Andre Maquera and West
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issue 38 working_Layout 1 12/7/2013 1:50 PM Page 30
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Joe Milliken
recent Cider interview. “It wasn’t
until high school that I picked up
the guitar again and really immersed myself into the instrument.”
Andre would play in several rock
bands during his high school
years, before briefly detouring to
become a pre-med student.
However, a lack of sufficient
funds derailed his ambitions of a
medical career and it was from
there, that Andre truly decided
that music was his calling and
would become his life’s work…
which ultimately led him to joining the Vermont rock band 8084.
Originally formed in the spring of
1982 by vocalist Randy Smith,
keyboard player Charlie
Hawthorne and drummer Gary
Spaulding, Andre would join
Welcome to the happy and busy mu- 8084 that fall along with bassist
sical world of Andre Maquera, a long Frank Barnes. Over the next
three years the band would contime Vermont musician and studio
owner, whose musical adventure has sistently tour up and down the
East coast and Canada, while
been forged over the last 30 years
gaining a reputation as one of
and continues to thrive today and
the hottest club bands in the
into the future.
Northeast.
Maquera has been playing guitar
In 1986, the band pulled up
since age 11 - despite getting no vote
stakes in northern Vermont and
of confidence from his first guitar
teacher – and played in several rock moved to Manchester, New
bands throughout his early and high Hampshire in order to buckle
down and write material for their
school years. “I always wanted to
debut release, while also gaining
play guitar even though early on, a
more exposure through playing
local guitar teacher had suggested
that I did not have the aptitude for the the nearby Boston bar circuit. It
was during this time they caught
instrument,” Marquera said in a
the attention of famed drummer and producer Hirsh Gardner of national recording
artists New England, who
worked with 8084 on their self
titled debut album released in
the fall of 1986.
Although released on a small,
independent label in America,
the band soon picked up a European distribution deal which
increased their record sales,
touring schedule and popularity. Over the next five years
the band would record three
more albums and go on to
tour with such national bands
as Blue Oyster Cult, Warrant,
Edgar Winter and many others.
To this day, 8084 continues to
get together and perform oneoff reunion shows and in
2005, also released a CD of
new material titled The Last
Great Train, which was
recorded at Andre’s own studio, dubbed West Street Digital and located on the outskirts
of Burlington in Fairfield, Vermont. The studio was
launched by Andre and 8084
band mate Frank Barnes in
1994.
West Street Digital is a
full-service, 24-track recording
studio as unique in the area
as the beautiful Vermont landscaping surrounding it.