 |
- Online electronic press kit w/ High-Res Photos, Bio,
Music Samples found here:
Music Samples found here:
| Snippets.... |
| "Tiernan’s cleanly recorded disc captures the warmth of his persona, whose mainstream heartfelt nature shines on “Swim”. The tune’s harmonies and acoustic guitar basis evokes early Neil Young. “Slow Down” is another accessible pop tune, while “Born Again Contradiction” nods toward country music with a West Coast vibe. Tiernan deft lyricist whose melodies unfold at their own pace, yet reward the listener with memorable hooks. " - Music Connection Magazine |
| " Varied musical stylings, nimble guitar work, and a strong tenor combine to make for a highly listenable album." - San Diego City Beat |
| "Fine Music with real introspection. Tiernan makes you think while he entertains you." - Folkwax Magazine |
| "The musicianship on the album is flawless, and the high production quality makes for a fairly slick commercial recording despite the unassuming backdrop of homey acoustics. "Pass on By" and "Jumping In" showcase Tiernan's vocal range and knack for imbuing tracks with soulful grooves... excellent folk-soul tracks. Whether folk, country, or pop, each composition features an accessible, simple melody. - San Diego Reader |
| "An amazing singer/songwriter who's definitely going places. With a groovy style a la Jack Johnson and a songwriting style a bit like Toad the Wet Sprocket, it's little wonder Tiernan is a mult-award winner. Catch this guy before his star gets to bright to play little cafes in out-of-the-way towns..." - Glen Starkey, San Luis Obispo New Times |
| "You can imagine him playing in your living room just for you!" - Zoe Montana, Program Director, Radioio Acoustic |
| Have I got a gem for all of you out there! If you like David LaMotte, Damien Rice, Chris Rosser with some Tom Prasado-Rao mixed in plus his very own originality you have a darn good artist. The CD had a lot of diversity throughout and was a great ride for me.- Mary Post, WVUD FM, Maryland |
| "His talent shines through without help of overblown studio processing. An honest CD by an honestly talented performer. And, if you've not seen his website, check it out. The down-to-earth human excitement he gets from performing music is contagious." - Jim Kloss Whole Wheat Radio |
"I find Tiernan to be a fresh voice of very high quality...Tiernan's songwriting star is definitely one to watch for." -
Moshe Benarroch Folk and Acoustic Music Exchange
Moshe Benarroch Folk and Acoustic Music Exchange
| "... addictive and rather gorgeous with harmonies that are truly stunning... distant echoes of Brian Wilson?" - Eddie O'Strange, Town and Country Radio |
Fun Full-Length Feature articles online:
| :: CD Reviews and Full Length Articles:: |
Review of "Jumping In", North County Times (March 9, 2005)
by Jim Tragesar, North County Times (San Diego)
Tiernan's singing and arrangements both draw heavily on alternative rock sounds and influences. There's an almost-minor
sound to many of the compositions on his new album, "Jumping In."
While edgy and moody, Tiernan's music is still anchored solidly with beautiful melodies and warm harmonies. His new songs
have that instant familiarity that the best tunes all seem to possess. And his voice, which seems to range from a midbaritone to
a low tenor, is equally as warm.
The result of all of this is an accessible album with both pop and alternative strands that is eminently listenable and fun. It's as
good as anything the major labels are issuing, offering yet another argument that the labels are becoming irrelevant to the
music business.
by Jim Tragesar, North County Times (San Diego)
Tiernan's singing and arrangements both draw heavily on alternative rock sounds and influences. There's an almost-minor
sound to many of the compositions on his new album, "Jumping In."
While edgy and moody, Tiernan's music is still anchored solidly with beautiful melodies and warm harmonies. His new songs
have that instant familiarity that the best tunes all seem to possess. And his voice, which seems to range from a midbaritone to
a low tenor, is equally as warm.
The result of all of this is an accessible album with both pop and alternative strands that is eminently listenable and fun. It's as
good as anything the major labels are issuing, offering yet another argument that the labels are becoming irrelevant to the
music business.
| "Michael Tiernan is one of the best singer-songwriters that we've ever had in our 14 Year history of the Los Angeles Music Awards. He's one of the hardest working and most pleasant individuals that has come through these doors." - Al Bowman, Founder of the LA Music Awards |
Denver Post - February, 2007 By music critic John Wenzel
Del Mar Times - April 11th 2007 Feature on Spaces by Marti Gacioch
The Coloradoan - February, 2007 Feature by Staci Nick
North County Times - May 2006 Feature on Tiernan's New Acoustic Generation by Jim Trageser
San Diego Union Tribune Times Feature January 15, 2006, by Marcia Manna
FolkWax Magazine: June 1, 2005 Review of Jumping In by Roger Miller
The Riverside Press Enterprise Feature: May 18, 2005, by Erin Auerbach
The San Diego Reader Profile: April 14, 2005, by Jay Allen Sanford
The Daily Item, June 11, 2004 by John Michael Stern (Pennsylvania)
The North County Times, January 8, 2004, by Sandra Kraiserideja
Del Mar Times for the week of December 26-January 1, by Bart Schaneman
The Coast News, for the week of January 1-January 7, 2004 by Ben Frumin
Del Mar Times - April 11th 2007 Feature on Spaces by Marti Gacioch
The Coloradoan - February, 2007 Feature by Staci Nick
North County Times - May 2006 Feature on Tiernan's New Acoustic Generation by Jim Trageser
San Diego Union Tribune Times Feature January 15, 2006, by Marcia Manna
FolkWax Magazine: June 1, 2005 Review of Jumping In by Roger Miller
The Riverside Press Enterprise Feature: May 18, 2005, by Erin Auerbach
The San Diego Reader Profile: April 14, 2005, by Jay Allen Sanford
The Daily Item, June 11, 2004 by John Michael Stern (Pennsylvania)
The North County Times, January 8, 2004, by Sandra Kraiserideja
Del Mar Times for the week of December 26-January 1, by Bart Schaneman
The Coast News, for the week of January 1-January 7, 2004 by Ben Frumin
| "A wealth of Wisdom: Tiernan has more to sing about than your average suburban homebody. He blends his life lessons as a proper artist well and paints a landscape in your mind as vivid as other professionals twice his age. ...A more upbeat Counting Crows." - The Santa Barbara Independent |
San Diego Union Tribune Feature
by Marcia Manna San Diego Union Tribune
January 15, 2006
DEL MAR – It's a crazy work schedule. Today, singer-songwriter Michael Tiernan will perform on the streets of Carlsbad during
the marathon; tonight, he'll play live and be interviewed by disc jockey Tim Pyles on local radio station 94.9 FM.
What: Michael Tiernan When: Live performance and interview at 8 p.m. tonight Where: Broadcast on 94.9 FM with radio host
Tim Pyles Information: (858) 342-4720
On Friday, there's a gig at La Playa Cantina and Grill in San Marcos, then he's off to Texas to start a tour that begins with a folk
music alliance in Austin. "It's an exciting life," said Tiernan, 32, a Del Mar resident who leads a youth choir at St. James
Church in Solana Beach and a music program at St. Margaret's Church in Oceanside. "You have your steady base of
whatever income you get and everything else teaches you to trust. And things do come. It's pretty neat."
Although he never planned it that way, many of Tiernan's experiences on his journey to becoming a songwriter became
integrated into his music. He overcame cancer as a teenager, then entered the priesthood, spending a year studying in
Colorado before moving to Rome. When he realized the life of a priest was not for him, Tiernan left before taking his final
vows. "I was studying at the Vatican," Tiernan said. "I was giving tours of St. Peters and all that stuff. So when I got out, I really
didn't know what I was going to do. I never really had the dream to be a full-time musician or anything. It just grew out from
where my life was leading me. It was the only forward-looking thing I could picture myself doing until I got married."
When Tiernan left Rome in 2000, his life led him to an Italian restaurant in Solana Beach, where he started working as a
busboy and eventually became a manager.
But he had written songs and played guitar since age 17 and, in 2003, he recorded the album "Still Listening."
"I recorded it in a storage closet on the side of my apartment," he said. "I received good press and a positive reaction, and I
decided it's now or never. Another songwriter from Del Mar, Chris Stuart, told me I would find my own path and that things
would come to me. I trusted that and went with my heart."
Last year, Tiernan won the singer-songwriter category at the Los Angeles Music Awards and the cut "The Other Side" on the
"Still Listening" album garnered an honorable mention from the Billboard World Song Contest. Tiernan's latest release is
"Jumping In," an album of a dozen poetic, thoughtful songs that are sung with a compelling earnestness. The title track,
inspired by falling leaves, is Tiernan's favorite. "There is solace in their falling, On their journey to the ground, I have heard the
autumn calling, Follow me in falling down, So I'm jumping in." "Autumn was always a time to reflect upon the process of
dying," Tiernan said. "It's about letting something go and being open to the regrowth that will happen."
The album won Tiernan a second Los Angeles Music Award, and he'll sing music from the CD tonight during his radio
broadcast. He'll also sing a cover of a song originally recorded by the rock group Soundgarden and introduce original music
that hasn't been recorded yet. "I would say, in the last year, I've been trying not to write about myself, or about the inner
landscape. I wanted to put myself in another's shoes and wrote 'Better Life.' It was inspired by the Mexican guys I used to work
with at the Italian restaurant, and it's the best example of how far I've come in my songwriting."
Earlier this month, Tiernan hosted the New Acoustic Generation Night at the Belly Up Tavern and performed along with The
Gooses, Renata Youngblood and Paige Aufhammer. More than 300 people attended the show, prompting the venue to
continue a monthly all-acoustic night beginning in March, when Tiernan returns from his tour.
by Marcia Manna San Diego Union Tribune
January 15, 2006
DEL MAR – It's a crazy work schedule. Today, singer-songwriter Michael Tiernan will perform on the streets of Carlsbad during
the marathon; tonight, he'll play live and be interviewed by disc jockey Tim Pyles on local radio station 94.9 FM.
What: Michael Tiernan When: Live performance and interview at 8 p.m. tonight Where: Broadcast on 94.9 FM with radio host
Tim Pyles Information: (858) 342-4720
On Friday, there's a gig at La Playa Cantina and Grill in San Marcos, then he's off to Texas to start a tour that begins with a folk
music alliance in Austin. "It's an exciting life," said Tiernan, 32, a Del Mar resident who leads a youth choir at St. James
Church in Solana Beach and a music program at St. Margaret's Church in Oceanside. "You have your steady base of
whatever income you get and everything else teaches you to trust. And things do come. It's pretty neat."
Although he never planned it that way, many of Tiernan's experiences on his journey to becoming a songwriter became
integrated into his music. He overcame cancer as a teenager, then entered the priesthood, spending a year studying in
Colorado before moving to Rome. When he realized the life of a priest was not for him, Tiernan left before taking his final
vows. "I was studying at the Vatican," Tiernan said. "I was giving tours of St. Peters and all that stuff. So when I got out, I really
didn't know what I was going to do. I never really had the dream to be a full-time musician or anything. It just grew out from
where my life was leading me. It was the only forward-looking thing I could picture myself doing until I got married."
When Tiernan left Rome in 2000, his life led him to an Italian restaurant in Solana Beach, where he started working as a
busboy and eventually became a manager.
But he had written songs and played guitar since age 17 and, in 2003, he recorded the album "Still Listening."
"I recorded it in a storage closet on the side of my apartment," he said. "I received good press and a positive reaction, and I
decided it's now or never. Another songwriter from Del Mar, Chris Stuart, told me I would find my own path and that things
would come to me. I trusted that and went with my heart."
Last year, Tiernan won the singer-songwriter category at the Los Angeles Music Awards and the cut "The Other Side" on the
"Still Listening" album garnered an honorable mention from the Billboard World Song Contest. Tiernan's latest release is
"Jumping In," an album of a dozen poetic, thoughtful songs that are sung with a compelling earnestness. The title track,
inspired by falling leaves, is Tiernan's favorite. "There is solace in their falling, On their journey to the ground, I have heard the
autumn calling, Follow me in falling down, So I'm jumping in." "Autumn was always a time to reflect upon the process of
dying," Tiernan said. "It's about letting something go and being open to the regrowth that will happen."
The album won Tiernan a second Los Angeles Music Award, and he'll sing music from the CD tonight during his radio
broadcast. He'll also sing a cover of a song originally recorded by the rock group Soundgarden and introduce original music
that hasn't been recorded yet. "I would say, in the last year, I've been trying not to write about myself, or about the inner
landscape. I wanted to put myself in another's shoes and wrote 'Better Life.' It was inspired by the Mexican guys I used to work
with at the Italian restaurant, and it's the best example of how far I've come in my songwriting."
Earlier this month, Tiernan hosted the New Acoustic Generation Night at the Belly Up Tavern and performed along with The
Gooses, Renata Youngblood and Paige Aufhammer. More than 300 people attended the show, prompting the venue to
continue a monthly all-acoustic night beginning in March, when Tiernan returns from his tour.
| "With smooth tenor and crisp acoustic guitar work, his songs alternately recall the effortless calm of David Wilcox and the spiky melodies of an indie rock band, versatile in their construction as they straddle genres and instrumentation." - The Denver Post |
| "Tiernan is adept at tender ballads, country-inflected ditties and smart, savvy pop-rock. His songs are finely crafted without sacrificing their emotional essence for aural slickness, and he has a knack for letting his music breathe." - San Diego Union Tribune |
| "A supple and clear voice, Tiernan’s presence is a throwback to the alt-folk lessons set down by Jessie Winchester or Jessie Colin Young: ruffle no feathers, make great, sonic spaces for a listener – that’s Tiernan. He is the pick of the litter" - NBC News and Entertainment |
San Diego Troubadour
Review of "Spaces" by Craig Yerkes
May, 2007
Michael Tiernan is a man with a lot on his mind and only so much time to say it. Whether the topic at hand is the mystery of
who God is, how to best connect with your spouse, the human condition, or just a good old fashioned folk story, it's not an
easy thing to encapsulate all that deep thinking into the format of a song. Mr. Tiernan reminds me a lot of David Wilcox, not just
in terms of musical style (adult alternative/new folk), but also in the sense that the lyrics of both artists are very conversational
and usually have a fairly poignant point to make. For me, the challenge in listening to such artists is to enjoy the music as a
whole and not feel like I am listening to a sermon set to music.
While there are a few tunes on Tiernan's latest recording, Spaces, that leave me with the feeling I just described, the good
news is that most of the material here avoids that pitfall and is very, very satisfying. 'Better Life,' the disc's most appealing
offering, tells the heartbreaking story of a forbidden love, employing master strokes in the forms of an amazing vocal turn from
Barbara Nesbitt, a beautifully constructed melody and arrangement, an exquisitely effective bridge, and an emotionally
charged lead vocal. My personal favorite is 'You Hide,' which is a bit surprising due to the fact that this is a tune about God and
I am not a religious person. 'You Hide,' in a touchingly inclusive way, explores the nature of God and how there is a place for
people with religious differences to meet somewhere in the mystery of it all (oh, and the music is just flat out amazingly pretty).
'I Was Wrong' is a well placed departure from the rest of the material with a raw, stripped down format (gritty electric guitar and
a lead vocal delivered with serious gusto) that reminded me of something Eddie Vetter might come up with if he collaborated
with a gospel singer from the deep south. 'Don't Wake Up' and 'Sleeping' nicely showcase Tiernan's softer side with what I
would call 'a thinking person's love songs' and the breezy electric guitar on 'Don't Wake Up' is nothing short of fluffy perfection.
The title track scored just shy of a hit with me due to the fact that the artist seemed to be trying to say just a little too much and
the final product sounds a bit forced to me (although I readily admit that the chances are very good that most listeners will
gobble this tune up).
One constant that you will find in listening to Spaces is the attention to detail in the songwriting and production. This music
leaves no loose ends, lyrically or musically, and you have to tip your hat to the level of craftsmanship here. Spaces is Michael
Tiernan's best work yet.
Review of "Spaces" by Craig Yerkes
May, 2007
Michael Tiernan is a man with a lot on his mind and only so much time to say it. Whether the topic at hand is the mystery of
who God is, how to best connect with your spouse, the human condition, or just a good old fashioned folk story, it's not an
easy thing to encapsulate all that deep thinking into the format of a song. Mr. Tiernan reminds me a lot of David Wilcox, not just
in terms of musical style (adult alternative/new folk), but also in the sense that the lyrics of both artists are very conversational
and usually have a fairly poignant point to make. For me, the challenge in listening to such artists is to enjoy the music as a
whole and not feel like I am listening to a sermon set to music.
While there are a few tunes on Tiernan's latest recording, Spaces, that leave me with the feeling I just described, the good
news is that most of the material here avoids that pitfall and is very, very satisfying. 'Better Life,' the disc's most appealing
offering, tells the heartbreaking story of a forbidden love, employing master strokes in the forms of an amazing vocal turn from
Barbara Nesbitt, a beautifully constructed melody and arrangement, an exquisitely effective bridge, and an emotionally
charged lead vocal. My personal favorite is 'You Hide,' which is a bit surprising due to the fact that this is a tune about God and
I am not a religious person. 'You Hide,' in a touchingly inclusive way, explores the nature of God and how there is a place for
people with religious differences to meet somewhere in the mystery of it all (oh, and the music is just flat out amazingly pretty).
'I Was Wrong' is a well placed departure from the rest of the material with a raw, stripped down format (gritty electric guitar and
a lead vocal delivered with serious gusto) that reminded me of something Eddie Vetter might come up with if he collaborated
with a gospel singer from the deep south. 'Don't Wake Up' and 'Sleeping' nicely showcase Tiernan's softer side with what I
would call 'a thinking person's love songs' and the breezy electric guitar on 'Don't Wake Up' is nothing short of fluffy perfection.
The title track scored just shy of a hit with me due to the fact that the artist seemed to be trying to say just a little too much and
the final product sounds a bit forced to me (although I readily admit that the chances are very good that most listeners will
gobble this tune up).
One constant that you will find in listening to Spaces is the attention to detail in the songwriting and production. This music
leaves no loose ends, lyrically or musically, and you have to tip your hat to the level of craftsmanship here. Spaces is Michael
Tiernan's best work yet.
North County Times
Review of "Spaces" by Jim Trageser
April 11, 2007
The third CD from Del Mar's Michael Tiernan shows a continued path of artistic growth, taking what he did well on his first two
folk releases and building on that for an album that is progressively more impressive and more listenable than his previous
outings. The 13 tracks (the last a "hidden" song not listed on the sleeve) show an artist who is improving as a bandleader, as
a singer ---- and, most impressively, as a songwriter.
Tiernan has been playing many of these songs in his live shows the past few months, but the rich arrangements and full
band (plus the sure-eared production of Tiernan pal Sven-Erik Seaholm) bring out a patina not always apparent in his solo
performances. "Same Sky" is a good example, with acoustic and electric guitars trading jabs after Tiernan's vocal opening,
then a sharply syncopated acoustic guitar working the bridge between refrain and the next verse.
That last bit is one of the most rewarding additions to Tiernan's musical repertoire: his increasing use of acoustic guitar to
bridge between passages or to add decorative flourishes. The opening guitar riff on "Spaces" is as lovely a guitar passage as
he's ever played (and provides a near-perfect introduction to one of the loveliest songs he's written).
But he's got other tricks up his sleeve. "So Cruel" opens with a four- or five-part vocal harmony, then is punctuated throughout
by a funky electric guitar with an effects pedal. Adding the violin of Alex DePue on several tracks gives them a sheen they'd not
have otherwise. And having the immensely talented Barbara Nesbitt on harmony vocals on the country-rocker "Better Life" is
just gravy.
The album is mostly the same mellow folk that populated his first two albums, but rocks a little harder at times. Mostly,
though, it's a lovely collection of some great new songs by one of the area's most talented songwriters.
Review of "Spaces" by Jim Trageser
April 11, 2007
The third CD from Del Mar's Michael Tiernan shows a continued path of artistic growth, taking what he did well on his first two
folk releases and building on that for an album that is progressively more impressive and more listenable than his previous
outings. The 13 tracks (the last a "hidden" song not listed on the sleeve) show an artist who is improving as a bandleader, as
a singer ---- and, most impressively, as a songwriter.
Tiernan has been playing many of these songs in his live shows the past few months, but the rich arrangements and full
band (plus the sure-eared production of Tiernan pal Sven-Erik Seaholm) bring out a patina not always apparent in his solo
performances. "Same Sky" is a good example, with acoustic and electric guitars trading jabs after Tiernan's vocal opening,
then a sharply syncopated acoustic guitar working the bridge between refrain and the next verse.
That last bit is one of the most rewarding additions to Tiernan's musical repertoire: his increasing use of acoustic guitar to
bridge between passages or to add decorative flourishes. The opening guitar riff on "Spaces" is as lovely a guitar passage as
he's ever played (and provides a near-perfect introduction to one of the loveliest songs he's written).
But he's got other tricks up his sleeve. "So Cruel" opens with a four- or five-part vocal harmony, then is punctuated throughout
by a funky electric guitar with an effects pedal. Adding the violin of Alex DePue on several tracks gives them a sheen they'd not
have otherwise. And having the immensely talented Barbara Nesbitt on harmony vocals on the country-rocker "Better Life" is
just gravy.
The album is mostly the same mellow folk that populated his first two albums, but rocks a little harder at times. Mostly,
though, it's a lovely collection of some great new songs by one of the area's most talented songwriters.
 |
- Download PDF Music Bio and Press Page
-Download Hi-Res Press Photos: (right click to download)
