Geoff Berner

If post-punk accordion and satirical songwriting is your thing, Geoff Berner promises to “bring klezmer music kicking and screaming back into the bars.” Of Jewish/Eastern European descent, the Vancouver-based singer-songwriter released his first EP, Light Enough to Travel, in 2000. The acclaimed record was a mishmash of songs, united only by the fact that it was recorded with solely voice and solo accordion.

Berner’s 2003 follow-up, We Shall Not Flag or Fail, We Shall Go to the End, came in the form of a full-length. Based on the success of the album, Berner toured the world, working with several klezmer music masters and learning more about the style, opening for acts like Kaizers Orchestra, Billy Bragg, and Corb Lund. Berner’s third album, 2005’s cheekily-named Whiskey Rabbi, solidified Berner’s unique musical style – cabaret-style klezmer music with the raucous energy of punk.

Between 2006 and 2007, Berner not only authored a humorous instructional book called How to Be an Accordion Player, but he also released a conceptual album called The Wedding Dance of the Widow Bride. Since klezmer music is mainly played at weddings, Berner decided to pay tribute to the art form, but not without doing it his way – with rebellious machismo.

In late 2008, Berner released his latest album, Klezmer Mongrels, which features two energetic, foot-stomping singles, “Luck in Exile” and “King of the Gangsters.” Both songs not only show off Berner’s colorful storytelling over heart-pumping accordion, but also feature screaming violin and lively percussion.