Andy McKee describes himself as “Just this guy from Topeka, Kansas, who kind of blew up on the Internet about a week before Christmas.” Andy seemed to come out of nowhere when a number of simple videos of him playing his acoustic guitar solo, in a T shirt and sweat pants went viral. That’s how good his guitar playing is.
Andy McKee is one of those rare guitarists who not only creates hauntingly beautiful music, but is incredibly fun to watch as he plays. Drawing from a wide range of styles and influences— including several techniques you seldom see acoustic guitar players employing, such as two-hand tapping — Andy seems to have several pistons firing simultaneously as he weaves Flamenco-like rhythmic slaps with Van Halen-esque legato and John McLoughlin-style riffs, and more.
One of the things I’ve always loved about both listening to and watching Andy play is that he seems to really love “creating” while playing, taking a musical idea and playing with it, crafting individual bits, licks, and techniques together into a polished musical texture.
“Drifting” was one Andy’s first songs to go viral on on YouTube, and is a great intro to what makes him immediately stand out from the millions of other guitarists out there. In “The Friend I’ve Never Met”, Andy employs a harp guitar to create some of the amazing textures he’s so well known for. Finally, “Africa” shows Andy taking a classic hit song by Toto and reinventing it for the acoustic guitar and for his own specific style.
“Drifting”
“The Friend I’ve Never Met”
“Africa”