Berman




1. When were Berman formed as a band and how did you all get to know each other in the first place and tell us the story behind the name off the band?

All of us in the band have all been friends for a really long time. Ever since we've played instruments, we've been playing together. But we started writing and playing as "Berman" in 2001. We started playing at clubs in January 2002, but we did not play out a lot until the release of our first album, For the Better, in January 2003. We were all still in high school when. As for our band name, "Berman" was the first name of a substitute Spanish teacher that I had in ninth grade (2000). He was an interesting character and his name became like a joke. We picked "Berman" for lack of a better name, but out of principle that a band name is only as good as the band itself.

2. Who have been the bands main influence musical and where do the band get it's ideas for the lyrics, are they taken out of everyday and personal experience?

All five of us have very different musical influences, so we definitely have no main musical inspiration. We listen to so many different kinds of music and for us, the music we enjoy does not reflect the music we make. Our lyrics are mainly written from personal experience, but sometimes they are written about the things we witness happen in other people's lives.


3. The band have just put out it's latest effort, Life In The Stars , how well has it done so far and are the band happy with the way it turned out in the first place or are there things that the band would have  done differently?

We are very happy with the new album, and we truly stand behind it. We believe that this is an album that many many people will enjoy from start to finish. There isn't anything that we would have done differently. Since we do our own recording, we could (and did) change anything we wanted.

Our singer, Guy Jettman, took leave of the band from October 2003 to July 2004. We lost a lot of momentum and most interest in the band. So basically, when we released Life in the Stars in December 2004, we were really starting over as a band. We started selling the CDs to our friends. Then once we started playing shows again in January 2005, we began quickly making dedicated fans. So considering where we started from, the album has done very well so far. We always sell a good amount of CDs at our shows, and we consistently receive online orders.


4. How's the bands progress/musically journey been from the last album, For The Better, up untill, Life In The Stars, do the band feel that it's has pushed it's music into new territories?

Since For the Better, we have improved very much as songwriters and performers. We do believe that the new album has brought our listeners into new musical territories of our band. I think the two albums sound like the same band, but they are also very unique. This second CD has song that are heavier or faster than the first album, but also songs that are lighter or slower than the first album. It's the natural progression of a rock band, and I believe we progressed quite well.





5. Has there been any interest from any record labels for the band from Japan and Europe and what about inside the States?

Atenzia Records (Sweden) has shown some interest recently, but no interest from Japan yet. I'm not sure if anyone knows us in Japan right now. We're not really sure how to get into the Japanese music market, although we would love to make fans over there.


6. Could the band tell us a little about the tracks featuring on the new album and what's the bands personal favorite track to play live?

We really don't have favorite tracks for the live show because every band member has his own favorite song. Our favorite songs are the ones that the crowd gets into the most, but every person in the crowd has his own favorite as well. We consistently receive overly exceptional crowd responses from Fall Off the Earth, No One Understands and All Comes Down. But it really depends on the type of crowd we are playing to.


7. What's the bands personal point of view on todays music industry and the general music scene as it's seen on MTV and heard on the mainstream radio stations?

If you don't know it yet, the music industry is not about music; sadly, it's about money. If one band is successful, record labels either sign or put together bands that sound just like the other ones to make a quick dollar. We have found trouble breaking into the mainstream music industry because there haven't been bands quite like us. Of course there have been 5-piece guitar rock bands, but I truly believe we stand out with our lyrical and musical integrity, along with our live show, which I think is unmatched in our genre. But most of all, we are true to ourselves. We've never been ska. We've never been punk. We've never been rap-rock. We've never been emo. We are who we are, and we don't sway with music trends no matter how temporarily successful it can be.


8. Hows the local area where the band hails from when it comes to get gigs to play and get played on the local radio stations?

Orlando, Florida is a pretty good place for a band like us. There are plenty of colleges to promote at and lots of venues to play hometown shows. At the same time, there are a lot of politics in the Orlando music scene. Bands that have the "connections" get better shows and better media coverage than us. But through all of that, our music speaks for itself and continues to impress everyone who sees us as we build our fan base.


9. What's been the bands best moments in it's short time of existence and so far do the band itself feel it's been a struggle to get to where the band is now?

Probably the best moment for our band was playing at Hard Rock Live in 2003. It was amazing. By far the best venue we've ever played at. We'll play there again soon enough, but we want to make sure that we can get enough people there first.

We don't feel like it's been a struggle to get where we are today. It has been a struggle to balance our schedules. We are all full-time students or employees. It has really been a struggle to not drop everything we're doing and just do the band full time. We really want to do everything we can to get the band going. But right now that just isn't possible.


10. What does the future holds for the band at this moment in time, any plans of touring in the progress and what about new material? The future?

We're just going to keep doing what we do. Keep looking for ways to improve our live show and keep writing songs. Most of all, we're going to keep having fun. As for touring, we're really looking to jump on the opening spot for a national act. Our experience has always been that we upstage any band that we play with. So if we can get on the road with a band much bigger than us, I believe that we will steal the show, along with many of their fans.

We are very very excited about our new material! We have about 6 songs that are completely written, but we are always writing and compiling new ideas to work with. Right now we are just doing writing and pre-production recordings. Once we have enough songs, I will do the full-production recordings. We're hoping to have out third full-length album out by December or January. This next CD is not only going to push our musical boundaries, but it is really going to push the musical boundaries of our entire genre. I think it will be very well accepted though.


11. Any last words to the fans/people out there here in the end?

Check out www.bermanmusic.com! Keep in touch with us. Write us e-mails or chat online with us. We're very personal with all of our fans, and many of our fans are our personal friends as well. Thank you guys so much for the interview. Take care!