A musician for most of his life, at age 15, Andy led bands who warmed up the cheering crowds of thousands at professional soccer games at Tampa Stadium.

At Boston University, he studied management and music, earning him both B.S. and B.A. degrees along with Magna Cum Laude honors.

While he took a 16-year foray into big business management, sales and marketing with IBM and Lexmark, music was never far from his heart or his hands. Even as he was training sales reps, managing business partner relationships for his employers and excelling personally in sales, Andy realized that the music business was his true calling.

Recognizing the need for a quality, high-energy dance band, Andy formed Sound Connection. Starting out in the greater Washington, D.C. area, the 10-piece ensemble of mega-talented musicians, singers and dancers, soon began to attract national attention.

Celebrity event planners such as Colin Cowie (Oprah Winfrey's favorite party planner), television's "The Party Planner," party expert on "The View," David Tutera, and Billy Joel's planner Marcy Blum, quickly discovered the excellence of Sound Connection and booked them for their high-profile and demanding clients.

The corporate community also recognized that Andy's talent as an entertainment producer exceeded even his business acumen. Industry giants sought Sound Connection for their events. Coca Cola hired them to play for their VIP receptions at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, real estate tycoon Donald Trump insisted that Sound Connection perform for his bigwig guests for two New Year's Eve celebrations at his Mar-a-Lago estate, and media magnate Rupert Murdoch booked the unique group for his corporate soirees. Corporate event planners for the Hard Rock Café, Mandarin Oriental, IBM, Pfizer and Washington Mutual soon jumped on the bandwagon and hired Sound Connection for their parties and conference entertainment.

In 2005, Sound Connection was the band of choice for the Bellagio's high-roller New Year's party on the Las Vegas Strip. For this gig, Andy brought in additional singers and dancers and created a show which caused Bellagio Special Events Director, Hayley Sinderbrand to state, “Bellagio has never seen such an over-the-top display of entertainment!”

Bridal socialites around the country have hired Sound Connection to turn their dream wedding into a reality. The band's excellence earned them a spot on a wedding planning segment of the TBS hit, "Movie and a Makeover." And BRIDES Magazine named Andy as part of their "Dream Team" for a fantasy wedding production to be held, and televised, at Cinderella's Castle at Walt Disney World Resort on February 14, 2007 .

Andy and Sound Connection have also received impressive media attention. They've been featured in numerous publications including InStyle, Palm Beach Illustrated, Elegant Bride, The Washingtonian and have been covered on TV shows including Entertainment Tonight and Food Network. Recently, Modern Bride named Sound Connection the "top wedding band" in the D.C. area and Event Solutions Magazine awarded Andy Kushner "Entertainer of the Year" during their 2007 Spotlight Awards Gala.

Not content to limit his talent to producing and performing, Andy collaborated with songwriting and industry greats Jason Blume ("Back to Your Heart," "Oops, I Did It Again," and "Why Don't You Kiss Her"), Steve Seskin and Cathy Majeski ("We Came Close”), Pamela Oland (television and movie soundtracks), Nashville's Forerunner Music (Garth Brooks' producer) and Allen "Grip" Smith (Xscape: "Traces of My Lipstick") to write songs, publish music and produce recordings which earned him multiple awards including two from Billboard magazine.

Andy is a frequent speaker at industry conferences sharing his insights into how the right type of entertainment can be used to enhance special events.

Always seeking to meet the needs of his clients, Andy organized two other dance bands. Marquise – a spirited nine-piece group and Sound Nation, a six-piece ensemble of talented entertainers.

When not on stage, Andy is a loving husband to his wife, and doting dad to his daughter.