Michael Tiernan has gathered enough life experience for several careers’ worth of material. The folk singer-songwriter has beaten cancer, traveled the world, studied to become a priest and met Pope John Paul II.
Three times, even.
But the San Diego-based musician, whose smooth tenor and crisp acoustic work has garnered multiple songwriting awards, works his life experience into music in more oblique ways. His spare lyrics touch upon universal sentiments, avoiding the shorthand polarization of overt religion or politics.
“I’m not for or against any one thing through the music,” Tiernan said over the phone from his home in California. “Music is just a statement of where you’re at personally at any one time.”
Touring through Colorado inspired Tiernan to write much of his new album here, so it makes sense that he’ll release “Spaces,” his third full-length, in the friendly environs of Swallow Hill Music Association on Saturday. Tiernan also lived in Denver from 1997 to 1998 while attending seminary school.
“I had known the Archbishop of Denver (Charles Chaput) before he was archbishop, having met him at a little retreat in South Dakota,” Tiernan said. “When I decided I was going to go to seminary school, he offered to support me.”
Tiernan had been considering it for some time, and a meeting with Pope John Paul II – courtesy of Chaput – pushed him over the edge. He moved to Denver and eventually to Rome to study at the Vatican, but his love of music began conflicting with his higher calling. While studying he would often play pub shows around the city.
When the higher-ups at the Vatican got wind of the shows, they put him on probation. He searched his heart and decided to eventually withdraw from the seminary. When Chaput visited in spring of 2000, Tiernan sat down with him to break the news.
“I was kind of scared he’d be disappointed, but he said, ‘Michael, what are you still doing in here? Go travel. Go to Japan. Go see your family. Go surf and go play music.’ And that’s what I did.”
Music had long been one of Tiernan’s passions, having turned to it after beating testicular cancer at age 16. He used it as a healing agent to come to terms with his mortality and deeper philosophical issues.
He played drums in a grunge-influenced band in the ’90s and was music director of a traveling “Catholic hippie retreat,” but it wasn’t until after college that he struck out on the solo path. Since launching his career in 2003 he’s been recognized by the Los Angeles Music Awards, KRCL, Billboard and was even named a finalist at the prestigious Kerrville New Folk Songwriting Competition, among others.
His songs alternately recall the effortless calm of David Wilcox and the spiky melodies of an indie rock band, versatile in their construction as they straddle genres and instrumentation. Tiernan will present a stripped-down version of his music at his Saturday show, with accompaniment from fiddle player Alex DePue.
The folk scene’s emphasis on thoughtful, often spiritual songwriting resonates with Tiernan, who continues to study philosophy and theology. He values the interaction between audience and performer that defines the folk ethos.
“That whole scene is about the song itself – what it’s saying and how it’s going to connect with the audience,” he said. “It’s a challenge and a great comfort that (audiences) want to get into it and share those experiences with you.”
Like many artists, Tiernan claims the greatest benefit of his music is the therapy it provides him. Fortunately, it also helps others. He donates part of his CD sales to the Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation and appeared on a benefit CD for the Steps for Living survivors network, which featured cancer survivor musicians. He also plays at many of their fundraising events.
“Music is a very powerful tool and a healing agent,” he said. “It’s a medicine.”
Staff writer John Wenzel can be reached at 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com.
Michael Tiernan
FOLK-ROCK|Tuft Theater, Swallow Hill, 71 E. Yale Ave; 8 p.m., Saturday|$10-$12|303-777-1003 or SwallowHill.com
