David Berkeley

City Winery Philadelphia presents David Berkeley live on Wednesday, Feb 5 at 7:30pm.

“Berkeley crafts his songs like watercolor paintings. Intimate and introspective, his gentle yet colorful melodies are graceful and resonate long after the last note fades.” – Creative Loafing,

David Berkeley’s gift as a songwriter and storyteller is that he sees the tragedy and comedy in life, writing songs capable of both breaking and healing the heart. Berkeley has been called a “musical poet,” by the San Francisco Chronicle, and the New York Times praises his “lustrous, melancholy voice with shades of Tim Buckley and Nick Drake.” That voice and his gift with words is what first sets Berkeley apart from all other guitar slinging songwriters. But it is his onstage charisma and unparalleled between-song repartee that truly puts him in a class by himself. Each show is completely unique, and his humanity shines through every note he sings and every word he speaks. Berkeley has released eight studio albums, one live album, and authored two books, each of which pairs with one of his albums. He was a guest on This American Life, telling an outrageous story of a private serenade he was once hired to perform, and he has won many songwriting awards and honors including ASCAPs Johnny Mercer Songwriting Award.

Releasing September 4, 2024, Berkeley’s newest album, A Pail Full of Fire, is a masterclass on songwriting and singing. Produced by Todd Sickafoose (Hadestown, Ani DiFranco, Andrew Bird) and featuring Anna Tivel on angelic background vocals and Rich Hinman on ethereal pedal steel, the arrangements are spare and restrained, allowing Berkeley’s rich baritone and profound poetry to take centerstage. Like all of Berkeley’s catalogue, the music begs you to lean in and listen close, as each song speaks to what matters in this life. The album begins with the single “Wild Gods,” a post-Covid song which reminds us that despite “all our different fears and all our different fights and all the time we waste in this our only life,” we still have a chance at redemption and connection, “cause every moment dear, a new world begins.” The final song, “Until the End” is a meditation on the unpredictability of this brief life. Recalling the ancient Greek philosopher Solon, Berkeley whispers in a cracking falsetto “until the end, no one knows how it ends…stay close my friend.” This is a record that flies in the face of many modern trends—flash, noise, speed, volume, AI—in favor of long tones, honest reflection, and heart.