Artist description A singer-songwriter who writes and performs down-to-earth folk and country songs in a primarily acoustic setting. Main avenue of approach is from the songwriter's perspective. I make a special effort, whenver possible, not to take myself too seriously. This doesn't mean my stuff isn't good. Just means it's not overwrought "bummer folk".

Music Style Alternative Folk-Country

Musical Influences John Hiatt, John Prine, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan

Similar Artists John Prine, Loudon Wainwright III, John Wesley Harding

Artist History Michael Kerlin- Biography and Information on 'Songs From Along The Way' Michael Kerlin was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania after the British Invasion but before Woodstock, which makes him a post-Kennedy, pre-hippie, recovering Generation X’er. He lived in Pittsburgh until 1991 whereupon he up-and-moved to Seattle for reasons that, to this day, are still inexplicable, especially to his dear mother. Though he has been writing for as long as he can remember, “Songs from Along The Way” is the first official release of original Kerlin compositions. The bulk of the material therein was written between 1996 and Y2K. Recording and packaging were completed in August 2000. “I guess all songs are really from ‘along the way’ because that’s mainly what people do”, says Kerlin. “We move around from place to place either geographically or spiritually or both, with the hope that each move allows us to invent a better self. Some of the characters on this record manage to do just that, and some fail miserably while trying. But hopefully they all speak to the nature of this particular human experience in one way or another.” And that’s how this record came to be called “Songs From Along The Way”, you see. For people interested in categorizing art and artistic pursuits, Kerlin and his work are probably best summarized by the newly minted term “Neo-Alterna-Country-Songwriter-Folk”.Artists who have influenced Kerlin’s work include: Bruce Springsteen, John Prine, Loudon Wainwright III, John Wesley Harding, Bob Dylan, and John Hiatt.At present, in addition to writing, recording and releasing his wee little songs, Kerlin works for a Music Company in Seattle and often reviews other people’s records for magazines like No Depression and The Alt-Country Pages.Thanks for listening!

Group Members Michael Kerlin.

Instruments Acoustic Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica

Albums Songs From Along The Way

Press Reviews Artist: Mike Kerlin CD: Songs from Along the Way Label: mkerlin24@hotmail.com Released: 2000 Rating: 4 Stars (out of 5)Reviewing the work of another reviewer is an interesting experiment in artistic integrity. On the one hand, you really want to say as many nice things about them as possible, because you know that your turn for dissection may come soon enough. And, as a writer reviewing the music of another writer, you want to be as fair and accurate as possible in order to protect your own creative license and to keep yourself from unadulterated gushing. Having said all that, I really do think that Mike Kerlin is one of the best writers in music, in my opinion. His witty, articulate reviews have graced the pages of the now defunct ACP newsletter many times, and we’re hoping he can return to cyberspace as soon as reasonably possible (his growing family has kept him pretty busy lately). What’s cool about his writing is that it’s never the compressed or forced witticism of your typical wallofsound.com review, yet there’s always something entertaining about it. It’s always “a good read.” As far as I know, Mike’s self produced, self-manufactured, and self-distributed disc marks the first time he has released any of his music to the public. It’s a good thing, too – Mike is just as articulate with his music as he is with his music reviews. The best song is called “Superman’s Daughter,” which features some clever rhyme schemes (think of words that rhyme with daughter and you’ll get the idea). Most songs feature just Kerlin and acoustic guitar – sometimes with a John Wesley Harding flair. The Todd Snider-inspired “Talking Hippie’s Lament” is of course not as well constructed as either a Snider talking blues tune or anything by Dylan or Woody Guthrie. Still, what impressed me about this whole disc is that it’s still better than most of the subpar metallic Frisbees I get in the mail every day. And all this without the help of really any backing musicians, a good studio, or a producer. You can buy your own copy by sending an e-mail to the address listed above. (or check out Mike's site at mp3.com!) And if you do, tell Mike to get going on more reviews.

Location Seattle, Washington - USA

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