Born in Sweden and now a Permanent Resident of the US, Dre Anders is a product of a very famous musical family. Her parents graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm Sweden–her father was honored with a postage stamp and the family toured in churches and summer festivals all over the world for most of her childhood. So, for someone who spent her first 18 years on stage, she certainly chose an odd career path for the better part of the next two decades…pushing her two brothers out of the creative nest (Adam Anders-music producer for Glee, Alex Anders-vocal producer and engineer), joining a pop group in LA, experimenting with Blues and Rock, vocal producer and arranger for various Indie projects, catalyst for the launch of the critically acclaimed Travelin’ McCourys, and most recently founder of Dre and the Collective…a band she started in her hometown of Tampa. “I wanted to draw on the celebrated musical roots of this area—like Tom Petty and Ray Charles…and blend it with my voice and Swedish musical heritage…as well as the Gospel sounds of my youth.” She has been described as a "hard folk" artist, willing to tackle subjects that are emotional and thought provoking, presented in soft melodies and harmonies, surrounded by soulful acoustic instrumentation.
Dre started Dre and the Collective in her hometown of Tampa, where intitally she drew on the musical roots of that town, and started out as an 11 piece band. But, after writing, playing, and being influenced by her musician friends in the acoustic music community, it has settled into a smaller group with a Soulful Folk sound. Dre says, “I wanted to draw on the Westcoast Folk sounds that came out of Laurel Canyon, blend it with my voice and Swedish musical heritage…as well as the Gospel sounds of my youth.” She has been described as a "hard folk" artist, willing to tackle subjects that are emotional and thought provoking, presented in soft melodies and harmonies, surrounded by soulful acoustic instrumentation.
Dre's collective is a cast of rotating musicians, depending on who's available to play. On any given day, it can include members of the Royal Family of Bluegrass–Ronnie McCoury (mandolin) and Rob McCoury (banjo), along with their band mates Jason Carter and Alan Bartram. Cody Kilby, of Ricky Skaggs fame, has lent his guitar picking fingers on many occasions, as well as arranging and co-production, along with Shane Theriot (Hall & Oates, Neville Brothers). The always present member of the group is percussionist and drummer, Joseph Interrante from Tampa, who keeps the music flow grounded and centered.
According to Dre, "There's nothing really new under the sun...it's really just about how much you use of what's already around you to create something new. I draw from past sounds that move me, mix it with my point of view, voice, passions, experiences...and hopefully the combination makes for something engaging and emotional for the listener.