ABOUT THE BERGAMOT

The Bergamot is an American indie folk/rock duo based in Brooklyn, New York. The group formed in 2010 in South Bend, Indiana and consists of Jillian Speece (vocals) and Nathaniel Paul Hoff (vocals/guitar/keyboard/harmonica). The duo is known for their songwriting, uplifting music and entertaining shows. Their sound is often compared to Of Monsters and Men, Benjamin Gibbard and Mac Demarco. In 2017 The Bergamot won the Project Aloft Star competition and People Magazine said they were the,“hottest emerging music talent” while EARMILK wrote that, “The Bergamot is the perfect blend.”

The duo has opened up for X-Ambassadors, Gavin Degraw, Bea Miller,Young The Giant and in 2019 they got invited to open for OneRepublic. 

The Bergamot has released 7 albums and 1 EP while constantly touring across North America and Europe. Hoff and Speece started writing together in 2003 after their high-school art teacher Kitty Gunty invited them to write a song to submit to Project XL, an Indiana state-wide arts and songwriting competition. And in the spring of 2004 the duo’s song “Seasons Change” was accepted as a top 10 finalist.

Since their early years together The Bergamot has released Smile EP (2010), Haven (2011), Live at The Morris (2017), A South Shore Christmas (Live at The Acorn, Three Oaks, 2019) and 4 studio albums Static Flowers (2012), Tones (2016), Mayflies (2019) and Far Out (2022). The duo set out on January 2nd, 2016 from New York City to launch “The Unity Collective USA Tour.”

While on The Unity Collective tour Hoff and Speece would perform in all 50 states while spreading a message of unity and peace to all Americans during a tumultuous 2016 election period. Two months before the conclusion of The Unity Collective tour The Bergamot would get a lucky break as their story got picked up by NBC Washington Channel 4 "Driving for Unity"and spread their message further into the fabric of America. At the end of this 8 month tour they would go on to released the dreamy anthem P.D.R. This single was discovered by Matt Wiggins (Adele, U2, Florence and the Machine) and achieved rave reviews being called "The hottest emerging music talent" (People) and "a gorgeous sound" (Daily Mirror).

Fans have discovered the band through an unbelievable series of music videos released to promote the new album "Mayflies". The videos have been heralded by music critics as "Lush" (PARADE) and "The Perfect Blend" (EARMILK). These groundbreaking videos have brought light to difficult topics and continued to build upon the band's momentum from "P.D.R.". The videos have garnered over 150k views on YouTube.

Three years after dropping Mayflies The Bergamot finished their first feature length documentary “State of the Unity” (2022).

In February 2022 “State of the Unity” would be accepted into the Sedona International Film Festival and win the “Marion Herrman Excellence in Filmmaking Award” and a few days later it would win “Best Feature Documentary” by Art Film Awards and get an invitation to the Richmond International Film Festival.

History

Speece and Hoff met at Marian High School in (2003) and started their career in 2010 after completing their time as NCAA Division I college athletes, graduating from Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne. After graduating from college they completed their first album Smile which was recorded out of Hoff’s college apartment. Two months after Smile was released they took off on their first 47 date American tour which kicked off in Cincinnati, Ohio at Midpoint Music Festival September 23rd, 2010. While on the road the duo would perform at dive bars, small clubs and even busked on the street to help get enough money to cover gas to get to the next tour stop. 

A few days before thanksgiving (2010), they wrapped up their first American tour and realized how much the road had changed and challenged them to grow as artists. That first tour was the catalyst for Hoff and Speece to write and record more personal songs which led them to produce their first studio album Static Flowers (2012) in Nashville,TN at Ocean Way Studio and Scott McEwen’s Fry Pharmacy an all analog recording studio. During the fall of 2012 with the help of a friend Kristopher Priemer they created their own independent label, Both Records. Static Flowers was released independently and shortly after they won the “Best Unsigned Band in America” via the Bud Light Battle of the Bandscompetition (2012). 

After winning the Bud Light contest in November (2012) The Bergamot performed at the Bud Light Port Paradise Music Festival in the Bahamas and open up for The All-American Rejects, Wiz Khalifa and Young the Giant. Less than a year later on August 24, 2013 Hoff and Speece got married in their hometown of South Bend, IN. After getting married they would continued writing and working on their next album Tones in New York with Producer Assaf Spektor. Upon completion of Tones they found a small apartment in Brooklyn, NY (2013). Shortly after moving to Brooklyn The Bergamot focused their efforts on touring liberal art's colleges in the Mid-Atlantic region to refine their sound as well as performing at music festivals like The Summer Camp Music Festival. 

In 2016 the couple released their 2nd studio album Tones where upon listening to it Paste Magazine said,"The Bergamot is...hard-hitting...catchy-as-hell." A few months later on the backdrop of the 2016 American election the pair launched The Unity Collective USA, a 50 state, 264 date tour with a mission of spreading a message of unity and peace through music, community and collaboration. At every stop they would perform and invite fans and onlookers to sign their message of unity on the outside of their station wagon. 

By the fall of 2016, the duo had successfully toured to all 50 states, documenting, performing over 264 shows and collecting thousands of messages of unity on The Unity Car.Hoff and Speece finished the tour by doing a benefit concert at The Morris Performing Arts Center for Memorial Children's Hospital going back to their hometown, South Bend, IN. After the concert they auctioned The Unity Car off on Ebay and donated 100% of the proceeds to the Music Therapy Department at Memorial Children's Hospital. They would go on to spend the next 5 years sifting through tour footage, editing and working hard to create their first ever documentary, “State of the Unity” (2022).

After finishing The Unity Collective 50 State tour the duo had amassed a large amount of debt from car repairs and unforeseen financial challenges related to the tour. They were emotionally, physically and financially spent. Together they considered other work options and even thought about quitting music altogether. During this dark period, Hoff wrote and produced P.D.R. which would get into the hands of world renowned London producer/engineer Matt Wiggins who would go on to mix P.D.R. In the fall of 2017 P.D.R. propelled the duo to win the Project: Aloft Star competition in NYC. In early 2018 they resided in Greenpoint, Brooklyn until opportunity called and they let go of their Brooklyn apartment to record their 5th studio album Mayflies with world renowned producer/engineer Matt Wiggins at No1 Baltic Place, a East London recording studio on Kingsland Road near Shoreditch. 

By September 2019 they released Mayflies their 3rd studio album and supported the album with a tour across America. Critic's praised the album for it's “lush 'L.A.' song and video as a feast for the ears and eyes”. Parade Magazine.

Cowboys & Indians Magazine stated in regard to The Bergamot's song "Bones " that “Hoff bares his heart with this raw and emotional tune. Heightened by Speece’s echoing harmonies, the composition propels the song’s honest sentiments in a compelling and moving way.” 

During October (2019) while on tour in Santa Cruz, CA they got the call to open up for One Republic on April 25, 2020, at the Purcell Pavilion. On March 13th 2020 as The Bergamot was on tour promoting Mayflies in Austin, TX at SXSW Music Festival as Coronavirus hit the US canceling SXSW for the first time in 34 years. As America went into lockdown Speece and Hoff would find refuge at their friends home in Sedona, Arizona. While they were there for four months Hoff would go on to write a new album for The Bergamot and together the duo would performed over 100 live virtual concerts from what their fans deemed the “Happy House” in Sedona. Recently, The Bergamot released their new album “Far Out” (October 2022). This year they launched their award-winning documentary “State of the Unity”(2023).

Discography

Smile EP (2010)

Haven (2011)

Static Flowers (2012)

Tones (2016)

Live at The Morris (2017)

Mayflies (2019)

A South Shore Christmas (Live at The Acorn, Three Oaks, 2019) (2021)

Far Out (2022)

Earmilk PREMIERES “MAYFLIES”

The Bergamot write an anthem for the unsuspecting "Mayflies"

When it comes to mixing art with politics (or any culturally relevant topics), you often run the risk of creating a larger divide than there ever was originally. Sides are taken, opinions are haphazardly thrown at will, and the artist may find themselves pigeonholed in their own creation. Brooklyn husband and wife-fronted band… READ MORE