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If you’ve enjoyed seeing Andy perform, or are stopping by this page for the first time, here’s a little info on who he is and what he’s doing.
Classically trained in the Suzuki method since age six, Andy honed and broadened his musical ear by performing as a teenager at Irish pubs. Encouraged by a chance encounter with Martin Hayes, he attended fiddle camps where he dabbled in various fiddle genres and was introduced by Darol Anger to the “chop” style of comping that continues to shape his sound.
In 2003, Andy co-founded Davis’ Mad Cow String Band, and though bluegrass remains his first love, he enjoys transcending genres. Sacramento’s Alkali Flats hired Andy to perform 40 Hank Williams songs for a series of live karaoke shows, thus providing a crash course in country fiddling, after which he joined the band and performed with them for several years. Through his involvement in the burgeoning music scene in Davis, Andy met and joined up with mountain-folk songbird Rita Hosking’s band, Cousin Jack. Andy’s latest pursuit is playing jazz and western swing with The West Nile Ramblers.
As a sought-after fiddler and violinist in the Davis area, Andy has had the opportunity to record and perform live with several local and nationally-touring acts. Andy’s fiddling is featured on The Devil Makes Three’s 2009 studio album, “Do Wrong Right”, and on their 2011 live album, “Stomp and Smash: Live at the Mystic Theatre”. Andy also recorded recently with Rita Hosking down in Austin, TX for her 2011 release, “Burn”.
Andy performs with several ensembles with styles including, country, bluegrass and jazz. This musical openness (or blatant promiscuity) leads to a whole heck of a lot of gigs. In fact, if it were physically possible to play in two bands simultaneously, Andy would do it. Andy’s probably playing somewhere in California tonight with: