Join the Great Neck Library for an afternoon of country music performed by Marc Berger at the Main Branch, located at 159 Bayview Ave. in Great Neck, on Sunday, March 2, at 2 p.m.
Berger’s life has been about pursuing twin passions: creating and recording his American roots songs and exploring remote areas of the desert and mountain West.
After signing his first publishing contract while in law school, he fronted rock bands and performed regularly in New York City clubs like CBGB, Wetlands and The Knitting Factory. All through this period, he’d find ways to get into the West, picking up details from fellow wilderness junkies about off the beaten path locales and filing them away for future reference.
On one of these trips, he became intrigued by the cover of “THE BIG IT,” a book of short stories by A.B. Guthrie Jr. he found on a revolving paperback rack in a Navajo reservation trading post. It got him thinking about using his travels to create a set of songs in the cultural tradition of writers like Guthrie and visual artists like John Ford and Frederick Remington.
Berger and co-producer Mike Ricciardi now present “RIDE,” 10 cinematic recordings reflecting Berger’s romantic connection to the American West and exploring the value of its myths to contemporary culture.
Berger has performed at Austin’s South by Southwest Music Festival and the Kerrville and Falcon Ridge Folk Festivals and has opened shows for Bob Dylan and other national acts. His song “THE LAST ONE” was a staple of Richie Havens’ concerts and has been quoted in the New York Times and featured on The CBS Evening News.
Registration for this event is required. Great Neck cardholders and residents can register online, in-person, or via phone. Non-residents are welcome as walk-ins, as space allows.
For more information, please contact Great Neck Library at (516) 466-8055 or email adultprogramming@greatnecklibrary.org.
