Valley musician Jerry Wessling discusses his latest efforts

WASILLA— Valley musician Jerry Wessling recently discussed his latest endeavors in the local music scene.

Wessling was recently given an all-new opportunity to perform for Rodeo Alaska over Memorial Day weekend.

“So, it will be my first rodeo,” Wessling said with a laugh.

Wessling was also given the opportunity to play alongside The Ken Peltier Band during the event. He said that it was fun preparing for this show because he got to dive into the country music genre for the first time.

“We had this great meeting and we were just like, ‘man, let’s put together a super group’ and that’s what we did. We’ve just been blasting it out since, and it’s been a great few months putting this together,” Wessling said.

Wessling has been playing music across Alaska for many years. He works as a middle school math teacher, so his summer schedule is packed with performances at venues such as the Palmer Ale House, Tailgaters, and Friday Fling.

“Summertime is when it gets pretty intense. I’m having fun. I’m having a good time,” Wessling said.

Wessling said that his favorite part of being involved with the Alaskan music scene has always been the people.

“I love playing music with my friends,” Wessling said. “It’s just what I do. I’m supper passionate about it.”

Alaska’s most iconic singer and songwriter, James Varsos, better known as Hobo Jim died in October of 2021. Wessling said that he opened for him during his last performance at the Alaska State Fair. He said that Varsos left an irreplaceable and fantastically positive impact on the hearts and minds of Alaskans that will stand the test of time.

“He wrote songs about what Alaska is,” Wessling said.

Wessling noted that Peltier inherited the rights to Varsos’ songs and truly believes that he is the perfect person to help keep the legacy of Alaska’s Balladeer alive for years to come.

“Ken Peltier is keeping that tradition going, and I think it’s important to keep that tradition going just as an Alaskan,” Wessling said.

Wessling said that it’s encouraging to see the music scene come back to life after so many closures and canceled events throughout the pandemic, but there’s still an underlying need. He said there still needs to be more venues for local singer/songwriters to hone their skills.

“We need to have more working bands in the music community,” Wessling said.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com