The Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena presents The Marc Berger Duo on Sunday, Feb. starting at 7 p.m.
With his recent album, Ride, Marc Berger brings a well-choreographed mix of deep country folk songs with touches of bluegrass, roots, Americana, a little spicy cajun, and even a little Indie, with an effects-laced lead acoustic guitar.
Berger’s life has been about pursuing twin passions: creating and recording his American roots songs, and exploring remote areas of the desert and mountain West. After signing his first publishing contract while in law school, he fronted rock bands and performed regularly in New York City clubs like CBGB, Wetlands, and The Knitting Factory. All through this period, he’d find ways to get into the West, picking up details from fellow wilderness junkies about off-the-beaten-path locales and filing them away for future reference.
On one of these trips, he became intrigued by the cover of “The Big IT,” a book of short stories by A.B. Guthrie that he found on a paperback rack in a Navajo reservation trading post. It got him thinking about using his travels to create a set of songs in the cultural tradition of writers like Guthrie and visual artists like John Ford and Frederick Remington.
Ride, which Berger co-produced with Mike Ricciardi, has 10 cinematic recordings reflecting Berger’s romantic connection to the American West and exploring the value of its myths to contemporary culture.
Berger has performed at Austin’s South by Southwest Music Festival and The Kerrville and Falcon Ridge Folk Festivals. He has opened shows for Bob Dylan and other national acts.
Tickets to Sunday’s concert are $20.
For more information, call (626) 798-6236 or visit www.coffeegallery.com/blog/02-
The Coffee Gallery Backstage is at 2029 N. Lake Ave. in Altadena.
