resulting in the two being signed on to Atlantic Records; Hyra coined the band name Billy Pilgrim. They released two records with Atlantic, Billy Pilgrim and Bloom, and toured worldwide including an opening slot with Melissa Etheridge, before being dropped in 1996.

Momentum with Billy Pilgrim fizzled out by 2000, with Hyra having his solo debut in 1999 with the album Spill, a collection of music. After a hiatus from music and a removed focus from music as his career he released his second solo album Curios in 2011. He formed the Smokin' Novas with Bristow in 2014, releasing the album's Smokin' Novas and Travel Mercies in the following years. Bush and Hyra made plans to reunite following Annie's death in 2019, and released their lost album In the Time Machine in 2020, among other collaborations.

Personal life Andrew Hyra was born February 2, 1964, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall in 1982 and from Tulane University with a bachelor's degree in history in 1987. He has three sisters, Dana, Annie, and actor Meg Ryan. He is married and has two daughters and currently resides in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

Musical career

Hyra began playing the guitar in his mid-twenties, learning to play music by Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, among others. He moved to Long Island, New York in the late eighties where his sister, Annie, was attending college. Finding that the two of them sounded good together, they wrote music; when they moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, the two had written four original songs and performed them at open mic nights in various clubs. One club owner was fond of the two and gave them a permanent opening slot for more established artists for about two years. They performed under the band name the Hyras.

1990-1998: Billy Pilgrim

After a few months living in Knoxville, Hyra and his sister were approached by singer/songwriter Kristian Bush on summer break from Emory University, and shortly afterwards began performing with them. Bush had made a few contacts to studio owners from his college band, which they would use to record their first albums. The Hyra's first album Big Back Porch Songs featured Bush on guitar, and Bush's Politics and Pocketchange album featured Annie's vocals. The Hyra's had booked a list of upcoming performances, but Annie would accept a job offer in Miami, Florida; Hyra requested Bush fill in, and he agreed. They moved to Atlanta, Georgia so Bush could attend college at Emory University. Although the album itself received little attention, "Get Me Out Of Here" and "Insomniac", two songs on the album were, receiving heavy airplay on AAA radio. In 1995 they opened on a worldwide tour for Melissa Etheridge, but copies for Billy Pilgrim weren't made in time to be promoted throughout it, to Hyra's frustration. Critically the band was compared to various other bands, including The Rembrandts, R.E.M., and the dB's; Hyra grew accustomed to these comparisons, but criticized a Louisiana magazine for comparing them to Kenny Loggins, "of all people". Hyra referred to their relationships as "blood brothers" having been so young and new to the industry.

Following the hiatus, Hyra took a break from music and began working as a carpenter to spend more time with his family, He moved to Los Angeles, releasing the album Curios in 2011.

2014-present: Smokin' Novas and Billy Pilgrim reunion Hyra later relocated to Connecticut, and later South Carolina in 2014, where he would form the band Smokin' Novas with Atlanta guitarist Brian Bristow. They released a self-titled debut album in 2015, followed by a second album, Travel Mercies.

Hyra performed at Eddie's Attic with Bristow as the Smokin' Novas in 2016 and reunited with Bush during a solo set he was performing at the festival. Hyra described the reunion, and therefore the sudden change in his life, as "a whirlwind" of events.

Discography Albums St. Christopher's Crossing (March 26, 1992 Sister Ruby) Words Like Numbers (March 18, 1993 Sister Ruby) In the Time Machine (April 12, 2001 Honest Harry) 1992 Christmas Present 1992 - Various Artists (Billy Pilgrim, "Let It Snow") 1993 Words Like Numbers - Billy Pilgrim 1994 Billy Pilgrim - Billy Pilgrim 1994 True Story - Various Artists (Billy Pilgrim, "Last American Poet") 1995 Bloom - Billy Pilgrim 1995 You Sleigh Me: Alternative Christmas Hits - Various Artists (Billy Pilgrim, "The First Noel") 1999 Snow Globe - Billy Pilgrim 2000 BeSides - Billy Pilgrim 2000 Nine Twenty Three - Billy Pilgrim 2001 In the Time Machine - Billy Pilgrim

Other credits 1992 Better Days - Shawn Mullins 1995 Yelling at Karlzen - Mary Karlzen 1999 The First Ten Years - Shawn Mullins 2000 Last of the Old Time - Chuck Brodsy ("Take it Out Back") 2020 Hold Me In - High on Stress 2023 This Year - Kristian Bush ("Love and Blue Jeans") 2023 This Year - Kristian Bush ("Longneck With Jesus")