Welcome to the sound of

A.p. Harbor is the vehicle for the music of Andrew Preston, singer-songwriter and producer from Van Lear, Kentucky. Preston has been a featured songwriter by the International Bluegrass Music Association, lecture faculty for the Appalachian Writer’s Workshop, and nominee for the 2018 Audioverse Awards. With works spanning hundreds of performances through four countries and eight LPs, Preston and his collective of bandmates have become recognizable mainstays of Appalachia’s burgeoning indie scene. With the punky drum stylings of Matt Holleran, the eclectic guitar melodies of Michael Jarvi, and distinctive, folksy vocals of Mary Morris, A.p. Harbor’s sound is as varied and whimsical as its players. Among their hallmarks: eclectic vocals, offbeat instrumentation, and literary lyricism steeped in storytelling, all balanced by a healthy penchant for the surreal and absurd.

​

A.p. Harbor is the pseudonym/band name of producer/singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Andrew Preston (and his rotating collective of collaborators), who has been developing his style of deeply personal, narrative-driven lyrics and musically dynamic arrangements since his early schooldays. Inspired heavily by 2000's indie/folk pop theatrics like those of The Hush Sound, KT Tunstall, and The Decemberists, as well as the intimate lyricism of John Prine, Stephin Merrit, and Regina Spektor, he became a musician organically, teaching himself to play several instruments and to record songs in his grandmother’s apartment in his hometown of Van Lear, Kentucky. His career burst forth suddenly, when Preston was featured in the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Songwriter Showcase for his song “The Mountain Wayfarers”.

​

In 2015, Preston adventured from releasing online lo-fi records into the realm of progressive folk/old-time music alongside Austin Tackett, Melissa Caskey, and Matt Holleran as The Woodsheep. Preston lead the Woodsheep in over 600 shows across the United States, Ireland, the UK, and China, produced three records, and was featured in Bluegrass Today and on PBS in only 3 years. In an effort to combine the DIY methodology of his solo work with the lush productions of later Woodsheep performances in the face of a frequently rotating band, Preston embarked on an effort to revisit his entire discography and brand it under a pen name- thus, A.p. Harbor was born. The A.p. Harbor band is a rotating collective of musicians and singers live and on records, with the most consistent members including drummer Matt Holleran, guitarist Michael Jarvi, and singer Mary Morris.

​

In 2023, Preston was featured as the musician-in-residence at the Appalachian Writer's Workshop held at Hindman Settlement School. In December of that year, he presented at the Winter Burrow Literature & Arts Conference. In 2024, he was a featured musician at the Hindman Settlement School Gather & Grow series.

​

In addition to Preston's touring, his songwriting continues to pave his musical career- in 2018, his song "Lost", recorded with fellow Woodsheep Melissa Caskey singing lead, was nominated for the 2020 Audioverse Awards. As of 2020, Preston has written, produced, and recorded four solo records as Andrew Preston, three for The Woodsheep, co-produced Becki Alfrey's debut album "Three Mile Creek", and engineered, mixed, and mastered songs for Michelle Canning, Key & The Boys (which was awarded a Lexington Music Award in 2019), Gianelli Pizarro, Morehead State University, Elizabeth Bowman, and more.