Album Notes

MAYBES ARE FADING...
a ten song pathway that starts with a few hard questions. The first song, MAYBES ARE FADING, poses these. There is a love interest represented by the metaphor of a violin. Is this instrument the example of refinement or is it an imposter? Can I rely on this? Is she authentic? The instrument might be hollow but it makes a phenomenal sound. You dig in to find not an immediate answer.
Instead a journey begins and continues with each successive song. FLOAT is the longing for the love that is lost. More deeply, it is the longing for the life that feels lost with the determination to get it back. ALL INSTEAD is the rough road itself unfolding. You realize that the clarity you seek is possible but obstacles must be overcome. "Simplify it all instead". "The old failed the test, now lost it all to gain fast", the song says. A place is reached where we get to the bottom of the matter and begin to rise from the ash. A tension is then released with the next song, WONDERFUL THING. Here we find an acceptance and a soothing resolve that nothing is perfect. "It's the wonderful thing you do, it's the beautiful way you choose", is the chorus lyric. Importantly, we realize there is a choice. We continue with this mood through AM I. This is the love ballad that serenades but also dissects the nature of the one you desire. She wears a mask but cannot hide very well. The message of the song is that she does not have to. Her flaws are her best features and you want her to stop attempting to hide them.
You have evolved and you are letting her know it is OK to be exactly who she is. There is now a BREAKTHROUGH. You are announcing this by the albums midpoint. Time to step up with THE WISHING, a song that proclaims that you have found a sort of wealth that wants to be shared. Obviously, this involves something other than money and a lost love. Will she return to collect? She does return and it is left open as to whether she stays. FONTAINEBLEAU, like ALL INSTEAD, represents a fast paced exciting trip. It is the descending part of the musical and emotional arch that ascended with ALL INSTEAD. This time it is the happy surrender. You are sharing the trip. You travel through a land you have never seen before. A decadent castle in the center of green fields and lakes is the new setting. She told you to go and you listened. You did not hesitate and found something new. In the end, you did find the muse but you also realized that the muse was inseparable from you. By song ten, appropriately titled AND SO IT HAPPENS unfold to peace. The song sonically resembles the first MAYBES ARE FADING. The difference lies only in what journey took place in between. We always had it but now we believed it.

BIO

J Scott Bergman began writing songs at the age of 19. He would demo these first tracks on a hand held tape recorder in his parents garage in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles. First of course, he would have the cars moved to the street to experience that initial excitement of a makeshift echo chamber. At the time a student at UC San Diego but spending many weekends in LA, J Scott would take study breaks by sneaking into the empty staircases of the buildings at night where he had discovered the ultimate acoustic environment. Sitting down six floors up and playing his songs with an acoustic guitar was a joy and an escape. Fantasizing about performing and putting people under his spell, J Scott graduated from college and chose not to pursue his original career choice of Medical Doctor. Mr. Bergman moved back to Los Angeles and started his band which was first called "To The Sky". "I was never a fan of the name and even remember announcing it on stage as I cringed with indifference" says J Scott. Eventually it was changed to "Something Iris". Becoming a solo performer at the turn of the century was indeed a turn of events. "Learning to depend on my own abilities and building confidence without the backbone of the proven machine of a well oiled band. I was naked and scared for awhile. Then it began to get comfortable and healthy." The music kept coming resulting in a trilogy of back to basics solo records. This culminated into the making of the new "Maybes Are Fading" which is a rock and roll labor of love. A collection of beautiful songs and a few aggressive turns (e.g. Fontainebleau) from an artist who's vision is clear. J Scott Bergman toured Northern Europe in 2002. He also placed as a finalist in the 2003 Acoustic Live competition in Los Angeles and has won songwriting awards from The John Lennon Songwriting and Great American Song contests. In addition, his work placed as a runner up in the VH1 sponsored Song Of The Year contest in 2004. Check out the Great American Song Contest "Outstanding Achievement In Songwriting Award" winner "The Wishing" and "Honor Award" winner "Wonderful Thing" in the song samples on this page. The latter song also spent a month in the top 20 most played singles on XM Satellite radio Station 52 in late September through early October 2005. J Scott Bergman releases his material through his own "Bergmusic" label and is currently living in Los Angeles.