This is the winning video for the 2009 Rock N Roll Hall of Fames National Music Video Contest - "Rock Your Way To Cleveland":
National and International Bands Pale Hollow has performed with:
The Olympic Ass-Kickin Team - 11/07
British Sea Power - 3/08
The Fleshtones - 4/08
Peter Case - 5/08
People In Planes - 7/08
Big Head Todd and The Monsters - 8/08
Los Lonely Boys - 8/08
The Sadies - 9/08
The Alternate Routes - 10/08
Blue Ash - 11/08
Revival Dear - 2/09
Bio:
Cleveland, Ohio’s, Pale Hollow naturally combines elements of roots-rock folk with the restless urgency of a rustbelt garage band. Their songs, though modern and melodic, are anchored by the solid rock and pop traditions of the 60’s and 70’s.
Inspired by the posh blues of Nick Drake and the woodsy jangle of Gram Parsons era Byrds, ex Jericho Turnpike bassist, Michael Allen, bought an acoustic guitar and started writing songs to perform in local coffee houses around Cleveland. With a batch of home demos, he went to Detroit to record an album with producer Al Sutton (Detroit Cobras, Dead String Brothers). The resulting record was a shimmering blend of Alt-Country/Folk-Pop, with shades of British Invasion thrown in for color. With comparisons to The Kinks, The Verve and Neil Young, the self-titled release has gained the attention of press and fans alike.
Back in Cleveland, Allen teamed up with drummer Nick Perry (Paranoid Lovesick) to begin the work of bringing the Pale Hollow material to a live audience. Now, with Derek Poindexter on bass and Pete Simon on guitar, the group has begun to perform these songs in festivals and clubs throughout the area, while continuing to make new music along the way.
With acclaimed performances at the 2008 Midpoint Music Conference in Cincinnati, and the 2008 International Pop Overthrow in Youngstown Ohio, Pale Hollow is beginning to fulfill its vision nationwide!
REVIEWS/ACCOLADES:
Awesome News!The Pale Hollow S/T CD made it in the top "5" CD's of the year for 2008 on Absolute Power Pop's top 125 CD's for 2008!!!
"The best classic rock/British pop disc of the year, and it's the product of a guy from Cleveland, Michael Allen. With touchstones from Neil Young to The Kinks & solo Ray Davies to Peter Bruntnell to Al Stewart to Oasis, and a bunch of great songs to do those influences proud, Allen has made a disc that will instantly appeal to anyone who grew up in the 60s or 70s." - Dec. 23rd 2008 - Absolute Power Pop"
check it out here:
"Allen's delectable hooks and acoustic-based folk-pop shine through on Pale Hollow; what you get is shimmering and absolutely melodic. With a wide range of influences and a broad palette of instrumentation, Allen offers up rich pedal steel, shades of alt-country and that jangle that recalls many of thos early records Mitch Easter produced. After "Gustav's Dream," "Soul Explosion," "Satisfied Mind" (do kids under 35 even know who Al "Year of the Cat" Stewart is?!?) and "Roll the Stone Away," you begin to thrill at Allen's uncanny ability to nail a hook and blend pop, rock and folk components into something sublime. You get shades of the Kinks and Donovan, hues of early R.E.M., a hearty helping of Britpop ("Let the Change Begin" could be a sober Oasis) and just enough of that Don Kirshner 70s "Rock Concert" vibe to keep the active listener just so." - Peter Chakerian - CoolCleveland.com
Critic's Pick: Pale Hollow (Cleveland)
"Close your eyes when you listen to Pale Hollow and you'll swear you're knee deep in warm beer in the English countryside. Frontman Michael Allen's vocals rasp like vintage Robert Pollard and Richard Ashcroft, and his musical output is equal parts Pop classicism and Indie Rock energy, which comes out sounding like something you remember hearing yesterday or 30 years ago, wherever your point of reference falls. Pale Hollow's 2007 self-titled debut CD is a marvel of atmosphere and substance, with wisps of Nick Drake and Gram Parsons drifting through the brilliant Brit-Pop sheen that Allen and Detroit producer Al Sutton crafted and executed. See Pale Hollow at MidPoint and understand what Dayton audiences must have experienced the first time they witnessed the minor grandeur of GBV in a basement club in the mid-'80s.
Dig It: Guided by Voices guided by The Byrds, The Verve swerved by The Kinks. (BB) - Midpoint Music Festival"
"Cleveland’s Pale Hollow were another random MySpace find, which seems odd, considering their self-titled 2007 album was released by Times Beach Records — a label located in our own back yard. Pale Hollow sound a little like Guided By Voices if they recorded their album in the same place where Wilco made Yankee Hotel Foxtrot — instead of drunk off cans of skunked Budweiser in Robert Pollard’s basement." - Detour Magazine
"If you didn't know better, you'd swear that Cleveland's Michael Allen was British! Even the photo on the CD cover looks like something outta the UK! The songs on his brilliant, hook-filled debut have a decidedly Brit folk-rock slant to them. His slightly raspy vocal style recalls the great Peter Bruntnell and even a little bit of Roy Harper at times. "Roll The Stone Away" is very Ian Hunter-like. This guitar-filled record was recorded in Detroit with producer Al Sutton (Detroit Cobras). This could've been Peter Bruntnell's record made between "Camelot In Smithereens" and "Normal For Bridgewater"! Imagine Peter Bruntnell backed by Crazy Horse! "Sugarcane" and "Remains Of Yesterday" are simply stellar examples of power roots pop! One of, if not "the", roots pop releases of the year! Can't say enough about this one! GREAT!!!" - KoolKatMusik
"Pale Hollow mastermind Michael Allen is a songwriter's songwriter. He's aware that a tune needs more than just a catchy chorus. And even though the hooks come fast and furious on Pale Hollow's debut, Allen builds on his acoustic skeletons with an array of instruments to form a melodic slice of pop rock. Pale Hollow was originally going to be a solo acoustic project, but Allen recruited some Detroit musicians to give the record a richer sound: The pedal steel in "Don't It Leave You Lonely" and the tuneful electric guitar of "Gustav's Dream" enhance the songs without obscuring their hooks. Allen has since teamed up with local guys and performs around town as the Black Amps, who play much of this sublime album live." - Cleveland Scene Magazine
"Local singer-guitarist Michael Allen went to Detroit's Rustbelt Studios to record this album with producer Al Sutton (Detroit Cobras, Dirtbombs). It proved to be a good move as the album sounds like a real pro recording, though it's certainly not as sloppy and garage-oriented as the Cobras and Dirtbombs. Rather, Allen goes for a fuller sound that's more rooted in Britpop (think of something along the lines of the Verve meets Guided by Voices). In addition to some fine guitar work, tunes such as "Sugarcane" and "Gustav's Dream" are catchy and suggest Allen might just be one of the best (if unheralded) songwriters on the local scene. He's since hooked up with local rockers the Black Amps, and they've added the songs here to their repertoire. You can find them playing around town on a regular basis." - Cleveland FreeTimes
"Now here's an exceptional disc. Pale Hollow is Cleveland's Michael Allen and he recorded this album in Detroit, but don't be fooled - this is the sound of the English Midlands rather than the US Rustbelt, and he's given us a tasteful disc of the highest craft. Think Muswell-era Kinks as interpreted by Teenage Fanclub with an attention to craft and detail, and you have an early Best of 2008 favorite (Yes, the disc came out in December of 2007. So sue me.)"Don't It Leave You Lonely" opens the disc and gives you a great idea of what you're in for the rest of the way. Coming down like a great lost Laurel Canyon 70s-era track, its breezy melody and midtempo beauty let you know that a pro is at work. "Sugarcane" follows with a more rocking sound, almost Neil Young-ish in parts but with a wonderfully melodic middle eight that will leave you humming. "Let the Change Begin" almost sounds like a grown-up Oasis; "Roll The Stone Away" reminds me of prime Peter Bruntnell; "Satisfied Mind" is excellent folk-rock in a Donovan-meets-Al Stewart manner, and "Soul Explosion" would make Ray Davies proud.A very pleasant surprise indeed, and kudos to Kool Kat for unearthing this gem. While it may not appeal to the under-35 crowd, music fans of any age would be well served to add this one to their collection."- Absolute Power Pop