Press Release:
CHRIS BERARDO Celebrates the 25th Anniversary
of his DEBUT AMERICAN DUST
Releasing Digitally For The First Time on Sept. 27th
AUGUST 23, 2022 (New York, NY) -- Chris Berardo’s latest album is also his oldest. The New York-born/Connecticut-based singer-songwriter recorded American Dust in 1997. For its 25th anniversary, Berardo is releasing it digitally for the first time on September 27th, with the first single, “Old Man’s Eyes,” available across digital media platforms on August 26th.
“Old Man’s Eyes” is a heartwarming, highly personal ode about parental wisdom and bonding that Berardo wrote about his father. In fact, he credits the song with saving his relationship with his dad. The song is one Berardo still performs, and he says that his fans have used it at their own fathers’ birthday parties or memorials. “To be able to play some tiny part in people’s lives, that helps them make your music a fabric of their lives, feels great,” Berardo shares.
The anthemic title track remains in Berardo’s current repertoire. Fueled by a potent mix of acoustic and electric guitar, this top-down-on-a-convertible roots rockin’ tune distills Berardo’s defiant sense of optimism, which remains strong today. “American Dust” as “a song about community and possibilities [exploring the] big broad idea of what life and what America are about,” he muses.
When Berardo first started performing around New York City in the ‘80’s he attracted the attention of superstar manager Bill Aucoin (Kiss, Billy Idol), who offered his help and encouragement. Berardo’s bands were always on the verge, but never broke through. Aucoin helped Berardo move to Los Angeles and get situated in L.A.’s music scene. Berardo honed his songwriting craft working with hit songwriter/producer/ Songwriter's Hall of Fame member Bob Crewe (Four Seasons, LaBelle).
Returning to New York from Los Angeles, he put together a band with an assortment of New York and Connecticut musicians, including his brothers Marc and Scott, mandolin/lap steel player, and the co-producer of American Dust, Dick Neal (who has produced and played on several subsequent Berardo albums), and bassist Tom Marotta (Indigo Girls). “There was no budget; there was no plan,” Berardo admits. “I just wanted to document this stuff.”
Pristine sound isn’t the point of American Dust. It’s an album about an artist rediscovering the joy of creating music for the sheer love of it. A prime example is the sole live track, “Still Your Friend.” Recorded at 3 am in Larchmont, NY's Cellar Bar, as an acoustic duo with his brother Marc, and at the end of the band’s second gig of the day, the track has uneven sound, bar room sounding performance, but it conveys the whole-hearted exuberance that is only achieved after a group and its audience are locked in. The recording is significant to Berardo because “it is just the sort of thing that made me realize what’s good about bringing music to people directly.”
Of late, Berardo has released a series of singles. His song “Somewhere Blue,” as well as a knock-out cover of the Badfinger classic “Baby Blue,” and his gorgeous original holiday tune “This Year.” These songs were all done in collaboration with longtime Reckless Kelly guitarist, David Abeyta, who also produced Berardo’s upcoming full-length album which will be released in the near future.
Although American Dust has been available over the years, it has been only on a small scale - like merch stands. It’s understandable why Berardo is excited about bringing these songs, which come from such a pivotal time in his career and life, to a larger audience. “When I hear American Dust, it actually gives me a wonderful feeling,” he confides. “I think, well look at this: you wrote 10 songs you’re really proud of, recorded them, and started a cool band that's lasted essentially to this day. So that gives me a very happy feeling.”
AMERICAN DUST
Tracklisting
1. American Dust
2. Old Man's Eyes
3. One Step Closer to Goodbye
4. The Top of the Stairs
5. Is There Anybody Out There
6. Somewhere Down the Line
7. Hard Times For the Lonely
8. She's Leaving Me
9. Still Your Friend
10. One Chance
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For more information, please contact:
James Boss (NYC) || [email protected]
Brian O'Neal (Los Angeles) || [email protected]
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Press
“I love Chris Berardo; there’s no denying, he and his band are true Rock and Rollers from the git-go. Chris is a special musical talent and “Wilder All The Time” shows off the gift he’s been blessed with. You can hear it in each song, songs that are more than just another musical project – they are his heart poured out to you and, a passion to share it that can't be denied. Thanks for sharing your gift, Chris. " - Richie Furay (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Member/ Buffalo Springfield/ Poco)
“Great to hear new stuff from my ol’ friend and Rock n Roll veteran Chris Berardo, One thing I love about him....he always sounds like himself ...a good example of livin’ (and playi’) in the moment.” - Chris Hicks (The Marshall Tucker Band)
“Chris Berardo is a consummate showman, singer & force of nature.” - Walt Wilkins
"Country Rockers on the rise!" – Urge.com / MTV
"Ignoring All The Warning Signs is as good a country-rock record as you will hear this year. Berardo and his buddies stir it up plenty on this slab of hillbilly propulsion, punctuated with wailing harmonica and churning electric guitar, not to mention the leader's impassioned vocal. A shouted "Woo-hoo!" from this corner." - Robert K. Oermann, Music Row Magazine
"CT - based Chris Berardo & The DesBerardos are on an upward trajectory. One listen to "Ignoring All The Warning Signs" and you'll understand what the fuss is all about. ? Berardo craftes catchy, roots-rock tunes about small towns, barstools and hope. Blues- flavored guitar leads are prevalent, as are hooky mandolin lines and stomping drum beats. And if the music doesn't catch your attention, Berardo's lyrics surely will. "I guess if you're counting, I have lost more than I've found / But I still hold my head up in this town," he sings in the poignant "Forty Years." Berardo & The DesBerardos follow all the right signs with an album that you can't ignore." - Performing Songwriter Magazine
"One of the best roots rock bands in America today!" - Western Beat
"On Ignoring All The Warning Signs, Berardo establishes his place in the lexicon of roots rock. With only one non-original tune (Jeff Tweedy’s "Passenger Side") Berardo’s songwriting talents vie with his smoky voice as the star of the CD. Anyone who favors roots rock will immediately resonate with Ignoring All The Warning Signs. Berardo delivers all the goods." – Vintage Guitar Magazine
"Riding straight out of a tequila sunrise and into the arms of an adoring crowd of barroom regulars, this band hits all the right notes to appeal to Jackson Browne and Eagles fans everywhere ... There is a pervasive feel of West Coast rock heaven here, kicked up a notch or two with sizzling guitars and Berardo's winning voice." – Studio City (CA) Sun
"Chris Berardo embodies everything I love about popular music – a pleasing voice, beautiful melodies and hooks, well-crafted lyrics. Shades of The Eagles and Poco combine with a Southern Rock sensibility, creating a fresh sound unlike the usual cookie cutter country-rock of today… Berardo and his band have crafted a fine album that should garner lots of attention. We can only hope. It’s better than 90 percent of the music on today’s country radio." – Gritz Magazine
"Berardo can get by on the strength of his gritty voice alone, as he proves at the start of "Barstool" ... (he) performs Jeff Tweedy's "Passenger Side" with scruffy soulfulness, delivering the song like the fellow roots- rock traveler he is ... "Everybody Swings Around Here" is a boisterous portrait of 'wild-eyed schemers and bar room dreamers', while "Forty Years" and "One Silver Rider", both laced with resonating pedal steel guitar tones, colorfully conjure the birth of country-rock. "September Prayer", Berardo's ambitious ballad, is also a keeper, and may outlast most musings inspired by 9/11." - Washington Times
"I loaned out my copy and never got it back, which furthers my resolve to never lend out my favorite CDs. Ever again. This is the kind of record with what I call "reference" songs - songs that you want to hear over and over again. Should have never taken it out of my CD player. Someday I'll learn. Berardo's voice and songwriting is right out of the country rock scene that evolved at LA's Troubador during the '70's, an era that spawned Jackson Brown, the Eagles, Gram Parsons, and more. Berardo has taken that collective era, and done them all one better on this album of singer/songwriter crafted gems." 4 ½ out of 5 stars - Michael Tiernan NBC SanDiego.com
"Connecticut is not the first place you’d associate with classic American music, but it’s where you’d find Chris Berardo and his rather fine band playing exactly that. This, their third album, takes bits of folk, bits of country, bits of bluegrass, bits of country and bits of rock puts them into a blender and what comes out is pureed essence of all of that, but with enough gritty bits to keep it interesting. Berardo, who writes most of the songs, is a romantic of the road, where beer, cars and girls are the staging posts of life’s journey… He also writes a beautiful melody and chorus line ("Forty Years" is sublime", "So Good, So Far" almost as good), and the entire album oozes hooks and sing-alongs." Overall then, Ignoring All The Warning signs is Americana in its truest sense. It embodies the heart and soul of the country, and does as good a job as anyone of both keeping the flame alive and moving it forward." – AmericanaUK.com
"A local institution!" – The Advocate/Greenwich Times (CT)
"It wasn't that long ago that you didn't have to go out of your way to find hard working, roots rocking crews like this that knew how to turn it up loud and proud and let the good times roll… Berardo and his gang know how to lead the charge for helping you let off steam. With some real talent going for them at all levels of the game, this bunch is a real party on a platter. They know how to work an audience and they know how to get you worked up. This is how it was before everyone was an arena rocker, whether they were or not." – Midwest Record Recap
"For No Depression fans sick and tired of being depressed by scruffy, college educated singers, Chris Berardo & The DesBerardos will be welcome therapy." - Ronnie D. Lankford, All Music Guide
"Blend Firefall's organic melodies and harmonies with The Marshall Tucker Band's brand of Southern rock and throw in a bit of bluesy, soulful flair and you come up with Connecticut's Chris Berardo & The DesBerardos.The band fronted by Mr. Berardo boasts two CDs and a road ethic that's put it in venues playing with MTB, Little Feat, Reckless Kelly and others. These guys make clean, real music that harks back to the 1970's golden era when The Eagles and Jackson Brown attracted fans of pop, rock and country. Ah, the good old days." - Mario Tarradell The Dallas (TX) Observer
"For those who loved the early days of country rock, allow me to introduce Chris Berardo & The DesBerardos. This album takes me back to those days … when back to the country meant something. It is rejuvenation on a huge scale for me. HUGE. Just call me a Desberardo waiting for a train." - Frank Gutch, Jr, FAME
"One of the finest Americana bands out there … you will not be disappointed!" - TMT Radio / Americana Music Times
“Great to hear new stuff from my ol’ friend and Rock n Roll veteran Chris Berardo, One thing I love about him....he always sounds like himself ...a good example of livin’ (and playi’) in the moment.” - Chris Hicks (The Marshall Tucker Band)
“Chris Berardo is a consummate showman, singer & force of nature.” - Walt Wilkins
"Country Rockers on the rise!" – Urge.com / MTV
"Ignoring All The Warning Signs is as good a country-rock record as you will hear this year. Berardo and his buddies stir it up plenty on this slab of hillbilly propulsion, punctuated with wailing harmonica and churning electric guitar, not to mention the leader's impassioned vocal. A shouted "Woo-hoo!" from this corner." - Robert K. Oermann, Music Row Magazine
"CT - based Chris Berardo & The DesBerardos are on an upward trajectory. One listen to "Ignoring All The Warning Signs" and you'll understand what the fuss is all about. ? Berardo craftes catchy, roots-rock tunes about small towns, barstools and hope. Blues- flavored guitar leads are prevalent, as are hooky mandolin lines and stomping drum beats. And if the music doesn't catch your attention, Berardo's lyrics surely will. "I guess if you're counting, I have lost more than I've found / But I still hold my head up in this town," he sings in the poignant "Forty Years." Berardo & The DesBerardos follow all the right signs with an album that you can't ignore." - Performing Songwriter Magazine
"One of the best roots rock bands in America today!" - Western Beat
"On Ignoring All The Warning Signs, Berardo establishes his place in the lexicon of roots rock. With only one non-original tune (Jeff Tweedy’s "Passenger Side") Berardo’s songwriting talents vie with his smoky voice as the star of the CD. Anyone who favors roots rock will immediately resonate with Ignoring All The Warning Signs. Berardo delivers all the goods." – Vintage Guitar Magazine
"Riding straight out of a tequila sunrise and into the arms of an adoring crowd of barroom regulars, this band hits all the right notes to appeal to Jackson Browne and Eagles fans everywhere ... There is a pervasive feel of West Coast rock heaven here, kicked up a notch or two with sizzling guitars and Berardo's winning voice." – Studio City (CA) Sun
"Chris Berardo embodies everything I love about popular music – a pleasing voice, beautiful melodies and hooks, well-crafted lyrics. Shades of The Eagles and Poco combine with a Southern Rock sensibility, creating a fresh sound unlike the usual cookie cutter country-rock of today… Berardo and his band have crafted a fine album that should garner lots of attention. We can only hope. It’s better than 90 percent of the music on today’s country radio." – Gritz Magazine
"Berardo can get by on the strength of his gritty voice alone, as he proves at the start of "Barstool" ... (he) performs Jeff Tweedy's "Passenger Side" with scruffy soulfulness, delivering the song like the fellow roots- rock traveler he is ... "Everybody Swings Around Here" is a boisterous portrait of 'wild-eyed schemers and bar room dreamers', while "Forty Years" and "One Silver Rider", both laced with resonating pedal steel guitar tones, colorfully conjure the birth of country-rock. "September Prayer", Berardo's ambitious ballad, is also a keeper, and may outlast most musings inspired by 9/11." - Washington Times
"I loaned out my copy and never got it back, which furthers my resolve to never lend out my favorite CDs. Ever again. This is the kind of record with what I call "reference" songs - songs that you want to hear over and over again. Should have never taken it out of my CD player. Someday I'll learn. Berardo's voice and songwriting is right out of the country rock scene that evolved at LA's Troubador during the '70's, an era that spawned Jackson Brown, the Eagles, Gram Parsons, and more. Berardo has taken that collective era, and done them all one better on this album of singer/songwriter crafted gems." 4 ½ out of 5 stars - Michael Tiernan NBC SanDiego.com
"Connecticut is not the first place you’d associate with classic American music, but it’s where you’d find Chris Berardo and his rather fine band playing exactly that. This, their third album, takes bits of folk, bits of country, bits of bluegrass, bits of country and bits of rock puts them into a blender and what comes out is pureed essence of all of that, but with enough gritty bits to keep it interesting. Berardo, who writes most of the songs, is a romantic of the road, where beer, cars and girls are the staging posts of life’s journey… He also writes a beautiful melody and chorus line ("Forty Years" is sublime", "So Good, So Far" almost as good), and the entire album oozes hooks and sing-alongs." Overall then, Ignoring All The Warning signs is Americana in its truest sense. It embodies the heart and soul of the country, and does as good a job as anyone of both keeping the flame alive and moving it forward." – AmericanaUK.com
"A local institution!" – The Advocate/Greenwich Times (CT)
"It wasn't that long ago that you didn't have to go out of your way to find hard working, roots rocking crews like this that knew how to turn it up loud and proud and let the good times roll… Berardo and his gang know how to lead the charge for helping you let off steam. With some real talent going for them at all levels of the game, this bunch is a real party on a platter. They know how to work an audience and they know how to get you worked up. This is how it was before everyone was an arena rocker, whether they were or not." – Midwest Record Recap
"For No Depression fans sick and tired of being depressed by scruffy, college educated singers, Chris Berardo & The DesBerardos will be welcome therapy." - Ronnie D. Lankford, All Music Guide
"Blend Firefall's organic melodies and harmonies with The Marshall Tucker Band's brand of Southern rock and throw in a bit of bluesy, soulful flair and you come up with Connecticut's Chris Berardo & The DesBerardos.The band fronted by Mr. Berardo boasts two CDs and a road ethic that's put it in venues playing with MTB, Little Feat, Reckless Kelly and others. These guys make clean, real music that harks back to the 1970's golden era when The Eagles and Jackson Brown attracted fans of pop, rock and country. Ah, the good old days." - Mario Tarradell The Dallas (TX) Observer
"For those who loved the early days of country rock, allow me to introduce Chris Berardo & The DesBerardos. This album takes me back to those days … when back to the country meant something. It is rejuvenation on a huge scale for me. HUGE. Just call me a Desberardo waiting for a train." - Frank Gutch, Jr, FAME
"One of the finest Americana bands out there … you will not be disappointed!" - TMT Radio / Americana Music Times