Robin and Jonny first met in a History and Philosophy of Science seminar, and started playing together. With over 200 gigs under their belts including the Jazz Cafe, Cargo, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the band are steadily converting all the country to their upbeat jazzy tunes.
Over recent years the line-up has included an organic mixture of flute, piano, barber shop quartet, saxophone, an orchestra and choir, and even a little french horn. The Jonny Berliner Band has over 3 hours of live material, the sets are never the same twice and always have something to keep you smiling. They continue to infect postal districts all over the country with their original, epic, and ineffably witty songs, greatly aided by the arrival of 'Clara' - their big red 70's tourbus.
On the 1st March 2002, the band performed a sold-out concert to over 500 people at the University of Leeds Great Hall. Backed by a 100 piece symphony orchestra & choir they performed arrangements of their own songs scored by friends at the university. The band have also enjoy visiting the Edinburgh Fringe Festival - last year enduring a total of eighteen gigs in thirteen days, and in 2003 going for a record 80 shows including 30 gigs in 25 days.
Jonny has written two musicals over the last year - CORPUS, a musical inspired by Professor Gunther von Hagen's Body Worlds exhibition and a children's musical called 'Dude! where's my Teddy Bear?'. They are both utterly amazing.
The band currently have an eight track studio
cd available recorded at Touchwood Studios with Bruce Wood (Nightmares
on Wax) and with Carl Rosamond at Billiard Room Studios. A live
recording is also available on cd from their concert with an orchestra
and two recent sessions have led to the Stuffed Pig sessions.
Jonny Berliner - Acoustic Guitar and Voice Jon Scott - Drums and Percussion Robin Grey - Electric Bass and Scissors Taz Mody - Keys
Yorkshire Evening Post
"Jonny and his band deal in upbeat, melody-riddled snippets that leave you feeling infinitely better about life than before you pressed play. 'Coin Flipper' is a beautifully dark ballad, awash with piano and guitar which allow Jonny's distinctive tones to sweep along with an almost filmic quality. 'Happy Song' does exactly what it says on the tin and is a bouncing slice of optimism, while 'Ride' is a seven minute epic with more lush twists and turns than a velvet lined helter-skelter.'"
The Edinburgh Guide
"Their songs are sometimes darkly funny, sometimes raucously funky. They've recored with an orchestra, they've written the most brilliant Beatles style pop song about stalking, they do a flawless Nick Drake cover. Talent and enthusiasm shine from them."
The Guardian
"Catch this up and coming trio from Leeds before they get really famous.'"
