Songwriter Michael McNevin grew up in the train town of Niles, California, in the east bay hills of the San Francisco Bay Area. Vivid songs read like short stories, full of heart, humor, and a keen eye for detail. He started his career in the the bars of the SF East Bay, mixing in a six-month stint in NYC, cutting his troubadour teeth in the subways and streets of Greenwich Village. Seasoned vocals and accomplished guitar work underscore the stories, characters, and places he travels. He’s been a main stager at some of the bigger music festivals around, including Strawberry, High Sierra, Kerrville, Philly Folk, and SummerFolk. He’s been on concert bills with Johnny Cash and The Carter Family, Richie Havens, Christine Lavin, Robert Earl Keen, Utah Phillips, Shawn Colvin, Donovan, and many others. Touring the US extensively and parts of Europe as a solo act, he is winner of the Kerrville New-folk award in Texas, a 7-time winner of the West Coast Songwriters “Song Of The Year” award (’91, ’92, ’97, ’98, ’05, ’09, ’17), was chosen by Performing Songwriter Magazine as a Top 12 “DIY Artist Of The Year”, and was nominated “Artist Of The Year” by the National Academy of Songwriters. He’s also an Etch A Sketch artist of some renown (not kidding) – he illustrates his lyrics, dumfounding audiences with the little red toy. His drawings hang proudly in galleries and venues, and in his own Mudpuddle Shop concert space in Niles, waiting for an earthquake.
“I don’t know what’s best about ‘Sketch’ – 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
“Secondhand Story” is an evocative peek into a stranger’s life.”
~ Chicago Tribune
“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.”
~ The 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, whose cynical-hopeful lyrics, and funky semi-cover of Paul Simon’s ‘The Boxer’ (with hysterical new lyrics and a new title, ‘The Taxer’) made him a crowd favorite at the High Sierra Music Festival. His childhood baseball tale, ‘The Pride of Niles-Centerville’, was another that captured imaginations.”
~ Village View, L.A.