Singer songwriter Michael McNevin plays clubs and festivals across the U.S., highlighting a seasoned voice, innovative guitar work, and some hilarious tour adventures. His songs read like short stories, full of humor, heart, and a keen eye for Americana. Gig to gig, he drives the blue roads, usually in an '86 Toyota 4Runner that has a desk where the passenger seat used to be. In fact, his tour journals are published semi-regularly as magazine segments titled “Napkin Literature – Stories From The Road”. He writes it all down – from being caught in a Nashville tornado, to chasing down a robber in Carbondale, Illinois.

With 12 years of touring and 4 CDs now under his belt, (and a couple rare cassettes), McNevin is an indie artist, but the road is getting wider. He’s shared concert stages with the likes of Johnny Cash, Shawn Colvin, Richie Havens, Donovan, and many others. He is a winner of the Kerrville New-folk award, a 5-time winner of the West Coast Songwriters Association "Song Of The Year" award, nominated "Artist Of The Year by the National Academy Of Songwriters, and was chosen by Performing Songwriter Magazine as a Top 12 “DIY Artist Of The Year". He also won the Napa Valley new-folk competition, the Columbia River new-folk competition, and placed 3rd at both the Telluride and Rocky Mountain Folks Fest troubadour competitions.

Michael picked up his Dad’s guitar at age 14. By the mid 1980s, he was working odd jobs by day and playing pubs at night around the San Francisco Bay Area. He also logged three years at a local state college studying music, fiction, and theater. With a stockpile of songs, he dropped out and moved to New York where he cut his troubadour teeth playing the subways and streets of Greenwich Village. He also played the Monday open mic nights at the legendary Gerdes Folk City night club in Greenwich Village. It was here that Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty heard Michael play; they were researching their roles in the movie "Ishtar" as failed songwriters. Perhaps the most defining New York experience for McNevin was a night he spent in the slammer for jumping over a subway turnstile. This would become a song titled "Jersey Jail" off his 1992 debut release, "Secondhand Story".

While many of his songs chronicle the people and towns of his travels, they also capture the Huck Finn childhood he had growing up in the rail town of Niles, California. "Two Feet Ahead Of The Train" reenacts a close call he had on a train trestle over the Alameda Creek when he was ten years old, "Bagger" describes his days working at the town grocery store, "John's Cocoons" details the spring ritual of his eldest brother hatching a shoe box full of giant Polyphemus Moths all over the house, and "The Pride Of Niles-Centerville Little League" depicts his days booting infield grounders for the Niles Electric Braves.

Michael is also a renowned Etch A Sketch artist. Not kidding – he illustrates his songs on that little red toy. The art and music of “Sketch“ have been featured on CBS, FOX, NBC, and ABC. His work is exhibited in art galleries, and he's been commissioned for drawings as well. Michael's 'little league' drawing, and the baseball song it depicts, went to Cooperstown, New York, as folk art in the National Baseball Hall Of Fame. The Ohio Art Company, maker of the toy, sponsors drawing workshops with Michael at music festivals and schools.

Visit Music, Etch A Sketch art, and Napkins at: www.michaelmcnevin.com

"I don't know what's best about this CD - Michael McNevin's music or his Etch A Sketch drawings that accompany each song. McNevin is a singer-songwriter of the highest order." -Acoustic Guitar Magazine

"The talent of Michael McNevin lies in his ability to extract juicy bits of life from his surroundings and let a tale unravel from each one."

-Performing Songwriter Magazine

"Heard you on the KFOG acoustic Sunday morning show. Bagging groceries and an Etch-A-Sketch. Two of my historical accomplishments--dig the tunes."

-Tony Bennett

"McNevin has moved to the forefront of the New-folk movement. Captivating stories told with heart against a backdrop of clean, optimistic guitar."

-Brian Turhorst, KVMR Nevada City, CA

"Michael McNevin has been kicking around from coast to coast for years now, a maven who delights his audiences with story-songs and patter... Here are sketches of people, places, and events..."

-Sing Out! Magazine

"Secondhand Story is an evocative peek at a strangers life"

- Chicago Tribune