My Cousin Skinny

Some musical partnerships are formed through auditions or chance meetings. Ours began much earlier.

As cousins growing up in central Pennsylvania, we each received our first guitars at the ages of 10 and 14. What started as afternoons learning songs together eventually became a lifelong musical journey. Decades later, we're still doing what we've always loved—sharing music with each other and with audiences.

Over the years, we've performed in several bands together, including the Harrisburg-based Into the Woods, where we played clubs, festivals, and venues throughout the East Coast. Along the way, we had the opportunity to open for a young Derek Trucks just as his career was beginning to take off. After relocating to North Carolina, we helped form the Raleigh-based band Zegg, while continuing to perform acoustic shows whenever we had the chance.

In 2004, those acoustic performances evolved into My Cousin Skinny.

Today, we've found that two guitars can sound much bigger than people expect. Mike uses live looping, bass effects, and layered arrangements to create a full-band sound, while Jeff adds percussion, rhythm, and harmonies that bring additional energy to every performance. Together, we blend acoustic guitars, vocals, and rich harmonies into an engaging live show that spans everything from classic rock, folk, Americana, and reggae to pop favorites, jam bands, and original music.

Our song list stretches from the 1960s through the 1990s, with timeless songs that audiences know, love, and sing along with. Whether we're performing at a brewery, winery, wedding, private event, or community festival, every show is tailored to fit the room and create the right atmosphere.

For us, music has never been about playing songs note-for-note.

It's about chasing those moments when everything comes together—when the crowd is singing, the music seems to take on a life of its own, and for a few minutes nothing else matters. Those moments don't happen every night, which is exactly what makes them special. It's the connection between musicians and audience, the shared energy, and the chance to forget about the outside world for a little while that keeps us coming back to the stage.

Based in Raleigh and Rolesville, North Carolina, My Cousin Skinny continues to bring more than two decades of musical partnership to every performance, creating memorable experiences one show at a time.