Michael Veitch
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Michael Veitch

Kingston, New York, United States | SELF

Kingston, New York, United States | SELF
Solo Pop Singer/Songwriter

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"Review: Postcards From Vermont Vol. 1"

Although Woodstock's erstwhile Vermonter Michael Veitch honors his roots by titling this album Postcards from Vermont, Volume 1, these 12 contemporary folk gems gracefully evoke a landscape familiar to anyone acquainted with longing, desire, anger, sadness, amusement, or exhilaration. With true troubadour verve, Veitch wraps deep emotion in irresistible melody, elegant lyricism, and his soaring, burnished tenor. The opening cut, "Close Enough to Touch," a paean to long-ago love, offers all of the above in a single song, going from major to minor and back again.

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First Snow of the Year
By Michael Veitch

Local luminaries—drum god Jerry Marotta, multi-instrumentalist Julie Last, and bassist Kyle Esposito—occasionally help out, but Veitch mostly plays everything. His nimble acoustic work, honed over a couple decades on stages from the Hudson Valley to Munich, anchors it all; delicate on gorgeous ballad "First Snow of the Year," muscular on the calloused "Quarryman," and assured on new folk standard "Irene Meets the Bartonsville Bridge." Thematically, Veitch, crystallizes telling details; "The Last Farmer in Vermont" is doomed, but he's "sittin' watchin' TV/ And eatin' pizza and looking mighty relaxed," and the wistful narrator in "Sunday Drive," an impressive live performance, conveys fathoms when he quotes his father: "Son, put a long road behind you / See what this living is for / Don't surrender when the world surrounds you / Here's the key to the Pontiac door." Veitch took that advice, and, lucky for us, sent postcards. Michaelveitch.com.

Tags: Music, woodstock, acoustic, michael veitch, Audio

- Chronogram


"Review: Postcards From Vermont Vol. 1"

Although Woodstock's erstwhile Vermonter Michael Veitch honors his roots by titling this album Postcards from Vermont, Volume 1, these 12 contemporary folk gems gracefully evoke a landscape familiar to anyone acquainted with longing, desire, anger, sadness, amusement, or exhilaration. With true troubadour verve, Veitch wraps deep emotion in irresistible melody, elegant lyricism, and his soaring, burnished tenor. The opening cut, "Close Enough to Touch," a paean to long-ago love, offers all of the above in a single song, going from major to minor and back again.

play
stop
mute
max volume

00:00
00:00
First Snow of the Year
By Michael Veitch

Local luminaries—drum god Jerry Marotta, multi-instrumentalist Julie Last, and bassist Kyle Esposito—occasionally help out, but Veitch mostly plays everything. His nimble acoustic work, honed over a couple decades on stages from the Hudson Valley to Munich, anchors it all; delicate on gorgeous ballad "First Snow of the Year," muscular on the calloused "Quarryman," and assured on new folk standard "Irene Meets the Bartonsville Bridge." Thematically, Veitch, crystallizes telling details; "The Last Farmer in Vermont" is doomed, but he's "sittin' watchin' TV/ And eatin' pizza and looking mighty relaxed," and the wistful narrator in "Sunday Drive," an impressive live performance, conveys fathoms when he quotes his father: "Son, put a long road behind you / See what this living is for / Don't surrender when the world surrounds you / Here's the key to the Pontiac door." Veitch took that advice, and, lucky for us, sent postcards. Michaelveitch.com.

Tags: Music, woodstock, acoustic, michael veitch, Audio

- Chronogram


Discography

Please visit my website: http://www.michaelveitch.com
for lots of streaming songs, complete discography and links to other sites.

Photos

Bio

Michael has just returned to the US after living, writing, photographing, painting and, of course, performing in Munich Germany and Europe for two years. He is booking now for US dates and planning the release of several new projects. Be sure and check out Judy Collin's recording of his song "Veteran's Day" (duet with Kenny White)on her new CD "Bohemian" and a live version on her just released DVD "Live From the Metropolitan Museum" with guests Ani Difranco and Shawn Colvin.

Bio

It's every person's dream to get to do what they love, intertwining that work with their heart's passion and making a difference in the world. And that's exactly how Michael Veitch lives his life.

A boy who sang before he talked, when Michael first heard the Beatles as a young child, he knew then that music was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. And the same passion that propelled his love of music, and later on writing, is also what led Michael into environmental and social activism, where he now holds a degree in Community Action. Michael was a professional photographer who already had an eye to capture life in a single picture, his songwriting mixed with activism mirrored his same ability to capture snapshots with pen and ink. Michael writes songs about real issues and explores a deeper range of those of the heart.

Having worked for many years as Vermont's statewide recycling advocate, battling for clean air, water and fair government, Michael attacked huge multinational waste corporations to prevent them from burning trash and polluting the environment. He worked for progressive candidates and ran as an independent progressive for Vermont State Senate in the early 90's.

In 1994, after running for Vermont State Senate (against current Governor Peter Shumlin no less) , Veitch decided to concentrate on music and writing full time. When Shawn Colvin was handed a CD of Michael's music, Shawn enthusiastically encouraged him to perform his music out on the road and open some shows for her. Eventually Michael opened for Shawn on tour and at other gigs, meeting many of his musical heroes in the process. While opening for Shawn at well-known Washington, DC venue, The Birchmere, George Stephanopolis, who was in attendance, invited Shawn and Michael on a special tour of the White House and to meet Bill Clinton in the Oval Office. Veitch realized the irony of the situation - that it was music that got him into the White House and not strictly politics, something that confirmed his belief that he could do more to raise awareness of serious issues and affect change by performing. His songs carried his message, echoing the tradition of troubadours like Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Odetta and Billy Bragg. And it was also during an anti-war rally in Washington DC, that his combination of music and activism that allowed Michael to share the stage with Jesse Jackson, Patti Smith and Ben Cohen (Ben and Jerry's) which was filmed and later shown repeatedly on CSPAN.

With his feet firmly planted between his love songs of life and people, Michael's fourth CD, "Heartlander," is a mature collection of material written over the last two years - songs based on real life events, like Sanctuary, about a police shooting in a Vermont Church; the anti-war anthem Veteran's Day; and songs covering other topics including sexual abuse in the church and the desolate and heartbreaking poverty in a land of plenty. Veitch deals with relationships both hopeful and dysfunctional, as elegantly showcased in the arresting, For My Dear Life, about the universal longing we have all experienced at some points in our lives.

The most recent projects from Michael are the very well reviewed "Postcards From Vermont Vol. 1" and the new single "August Nights" from "The Veitch Boys." Please visit http://www.michaelveitch.com for more details and to catch some live radio performances.

Michael's fifth CD is called Painted Heart. with Julie Last producing and some co-writing, joined by Jerry Marotta, Artie Traum, Pete Levin, Bar Scott, Ed Sanders and many other super players and singers.

He has four previous CD's; Heartlander, Southern Girl , New York Journal, and his first CD, Down Deep, now out of print. Down Deep was named by Performing Songwriter magazine as one of the top 12 DIY CD's of the year in 1998. New York Journal features Shawn Colvin's voice on the duet "Anybody But You" and Susan Werner on piano. Southern Girl grew out of songs that were written for the Monday Night Songwriters Meeting held at Jack Hardy's in Greenwich Village.


Band Members