"Tell me a story, and I'll sing along, when the chorus comes around..." 

Michael Gerard sings songs from the nearsighted perspective of a third party observer who is fascinated enough by the song's subject to step in a little closer and look more intently. As a performer, the same intensity of presence causes audiences to want to do the same. In recent years most often found fronting The Moonshine, a postmodern stringband co-led by his wife which focuses on reimagining what American stringband music can do when applied to both originals and old-time tunes, Gerard has also been writing and performing solo for over 15 years, with 6 albums, a documentary film score, and even a book of poetry under his belt. An operatic and soulful tenor capable of grunge-like grit and effortless mellifluousness,  paired with a guitar style like Elizabeth Cotten crossed with Neil Young makes a perfectly imperfect vehicle for both introspective and outwardly joyful songs that speak to what it means to see things up close and personal in a world that attempts to keep feeling at arms-length.

“...the velocity of punk rock with mellifluous traditional folk instrumentation... Levasseur is making authentic, relatively unadorned art in a musical landscape where people absolutely adore bullshit.” 

Morgan Troper - The Portland Mercury 

“...more British post-punk than Americana...gets rowdy at times, but it’s also darkly shaded, with melodies that seem to take shape on the fly...” 

Noel Murray - The A.V. Club 

“...some of the most engaging, energetic, and original material you’re likely to hear for quite some time... flies by in a whirlwind of incredibly smart instrumentation, songwriting, and melody.” 

Steven Spoerl - PopMatters