Tag Archives: dan bern

Dan again

Music

Dan Bern made his annual stop in the area last night. This time he played at Jammin’ Java in Vienna — probably my favorite place to see him — it’s intimate and the sound is great. He played a good mix of old and new stuff, and did a lot of chit-chatting in between songs. He seemed in great spirits as well. Pretty much a perfect show.

The audience was attentive and appreciative, if somewhat sparse. I didn’t recognize anyone — either all the folks I knew who used to go to Dan’s shows have moved to other artists or states — or I didn’t look closely enough.

Paul Kuhn played his cellocaster to accompony Dan for all of the songs and 1/3 of the way through the show, Holly Montgomery joined Dan and Paul on stage to sing along with some “oldies”.

Dan mentioned winning a new guitar in an egg-eating contest and claimed to be drinking zrii and vodka. He started singing one of his earlier songs a second time, but caught it before he got too far. He forgot the words to a couple of songs as well.  But he seemed to have a good time.

This is one of my favorites: Walking Through Glass

Here’s one of his most famous: Marilyn


 
My only complaint? No encore. I’m used to him coming back at least once to sing more — but the audience just got up and left when he said “Goodbye and thanks for coming.” Was it because it was a Sunday night and we had work the next day? Was it because the audience felt like it had enough? I can’t figure it out. I don’t blame the band — I blame the audience. I sat and clapped while people got up and left, then I got embarrassed and left too.
 

89. Document everything that you do

Music, Song Blog,

As mentioned several posts ago, I first heard about Dan Bern on NPR May 23, 1997. Ten years later I have been to close to 30 of his shows and own countless recordings, both studio and bootleg.

Of his hundreds of songs it is hard to pick a favorite, but I’m pretty sure I like Run Away the best. I like the tune and the words. I may have heard him sing it live once, but it’s possible I never have – and probably never will.

I was going to write him a note and request it at the last show – after all it was close to our ten year anniversary. But He wouldn’t have played it, I’m sure of that – he played more of a Dan Bern greatest hits kind of show.

Without further ado, here’s Run Away. If you’d rather see & hear him play it, YouTube has a version (uploaded by fellow Dan Bern fan, Luther) – but the sounds of the guitar are too loud for my ears in that version.

He said document everything that you do

Mark it so your children will know it too
But it’s harder, when you’ve outstayed your welcome
It’s hard to do

One time Johnny tried LSD
Had a great revelation, but he
Found he couldn’t put it into words
So he started drawing pictures of birds
With ten eyes
Men with 50 arms

I wanna run run away run away run away (3x)
From here

In the afternoon my Dad would draw the blinds
Sleep till I woke him up with my mind
I was only 3 or 4 years old
I lost that power long ago

Ridin’ through the rain on a motor bike
Babe Ruth lookin at a called third strike
Charles Manson working at the fair
Lettin all the little kids pull his hair

I wanna run run away run away run away (3x)
From here

Let me go and I will tell you stories all my life
If you don’t catch up I’ll make it up to you in the next life, I promise you

I live on the margin, I live on the side
Don’t sit with the bride groom, or the bride
I sit with the engineer
Who takes me fishing on the edge of the pier

I’ve come to believe we made up time
Like we made up rhythm and made up rhyme
But it don’t bug me, it’s OK
Livin in endless Saturday

I wanna run run away run away run away (3x)
From here….