Level by Mike Holden

area, Holden did not get his first guitar until around the time he graduated from college, but then spent several years living in Arlington, Virginia--located just across the Potomac River from the Nation's Capitol--where he quickly made a name for himself in the Washington area scene, as both a musician and a strong supporter of music in the region.

"I basically played every day, hit every open mic I could and, from the beginning, I was very focused on writing my own songs," explains Holden. That songwriting and time spent on the open mic circuit eventually led to regular gigs, at clubs and colleges throughout the East Coast, and even shows in Northern Ireland in 2003.

All that work also led to recognition. Holden and his Exhibit A CD were nominated for five Wammies--including Debut Recording, Album of the Year and Songwriter of the Year--by the members of the Washington Area Music Association (WAMA). He has since been nominated for multiple additional Wammies, including Most Supportive of Washington Music, and, in early 2004, was named to the WAMA Board Of Directors.

In 2004, Holden's song "Deep Water" was selected to appear on the CD Best of Local Music: Washington, D.C., which was put out by Potbelly Sandwich Works and Washington-area radio station 99.1 WHFS to raise money for MusicFriends, a music education-related charity. Holden has also consistently donated his time and talents to various other charities, playing benefits for organizations such as Save The Bay, Race For The Cure and other causes.

Outside of his own music, Holden has served as Music Editor for On Tap magazine, worked and volunteered with WAMA, hosted open mics throughout the Washington area, founded the Washington area's Six Points Music Festival and started the website MetroMusicScene.com, which is currently functioning as a blog and Yahoo Group that has grown to over 1,200 members since being launched by Holden in early 2001.

"I enjoy doing things for the local music community," says Holden, "but I also remain committed to my own music and have handed some things off to other people. I want to get this new disc out to people, tour more and write more songs."

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