By K.D. Norris
It is no coincidence that guitarist and vocalist David Gerald likes to call his tight, taught guitar-bass-drum group a “Power Trio” — seeing him on video, hearing him on vinyl, tells you he knows that his hometown Detroit blues, R&B and rock sound is all about bringing the power to the stage.
Which, we can assume, he and his trio will do, Thursday, July 29, as they visit the outdoor Kentwood Summer Concert free series for a 7 p.m. gig.
Gerald also knows all about the blues, coming from a family that lived it, and grabbing the power, from a father who grabbed it.
Gerald is the son of rural Mississippi born and raised parents, and while he was born in Detroit, the youngest of 11 children, six of his siblings were born and partly raised in Mississippi.
“Because segregation and racial discrimination were so bad in Mississippi at the time, my dad moved the family north to Detroit when he was 33, so we’d have a better chance at the American dream,” Gerald said in supplied material.
And Gerald’s version of the American Dream is playing his beloved Detroit-sound music — what he calls “blues-infused rock and soul hybrid” — with his lead guitar a central figure since he first pickup one up at age 14.
“I was lucky enough to have a neighbor who was a guitarist and gave me scrap guitars. I would piece them together and build ‘Frankenstein’ guitars,” Gerald said. “They were horrible to play and sounded bad, but I had to play music. It was and is my destiny. I finally scraped up enough money to buy an old amp and I was happy.”
After cutting his teeth and honing his guitar skills in the 1980s, he says he began to explore the music of blues guitar heavyweights like Albert King, ZZ Hill, B.B. King, and Stevie Ray Vaughan — and his sound “evolved and expanded to where it is today.”
His 2009 debut CD, “Hell And Back,” reached #1 on Roots Music Report’s Blues Chart for Michigan based artists and remained in the top 20 for many weeks in a row. His newest album, “N2U”, was released in April 2018.
“N2U” had “been a long time coming,” he said. “I put together these songs for myself, my friends and supporters. It’s all about new thoughts, new experiences and deeply felt emotions. I hope everyone who listens can find something that touches them. Something they can relate to.”
For more information on the David Gerald Band, visit davidgerald.com.
The Kentwood Summer Concert Series has two more Thursday night dates: The Accidentals on Aug. 5 and a rescheduled night with The Soul Syndicate on Aug. 19.
Concerts will be livestreamed by WKTV for those who would prefer to enjoy the performances from home.
All concerts will begin at 7 p.m., and conclude around 8:30 p.m., on the lawn behind Kentwood City Hall, 4900 Breton Ave. SE. Concertgoers are encouraged to bring a blanket or chair. Each concert will feature food trucks, which will have food and beverages available for purchase. Guests may also bring their own food and beer or wine.
All are also invited to visit the Kentwood Farmers Market, which overlaps with the concert schedule as the market will take place 4:30-7:30 p.m. each Thursday in front of the Kent District Library – Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Branch, 4950 Breton Ave. SE.
More information is available at kentwood.us/SummerConcertSeries.
