Artist description The critics all note the "countrypolitan" sound.

Musical Influences Charlie Rich, Merle Haggard, Burt Bacharach, Frank Sinatra, Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, Billy Sherrill

Similar Artists Charlie Rich, Gene Watson, Jack Greene, Wynn Stewart, Mavericks

Artist History The debut album "Learning How to Live" released on Sub Pop/Sire in March 1998. The band is currently without a record deal.

Group Members Mike Ireland, Dan Mesh

Albums Learning How to Live (1998)

Press Reviews Press QuotesMike Ireland & Holler "Learning How to Live""Taking on everything from Bakersfield honky-tonk to lush, 60's styled country-pop, Ireland has practically encompassed the whole of Dwight Yoakam's career in one album. His songs…succeed in transforming one man's heartbreak into a universal human experience." - Michael McCall, The Nashville Scene"quite simply one of the most beautiful albums you'll hear in 1998." - Stephen L. Betts, Country Song Roundup"(I)f I had to pick one act that could break through, it's Mike Ireland and his trio, Holler. Vocally easygoing and natural, their mix of traditional and cutting edge individuality, with its fresh, sleek, feel, sets him and the band apart and could attract mainstream fans without compromise." - Rich Kienzle, Country Music"'House of Secrets' embodies the same raw, bare emotional wallop that makes classics like George Jones' 'The Grand Tour" so unforgettable." - Jeff McCord, Austin Chronicle"an impressive debut." - Steve Dougherty, People Magazine"Ireland can sing anything from honky-tonk to torch ballads, although he makes a specialty of heartbreak." - Dave Marsh, Playboy"Ireland will amaze you with gems like the title track, which incorporates a string section with traditional country guitar licks and sincere vocals - a real masterpiece." - Richard McVey, Music City News"Much of what draws you to this album is Ireland's nod to the past, that is, borrowing the best of it to forge his sound. This includes innovative string arrangements that pay homage to the great work of Billy Sherrill, whose production and arrangement of artists like George Jones and Charlie Rich defined the early seventies." - Dave Rakish, Cleveland Country Magazine"Far more compelling than virtually anything you'll hear out of Nashville this year." - Robert Hilburn, Los Angeles Times"The best work comes when Ireland leans on his affinity for Billy Sherrill-produced country….From "House of Secrets" to "Christmas Past," the album sets you up, reminding the listener of the perilous fragility of the human heart. With the last song, the title track, Ireland gives the delicate porcelain of his hear a long, sad look. Mine was completely shattered." - Chuck Aly, Music Row"His stringish lyrical and vocal bents sets him apart from the competition" - Jack Hurst, The Chicago Tribune "Ireland is a superb songwriter, with a talent for updating the form with lyrics as realistic as they are emotional." - Bob Pomeroy, Puncture"…Mike Ireland and Holler touch a nerve. You'll feel it in that Ray Price shuffle, sometimes surging on defiant revisitings like 'Banks of the Ohio'; in Michael Lemon's warm, rusty Telecaster triplets; and in Ireland's voice, with its echoes of Johnny Rodriguez's tremulous contours, maybe, or George Strait's supple phrasing. Names not taken in vain, for with Holler, studied style gives way to graceful openness." - Roy Kasten, Riverfront Times"a timeless album" - Kevin Roe, Rootin' Around "From George Jones to Charlie Rich to Buck Owens, this band knows what's what, what's real and, boy, does the honky-tonk blast through! Picture it: a thunderous country music roar equal parts Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and the finest in traditional bluegrass music, and you've got an act that could easily turn heads the way the likes of BR5-49 have done….(S)ome hot debut. - Modern Screen's Country Stars of Tomorrow"Ireland's style is more a mix of 1960's and 70's countrypolitan with the honky tonk of Ernest Tubb and the driving, rhythmic Bakersfield sound of Buck Owens. He employs strings without drowning the edge and emotion of a song. - Douglas Fulmer, Country Weekly"He has a Dwight-like edge, a clearly developed musical vision and a rough-hewn charm." - Robert K. Oermann, Music Row"Riveting throughout" - Bill Friskics-Warren, The Washington Post"Dripping with earnestness, but also dripping with ability….He sounds like a male counterpart to Iris DeMent in his tradition-honoring yet tradition-twisting songwriting. He is also endlessley suprising in his depth….Ireland and his band Holler have stories to tell - and they tell them with integrity and invention. - Steve Morse, The Boston Globe"unquestionably country" - New Country"'Learning How to Live' is contemporary country at its finest - be it insurgent, mainstream or classsic." - John Floyd, Memphis Flyer" a songwriter of uncommon talent" - Brian Whepley, The Witchita Eagle

Location Kansas City, MO - USA

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