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You never know what you might hear when acoustic band Andrew McKnight and Beyond Borders takes the stage – a taste of mandolin, a sprinkle of banjo, a drop of fiddle and a rush of a slide guitar.

"We have so many talents in our band," said McKnight of the four-member group that has played together for six months.

On Sunday, Beyond Borders, described as a singer/songwriter acoustic group, will play their award-winning work at Beans in the Belfry, Brunswick's eclectic café and music room.

Since the café opened about three years ago, owner Melanie DiPasquale has offered various musical events to the community, but this will be a first for McKnight and Beyond Borders.

"This is a new thing for them and we're excited to be a part of it," McKnight said of the full-scale concert his band will perform.

During the concert, the band will play songs from the five CDs McKnight released since leaving the corporate world for music in 1998. Most of the tunes will hail from their latest album, however, the February release "Something Worth Standing For."

The album debuted during a special standing-room only concert at the Kennedy Center for the Arts and showcased the four members together for the first time. From that event, Beyond Borders was born, and McKnight, who had previously performed solo, became part of a band.

"It's really been fun for me to have the band," he said.

In addition to McKnight, the band includes Les Thompson, an original member of the well-known Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, on upright bass, clawhammer banjo and harmony vocals; Thompson's wife, Stephanie, who plays percussion, bass and vocals; and Lisa Taylor, a WAMMIE winning songwriter who plays drums and joins in on vocals.

Each is a talented musician with years of experience who also play in other groups or have solo careers, McKnight said.

Beyond Borders is most excited about the recent CD, which McKnight describes as a "bit different from previous albums."

Typically, the McKnight said he plays songs live before recording to test them on an audience, but "Something Worth Standing For" was created in a studio.

The project is described as "a coherent and compelling musical portrait of contemporary America, heavily inspired by [McKnight's] recent foray into fatherhood and spanning haunting blues, feisty anthems, rustic folk, and a bit of swing while drawing inspiration from music legends like The Carter Family, Robert Johnson and Woody Guthrie," according to a press release from the band.

McKnight's musical influence began early as he listened to his dad perform in a 1970's cover band.

"I think a lot of that rubbed off on me," McKnight said, adding that his dad also had a love for '30s and '40s jazz, which is infused into the musician's songs.

Beyond Borders is also playing throughout the region for audiences who love their varied sound. McKnight continues to perform around the country, at folk festivals and music events that keep him in the music scene, he said.

"We're really enjoying doing these local shows," he said.

Cover photo by Sarah Huntington.

Andrew McKnight and Beyond Borders

When: 7 p.m. Sunday

Where: Beans in the Belfry, 122 W. Potomac St., Brunswick

Tickets: $12 per person

For information:

301-834-7178

www.beansinthebelfry.com