Florida Southern student to perform in Plant City

Aspiring musician Andrew Salonich, known by his stage name Andrew Carter, will be making his debut in Florida at the Krazy Kup on Oct. 7.

On Oct. 7, Carter will make his first appearance outside of SoCo at Krazy Kup, a coffee shop in Plant City, at 8:30p.m. Carter is excited to perform alongside two new freshman band members, Ethan and Nicholas, who play the drums and bass.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” Carter said. “I love playing live for people who haven’t heard my music before.”

Carter’s passion for performing stems back nine years to his first public performance at a restaurant in Point Judith Beach, R.I.

“These girls were performing in the restaurant and my mom went up to one of them in between son

gs,” Carter said. “She said ‘Hey, my son is really good at guitar. Can he play a song?’ They were like sure! I played a song and that was the first time I really performed music in public.”

Inspired by alternative and punk rock, Carter’s style is unique. He remembers receiving Relient K’s album for Christmas in 2009 and how it encouraged him to advance his musical talents. Over the years, Carter has grown as a musician and performer by participating in theater and open-mic nights, which have made the stage feel like a second home.

“I wouldn't compare myself to any other artist," Carter said. "Honestly, i'm myself, i'm not the next somebody, i'm the first me."

Aside from alternative and punk rock, Carter has also been inspired by SoCo’s president who told him his single “Planetarium” was “grammy winning material” after its release last year. “That’s the ultimate goal,” Carter said. “To take my mom to the Grammy’s.”

Carter is currently a sophomore at Florida Southern College and a member of SoCo Productions, an on-campus record company composed of producers, managers, and artists. Carter has participated in SoCo performances at Scholar’s Weekend, an end of the year pool party and at Relay for Life.

Ten years from now, Carter sees himself residing on the West coast and hopes to have released at least two albums.

Carter believes his performance at Krazy Kup will draw a diverse audience, and he hopes it will help get his name out into the community. Carter will also be performing at SoCo Productions first event of the 2017-2018 year on Nov. 4.