Mike Berman, Songteller

Short bio:
Songteller Mike Berman draws on the traditions of folk and California folk-rock, combining warm, distinctive vocals with thoughtful storytelling and an understated melodic sensibility. His songs explore love, loss, longing, memory, connection, and the complicated journeys people take through the world. Mike has released 3 full-length albums including his recent In the Woods (2026). He performs around California and across the country at venues including McCabe’s Guitar Shop, Club Passim, and several festivals.

Longer bio:

Songteller Mike Berman draws on the traditions of folk and California folk-rock, combining warm, distinctive vocals with thoughtful storytelling and an understated melodic sensibility. His songs explore love, loss, longing, memory, connection, and the complicated journeys people take through the world.

After stepping away from performing for years while raising a family and pursuing a career outside music, Berman returned to songwriting with a renewed sense of purpose. Since then, he has released three full-length albums: Where I’m From (2023), Ghosts (2025), and In the Woods (2026). He has also steadily expanded his live presence, performing throughout Southern California and across the country at venues and festivals including McCabe’s Guitar Shop, Club Passim, the Towne Crier, the Tucson Folk Festival, the Cape May Music Festival, and the Glendale Folk Festival, as well as performances in Connecticut, Virginia, and on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.

Berman’s latest album, In the Woods, arrives October 30, 2026. The eleven-song collection represents a continuing evolution in his songwriting, bringing together emotional directness, vivid storytelling, and a broader musical palette. The songs move between intimate folk performances and fuller arrangements, incorporating acoustic and electric guitars, cello, slide guitar, piano, and strong rhythmic elements while retaining the folk-centered character of his work.

The album takes its title from its opening song, “Honey That Was Me,” and explores one of Berman’s recurring themes: connection. Across In the Woods, relationships, memories, places, and the natural world intersect in songs that often leave room for mystery and interpretation. The album’s first single, “Hold Back the Sea,” exemplifies Berman’s ability to pair personal reflection with expansive musical arrangements.

Produced by Ed Tree, In the Woods continues the progression established on Berman’s first two albums while reflecting his growing confidence as a songwriter and performer. At its heart, the album is a collection of songs about the things that bind us—to one another, to the past, and to the places that shape us.

With In the Woods, Mike Berman continues to develop a distinctive voice within the contemporary folk and singer-songwriter tradition, bringing together intimate songwriting, a growing musical ambition, and the experience of an artist increasingly at home on stages well beyond his Southern California roots.

Updated November 2026