David Berman, Of Silver Jews And Purple Mountains, Dies At 52

David Berman, who formed indie band Silver Jews and had just released a new album as Purple Mountains, has died at age 52, according to longtime label Drag City.

<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>We couldn't be more sorry to tell you this. David Berman passed away earlier today. A great friend and one of the most inspiring individuals we've ever known is gone. Rest easy, David. <a href=”https://t.co/5n5bctcu4j”>pic.twitter.com/5n5bctcu4j</a></p>— (@dragcityrecords) <a href=”https://twitter.com/dragcityrecords/status/1159237481939841024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>August 7, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>

The Silver Jews formed in the late ’80s with members of Pavement, and actively toured in 2006 and 2008, according to Pollstar records. The band dissolved in 2009 and Berman retired from music, but he returned with Purple Mountains, which released its debut in July and received critical acclaim.

A full tour was set to kick off this weekend, and many of the dates were sold out, according to booking agency Ground Control Touring’s tour dates listing on its website, including the Chapel in San Francisco, Lodge Room in Los Angeles, Lee’s Palace in Ontario and Sleeping Village in Chicago.

<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>I could sit here all day and quote memorable David Berman couplets and never grow tired. He had no competition. He was the competition.</p>— The Mountain Goats (@mountain_goats) <a href=”https://twitter.com/mountain_goats/status/1159247746789990400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>August 7, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>