Five years ago, Silver Jews frontman and indie-rock icon David Berman released Purple Mountains into the world and took his leave of it, taking a little part of all of us with him. In August, when gallerist Julia Martin posted a picture of a purple heart that read “Silver Jews @ 8:30 p.m.” on Instagram, a shiver of excitement ran through the indie scene. During a celebration of Purple Reign, a monochromatic exhibition presented by Julia Martin Gallery and inspired by Berman, his widow and bandmate Cassie Berman was joined on the gallery’s porch by a slew of old friends. William Tyler, Peyton Pinkerton, Tony Crow, Matt Swanson and Brian Kotzur joined in for a full Silver Jews set, including an electric rendition of “The Wild Kindness” with Will “Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy” Oldham as a guest vocalist. It was a special night, something the crowd sprawled across the one patch of grass left in Wedgewood-Houston will never forget.
Best Reunion
