Andrew McKnight

While we're excited about getting back on the road for solo shows and more performances with Beyond Borders, Andrew's pandemic "legacy project" is finished. After nearly a year of restoration and production with his longtime engineer and co-producer Dustin Delage, Nor'easter's one and only album Calm Before the Storm is ready for the world.

In late 1984 Andrew founded Nor'easter along with two of his dearest friends, drummer Matt Bouley and singer Christopher A. Gursky. Over two and a half years, they…

So much has changed since the last time Andrew headed west with guitars in tow. But, here we are, and making one's livelihood as a touring artist means touring as well as artist, so next month he'll load up the van for a short run out to Hudson MI (Thursday Aug. 11th) for the "Celebrate Hudson" weekly outdoor concert series, and Cincinnati OH (either Friday or Saturday 8/12-13). If you are in southeast Michigan or the Cincy area, remember that live music is as necessary for your body and soul as food and…

We are thrilled that for the first time in three years, Andrew and his Beyond Borders bandmates - founding Nitty Gritty Dirt Band member Les Thompson, Stephanie Thompson and Lisa Taylor - will take the stage again to close out the 28th annual Mountville Folk Festival in Aldie, VA on Saturday June 18th. While the pandemic continues to be a nuisance for rehearsing as well as performing, the band have been enjoying making music together and are eager to share it with a live audience again.

If you live within a…

Those who have been following the rather remarkable story of Andrew's pandemic "legacy project" might be interested in hearing the music - and for the first time, you can indeed hear Nor'easter's Calm Before the Storm in its entirety. (Take a moment to catch up here if you are hearing about this time capsule from Andrew's hard rocking youth for the first time).

Andrew and producer/engineer Dustin Delage along with Nor'easter vocalist Chris Gursky from New Hampshire and bassist Paul St. Amour from Tennessee…

Back in February Andrew did a concert at the lovely Garth Newel Music Center in the remote mountains of western Virginia. While primarily home to a world-class chamber music center and festival, they occasionally have non-classical shows in the off season, and their 4 camera broadcast capability is a wonderful thing to be able to share with you now.

The first video here is "New Mission," one of Andrew's collaborations with combat veterans using songwriting as a tool to help them reframe and rewire their…

The Nor'easter project hit a big release milestone with the April 4th release of the first single "The Chemical Zone" to streaming platforms. You can see the lyric video and hear the whole song down below - Andrew plays bass as well as guitar on the album version.

"The Chemical Zone" is an excellent introduction to the many stylistic flavors of Nor'easter, drawing on their 70s rock influences like Zeppelin as well as their mid-80s metal contemporaries. Opening with Chris' haunting vocals over a delicate…

The pandemic project from Andrew's rock and roll past is nearing completion! Thanks to the beautiful acrylic on canvas original art by Rachel McFadden and the digital art and graphic design of Kathlene Sage, the cover for the Nor'easter legacy album Calm Before the Storm has arrived. Andrew writes:

" 'Fare Thee Well' may have been the first studio recording I did on acoustic guitar, and almost certainly the first time I layered tracks. I believe I was 22, and we were recording in a semi-working barn at

Just in time for the winter holidays and solstice, our first lyric video production. We hope you enjoy Andrew's photography as well as words and music, and thanks for sharing "A Dram to the Holidays" with your family and friends.

As of November 15th, our best sale in years is happening now on downloads and physical products at our Bandcamp store, and we're ready to fill your orders right through to '22, with nothing but the US Post Office in between our doorstep and yours. 

• Album downloads just $6 - each comes with cover art, lyrics and liner notes too.
• CDs $9 (plus shipping)
• Andrew's entire 9-album digital discography for just $42.75

And our best sale on last year's Treasures in My Chest album & book inspired by…

We are thrilled to share our second preview from the long-awaited Calm Before the Storm album, recorded in 1989 by the three founding members of Nor'easter - including Andrew on guitar and bass. We'll be live on the Nor'easter YouTube channel at 7:30 pm Sunday Nov. 28th. While you're there, please do subscribe - thank you!

This will be a listening party live from Cabin Studio, hosted by Andrew and producer/engineer Dustin Delage. It's another behind the scenes look at a fascinating story and "forensic…

We are excited to announce that one of the songs Andrew helped write with veterans has been selected for Sacrifice, the Music Therapy of the Rockies first compilation CD. "New Mission" is a collaboration with Alex, who worked in Mortuary Affairs during the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. Founded and run by legendary songwriter and folk artist Mack Bailey, MTR's program addresses the needs of veterans and other at-risk populations through evidenced-based research and techniques - particularly using songwriting as…

For the past several months, Andrew has served on a committee with the Virginia Commission for the Arts to develop and present an online festival of the Commonwealth's rich performing arts talent. Virginia is home to so much great music of all genres, from the mountain music and the Crooked Road of the southwest to the cosmopolitan cultural brew of northern Virginia, and everything in between. 

After nearly a year of planning and production, VCA Presents: A Virtual Artist Showcase is being broadcast over…

As the pandemic has surged again in late summer and autumn, most of Andrew's in person dates have been postponed or cancelled outright. While we are hopeful that we'll be back on the road at some point, we've enjoyed connecting with people around the world via livestreaming. Now that the seasons in the Northern Hemisphere are turning towards cold weather and long nights, we're planning some entertainment to help get you through should you find yourself with relatively few live music options.

We're happy to…

Part of a very busy in-person July has been bringing Justin Haefner, one of my longtime guitar students, into the studio to record one of his songs for a very special project in his horse training business. In addition to being a fine young guitarist and songwriter, he is a gifted horse trainer. 

Justin is participating in a rather amazing equine rescue project, the Appalachian Trainer Face Off. These horses are all untrained and most are feral by all practical measures. The trainers get 100 days to get…

A bit of news to share this Saturday evening. We're thrilled to be working with Mike Pugh and Goose Creek Music and Entertainment editing some video from the last big concert; the Treasures in My Chest release concert at our hometown Franklin Park Arts Center on March 6th, 2020. We've heard from a lot of people for whom that was the last time they'd been out for a concert or public event before everything shut down. 

So needless to say, it's kind of emotional looking back at that concert, and thinking about…

Real shows in the real world in real life. Three in person shows on the calendar, beginning July 7th in nearby Upperville VA, a shared bill with my dear pal Tony Denikos. That means I get to play some electric guitar on his songs as well as playing some of mine. 

If you'd like to host a show, in person or as a Zoom event with farflung family and friends complete with picture show along with a whole bunch of songs and stories done live, let's do it. My first road trip at this point is Sept 25 & 26 to Capon…

Thanks to what could be best described a series of miracles, or narrowly-averted disasters, Andrew's first original recording with his hard rock ensemble Nor'easter is in our hands and in our computers. Recorded in 1989 to 8-track reel tape, Calm Before the Storm is a full album project that was never finished in production. As summer kicks off Andrew and engineer Dustin Delage are painstakingly bringing this album to life, 32 years later. For much more, visit the Nor'easter page here.

You don't have to be one of the 32 million Americans who claim Irish ancestry to enjoy a treat this St. Patrick's Day. From now through midnight Friday 3/19, you can get the companion set of Treasures in My Chest album and book from right here for a total of just $20 via our Venmo (please add your mailing address when you do it!). You can order as many copies as you like, with different recipients even if you'd like to buy gifts.

If you prefer, use your credit card securely through our Square here for…

March 12, 2021

While we will be processing and unpacking the effects of "the lost year" for a long time to come, the time has also come to plan forward in some fashion. It is likely Andrew will do some outdoor solo performances around the mid-Atlantic this summer, but we're cautiously looking at autumn for a limited return to the road - most likely to the northeast, but perhaps also across the Rust Belt. Whatever we wish to do for indoor, listening room performances like we did in the past, their viability…

We are thrilled, grateful and relieved to again be a part of the Virginia Commission for the Arts Touring Roster, which means that eligible presenters anywhere in the Commonwealth can get up to 50% of Andrew's performance and workshop fees reimbursed. What is new is that 1) virtual performances are now eligible for funding as long as they include an interactive component, and 2) the 30-mile exclusion zone is waived, meaning that local Loudoun, Clarke and Fairfax County presenters can take advantage as well…