Hailing from the evergreen Pacific Northwest, Michael Henchman’s thoughtful, imagery-rich songwriting often draws inspiration from roads less traveled that have beckoned since childhood – living across the U.S., in Europe, and many years in central Alaska – to create a contemporary sound that is at once warm and reminiscent. His music has been described as “progressive folk, mixed with redwoods, diners, grassy plains, a generous dash of longing, and a bit of road dust for texture.” His life experiences instilled a deep reverence for wide cinematic landscapes – both real and metaphorical; of life’s side roads that often beckon, of how the heart becomes entangled by time and distance, of the tangible and the elusive, of journeys on the quest for connective meaning that we all share.

“It is in these quieter places that what is true and real becomes more apparent,” Michael says. “One can feel the unbroken connection to the pulse of life.”

Michael is preparing the release of his third collection of songs in January 2025 – “If The Sky Fell” – a mix of alternative and contemporary folk, roots, country, even a touch of jazz; full-band arrangements with spacious, textural stylings.

He began listening intently to music at an early age, falling under the music spell of an eclectic range of artists in folk, pop, jazz, funk, gospel, and the long-form orchestral compositions of prog-rock, eventually being influenced to write songs by the work of such insightful writers as Jackson Browne, John Gorka, David Wilcox, Shawn Colvin, Richard Shindell, Dave Carter, and the inimitable Jimmy Webb, one of his favorites.

As part of his travels, Michael headed to Alaska to work as a pipe laborer during the early days of the TransAlaska Pipeline construction. The project was, in many ways, like the Gold Rush era of 80 years prior… people wending their way north to work hard, chasing their dreams, sometimes losing it all. The wild was always just over one’s shoulder, waiting for both the hardy and the foolish to test their mettle and their luck. Michael was inspired by the continuity of how life hangs on in such an unusual place, and ended up living there for three decades… land of the midnight sun, moonscape winters, verdant summers, lofty mountains, aurora borealis, braided rivers, and other splendid wonders.

Over the years, Michael has performed in various folk, rock-n-roll and jazz bands – as bassist, vocalist, and guitarist – and he has also composed instrumental music for public television in Alaska. He continues to search for stories from the many places that people call home.