REDISCOVERING
JOHN BERRYMAN
Rediscovering John Berryman
About Musicians
Will Sheff
Okkervil River
Okkervil River is an indie rock band that gained attention and recognition at the Austin Music Festival in 2007 for their "Best Song" award about John Berryman called John Allyn Smith Sails:
Lead singer and songwriter, Will Sheff, attended Macalester College in St. Paul, MN.
Janika Vandervelde
composer
Janika Vandervelde grew up in neighboring Wisconsin, then attended the University of Minnesota for graduate studies. It was there she was introduced to John Berryman's poetry. His work "as spoken word" inspired her music composition for her thesis: Genesis III: Henry's Fate.
Craig Finn
The Hold Steady
The lead singer and songwriter, Craig Finn, of The Hold Steady grew up in the Twin Cities. He went to Boston for college and came back to the Minneapolis music scene to begin his music career. He was inspired to write the song Stuck Between Stations:
about John Berryman after reading an article in The City Pages.
