Paul Berkobin
del Gattos

Guitar

Genres: Rock, Traditional

The musical group the del Gattos, originally an acoustic duo featuring the stylings of vocalist/guitarist Paul Berkobin and bassist/vocalist David McCormick, have grown into a full fledged rock band in a short time. With two full length albums, gigs reaching as far west as Michigan, Wyoming, and Utah, national reviews, and an award from a major North American music competition, the band has grown in both scope and sound to become national rockers known throughout North America.

The del Gattos started out playing small gigs as an acoustic duo in local Boalsburg six years ago. "Our sound was more folky," Paul Berkobin says. "It was just Dave (McCormick) and I performing as acoustic songwriters." At the time, both Berkobin and McCormick held other jobs (Berkobin owned a mortgage business in Boalsburg and McCormick worked at Penn State), and practiced music only part time. They got the name del Gattos (which is both Italian and Spanish and means, roughly, "the cats") from a former coffee shop in Boalsburg.

The group’s success grew quickly and eventually, Berkobin and McCormick left their jobs to pursue music full time. "It (the band) grew regionally early on and we didn’t have time for anything else, so we were like ‘this is cool,’" says Berkobin. "It’s really all we wanted to do-it’s a passion." Now with more free time to devote to their music, they could expand on their sound, adding more pop rock elements, and becoming more of a band with the addition of drummer Scottie Sharpe.

Early last fall, the band released its second full-length album entitled "Magic Dreams." The release has been recognized nationally, and is hailed for its "sweet vocals" and "driving acoustics" by publications such as The Boulder Planet in Colorado and the Desert News in Salt Lake City, Utah. The dreamy quality of the album is inspired by the dreams of principal songwriter Paul Berkobin. "The songs were written from dreams I had. The album is more folky–atmospheric and ethereal. It’s basically a musical dreamscape." The album won a national award from the Crossroads Music Awards 2000 as one of the best albums of 1999. "That was a pretty big deal. Bands from all over North America competed to win this award. We were like ‘Wow!’ when we found out we had won. It was unbelievable."

The music described on "Magic Dreams," the "swirling guitars, unforgettable vocals and fanciful tone" most resemble the del Gattos’ early work as an acoustic duo, as explained by Berkobin. Now the band plays more of a mix, incorporating the dreamy style with what Paul Berkobin calls "new rock." "New rock is a mixture of things. It’s playing around with different sounds. It’s totally taking things–classic rock, pop styles–and using them in new ways. New rock describes the arrangement of the tunes, doing unusual things with the vocal lines." Berkobin claims the greatest inspiration for any style of del Gattos music is its emphasis on great songwriting. The words and the feelings drawn from the lyrics are what the del Gattos express most.

During the summer, the band plays a lot of outdoor festivals. "Music outdoors is magical," Berkobin says. "It totally adds to the music. It’s great to see people enjoying themselves outdoors. Outdoor shows are the best." The rest of the year the band plays college bars and travels. But in spite of their time on the road, the del Gattos love to play here at their home base in Central Pennsylvania. Berkobin says, "I hope we get to do more and more around here." No matter how big they get, the band won’t forget its roots and the little cafe in Boalsburg that gave them the name the rest of the world won’t soon forget. Be sure to catch the del Gattos live at the People’s Choice Festival July 15 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on the new stage at the Military Museum in Boalsburg for a purely "magical mix."

by Amy Shawley



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