Howard Eisberg has been bopping around these parts for decades, bedecking his songbook with four-chords-and-the-punch-line hymns like a bowerbird gathering trinkets for its nest. And yet, few people realize what a fabulous creature Howard Iceberg (as he's known onstage and on disc) truly is. The writer of dozens upon dozens of quirky, catchy and often profound songs about romance, regret, drinking, death, love, life and Eva Marie Saint, Iceberg — with help from his backing band, the Titanics — plans to write and record until they nail his coffin shut. And we'll keep listening till they nail ours shut. The man's dry, breaking, nasal baritone, though far from pretty, matches the material perfectly (think John Prine), but we're excited to hear what comes out of Iceberg's collaborations with other local musicians. And if anyone wants to host a Howard-aoke night, sign us up.


