Andrew McKnight

From Andrew's Facebook post, August 5, 2023

"I HAVE to out my little sister's pandemic project because it's just too good not to share! Of course we come from the same musical family, although our particular backgrounds and pathways are quite different. I've been around a lot of traditional Appalachian and Celtic music for most of my adult life; to the point where it's hard to imagine that it's not pervasive everywhere else. My daughter Madi's deep dive into Celtic and oldtime fiddling these last couple…

Andrew and his fiddling daughter Madi, plus several bandmates and friends, gathered on the front porch on Saturday August 26th to participate in the global grassroots phenomena known as “Play Music on the Porch Day.” Since they livestreamed it to Facebook, you can hear them play a variety of original and traditional songs for roughly an hour.

Andrew's Caveat - This is NOT a professional video setup, just an iPhone livestreaming through our wifi and from a distance from the porch too. But, you can get a feel…

A visual love letter to this little place where I hang my heart. While I often share songs, stories and images collected over nearly a million miles of touring, this time I'd like to show you around home through the eyes of people who live here and love it.

With thanks to my neighbors and friends Sarah Huntington, Stirling Rasmussen, Christi Porter, Mouncey Ferguson, Douglas Graham and Carol Dukes for the use of their photos and videos - and a few from my personal stash too. Lincoln is a mostly quiet little…

July 27, 2023

We are thrilled to learn that another song Andrew co-wrote with a veteran at the Music Therapy of the Rockies retreats has been selected for a compilation CD. MToR founder and Executive Director Mack Bailey is hard at work pulling together Stories and Songs from the Farm, Volume 2 to help publicize the amazing healing work the veterans are doing and to continue raising private donations that are helping to bring more retreats to more places, including training more music therapists to help run…

Just in time for Memorial Day, here's the first video released from the Treasures in My Chest release celebration, March 6, 2020 at Franklin Park Arts Center in Purcellville VA. "Aretas Culver" is the story of Andrew's doomed 3x great grandfather from Bristol CT who suffered disaster at Antietam, siege at Plymouth NC and the horrors of the notorious Confederate prisoner of war camp at Andersonville GA that ultimately cost him his life. Sadly the pandemic shut down the world the following week, so we never…

May 9, 2023

I'm also thrilled to resume my work with the wonderful Music Therapy of the Rockies songwriting with veterans retreats for the first time in nearly four years. Many of you have heard the songs and the stories, and know that I consider it sacred work to help our vets find musical tools to help reframe their trauma. Six pairs of songwriters and veterans brought amazing newborn songs into the world last weekend in North Carolina in front of an affirming audience of family and friends.

I'm looking…

Since 2018 Andrew has led a series of songwriting workshops for middle and high-school students in Frederick County, Maryland as part of the Chords of Courage Step Up! songwriting contest. The Frederick News-Post came to the first of the 2023 workshops to interview participants and share both their exciting work and this unique contest - read it here at their website.

2023 arrives with some road trips where we have 1 show booked, and we'd love to be able to add 1 or 2 more. Small house concerts or church fellowship hall shows are infinitely better than doing nothing - for you and for Andrew - and we've got tools and resources to help make that easy to do! Here are the quandaries:

• Sat./Sun. FEB. 4 or 5 - Reading PA; could hit Philly, Harrisburg or most anything reasonably in between!
• Fri./Sat. MAR. 10-11 - southwest VA, east TN or western NC; may we dance? Have a…

The year that Andrew's hard rocking youth roared back to life has been full of surprises and treasures. As the Nor'easter Calm Before the Storm album has found its way to radio and podcast hosts around the world this autumn, Andrew together with singer Chris Gursky have been doing Zoom interviews about the band, the music, the history and more - most of which will be completely new to longtime fans of Andrew as singer/songwriter.

The interviews are a fun and engaging look back at their shared musical and…

First the music and the merch - save 25% on anything and everything through our Bandcamp store with the code XMAS22, through midnight EST on Monday December 12th. Order now, and get music and more on the way in plenty of time for gift-giving. 

Guitar and songwriting lessons/coaching, anywhere in North America! In person here in northwestern Virginia or via Zoom, buy 4 lessons and get one free for new students only; no strings attached, no contract required, gift certificate available to put in an envelope…

Andrew's long time friend and Beyond Borders bandmate Les Thompson was part of a very special celebration of his role in music history this past weekend, as the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville hosted the founding members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and friends for two nights commemorating the 50th anniversary of their legendary Will The Circle Be Unbroken album. In the spirit of the original sessions, the celebration concerts included some of Nashville’s finest including Shawn Camp, Carlene…

Since 2018, Andrew has led several songwriting workshops for high school and middle school students interested in songwriting as part of the annual Chords of Courage songwriting contest in Frederick County MD. The project honors both famous and every day heroes who made huge sacrifice to make the world better for others in someway. Andrew's friends Heather Aubrey Lloyd, Rob Hinkal and Kristen Jones of the award-winning band ilyAIMY took seven of the 2022 contest winning entries and did a magnificent job…

Thirty five years ago; the final time Andrew's original hard rock band Nor'easter stepped on stage together. The three surviving members chatted briefly at drummer Matt Bouley's funeral in 2002, but other than that sad occasion, singer Chris Gursky, bassist Paul St. Amour and Andrew had not been together since. 

So on the heels of Andrew and Beyond Borders reunion show five days previous, the reunion at Cabin Studios near Leesburg VA the weekend before Thanksgiving was mighty special indeed. The three have…

After a fun and successful reunion set at the 2022 Mountville Folk Festival, Andrew and Beyond Borders bandmates Les Thompson, Lisa Taylor and Stephanie Thompson did their first full concert together in over three years in Winchester VA, Sunday November 13th. Everyone was healthy and sounding peak, Les has been playing banjo pain-free for the first time in a long time, and as they have been reheared for the show, they also laid down some basic tracks for "Hey Alligator" and "Til the Well Runs Dry."

That…

It's no secret Andrew has been anxious to get back on stages across America - as has every other performing artist and ensemble. Covid continues to be a pesky adversary, causing artists to interrupt tours and venues to cancel shows. Many artists have been without "normal" performing revenue - income - for so long; our resources are thin, savings stretched and that's not addressing anything about emotional and physical health of having careers and livelihoods sidelined. Artists are chomping at the bit, but…

In August Andrew sat for another interview with writer Jan Mercker for the local independent Loudoun Now to talk about the Nor'easter project. Three years ago Jan had done a lovely feature story on Andrew's Treasures in My Chest album and book in advance of the release concert at Franklin Park Arts Center, so he was thrilled to reconnect with her to talk about his pandemic project. And we are all thrilled at her work here, for she clearly connected the human threads that run through Andrew's work, even back…

This is the first concert video we have of "When My Time Comes" from Treasures in My Chest. A big thanks to Andrew McKnight & Beyond Borders bandmate Les Thompson who is also the Technical Director at our local Franklin Park Arts Center. To be able to capture video like this in-house was impossible before the pandemic, and they've worked hard to bring some high-quality broadcast ability to our hometown's showcase venue.

In addition to a little slidey mischief, this one includes a lovely tribute at the…

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…