We're an Austin acoustic Americana duo, mandolin and guitar, rooted in the tradition of Bill Monroe. Roots music with a cosmic vibe: everything from fiddle tunes to honky-tonk, Bakersfield country, cosmic American, and some of our favorite songwriters. Mike's a bluegrass veteran. With hundreds of songs to pull from, we take our cues from the audience, so every set turns into a room of old friends. You'll find us every Saturday morning at the Counter Cafe, six-plus years. Available for breweries, dance halls, listening rooms, festivals, and private events, as a duo or with additional musicians on request.
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Languages: English
Gig length: 120 - 300 minutes
Here's what to expect: an all-acoustic duo with hundreds of songs to pull from. We take our cues from the audience, so we can keep it quiet and easy while people eat and talk, or pick things up when it feels right. We take requests, and folks often sing along. We're easy to work with, and we tailor the set and energy to your event. We play as a duo, and can bring in excellent Austin musicians when your event calls for it.
The McKinleys are an Austin acoustic duo, mandolin and guitar. We love playing music together, and after more than a decade the songs we play are like old friends. We came up through the tradition, fiddle tunes and the Bill Monroe canon, and from there we explore the Bakersfield twang of Buck Owens, the country-rock of Commander Cody, the cosmic country of Gram Parsons, and a Grateful Dead tune when the vibe is right.
It's all acoustic.With hundreds of songs to pull from, we take our cues from the audience: same band, same roots, but no two sets are the same. When we take requests, folks sing along. We've had a standing Saturday-morning spot at the Counter Cafe for more than six years, and we're often booked by the same clients year after year. We play as a duo and work with excellent Austin musicians to bring in additional instruments when needed. We're easy to work with, and we tailor the set and energy to your event.
We bring our own instruments. From the venue, we mainly need:
A dedicated performance area: a defined space or small stage for two players and our gear.
Outdoor events: a fully covered area with shade and protection from rain, direct sun, and extreme heat.
If we're bringing our own PA:
Power: at least two standard outlets within 15 feet of the performance area.
Setup: time to load in, plus 45 minutes to an hour to set up before start time.
For small, intimate rooms, we can play fully acoustic with no PA at all, and we only need less than 30 minutes to set up.
Bluegrass and old-time: Bill Monroe, Doc Watson, the Stanley Brothers, the Blue Sky Boys, and the fiddle-tune tradition. Honky-tonk and Bakersfield country: Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, and Johnny Cash. Cosmic American music: Gram Parsons, the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, the New Riders of the Purple Sage, Commander Cody, and the Grateful Dead. And the great songwriters: John Prine, Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Jerry Jeff Walker, Woody Guthrie, and Bob Dylan. It all comes through an acoustic, roots-first lens.
For amplified performances, we need two standard grounded outlets within 15 feet of the performance area
A clearly defined performance area
Covered area for outdoor performances (shade protection from rain, sun, and heat)
Load-in access to the performance area
Setup: about 45 minutes after load-in with our PA; just 15 minutes to get settled for a fully acoustic set
Acoustic Band
