“I met Sydney a very short time ago.  She performed at one of the very first concerts I had attended in many months, and naturally it was outside. Even amid the clatter of food trucks and with generators in the background, three seconds in she had my absolute undivided attention.  I listened to her sing for nearly three hours.  Such beauty in her voice and in her lyrics, it was moving to say the least.  It didn’t matter whatsoever that we were all out on the desert with wind and noise.  She made the surroundings sound like the fanciest concert hall, which is simply where she belongs.



I was honored to give her and her band-mates a tour of my shop a short time later, and she very graciously gave me access to her original music so that I might add some mandolin as a collaborative project.  



Here is the result of that generosity.  
Rodnell Matos, the incredible mandolinist from Venezuela, laid the mandolin on top of one of Sydney’s songs using an AMW model.  I thank him for the countless takes he recorded, and through his skill, being the reason this project became a reality.
 Please also give a listen to Sydney’s other music through this link.  I’m guessing you will enjoy it as much as I do. ”

“Andrew was one of the earlier fans of my work and I am thankful for this. Not only is he an exceptional mandolin player as you can hear, but an exceptional human being. Two mandolins later as you can see and hear below, and a minimum of a thousand emails back and forth, I named him “HMA”. (High Maintenance Andrew). I say this with humor. However, I would never trade any of it for the lifelong friendship we have created and what he taught me about what a professional needs in an instrument. Please enjoy Andrew’s music, accompanied by Eric and Melanie.”

“I sent this mandolin to Rodnell in mid 2020. Extremely enjoyable to make, he gave me complete freedom to explore some techniques in building that I had never used, after studying his playing. From Venezuela, Rodnell is a classically trained violinist and violist turned mandolinist. I am honored to know him through the magic of the Internet, and look forward to meeting him in person one day. Please look up more of his music, it is extraordinary. ”