The name of the album is a reflection of Berkman’s past, his creative process, and the kind of art he seeks to share with the world. Growing up in Peoria, Illinois along the banks of the Illinois River, Berkman was raised in a region that calls itself “the heart of” the state. He also describes true collaboration as getting to “the heart of” or “the center of the idea” whilst incorporating various sounds, his conviction that what we create should be the essence – the heart of – who we are. 

 

When it came time to record, Berkman enlisted the help of long-standing favorites: his best friend and co-producer on the project, Ron Pope, sang and played banjo and electric guitar. Justin Glasco (formerly of The Lone Bellow) played drums, percussion, piano, and organ, Rachel Ries (Her Crooked Heart, Anais Mitchell, Kith and Kin Chorus) lent her guitar, accordion, vocal, and piano skills, and Jeff Malinowski sang and played bass and acoustic guitars. Berkman and his studio crew set up a studio in his family’s rejuvenated farmhouse located in rural Michigan. The space is, perhaps, the last band member.