Dynamic and poetic songwriting, encompassing folk, pop and rock elements, that speaks to the heart and touches the soul.

11 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Folk Rock, POP: Folky Pop



Details:
IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to difficult health and other issues, Katheleen is no longer recording and/or performing.

Here are some reviews of Faces, Traces and Timelines:

Jodi Krangle
Muse's Muse (12/8/98)

I'm a sucker for a good vocalist. Katheleen Michaels is definitely one of those. She also has a real way with mournful songs. Her CD, Faces, Traces & Timelines has a wealth of mournful and unusual melodies (as well as some more upbeat numbers but it's the mournful tunes that touched me the most) that caught me up and didn't let me go until the very end. I was also very impressed with the way the music was crafted to create a 'wall of sound' effect that was so powerful, my tiny computer CD player made it sound like I was in an amphitheatre. The song I've chosen to highlight here is an example of that but there's lots of great stuff on this CD.
---Jodi Krangle

Russell Elliot (free-lance reviewer from the UK)

The debut album by internet award winning Bay Area independent singer-songwriter Katheleen Michaels, Faces, Traces & Timelines (KMWM Productions, 1998), contains eleven heartfelt vocally rich folk-rock tunes backed principally by guitarist and co-writer Bill Mazur. With keyboards by Ken Ruppel, further instrumental contributions include Nathan DeMello on bass and Patrick Ward and Dennis Briggs playing drums.

The album is dominated by Katheleen's vocal work. She also plays 12-string acoustic guitar. The album is easy to listen to with catchy bluesy or bright folk-like melodies balanced amongst the supporting guitar and keyboard instrumentation. Other songs have a bluesy feel. Although the style of her music is different, Katheleen's mid-range vocals could be best compared to those of Frances Black or even Chrissie Hynde at times.

The typically bluesy "My Old Friend" is quite popular amongst internet audiences sharing a similar feel to "Where Did He Go" and "How Long" which follow. Katheleen demonstrates that she is equally adept at ballads in "Outside My Window" and "Father Joe". Several of the album's songs are more bright and airy with "Forever" and "If I Could" being the most stunning examples. "Save Me" is an epic-like track combining Katheleen's different styles into one song with powerful instrumentals and is therefore a high spot of the album.

The work of independent artists is becoming more prevalent and well known with the internet's growth. Katheleen Michaels' debut album, largely distributed through internet audiences, is certainly one example of what is being done today. It contains good cross section of music demonstrating the range of her vocal and songwriting ability. A nice listen.

Here is a portion of Katheleen's bio:

From the age of five years old forward I was fed a steady diet of classical training in voice, piano, flute and dance. My studies carried on through high school and into my college years. This was my formal training. My informal training came from hearing the music listened to by my sister and brother. I shared a room with my sister who listened to 60s/70s R&B and soul. Through my bedroom closet I would listen for hours to my brother playing 60s/70s progressive rock such as the Moody Blues, Genesis and Pink Floyd.

Along the way, I had the opportunity, from the age of fourteen, to sing in jazz trios, country bands, pop/rock cover bands and original projects. All the while I was writing my own original material. This brought me to that fated day when I first met Bill.

The music turned into something different for me than it had ever been prior to my partnership with Bill. My writing became more sincere and our collaborative effort allowed my musical ideas to blossom and flow. We have developed a symbiotic relationship and depend heavily upon each other to create our music. Our partnership has helped me come to know that music is the ultimate healing balm for any ailment of the heart, mind, body or soul.

Katheleen Michaels