Rolling Back to

I

1948

We're 60! 1948-2008...
and still cookin!
Selected Pasta dishes
including Manicotti

$14.92

w/ beverage purchase

Tuesdays & Thursdays
Filet Mignon

$20.08

w/beverage purchase

book of poetry, Actual Air, published
in 1999 by Open City Press. The New
York Times called the University of
Virginia graduate's debut collection
"one of the most highly acclaimed
debuts for a poet in recent memory"
The new recording has 10 tracks.
"Aloysius, Bluegrass Drummer;' tells a
story of a rushed relationship. "Open
Fields" is an adaptation of a Japanese
saga. "Suffering Jukebox" ascribes
human feelings to a mechanical player
filled with sad country songs and
gives a double meaning, maybe sym-
bolism, to the word "breakdown!'
Berman might have been thinking
about himself after battling substance
dependency and self-destructive
behavior.
"I had to pass through the tough
times before I could begin to under-
stand [religion];' says Berman, known
for wearing a Star of David.
"While I was breaking habits of
behavior, constantly forcing myself to
do the counter-intuitive, I also started
knocking down a lot of assumptions
and givens that had built up in my
head.
"I started to see that the right thing
to do was indistinguishable from
what God wants. Life had lost all of
its sweetness. Judaism brought it back
and much more says Berman, who
told Jewcy.com he reads the Torah
every day, though he doesn't perform
the mitzvot. "I am some kind of sub-
junior Jew-in-waiting:'
Berman, who settled in Nashville
after deciding to leave New Jersey,
launched his band with home-
recorded EPs, Dime Map of the Reef
and The Arizona Record, in the early
1990s, and moved into the studio with
Starlite Walker in 1994.
Linking up with other players,
Berman recorded The Natural Bridge
in 1996 and American Water in 1998.
As the new century found him in
Nashville, the singer-songwriter came
out with Bright Flight, followed by
Tanglewood Numbers. To support
that release, Berman took his music
overseas, playing Europe and Israel
in 2006, as well as a number of dates
in the States. The band and their first
Israeli national tour were the subjects

of a recent documentary, Silver Jew.
"I'm inspired by Chasidic tales, trav-
eling, being with people, folk wisdom
and Emily Dickinson;' says Berman,
who maintains a loyal fan base despite
the dearth of touring. "The first song
on the new recording, 'What Is Not But
Could Be If: is very heartening to me.
"I paraphrase a Yiddish proverb
— 'The truth is not alive; the truth
is not dead; it struggles: The saying
becomes, 'The truth is not alive or
dead; the truth is struggling to be
said:"
Another religious reference can be
found in "Candy Jail;' the seventh song
on the recording. Taking a passage
from Isaiah, Berman sings, "I have
tried thee in the furnace of affliction!'
Berman finds a writing zone at his
dining room table, where afternoons
become his most productive hours.
He says he can't bear to waste time
and reads and draws a lot when the
moments seem otherwise free.
"I like being in Nashville," he says.
"It's centrally located, and it's not pro-
vincial. So many musicians live here,
but it's not a scene, like Austin, at all.
It's unlike Texas in general.
"Maybe because Nashville is spoken
about so negatively as a metaphor
for country music sameness, it forces
the town to be friendly and humble
when it could have evolved into one of
those cities that celebrate themselves
constantly"
As Berman uses songs to register
his take on life, he explains why he
wears the Star of David.
"It [represents] the only group I've
ever sought membership in," he says.
"I was a lifelong desperado-wallflow-
er-outcast until age 37.

❑

Serving you for the last 6 DECADES with
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A Different roll-back entrée is available every night!
Go to MariosDetroit.com for full menu.
Pricing not seen in 30 years!!
Free Shuttle Service to all Downtown Venues.

Mario's Restaurant

4222 Second Avenue (just north of Mack)
Detroit, MI 313-832-1616

1425840

Siege6 Deli at

3426 E. West Maple Rd. at Howdy Rd. (248) 926-9555

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RISTORANTE

The Silver Jews perform 8 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 31, in the Crofoot
Ballroom, 1 South Saginaw, in
Pontiac. Opening is Tel Aviv
band Monotonix (for a feature
story on Monotonix, see the
July 17 issue of the JN, page
C9). $12 in advance. (248) 858-
9333 or www.thecrofoot.com .

Fine Italian Dining in a
Casual Atmosphere

10%
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TOTAL FOOD BILL

(Mon-Thurs Only)
Please present this coupon to receive discount! ,

One coupon per customer • Exp: 8/31/0E3 '
(Not valid on holidays)

Mon-Thurs: 4pm-10pm • Fri: 11am-11pm
Sat: 4pm-11pm • Sun: 3pm-9pm

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK!
(248) 538-8954

33210 W. 14 Mile Rd
In Simsbury Plaza, just east of Farmington Rd.
West Bloomfield

August 28 • 2008

B13