Andrew's musical journey started at the tender age of eight. His parents had been gifted an old electric Hammond organ. He would spend ages playing random notes, pressing the pedals and fiddling with the stops. On one particular day, his oldest brother, Allen, got tired of the incessant noise. Deciding that something had to be done, he took it upon himself to teach Andrew the easiest song he knew, in the hopes that he would take it upon himself to explore further. The old traditional hymn "The Saints", which today is known better as "When the Saints Go Marching In"
Andrew would spend the next few weeks playing that song. Until eventually, his brother, at his wits end, would introduce him to the organ course that came with the organ. It was a set of four course books, as well as one hundred songs.
Over the next few months, Andrew would use this course to teach himself how to read music.
It wasn't long before his parents noticed that he could play a few songs. "Mary had a little lamb", "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow", "Michael Row Your Boat A Short", "The Old Church Organ" among others.
They signed him up for piano lessons at the music department at Pietermaritzburg Girls High School.
Andrew grew up in the presbyterian church. His earliest memories are of sitting on hard pews, cracking jokes with his best friend, and occasionally paging through hymn books. It was in this church that he would meet the son of the pastor... a teenager by the name of Ryan Calder.
Ryan would teach Andrew a few chords on the guitar. A guitar that he had acquired from his brother. The guitar's neck had broken off, and Andrew's father had tried to glue it back together. Consequently, it was impossible to tune. But that didn't stop Andrew from repeating the same three chords for hours at a time.
When Andrew was around fourteen years old, the church needed and drummer. And so Andrew decided to get a lesson or two from Ryan.
He still plays drums in the church to this day.
At sixteen, Andrew joined the school band, moving from guitar, to piano to drums as needed. It was around this time that Andrew bought his very first instrument. A Pearl River classical guitar from Bab's Music Store.
Throughout his teenage years, Andrew would take part in many church music functions, as well as a hand full of piano recitals.