Getting to Know . . . MICHAEL TIERNAN
 by Kathy S-B  ·  22 November 2008

I met up with Michael Tiernan at last summer’s Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in Hillsdale, NY. I was most impressed by his song about the impending birth of his first child. I happened to meet up with him at the dance tent where we were both catching the set by Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams. I had the chance to chat with him a bit and asked him then if he’d be willing to do one of our online interviews. So here we are. . .

Check out Michael's website www.tiernantunes.com. He does live internet concerts every Friday at noon (Pacific time). How cool is that? Check out this gorgeous video of Michael's song "You Hide" which was inspired by the works of Joseph Campbell.

Having cancer at a young age has obviously had an impact on your life. Looking back, do you feel that you were forced to be wise beyond your years? And did the thoughts and emotions that you experienced during that time help prepare you to write such riveting introspective songs?

I attribute a lot of my choices in life as being heavily influenced by my experience with cancer. I didn’t fully understand it at the time — having to face the prospect of death at a young age — but looking back, yes, facing such things sent me deep into myself, looking for answers. The answers came in a lot of forms, from religion to philosophy to spirituality, and my understanding of those answers has deepened and spread out over the years. Before I had cancer, I never considered myself an artist. But soon after, I knew I had gone through that experience for a reason. It took a long time to figure out the exact ‘mission’ I had, but it made itself clearer and clearer as the years went on. I think writing and sharing songs is the full answer to my sense of purpose which was spawned 18 years ago during that time.

Tell us about your experience as a Roman Catholic seminarian in Rome. What was it like studying at the Vatican and singing in the cafes at night? Did the other seminarians support you or did they think you were a renegade of some sort?

Ha — yes, I guess I was quite the renegade. But to me, it all made sense. I felt like I was just being myself, using my gifts, and I thought it would be a waste of time to be in such a lovely city and never get out to hang out with the ‘normal’ city folk. I wasn’t one to hang around the seminary all day and night, separated from the outside world. It did freak out other seminarians when they found out I was playing in pubs. One night, I was hanging out at my friend’s pub in Trastevere, and a group of seminarians were walking back from dinner, and they saw me singing through the window — half of them had a look of horror, and the other half was cracking up! Anyhow, it made a lot of them uncomfortable, enough so that they were ‘concerned’ about my commitment level, and basically tattled on me to my superiors, who were very concerned about the image of a Roman seminarian versus the quality of the person. My bishop back home, who was officially my boss, had no problem with me performing out in the city. But unfortunately, it made the people who were directly in charge of me uncomfortable enough to put me on ‘probation’. Too funny.

Anyhow, overall, my experience was absolutely amazing — I loved the rhythm of study, ritual, and personal time in the seminary. And being in Rome was absolute gift. The Vatican is a totally unique place — you see it all, from the beautiful and sublime, to the sinister and uber-clericalism that disgusts so many Catholics and non-Catholics alike. I must say I met the most intriguing people during my time in the seminary, some of whom are still dear friends, others who just plain disgust me.

You were part of a band called Scrap Apple before you went solo and ventured into the acoustic music arena. What was the alt-rock scene like for you?

I had no idea about the music business at that time in my life. I was just stoked to be in a band that people really seemed to like. We had a good amount of success in college, had some good airplay, and were getting gigs all over the place. Me, I was just having fun! Jumping around on stage in an Eddie Vedder-esque style, drinking Tequila and good beer, having a blast. But as far as the business angle, I had no clue. And so we didn’t progress in a timely fashion enough to make it worth it for me stick around. But I was fortunate to have learned what worked and what didn’t when performing. I made a lot of mistakes, and I also learned how to become a better songwriter. It was a good foundation for the singer/songwriter path.

You’ve won numerous singer-songwriter awards in the past few years. That must be very rewarding to you. Do you feel like you’re where you need to be at in your music career right now? “Spaces” is a wonderful introduction to your music. Was it fun to record?

The awards have been good — good for the resume, good to people who care about them. But to the average listener, who I really want to connect with, they really don’t matter at all. They sound impressive on paper, but they don’t necessarily get people to the club. I have used them mostly to get press written about me. This past year or two I haven’t been too concerned about going after any of that stuff. I still occasionally enter my music in some I think are more worthwhile, but overall, I’m just focusing on doing what I do. I guess the awards helped me prove to myself that, hey, I’m actually a real songwriter! Now its just about connecting with people, being true to myself, and trying to get better and better at the craft.

Spaces was an amazing recording process. I had a really solid set of songs that just surprised me when we got them down on tape (or hard drive…). The recording took on a life of its own, and my producer and I were just in one of those special creative zones that you can only hope to get back to at some point soon. I’m very proud of Spaces, and am super excited for the next album, which I’ll start recording after my baby is born this month!!

Your performances on stage and at the campfires at Falcon Ridge made an impact on me and others I spoke to — especially the song you wrote about your forthcoming child. “LA Can Wait” (or “The Baby Song”) is a winner for sure. Does it set the tone for your next CD or will there be a sprinkling of styles and tone for us?

Yes — definitely — LA Can Wait (Good memory!) is so far the highlight of the new record, because it represents a real development in my own life experience and the material I write about. It talks about making long term dreams a reality, all the while with your feet planted in the everyday normal miraculous stuff of life. My perspective has just blossomed 100-fold with the addition of a new child. That song is a good representation also stylistically of what is to come — quick, to-the-point songs, that are tender, sweet, insightful, but based on the real and small things in life that carry so much beauty. The music is definitely following a more commercial bent, which is a great joy and challenge to bring such meaningful and wonderful experiences into a tight, slick package that everyone can access and relate with. I will have still quite a peppering of styles in the new album — a little pop rock, a little soul, some reggae-beach-rock, and some good ol’ fashioned folk tunes. But it’s all going to have that settled-in feeling, very easy going, relaxing, and positive energy that I hope people can sink into.