Charles Bermant
Charles Bermant has treated rock journalism as a "serious hobby" during his regular career as a community journalist, investigative reporter and technology writer. He grew up, more or less, around Washington DC, and spent a good part of the early 1980s hanging around piano bars where 17-year-old Ellen "Tori" Amos fondled the ivories.
He was a regular contributor to DC's Unicorn Times and The Globe and Mail in the 1980s and wrote a regular column about rock video for the San Jose Mercury News. He subsequently covered the convergence between music and technology for The New York Times, The Washington Post and other publications.
He also reported about legal battles concerning The Beach Boys and the Jimi Hendrix estate for Rolling Stone Online.
Bermant lives in Bainbridge Island, WA. He currently writes a political satire column for Examiner.com.
Charlie Bermant on Examiner.com
60 articles
List of articles in the library
George Harrison Surfaces With A Cheery Hello
Interview by Charles Bermant, The Globe and Mail, 26 September 1987
GEORGE HARRISON has emerged to call attention to his future, but willingly discusses his past. As a Beatle Harrison was all hair, knees and teeth, physically ...
The Bee Gees: Back on course with the Bee Gees
Interview by Charles Bermant, Sounds, 9 August 1975
BARRY GIBB IS pleased. It is a good season for ‘the Bee Gees (Barry and his brothers, Maurice and Robin) whose new Main Course album ...
Review by Charles Bermant, The Washington Post, 9 March 1975
WHEN DAVID BOWIE and the Spiders from Mars barnstormed America almost two years ago they managed to astound anyone who saw them perform. The Spiders ...
Richard and Linda Thompson: Linda and Richard Find There’s Life After Divorce
Interview by Charles Bermant, The Globe and Mail, 6 April 1985
LINDA THOMPSON’S memories of touring the United States with her soon-to-be ex-husband Richard are filtered through an alcoholic haze and a skewed sense of delight. ...
Guide by Charles Bermant, The New York Times, 17 December 1998
THE KINKS ARE the only major British Invasion group aside from the Rolling Stones to continue to perform and record, and, like many musicians, have ...
The Beach Boys: New Wave of Popularity for The Beach Boys
Report and Interview by Charles Bermant, The Globe and Mail, 25 July 1985
JONES BEACH, NY. The Beach Boys are taking advantage of this seaside theatre, an idyllic setting for one of their concerts, by beating the audience ...
Ronnie Lane Determined Disease Won’t Beat Him
Profile and Interview by Charles Bermant, The Globe and Mail, 27 July 1987
SAN FRANCISCO. The last time Ronnie Lane performed here it was for 16,000 people in a sold-out arena. On this night, he has managed to ...
Crosby Stills Nash & Young: Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young: Auburn, Washington, July 27th 2006
Live Review by Charles Bermant, Rock's Backpages, 15 August 2006
"Do you think there are any Republicans here?" We are on the queue for Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's Freedom of Speech show, and the ...
A Conspiracy of Hope: Amnesty International
Report by Charles Bermant, The Globe and Mail, 6 June 1986
A CONSPIRACY OF Hope, a package tour benefiting the human rights organization Amnesty International, kicked off at the Cow Palace Wednesday night with more than ...
Everybody's A Musician: Interactive CD-ROMS Encourage Listeners To Get In The Act
Essay by Charles Bermant, Chicago Tribune, 20 November 1994
IN 2019, THOSE WHO observe the 50th anniversary Woodstock celebration from the comfort of their own homes probably will have the richer experience. ...
Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne: Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt: Rock for Java
Live Review by Charles Bermant, Rolling Stone, 4 June 2001
BACK IN THE 1970s, when Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt became notorious for spearheading benefit concerts, the issues were, well, more clear cut: Vote for ...
Buffalo Springfield: Will Buffalo Springfield Roam Again?
Live Review by Charles Bermant, Rolling Stone, 29 April 2000
NEIL YOUNG'S NEW album, Silver and Gold, features a plaintive ballad titled 'Buffalo Springfield Again', where he expresses nostalgia for the band that first put ...
T Bone Burnett's Chapter and Verse
Interview by Charles Bermant, Unicorn Times, March 1984
T-BONE BURNETT STRIDES onstage alone, immediately sitting at the piano. He seems to strike a few soulful chords, wincing at every sound. He stands up, ...
Crosby Stills and Nash: CSN To Cover Pre-CSN Tunes
Report by Charles Bermant, sonicnet.com, April 1998
THIRTY YEARS AFTER they left their respective bands, David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, better known as Crosby, Stills and Nash, are harking back ...
Crosby Stills Nash & Young: CSNY: Rockin' in the free world
Live Review by Charles Bermant, Rolling Stone Online, 4 February 2000
DURING THE INTERMISSION at Wednesday's Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young performance, Susan Nash turned Portland's Rose Quarter into a birthday tribute to her husband. She ...
Joe Ely: Career Heats Up For Joe Ely
Interview by Charles Bermant, The Globe and Mail, 29 September 1987
WITH ITS OWN hot brand of Texas rock and roll, the Joe Ely Band has transformed the tiny stage of this rural club into a ...
Bob Dylan, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Glitches add spontaneity to Bob Dylan and Tom Petty show
Live Review by Charles Bermant, The Globe and Mail, 1986
BOB DYLAN FORGOT a lot of the words to his own songs. He blew the payoff line of 'The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll' completely. ...
Interview by Charles Bermant, unpublished, 17 September 1987
HOW DID YOU pick this time to re-emerge? ...
Nils Lofgren: Thirteen Views Of Nils Lofgren
Interview by Charles Bermant, Unicorn Times, December 1983
NILS LOFGREN'S LIFE can best be described by a poignant line from 'Like Rain', a song he wrote in his teens that he will probably ...
Graham Nash: A Technology to Teach the Children Well
Interview by Charles Bermant, The New York Times, 13 March 1995
IN THE INFORMATION age, powerful technology without compelling content is an empty experience indeed. This realization by the singer Graham Nash led to his partnership ...
The Kinks, Ray Davies: Ray Davies Gets the Kinks Out Musically
Interview by Charles Bermant, The Globe and Mail, 6 December 1986
BY VIRTUE OF its title, The Kinks' new Think Visual album should have a more elaborate cover. Instead it is only an exaggerated supergraphic, with ...
The Beach Boys: Keeping the Beach Boys Alive
Live Review by Charles Bermant, Rolling Stone Online, 4 August 2000
THERE ARE SOME really good reasons to loathe Mike Love's Beach Boys. There is the authenticity problem: there is no one named Wilson onstage, and ...
The Beach Boys: Beach Boy vs. Beach Boy
Comment by Charles Bermant, Rolling Stone Online, 8 December 1999
WHILE THE BEACH BOYS were once musically illustrious, in the Nineties they've spent more time in the courtroom than the recording studio. ...
Interview by Charles Bermant, Rolling Stone Online, September 2002
ON THE SURFACE, Cyndi Lauper hasn't changed that much since 1983, when her debut album catapulted her to fame next to other then-newbies Madonna and ...
Eliza Carthy: Angel of Rebellion
Interview by Charles Bermant, Rolling Stone Online, 7 February 2001
ELIZA CARTHY IS in the midst of playing a fluid passage when her feet stop moving. She rolls her eyes, exhales and scowls before attacking ...
Jimi Hendrix: The Experience Music Project Opens in Seattle (Part 1)
Report by Charles Bermant, Rolling Stone Online, 24 June 2000
IT WASN'T YOUR typical ribbon cutting. Gazillionaire Paul Allen smashed a Stratocaster made of unflavored green rock candy, designed especially for the occasion by glass ...
Jimi Hendrix: Experience Music Project Opens in Seattle (Part 2)
Report by Charles Bermant, Rolling Stone Online, 26 July 2000
SHORTLY BEFORE BO Diddley began his set at the Experience Music Project celebration, Jimi Hendrix Experience bassist Noel Redding approached him with greetings from a ...
Peter Gabriel Plugs in for WOMAD
Live Review by Charles Bermant, Rolling Stone Online, 30 June 2001
IF MUSIC IS the food of love and life, then perhaps sometimes we need exotic tastes to cleanse the palate. ...
Interview by Charles Bermant, Rolling Stone Online, 9 May 2003
TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS after their debut, Ann and Nancy Wilson, always Heart's pulse, have finally assumed absolute control of the band. Now, with Nancy producing, they're ...
Jimi Hendrix: Family Feud Continues
Report by Charles Bermant, Rolling Stone Online, 25 October 2002
THE RIGHTS TO Jimi Hendrix's music were returned to his family seven years ago, prompting fans to believe that the plundering of his recorded legacy ...
Jimi Hendrix, Noel Redding: Noel Redding Boxes His Own Experience
Interview by Charles Bermant, Rolling Stone Online, 20 July 2000
ASK NOEL REDDING what will be on the "new box set," and he won't offer any insight about the upcoming release that features dozens of ...
Rickie Lee Jones: Keeping Up With Rickie Lee Jones
Interview by Charles Bermant, Rolling Stone Online, 25 June 2000
SINCE HER 1979 emergence, Rickie Lee Jones has always whipped myriad influences into her own musical blender. Now she's turning the tables. ...
Rickie Lee Jones Follows Own Beat
Interview by Charles Bermant, USA Today, 5 June 1997
IT HAS BEEN 18 years since Rickie Lee Jones breezed in with the eccentric bop of 'Chuck E.'s in Love'. A one-hit wonder on radio, ...
Report by Charles Bermant, The Seattle Times, 20 February 2000
FACE IT: THE 1960s was the best time for rock 'n' roll. David Crosby, who was in the middle of it all, calls it "an ...
The KBC Band: Steered By Old Airplane Crew
Report and Interview by Charles Bermant, The Globe and Mail, 9 January 1987
THE KBC BAND breezed through the first part of rehearsal, but was stymied by 'In the Midnight Hour', a late addition to the New Year's ...
Fleetwood Mac: Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow: Mick Fleetwood's Internet About-Face
Interview by Charles Bermant, The Web, November 1997
"I WAS VERY wrong," says Mick Fleetwood, the drummer who, with John and Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham, and Stevie Nicks, crewed Fleetwood Mac, one of ...
Interview by Charles Bermant, MyPrimetime.com, 6 February 2000
DAVID CROSBY AND Graham Nash have lived at the cultural flashpoint for more than 30 years. As they edge toward 60, the musicians haven't lost ...
The Beach Boys: Beach Boys Change, But the Sound Stays the Same
Interview by Charles Bermant, USA Today, 20 August 1998
THE BEACH BOYS, or at least a reasonable facsimile thereof, are on the road again. ...
Keb' Mo': Kevin Moore Makes A Name For Himself As Blues Singer Keb' Mo'
Interview by Charles Bermant, Mr Showbiz, August 1996
JUST LIKE YOU, the second album from singer-songwriter Keb' Mo', raises a question: why is a forty-four-year-old, who's been playing music all his life, just ...
Tori Amos: Ellen Amos: Piano Bars - Springboards to Success
Interview by Charles Bermant, The Washington Times, 2 September 1983
COCKTAIL PIANISTS OCCUPY the lowest rung in the musician's hierarchy. While there are some whose performances approach true art, and others whose reputations place them ...
Essay by Charles Bermant, Rock's Backpages, October 2006
PUYALLUP, WA – Are there gatherings like this anywhere outside of the modern American West? A million people come to a converted dusty field over ...
The Bee Gees: Bee Gees' Generations
Report by Charles Bermant, Rock's Backpages, January 2007
PORTLAND, OREGON USA – Last year, self-proclaimed pop music geek Ellen Osborn was tooling around town when she got an idea: "There should be an ...
Arlo Guthrie: 'Alice' is Back on the Menu
Report and Interview by Charles Bermant, What's Up, 23 March 2007
'ALICE'S RESTAURANT' is back on the menu. First released in 1967 as the title track of Arlo Guthrie's debut album, the 18-minute talking blues narrative ...
Big Brother & The Holding Company, Jefferson Starship: Revisiting the Summer of Love
Report by Charles Bermant, Rock's Backpages, October 2007
Things aren't what they used to be, but they never were in the first place ...
Interview by Charles Bermant, Rock's Backpages audio, 23 August 2011
Bonkers expositions on jump blues, big band tenor players, Dylan and more, via praising fuzz-tone guitar and Tony Iommi, with regular tellings-off from wife Maud.
File format: mp3; file size: 26.7mb, interview length: 29' 09" sound quality: * (phoner)
Rodney Crowell's Melodic Literacy
Interview by Charles Bermant, Rock's Backpages, 6 August 2012
RODNEY CROWELL, who turns 62 on August 7, has been on our radar since the 1970s, when he was the freshest horse in Emmylou Harris' ...
Garth Hudson: The World According to Garth Hudson
Report and Interview by Charles Bermant, Rock's Backpages, 16 November 2011
IN A PREVIOUS LIFE you went to several concerts a month, when those who are now rock and roll dinosaurs walked the earth. Today you ...
The Lovin' Spoonful, John Sebastian: John Sebastian's Spoonful of Magic
Interview by Charles Bermant, SonicBoomers.com, 26 March 2010
THE BEST 1960s bands always sounded so original, when in fact they filtered existing musical idioms such as folk and blues to gain a unique ...
Report and Interview by Charles Bermant, No Depression, 6 April 2012
RICHARD THOMPSON is messing with the standard performer/audience equation in two ways this year. There was his participation in the Cayamo Songwriters' cruise in February, ...
Report by Charles Bermant, The Globe and Mail, 14 September 1987
SAN FRANCISCO – The first cosmic occurrence was before noon, when Jesse Colin Young sang the last chorus of 'Get Together'. He let the crowd ...
Crosby Stills and Nash: CSN live: Let us now (finally) Praise Stephen Stills
Live Review by Charles Bermant, Rock's Backpages, 15 September 2009
I'VE SEEN Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young five times between 1969 and 2006, with the interplay between Stephen Stills and Neil Young always leaving behind ...
Joni Mitchell, Neil Young: The Heart of Joel Bernstein
Report by Charles Bermant, Rock's Backpages, 12 February 2010
IN 1970, 16-year-old me was following Neil Young around; learning his songs, going to his concerts (two identical sets on one night!), and counting the ...
Roger Daltrey, The Who: Chronicles: Roger Daltrey
Interview by Charles Bermant, SonicBoomers.com, 11 September 2009
ONE OF THE privileges of my generation is the opportunity to watch the once-mighty play small clubs, but seeing someone of Roger Daltrey's stature didn't ...
Chely Wright's Rediscovered Country
Profile by Charles Bermant, No Depression, 24 September 2012
WE ALL HOLD our own set of prejudices and preconceptions, with clear ideas about politics and religion, tolerance and hatred for country music singers and ...
John Mellencamp: McCaw Hall at Seattle Center
Live Review by Charles Bermant, Rock's Backpages, 25 April 2011
SEATTLE—John Mellencamp played only one song from when he was known only as "Cougar", and even that was only to fulfill an obligation to people ...
Crazy Horse, Neil Young: Neil Young: Waging Heavy Peace/Journeys/Psychedelic Pill/live in Seattle
Review by Charles Bermant, Rock's Backpages, 12 November 2012
SIX YEARS AGO, Neil Young brought his CSN buddies through town imploring the country to impeach the president for lying. This week he began the ...
Barry McGuire's Living Room Anthems
Profile and Interview by Charles Bermant, No Depression, 23 March 2013
BARRY MCGUIRE was around in the 1960s, and remembers them well enough to present a historical narrative of songs and stories for the benefit of ...
The Animals, The Beach Boys: Beach Boys, Animals return to Washington older, but no worse for wear
Report by Charles Bermant, Crosscut, 15 July 2011
NOSTALGIA FOR THE 1960s isn't what it used to be. This summer's concert schedule has only a smattering of golden era bands who try hard, ...
Review by Charles Bermant, No Depression, 29 January 2013
YOU GOTTA FEEL for someone who doesn't own any Bob Dylan or Neil Young albums and hasn't a clue where to start. There are too ...
The Go-Go's: Exclusive: The Go-Go's Papers
Interview by Charles Bermant, Unicorn Times, August 1984
Explicit Scenes of a Writer's Downfall ...
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