Born in Drogheda, singer-songwriter BeRn has lived in San Francisco
for over ten years. When she was back in Ireland for an extended stay
in the spring of 1997, she decided to go into the studio with a few
of her songs. A couple more emerged along the way, and she has recently
released "She Is Me", an album of original songs.
I asked BeRn if the album was different in any way for being recorded
back in Ireland than if it had been recorded here in the U.S. "It
is different in every sense!" she responded. "Besides being
able to make use of so many wonderful Irish musicians like Steve Wickham
(formerly of The Waterboys), the whole style of recording was different."
She produced the album at the home studios of Liam and Dierdre Cunningham
in Carrick-on-Shannon, Roscommon. While recording, she was invited to
stay in the family's house, to share meals with them, and play in seisuns
with them at night. All of the tracks were recorded in one take, which
gives the album a raw, edgy, immediate feel.
The songs, however, were written in different places at different times.
Some of the songs were composed as long as ten years ago, while "She
Is Me," the title track, was composed just two weeks before she
went into the studio. BeRn is doing a lot of composing these days, and
most of her songs are written in one sitting. She finds that the melodies
come first, and after a couple of hours, the lyrics emerge. The songs
are mostly of a socio-political bent, yet they have a warm, personal
feel to them as well.
BeRn was invited to perform at the Guinness Fleadh in June. Her live
sets are pure entertainment, including humorous introductions, bits
of spoken-word recitation, and of course, her songs.
Watch The Gael's calendar listings for BeRn appearances.