The House lights go down, the audience buzzes with anticipation.  Cue music!  The opening theme, Where Do You Want to Go Today, starts off the act with vibrant energy.  Late Night Show, the new EP from Bernee, rocks with rumbling piano, classic trap-set drum, builds with rolling snare, sweet bass, great vocals, some string surprises, and no annoying talk show host one-liners.  The six new songs were hand-picked by the band from a live set repertoire of over 60 songs.  The result is a broad sample of Bernee’s abilities, from beautiful ballads, to ecstatic rock songs, offering a little style for everyone in the audience.

The harmonious vocals in Bernee are remarkable for their blending and precise timing.  Throughout the show, in songs such as Spinning Wheel; if it wasn’t for the lyrics indicating different perspectives, I don’t think I would have caught on that it was actually Matt Goldberg and Nicole Weepers alternating verses, only to join together for the chorus with Iain Gillaney.  Nicole’s raw alto balances so well with Matt’s tender tenor that one becomes lost in seamless transitions, causing the lyrics in many of their songs to take on multiple states of awareness.  Although, the slides do not resolute in tune quite fast enough for my ear, their style is still irresistible.  One is simultaneously in the shoes of many people all interacting with each other; some seeking love, some remorseful of loves lost, always then returning to a sort of omnipresent bravery embodied by the spirit of the positive advice always offered after each scenario.  The lyrics are powerful and communicate their emotions well to the listener.  Often, it was difficult to write because I would find myself recalling old difficult relationships, odd times that threw me deep into introspection and far from the article.  I even got upset a few times!  However, I never felt lost or abandoned to the whims of the skeletons in my closet, as there was always something in the music reaffirming to pull me back, put those worries at ease, and get me inspired again.  The straightforward stories poise questions to some of our simplest actions that we take for granted.  Perhaps the biggest overall message is awareness of the moment, actually understanding what people are feeling as it happens, instead of distorted hindsight.  The simplicity is deceptive, yet the universal applicability is wisdom of the ages.  For Bernee, there is no happiness without sadness, no victory without struggle, and that is the way it should be; Optimistic, yet realistic.

The ballads on Late Night Show are particularly wonderful.  Perfect orchestration takes the imagination away to a place of solace and remembrance.  The range of careful treatment for delicate notes, to the strong driving power in On My Way ranks Matt Goldberg’s piano up there with great alternative rock bands like Coldplay.  Matt’s vocal range is, in fact, far more consistent and higher then Chris Martin’s- or earlier Ben Folds Five.  Roll On, the last song on the EP, is a stunning masterpiece.  It is the kind of work you’d expect from a band after decades of work.  It is a simplistic melody, but that is the basis for blooming violin and cello parts, and blossoming vocal harmonies.  With subtle grace, Iain Gillaney’s electric bass begins weaving in an out of the string crescendo and what was once a room of a few great artists, suddenly sounds like strings in a concert hall.  Each band member a maestro balladeer, all welling up to the refraining roll on, roll on…  Roll On is my guilty pleasure on this album, as I keep listening to it on repeat while writing.  It is this writer’s expressive hope that more songs such as these epic love songs appear on the complete album.  The band’s technical ability and quick precision is impeccable, amazing even, but it is the soft slow moments, the sustained crystal clear chords, the mesmerizing harmonies, that stop me in the moment, that rock my world and bring me to tearful smiles recalling my own personal hardships and triumphs, as emulated by the brilliant members of Bernee.  It would be well worth the holiday trip to Australia to hear the live version in all its refreshing splendor.  This is a show worth staying up as late as it takes! 

Reviewed By Julian Gorman

One thing I can say about Matt Goldberg and beRnee is they are every bit of what they say they are; a piano smashing geek band. The band consists of Matt Goldberg who writes, plays (and I assume smashes) the piano/vocals, Nicole Weepers on drums/percussion/vocals, and Iain Gillaney on bass/harmonica/hats.

They are different to say the least. They state in their bio they were influenced by artists such as Ben Folds, The Whitlams, Coldplay, Fiona Apple, and the Foo Fighters. I can certainly hear most of these influences, but don’t really get the Foo Fighters reference. There is a hint of rock in all of their songs but I’d say this band leans much further towards the pop side of things.

I found them to be extremely listenable, all though they are not a band I would pay to go see. If I’m in the right mood I may put this EP in the CD player with other CD’s to “mix it up a bit”. Are they talented? Absolutely! They can certainly write and play music and there is certainly an audience out there for them. I’m just not someone you would find in that audience. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. A 56 year old dude from Texas is probably not their target audience in the first place. However, if I was walking down the street and heard this band playing, they would certainly catch my attention, and I’d stop and give them a listen.

This record is not without merit. Matt Goldberg has a good voice that is perfectly suited for his songs. The accompaniment of Iane Gillaney on bass, and on at least one tune, harmonica, and Nicole Weeper’s background vocals help the songs along. I especially liked the support of a small string and brass trio consisting of a cello, violin, and trumpet on Miss Busybody. It adds to the dramatic subject matter of the song. As Mr. Goldberg stated in his bio – “Everybody knows people who don’t have the time of day for you. They say, “I’ll call you” or “Let’s catch up sometime” in passing, but they don’t really mean it. Where has the honesty gone?” The other side of this tune is when the individual does try to make contact with us, we tend to make excuses and run away from them.  Matt says maybe it’s just him, but I believe he’s probably right on target.  We can all be hypocritical from time to time. This is a song about honesty and hypocrisy and it works.

The last song on the EP is a simple tune called Roll On. I believe this is the most carefully crafted song on the recording. It’s a song about not being afraid to go out on a limb to tell someone how you feel about them and possibly being rejected. To quote Mr. Goldberg, “It’s that slither of hope that we grasp onto that keeps us going.” This is mostly an acoustic tune, again accompanied by a small string and brass trio consisting of Annabelle Drought on violin, Allye Sinclair on Cello, and Josh Koop on Trumpet. The trio, along with Mr. Goldberg’s expertise on the piano, and Nicole Weeper’s excellent background harmonies, give this song strength, and in my opinion, is an ingenious way to end the EP on a very strong note.

I suppose what I like the most about Matt Goldberg and beRnee is they write about every day things, simple things, really, that most of us just tend to blow off. Matt Goldberg likes to capture these things in words and music and bring a good solid amount of drama to them, not in just his lyrics, but also in the cast of musicians he has assembled to play these songs with him, and they do it quite well. He’s also one hell of a piano player; as we like to say here in Texas, “he can sure pound them ivories!”

Reviewed By Rod Ames

EPs are always such a glorious thing. They usually are released by emerging artists and are filled with an artist’s best material. It gives the listener a great sense of what they are about. It also sets the bar for a band whose already-salivating early adopters are left drooling for the first full release. Such is the case for a band like Australian indie trio, Bernee. According to lead singer and mastermind behind the band, Matt Goldberg, the band has a pot of approximately sixty songs to choose from. The six songs selected for Bernee’s 

late night show best embody the band’s piano-driven pop sprinkled with shiny vocal harmonies throughout. With a story behind each work, it makes the songs even more interesting. The opener “Where Do You Want To Go Today?” reminds me of the many great pop songs of Ben Folds like “Fired,” from 2001’s classic Rockin The Suburbs

On the flip side, I would’ve liked to have seen more vocal harmonies carried throughout the EP since Goldberg’s tenor is not as strong as the songs are. Maybe, even share some of the vocal duties. Perhaps even more duets within the songs. This would’ve added that sparkle that the songs are missing. But don’t let that detract you from enjoying the joyous, rollicking piano interludes, the sweet sincerity of Goldberg’s vocal chops and wonderfully clean arrangements.

Bernee means business on their first outing, and brings with it a sense of humor and genuine emotion. A good first outing for both early fans, and hopefully a springboard for more to come.

Reviewed By Michael Morgan