Full Name
Andrew Collins
Birth date
April 5, 1973
Birth city
Toronto, Ontario
At what age did you start playing mandolin?
Twenty-three
What did you do before that?
I was a ski-bum
What inspired you to play mandolin?
That high ringing tone, and it’s cute too.
First song or album that made an impression on you
Bah, Bah, Black Sheep
Did you take lessons?
Yes and went to jazz school
How long did you practice?
For the first several years, 5-8 hrs./day
What was the first song you wrote?
A triple mandolin tune called Forest Hill.
What do you think of it now?
I like it, but am also glad that recordings of it are out of circulation.
Where was your first gig?
Busking…
Favorite place to play gigs (so far)
Not busking…
Career highlight (so far)
Not busking…
Defining moment early in your career
Buying a mandolin
Five favorite mandolin-related albums
In no particular order….
Uncommon Ritual
(Edgar Meyer, Mike Marshall and Bela Fleck)
Stealing Second
(Chris Thile)
Angel Band
(Stanley Brothers)
Live At The Boulder
(Hot Rise)
Panorama
(David Grier)
Five favorite non-mandolin-related albums
Animals
(Pink Floyd)
Church Street Blues
(Tony Rice)
Interplay
(Bill Evans)
Duke Elllington Songbook
(Oscar Peterson)
Live At McCabe’s
(Norman Blake)
Five guilty pleasures
Golf, The Simpsons, Cereal, Ricky Skaggs and Pizza after gigs.
If your music career ended today, what would you do?
Start skiing again and/or build mandolins.
What is your advice to aspiring mandolin players?
Look for your weaknesses, don’t be afraid of them. That’s the quickest way to address them, and improve your playing from the foundation up.
Who is your favorite superhero? Why?
Spiderman. He has great super powers. Who wouldn’t like “spidey senses”, to climb walls, and swing from their own web?
What is your greatest obsession?
I hate to be predictable, but….music!
Name one possession you’d never part with
My Heiden A5, and my Brock Mandola.
Ooops, that’s two!
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Practice makes perfect.
What is the worst advice you’ve ever received?
To move to Kelowna.
What is the riskiest thing you’ve ever done?
Deciding to be a musician after playing mandolin for only 5 months (I was really bad).
What would you say is your worst habit?
Obsessive compulsive.
What would your band members say is your worst habit?
Grumpy when hungry.
If you had to live on a desert island and could only bring one food item what would it be?
My mother’s strawberry, rhubarb pie.
If you could have dinner with anyone in the past, who would it be and would you pick up the check?
J.S. Bach. I would definitely pick up the cheque.
What is your favorite movie?
Harvey.
What is your favorite line from a song or movie?
“It’s hard to keep on standing, when you don’t have far to fall.” Chris Coole
If you could be a cartoon character would you be “Calvin” or “Hobbs”?
I’d be Hobbs. Nobody blame’s the tiger.
Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
Hopefully, further down the same path I’m on right now. Recording more new music, playing more theatres, and generally performing more in the U.S. and Internationally.
In your bands, who is the best influence on you?
All of the Creaking Tree String Quartet, for constantly pushing my technique, writing and work ethic.
In your bands, who is the worst influence on you?
John Showman. He and I are very similar, and he often tempts my indulgent side.