Press Kit / Bio

Really Short Bio (or stage introduction):

GLEN ROETHEL

Glen is a one-of-a-kind artist, gifted vocalist, and wonderfully musical acoustic guitarist. His rich baritone-tenor, effortless fretting, and vibrant personality light up stages solo, in an ensemble, and also as an accompanist. He is an award-winning songwriter and a real crowd-pleaser, having electrified juried showcases for Folk Alliance, S.M.A.F., Falcon Ridge Folk Fest, Cape May Singer-Songwriter Fest, Posi Music Fest, and more. Glen sings memoirs, anecdotes, tender love songs, and anthemic calls for unity and empowerment. He is a beloved national PosiMusic artist, a popular instructor at SummerSongs songwriter retreats (summersongs.com), a record producer, and a sing-along master. Experience his three self-produced CDs or one of many beautiful compilation discs and CDs by (and with) other fine artists including Sue Riley, Penny Nichols, Sloan Wainwright, Josh Joffen…featuring Glen’s songs and performances.

Short Bio:
Glen Roethel is a New York-based, California-Born Contemporary Folk-Pop-Rock Singer-Songwriter-Entertainer, Accompanist, Producer, Arranger, Graphic Designer, and a Guitar-Player’s Guitarist. He tours singing his own songs with guitar, ukulele, and piano – often improvising new songs on-the-fly – and even provides custom songwriting for special events.

Glen has released six original full-length CDs – most of which he produced for his own independent label, Inspireline. Folk fans will appreciate that Glen was the founder and primary songwriter, producer, arranger, and creative in the popular folk-rock harmony group, Gathering Time (now re-formed).

When not performing his own music he entertains drawing from his lifetime musical curriculum: more than one thousand hit cover songs spanning the 1930s through today (with a special emphasis on the ’50s through the ’80s). Presenters have described him as “spontaneous and exciting – like 1000 tiny fun bombs going off all at once!” – so expect to have a really good time when Glen performs for you!

Long Bio:
As a touring recording artist Glen Roethel is a rare performer often described as “sweet,” “motivating,” “energizing” – but most folks simply appreciate him as a singer-songwriter with a penchant for positive intentional lyrics, a devout music community builder, a passionately-in-love husband and a generous, welcoming performer. Glen’s live shows delight audiences with acoustic guitar wizardry, ukulele fun, vocal fireworks, and soothing melodic tones. His songs and music have been heard on nationally syndicated commercial radio, college, and international radio, as well as on TV. To his credit are six self-produced CDs (From Beginning to End, Smaller Things, Unfolding [solos, Inspireline Records]; Red Apples And Gold, Songs of Hope and Freedom [Gathering Time, Inspireline Records], ambition [gush, Indigo Records]), a new holiday compilation by emPower Music & Arts titled More Than A Season, as well as performances and cowrites on gorgeous and award-winning recordings by Penny Nichols, Sue Riley, Joe Iadanza, Paul Helou, Mara Levine, Josh Joffen, Kayli Joseph, Phil Teumim, Mitch Katz, Amy Soucy & Sharon Goldman, DejaVoodoo, Grimm Jack, Pat Nichols Band and more.

More tidbits…

Glen is a founder of the recently popular (now reformed) folk-rock harmony trio Gathering Time, co-creator of AcousticMusicScene.com, and sole proprietor of his indy label, Inspireline and music publishing company, Laughing Buddha Music/BMI. He teaches guitar, songwriting, and performance at Summersongs East and West (NY and CA, Summersongs.com) and at the SoundConnections Conference in Missouri. He was a songwriter contest finalist for the Susquehanna Music & Arts Festival and a jury-selected performer at the 5th Annual Singer-Songwriter Cape May festival and at the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance conference (NERFA) in Tricentric, Quadcentric, and Main-stage showcases. In 2014, Glen received honors from the 30th Mid-Atlantic Song Contest (MASC), Songwriters’ Association of Washington, DC for three songs (“Sweet Cider” [Honorable Mention in the Country / Bluegrass category], “The Family Tree” [Honorable Mention in the Acoustic / Folk category] and “Dandelion Dreams” [Honorable Mention in the Open category], a co-write with Sue Riley), as well as two Posi Award nominations for his songs “Beautiful Now” and “Family” (both from his new CD, Unfolding).

His song “Namaste” was featured in a multi-media exhibit at the Presidential Museum in Texas for three months; his songs “People of the Earth” and “Morning Prayer” are published in New Thought songbooks for Unity Worldwide Ministries (“People of the Earth” was also included in the Hal Leonard Corp songbook, 101 Inspiring Songs: The Ultimate New Thought Fakebook in 2013). Glen enjoys making a habit of encouraging songwriters and other artists, both young and old; he gives guitar lessons to select students (at all levels of ability); and is a frequent record production consultant, vocal arranger, studio guitarist/vocalist, recording engineer, and graphic/web designer. As a corporate and private entertainer, his performances and 5-star reviews earned him the “Best of 2012” and “Best of 2013” awards at Gigmasters, the premier online booking agency, and Glen has performed at literally thousands of events.