Kylie Kay Anderson
KYLIE: She’s the Real Deal
Kylie Kay Anderson (Utah, USA, based in the Netherlands since 2022) learned her first guitar chords from her dad at age 9 and was introduced to bluegrass mandolin through her childhood best friend at age 13. From 2010 to 2013 Kylie studied mandolin (and occasionally the guitar) with guitar master and multi-instrumentalist Jake Workman. During this time, she was kept busy writing music and playing regionally with her youth bluegrass group, Stringshot.
After a few years in the prestigious music therapy department of Utah State University, where Kylie embraced the opportunity to explore guitar styles such as fingerstyle and some jazz and blues, Kylie decided to transfer to East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee. Their Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies program provided opportunities to receive instruction from some of the best bluegrass musicians in the business (including Adam Steffey, Wyatt Rice, and Sally Sandker) and to play music all over the Eastern United States.
At ETSU, Kylie met her husband, Dutch dobro player Owen Schinkel, and formed the band King Springs Road with him and two other couples. In 2019, Kylie and Owen relocated to Ireland and traveled all over Europe to play as the duo Long Way Home. In 2022, the couple relocated to the Netherlands and recently, their duo has transformed into Long Way Home Bluegrass Band.
It didn’t take long for Kylie to become well-known on the European bluegrass scene. She is a musician who turns heads and makes people talk because of her seemingly effortless mastery of her instrument and the joy that she radiates when she’s playing. Not only that, word also goes round that she’s a lovely human being, actively contributing to the scene, and she knows a thing or two about coffee.
Who are your heroes when it comes to bluegrass music?
“I really look up to players like Dempsey Young, Andrew Marlin, and Adam Steffey. These are players that have made immense contributions to the mandolin world and I’ve been super inspired by their individual ways of expressing something unique through the mandolin.”
What do you love most about playing your instrument?
“I love the mandolin’s ability to express! The tonal capabilities are so vast on the mandolin and I love being able to explore that.”
Why are you excited to be in this band?
“This is an opportunity I couldn’t pass up! This group has had such a great vibe from the beginning. Playing with musicians who inspire me to be better while having a ridiculous amount of fun is the best situation!”