Preston Hull is a Pennsylvania songwriter. He writes in a variety of styles, from pop-rock to alt-country, with occasional forays into the dangerous world of the piano ballad.

His latest release, 2011′s Man Up, exemplifies his philosophy that the range of topics typically addressed in popular song is far too narrow. Themes on the album take on the familiar (women, relationships, home, change) as well as topics infrequently visited by songwriters (genetics, American-Pakistani relations).

And people really seem to like his song “Mariska Hargitay.” Like, a lot. Really. Look it up.

Originally from Gettysburg, Preston is a former member of what was undeniably South-Central Pennsylvania’s best ska band 2001-2004: The Trendsettaz. He studied at Boston’s Berklee College of Music (where he was admitted largely based on his looks) and graduated with a degree in songwriting.

He currently resides in Philadelphia with his girlfriend but without his cat, because the former is super mean about the latter. His band performs frequently at venues in Philly and, increasingly, up and down the Mid-Atlantic. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.