Klamath Falls, Ore- Braving a stiff cross-town wind and the first chilly weather of the season, Joseph Bergstrom played to a small gathering at Sugarman’s Corner yesterday. Bergstrom, accompanied by his wife Charlena and infant daughter Elizabeth strummed his guitar, taking a few minutes to explain to KAGO news that he was raising awareness for his Sprague River non-profit, The Barn, which aims to teach at-risk youth to find their own song and live their dreams.
Bergstrom hopes to pay it forward to the next generation saying, “I grew up in a log cabin with kerosene lamps and it was a very exciting day when we had electricity and even more exciting when we had a refrigerator.” His wife Charlena says, “What saved him was a gospel bluegrass band. And that was where he learned to play lead guitar and he learned to play the banjo and the fiddle.”
The Barn is a conglomerate of ventures based in Sprague River including an independent Publishing house where Bergstrom works as an editor and a recording studio where he records. Bergstrom has backed local notables such as Dana Wirth with her hit “Bad Alice” and published work by chainsaw artist/author Steve Baccus and author Jonathan Evison.
As to the underground music scene in Klamath Falls, Bergstrom says, “The problem is we’re not from Klamath Falls, we’re from Sprague River. And so we’re from that music scene out there and that’s even smaller.”
