The Bergamot

"Hard Hitting and Catchy as Hell!" -

"Lush Alternative Folk" -

"I was so happy when I heard TONES" -

Download the song that has gone viral from The Bergamot called "In Between". - CMJ

This duo is unbelievably talented. Indiana singer-songwriter Jillian Speece has the vocal chops of a professional. Her country twang mixed with crisp pop vocals give her the edge above other females in her field. Once you add Nathan Hoff into the mix, you’ve got a force to be reckoned with. Hoff dabbles in vocals, guitar, kick drum, and the keys. Both musicians are classically trained, but they have an element of rawness that is difficult to explain. It’s unpolished, yet refined at the same time.

Both South Bend, Indiana natives, the two met in 2003 and created The Bergamot in 2008. Their 2012 album, Static Flowers, is a compilation of country, rock and pop. Static Flowers is the pair’s third release, following 2010’s EP, Smile, and 2011’s full-length, Haven.

“Linen” is a soft rock jam with a bit of country. The two switch on and off with lead vocalist position throughout the album, but you’d never realize it. They both seem to have such an incredible vocal presence, whether they be showcased or behind the lead. That’s what makes “Linen,” “Smoke & Fire,” “Wishing Well” and “Broken Hearted” such diverse tracks. With the start of each song, you never label one person as being the leader. They are true partners in this musical affair.

The only downfall of this record is “Shake Ur Brotha.” Imagine you’re enjoying this album, only to be interrupted by this annoying song about halfway through. “Shake shake ur brotha/Shake shake your friend/Shake shake your lova” sings Speece repetitively. It seems very juvenile and out of place for this well developed compilation. They are redeemed by “In Between” later on, as the guitar picking by Hoff is superb.

I’d be willing to look past the awful “Shake Ur Brotha” incident due to the fact that the remainder of the album is fantastic. Speece and Hoff make you feel alive throughout their musical endeavor, and that’s what almost every musician dreams of.

In A Word: Lively

—by Sara Fazio, September 17, 2012 - The Aquarian Weekly

Move over pop stars! These amateur singers are here to blow your mind. You know what else is mind-blowing? Campbell's Go™ soups. They're so close to the real thing. - BuzzFeed

This year, we joined forces with our friends at HGTV to bring you the HGTV + NoiseTrade Ultimate Holiday Soundtrack. Part modern interpretations of classics, part original soon-to-be classics, this 30-track holiday extravaganza is sure to spice up your eggnog. With songs from artists such as Over The Rhine, Josh Garrels & Mason Jar Music, Jillian Edwards, Jars Of Clay, The Bergamot, Brooke Waggoner, Dave Barnes, and Katey Laurel, there’s something for every night before Christmas. - HGTV and Noisetrade

"Following in the footsteps as such duos as Simon & Garfunkel and Hall and Oates The Bergamot co-founders Jillian Speece and Nathan Hoff create seamless musical tapestry that span the genres of the pop music spectrum."

-ICON Magazine - ICON Magazine

57) The Bergamot - Static Flowers - Penguin Radio

Written while on tour, The Bergamot’s latest single of raw, fleet-fingered folk In Between speaks of the life of a traveling musician. The single was tracked live and is meant to give the listener a sense of the disarray that is a life on the road. (4 Stars)

- Mad Mackerel Music Blog

The Bergamot's single "Amy" is featured by music blogger Faronheit based out of Chicago, IL. - Faronheit

The South Bend based band, The Bergamot, has won one of the top 3 spots in the "Bud Light Battle of the Bands" and will head to the Bahamas to share the stage with Brad Paisley, Pitbull, Flo Rida, Whiz Khalifa, The All American Rejects, Young the Giant, and The Far East Movement. - The Chicago Tribune

One year after her death, the shockwaves of Amy Winehouse's death are still reverberating. In The Bergamot's heart-rending "Amy," one can hear the pain, which addiction can cause for the addicted person's loved ones. Fittingly, the song begins in A minor (Am, for short), and with solo acoustic guitar accompanying Jillian Speece and Nathan Hoff's beautifully harmonizing vocals.

Hoff, who wrote the song, took inspiration from a family member's descent into alcoholism and death. "Although I had no personal experience with Amy," says Hoff, "I did feel the same palpable pain and feeling of loss when she passed due to her relapse and final collapse to addiction and alcohol." "Amy" takes the form of a love song from the perspective of the person who hopes their love can save the addicted person, but knows that they must ultimately let that person make their own decisions. The song is on The Bergamot's upcoming LP, Static Flowers. Download "Amy" now! - Music Industry News Network

The Bergamot's song "Amy" is offered as a free download on the music blog "Free Music Friday" by Absolute Punk. - Absolute Punk

One year after her death, the shockwaves of Amy Winehouse’s death are still reverberating. In The Bergamot’s heart-rending “Amy,” one can hear the pain, which addiction can cause for the addicted person’s loved ones. Fittingly, the song begins in A minor (Am, for short), and with solo acoustic guitar accompanying Jillian Speece and Nathan Hoff’s beautifully harmonizing vocals.

Hoff, who wrote the song, took inspiration from a family member’s descent into alcoholism and death. “Although I had no personal experience with Amy,” says Hoff, “I did feel the same palpable pain and feeling of loss when she passed due to her relapse and final collapse to addiction and alcohol.” “Amy” takes the form of a love song from the perspective of the person who hopes their love can save the addicted person, but knows that they must ultimately let that person make their own decisions. - Skope Magazine

"This duo is amazing!" - 98.3 The Coast

"Incredible" - WGN Chicago

A bergamot is an Italian orange used to induce happiness and relieve stress.

The Bergamot is a fresh, soulful sound originating out of South Bend, Indiana. Coincidentally, the eclectic singing duo – like the orange – also tend to induce happiness and relieve stress. This was made evident by the obvious pleasure of the crowd that turned out to hear them perform this weekend at The Livery in Benton Harbor, Michigan.

The Bergamot is Jillian Speece and Nathan Hoff, and the on-stage chemistry they exude suggests a pair that has made music together for years – eight years, in fact. As a little girl, Jillian learned to sing and write songs at home; Nathan picked up a guitar at the age of 13. They met in 2003 as high school students, and have been writing extraordinary music together ever since.

If you can imagine Jack Johnson playing and Adele singing a jazzed-up version of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It,” then you’re just beginning to tap into The Bergamot’s signature sound. They’re one part jazz, one part blues, and infused with just a touch of Motown. Pair that retro mood with some lovely lyrical imagery and you’ve got a fresh, fervent sound just waiting to burst at the seams.

And while they may be from Indiana, it’s clear that their hearts lie in southwest Michigan: “Haven,” the title track on their latest album, is “a profession of love for Lake Michigan,” says Jillian. The song “Railroad,” was written for another favorite summertime spot in New Buffalo, and even makes reference to the abundance of this small-town, agricultural region, with lyrics like “apricot was the jam we would take / and honey was our relinquishing grace / the sky our unending fate / when we would escape to the old tracks.”

Such prolific poetry and powerful vocals have taken them as far as LA, Nashville and back. “When she hits those notes,” quips Nathan, “it’s like a train comin’ through. Ain’t nothin’ stopping her!”

“Oooh, watch out, I’m a-chuggin’,” counters Jillian … chugging all the way to New York, the next stop on their journey. But not before they grace southwest Michigan with their presence at least once more: if you missed them on Saturday, you can plan to see them again on March 5th at the Union Coffee House in Buchanan.

The Livery hosts live concerts every weekend and Open Mic nights every Monday. Check out their Calendar of Events for the next performance to favor their stage in Benton Harbor. - Kathleen Dayle

The Bergamot, a male-female folk duo from Chicago (very Sam & Ruby-esque) started the night off with two AWESOME songs. I can’t remember the title of the first song but their lyric “we’re gonna go down on that rocky mountain side and finish all the words to this song” stayed with me. The second was a new one they had recently written called “Candy Wrapper.” I couldn’t find them after the shindig but had I done so, I would have purchased their CD and when I get on a normal internet connection tonight, I am going to buy the heck out of their record on iTunes. You can find them at http://www.thebergamot.com/ - Corey Durkin

The Bergamot original song was the winner of the Sweetwater Song Writing Competition. Their song, On and On, will be featured on a cd produced by the company. - Sweetwater Sound

SouthSide highly recommends checking out Bergamot while currently on their national tour. This duo acoustically rocked the Elbo Room stage with a powerful yet soulful R&B/alternative performance. This set had everything, blogspot readers, spunk ...passion ...vibrant guitar rhythms and female vocals (Jillian) which completely stole the entire show. Accompanied by Nathan (on guitar) and his deep (sometimes low) voice during certain songs, SouthSide could feel Bergamot's storytelling lyrics coming to life inside her ears while grooving to the lively music. This reviewer was totally vibin' what was wafting from the stage as she observed Jillian "owning" the sage with her expressive body language and dancing. Plus she liked how Jillian and Nathan had this natural interaction going on with each other as if he was the Yang to her Ying or vice versa especially during the song But I Do. SouthSide at times found herself lost inside the vivid imagery of Bergamot's lyrics (as found in The Traveller or Haven, title track off their upcoming album) or feeling the heartfelt tenderness of emotions (as found in Hannah or You and Me, in which SouthSide dubbed as the wedding song). Blogspot readers can check out the video for You and Me on YouTube. There were fun moments hearing about Bergamot's wild experience at a party in On The Boulevard or enjoying the sigts at Newport Bay. This duo even rocked the stage with danceable yet soulful cover versions of B.B. King's classic Stand By Me (a lively upbeat swing inside a gentle downtempo pace) and Stevie Wonder's Superstition (which rocked out their performance). For more information about Bergamot and tour dates, visit http://www.thebergamot.com or http://www.myspace.com/thebergamot. - Southside on the Town

"Wow! The Bergamot...The heck with American Idol, the heck with the Grammys...That is a fantastic sound! Remember you heard them first here on WGN Chicago." - WGN Chicago

It’s a tricky thing to pull off something that’s fresh and retro without turning into a novelty act. The Bergamot pull that off quite nicely with Smile. It’s a snapshot of their 60-plus song repertoire, an easy, satisfying EP experience that mixes the indie genre with classical guitar licks, Motown treatments, James Taylor and the Beatles, not to mention some of that Over The Rhine feel. The Bergamot are songwriting duo Jillian Speece and Nathan Hoff, both from South Bend, supported by Andrew Teeple on bass and Grant Inman on drums. Hoff is classically trained. You can hear it in the arrangements, which are layered and orchestrated without being over-produced. Speece grew up singing with her family, though never in public, as she was painfully shy. She gradually blossomed into a vocal confidence that is on par with Sunny Taylor, and one of the great strengths of The Bergamot.

“Sale of the Ground” begins the disc with an intriguing, finger-pluck intro on the guitar. Speece enters with an easy vocal that is rich and smoky, strong and spontaneous. It’s hope versus inevitability here: a summer lake house is in danger of corporate encroachment. It’s perhaps a metaphor for life, a call to retain individuality in the face of conformity. “But I Do” has the strong melodies and sonic landscapes that smack a bit of Beatles meets 70s-era Chicago, with some of the whimsy and dynamic shifts you might expect from Andrew Bird. The lyrical repetition works for rhythmic effect, not just as song filler. The varying timbres weave into a culmination then back to an easy canter.

“You & Me” has a satisfying and familiar melody with a classic Motown feel supported by a nice organ line. The notion of love gets a surface treatment lyrically, but the point of this song is experience, not illumination. Speece and Hoff don’t seem pressured to always be profound, which is refreshing. They know when to just let the music be the music. The result is infectious in the best Motown tradition. You sing along, and you dance without a care about who may be watching. “In My Life” is a mellower mix of carefree and contemplative elements. We’re in the moment, the spontaneity, the musical magic, rather than any sort of analytical or practical place. “Railroad” begins with a magical a capella that Speece calls “eerie optimism.” It’s my favorite spot on the disc. The retro-soul feel works to paint memories of earlier days of idealism and escapism and the realization that we don’t live free like we used to. “Oh, the way we thought we’d change the world when we were standing on the railroad feeling free from the world / our thoughts shattered like glass.” The sense of loss is palpable musically and lyrically. It brings an understated optimism that uses memory to fortify our present for the better. The EP ends with another arrangement of “You & Me” to keep you singing for hours.

Smile gave me many smiles, as well as a hunger for more. This summer, expect to see an acoustic CD, Haven, along with a full release next year called Static Flowers. (Mark Turney)

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- WhatzUp Magazine

Brooklyn’s The Bergamot are releasing their hard-hitting, catchy-as-hell single “Alive” off of their upcoming album, Tones, dropping February 11.

The folk rock band consists of husband and wife duo Nathaniel Paul Hoff and Jillian Speece.

“Sometimes the greatest way to feel alive is to just go forth into life blindly with the hope of learning and growing” said the couple of the track. “Alive really sets an optimistic tone to a life lived – not allowed to pass by.”

Listen to the exclusive premiere of “Alive” above. - Paste Magazine

"Brooklyn based husband and wife power-pop duo Nathaniel Paul and Jillian Speece aka The Bergamot deliver a soothing and dreamy slice of upbeat indie folk in their debut UK single release PDR." - Record of the Day

"(The Bergamot) shine their upbeat positivity on Britain… In a world of selfie-obsessed celebs like Kim Kardashian, The Bergamot are a breath of fresh air… Their sunny 70s folk brims with positivity”

-The Daily Record (UK) - The Daily Record

"A sound the indie world has been waiting for." - Atwood Magazine