Andrew Philip "Dru" DeCaro (born September 1, 1983), know professionally as "Falconry" is an American record producer, songwriter, musical director, filmmaker and multi-instrumentalist. He is a two time Grammy nominee, a BMI Award winning songwriter, and a Da Vinci Award winning filmmaker.[1] DeCaro has written and produced numerous platinum selling records, working with artists including Khalid, Machine Gun Kelly, Pop Smoke, Dua Lipa, Polo G, 6lack, Lucky Daye, Ty Dolla $ign, Trippie Redd, and Fletcher. He's also performed in a number of bands throughout his career, including 93PUNX with close collaborator Vic Mensa, and currently with The Audacity. He is also well known for his many years as the lead guitarist for singer Miguel and has performed with Snoop Dogg, Will.I.Am, John Legend, Ice Cube, Faith Hill, Lil Jon, Jojo, Andy Grammer, Vic Mensa, Machine Gun Kelly, Christian French, Elle Varner, Chrisette Michele, and Monomaniac.
Andrew Philip DeCaro was born on September 1, 1983, in Washington, D.C. He moved to Baltimore with his parents, Teresa and Jeffrey, when he was three years old. At the age of 10, he found an old guitar in his house that was left by his uncle during a move and convinced his uncle to let him keep the guitar. Assembling kids from the neighborhood, he formed a band and began writing songs and rehearsing in a friend's basement.
Career
At the age of 15, while working at a local pub, he met an older drummer and entered Baltimore's rock and heavy metal scene. The resulting band, called Ex-Rate, was influenced by the metal bands of the early 2000s and east coast hip hop.[2] They played shows around the Mid-Atlantic, sharing the bill with The Strokes, Good Charlotte, and Pissing Razors, and recording an EP at Omega Studios. Maintaining his connection with Matt Long, DeCaro sought his assistance once again in the formation of his subsequent musical ensemble To a Science. This was a four-member, progressive rock band with DeCaro retaining his role as the chief songwriter and de facto leader of the group as they created their sole EP Why Stop Now.[3]
At the age of 19, DeCaro moved to Los Angeles and studied jazz guitar at Cal State University, Northridge.[4] He quickly found new collaborators and launched his first LA band "Periphery" with Dan Book and Matt Halpern, along with another band he'd been developing called "Valentine" based out of Las Vegas. While neither band lasted very long, Valentine won the Ernie Ball battle of the bands and got to play Warped Tour, opening for Paramore and The Used. Upon moving to LA, DeCaro also landed a job bartending at the Viper Room where he began booking shows and performing weekly. Along with booking a number of emerging bands, he also set up secret shows with artists like Prince and Maroon 5, and also launched a weekly songwriter event with Andy Grammar, his roommate at the time. This event quickly gained popularity and attracted names like Anderson Paak, Bobby Brown, Elle Varner, and Tony Royster Jr. It was on the Viper Room's stage that he first played with Erykah Badu at an impromptu jam session, which ultimately set him off on a course of RnB, soul, and urban music. He met DJ Skee and became Skee's house guitarist, later playing, recording, and producing for Snoop Dogg, The Game, Ice Cube, and others. He then led a 10-piece band and hosted a weekly jam at the nearby House of Blues, doing so for two years until he started touring heavily.
Identified as an electrifying performer by The FADER magazine [Fader], DeCaro’s touring career expanded to television where he was lead guitarist on the NBC series Songland and StarTomorrow, AXS TV’s SkeeTV, and made appearances on The Tonight Show, The Late Show, Conan [Conan], Jimmy Kimmel [Kimmel] and Saturday Night Live [SNL]. He played with Post Malone on the artist’s first ever television appearance, and is a member of the band Los Stellarians with SA Martinez of 311.
In 2009, DeCaro met Miguel at a show at The Roxy in West Hollywood. They got together at Fisticuffs' studio the next day and after DeCaro joined him for a couple shows, they began a partnership that spanned close to a decade and included three album cycles, multiple grammy nominations, every notable late night show, and many tours all over the world. In 2017, he left Miguel's tour team to open his own studio. He began working closely with Vic Mensa, starting a punk band together called 93PUNX, releasing multiple albums and touring globally, including opening for Jay-Z. 93PUNX reflected the rebellious ethos of all band members between DeCaro, Mensa, and singer Dave Coresh. They played a number of unorthodox shows including migrant prisons on the US - Mexico border, LA City Hall out of a flat bed truck, and opening for Bernie Sanders on his 2020 campaign tour.
By the end of 2020, DeCaro's career as a full time songwriter and producer was taking off on the back of a body of work that included rising development projects like Christian French, to established acts like "all i know" with Machine Gun Kelly and Trippie Redd on breakout album "Tickets To My Downfall". He continued the momentum with 2021 releases like "Demeanor" with Pop Smoke and Dua Lipa and "Retrograde" with Khalid, 6lack, and Lucky Daye, and "SHELTER" with Vic Mensa, Wyclef Jean, and Chance the Rapper. DeCaro's release slate in 2022 included Em Beihold's breakout, platinum single "Numb Little Bug" that went #1 at Hot AC, #5 at Top 40 Radio, earning him a BMI award. Other releases that year included FLETCHER's single "Becky's So Hot" and One Ok Rock's album "Luxury Disease", which he co-executive produced with Rob Cavallo and included collaborations with artists like Teddy Swims. Since 2023, DeCaro played a similar role in One Ok Rock's 2025 album "DETOX", co-written and produced a number of songs with close collaborator Whethan, including his gold single "Money on the Dash" with Elley Duhe, and produced songs for artists ranging from Polo G and Flowdan to Jackson Wang and Pierce the Veil. DeCaro also continues to play live, often with emerging artists he produces for, including Royal & The Serpent on Avril Lavigne's tour and CIL on Stevie Nicks' tour over the last couple years
Beyond traditional music pursuits as a writer and producer, DeCaro is also the co-writer, composer, creator, and director of a musical called "Bloodlove". After developing since 2019 and a number of one-off show cases across the US, the musical is opening off Broadway in New York City in February, 2026. He also produced his first short film "Destination Angels" in 2021, featuring the folk artist "Fences" creating a new album to honor the memory of his biggest inspiration Jack Kerouac. The film was created in conjunction with Jack Kerouac's estate, featured at the centennial celebration of Kerouac's birthday, and has won a number of awards at film festivals across the world, including the Beverly Hills Film Festival and Cannes.
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