The Warm Up with Garrison Starr and David Berkeley

We already know that we are lucky to host so many fantastic artists here on The Warm Up – but sometimes we have to pinch ourselves when we realize just how lucky. Today was one of those days.

We invited not one, but two extremely gift songwriters to come hang out with us this afternoon: Garrison Starr and David Berkeley are old friends currently on tour with each other so we were very excited when they agreed to stop by and play some songs for us. As a matter of fact, after we dropped the invitation John Fry was quick to tell us that Garrison actually used to work at Ardent many moons ago. Small world, huh?

Don’t miss them  at the Hi-Tone tonight sharing funny stories and maybe playing a little bit of music :) Check out our podcast to hear some songs!. Plus we talk about their latest releases, why this is the best Garrison Starr record yet, writing books on the island of Corsica and what both musicians will be up to the rest of the year (#PREVIEW: David will be heading back in September to play Memphis again!)

Read the Bio:

Not so long ago, Garrison Starr hit the road supporting Steve Earle, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Melissa Etheridge. No surprise, then, that she’s learned a thing or two about crafting a great story. Starr regularly pinches a sleight of hand or passing sound bite and turns it into a rich character assessment.

The Mississippi native struck a major chord on 2002′s hallmark Songs From Take-Off to Landing. Breezy tunes like “Big Sky”, “At the Heart of This Thing” and “Knucklehead” brought together the independent integrity of Triple-A radio and the polished smile typically aimed at mainstream play. Everything internal-head, heart and hope-worked on a universal scale. The liner notes photo accompanying her acknowledgments spoke volumes: Captured screaming jubilantly, Starr, both hands locked with heavy-metal horns, seems through the clouds. It was a profound high.

In the years since, Starr has made the road her home and garnered a passionate and loyal following. From her adopted home of Los Angeles to NYC, Nashville to Miami – Starr has crisscrossed the country and continued to entrench herself as a sure fire draw in the indie pop / rock space. Ever the media darling, Starr’s focus has never been on their fickle pen, but turned instead to a direct relationship with her fans. Many offer adoration specifically for her consistency, and Starr’s genuine, earthy songwriting approach makes it easy to keep rooting-fists clenched and shaking for more artistic evolution. Her songs seem effortless, absolutely unselfconscious and suggest the next time out she might reach the sky again.

Read the Bio:

David Berkeley was born David Berkeley Friedland in September 1976. His parents chose to give him the middle name of Berkeley (which he later picked as his stage name) after having lived in the Californian city of the same name in the 1960s before moving to New Jersey.

David started showing a passion for singing while still in nursery school, having attended a musical school. Because of this he had his first experience of singing on stage at the age of three or four.  Also when he was four, the woman taking care of him was an Avon saleswoman; she would bring him with her while going door to door, and he would sing to her potential customers. In an interview he credits receiving cookies and applause for singing “that song about the Titanic sinking” (likely “The Titanic“) as an early experience of positive feedback. His parents helped him nurture his passion for music by taking him to several Broadway shows, and was usually selected as the leading vocalist in high school musicals. Initially he played tuba, and did not start to play guitar until the age of 15 when he would perform songs by Neil Young, Crosby, Stills & Nash and Grateful Dead ”mostly to get girls”.

He graduated from Harvard with degrees in literature and philosophy. During his time there he used to busk in Harvard Square; in the same period he started writing songs ”to win (his) girlfriend back”.

David Berkeley lived in Alaska, where he contributed to the Let’s Go Alaska travel guide; Idaho, where he was a river-rafting guide; Santa Fe, where he worked for Outside magazine; Santa Cruz; Brooklyn (New York), teaching creative writing in a public school in an impoverished area; Atlantaand Tralonca, a small village in Corsica, while his wife worked on her PhD in anthropology.^[10]

While living in Santa Fe, David Berkeley managed a local band. This, in his own words, got him “excited about the music business”. It was only after this band broke up that he decided to record his own music.

He decided to become a full-time musician while he was teaching in Brooklyn, as having a double career was taking its toll on his voice and his private life.

He presently lives in Berkeley, California with his wife Sarah and sons Jackson and Noah.