Berkley Hart

Beauty and truth are timeless; they never go out of style. Great art seems to break the bounds placed on lesser creations. Tidy classifications of genre and style fade in the bright light cast by masterpieces. Out of the unique American musical vernacular came the tap roots of blues, jazz, gospel, folk, country, and rock. O Berkley, Where Hart Thou? celebrates those roots. Who knew that eternal transcendence could pour forth from a five-string banjo, a flat-picked guitar, a low-slung fiddle, and a slapping upright bass?

San Diego folk icons Jeff Berkley and Calman Hart are again gathering together their talented friends on the Poway Center for the Performing Arts stage to perform O Berkley, Where Hart Thou? Riffing on the Coen brother’s film, O Brother, Where Art Thou? the all-star line-up includes Shawn Rohlf and the 7th Day Buskers, Dennis Caplinger, Robin Henkel, Gregory Page, Steve Poltz, Lisa Sanders, Jeffrey Joe Morin, Robin Adler, Cathryn Beeks and Matt Silvia, the Lovebirds, Tom Brossseau, and the Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church Youth Choir to render songs from the film’s best-selling soundtrack as well as other songs of the period.

“O Berkley, Where Hart Thou? has been an amazing way for us to showcase the treasure chest of talent that’s always on display in San Diego for folks who may or may not be aware of it,” says Jeff Berkley. “Audiences always come away energized for having discovered this gem of a show! That’s what’s fun for me is getting to help show off my friends and colleagues!” Folk music is, after all, alive and well here in San Diego. And whether you call it folk, bluegrass, Americana, or roots, one thing is clear. It’s damn good stuff.

“September is the time when Poway celebrates its history with parades, the rodeo, street fairs and more. We thought “what better way to join in the celebration of the City in the Country than San Diego folk, country, and bluegrass musicians recreating the Academy Award-winning soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou?” states Michael Rennie, POW! Foundation Executive Director.

On Saturday, September 22 at 8pm the Poway Center for the Performing Arts will be transformed into an Appalachian back porch. Also on hand will be the just released DVD/CDs of the original O Berkley, Where Hart Thou?, recorded before a packed house at the inaugural show.

In the late 1990s, Ethan and Joel Coen began conceiving a film project around an unusual idea. They wanted to film a new version of Homer’s Odyssey, set in the American South of the 1930s. An unusual melding of two classic eras — ancient Greece and the Depression-era South — called for an unusual approach. Typically, music is added to a film at the end of the process. But before the Coen brothers wrote or shot one scene, they hired T-Bone Burnett to record the soundtrack. Using field recordings and a core group of musicians to create new material, Burnett created a powerfully moving musical experience.

With Burnett’s soundtrack playing in their headphones, the Coen brothers set out to write and shoot the film. The soundtrack became a surprise best seller with the single “Man of Constant Sorrow,” even garnering extensive radio play on top-40 country stations, including local station KSON. Some even credit the success of the soundtrack with paving the way for a resurgence in alt-country and Americana artists like Allison Krauss and Union Station, Gillian Welch, and a host of others. But one thing is sure. The success of this music proves that there is a hunger out there for heart-felt, simple, true American music, something that Nashville stopped providing decades ago.

Serving as “house band” for the evening, Shawn Rohlf and the 7th Day Buskers bring the authentic roots feel and masterful chops that the material so dearly requires. According to Rohlf, this music matters because “it seems to go deeper than my ears. I can feel it in my bones. I hear my ancestor’s pain and struggles as they crossed an ocean and braved the elements to find a new life. I feel the excitement and joy of dancing on the front porch to the banjo and fiddle after working from dawn till dusk. There was no Hollywood glamour, no MTV, no CD sales or Grammy awards to complicate, sterilize, and exploit this music. It was simply played to entertain, comfort, and pass along some history to the next generation. We are so far removed from that today.”

For Berkley Hart, the real strength of the show is the camaraderie the musicians share. Gathering around one or two microphones, just like they used to do in the 1930s, keeping it lo-tech and hi-warmth, makes the magic happen. “Getting everyone together is the real prize for me,” says Berkley. “It’s a party and a half. The audience feels it, we feel it, and it goes with us when we leave.”

Everyone involved feels the same way about the music and its timeless relevance. And that’s what sets this show apart from the flurry of other tribute shows that have come along in - San Diego Troubadour

"Once again, thanks a million. It was a perfect show...well-paced, great intros, the perfect balance of laughs and tears. And our crowd loved you and had a great time." - Janet Pogue Hans, Urban Campfires, San Antonio, TX

"Berkley Hart continues to be one our favorite acts. We'd host them any time. We love them and we love their music. Our audience is always asking for when we will be having them back." - Russ & Julie Paris, Russ & Julie's House Concerts, Oak Park CA - various

After nearly 12 years playing together, with five previous award-winning studio CDs, local Americana veterans Berkley Hart are back with Crow, and their latest album offers the kind of music for which they have become known. There are the laid-back, personal stories of Calman Hart, delivered in his smooth, folksy, talking-blues style. Jeff Berkley has more of a rasp in his voice that can add some country smoke to the occasional song that gets a full-band arrangement. But the reason for their success is the ability to step beyond these obvious strengths and write engaging songs that make full use of their warm harmonies and expert, primarily acoustic musical accompaniment.

“Little Boxes” is the only cover among the dozen songs here, and this early-sixties satire of consumer culture by Malvina Reynolds fits the duo’s harmonizing style nicely. Hart weaves a tale of family life and relationships, “My Name is Sam,” observing the circle of life from family dog to hospitalized grandpa with touching lyrical statements. (No lyrics for the new CD on their website yet, but all of their other discs’ lyrics are there). “I Still Dream in California” has a country-rock feel, with pedal steel, banjo, lots of keyboards, and electric guitar. Berkley is singing over the big production, “Though I meditate on the Western gate/ I only visit in my head.”

The two flash their versatility on “Barn Sour Horses,” an imaginative Hart tune that tells of his crumbling home town, with the lingering “old men, old dogs, and old Chevrolets.” The riveting musical framework for the tale is a Middle-East-influenced, droning raga that uses Berkley’s banjo to create oud and sitar effects, and nice work by John Mallander on violin playing exotic Eastern modes and scales on a tune that is a creative triumph and highlight. Another great track is “Up the River”; it has a super hook, a moody, harmonized vibe and great percussion touches that give it depth.

Berkley recorded the new disc in his studio; his skills as a studio musician shine throughout and the vocals and guitars are superbly recorded. The separation and mix sounds like the band is sitting in the listener’s room, including session men Barnaby Finch and Ben Moore on keys, upright bassist Doug Walker, Mailander, and others.

Two folk songs use lyrical imagery to tell tales of life’s ironies: “No Place Like Home” is a quiet ballad from the viewpoint of a young girl who mentally flees her loveless family situation by clicking her heels, hoping to be transported to somewhere that is not like her home. Then, Berkley warns an approaching lover to slow things down in “Stay Away a Little Closer.” A country swing treatment helps “Not My Heart” score, as Berkley plays dobro and sings about giving up your car and home, but keeping what’s important.

Crow is excellent Americana music from a pair of musicians that have shown the ability to sustain this level for years. For fans, it will not disappoint; for new listeners: try it, you’ll like it.

- Frank Kocher - San Diego Troubadour - September 2011

Beauty and truth are timeless—they never go out of style. Great art seems to break the bounds placed on lesser creations. Tidy classifications of genre and style fade in the bright light cast by masterpieces. Out of the unique American musical vernacular came the tap roots of blues, jazz, gospel, folk, country and rock. O Berkley Where Hart Thou celebrates those roots. Who knew that eternal transcendence could pour forth from a five string banjo, a flat-picked guitar, a low-slung fiddle and a slapping upright bass?

San Diego folk icons Jeff Berkley and Calman Hart are once again gathering together some of their talented friends for a second installment of their sold out 2005 tribute to old time American music, O Berkley Where Hart Thou. Riffing on the Coen brother’s film, O Brother Where Art Thou, Berkely Hart will take center stage along with the 7th Day Buskers, Eve Selis & Marc Twang, Gregory Page, Lisa Sanders, Randi Driscoll, Cindy Lee Berryhill, Robin Adler, Tim Flannery and more to render songs from the film’s best-selling soundtrack as well as other songs of the period. But what sets this show apart from other tribute shows is the seamless integration of original material. Folk music is, after all, alive and well here in San Diego. And whether you call it folk, bluegrass, Americana or roots, one thing’s clear. It’s damn good stuff.

On Friday, October 13 at 7:30 the Seaside Church Auditorium in Encinitas, California will be transformed into an Appalachian back porch. Also on hand will be the just released DVD/CDs of the original O Berkley Where Hart Thou, recorded before a packed house in February, 2005.

In the late nineties, Ethan and Joel Coen began conceiving a film project around an unusual idea. They wanted to film a new version of Homer’s Odyssey set in the American south of the 1930s. An unusual melding of two classic eras, ancient Greece and the Depression-era south called for an unusual approach. Typically, music is added to a film at the end of the process. But before the Coen brothers wrote or shot one scene, they hired T Bone Burnett to record the soundtrack. Using field recordings and a core group of musicians to create new material, Burnett created a powerfully moving musical experience. With Burnett’s soundtrack playing in their headphones, the Coen brothers set out to write and shoot the film. The soundtrack became a surprise best seller with the “single” “A Man of Constant Sorrow” even garnering extensive radio play on top 40 country stations, including KSON. Some even credit the success of the soundtrack with paving the way for a resurgence in alt-country and Americana artists like Allison Krauss, Gillian Welch and a host of others. But one thing is sure. The success of this music proves that there is a hunger out there for heartfelt, simple, true American music, something Nashville stopped providing decades ago.

Serving as “house band” for the night, The 7th Day Buskers, (Shawn Rohlf, Robin Henkel, Dan Broder, Beth Mosko and Jim Austin), bring the authentic roots feel and masterful chops the material so dearly requires. According to Rohlf, this music matters because, “it seems to go deeper than my ears. I can feel it in my bones. I hear my ancestor’s pain and struggles as they crossed an ocean and braved the elements to find a new life. I feel the excitement and joy of dancing on the front porch to the banjo and fiddle after working from dawn till dusk. There was no Hollywood glamour, no MTV, no CD sales or Grammy awards to complicate, sterilize and exploit this music. It was simply played to entertain, comfort and pass along some history to the next generation. We are so far removed from that today.”

The show is the brain child of Jeff Berkley and Calman Hart, but the endless details of management and production are handled by Jeff’s long-time collaborator and partner, Lizzie Wann. When she isn’t booking her highly successful and long running Meeting Grace house concert series, or pursuing her own career as a poet, Lizzie pours hundreds of hours into arranging rehearsals, working the phones, booking the facility, stage managing, handling the financials and in short doing everything but sing and play guitar. For Wann, it’s a labor of love. “When I hear this music,” she says, “I am transported to another time and yet, I can easily relate to the words and music. They are spiritual without being preachy, they make me feel lifted up. They are easy on the ear without being simplistic. They are funny without being ridiculous. I don’t grow tired of these songs because they feel more real than so much of what you hear on the mainstream radio these days.”

“It’s so much fun to be a part of these shows,” says singer-songwriter, folk musician and voice of the Padres Tim Flannery, “it’s just a sure night of feel good music on the ears.” For long time friends and collaborators Berkley and Flannery, the real strength of the show is the camaraderie of the musicians. Gathering aro - San Diego Troubadour, October 2006

Thank God for songwriters. It all starts with the song. A great song can take a mediocre performer much farther than a great performer can take a mediocre song. The song is the life's blood of every performance. It's the song that touches the heart of the audience. Yes, it's all about the song. That being said let me talk about San Diego songwriters Calman Hart and Jeff Berkley.

Last month I was invited to Berkley-Hart's CD release party celebrating the release of their fourth album, a worthy effort called "Pocket Change". I love good songwriting and couldn't wait to see what these guys had come up with. Myself being somewhat of a reluctant songwriter, meaning I write but it usually doesn't come fast or easy, I appreciate the efforts of the ones who do make it look easy.

As I walked across the parking lot of the Seaside Church in Encinitas I noticed a crowd already assembled for the show. It was a crowd representing all ages from young children to what appeared to be their grandparents and everyone in between.

It was a full house. The instant the lights dimmed the crowd erupted into enthusiastic applause. These people have probably seen B-H countless times and were more than ready for this gig to begin. Ahh, new songs. Remember? It's all about the song...

B-H walked on stage and opened the show with an instrumental. How's that for the element of surprise? These songwriters came out and kicked things off with an instrumental! It's okay, because you know what? These guys can play. Jeff Berkley has a phenomenally tasteful touch on guitar and seems able to send any lick in his mind down his arm, through his fingers and make the guitar a welcome receiver. How do guys like this do it? Wish I knew. Anyway, next the storytelling began.

Both Jeff and Calman's songs are extremely personal and meant to connect with the listener on an intelligent level, with a flair of comedy at the same time. Calman's songs are blessed with solid hooks worthy of commercially successful songs. Old habits never die. Seems I remember him taking a run at Nashville way back when. Hey, we like you better here Calman. This is not to slight Jeff in any way, though. Jeff is a past winner of the Kerrville Folk Festival songwriting contest in Texas. Among past winners are Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen. Great company to keep.

The songs they played for the show that night were a good mix of B-H standards and cuts from the new album. Cleverly written songs such as "Pocket Change", "Lay Me Down" and "I Love Waking Up With You".

After briefly setting the audience up with an upcoming song which Calman wrote with his son, the duo stopped cold and they called upon the younger Hart, Charlie, to come up and sing the song instead. What's going to happen here? Is the kid gonna freeze? He's ten years old. Has he sung on stage at a serious gig like this before? He walked out, sat down and sang "Bald", a song about having to get his hair cut (twice) to appease Sister Ursula and be accepted back in his Catholic school. He sang the song with the same comedic phrasing his father is capable of (hmm... Berkley-Hart-Hart down the line?). The kid can write, sing and perform. Gee, I think I was just learning to tie my shoes when I was ten.

Are Jeff Berkley and Calman Hart a likely pair or a mismatch? They are both very serious songwriters yet I'm sure a good party was never wasted on them. They are as one together yet completely different. Jeff is amiable, always laughing and joking (could be crying on the inside, these songs have to come from somewhere) and Calman appears very serious, almost unapproachable, but with a sharp sense of wit (could be laughing at us all on the inside). Who knows and who cares? It works.
-Kenny Newberry - Espresso Newspaper, April 2006

San Diego singer/songwriting duo Berkeley Hart have honed a winning sound on four CDs since talented Jeff Berkley and Calman Hart joined together over a decade ago. The pair can play and sing in almost any style and are both excellent songwriters and singers. Their last CD, Pocket Change from 2005, was acoustic, highlighted by unadorned arrangements, perfectly blended harmonies, and vivid lyrical tales as the focal points. They have paired again for a new disc, Las Vegas.

The sound on the new disc, produced and mixed by studio whiz Berkley, features more instrumentation than Pocket Change but wisely features a similar, intimate, unhurried sound. The songs are observational tales of human beings: their failings, relationships, and occasional spiritual struggles.

"Conversations with the Moon" starts off and sets the tone for what is to come, as Berkeley's soft folk song combines shimmering keyboards, finger-picked guitar, and swelling harmony choruses. Two Hart tunes follow, the lyrical storyboard "She's So Beautiful" and "Hey, Darlene" The latter is Appalachian-flavored, with a catchy hook brought home with banjo, dobro, fiddle, and plenty of twang about kinfolk coming over and putting momma's ashes on a shelf. The title tune is a country ballad, a highlight co-written by both artists, with steel guitar sighing behind lyrics like "She was a dancer, Las Vegas show/ She moved through me like cancer, subtle and slow".

The two rock things up on "Misery," with a bluesy brew of drums and guitar. Different than the rest of the disc, the tune is memorable and fun. "Sliver" is an acoustic folk tune about Berkeley's childhood, again with strong imagery. Hart chronicles the spiritual odyssey of a flawed man with "Looking for Jesus Again," another example of combining great lyrics ("He's been reading the Bible like it was a mystery novel"), a memorable melody, and a crisp arrangement. Berkeley follows with "Scarlet," a folk tune about a girl who was named after a Grateful Dead song. A folk-style arrangement of Bob Marley's "Stir It Up" works surprisingly well as the close harmonies and uncluttered percussion convey a relaxed flavor to the original reggae classic.

This is a disc that features carefully composed songs that are personal and engaging, drawing the listener into the music for the duration of the experience. There isn't a wasted note anywhere.

Hart tells another spiritual parable with "God in a Drawer," with observations about today's brand of religious hypocrisy, without preaching. "Six More Hours" offers sweet harmonies wrapped around finger-picked figures, to quietly close things as the singer is on the road to his California home.

Las Vegas is a superb and engaging collection of songs by two artists who are hitting on all cylinders, and not to be missed by lovers of great roots music.

by Frank Kocher - San Diego Troubadour - August 2009

San Diego singer/songwriting duo Berkeley Hart have honed a winning sound on four CDs since talented Jeff Berkley and Calman Hart joined together over a decade ago. The pair can play and sing in almost any style and are both excellent songwriters and singers. Their last CD, Pocket Change from 2005, was acoustic, highlighted by unadorned arrangements, perfectly blended harmonies, and vivid lyrical tales as the focal points. They have paired again for a new disc, Las Vegas.

The sound on the new disc, produced and mixed by studio whiz Berkley, features more instrumentation than Pocket Change but wisely features a similar, intimate, unhurried sound. The songs are observational tales of human beings: their failings, relationships, and occasional spiritual struggles.

"Conversations with the Moon" starts off and sets the tone for what is to come, as Berkeley's soft folk song combines shimmering keyboards, finger-picked guitar, and swelling harmony choruses. Two Hart tunes follow, the lyrical storyboard "She's So Beautiful" and "Hey, Darlene" The latter is Appalachian-flavored, with a catchy hook brought home with banjo, dobro, fiddle, and plenty of twang about kinfolk coming over and putting momma's ashes on a shelf. The title tune is a country ballad, a highlight co-written by both artists, with steel guitar sighing behind lyrics like "She was a dancer, Las Vegas show/ She moved through me like cancer, subtle and slow".

The two rock things up on "Misery," with a bluesy brew of drums and guitar. Different than the rest of the disc, the tune is memorable and fun. "Sliver" is an acoustic folk tune about Berkeley's childhood, again with strong imagery. Hart chronicles the spiritual odyssey of a flawed man with "Looking for Jesus Again," another example of combining great lyrics ("He's been reading the Bible like it was a mystery novel"), a memorable melody, and a crisp arrangement. Berkeley follows with "Scarlet," a folk tune about a girl who was named after a Grateful Dead song. A folk-style arrangement of Bob Marley's "Stir It Up" works surprisingly well as the close harmonies and uncluttered percussion convey a relaxed flavor to the original reggae classic.

This is a disc that features carefully composed songs that are personal and engaging, drawing the listener into the music for the duration of the experience. There isn't a wasted note anywhere.

Hart tells another spiritual parable with "God in a Drawer," with observations about today's brand of religious hypocrisy, without preaching. "Six More Hours" offers sweet harmonies wrapped around finger-picked figures, to quietly close things as the singer is on the road to his California home.

Las Vegas is a superb and engaging collection of songs by two artists who are hitting on all cylinders, and not to be missed by lovers of great roots music.

by Frank Kocher - San Diego Troubadour - August 2009

"Some things are just meant to be together. Like a hammer and a nail, a lock and a key and fish and chips, Jeff Berkley and Calman Hart just seem to bring out the best in each other. That is evident by listening to their new CD, Pocket Change. It is the fourth and latest in a string of recording successes that date back to the year 2000 and their critically acclaimed debut album, Wreck 'n' Sow. Berkley remembers the first time they joined forces.

'Calman had this odd gig at a little coffeehouse in Escondido. He was working on a solo album at that time called John Boy Drum. He invited me to play percussion and maybe a little guitar up on stage. I didn't know a lot of his songs at that time, but I remember thinking, hmmm, something could happen here. Later on we were part of a band called the Redwoods with Danni Carroll and Jon Katchur. We never really found a focus for that band, but we respected each other and got along great.'

The Redwoods were felled before they had much of a chance to grow, but the band did allow Berkley and Hart the opportunity to further develop their musical relationship.

'There was just a sound when the two of us played together. Our harmonies worked really well together. I didn't realize it at the time how rare it is to have that natural fit,' Berkley added.

Their vocal harmonies weren't the only thing that fit. Berkley and Hart clicked on a personal level and they soon found that they brought the best out in each other as song writers. On stage together there was a natural chemistry. Singer/songwriter Doug Pettibone, who has played along side of them in recent years as part of the Tim Flannery and Friends Band, offered his insights.

'They are both great songwriters individually and collectively. They are almost like the Laurel and Hardy of singer/songwriters. [On stage] Calman is the straight man and Berkley is the knucklehead. They both write great songs and together I think they are dynamite.'

Before meeting Berkley, Hart had enjoyed some success as a country and western singer, but he soon grew tired of that gig and began searching to find his true musical identity.

'I had wandered into Java Joe's in Poway one night after I had become fed up with playing country bars,' Hart recalled. 'It was the early '90s and I was doing a lot of country music. I love country music, but I felt like I was posing. That is not me. As much as I love country music and can play and write it, being that hat act wasn't me. I didn't like playing at the rodeo. All of a sudden, this missing piece sprang up. It was the coffeehouse circuit in San Diego. I went in there [Java Joe's] and everybody was doing the kind of music that I loved. Jeff was in the center of everything that was happening on that stage. He was the common thread that ran through this whole scene. So that is how we met.'

Their partnership has grown since the late '90s. On stage, they have fine tuned their act through years of practice and countless performances. People coming to hear a Berkley Hart concert know that they are not only going to hear some great music they are going to be amused and entertained as well. In the studio they have improved and matured as songwriters. If there is any competition or jealousy between them, they keep it well hidden. They are clearly in each other's corners. They speak humbly about themselves, but love to point out the assets of the other.

'Jeff has a [writing] style that is unique. Mine is a little more typical,' Hart says. 'But that couples with his unique style of writing lyrics,' Berkley counters. 'I am a musician that has slowly become a songwriter whereas Calman is a songwriter that has surrounded himself with great musicians his whole life. He has become a better musician and I have become a better songwriter.'

Somewhat surprisingly, only a small fraction of the duo's material is written together.

'We try to write together every chance we get, but the truth is we are writing at many different times in our lives when we are not hanging out,' Berkley explained. 'We [sometimes] get together and write, but with that being said we are that way with every songwriter we pass. Calman [for example] writes with his brother.' Berkley has the opportunity to collaborate with his Citizen Band bandmates and has had similar opportunities in recent years while playing with the Joel Rafael Band, the Tim Flannery Band, and the Coyote Problem.

Instead of true collaborations, what usually occurs is that Berkley or Hart will compose independently and then bring their songs in more or less finished for the other to hear.

'If a song is almost finished, it becomes a struggle to then jump in to try to help finish it,' explained Hart. 'We almost have to start the whole process together in order to finish it together,' added Berkley. 'Coming in at the middle of that process is difficult because you haven't [participated in] refining it.'

'Two of my favorite [co-writes] ar - San Diego Troubadour-March 2006

"Some things are just meant to be together. Like a hammer and a nail, a lock and a key and fish and chips, Jeff Berkley and Calman Hart just seem to bring out the best in each other. That is evident by listening to their new CD, Pocket Change. It is the fourth and latest in a string of recording successes that date back to the year 2000 and their critically acclaimed debut album, Wreck 'n' Sow. Berkley remembers the first time they joined forces.

'Calman had this odd gig at a little coffeehouse in Escondido. He was working on a solo album at that time called John Boy Drum. He invited me to play percussion and maybe a little guitar up on stage. I didn't know a lot of his songs at that time, but I remember thinking, hmmm, something could happen here. Later on we were part of a band called the Redwoods with Danni Carroll and Jon Katchur. We never really found a focus for that band, but we respected each other and got along great.'

The Redwoods were felled before they had much of a chance to grow, but the band did allow Berkley and Hart the opportunity to further develop their musical relationship.

'There was just a sound when the two of us played together. Our harmonies worked really well together. I didn't realize it at the time how rare it is to have that natural fit,' Berkley added.

Their vocal harmonies weren't the only thing that fit. Berkley and Hart clicked on a personal level and they soon found that they brought the best out in each other as song writers. On stage together there was a natural chemistry. Singer/songwriter Doug Pettibone, who has played along side of them in recent years as part of the Tim Flannery and Friends Band, offered his insights.

'They are both great songwriters individually and collectively. They are almost like the Laurel and Hardy of singer/songwriters. [On stage] Calman is the straight man and Berkley is the knucklehead. They both write great songs and together I think they are dynamite.'

Before meeting Berkley, Hart had enjoyed some success as a country and western singer, but he soon grew tired of that gig and began searching to find his true musical identity.

'I had wandered into Java Joe's in Poway one night after I had become fed up with playing country bars,' Hart recalled. 'It was the early '90s and I was doing a lot of country music. I love country music, but I felt like I was posing. That is not me. As much as I love country music and can play and write it, being that hat act wasn't me. I didn't like playing at the rodeo. All of a sudden, this missing piece sprang up. It was the coffeehouse circuit in San Diego. I went in there [Java Joe's] and everybody was doing the kind of music that I loved. Jeff was in the center of everything that was happening on that stage. He was the common thread that ran through this whole scene. So that is how we met.'

Their partnership has grown since the late '90s. On stage, they have fine tuned their act through years of practice and countless performances. People coming to hear a Berkley Hart concert know that they are not only going to hear some great music they are going to be amused and entertained as well. In the studio they have improved and matured as songwriters. If there is any competition or jealousy between them, they keep it well hidden. They are clearly in each other's corners. They speak humbly about themselves, but love to point out the assets of the other.

'Jeff has a [writing] style that is unique. Mine is a little more typical,' Hart says. 'But that couples with his unique style of writing lyrics,' Berkley counters. 'I am a musician that has slowly become a songwriter whereas Calman is a songwriter that has surrounded himself with great musicians his whole life. He has become a better musician and I have become a better songwriter.'

Somewhat surprisingly, only a small fraction of the duo's material is written together.

'We try to write together every chance we get, but the truth is we are writing at many different times in our lives when we are not hanging out,' Berkley explained. 'We [sometimes] get together and write, but with that being said we are that way with every songwriter we pass. Calman [for example] writes with his brother.' Berkley has the opportunity to collaborate with his Citizen Band bandmates and has had similar opportunities in recent years while playing with the Joel Rafael Band, the Tim Flannery Band, and the Coyote Problem.

Instead of true collaborations, what usually occurs is that Berkley or Hart will compose independently and then bring their songs in more or less finished for the other to hear.

'If a song is almost finished, it becomes a struggle to then jump in to try to help finish it,' explained Hart. 'We almost have to start the whole process together in order to finish it together,' added Berkley. 'Coming in at the middle of that process is difficult because you haven't [participated in] refining it.'

'Two of my favorite [co-writes] ar - San Diego Troubadour-March 2006

Berkley Hart's new CD, Pocket Change, is satisfying and enjoyable from beginning to end.

The title cut, a moving tribute to Calman Hart's single-parent mother, is one this reviewer would place squarely in the brilliant category. It chronicles her struggle to raise the Hart clan on the meager salary she made from waitressing. Hart sings, 'when I look back on it now it seems beautiful and strange how much she overcame with pocket change.'

Not to be outdone, Jeff Berkley took a Lizzie Wann poem titled 'For Lillian' and added a catchy melody to create a song that acknowledges a type of woman that many can relate to. Lillian may not treat you right all of the time, but there is something special about her that keeps you coming back for more. Be forewarned - once you listen to this song it will stay in your head for days and you may find yourself inadvertently humming the chorus at the most inopportune times.

Hart counters with what might just be his best song since 'Barrel of Rain.' 'Two Small Birds' is based on an unhappy long-term relationship wherein the husband is content with the relationship flawed as it is because it at least offers security. However, the wife yearns to break out of the cage that their life has become to spread her wings and fly in search of a life more fulfilling.

Another gem is 'Lay Me Down,' Berkley's making up song. He starts out by singing, 'It was all my fault' and then evokes a picture of balmy summer night and a lover's skinny dip in the healing waters of a river. The visual imagery found in this and in many of the album's other songs are just part of what make it superb.

They say that siblings often produce the best harmonies, think Phil and Don Everly and Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson. Although Berkley and Hart are not siblings, their rich, tightly woven harmonies are present on many of the tracks, including Hart's beautiful love song, 'Waking Up With You' and their cover of Mike Scott's and Anthony Thistlethwaite's tribute to Hank Williams, 'Has Anybody Here Seen Hank?'

Pocket Change finds this duo at its best, combining poignant lyrics with masterfully crafted melodies and harmonies. There are no gimmicks, studio effects, or outside musicians here. It captures their live sound in its purest form: two guys, two guitars, and an occasional harmonica or banjo.
--John Phillip Wylie - San Diego Troubadour

Berkley Hart's new CD, Pocket Change, is satisfying and enjoyable from beginning to end.

The title cut, a moving tribute to Calman Hart's single-parent mother, is one this reviewer would place squarely in the brilliant category. It chronicles her struggle to raise the Hart clan on the meager salary she made from waitressing. Hart sings, 'when I look back on it now it seems beautiful and strange how much she overcame with pocket change.'

Not to be outdone, Jeff Berkley took a Lizzie Wann poem titled 'For Lillian' and added a catchy melody to create a song that acknowledges a type of woman that many can relate to. Lillian may not treat you right all of the time, but there is something special about her that keeps you coming back for more. Be forewarned - once you listen to this song it will stay in your head for days and you may find yourself inadvertently humming the chorus at the most inopportune times.

Hart counters with what might just be his best song since 'Barrel of Rain.' 'Two Small Birds' is based on an unhappy long-term relationship wherein the husband is content with the relationship flawed as it is because it at least offers security. However, the wife yearns to break out of the cage that their life has become to spread her wings and fly in search of a life more fulfilling.

Another gem is 'Lay Me Down,' Berkley's making up song. He starts out by singing, 'It was all my fault' and then evokes a picture of balmy summer night and a lover's skinny dip in the healing waters of a river. The visual imagery found in this and in many of the album's other songs are just part of what make it superb.

They say that siblings often produce the best harmonies, think Phil and Don Everly and Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson. Although Berkley and Hart are not siblings, their rich, tightly woven harmonies are present on many of the tracks, including Hart's beautiful love song, 'Waking Up With You' and their cover of Mike Scott's and Anthony Thistlethwaite's tribute to Hank Williams, 'Has Anybody Here Seen Hank?'

Pocket Change finds this duo at its best, combining poignant lyrics with masterfully crafted melodies and harmonies. There are no gimmicks, studio effects, or outside musicians here. It captures their live sound in its purest form: two guys, two guitars, and an occasional harmonica or banjo.
--John Phillip Wylie - San Diego Troubadour

"...Berkley Hart, a distressingly hyphen-free/quirk-free duo, but one I admire despite their dearth of eccentricity. I've seen 'em as an acoustic duo and I've seem 'em with a backup band; I've heard 'em bust out jam-rock and I've heard 'em unplugged, singing clear 'n' sweet as a virgin rainforest stream.

Berkley Hart's new CD, “Pocket Change,” features the latter methodology; it's a straightforward acoustic duet effort featuring superior songcraft and mellifluous harmony that recalls Crosby, Stills & Nash minus the one guy that doesn't sing as well as the other two, whichever one that was.

Blessedly, the guys don't engage in me-me-me singer-songwriter conceits; rather, they serve up impressionistic elegies that seem to comprise equal measures trad Americana and 1970s songster sensibility. If I favor the former, fans of CSN/James Taylor/Seals & Crofts et al. will be drawn to the latter; if you're guessing BH ain't always my personal cuppa java you'd be correct (“mellow” would be the operative term here), but one can't help respecting the duo's stellar vocal and writing chops in their chosen mode. "
--Buddy Blue - San Diego Union Tribune-March 16, 2006

"...Berkley Hart, a distressingly hyphen-free/quirk-free duo, but one I admire despite their dearth of eccentricity. I've seen 'em as an acoustic duo and I've seem 'em with a backup band; I've heard 'em bust out jam-rock and I've heard 'em unplugged, singing clear 'n' sweet as a virgin rainforest stream.

Berkley Hart's new CD, “Pocket Change,” features the latter methodology; it's a straightforward acoustic duet effort featuring superior songcraft and mellifluous harmony that recalls Crosby, Stills & Nash minus the one guy that doesn't sing as well as the other two, whichever one that was.

Blessedly, the guys don't engage in me-me-me singer-songwriter conceits; rather, they serve up impressionistic elegies that seem to comprise equal measures trad Americana and 1970s songster sensibility. If I favor the former, fans of CSN/James Taylor/Seals & Crofts et al. will be drawn to the latter; if you're guessing BH ain't always my personal cuppa java you'd be correct (“mellow” would be the operative term here), but one can't help respecting the duo's stellar vocal and writing chops in their chosen mode. "
--Buddy Blue - San Diego Union Tribune-March 16, 2006

"No one is likely to confuse the warm harmonies and acoustic guitars of Jeff Berkley and Calman Hart for the latest musical trend.

Now, they might be confused with Seals and Crofts, perhaps. Loggins and Messina, possibly. Maybe Cecilio and Kapono.

It should be pointed out, however, that all of the above acts hit their peak of popularity some 30 years ago.

Not that such things bother Berkley Hart as the duo release their fourth CD, "Pocket Change."

"We don't have delusions of grandeur that we're going to be big stars," Berkley said during a recent interview. "I think what we do is pretty unique. It was just a thing where we kind of happened upon each other, and we liked writing similar types of songs, we write pretty well together and we perform really well together.

"Our voices just fit together; mine is in a certain range and his is in a certain range ---- a very natural fit."

Both men had found significant success in San Diego's music scene before they ever met or played together. Berkley was an original member of the Joel Rafael Band, Hart a solo artist sharing bills with Steve Poltz, Jewel and Gregory Page.

Hart said he and Berkley had run into each at various shows and got on fairly well to the point that playing gigs together seemed very natural.

"It just was subtle, like osmosis," Hart said. "I can't really think of a specific incident, other than the first time I ran across Jeff playing percussion. And I remember the first time I heard this guy, whom I thought of as a percussionist, pick up a guitar and play a song he wrote, and thought, 'Wow.' "

"Calman encouraged me to play my songs in front of people," Berkley said of their first times playing together. "When we sing, it sounds good. We literally just started getting together for hangouts with our families, then slowly but surely people started asking us to play. We started in Poway at Mikey's after Java Joe moved to OB."

Berkley said that while he and Hart both continue to play solo and with other artists, they are increasingly identified by their fans as songwriting partners.

"We really are thought of as 'those two guys,' but as a single entity," Berkley said. "It really is a duo, in every sense of the word. I think it's really cool for an audience to have that.

"Calman and I are very different alone than we are together," he added.

If their music seems spontaneous and relaxed, it's a reflection of their creative process. The two said a lot of their songwriting happens in informal settings ---- often while traveling to a show or hanging out before a gig.

"We don't create set lists for our shows," Hart said of choosing which of their songs to play ---- and even record.

"A lot of it is what kind of reaction we get from audiences; if they clap, we'll play it again. Sometimes there's just a song we really like to play."

Despite their growing local success as a duo, neither of them makes a living strictly off his playing. Berkley owns a recording studio and produces other artists' sessions, while Hart has a non-music job to pay the bills.

But it's the music that matters to them.

"I promise if people come out to our show, they'll go home with a smile on their face," Berkley said."
-Jim Trageser - North County Times-March 16, 2006

"No one is likely to confuse the warm harmonies and acoustic guitars of Jeff Berkley and Calman Hart for the latest musical trend.

Now, they might be confused with Seals and Crofts, perhaps. Loggins and Messina, possibly. Maybe Cecilio and Kapono.

It should be pointed out, however, that all of the above acts hit their peak of popularity some 30 years ago.

Not that such things bother Berkley Hart as the duo release their fourth CD, "Pocket Change."

"We don't have delusions of grandeur that we're going to be big stars," Berkley said during a recent interview. "I think what we do is pretty unique. It was just a thing where we kind of happened upon each other, and we liked writing similar types of songs, we write pretty well together and we perform really well together.

"Our voices just fit together; mine is in a certain range and his is in a certain range ---- a very natural fit."

Both men had found significant success in San Diego's music scene before they ever met or played together. Berkley was an original member of the Joel Rafael Band, Hart a solo artist sharing bills with Steve Poltz, Jewel and Gregory Page.

Hart said he and Berkley had run into each at various shows and got on fairly well to the point that playing gigs together seemed very natural.

"It just was subtle, like osmosis," Hart said. "I can't really think of a specific incident, other than the first time I ran across Jeff playing percussion. And I remember the first time I heard this guy, whom I thought of as a percussionist, pick up a guitar and play a song he wrote, and thought, 'Wow.' "

"Calman encouraged me to play my songs in front of people," Berkley said of their first times playing together. "When we sing, it sounds good. We literally just started getting together for hangouts with our families, then slowly but surely people started asking us to play. We started in Poway at Mikey's after Java Joe moved to OB."

Berkley said that while he and Hart both continue to play solo and with other artists, they are increasingly identified by their fans as songwriting partners.

"We really are thought of as 'those two guys,' but as a single entity," Berkley said. "It really is a duo, in every sense of the word. I think it's really cool for an audience to have that.

"Calman and I are very different alone than we are together," he added.

If their music seems spontaneous and relaxed, it's a reflection of their creative process. The two said a lot of their songwriting happens in informal settings ---- often while traveling to a show or hanging out before a gig.

"We don't create set lists for our shows," Hart said of choosing which of their songs to play ---- and even record.

"A lot of it is what kind of reaction we get from audiences; if they clap, we'll play it again. Sometimes there's just a song we really like to play."

Despite their growing local success as a duo, neither of them makes a living strictly off his playing. Berkley owns a recording studio and produces other artists' sessions, while Hart has a non-music job to pay the bills.

But it's the music that matters to them.

"I promise if people come out to our show, they'll go home with a smile on their face," Berkley said."
-Jim Trageser - North County Times-March 16, 2006

There would be a major void in the San Diego music scene without Jeff Berkley and Calman Hart. Their work together, as solo artists and with literally dozens of area artists, has enriched many concerts and more than a few albums.

The fact that their 10th anniversary concert Saturday night at AcousticMusic San Diego appears to come a year early might be an issue, except that musicians this gifted should be celebrated at every opportunity. A former rock drummer, Berkley sings and writes better than most drummers not named Levon Helm or Don Henley. Hart is an equally gifted tunesmith who sings and writes with insight, grace and an ability to make something fresh of even life's most familiar events and archetypes.

Berkley, who grew up as the son of a traveling evangelist, cut his teeth in various alt-rock bands here before becoming an in-demand percussionist for Jewel, Lisa Sanders, Gregory Page and other leading lights of San Diego's fertile singer-songwriter scene in the 1990s and beyond. His evolution into a singing frontman was aided greatly by the fact that he has one of the best voices in town. He's good enough that, in 1999, he won New Folk Songwriter honors in Kerrville, Texas, an honor previously bestowed upon Lyle Lovett, Sean Colvin and San Diego's Joel Rafael.

Hart, a Utah native, has held his own alongside such nationally prominent musicians as dobro master Jerry Douglas and national fiddle champ (and ex-San Diego bluegrass mainstay) Stuart Duncan. His 1992 solo debut album, “Red-Eyed and Blue,” was a cathartic work by a recently divorced musician who turned his pain and loss into a collection of heartfelt songs, and Hart's only improved since then.

Berkley Hart have made four terrific albums. While both are experts at using a recording studio to layer their music, their most affecting album is last year's “Pocket Change,” an earthy, no-frills duo outing that was recorded quickly and with a minimum of overdubs. No doubt, they'll be joined by some special guests Saturday night, but they'll need no help to charm their listeners.
- San Diego Union Tribune, August 2, 2007

A throwback celebration of the glories of harmonized vocals, San Diego's Jeff Berkley and Calman Hart are such gifted performers that they instantly elevate any song they touch. Soaring vocals in the model of Seals and Crofts or Loggins and Messina combine with virtuosic playing on guitar to create that elusive sense of magic that most bands never manage.

And yet, there's also the nagging feeling that the duo have yet to produce a song that's the equal of their talents. On their latest CD, every track is lovely and listenable, but the only song likely to get stuck in your head for days on end is their relaxed cover of the Bob Marley song "Stir It Up" ---- although it owes far more to Johnny Nash's hit version.

Their own songs are pleasant enough, but not the kind of instantly immortal tunes that could push them onto the national stage. There's no "Summer Breeze" to be found here, no "Danny's Song." Their title song, "Las Vegas," is notable both for its gentle melody and its pure honky-tonk arrangement, breaking from their usual folk-rock approach.

Not that an album full of gorgeous playing and singing is to be sneezed at ---- it's just that listening to the very pure magic to be found here leaves one feeling that these two men could be on the verge of something even greater, with material to match their ability as performers.

---- Jim Trageser - North County Times - May 13, 2009

All great partnerships have one thing in common: a shared realization that the sum is stronger than the parts. In the mysterious space between partners a spiritual alchemy occurs. In the emptiness between egos, there is room for the manna of heaven to pour down and fill in the serrated edges between souls, binding two together in a strength not attainable within a single individual. Over the years a potent dialectic emerges. You unconsciously adapt your strengths to the other and, like the ocean and the shore, you form a perfect harmony where your beauty only enhances the beauty of the other. You become each other's teacher, therapist, cheerleader, and, depending on what part of town the show is in tonight, bodyguard.

Great partners have to have a lot in common, but they need to challenge and push each other as well. Most often, songwriters and artists of all stripes work within the stillness of their own solitude. In the push and pull of a great partnership, however, the wheat has a much better chance of separating from the chaff. There's even a hint of competition, not the destructive kind, but the kind that impels each partner to his or her best work, if only to keep up. You have too much respect for your partner to turn in anything other than the best.

It's been ten years now since Jeff Berkley and Calman Hart decided to cast their lots together, but they've known each other for longer than that. Their paths first crossed at the legendary Java Joe's in its first incarnation in Poway. It was the mid-1990s and the fertile San Diego singer-songwriter scene was starting to heat up. John Katchur introduced Berkley to Hart. If Katchur is the Moses of the folk scene, leading us all out of the wilderness, then Berkley and Hart are David and Solomon, establishing a solid temple of folk around which so many San Diego notables have orbited.

In the early years Berkley was best known for his percussion work, most notably his spot-on and much sought after djembe playing. He's on pretty much every folk record that ever came out of this town and for good reason. The man has more heart, soul, and feel in his little finger than most musicians have in their entire body. But he was also a singer-songwriter, and while he was often asked to sit in on djembe with everybody in town, only a few of the artists he backed had the sensitivity and grace to ask him to play some of his own songs : artists like Dave Howard, John Katchur, and Calman Hart.

Hart heard something special in Berkley's songs and suggested they start doing some shows together. Their voices were a surprisingly warm fit and their guitar playing styles formed a perfect counterpoint. Hart's plain-spoken prairie strum lays a seed bed out of which the vines of Berkley's ascending and descending DADGAD lines emerge, winding like Mulholland Drive through Laurel Canyon, like smoke from a pipe, like prayers through the heavens, mesmerizing audiences and reminding many people of another great pair of guitarists: Bob Weir and Jerry Garcia.

Soon they began writing together. Hart's songs tend to be story songs with linear narrative and sharply drawn characters. Berkley favors impressionistic non-linear portraits of sensual and emotional terrain as seen from a bird's-eye view : broad images and distant longings flowing through timeless dreamscapes. Put these two approaches together, and you get an amazingly rich palette from which to paint folk songs, startling for their clarity, depth, power, and beauty. But writing songs together is the high-wire act of songwriting. It's one thing to lock yourself in your room and draw a song out of the depths of your own psyche, but to risk the delicacy of the process by bringing in another person, another whole set of experiences and expectations and aesthetic standards : that takes courage and faith. But Berkley and Hart have that kind of trust. They bring their musical ideas to each other and expect great things to happen. And they almost always do. 'Co-writing is hard for me,' admits Hart, 'because it's a struggle to get into my creative space with another person around. However, when it clicks, it's great. Some of my favorite songs are Berkley Hart co-writes.'

'Ultimately, co-writing works really well for us,' adds Berkley. 'I generally have a riff and a chorus and Calman will add verses. He's great at verse writing. I love that. I feel strongest coming up with musical hooks and writing choruses and bridges. That was one of the ways the sum was stronger than the parts. We both excel at different parts of the song. Our co-writes are my favorite songs.'

In 1999 Berkley and Hart joined forces with John Katchur and Dani Carroll, another up-and-coming singer-songwriter, to form the Redwoods. Soon they were wowing audiences with the depth and breadth of their live performances. Katchur's top-tier lead guitar work, Berkley's percussion, Hart's and Carroll's guitar stylings and voices, rendering each other's songs with d - San Diego Troubadour, July 2007

All great partnerships have one thing in common: a shared realization that the sum is stronger than the parts. In the mysterious space between partners a spiritual alchemy occurs. In the emptiness between egos, there is room for the manna of heaven to pour down and fill in the serrated edges between souls, binding two together in a strength not attainable within a single individual. Over the years a potent dialectic emerges. You unconsciously adapt your strengths to the other and, like the ocean and the shore, you form a perfect harmony where your beauty only enhances the beauty of the other. You become each other's teacher, therapist, cheerleader, and, depending on what part of town the show is in tonight, bodyguard.

Great partners have to have a lot in common, but they need to challenge and push each other as well. Most often, songwriters and artists of all stripes work within the stillness of their own solitude. In the push and pull of a great partnership, however, the wheat has a much better chance of separating from the chaff. There's even a hint of competition, not the destructive kind, but the kind that impels each partner to his or her best work, if only to keep up. You have too much respect for your partner to turn in anything other than the best.

It's been ten years now since Jeff Berkley and Calman Hart decided to cast their lots together, but they've known each other for longer than that. Their paths first crossed at the legendary Java Joe's in its first incarnation in Poway. It was the mid-1990s and the fertile San Diego singer-songwriter scene was starting to heat up. John Katchur introduced Berkley to Hart. If Katchur is the Moses of the folk scene, leading us all out of the wilderness, then Berkley and Hart are David and Solomon, establishing a solid temple of folk around which so many San Diego notables have orbited.

In the early years Berkley was best known for his percussion work, most notably his spot-on and much sought after djembe playing. He's on pretty much every folk record that ever came out of this town and for good reason. The man has more heart, soul, and feel in his little finger than most musicians have in their entire body. But he was also a singer-songwriter, and while he was often asked to sit in on djembe with everybody in town, only a few of the artists he backed had the sensitivity and grace to ask him to play some of his own songs : artists like Dave Howard, John Katchur, and Calman Hart.

Hart heard something special in Berkley's songs and suggested they start doing some shows together. Their voices were a surprisingly warm fit and their guitar playing styles formed a perfect counterpoint. Hart's plain-spoken prairie strum lays a seed bed out of which the vines of Berkley's ascending and descending DADGAD lines emerge, winding like Mulholland Drive through Laurel Canyon, like smoke from a pipe, like prayers through the heavens, mesmerizing audiences and reminding many people of another great pair of guitarists: Bob Weir and Jerry Garcia.

Soon they began writing together. Hart's songs tend to be story songs with linear narrative and sharply drawn characters. Berkley favors impressionistic non-linear portraits of sensual and emotional terrain as seen from a bird's-eye view : broad images and distant longings flowing through timeless dreamscapes. Put these two approaches together, and you get an amazingly rich palette from which to paint folk songs, startling for their clarity, depth, power, and beauty. But writing songs together is the high-wire act of songwriting. It's one thing to lock yourself in your room and draw a song out of the depths of your own psyche, but to risk the delicacy of the process by bringing in another person, another whole set of experiences and expectations and aesthetic standards : that takes courage and faith. But Berkley and Hart have that kind of trust. They bring their musical ideas to each other and expect great things to happen. And they almost always do. 'Co-writing is hard for me,' admits Hart, 'because it's a struggle to get into my creative space with another person around. However, when it clicks, it's great. Some of my favorite songs are Berkley Hart co-writes.'

'Ultimately, co-writing works really well for us,' adds Berkley. 'I generally have a riff and a chorus and Calman will add verses. He's great at verse writing. I love that. I feel strongest coming up with musical hooks and writing choruses and bridges. That was one of the ways the sum was stronger than the parts. We both excel at different parts of the song. Our co-writes are my favorite songs.'

In 1999 Berkley and Hart joined forces with John Katchur and Dani Carroll, another up-and-coming singer-songwriter, to form the Redwoods. Soon they were wowing audiences with the depth and breadth of their live performances. Katchur's top-tier lead guitar work, Berkley's percussion, Hart's and Carroll's guitar stylings and voices, rendering each other's songs with d - San Diego Troubadour, July 2007