Berman Press Release by Courtney Sutton
Not many bands are able to produce multiple albums without the help of a record label, and even fewer can keep their musical integrity in the process. Then again, Berman just makes it look easy.
The melodic yet hard-rock act will officially release its third album, Send Me to the End, on April 14, Good Friday at Backbooth in downtown Orlando. The CD is anticipated to be their best work.
Its a very diverse album, said lead guitarist Bradd Shapiro. I felt that the songs just absolutely had to be written. They came out exactly how we had hoped.
The CD is not a departure from the previous two albums, but rather the climax of five years of relentless dedication. The music intuitively strikes a near-impossible balance between quality musicianship and live feel.
We got a really good idea for how it felt to play the songs for fans ahead of time and we were able to capture that in recording, Bradd Shapiro said.
Bassist Greg Hejja believes that Send Me to the End will surpass peoples expectations of what they thought Berman was capable of creating. Drummer Steve Shapiro agrees.
Anything is possible, Steve Shapiro said. I just hope that people will like the music as much as we do, and see all our work paid off.
And they have worked hard. Based out of a home studio in Orlando, the five members write, record, book shows, promote and perform all on their own. What makes them even more remarkable is that all the members either work and/or attend college full time, all while carving out their own niche in the rock music scene.
Since the release of their previous album, Life in the Stars, Bermans fan base has expanded domestically and internationally largely due to the rising popularity of pod-casting, or downloadable online radio programs. Pod-casting is a tremendous vehicle for independent artists like Berman who dont necessarily fit in with transitory fads.
There are no politics [in pod-casting], Steve Shapiro said. Its just people who like music and want to share it with each other.
We didnt have a single agenda when we made this album, Bradd Shapiro said. We didnt write these songs to appeal to record labelsWe are creating our music for music enthusiasts.
Berman fans can rest assured that the band is not behind the curve of distinction. On the contrary, they are merely waiting for the music industry to catch up.
