Border Radio got their start in 2000, when Mike and Kelly joined up to play old-timey music featuring Kelly’s voice and Mike’s dobro. Soon after that they found Robert and his bass at the Topanga Festival.  They play with some of L.A.s finest fiddlers, including Jesse Olema and John Lambdin.

Kelly writes many of the songs for the band. She and the band were invited to the New Folk Competition at the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas when they heard “Golden State” and “Is This the One.” Mike has penned several of Border Radio’s favorites, like the evocative instrumental “High Plains.” 

Border Radio has played all over Southern California, including the Skirball Museum, Pershing Square, the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival, Autry National Center, Topanga Banjo Fiddle and Folk Festival, and many city parks and listening rooms. They’ve also traveled to Austin, Texas for the SXSW Festival.

The hardest to pin down is the Border Radio sound. It moves from a hard-driving string band song to a lush ballad to a toe-tapping swing tune. Kelly’s songs are soulful and soaring, and the next minute they take you on a train ride to the past.