A Michigan-based singer and songwriter whose music embraces an eclectic range of contemporary folk and pop influences, Samuel Seth Bernard was born and raised in Lake City, Michigan, where his parents were part of a collective farm community. Growing up surrounded by musicians and artists, Bernard developed a keen interest in the performing arts, and after graduating from Lake City High School, he spent a year studying poetry, music, and acting at Michigan's prestigious Interlochen Center for the Arts. Bernard co-starred beside Ernest Borgnine in a film shot in Frankfort, MI, The Lost Treasure of Sawtooth Island, which was released in 2000, and he was part of a touring company of the National Theater for Children. After a brief sojourn in New York City, Bernard returned to Michigan and focused his creative energies on his music. He began recording a batch of original songs in the home studio of his friend and guitar teacher Michael Macnamara over the space of two years, and 2001's Hello Fellow Travelers became the first release from Earthwork Music. Bernard's parents had been using "Earthwork" as a name for products produced on their farm for some time, and Seth expanded the brand to include his music; a number of Bernard's friends and collaborators began releasing music through the new label, and Earthworks Music grew into a small but vital music collective, providing a handful of like-minded artists with a responsible vehicle for their creative visions. The Earthwork Farm also became the site of an annual music festival, the Harvest Gathering, which was created to present talented regional artists in a comfortable and environmentally sustainable setting. In 2003, Bernard released his second album, Constellation, and that same year Bernard met May Erlewine, who also wrote and performed under the name Daisy May. The two discovered they were both musically and personally simpatico, and they became frequent collaborators while also pursuing solo careers. Bernard released a third album, Being This Being, in 2004, while he and Erlewine's first collective effort, simply called Seth Bernard and Daisy May, was issued in 2006. In 2008, Bernard's fourth solo album, This Here, was released, and in 2009 Bernard and Erlewine, using their birth names Samuel Seth Bernard and May Erlewine, completed their second collaborative disc, Welcome Back. Erlewine also performs as a member of the groups Airborne & Aquatic and HiLo, and in addition to his music, Bernard is a committed activist, traveling internationally to spread his message of music education, community action, and environmental awareness. ~ Mark Deming