bernee

hey! your songs are great
i was listening to them just this morning
i like miss busybody and spinning wheel
and where do you want to go today
hell i like them all
nice work mate
keep it up
s

http://www.poltz.com


Some background on Steve Poltz to put these kind words into context:

He trick-or-treated at Liberace’s house, planned a two-day stay in Amsterdam that ended a month later with him escaping the city under the cover of darkness, and was Bob Hope’s favorite altar boy. Alone, these anecdotes go well with a fistful of peanuts at a cocktail party. But on top of these add that this person also co-wrote the longest-running song on the Billboard Top 100 (You Were Meant For Me - Jewel), had a debut solo album that earned three and a half stars in Rolling Stone, and was awarded the title of “San Diego’s Most Influential Artist of the Decade” at the San Diego Music Awards. What you end up with is one of the most engaging, twisted, and prolific songwriters of our time - Steve Poltz.
- Steve Poltz

The House lights go down, the audience buzzes with anticipation. Cue music! The opening theme, Where Do You Want To Go Today, starts off the act with vibrant energy. Late Night Show, the new EP from Bernee, rocks with rumbling piano, classic trap-set drum builds with rolling snare, sweet bass, great vocals, some string surprises, and no annoying talk show host one-liners. The six new songs were hand-picked by the band from a live set repertoire of over 60 songs. The result is a broad sample of Bernee’s abilities, from beautiful ballads, to ecstatic rock songs, offering a little style for everyone in the audience.

The harmonious vocals in Bernee are remarkable for their blending and precise timing. Throughout the show, in songs such as Spinning Wheel, if it wasn’t for the lyrics indicating different perspectives, I don’t think I would have caught on that it was actually Matt Goldberg and Nicole Weepers alternating verses, only to join together for the chorus with Iain Gillaney. Nicole’s raw alto balances so well with Matt’s tender tenor that one becomes lost in seamless transitions, causing the lyrics in many of their songs to take on multiple states of awareness. Although, the slides do not resolute in tune quite fast enough for my ear, their style is still irresistible. One is simultaneously in the shoes of many people all interacting with each other, some seeking love, some remorseful of loves lost, always then returning to a sort of omnipresent bravery embodied by the spirit of the positive advice always offered after each scenario. The lyrics are powerful and communicate their emotions well to the listener. Often, it was difficult to write because I would find myself recalling old difficult relationships, odd times that threw me deep into introspection and far from the article. I even got upset a few times! However, I never felt lost or abandoned to the whims of the skeletons in my closet, as their was always something in the music reaffirming to pull me back, put those worries at ease, and get me inspired again. The straightforward stories poise questions to some of our simplest actions that we take for granted. Perhaps the biggest overall message is awareness of the moment, actually understanding what people are feeling as it happens, instead of distorted hindsight. The simplicity is deceptive, yet the universal applicability is wisdom of the ages. For Bernee, there is no happiness without sadness, no victory without struggle, and that is the way it should be; Optimistic, yet realistic.

The ballads on Late Night Show are particularly wonderful. Perfect orchestration takes the imagination away to a place of solace and remembrance. The range of careful treatment for delicate notes, to the strong driving power in On My Way ranks Matt Goldberg’s piano up there with great alternative rock bands like Coldplay –Matt’s vocal range is, in fact, far more consistent and higher then Chris Martin’s- or earlier Ben Folds Five. Roll On, the last song on the EP, is a stunning masterpiece. It is the kind of work you’d expect from a band after decades of work. It is a simplistic melody, but that is the basis for blooming violin and cello parts, and blossoming vocal harmonies. With subtle grace, Iain Gillaney’s electric bass begins weaving in an out of the string crescendo and what was once a room of a few great artists, suddenly sounds like strings in a concert hall, each band member a maestro balladeer, all welling up to the refraining Roll on, roll on… Roll On is my guilty pleasure on this album, as I keep listening to it on repeat while writing. It is this writer’s expressive hope that more songs such as these epic love songs appear on the complete album. The band’s technical ability and quick precision is impeccable, amazing even, but it is the soft slow moments, the sustained crystal clear chords, the mesmerizing harmonies, that stop me in the moment, that rock my world and bring me to tearful smiles recalling my own personal hardships and triumphs, as emulated by the brilliant members of Bernee. It would be well worth the holiday trip to Australia to hear the live version in all its refreshing splendor. This is a show worth staying up as late as it takes!

Julian Gorman


About the Author:

Independent musician, writer & game designer, Julian Gorman is a freelancer based out of Colorado Springs, Colorado whom currently is doing virtual odd-jobs while working to fill multiple artistic portfolios and looking for a new band to join. He has been singing since 1st grade and as a result been in many different types of bands and multiple stage productions, including lead rolls in the musicals Godspell, Guys & Dolls & You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown. In ‘04 Julian was honored to sing with Opera Theater of the Rockies & the Colorado Springs Philharmonic as a chorus member in Carmen, with a small trio part in Die Flatermaus. Since 2001 he has written for local newspapers and in College. As a reporter / photographer and editorialist, he worked primarily for “Top ‘O The World” at Western State College & “The Ute Pass Courier.” He dreams of having a hit song in a virtual world he helped design. Julian is very critical of himself & thus a harsh, yet realistic, critic, if a bit eccentric.
- Julian Gorman

EPs are always such a glorious thing. They usually are released by emerging artists and are filled with an artist's best material. It gives the listener a great sense of what they are about. It also sets the bar for a band whose already-salivating early adopters are left drooling for the first full release. Such is the case for a band like Australian indie trio, Bernee. According to lead singer and mastermind behind the band, Matt Goldberg, the band has a pot of approximately sixty songs to choose from. The six songs selected for Bernee's late night show best embody the band's piano-driven pop sprinkled with shiny vocal harmonies throughout. With a story behind each work, it makes the songs even more interesting. The opener "Where Do You Want To Go Today?" reminds me of the many great pop songs of Ben Folds like "Fired," from 2001's classic Rockin The Suburbs, a personal album favorite of mine. The twirling piano intro of "Where Do...?" spins in your ears while Goldberg's tenor croons the question "Where do you want to go today?". Coincidence, perhaps, but the title is similar to a Microsoft ad campaign of recent time where the software giant is trying to make customers feel like when they buy Microsoft they are also buying a ticket on a journey into their imagination. In the case of Bernee's version, the title refers to a friend who is suspiciously with a girl for the wrong reasons. So Goldberg, talking to his friend asks "Where do you want to go today?" Ironically, the friend ends up with the girl--a simple twist of fate, I suppose. These catch-the-moment scenarios play out throughout the EP
bringing life and substance to the already hooky songs.

On the flip side, I would've liked to have seen more vocal harmonies carried throughout the EP since Goldberg's tenor is not as strong as the songs are. Maybe, even share some of the vocal duties. Perhaps even more duets within the songs. This would've added that sparkle that the songs are missing. But don't let that detract you from enjoying the joyous, rollicking piano interludes, the sweet sincerity of Goldberg's vocal chops and wonderfully clean arrangements. Late night show demonstrates the breadth of Bernee's song styles. From the rhetorical uptempo opener "Where do you want to go today?" to the galloping pianos of "Man" which is about sticking it to you-know-who and sticking up for yourself, the EP succeeds in spreading the sound all around. "Roll on" captures Goldberg's youthful vulnerability reminding me of the same vocal urgency a la Ben Folds of Ben Folds Five's 1997 masterpiece Whatever and Ever Amen. Bernee likens their music to twee pop pioneers Belle & Sebastian. Perhaps it's the sweet boy-girl harmonies on certain tracks, or the selection of whimsical instruments on some tracks that show strains of twee. "Spinning Wheels" has some tender trumpet harmonies that certainly render traces of B&S tracks.

Bernee means business on their first outing, and brings with it a sense of humor and genuine emotion. A good first outing for both early fans, and hopefully a springboard for more to come.


About the Author:

M. Morgan is a writer, podcaster (a.k.a. "Cecil Smith"), producer, and blogger for IndieSoupRunner.com, a blog about indie music, specifically for runners and fitness freaks. He has interviewed emerging artists, writes a column for CD reviews called "Reviews By The Spoonful," that includes album reviews specifically designed for selecting exercise music, and most importantly, produces and hosts a monthly podcast called "Indie Soup Runner's Edition," a monthly podcast in a playlist format featuring the latest and greatest indie music artists. His podcast is on iTunes as well as other popular podcast directories. His main areas of musical focus are dance, electronic, punk, pop and Americana. - M. Morgan