Berman

Berman was an independent alternative rock band, which originated in Hollywood, Florida, USA, but for many years was based out of Orlando. Although they never performed outside of their home state, they released three self-produced, full-length albums in their five years together. The band prided itself in being completely self-sufficient and musically diverse within the modern rock genre, as well as providing a very energetic stage performance. In 2000, brothers Bradd Shapiro and Steve Shapiro performed with high school friends Mike Ferrara and Corey Melton. The band soon added Greg Hejja as a bassist, and began performing under the name Berman in 2001. After playing local gigs a few times a month in South Florida venues the group began taking their music a little more seriously. In 2002, the band began recording tracks for their debut full-length album. It was during this time that singer Corey Melton donned the fictitious name Guy Jettman. As practice and live performance became more important, the band found it necessary to part with rhythm guitarist Ferrara. In Fall, 2002, Greg and Bradd moved to Orlando in order to attend the University of Central Florida. Although the distance made practice more difficult, they continued to play shows, and finish the album. For The Better was released in January, 2003. The band held a CD release party at the Culture Room. After playing Orlando's Hard Rock Live on August 9, 2003, the band parted with lead singer Corey Melton, and went on an extensive search to find a replacement singer. Greg and Bradd moved back to Hollywood, where Steve was finishing up high school. Brad moved back to Orlando in January 2004. While the band was on hiatus, they added Greg's brother, Mike Hejja, as an additional guitarist and background vocalist. After graduating Valedictorian of his class, Steve joined his brother, Bradd at The University of Central Florida. After a very frustrating search, the band put hard feelings aside and reunited with singer, Guy Jettman/Corey Melton in August 2004. Sessions for Berman's second full-length release began as early as 2002 and continued through the band's hiatus. After the singer's return the band finished up the tracks, again at Shapiro's home studio, and released Life In The Stars in December, 2004. The band hosted a CD release party at Bradd and Steve's house near the UCF campus. The band promoted the album heavily on Podcasts around the world, which boosted online sales, and created much anticipation for the follow-up release. In 2005, the band began recording demos for their third release. As shows increased, and a new album underway, Greg and Jettman moved to Orlando to make practice and songwriting easier. The band hired vocal coach Mark Goff to work with Jettman in an effort to increase his voice's longevity. The album was recorded in January and February, 2006, and later debuted their new recorded material on Jason Evangelho's Insomnia Radio Podcast. Berman officially released their third album, Send Me To The End, on April 14, 2006, at a CD release party at Backbooth in Orlando. On June 10, 2006, Berman hired local group Flying Dog Films to shoot their first professional music video. The song chosen was the title track of their new album. The video was shot at Summit Church in Orlando, since the building was formerly a movie theater undergoing remodeling. Recent conflicts and frustrations all came to a head under the stress of the 14-hour video shoot. And for the second and final time, the band split up with their singer. The four remaining members employed various singers in order to fulfill their performance obligations. The band played their last performance on September 24, 2006 in Lake Mary, Florida. Guitarist Bradd Shapiro and bassist Gregg Hejja performed as the chief songwriters of the band. Steve, who recorded most of the bands material, often acted as the arranger. Mike Hejja wrote most of his own guitar parts, which made him an attractive addition to the band in 2004. In 2007, Greg signed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing and began to promote Greg Hejja Music.