Andy Sitze

 Andy Sitze 

Andy Sitze, is the baby of the family, but he plays the biggest and lowest instrument in the band with upright and electric bass and lead vocals and harmonies. At the age of seven, after countless vocal lessons from his Mama, Andy began singing with the family at church. He watched his older brothers, take instrument lessons and start a family bluegrass gospel band with their parents and grandparents. With Grandma on the upright bass, and everyone else holding an instrument, Andy had to play something, so he played the spoons, pots or any other percussion instrument. Of course, his Dad and Grandma Sydol would always show Andy fingerings and walks on the upright bass and pushed him to learn it. Eventually, Grandma, and the family band would have him play songs while standing on a chair, since he couldn’t reach the top of the upright bass neck. Andy  grew up on the road, singing bluegrass gospel music at churches, amusement parks and festivals. After practicing to the point of blisters and bloody fingers, he started playing the upright bass full-time for The Sitze Family. Since Andy was the youngest brother, Mom always called him the ham of the family. Andy would sing a song, walk the aisles and shake everybody’s hands while performing. Andy says, “I have been blessed with some awesome music making memories with my family.” The making of great music and unique stories of the road are what he reflects on the most. This includes the time his 1940 K upright bass blew out of the pickup truck they were taking to a play a show, a semi truck hit it at full speed and left nothing but splinters. Or the time his upright bass, and everyone else’s instruments, were put on to of a fire truck to rescue them from a snowstorm. After Andy’s brothers came back from college in Texas, he remembers their music turning more progressive, as they started to do songs by the Eagles with bluegrass instruments. After Chad moved to Nashville to pursue his songwriting journey, Andy moved to Nashville in 2006 to join him, and in 2008 they formed Flat River Band.