Ride
Real
New York-based Berger, a law school graduate turned real estate agent who also happens to be a singer/songwriter, began working on his recently released full-length debut album, “Ride,” a couple of decades ago.
He started his songwriting career while still at Rutgers, and later was encouraged by Richie Havens, who performed Berger’s song “The Last One” at anti-nuclear rallies in the ’80s.
“(Havens and I) had been getting together periodically for me to play him my songs,” Berger told Good New Music via e-mail, “and at some point well into that process I wrote ‘The Last One.’ His encouragement of my work after I graduated from law school meaningfully contributed to me taking myself seriously as a songwriter.”
In the ’90s, he enlisted the production talents of friend/guru Eric “Roscoe” Ambel (founding member of the Del-Lords, Joan Jett’s Blackhearts and the Yayhoos) and recorded four songs that ultimately wound up on the American West-inspired “Ride.”
“I produced tracks for Marc Berger almost 20 years ago, before I had my own studio,” Ambel said in response to an e-mail from GNM. “He played with the tracks himself for a long time and added to them. There were a few of those songs I really loved, (including) ‘A Bottle of Wine, A Suitcase, an Umbrella.’ It was a very interesting project. It was challenging to record a band playing so quietly.”
Berger explained Ambel’s involvement in the other songs: “As we recorded the rest of the songs, Eric was brought in to play acoustic and electric guitar and sing backing vocals.”
Ambel’s “quiet music” comment is accurate: The songs on “Ride” are mostly slow Americana (for lack of a better term), similar to that of the Cowboy Junkies (for lack of a better comparison). Electric and acoustic guitars commingle, often accompanied by acoustic bass, mandolin and occasionally accordion and piano.
Berger pointed out that ” ‘Ride’ is a joint effort representing my contributions and Mike Ricciardi’s, my co-producer and music partner, and a mega-talented drummer and photographer.”
“I’ve been working with Marc since the late 1980’s,” said Ricciardi when GNM e-mailed him to ask about his involvement. “When we started working on those first four tracks with Eric, I was on those sessions, and on all subsequent tracks playing drums and percussion. On a backpacking trip to Idaho with Marc, I committed to co-producing this collection of songs. I mixed the tracks (along with everything else that’s involved) with Marc, was there for the mastering of the record, and created the imagery on the CD.
“… The artwork and photography grew out of this project,” Ricciardi added. “It was toward the end of the mixing process that I took up photography as a creative outlet and, if I hadn’t been in so deep with ‘Ride,’ I don’t think I would have been able to capture the images I did. The artwork is really just an extension of the songs.”
The album was released in a small run last summer. In January, benefiting from some excellent remastering, it was given a wider release.
Tracks
1. Nobody Gonna Ride On The Railroad
2. Take It On The Chin
3. Ride
4. Time Waits For No Man
5. Montana
6. Twister
7. Heavenly Ancients
8. Object Of My Affection
9. Long Way From Vixenburg
10. A Bottle of Wine, A Suitcase, An Umbrella
11. hidden track
Total time: 53:53
External links
artist’s website
amazon.com
iTunes Store
