Biography

Snazzy, sketchy, sharp-witted singer/songwriter Bill Berry has a new full-length release, Awkward Stage, which cheerfully celebrates the car wreck lifestyles of those fumbling with love's ruins and lighting small fires on big castaway islands of hope.

Coming out of the same funny cool LA folk scene that features long-time legendary troubadours like Cindy Lee Berryhill and Dan Bern, Berry's funny Americana-styled songs wouldn't be out of place in a playlist with Nellie McKay or Roy Zimmerman, or in a comedy mix with Tenacious D or Steve Martin. Berry is also the host of Songwriter's Square, as well as Transit TV's Music Man.

Berry's delightfully fine song-craft slyly nods to both the oddness of daily life he sings out suavely, cast upon gorgeous folk strokes ("The Piano Tuner With The Lazy Eye"), or over rollicking backbeats ("Crabs"). He is able to weave charming storytelling involving attempts at celebrity stand-up promo kidnapping ("The Day We Stole Steve Martin") from the floor of "the kind of record store you don't see anymore," which actually features comedian Steve Martin in a special guest turn.

Berry has a keen eye for detail, like a 7-11 customer casing a near-empty franchise under the eye of a jittery counter guy at 3 AM for a deep fried shoplifting attempt. Beneath the subtle satire, one can detect the salty charm of a Loudon Wainwright lll, the warm bite of an early stripped-down Randy Newman, the audience-twiddling skills of Todd Snider. Very early on he wanted to be a cartoonist, which explains his love for detail in his tales of those teetering on the edge of possibly losing their sh*t or slopping into an STD or two.

In spite of the fate of some of his song's subjects, Awkward Stage is a very enjoyable and not at all nerve-wracking way to get to know Bill Berry.