DJ/MC
Bert grew up in and around Atlanta, GA. He comes from a long line of mixtape-makers, and went into the family 'business' from a young age. There's just something about getting two songs to sound like they were always supposed to go together. And then to be able to do that over and over again until suddenly there's this whole progression that makes perfect sense (and hopefully impresses the object of your affections) but that none of the original artists ever could have envisioned? It's pretty addictive. DJing events adds the excitement of being heavily involved in the action of the party, being largely responsible for the vibe, without having to make a bunch of awkward small talk. It's kind of like being the pitcher in baseball (not coincidentally, Bert's preferred position) or being the pickle on the side of the sandwich plate (hence the nickname DJ Psydpikl bestowed on him by friends at a backyard burn).
Bert's first "gig" was a middle school dance, but his first official-ish gig (as in, with actual DJ gear) was a Labor Day pool party in 2015. That led to throwing his own parties, opening slots at friends' burns and psytrance events, engagement parties, and of course more technically sophisticated mixtapes. Out one night with some choir buddies for some post-rehearsal karaoke, he bonded with the karaoke DJ over Prince -- which led to a smattering of wedding, karaoke, Independence Day, and trivia gigs from his new mentor over the next couple of years. Prior to leaving Atlanta, Bert was holding down a weekly Friday night gig at a busy Midtown drag bar. Which was exactly as fun -- and exasperating -- as it sounds (but paid a lot less than one might imagine).
In addition to DJing, Bert is also a Massage and Myofascial Release therapist (and currently studying to lead yoga and TRE). Upon seeing that an MFR seminar he needed was coming to Minneapolis, Bert hopped on the opportunity to get in a Prince pilgrimage. While there, he met and fell for a midwestern cutie who was ALSO planning on going to see Rising Appalachia the following weekend, and she kept him coming back. Having been duly purified in the waters of Lake Minnetonka, they now live on a hobby farm outside of Winnebago with her two kids, their horses, sheep, dogs, cats, and a hedgehog.
Bert genuinely enjoys spinning just about any genre that guests are excited about, but will always have a soft spot for Prince, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, classic Motown, '70s soul/funk, '90s alternative, southern rap, One Direction, Bruno Mars, and literally any artist from Georgia. It may come as a surprise that prior to moving to the upper midwest, Bert never really was that into country music. Americana and Lil Nas X, sure, but not so much straight-up country. Well, a couple years of rural weddings and living with a Garth/Shania/Chicks fanatic have fixed that. These days Bert is aggressively pursuing a full-on cowboy makeover to go with his genuinely rural lifestyle. In the immortal words of Doja Cat, "I'm just tryna turn up in the coouuuntry".
