About Mike Kneafsey
Presently teaching guitar online and in Lancashire while playing live in pubs, restaurants and at function gigs. Registered soloist with Holland-America Cruise Lines. I also work with Adept Live and It's Live Promotions. I play as a duo with Hamish Barry, a cellist/bassist at the Royal Northern College of Music Manchester, as well as writing songs and fronting a Manchester based indie-folk act called Sweeney Astray.
I previously worked as a featured soloist on board the Grand Princess between San Francisco, Hawaii and Mexico in 2019 and 2020. I taught guitar at Oakhill College, Whalley, Lancashire as peripatetic for over 10 years. I held residencies at the Naked Plate Cafe in Accrington and the New Inn in Clitheroe for 2 to 3 years. I also helped organise acts and run stages at the Middle Earth Beer & Music Festivals between 2011 and 2019.
I have made many appearances at Lancashire festivals, performed live on BBC Radio Lancashire, at music venues, pubs, town hall events and functions with duos, bands, as a soloist supporting established acts playing my own songs or acoustic covers. I've run stages, promoted festivals, booked acts, managed small events and run guitar/songwriter workshops. I've earned my living working mostly in Clitheroe, Preston and Manchester through live perfomance and teaching guitar students, some of whom have gone on to make a living in the music industry themselves.
Originally I graduated in Sociology and worked as a newspaper journalist. Since the late 90s I have had joyful times and financially difficult then lucrative phases living with music. Best of all I have met so many people and made so many friends and played with so many top musicians from blues to classical to rock. There are too many great gigs and good people to mention.