Guest performers to include Tyler Gibbons of Red Heart the Ticker
BRATTLEBORO, VT — Singer-songwriter David Berkeley returns to the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) on Wednesday, October 7 at 7:30 p.m., for the New England release of his newest album, “Cardboard Boat,” and the accompanying novella, “The Free Brontosaurus (Rare Bird).” Joined by guitarist Bill Titus and special guest Tyler Gibbons of the Vermont-based duo Red Heart the Ticker, Berkeley will perform in the museum’s Wolf Kahn & Emily Mason Gallery, surrounded by the artwork of Jim Dine. Tickets are $16 in advance, $20 at the door. Purchase online atwww.brattleboromuseum.org or call 802-257-0124, ext. 101.
Each song on “Cardboard Boat” is sung from the perspective of a character in one of the ten stories in Berkeley’s first novella, “The Free Brontosaurus (Rare Bird).” With a degree in literature from Harvard, over a decade of touring under his belt, and a stage show that melds profound songs and hilarious anecdotes, Berkeley is uniquely positioned to be able to pull off such an ambitious project.
Described by the Boston Phoenix as “the best of the young American songwriters, with a voice full of feeling and a big, big heart,” Berkeley has amassed a dedicated and widespread following who fully funded the creation of this new album and book. He’s been a guest on This American Life, Mountain Stage, World Café, CNN, XM Radio’s Loft Sessions, WFUV, NPR’s Acoustic Café, and many more. He recently won the 2015 Kerrville New Folk competition and ASCAP’s Johnny Mercer Songwriting Award.
This isn’t the first time Berkeley has paired songs with stories. In 2010, upon returning from a year on the island of Corsica, Berkeley released his initial book/album combination: “140 Goats and a Guitar.” That book comprises 13 stories, each of which sets up a song on his fourth album, “Some Kind of Cure.”
“With ‘Goats’,” Berkeley explains, “I told the stories that led to the writing of that album’s songs. The book is a lot about becoming a new father and the craft of songwriting. My new project, though, feels like the proper way to weave stories and songs.”
“Cardboard Boat” begins with an ominous bowed bass and ends with the ethereal tinkling of metals. In between, we get Berkeley’s carefully fingerpicked guitar, banjos, trumpets, organ, string sections, nylon and electric guitars and a whole array of drums and percussion sounds. Always front and center, though, are Berkeley’s voice and lyrics, supported on five of the ten tracks by the silver-throated Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek. Each song is a story in itself, a layered landscape of sounds and textures. “I’ve always been drawn to blending the organic with the electronic, finding that tense balance where one morphs into the other.”
Complex issues unfold, brought to life by Berkeley’s insights drawn from literature, poetry, and his own experiences. There are references to Moby Dick in “Setting Sail” and Norse mythology in “The Wishing Well.” One of the standout tracks, “To the Sea,” is an elegy for an estranged father sung by a prodigal daughter.
Founded in 1972, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center presents rotating exhibits of contemporary art, complemented by lectures, artist talks, film screenings, and other public programs. The museum’s exhibits and gift shop are open every day except Tuesday, 11-5. Regular admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, and $4 for students. Members and children 18 and under are admitted free of charge. Located in historic Union Station in downtown Brattleboro, at the intersection of Main Street and Routes 119 and 142, the museum is wheelchair accessible. For more information, call 802-257-0124 or visitwww.brattleboromuseum.org.
Major support for BMAC is provided by its members and Entergy Vermont Yankee, C&S Wholesale Grocers, Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters, People’s United Bank, Brattleboro Ford Subaru, Whetstone Station Restaurant & Brewery, and Allen Brothers Oil.
High-resolution images:p http://www.brattleboromuseum.org/event_images/berkeley.jpg
David Berkeley (photo courtesy of the artist)
