What We Play
We play hundreds of songs, from easy weekend-morning coffee sets to lively evening shows. No two sets are the same; we match the songs and the energy to the vibe.
Roots
Fiddle tunes and the Blue Sky Boys along with the bluegrass songbook from Bill Monroe to Doc Watson.
Cosmic American
Gram Parsons, the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, the New Riders and of course the Grateful Dead brought home and played acoustic.
Honky-tonk
Both Hanks, both Merles, and Buck Owens' Bakersfield sound shaking hands with Bob Wills and Johnny Cash.
Songwriters
The McKinleys' original songs and some of our favorites by John Prine, Townes Van Zandt, Jerry Jeff Walker and Bob Dylan.
AUSTIN, TX
Roots Music with a Cosmic Vibe
loose, lively, all acoustic
The McKinleys are an Austin-based acoustic Americana duo - mandolin & 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 of fiddle tunes, the Bill Monroe canon, the gospel standards, played with the respect they deserve.
The McKinleys grew out of Mike's decades in bluegrass. A veteran mandolin player, he's a founding member of the long-running Bay Area band Harmony Grits, past president of the Northern California Bluegrass Society, and a lifetime-achievement honoree who founded and organized the Santa Cruz Bluegrass Fair for 27 years. He's the heart of the band, and is reflected in everything we play.
We explore the Bakersfield twang of Buck Owens, the country-rock of Commander Cody, and the cosmic country of Gram Parsons.
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. We love the more intimate moments as well, a band passing through town requesting the Grateful Dead's Althea and then jumping up to sing every word with us, or a young fan waiting with his mom and his cardboard key-tar for us to arrive so that he could jam with us, and boy he did, very seriously taking "breaks" while we backed him up. We're often requested by private clients for the same event, year after year.
We've had a standing Saturday-morning spot at the Counter Cafe for more than six years running - coffee, fiddle tunes, and a parking lot full of toddlers having their own little rave.
The McKinleys also support the Austin arts community, playing HAAM Day (Health Alliance for Austin Musicians) and curating a playlist for the UT Landmarks program, "Listening with Landmarks."
We play as a duo, and work with excellent Austin musicians to bring in additional instruments (upright bass, banjo, fiddle and more) when needed.
Start your day with music!
Catch us at the Counter Cafe West · 603 W 29th St, Austin, TX · most Saturday mornings, weather permitting.
good Morning
Live Saturday Mornings
ORIGINAL ART BY QUINN CURTIN AGE 6
WHERE WE'RE HEADED
Shows & Sounds
Every Saturday
Counter Cafe West
Mornings · 603 W 29th St, Austin, TX · weather permitting
October 10
Private Event
Austin, TX
No Saturday Show - Mike's playing with The Harmony Grits, at the San Gregorio General Store, San Gregorio, CA
November 14
White Freightliner
Townes Van Zandt
Last Train from Poor Valley
Norman Blake
Book The McKinleys
Austin acoustic Americana band, for breweries, dance halls, listening rooms, festivals, private events, and weddings across Central Texas.
Tell us about your event and we'll shape a set for it. We tailor everything, length, energy, volume to the room and the crowd. Intimate enough for a quiet room, big enough to rock a hall.
All-acoustic duo - can expand to a full band with other excellent Austin musicians if requested.
PA available on request
We'll get back to you soon!
