Second Chance by Marc Douglas Berardo

Marc Douglas Berardo's songs combine a novelist's eye for detail and a poet's passion for words that sing. As a performer, Marc Douglas infuses a deep feeling for his subject matter combined with a humorous warmth that come s across as familiar, engaging and most of all, pertinent. He writes about the people that he knows the places he has been and the impact of it all on his soul. The music does not demand attention through overwrought production values and gimmicks, but rather, it creeps in the back door and lingers, it's essence unfolding with repeated listening.

Marc Douglas has spent the last five years performing in a variety of venues throughout New England, Virginia, New York, Texas, California, the Carolinas and Florida. He has played everywhere from bars and coffeehouses to theaters and national festivals.

Born in Rye, New York, Marc Douglas attended college in Boston, Mass. It was there that he was inspired by the many local singer-songwriters, as well as the music of Livingston Taylor, Nanci Griffith, The Grateful Dead, Jon-Pousette-Dart, Townes Van Zandt, John Gorka, Jimmy Buffett and The Allman Brothers. "Even though I had only owned a guitar for a few months, I played wherever I could...mostly at house parties to a small, late night crowd, that was too drunk to leave and too tired not to listen" It was a formative time. "I learned pretty quickly about what makes a song work, and how a great song can stop a room cold."

In the early 1990's Marc bounced around between North Florida and Northern California, performing full time, occasionally opening for great songwriters like Chris Smither, The Buffalo Springfield and Brooks Williams. "It felt like I had all the time in the world to really learn about songs.Everyday was a new musical lesson as well as a new life lesson. I didn't have a real thought out plan. Whenever I would get payed to play and sing; I was always a little amazed. I still am. It was, and still is, my idea of serious fun."

Around this time Marc Douglas and his two brothers with some assorted friends formed the country rock influenced DesBerardo Band. The group developed a large following in the New York area, sharing the stage with national acts like Little Feat, The Band, Molly Hatchet and BadFinger. A CD entitled "American Dust" followed. It was during the recording of the American Dust CD that Marc Douglas met songwriter and Hayloft Records owner Michael Branden who encouraged Marc to record his newest original songs.

Marc Douglas has since recorded two CD's for the Connecticut based Hayloft Records: the stark and ethereal Further On Tomorrow (1998) and the well received follow-up Second Chance (2000).

In 1999 Marc Douglas' song "Stephen Marshall" won first place in The Suwanee Springfest Folk Festival songwriting competition in Live Oak, Florida. In March of 2000 he shared the mainstage at Suwanee with a host of acoustic music legends including Guy Clark, Ralph Stanley, Peter Rowan's Texas Trio, Tony Rice, Donna the Buffalo, Vassar Clements,Norman Blake and others. In 2001, Marc was chosen to perform in the prestigious New Artist Showcase at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in Hillsdale, NY along with the best of the nation's emerging , performing songwriters.

Currently Marc Douglas is working on a new CD, tentatively titled As You Make Your Way, scheduled for release in the late fall of 2001.

"Not only does it sound great but it looks fabulous. I like his voice and the songs. It is easy to feel like you really know Marc through his songs. "-Marty Rifkin-pedal steel/dobro for Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Dwight Youkum, and others

Average Customer Review: