David Berman at his home in Nashville, Tennessee.

David Berman is an American author, cartoonist, and singer-songwriter best known for his work with indie-rock band the Silver Jews. Image File history File linksMetadata Berman. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Berman. ... Nickname: Music City Motto: Official website: http://www. ... An author is the person who creates a written work, such as a book, story, article or the like. ... A cartoonist at work. ... The term singer-songwriter refers to performers who both write and sing their own material. ... Indie rock is rock music that falls within the indie music description. ... Silver Jews are an indie rock group, formed in 1989 by writer David Berman along with Pavements Stephen Malkmus and Bob Nastanovich. ...

Biography

Beginnings

Berman (born 1967 in Williamsburg, Virginia) attended high school at the Greenhill School in Addison, Texas, before matriculating to the University of Virginia. While in Charlottesville, Virginia, Berman began writing and performing songs (often left on friends' voice message machines) with his loose band, Ectoslavia, primarily composed of UVA classmates Stephen Malkmus and Bob Nastanovich. 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: The Burg Motto: Official website: http://www. ... Image:Addison Flag. ... Website Virginia. ... Motto: Nickname: Founded Incorporated 1762   County Independent City Borough Parrish Mayor David Brown Area  - Total  - Water 177. ... Stephen Malkmus performing in Battery Park, New York City. ... Bob Nastanovich was the auxiliary musician in the indie band Pavement (band). ...

Upon graduation from the University of Virgina, the trio moved to New York City, where they shared an apartment and adopted the moniker 'Silver Jews,' in part after the '60s group Silver Apples and Berman's own slang for blonde-haired Jewish people. Nickname: The Big Apple Motto: Official website: City of New York Location Location in the state of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area Total 468. ... The Silver Apples made electronic music in a rock music idiom in the late 1960s. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination of these attributes. ...

Before moving to New York, Malkmus had also founded another band, Pavement, with his childhood friend Scott Kannberg. As Pavement's acclaim and visibility grew, the notion arose that the Silver Jews were a "Pavement side-project," despite the fact that Berman's writing, singing, and guitar playing led the band's music. On the band's early recordings, Berman even tried to protect the Jews' individuality by listing Malkmus and Nastanovich under aliases, but it backfired when people learned who "Hazel Figurine" and "Bobby N." really were. This article is about the American English usage of pavement as the durable surfacing of roads and walkways. ... Scott Kannberg, AKA Spiral Stairs Scott Kannberg was a member of the seminal 1990s indie-rock band, Pavement. ...

Not long after the success of Pavement's debut album, Slanted and Enchanted (which was named after a cartoon Berman had created), Dan Koretsky, founder of the Chicago-based indie label Drag City, met Berman at a Pavement show. When he heard of the Jews' tapes, Koretsky offered to release them. On their first single and EP for the label, 1990's "Dime Map of the Reef" and 1993's The Arizona Record, respectively, the band held to their ultra lo-fi aesthetic and recorded the majority of both on a Walkman. Slanted & Enchanted was Pavements first studio album. ... Drag City is an independent record label in the United States. ... Sony Walkman Offical Logo The Walkman is a popular Sony brand used by the company to market its portable audio players, and is synonymously used to refer to the original Walkman portable personal stereo player. ...

After the release of the EPs, Berman entered a graduate-level writing program at the University of Massachusetts and met like-minded members of local bands--the indie-rock/alt-country hybrid Scud Mountain Boys and New Radiant Storm King. Writing and teaching at the university left Berman time for songwriting; soon, he had enough material for an album, which became 1994's Starlite Walker. The album reunited Berman with Malkmus and Nastanovich (this time listed by their real names in the credits) in the 24-track Easley Recording studios for a more focused, polished take on the Silver Jews' literate, lyrical, country and noise-inspired rock. The University of Massachusetts (commonly called UMass) is the five-campus public university system of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. ... Indie rock is rock music that falls within the indie music description. ... Alternative country can refer to several ideas. ... Scud Mountain Boys was an American alt-country band. ... Starlite Walker is the first full-length studio album by indie-rock group the Silver Jews. ...

Recent Career and Personal Life

Along with writing and working with other performers like the War Comet, Berman recorded the Jews' second album, The Natural Bridge, in the summer of 1996 with members of New Radiant Storm King and Drag City artist/producer Rian Murphy. Originally, Berman planned to record this album with Malkmus, Nastanovich, and the Scud Mountain Boys, but both sessions were scrapped after a few days. The Natural Bridge continued to streamline the Silver Jews' sound and let Berman's rich, abstract lyrics and reflective vocals take center stage. Malkmus returned for 1998's American Water, and his guitar and vocal interplay with Berman places it among the Silver Jews' strongest efforts. The Natural Bridge is the second full-length studio album by indie-rock group the Silver Jews. ... Rian Murphy is a sexy beast. ... American Water is the third full-length studio album by indie-rock group the Silver Jews. ...

In 1999, Berman's first collection of poetry, the critically-acclaimed Actual Air, was published by Open City Press. The Silver Jews returned in 2001 with Bright Flight and the EP Tennessee, which also feature Berman's wife Cassie on a few tracks. American Water is the fourth full-length studio album by indie-rock group the Silver Jews. ... Official language(s) English Capital Nashville Largest city Memphis Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 36th 109,247 km² 195 km 710 km 2. ...

Following the release of Tennessee, Berman struggled through an intense period of depression and substance abuse. In a famous interview with Fader Magazine, he described his extensive drug use and 2003 suicide attempt involving crack-cocaine, alcohol, and the prescription drug Xanax. After the failed suicide attempt, Berman committed himself to sobriety and decided to once again resurrect the Jews--which, this time around, included Cassie, Malkmus, Nastanovich, Will Oldham, and Azita Youseffi among many others--in early 2005 for a new album. Recorded in Nashville, Tanglewood Numbers narrowly avoided being destroyed in the electrical fire that engulfed Memphis' historic Easley-McCain studio, where it was supposed to be mastered. Drag City released the album that fall. Clinical depression is state of sadness or melancholia that has advanced to the point of being disruptive to an individuals social functioning and/or activities of daily living. ... Substance abuse refers to the overindulgence in and dependence on a stimulant, depressant, or other chemical substance, leading to effects that are detrimental to the individuals physical or mental health, or the welfare of others. ... It has been suggested that Suicide and culture be merged into this article or section. ... This article is about the drug Cocaine. ... In general usage, alcohol (from Arabic al-kukhūl الكحول = the spirit, the chemical.) refers almost always to ethanol, also known as grain alcohol, and often to any beverage that contains ethanol (see alcoholic beverage). ... Alprazolam is a short-acting benzodiazepine used to treat anxiety disorders. ... Will Oldham in concert Will Oldham is an American songwriter, actor, and musician born in Louisville, Kentucky. ...

Though he is a reluctant live performer as a musician, Berman occasionally does readings of his short stories and poems in both the U.S. and the U.K. His accomplished and trademark sardonic lyrics have been compared by some to Bob Dylan, and his poetry is known to examine overlooked aspects of everyday life as well as chance and often hilarious juxtapositions. Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman on 24 May 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and poet whose enduring contributions to American song are comparable, in fame and influence, to those of Stephen Foster, Irving Berlin, Woody Guthrie, and Hank Williams. ...

Berman currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee with his wife Cassie. Nickname: Music City Motto: Official website: http://www. ...

Discography

Cover art for the Silver Jews' 1998 full-length release, American Water.

Image File history File links Amwater. ... Image File history File links Amwater. ... American Water is the third full-length studio album by indie-rock group the Silver Jews. ...

With the Silver Jews

Full-Lengths:

• Starlite Walker (1994) LP/CD
• The Natural Bridge (1996) LP/CD
• American Water (1998) LP/CD
• Bright Flight (2001) LP/CD
• Tanglewood Numbers (2005) LP/CD

Singles: Starlite Walker is the first full-length studio album by indie-rock group the Silver Jews. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... The Natural Bridge is the second full-length studio album by indie-rock group the Silver Jews. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... American Water is the third full-length studio album by indie-rock group the Silver Jews. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... American Water is the fourth full-length studio album by indie-rock group the Silver Jews. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• "Dime Map of the Reef" (1990) 7"
• "Silver Jews and Nico" (1993) 7"
• "Send in the Clouds" (1998) CD/7"
• "Hot as Hell" (1999) CD/7"

EPs: This article is about the year. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

• The Arizona Record (1993) CD/12"
• Tennessee (2001) CD/12"

1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Official language(s) English Capital Nashville Largest city Memphis Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 36th 109,247 km² 195 km 710 km 2. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ...

Bibliography

• Actual Air: Poems (1999)

1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

External links

• The Corduroy Suit -- Unofficial Silver Jews webpage featuring interviews, images, a selection of Berman's writing and audio recordings of his poetry readings.
• Pitchfork Media interview with David Berman