We were lucky to catch up with Gary Bertsch recently and have shared our conversation below.

Gary, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project I have worked on is my song/album Hot Dern. The phrase “hot dern” comes from my uncle, Albert Bertsch. Uncle Al had down syndrome and he passed away in 1999. He was quite the character and the surrounding communities loved him. Among other things, Uncle Al was an usher at his church and he sold raffle chances for various organizations. Also, he smoked cigarettes for most of his life, however he quit smoking in the early 90’s. When visiting him one evening, I asked why he had stopped smoking and I will never forget his reply: “Because the hot dern government keeps raising the prices.” With that, he simply quit. Uncle Al would also get emotional at times. On another evening we were watching Jurassic Park together. In the scene when little Timmy is revived after being shocked from the fence, uncle Al had tears pouring down his face, exclaiming, “Hot dern, they saved that little boy!”

Gary, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My musical journey began when I met some guys in college and I sang lead in several cover rock and roll bands. From there, I picked up drumming and continued singing lead attempting to emulate one of my heroes, Levon Helm. In 2010, I decided I wanted to express myself with original tunes and embarked on a songwriting journey by picking up an acoustic guitar and getting to work. Early on in the process, many of the song ideas I had were terrible, but as one of my favorite authors says, you have to write the crap to get to the good stuff. For the last few years, my writing has been more whimsical, fun, and hopefully thought provoking with songs like Hot Dern, Left Foot Brake, and Good Standing (With My Local Library). One thing I am proud of is that my oldest son, Garren, who plays the saxophone, records and plays shows with me. There is nothing better than performing live with him.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Aside from writing, recording, and playing music with my son, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is not only performing live, but meeting and talking with folks about my music. When someone tells me that they enjoyed a certain performance or song, or that one of my songs reached them in some way…there is no better feeling.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

A time that I had to pivot was making the decision to fully embrace being a singer songwriter. Prior to this, I only performed in cover bands. While I still play a few cover songs in my set, my original music is front and center. At first, it was very nerve wracking and intimidating. For any artist, putting your own creations out there for people to listen to, see, judge, or whatever is a very scary undertaking, but I believe getting out of your comfort zone and taking risks is extremely important.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://garybertsch.com/home
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/gary_bertsch
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gary.c.bertsch
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/GaryCBertsch
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiaauBFh-jFfLbuX1Nnf5VQ