Andrew Borger began playing percussion before he could walk, using pots and pans on the kitchen floor in his childhood home near Denver, Colorado. After playing in bands during high school (marching, jazz, and one with his brother, “The Placebos”), Andrew attended UC Berkeley where he studied a wide variety of percussive traditions with teachers including Tony Williams, Michael Spiro, C. K. Ladzekpo, George Marsh, and William Winant.
After graduating with a degree in history (and a music minor), Andrew began performing and touring regularly. In 1997, he was invited by Tom Waits to audition in a converted chicken hatchery-turned-recording studio. Touring and recording with Waits (including the Grammy award-winning album, Mule Variations) allowed Andrew to experiment stylistically and galvanized his sonic versatility.
In 2002, Andrew relocated to the East Coast and began working with Norah Jones. Over the next five years, he played with Jones in performances all over the world, ranging from shows at the Living Room in NYC to the Kennedy Center in DC, festivals like Austin City Limits and Bonnaroo, as well as making television appearances on the Grammys, Sesame Street, and Saturday Night Live.
Before moving to Portland in 2016, Andrew lived in Brooklyn, NY and had the privilege of recording and touring with many talented musicians and vocalists, including Smokey Hormel, Ani DiFranco, Marco Benevento, and k.d. lang. Andrew now lives in southeast Portland with his partner and daughter, and made his debut appearance with Pink Martini in 2018.
