We caught up with the brilliant and insightful John Gerard a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

John, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I took guitar lessons when I was 11 for a few months, got impatient and started to just play on my own. I watched other musicians, guitarists and learned others songs. I literally put things together one note at a time. When I started writing songs I wrote about what I knew, which was about being young. I started with rock songs and created what I thought a rock song should sound like. In my 30s I left the rock world because I wanted to play more so I switched to alternative folk and taught myself by listening to various artists and how they approach the song. This paved the way for me in learning what to do and what not to do when writing a song. I discovered that a thesaurus and rhyming dictionary were my best friend! I read alot of books to keep my vocabulary and sorylines diverse.

Being honest when writing a song is the most important foundation skill; its necessary for people to be able to connect with the lyrics. If its not coming from an honest, vulnerable place, people can smell it a mile away and you lose them.

I’m an intovert by nature and its not easy for me to step out into the world, and one needs experiences in order to write about them honestly. I challenge myself all the time to step into discomfort so that I can experience life and write about it from a truthful place.

John, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I was athletically challenged as a kid and didnt have a lot of friends. My mom always played music in the house and I used to use a tennis racket and pretend I was singing to an audience. I bought my first guitar when I was 11 and started my own band when I was 13 with some other kids from school. We played our first gig when I was 14. I spend the next 16 years in a rock band, we were being considered by RCA records when I was 20 but we were young and stupid and didnt do the work necessary to make that opportunity come to life.

By the time I was 30, I realized that life in a rock band was not my future. It became apparent that the band life of drugs, alcohol and clashing personalities was a significant barrier to developing as a musician. I embarked on the solo acoustic path as well as sobriety. Being sober allowed me to tap into my current and past life from a very vulnerable and honest place. That writing style allowed me to connect with myself in ways that really fostered my creative process. People began to connect with my songs in a more meaningful way.

I aim to write songs about topics and themes that often fall through the cracks, or things people think are better swept under the rug. They are not always the most happy or glamourous topics, but are important to give voice to. I am most proud of being able to write songs that people from almost every walk of life can connect with.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

In 2012 I decided that my music career wasnt moving forward and opportunities werent mounting. I had 2 kids and one on the way and I decided to retire the guitar and went to school to become a Class A truck driver. For 8 years I had various truck driving jobs from Car hauling to asphalt and trash. It was a “moment of purgatory”… I was providing for my family but subconsciously I think I was missing meaning and purpose in my life. Trucking was just not the industry for me. I thought I could make it work and but I was a square peg in a round hole. In 2018 my wife launched her own business and we decided that we could afford for me to pivot again out of the trucking industry into something with more personal meaning. So in 2019 I left driving and entered the mental health industry working at a drug and alcohol rehab. I wanted to feel like I mattered in my work life; to pay it forward and give back in ways that meant something. One day at work I picked up the guitar and started playing. The clients really liked it and I started playing weekly music group. I had already been revisiting music with my friend Luke because he wanted to use all his new recording toys, so we recorded On The Road to a Trapeze Fight. My music at the time was very recovery focused due to my own sober journey and the clients I was working with. Since then, I have returned to music as a part of my life and part time career path with full time dreams.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect is feeling that I am making a difference for people. I created something from nothing that touched someone I dont even know. That has depth and meaning for me. It really make me realize what capacity art has to connect people who dont even know each other, from different walks of life. Art is the truest most honest form of communication amongst humans.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.johngerard.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/16xisZUwGT/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Image Credits

Franco O’Malley
Alicia Rapson