David Berman, the leader of Silver Jews, exudes the qualities that make for the best music - honesty and truthfulness. His lyrics get you in the head, in the heart, but most importantly, in the gut. Lots of music can be cerebral or can tug at your heartstrings, but only the best will resonate in your gut. He does things the way he thinks things should be done, the way that best serves his art. And he's uncompromising about that.

"When I was 22, 23, some friends of mine, the people I lived with, all of a sudden were in a very big, popular band called Pavement," he said. "Over the years of watching, over the first couple years, just jokingly, Steve (Malkmus) would always say, 'Well, we're doing this for the kids. Gotta do that for the kids.' And I never heard anyone talk like that before, up until this point in the early 90s when Sonic Youth was trying to appeal to the kids. This whole idea of 'the kids' was a real turn off to me."

He's someone who doesn't get swept up in trends or the latest craze. He's simply extremely devoted to his craft. There will never be a Silver Jews iTunes-only EP. Every three years or so he will reemerge with a new album of 10 or so songs that will be hilarious, heartbreaking, pretty, ugly and everything in between.

"When it's done I want there to be something for the listener to interpret. When I write I want there to be more than one level of meaning. I want just a few words to be able to carry lots of different thoughts and ideas," he said.

--David Malitz (June 2008)