Songs Build Little Rooms In Time :: A Celebration Of The Late David “Cloud” Berman
It’s been a little over half a decade since the devastating passing of the late and great David “Cloud” Berman. A cryptic charm and ferociously original flame caught in the middle of a rainstorm, Berman’s visceral vision and control for creativity were simply unmatched, and it was only a matter of time before anyone who heard it started writing songs themselves. Beyond the impeccable impact of his voice on the mic and fingers to flowing strings, the late musician carefully conquered his inner demons with the subtlety of song as his peers had done in the decades prior. As we dive into the sorrowful depths of endless emotion and a world significantly less interesting with a man of his nocturnal nature no longer occupying it, let us be reminded of the good times and all the iconically incredible memories, tall tales, and atmospheric adventures he left behind in his whispering wake. As we celebrate his lyrical legacy and tonal timelessness with each read and listen from the melodic magic of Pavement, Silver Jews, and his short-lived supergroup Purple Mountains, lean into the brief yet meditational moment to acknowledge what would have been his fifty-eighth birthday this past week as you imagine yourself intimately immersed in the cerebral consistency of soothing sounds and the spiritual softness of Berman’s brilliance. Its drifting nature is flawlessly divine and bitter-sweet as it spills into the ears and hearts of everyone he touched on this mortal marble of magnificent moments.
“I believe the stars are the headlights of angels driving from heaven to save us, to save us... Won’t you look at the sky? They’re driving from heaven into our eyes. And though final words are so hard to devise, I promise that I’ll always remember your pretty eyes.”
Art: Mark Neeley
This past weekend, the fine folks over at Jokermen Podcast, Ian Grant and Evan Laffer, hosted an incredible night of music for the biblical books at the 2220 Arts + Archive in LA that featured an anatomical array of guests such as David Longstreth (The Dirty Projectors), Britta Phillips (Luna), Anahid Nersessian, John Tottenham and countless others. Effortlessly manifesting the stellar spirit of Berman’s sonic sorcery in sound, the highly anticipated sold-out event also featured a special screening of 2007’s monumental documentation by Michael Tully, “SILVER JEW,” that followed the group across the holy land of Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv for their first ever tour in 2006 as well as a video introduction by Berman’s ex-wife, and bandmate Cassie Berman to help sedate the heavy sitters before take off. An epic event that not only harmoniously honored Berman’s spirit both in music and life, but a portion of the proceeds were donated to the WTJU David Berman Memorial Fund, allowing him to continue carrying his torch riddled with religion, spirituality, personal prose, and complex connections to a community of cosmic co-existence as the night continued to unfold into this rare flower.
“I remember you and I remember me
The sunshine walking inside you/and the man you could see in me.
So I remember me and I remember you
So many beautiful days in a row now/and the nights were perfect too”
Photo: Michael Schmelling
Its perfect petals cast shadows over the audience, who eagerly occupied the vivid venue with calm grace and melodic mourning as several folks took the stage to read from his acclaimed book of poetry, “Actual Air.” Others bravely belted out the band’s classics like “Punks In The Beerlight" and a three-song set by David Longstreth that featured numbers “Black And Brown Blues,” “Pet Politics,” and “Random Rules.” Songs Build Little Rooms In Time will be remembered as this ultimate universal send-off for anyone who never had the pleasure of personally meeting Berman and for everyone who ballistically breathed in his music, poetic philosophy, and radical Renaissance in the arts as a replacement of oxygen itself. We love you, David, and will miss you more and more as the days grow older and the nights grow colder. If you can hear us, I hope you're proud.
