Segunda-feira 12 Fev 2007, 9h:23
Heh, you won't believe how long I've been looking for this. I was overjoyed when I heard from Geoff Berner himself, at a concert, that he was going to "do something" about this requested and sadly, rare live album. Now, I found it on Zunior.com, and I thank you. Have a kudos cookie.
Anyway, if you don't know who Geoff Berner is, you're missing out on the world's cleverest, funniest and generally a nice goddamn jew (his own words…) on accordion. The guy also has a voice that stands out, and somehow compliments his bizarre lyrics. He is here accompanied by Diona Davies, violinist from Po' Girl and Wayne Adams, drummer from Zolty Cracker. I personally discovered Berner while he was working as the warm-up for the rock kings of Norway, Kaizers Orchestra, and has grown to love his music.
"Live in Oslo" (recorded in Cafe Mir, Oslo) , technically, is not a wonder. It was recorded by minidisc, but nobody cares. The dodgy audio quality also compliments Geoff's squeaky voice, and his off-beat songs, especially the klezmer ones, like "Lucky Goddamn Jew" and "And Promises to break before I sleep". Sometimes there are minor nuisances like some static, but again, it doesn't matter. They've captured the cafe-feeling sounds like the clinking of cups, coins dropped in the cash register, and people enjoying the show. Awesome.
The live album has really captured the essence of a Berner show: humorous songs like "Lucky Goddamn Jew" and "We All Gotta Be a Prostitute Sometimes", country-feel tunes like "Clown & Bard", and the Berner-Davies duet, "In Spite of Ourselves" made by John Prine, as well as beautiful ballads "Light Enough to Travel" and "Iron Grey", as well as one extra - a cover of a song by legendary (?) California ukulele-ist Carmaig de Forest: "Henry and Jason", a funny song about a guy who had the flu real bad last winter and had a dream about a father and a son. Berner shows off his remarkable and one-of-a-kind showman skills, almost all being introduced with stories about deportation and a night at the Torp airport in Norway.
Sadly overlooked live album. Give it a download now. And if you don't fall in love with Mr. Berner, I'm not doing my job. I trust you will make the right decision!