With an interest in music and acting on the local stage, it should come as no surprise that Whalen’s music takes a storyteller’s approach, a talent that is custom-made for folk and folk rock.

“The stories,” Whalen said when asked what draws him to folk. “The raw emotion. You’re right there with the writer and you feel it’s you and him. It’s something very magical.”

Being a storyteller and setting it to music gives Whalen a freedom, especially when putting together his first CD, which he is both producing and recording himself, something he calls both a pain and a joy.

“It gives me a lot of opportunity to explore and do my own kind of thing,” Whalen said.