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Road Warrior
Singer-songwriter works at the edges
Singer-songwriter Marc Douglas Berardo digs deep to find pathos and humor in universal human conditions.
A troubadour in the tradition of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, he forgoes boxcars, hitting up hotels or rooms provided by fans and venues as he travels, hitting hard with existential, soul-bearing lyrics.
Berardo has carved a 35-year career outside the mainstream, ping-ponging around the country to perform house concerts and at smaller venues, such as the Towne Crier in Beacon on Friday (May 1).
"This is such a niche market, songwriters who don't have any hits and just keep writing and playing live, anywhere," he says. "But it has its own ecosystem" of fans, festivals and music rooms (he has a following in Texas and Arizona).
Berardo grew up in Westchester County and cannot count how many times he's played the Towne Crier, which opened in 1972 in Pawling and moved to Beacon in 2013.
"I've known Phil [Ciganer] since the early days," he says. "We knew people who had a farm up there, and when I looked at a lineup of performers, I recognized a friend's name and snuck in with a fake ID. Later, in about 2005, I opened for Chris Brown. Phil remembered me, and I developed a draw, so I opened for a lot of acts."
Joining him on May 1 will be Abbie Gardner, Dobro guitar player for Red Molly, a female trio founded at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in Hillsdale that splintered in 2014. Gardner and Berardo joined forces in 2006 to write tunes, learn each other's songs and put on extemporaneous shows.
Gardner brings fun, funny energy to the mix. At one show, he said, "If you write your email on the list, we'll come over and do odd jobs." She responded, "We're not good at it, but we'll try."
Adding harmony voices and another instrument to a solo singer-songwriter act beefs up the sound and adds visual impact. In this case, the Dobro emits a biting, barking sound that differs from a standard acoustic guitar, although it has six strings and is referred to as a "resonator."
Created in the 1920s with metal components to increase the volume of an acoustic guitar, it got absorbed into bluegrass during the 1950s and is played with a slide because the strings sit far above the fretboard and cannot be pressed down.
One tune Berardo and Gardner play together, the melancholy "My Mistakes," epitomizes his go-with-the-flow and enjoy-every-moment ethos. Berardo also focuses on a neighbor who drinks too much, fights with his wife every night and is "wasting away." In "Passing Through," he sings of life: "In this moment, on this stool, that's all I need to know."
The Towne Crier is located at 379 Main St. in Beacon. Tickets for the concert, which begins at 8:30 p.m., are $25 at townecrier.com, or $30 at the door.
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By Highlands CurrentSinger-songwriter works at the edges
Singer-songwriter Marc Douglas Berardo digs deep to find pathos and humor in universal human conditions.
A troubadour in the tradition of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, he forgoes boxcars, hitting up hotels or rooms provided by fans and venues as he travels, hitting hard with existential, soul-bearing lyrics.
Berardo has carved a 35-year career outside the mainstream, ping-ponging around the country to perform house concerts and at smaller venues, such as the Towne Crier in Beacon on Friday (May 1).
"This is such a niche market, songwriters who don't have any hits and just keep writing and playing live, anywhere," he says. "But it has its own ecosystem" of fans, festivals and music rooms (he has a following in Texas and Arizona).
Berardo grew up in Westchester County and cannot count how many times he's played the Towne Crier, which opened in 1972 in Pawling and moved to Beacon in 2013.
"I've known Phil [Ciganer] since the early days," he says. "We knew people who had a farm up there, and when I looked at a lineup of performers, I recognized a friend's name and snuck in with a fake ID. Later, in about 2005, I opened for Chris Brown. Phil remembered me, and I developed a draw, so I opened for a lot of acts."
Joining him on May 1 will be Abbie Gardner, Dobro guitar player for Red Molly, a female trio founded at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in Hillsdale that splintered in 2014. Gardner and Berardo joined forces in 2006 to write tunes, learn each other's songs and put on extemporaneous shows.
Gardner brings fun, funny energy to the mix. At one show, he said, "If you write your email on the list, we'll come over and do odd jobs." She responded, "We're not good at it, but we'll try."
Adding harmony voices and another instrument to a solo singer-songwriter act beefs up the sound and adds visual impact. In this case, the Dobro emits a biting, barking sound that differs from a standard acoustic guitar, although it has six strings and is referred to as a "resonator."
Created in the 1920s with metal components to increase the volume of an acoustic guitar, it got absorbed into bluegrass during the 1950s and is played with a slide because the strings sit far above the fretboard and cannot be pressed down.
One tune Berardo and Gardner play together, the melancholy "My Mistakes," epitomizes his go-with-the-flow and enjoy-every-moment ethos. Berardo also focuses on a neighbor who drinks too much, fights with his wife every night and is "wasting away." In "Passing Through," he sings of life: "In this moment, on this stool, that's all I need to know."
The Towne Crier is located at 379 Main St. in Beacon. Tickets for the concert, which begins at 8:30 p.m., are $25 at townecrier.com, or $30 at the door.