Geoff Berner is a Canadian singer-songwriter and accordionist from Vancouver, British Columbia, born in 1971. He works mainly in folk and klezmer, and he is known for darkly humorous, satirical lyrics and a cabaret-style live show.

Career

Berner begins his musical life on piano before taking up the accordion after being challenged about why he does not play it at a party. He starts out as lead singer and accordionist in the punk band Terror of Tiny Town, an eclectic group active through most of the 1990s, before it disbands after two studio albums.

After returning to Canada from Norway, Berner starts a solo career with the EP Light Enough to Travel on Sudden Death Records. The release includes two songs he writes for Terror of Tiny Town. His early solo performances in small venues around British Columbia build a reputation for sharp humour and satirical writing. One of his songs, “Light Enough to Travel,” later becomes a hit for The Be Good Tanyas.

His first studio album, We Shall Not Flag or Fail, We Shall Go On to the End, appears on Black Hen and presents a folk punk sound. In 2004, his music changes direction as he becomes deeply interested in klezmer, which he connects to his Jewish faith. During a trip to Romania, where he nearly dies from alcohol poisoning, he learns from older klezmer players and shifts his focus toward the style, describing his aim as bringing klezmer back into bar settings.

Klezmer work and recordings

Berner’s klezmer-era recordings include the live album Live in Oslo, which features new klezmer material alongside earlier songs, and the trilogy of studio albums Whiskey Rabbi, The Wedding Dance of the Widow Bride, and Klezmer Mongrels. His fifth studio album, Victory Party, moves beyond traditional klezmer and uses a wider range of instruments and styles, including electronic dance and Eastern European punk.

He often performs with Diona Davies on violin and Wayne Adams on drums, and he also works with Dan Bern, Carolyn Mark and The Corb Lund Band. His cover repertoire includes songs by John Prine, Leonard Cohen, Slutarded, Carmaig de Forest and Kris Demeanor. He also records a cover of Demeanor’s “One Shoe.”

Other work and public profile

Berner attracts attention beyond his recordings through his live appearances and public remarks. He tours as a support act for Kaizers Orchestra, appears on the band’s live DVD Viva La Vega, and is featured in their autobiographical book Kontroll på kontinentet. He also contributes material to the band’s world of performance through that connection, and he witnesses one of their earliest live shows while in Norway.

In addition to music, he publishes the humorous instructional booklet How to Be An Accordion Player, which treats the identity of being an accordion player rather than teaching technique. He also writes and records “Official Theme Song for the 2010 Vancouver / Whistler Olympic Games (The Dead Children Were Worth It!),” a satirical song that comments on the British Columbia government and the Olympics. His performance at the Winnipeg Folk Festival leads to controversy after he jokes about sponsor Volkswagen and Nazi Germany.

Berner also becomes the subject of cover versions by Billy Bragg, David Taylor and The Plaintiffs, and he works on an album of other artists covering his songs to accompany his novel Festival Man.