I grew up in St. Catharnies, Ontario in a musical home. My dad (Bruce Andrews) had a small collection of tapes that he always played in the car. It included a variety of folk and blues music - Sonny Terry & Brownie Mcghee, Leadbelly, The Kingston Trio, Howlin Wolf, Dr. John, etc. He also played harmonica in a local group called the Lost Marbles Boogie Band.
As a teenager in the 2000s I rediscovered some of these tapes and fell inlove with acoustic blues, particularly the guitar playing of Brownie Mcghee.
I began collecting and learning music from tapes, LP's, 78s, cylinders, and sheet music. This expanded my interests beyond mid-century American blues to a much broader spectrum of vernacular music.
In the late 2000s, I formed a trio called the Niagara String Band, performing at festivals, historical societies, wineries, breweries, and other venues throughout southern Ontario.
We travelled around North America to meet, play and learn from great musicians in both Canada and The United States.
For several years after the band's dissolution, I shifted away from performance to focus on repertoire development and teaching.
In 2024 I formed a string duo with Bill Finch. Together we’ve arranged an extensive repertoire of instrumental banjo, mandolin and fiddle music; performing around Niagara as Andrews & Finch.