Longmont-based ‘popstar’ A Human Named David and his alter ego David Neon imbue performance with an electric, uplifting spirit, with a weird, bold, confident, engaging flavor.
He’s not famous, yet, and may never be, but we found his spirit and act so engaging that we decided to reach out to the man behind the performers — David J. Berg — to shed light on his vision and startling creativity.
David produces songs and albums that can be found on Spotify and his website and performs at local venues. But much of his performance and work actually involves working with kids and developing a curriculum that merges his particular integrated philosophy of music, life and spirit with a budding idea: the Human Academy.
With the academy, he hopes to put young people on their best paths early on, with a solid foundation of culture and music — not just ear training and teaching scales.
He recently stepped fully into private teaching — and not simply piano lessons. When he’s not making music or outside dancing, he has 20 clients he travels to coach in music and more.
After Covid-19 struck and some parents pulled their kids out of school in lieu of alternative education, David began to mentor two young men full time, ages 13 and 14, teaching them everything from history and English to yoga, meditation, piano, and hiking, along with other entrepreneurial skills. (For math lessons, the two help one of David’s friends in building a tiny house!)
Beginnings
David began playing piano as a child, but he didn’t pick it back up seriously until age 21 when he began to teach himself, spending four hours a day for two and a half years honing his craft.
At the time, David worked in New York City’s music industry, making beats for songs and working with producers, managers and DJ, but eventually realized he wanted something beyond that. The piano became his vehicle, David told BLDRfly.
Some of A Human Named David’s colorful Instagram feed featuring David Neon.
His next two shows, the only ones on the books right now, will take place at Longmont’s Abbot & Wallace Distilling, formerly Longtucky Spirits, on Thursday, October 22 and Thursday, November 12. The majority of the year, David spends working on his albums, cohesive bodies he releases each April.
“Albums are my philosophy,” David tells BLDRfly, “then I have to get out of it and I just wanna rap and dance for like 10 months.”
Each month, he releases a new pop song on Spotify as a collaboration between A Human Named David x David Neon. His most recent, album entitled “The Last Philosopher” dropped in April 2020.
Header Image: A Human Named David at Java Stop in Longmont. Image: Tatyana Sharpton.
