Freshman performs under Wisconsin-themed stage name

For most of summer 2015, Andrew Idarraga worked grueling days putting up party tents. It’s a job he said is much harder than it seems. Often after a long day of work, he would take a drive in his ’99 Ford Crown Victoria, an old cop car, to Fox Point, a suburb north of Milwaukee.

It was there that Idarraga, with his long mop of dark hair, would hop out of his car, strip down to his underwear and dive into Lake Michigan. Out on the water, the freshman Bandier student could relax, float and gaze at the Milwaukee skyline miles in the distance.

“I’d swim far enough where I’m like, ‘oh, man, I don’t know if I can make it back,’ just because I just like it,” Idarraga said.

But one summer day at Fox Point sticks out to Idarraga the most. He had a day off from work, and was joined by several of his buddies. It was a clear but windy day. They bodysurfed until they were too tired to go on, cherishing their last few days together before starting college.

That late summer day is the inspiration behind “Foxpoint Cove,” Idarraga’s first song under the moniker The Wisconaut. The song, co-produced by fellow Bandier freshman Jack Messing, was born not long into Idarraga’s time in Syracuse University — its chorus is the first line written in a tiny notebook Idarraga’s dad gave him just before he left. The notebook’s intended use was to keep track of assignments, but has since turned into an idea booklet for The Wisconaut.

Evan Jenkins | Staff Photographer

“Foxpoint Cove” was Idarraga’s first solo attempt at songwriting, but the track is already approaching 4,000 plays on SoundCloud just four months after its release. He said he’s surprised so many people like it.

Idarraga’s Wisconsin roots are obvious in his stage name, but they don’t stop there. Two of The Wisconaut’s other songs, “Great Mis-Steaks” and “Things I Cud-n’t Understand,” are part of an ongoing EP titled “Udderances.” Even his website, thewisconaut.com, features a poorly Photoshopped image of his face and a cow in a temporary swimming pool.

The ode to his home state is an attempt to make his music accessible to the wholesome and laidback people he thinks are so essential to Wisconsin’s identity.

“I’m playing at this whole stereotype that Wisconsin is just cheese and cows, because it’s not,” he said.

The Wisconaut’s tribute to home makes sense, as it was Idarraga’s musical upbringing that made him the artist he is. He began taking piano lessons at age 5, something that he was forced to endure for six years.

It wasn’t until middle school that Idarraga found his niche playing the drums — he’s comfortable behind a kit because it fills his need to hit things. In high school, he and some friends formed a band called Where’s My Sandwich? and went on to play at their senior prom.

Now at SU, Idarraga has found his way into a band called Super Defense. He acts as the drummer but writes none of the music, a role that made him realize he had the potential to branch out on his own. He said:

But before he could write any music at SU, Idarraga needed a guitar — something he’d never owned or played before. And as luck would have it, he found one for $15 at 3fifteen, the thrift store in Marshall Square mall. The strings are too far from the frets, but to just fiddle around on, it gets the job done.

During live shows, Idarraga has had to borrow friend’s guitars. He’s “borrowed” friends too and has been joined onstage by them, including guitarist Scott Sweitzer , guitarist Gavin Blaiser and drummer Terrin Munawet.

They’ve played two shows so far this semester. In January, they joined student band Pizza Party at Spark Contemporary Art Space for The Wisconaut’s live debut. Idarraga said the crowd took well to the new band — by the end they were moshing and singing along to “Foxpoint Cove.” Last month, the guys played at Big Red, and Idarraga said the turnout was so strong that some of his friends couldn’t even get in.

The guys will once again be playing a show at Spark on Saturday. And while everything the Wisconaut has recorded was done by Idarraga alone, he said he couldn’t be anywhere with out the help of Sweitzer, Blaiser and Munawet.

“I swear by those dudes,” Idarraga said. “They add a such a better flavor to my live music.”