Review by Maxine Jewett President, Southwest Acoustic Music "Mike Breen couldn't put out a bad CD if he tried and his latest, "Apartment Living" even exceeded my hopes. From the first cut, " Regrets, I Know", his gentle reply to a lost love is eased along by the mandolin; the CD rolls on to exquisite pieces like "The Space Between Us" culminating with the instrumental integrity of "A Simple Man Like Me". I welcomed the influence of Keith Curtis in "Rock On". If it moves like a sea shanty, Keith Curtis was there........and we are all happier because of his influence. The CD is a mixture of years of the acquired skills of all it's creators. There's expert guitar work with some banjo thrown in for impact and mandolin to delicately season this "harmonic conversion". I really liked "The Guns of Sheriff Joe"; not a word need be spoken, the ominous tone was most chillingly expressed with some very fine guitar work. Two words that come to mind to describe "Apartment Living." Those two words are exquisite and magnificent."" Biography Mike Breen began his musical career in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania playing guitar and singing bluegrass music with his best friend Kenny Thompson. After a few years at Penn State University, Mike moved to Phoenix, Arizona and immediately got a gig in a folk duo called “Smith and Breen” performing at the Salt Cellar restaurant and bar. During this time Mike met many musicians and songwriters including Darcie Deaville, now from Austin, Texas, whom he collaborated with on stage and in the studio and co-wrote her much acclaimed song “Icy Barrel of a Loaded Gun” on her debut CD and also on her Redwing release “Tornado in Slo Mo.” During the late 70’s and early 80’s Mike performed a the Windmill Dinner Theater in Scottsdale, Arizona as a member of “The Barnstormers” a New Christy Minstrel style group. After a brief stint as a booking agent Mike took up the electric guitar and began playing country music with “Jim Bartlett and The Blue Hollar Band” who worked consistently doing corporate events and private parties. This led to a stint with several bands at an 1880’s Western Town called Rawhide and after a few years Mike got the call to join the Red River Opry Band that producer Mark Prentice was putting together for a 1000 seat venue in Tempe that featured some of the greatest players in town. Mike released 2 Cds in the nineties to critical acclaim and started to have other artists record his songs which eventually led to a passion for recording. Also, during this period of time Mike got his first b bender telecaster which would eventually lead him to write and record a ground breaking CD called “Mescal Mary and Other B Bender Guitar Instrumentals.” The 1990’s found Mike freelancing with various bands as well as playing guitar for country stars that would come through town including Hank Thompson, Skip Ewing and John McKuen. Currently, you can find Mike performing with his own band as well as doing solo performances throughout the country most recently opening for Jo Dee Messina at the Celebrity Theater and perfoming with Jessi Colter on NPR’s Michael Feldman’s “Whaddaya Know.” Mike also continues to record and produce his own and other artists’ music most recently working on Jessi Colter’s “Out of the Ashes” as well as music for television and movies including the made for TV special “Walker, Texas Ranger - Trial by Fire,” Discovery Channel’s “Sucking Amps,” A&E Biographies on Bruce Willis, Halle Berry, Will Smith, Cuba Gooding Jr, Kevin Costner, Kevin Kline, Leonardo Di Caprio, Owen Wilson and the soon to be airing on Public Television “Lassie’s Pet Vet,” NBC”s “America’s Got Talent” and TLC’s “Property Ladder,” “My First Home,” "The Discovery Channel’s “Clinically Wild - Alaska,” "ABC's Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann," "American Idol Rewind," "Wedding Central," "Farmer Wants A Wife" on the CW network and "Can You Duet" on CMT.