Todd Hannigan: 'Thicker Than Water'

Singer, songwriter and surfer Todd Hannigan

Originally from Connecticut, Todd Hannigan now lives in Ventura, Calif., where he spends his time surfing and making music with his band The Heavy 29s. With a voice that bears a striking resemblance to Nick Drake's, Hannigan makes gentle tunes inspired by his travels up and down the coastlines of Australia, Indonesia, Ecuador and Africa.

Hannigan makes no attempt to hide from the comparisons to Drake and other artists like Cat Stevens or Elliott Smith, citing each as an influence. He says he's particularly inspired by Drake's "experimentation with tunings and melody."

Though surfing has been a huge part of Hannigan's life, he says it's had more of an impact on his mental health than his music, calling it "a way to reboot the mainframe."

Hannigan has played and recorded with Jack Johnson, Minnie Driver, and the Malloy brothers, among others. The featured track is "Thicker Than Water" from his debut release Volume I.