Berkley Hart
Berkley Hart have found something that works. The combination of Kerrville New Folk Songwriter Award winner, Jeff Berkley, and stand-out wordsmith, Calman Hart, creates a pairing that has become one of the premier acoustic duos touring the country. Every Berkley Hart show is packed with entertainment as the duo combines their natural down-home humor with poignant, delicate, masterfully crafted lyrics delivered with stunning harmony and musicianship.
Between songs, the obvious camaraderie between these two top songwriters shines as they effortlessly play off each other in what can only be called genuine comedy. Add in virtuoso playing from both Jeff Berkley (guitar, percussion) and Calman Hart (guitar, harmonica) and it's easy to see why the two have become live favorites. That said, the duo also delivers in their recordings. Each of their four albums to date has earned San Diego Music Awards (SDMA) and critical acclaim. With their latest effort, “Las Vegas,” scheduled for release in May, 2009, Berkley Hart explore the sonic landscape as it relates to absence, love, loss, religion, redemption, and the power of rock and roll wrapped around the duo's unique twists of observation. Every Berkley Hart album builds on the promise of the one before. Their previous album, 2006's “Pocket Change,” was dubbed by the San Diego Troubadour as finding the duo “at its best, combining poignant lyrics with masterfully crafted melodies and harmonies. It captures their live sound in its purest form: two guys, two guitars, and an occasional harmonica or banjo.” Prior to that, their third album, “Twelve,” released in 2004, was self-produced and recorded entirely in a home studio. The album received an SDMA for Best Americana Album. The All Music Guide noted, “'Twelve'... reveals that [Berkley Hart] know how to create appealing, harmony-rich country-rock songs. In fact, this disc...feels like an excellent calling card for Nashville."
