Andrew McKnight
Rural contemporary singer/songwriter, guitarist, storyteller
and poet Andrew
McKnight is an environmental engineer-turned-songwriter. Equal
parts Shenandoah Valley
storyteller and poet infused with the passions of the historian,
geographer and naturalist, Andrew's rurally-based music reflects
an oral history built on the past while firmly musically rooted
in the present. His well-crafted lyrics, rich tenor vocals and
bluesy guitar licks provide a distinctive lens for his stories,
whether drawing contemporary parallels to Thomas
Jefferson's relationship with Sally Hemings ("Diary"),
conjuring up spooky apparitions in Louisiana's refinery swamps
("Chemical Voodoo"), or using a Cadillac as a whimsical
metaphor for graceful aging ("Million Miles Together").
Andrew is an exceptional entertainer and storyteller, weaving
his songs together with narratives, from his rhythmically pulsating
introduction to "Letter to Colonel Mosby" to his hilarious
spontaneous observations on Louise Wolverton's "Great Truths
About Life".
Andrew's environmental background and advocacy for the preservation
of rural and historic America often color his characters' personal
relationships with their changing landscape, such as the Appalachian
lament of a dying "Company Town" to mountaintop mining
or the struggle with sprawl faced by "A Town Called Progress".
"There are musicians who sing about the environment, and
environmentalists who play music, but rarely are talent and passion
combined the way that Andrew McKnight unites them." (Appalachian
Voice). He is
featured in SAVING THE BAY: People Working for the Future of the
Chesapeake (Johns Hopkins University Press) for his strong environmental
ethic and his unique ability to impact listeners through musical
storytelling. The several landscape-oriented songs on his second
CD Where This River Runs have made Andrew a particular favorite
for river festivals and environmental events.
Andrew has performed at the John F. Kennedy Center, Mountain
Stage NewSong Festival, the Chattanooga Riverbend Festival and
Baltimore's blockbuster Artscape Festival. In addition to a healthy
tour schedule of festivals, concerts, folk clubs and workshops
across the US, Andrew's music has led him to unusual performance
venues such as the Atlanta Olympic Games, an Earth Day 2003 interfaith
celebration at St. John's Cathedral in downtown Jacksonville with
Sierra Club National Director Carl Pope, and 3 days as the
featured workshop leader at the 2002 Western Unitarian Universalist
Life Festival at Georgia O'Keefe's famed New Mexico Ghost Ranch.
Andrew is also one third of the exciting Appalachian roots music
trio Dang Varmints!, whose energetic and eclectic blend of original
folk, oldtime, blues, bluegrass and Celtic music, 3-part harmonies
and great stories have delighted audiences around the mid-Atlantic
states. He leads workshops for all ages on creative and musical
writing, environmental education and American culture as well
as various aspects of the acoustic music industry for professional
and amateur musicians. In addition to his music, Andrew's website
features his "A Road Warrior's Journal" and an original
Poem of the Month.
"left me with visions of Staines, Mallett, and Gorka...one
of the most
exciting new contemporary talents to come along in years"
- Tidewater Friends of Folk Music
"Pick your favorite poet or balladeer and McKnight will
equal them with an
Appalachian soul."
- Victory Review
"Blends wry and romantic stories with keen tuneful observations
in a
delicious mix of folk, blues and bluegrass... a man not to be
missed!" - The
National Theatre
http://www.andrewmcknight.net/
