Rusted Root's Liz Berlin has watched bandmates current -- Jenn Wertz, Jim Donovan, Michael Glabicki -- and past -- Jim DiSpirito -- release albums.
"I've been in a major-label band 12 years," Berlin says. "You would think I would have an album by now. Or more than one."
Finally, it's her turn. "Liz Berlin -- Live," which she debuts Friday at a show at the Club Cafe, is a document of the past five years of her life. With performances dating back to 1999 -- at the original Mr. Small's Studio in Millvale -- Berlin is releasing a highly personal collection of songs.
"This is like my diary, and it is a little nerve-wracking," she says. "There's a lot of letting go that has to happen as far as allowing it to go out into the world and letting people come to their own conclusions about what's behind it. Every song I've written is something I've had to write to get through something, or to deal with something, or to rejoice about something."
Because she's a perfectionist in the studio, Berlin's long-awaited studio album is not ready for public consumption. But she was driven to release something. At many of the live shows she's done with Jenn Wertz, fans have requested music they could take home.
"I was just kind of too caught up in my busy life to be organized enough to do anything about it," she says with a laugh. "That's kind of how I am. I realize I should do something and then I hurry up and get it done when it has to be done."
The entire process of putting together "Liz Berlin -- Live" came together almost "instantaneously," she says. Culled from three live performances in 1999, 2002 and 2003, the music reveals another side of the singer who many only know as a background and harmony singer from Rusted Root.
Berlin -- whose voice has a lilting quality that is comparable to a more sensual version of Ani DiFranco -- admits her role in Rusted Root shielded her from the spotlight.
"If I messed up, it wasn't going to take down the whole song," she says. "It's a really different thing, being the one entity that keeps the show going, and it's a totally different kind of pressure. I've developed a new respect for Michael (Glabicki, Rusted Root's lead singer) in that regard, that he could do it for all those years."
Berlin says her confidence began to improve once she and Wertz started to perform together, at solo shows and opening for Rusted Root. As she stepped to the front of the stage, she became more assured of not only her singing, but her guitar playing and stage presence.
Still, she admits there's some trepidation about baring her soul in songs such as "Dive In," "Crazy," and "All I Ever Need." Although she's played the songs in public before, their existence on CD is more permanent and lasting.
"This is all pretty much me as a songwriter," she says. "All I have to write about is me, my life. I've never really been good at fiction. I wish I was." Additional Information:
Details
Liz BerlinWith: Greg Wood.
When: 7 p.m. Friday.
Admission: $10 advance; $12 day of show.
Where: Club Cafe, South Side.
Details: (412) 431-4950 or www.clubcafelive.com .
