DAVID & JACOB BERNZ

PETALUMA --

Copperfield’s Books welcomes David and Jacob Bernz to Petaluma for a musical celebration of all things Pete Seeger! Sing along to harmonious tunes and listen to a reading from David’s new book - Chopping Wood: Thoughts & Stories of a Legendary American Folksinger.

Discussion followed by a Q&A and book signing.

This event is free and open to the public, all folk music lovers are welcome!

Published on what would have been his 105th birthday, Chopping Wood is Pete Seeger up close and personal like never before. Derived from years of conversations between Seeger and his close friend and collaborator David Bernz, it takes readers on a uniquely personal journey through his remarkable life and career, in his own words.

Listen in as Pete unabashedly shares historical and family stories; tells of learning the banjo, traveling with Woody Guthrie, and finding commercial success with The Weavers; explains how he wrote books and put together songs; delves into controversial subjects like communism and the Peekskill Riots; and highlights those he admired and respected, including Bruce Springsteen, who honoured Pete with his Seeger Sessions album in 2006.

Pete and David share the heavy lifting as they tackle subjects such as the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, Pete's relationship to Greenwich Village, and the need for copyright reform. Together, they describe how Pete put his worldview into practice in his local community, how he lived with local hero status in later life, and how they made recordings together that resulted in two Grammy Awards.

Minimally edited to preserve Seeger's trademark cadence, the book is punctuated by historical images and additional commentary by David Bernz, as well as remembrances from other musicians and friends and a foreword by Arlo Guthrie. Readers will come to know Pete more deeply as they hear this gentle, principled man's voice resonate in their own heads and bear witness to his humility and willingness to respect those whose opinions differed greatly from his own--vital qualities in these troubled and divisive times.

Author: David and Jacob Bernz are a father-son team of folksingers and songwriters hailing from Beacon New York in the heart of the Hudson Valley. David’s performance ensembles have included “Dave, Perry, Rande, “Stone Soup” and “Work o’ the Weavers,” (a tribute to America’s pioneering folk quartet), and he has released CDs with each. David also earned two Grammy awards for producing the legendary folksinger Pete Seeger (“Pete Seeger, at 89” - Best Folk Album 2008 and “Pete Seeger and the Rivertown Kids, Tomorrow’s Children” - Best Children’s Album 2010). Most recently David has become an author, with the book “Pete Seeger – Chopping Wood” being released May 3rd, 2024. Jacob is one of today’s most prolific young songwriters with over a thousand original songs to his credit. He was a founding member of Clearwater’s “Power of Song” activist singing group and has shared the stage with luminaries such as Tom Chapin, David Amram, Jackson Browne and Janis Ian. Jacob has released several CD’s of original music and a recording with his father entitled “The Gotham River Tapes” containing both updated folk chestnuts and original songs. Together, David and Jacob synergize, harmonize and engage, taking their audience on a captivating journey through the past while paving the way for the future.