Veteran musician Alan Gerber bringing show to Glasgow Square
Alan Gerber grew up listening to his mother playing a baby grand piano, and his uncles performing blues and jazz music, with his first “musical magical moment” coming while sitting on his mother’s lap as she played The Anniversary Song.
Although he fell in love with music and took piano lessons, as a youngster he was more interested in baseball, basketball and football, but did find some time to write songs. When he was 12, he got his first guitar and discovered the pleasure of writing lyrics as well.
Gerber, who lived in Chicago, began his professional career with a teenage rock band then, together with a friend, recorded a single that received some radio airplay. While studying music in university, he met Paul Rothchild, the producer of The Doors, who offered him the chance to be part of a group that became Rhinoceros.
He has now been playing professionally for about 56 years, and will bring the show he describes as “powerful and funny” to Glasgow Square on Saturday night for Boogie Woogie Blues Night with Alan Gerber and Doris Mason.
Meeting New Glasgow native Mason through the annual Reason for Hope concert at Glasgow Square that raises funds for cancer-related initiatives, Gerber said he’s worked with her before, and the performance will be a “very original show with Doris – two (artists) adds another flavour.”
Gerber will be performing all original material from his latest CDs, playing piano, electric guitar, violin, electric slide guitar, button accordion, and he will sing and “go wild.”
They’ll perform together at the end of the show, and will also “do stuff with two pianos.”
Gerber lives north of Montreal, and fell in love with Quebec after being asked to play Appalachian fiddle on a project being done at Andre Perry’s studio in the Laurentian mountains where many famous musicians recorded, such as Rush, the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Art Garfunkel and the Bee Gees.
His music crosses many genres – he plays folk, rock and roll, rhythm and blues – and the musician has appeared in the past with famous artists such as Bob Dylan, BB King, John Lee Hooker, Janis Joplin, Van Morrison, Lou Reed and many others.
Gerber said his mission is to move people through music and words, to feel and think.
“I believe art should be meaningful. My vision is to continuously reach deep into the fullest spectrum of emotions I can experience and never be satisfied with what I’ve done in the past. By doing this, my art will be expressed not just intellectually, but physically in every performance I give.”