Last night I went to The Royal Dive, in Oceanside, CA to see some friends play. Bean Shaker was the first band, in which my friend Anna Zinova played the violin. I wasn't too fond of their act, the whole thing seemed a bit off, but who knows, it could have just been a bad night for them. They did play a cover of Dramarama's 'Anything Anything' that was fun. Taken By Canadians were up next, Anna plays the violin for them as well and does some singing along with Ben Ambrosini who plays the guitar and sings, and Marco Savoia plays the upright bass. They seemed to be on fire; the lighting gave them a bit of a firey-looking glow, and they played a great set. I'd seen them before, but I really enjoy their tunes, so I went to check them out again. The last time I had seen them perform at this particular venue, I had to leave early, so I didn't see the headlining act of the show, Dan Bern. Well, Dan Bern was playing last night so I finally got to check him out and what an awesome act it was! Dan Bern, a singer/songwriter from Los Angeles, CA, has twenty albums under his belt; the first released in 1996. His music varies a bit, from folksy tunes, to county-rock, and a lot of Americana. Here's a quick song he played last night, this recording from WLRN in Florida.
The man is a amazingly talented artist. This is from his facebook bio:
"Dan Bern is best known for his prolific songwriting and electric live persona. He has released eighteen albums and built a loyal following based on prodigious touring and output of songs in all forms. In 2012, Bern released two new studio recordings showcasing the American roots music that has made Bern one of the most compelling singer/songwriters of his generation: "Drifter," a vagabond’s journey through Bern’s musical universe featuring a duet with Emmylou Harris, and "Doubleheader," an 18-song tribute to baseball culled from close to 30 years of songwriting and recorded at Bob Weir’s TRI Studios in Marin County. Both CDs feature longtime collaborators Common Rotation with whom Bern has also released two live recordings.
Since 2007, Bern has also focused his talent and sharp wit on writing songs for movies and other projects. He composed over a dozen songs for the Jake Kasdan/Judd Apatow spoof-biopic "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" and composed songs included in Apatow’s "Get Him to the Greek," starring Russell Brand. Bern’s song "One Dance" was also included in Kasdan's first film "Zero Effect" starring Bill Pullman, Ben Stiller, and Ryan O’Neal.
Bern wrote "Swing Set," a duet with Emmylou Harris, for the off Broadway production of "Family Week" directed by Jonathan Demme and wrote the title song for Demme’s documentary "Jimmy Carter: Man From Plains." In 2007, his album "Breathe" won Best Folk/Singer-Songwriter at the Sixth Annual Independent Music Awards. He has toured with Marshall Crenshaw, Ani DiFranco, and John C. Reilly’s country-infused band and in 2011 he contributed original songs for the television series Hellcats.
A talented and eclectic creator, he wrote a song with Hunter S. Thompson, gave Wilt Chamberlain tennis lessons, and released "2 feet Tall," an album of songs for very young kids. He also wrote and illustrated "Cleaver the Gronk" (2012) and the novel "Quitting Science" (2004) under the pen name Cunliffe Merriwether. Bern lives with his wife and daughter in Los Angeles."
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