Pale Hollow

Cleveland, Ohio’s, Pale Hollow naturally combines elements of folk rock 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 British folk artist such as Nick Drake and John Martyn, 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 (Kid Rock, 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.

Pale Hollow were the grand prize winners of the Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fames 2009 National Music Video contest "Rock Your Way To Cleveland” for their song “Sugarcane”. They’ve also received national attention with performances at the 2008 Midpoint Music Conference in Cincinnati, and the 2008 International Pop Overthrow in Youngstown Ohio.

Allen has recently teamed up with drummer Dan Cleary and bassist Jeff Ritchey to complete the recording of a new full length CD. This new record was produced by Al Sutton at RustBelt Studios in Detroit and will be available in the Fall of 2016.

Pale Hollow: Press

“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.” – Cleveland Scene Magazine

“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”. -Cleveland Free Times


‘Now here's an exceptional disc. A very pleasant surprise indeed’- Absolutepowerpop.com


"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.com


‘Allen's delectable hooks and acoustic-based folk-pop shine through on Pale Hollow; what you get is shimmering and absolutely melodic. You begin to thrill at Allen's uncanny ability to nail a hook and blend pop, rock and folk components into something sublime.’ –CoolCleveland.com