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Englewood father, son show unbroken spirit in new CD

HANDOUT Tim Gebard of Englewood has released a new CD, "Unbroken Hearts"

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By Mary McCarty, Staff Writer 11:28 AM Saturday, December 31, 2011

“Unbroken Hearts” is the pitch-perfect title for Tim Gebard’s new CD — a collaboration with his son, Aaron, that not only captures the record’s lively, life-affirming tone, but also stands as testament to the healing power of music.

Gebard lost his wife, Kathy, in the crash of American Connection Flight 5966 on Oct. 19, 2004 in Kirksville, Mo., which killed two pilots and 11 of the 13 passengers.

When Tim’s CD arrived in the mail, I loved the title immediately and half-expected the CD to be a more direct tribute to his beloved Kathy. Turns out I had underestimated the subtlety of his artistry. “She was a big part of the songs, and the people who know me will recognize that,” Gebard reflected. Yet he recognizes the danger in getting too personal, too specific, in songwriting: “When lyrics are more generalized, they’re more universal. It’s easier to put your own life experience into the music.”

There’s a sense of the everyman in Gebard’s 16 original tracks. In the aching ballad “Lifetime Love” he writes, “There was a time when I thought I had it made/ all of the time it was slipping away/ a piece at a time/ a word out of line.”

It’s hard to make any generalizations about this cross-genre record that incorporates elements of acoustic music, country rock, ’50s rock, island music, light jazz and even a smattering of gospel and punk rock. At first, the diversity of styles frustrated Dean Vincent, owner of Studio D in New Carlisle where Gebard recorded “Unbroken Hearts.” He initially wanted the record to be more focused, Gebard said, “but now he loves it.”

Gebard, 61, grew up in Springfield and has been writing and playing music all his life, beginning with a garage band at Springfield South High School. Doug Toles Jr., who is married to Gebard’s niece Melanie, is part of a sizeable Springfield contingent on the record, along with his father and many family members, who are well-known in gospel circles. Gebard’s friend and former neighbor Jayne Sachs, a celebrated songwriter, performs vocals. “It’s not too often you get to play with the winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Competition,” Gebard noted.

Most rewarding of all was the collaboration with his 25-year-old son, Aaron, who plays bass. “Unbroken Hearts,” in fact, was born out of a desire to do something musical with his son. “Most parents don’t get to see a side of their children in such an objective fashion,” Gebard said. “Aaron is a terrific bass player and writes terrific bass lines.”

Gebard will open for Aaron’s band, The Mergs, Jan. 8 at Canal Street Tavern. On Feb. 4, Gebard and his band will perform at the Clifton Opera House in a concert that will be a benefit for the Clark and Greene County chapters of the American Red Cross.

In 2003 — Kathy’s last Christmas — Tim gave her a banjo, which she practiced diligently. “Aaron and I were doing our music and she felt left out,” Gebard recalled. “She would have been just thrilled about the CD. She was our biggest fan.”

A medical administrator for the Ohio University College of Medicine at Grandview Hospital, Kathy was on the last leg of her trip to attend a conference on humanism in medicine when the two-engine plane crashed in a wooded area near Kirksville, Mo. She was 49.

I never met her, but learned so much about her during the months of reporting on the tragedy for a six-part series, “Flight of Angels.” She was a quiet, modest, unassuming person who nonetheless touched thousands of lives.

She and Tim seemed perfect soulmates, and he seemed unsure how he would create a life without her.

He threw himself into volunteering for the American Red Cross and now, seven years later, he has clearly found his muse again. The pain of Kathy’s loss will never go away, but making a record is such an absorbing task that it helped to occupy his mind.

“I got to this point in my life where I felt this burst of creativity,” Gebard said. “And I’m not done yet.”

Aaron jokingly warns him, “Dad you’re over 60, relax a little bit.”

He’ll take that under advisement, but he knows one thing: “If I do anything else, I have a great bass player.”

How to go

Sunday, Jan. 8: Tim Gebard will be the opening act at Canal Street Tavern in downtown Dayton. Doors open at 7 p.m. for the 8 p.m. show.

Saturday, Feb. 4: Tim Gebard’s band will perform a benefit concert at 7:30 p.m. for the American Red Cross at the Clifton Opera House at 5 S. Clay St. in Clifton. Tickets will be sold at the door only.

For more information: visit www.tgmusic.us.com/

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