Dave Berget
Guitar, Bass & Vocals
Dave Berget is a veteran American jazz guitarist, bassist, vocalist, and music historian. He is best known for his versatility, moving fluidly between 1960s psychedelic garage rock, raw electric blues, and sophisticated cocktail jazz.
He is a central figure in the Upper Mississippi regional music circuit and historically contributed to pioneering rock bands in Minnesota.
Current Musical Projects & Style
Berget currently performs heavily as a cornerstone player in the La Crosse, Wisconsin music scene.
The Twilights: Berget plays jazz guitar and provides vocals for this popular regional ensemble. Performing alongside vocalist Karen Lee, keyboardist Joe Hauser, and drummer Ken Isler, he anchors a "cocktail hour" sound that blends smooth jazz, the Great American Songbook, and groovy R&B.
The Resident Blues Historian: Within his ensembles, Berget is widely recognized as an "old-school" musicologist. He injects a deep knowledge of American roots, delta blues, and classic rock-and-roll history into the band's live arrangements and sets.
1960s Garage Rock Legacy: The Stillroven
Long before anchoring the Midwest jazz scene on guitar, Berget earned his place in regional rock history as a bassist and vocalist for the legendary 1960s Minnesota band The Stillroven.
The "Hallucinogenic Masterpiece": Berget joined the Robbinsdale, Minnesota psych-rock group alongside guitarist Jim Larkin. His bass playing is featured on their highly acclaimed 1968 single "Little Picture Playhouse" / "Cast Thy Burden Upon the Stone".
Cult Status & Anthologies: Though the band split up in the late 1960s, Berget's recorded tracks gained a massive international cult following among garage-psych record collectors. His bass tracks are immortalized on prominent retrospective albums, including the 1996 Sundazed Music release Cast Thy Burden Upon the Stillroven and the 2005 archive release Too Many Spaces.
Performance Circuit
You can routinely find Berget playing his jazz guitar setups at community concert series and venues throughout Wisconsin, such as the Great River Sound Concerts at Dash-Park in Onalaska.