Is It Possible to Have Too Much Fun?

July 18, 2013

Summer is in full swing, and there's so much goodness to update you on.

First, an upcoming chance to see a wonderful performance I am happy to be part of:

Shakespeare in the Park
Public Works' The Tempest
Friday through Sunday, September 6-8, 2013 (time TBA)
Free

I'll be singing with a select group from The Middle Church Jerriese Johnson Gospel Choir in the community theatrical event, The Tempest.

In 1916, a community theatrical event entitled Caliban by the Yellow Sands with Shakespeare’s The Tempest as the inspiration, took place at the stadium at City College in New York. The intent was to unite New Yorkers of all classes and all beliefs, and the production featured some of the best-known professional actors of the day alongside 1,500 community members who participated in a series of pageant and dance interludes, and was a great success.

Inspired by this extraordinary community event, The Public Theater will produce a 21st century version of this event in September for free at the Delacorte Theater with our community partners as well as guest performers and professional actors.

Tickets are free, so come out and enjoy a special night of theatre under the stars!

Several weekends ago, I had the great pleasure of spending a morning with Mac McAnally, the legendary country singer-songwriter, musician, and producer. We talked music and I played him a few of my songs. Lincoln was smitten as soon as he walked in the door; as you can see from this photo, he didn't want to let Mac out of his sight!

I've also played a few non-traditional gigs recently. At the end of June, I sang with the Middle Collegiate Jerriese Johnson Gospel Choir as we rode on the Churches’ float in the PRIDE Parade in NYC!

This past weekend, I had a blast singing in my hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska, first at my high school reunion where we had arranged for me to sing a few songs with The Mother Dudes and then exit, stage left, back to my table for 10 and my white wine…but guitarist Phil (Shumacher) asked me to stay up there and help ‘em out with more music, and I'm really glad he did! Is it possible to have too much fun? We were singing and playing until the club started packing up the black and gold napkins and streamers and kicked us out GOODBYE!

On Sunday morning, I sang at the very beautiful and acoustically pristine First Plymouth Church, something my big brother arranged for me to do. Thanks Lowell! All in all a great visit back to the Midwest!

“We are the Knights of Southeast” - Susan Stover, Kevin Moore and me!

On the listening side of things, Mike and I spent some time in the beautiful Rocky Mountains for the Telluride Bluegrass Festival.

We heard some outstanding music, including The Punch Brothers, Masters of Bluegrass, Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell, Sam Bush, Lake Street Dive, and Sarah Jarosz.

Deborah and Sarah outside the Workshop Stage at Elks Park in Telluride

Up here I feel like a Colorado songbird. It’s a slice of heaven on earth!

Next up, I head to my home away from home -- Puget Sound Guitar Workshop!

More music and mischief making with my pals from camp.

I'll have more photos to share with you when I return.

Hope the summer is treating you deliciously,

Much love,

xxx

Deborah

In All The Ways You Can

Union Square, NYC. Monday, April 15th, 2013After the horrors that took place at the Boston Marathon on Monday, I wanted to take the time to touch base with y’all to say how much I appreciate your involvement and encouragement in my musical journey. Your fan support in email messages and Facebook posts and gig attendance is a welcome gift and always puts a smile on my face. I feel so grateful for these fine human connections.

Music is the great salve and our country needs large doses of it, especially after heinous crimes like the one in Boston tear through our community.

I think I was too traumatized to react to 9/11, having been right in the eye of that attack. But this time, I felt the rage burning inside me almost instantly. Upset and worry showed up in my psyche like hired gunmen. I found myself wishing ill upon the creators of this latest evil plan.

But I know hatred solves nothing and only fuels the fire.

So what can I do?  What can we do? 

We can do what we can, to heal the trauma and mend the hearts. 

Play More Music!

Volunteer for Service!

Call your Mother!

Donate Blood!

Drop off Pet Food at a Shelter!

Bake Cookies for your co-workers!

Sign Up For A Marathon!

Fear is an insipid virus that invades the body of our society. 

Let’s not let it win.

Shine on, my friends, 

Much Love,

xxx
Deborah

Spring, and Two New Songs

Hello all,

The seasons are changing! Quiet, cold, bright signs of spring are tentatively showing up here in New York.

There have been bonafide sightings of crocuses and snowbells.  Very exciting!

So far in the new year I have been mostly writing and working on new material.  The beginning of a new year is always a good time for that.

We had a full band gig in Philadelphia at the Tin Angel in mid-January.  It was fun working there again.  My band sounded like a well-oiled machine!

Steve Alcott, Kenny Soule, Ann Klein and Melody Berger.

We sang and played two new songs, "Bet on the Horses" and "You're Gone," both very much country.  Very enjoyable!

Here's "Bet on the Horses," as performed at Tin Angel.

It's a waltz / duet / murder ballad.

I originally wrote the song for a male and female to sing together (brother and sister) but Melody and I sang it together at the Tin Angel and it sounded good that way, too!

Just goes to show, after you murder someone, you just gotta talk about it with somebody you trust!

In the spring, I will be teaching a singing class for seniors here in the city. This is something new for me, and I am really looking forward to it!

So far in the year of 2013, I have had the great good fortune of having two occasions to leave the city on music retreat.  I am very grateful for the time away in nature and for the added space in my head for further developments of song and lyric. This next time is just for two days but I intend to milk it for all it's worth!

It is my intention to get back in the studio the spring to record the new songs and start acquiring a collection for a new CD.

Thanks for all your messages of good will and encouragement!  

I send love to everybody and hope our musical paths meet again, soon.

Much Love,

xxx
Deborah

Merry Christmas to You

(Be sure to click the play button to see my special Christmas greeting for you! If you're viewing this on an iPhone or iPad, I've embedded the video below for you.)

I hope that you're looking forward to this month of December with more pleasure than dread.

I got in the Christmas spirit early this year and recorded a brand new Christmas song called "Merry Christmas To You." It's a fun country-folk celebration of the season.

One of the ways I'm giving this holiday season is through this nifty online service called Charitable Checkout. When you donate to Feeding America through the widget (seen above), I'll give you an exclusive free download of "Merry Christmas To You" – which is not available anywhere else – and one of my sponsors will give you a coupon for their products. Talk about holiday savings!

Feeding America is my charity of choice because celebrating with food and family is one of my very favorite pastimes at the holidays.  I am deeply affected by the knowledge that 1 in 6 Americans is affected by hunger. No one should be hungry at any time of the year, but especially not during the holidays.

With every dollar you give, Feeding America provides 8 meals for those who might otherwise go without.

Whether you're up to your elbows in pastry flour or serenely clicking "order now," I hope you'll join me in easing the pain of hunger in America this Christmas.

"Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can
Merry Christmas To You"

My love to you with many thanks,
xxx
Deborah

Slipping into Autumn

Well, the time, she flies so fast. Already we are into the autumn weather in all its glory! Here in New York, you can feel it in the air and see it up and down every block. Leaves are changing color or are gone altogether, summer flowers grow gangly in their city plots. The gingko trees are dropping their vomit-scented pods and the squirrels are digging furiously in the city parks, stashing acorns and pinecones in the most obvious places. No privacy here; each squirrel for himself! Lincoln (that's my dog) likes torturing squirrels but could care less about pigeons. When he’s in the country he’ll chase geese but mostly he likes chasing the four-legged critters.

In the city, it’s still nice enough to sit outside in the evenings for dinner or drinks. You can hear snippets of peoples’ conversations. Lincoln takes his time and must read the doggie news around the block when I walk him at night so I become a voyeur and imagine the lives these seated strangers must have, telling their stories, laughing and listening to those who sit across the table. There is material for lyrics everywhere. And the streets of NYC are prime for the pickin’.

I had a fantastic time playing music in the most beautiful places this summer. I played with a couple of cowboys in Indian Valley, near Taylorsville, CA, and worked out harmonies with my girlfriend Sally’s dog, Patch, who is a real crooner. 

It was great to see friends at music camp in WA this summer, per usual. Frosting on the cake: my brother came to camp for the first time! That was awesome! He can really play and sing! And the following week we continued the jam at his place around the bonfire!

I played in the Grand Canyon this fall, with my good friend Barbi. Our radical river guides brought our guitars up the hiking trails for us and showed us where the acoustics sounded best. We gave two performances! It was a very cool sound. In Crystal Canyon, the wind sounded like voices breathing through.

I am writing, writing, writing and also trying my best to figure out how to play the mandolin with tone and tune. It is a beautiful little instrument, in both looks and sound.  My friend Ann Klein says it makes her happy to play it and I agree.

Dusty, the harmony trio I sing with is spending time in the studio recording getting some of our song versions recorded. Dusty and band rides again!

I have some recording projects coming up and some songwriting workshops that I will fill you in on when they have a date attached to them.

Something for Christmas and the New Year.

Gigs too!

I hope something good is happening in your life and that music keeps you company.

Much love and many thanks for being in touch about my music here and on Facebook.  

http://www.facebook.com/Deborahbergmusic

Thank you! Happy Fall!
DeBorah