Meet Andrew Ricci | Founder of Luna Shade

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andrew Ricci and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andrew, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Luna Shade began when I decided to change my way of living and be the best person I could be, although its still a work in progress.. 6 years ago I was in a pretty “dark” place, mentally and physically. The party needed to stop and I needed to give myself the love I deserved. After my stint living in the Caribbean I was evacuated after the 2017 hurricanes and when I was re located back to Fort Collins I vowed to never go down the path I had been on again. It was time to make dreams a reality. life is too short.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Luna Shade is still and always will be a work in progress. We differ from a lot of other reggae groups in a way because we carry a sharp edge. Sure, a lot of people try to live a “positive vibes only” lifestyle in the American reggae scene but in all reality there is no light without darkness. We try to bring that to the for front. Its ok to struggle, it’s ok to cry and feel low, but how you chose to handle it is what makes you who you are. Luna Shade has seen its fair share of lows but something we’ve always been good at is pulling through. There has never been one thing I couldn’t accomplish if I put my mind to it and from that I have been learning to trust in the process. The journey is the destination!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, truthfully there’s too many rad things to do in this beautiful state to write out but ill give you a day in the life if a homie stopped through. lol. I would hope it would be a beautiful day out, maybe a Sunday afternoon in late June. We would ride bikes through Old Town, Fort Collins to Odell Brewery so we could catch a local act playing in the afternoon on their beautiful patio. After that maybe we would grab a “spliff” from Organic Alternatives and sit down by the Pouder River for some time, hopefully i’d bring a fishing real or two so we could throw some lines and if we didn’t catch anything, well, at least we had caught a buzz. Maybe there after we would hit my favorite resturaunt, Rare Italian, grab a bottle of wine, some fine cheese and a steak. After that we would probably make the journey home during sunset. Probably make a few stops and joke about how out of shape we are. haha. By that time we’d get home and end the evening with my pups, some tiki torches rollin in the back yard and a reggae tune on lock holding the vibe proper. Welcome to Colorado!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Big shout out and respect to my mother Lisa Kroening for always holding me up with strong support. My Fiancé Amanda Messier for giving me strength and courage. My band mates for believing in myself and the dream. My best friends Zach Lee, Tyler Wendorf and Jerry Dean Williams for always having my back in my darkest days. Of course all of our fans in the “Shady FamiliJah”

Website: www.lunashademusic.com

Instagram: instagram.com/lunashademusic_co

Facebook: Facebook.com/lunashademusic

Youtube: https://youtu.be/-6K8zazl2Zw

Other: For booking please inquire @ lunashadebooking@gmail.com

Image Credits
Uno Media Entertainment Mookie Photography Sarah Twiggs