Meet Garth Gunderson | Actor & Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Garth Gunderson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Garth, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
To be frank growing up as a kid I found it hard to be interested in anything else besides maybe social studies haha. When it came to art, especially at a very young age there was something magnetic about it and I was naturally inclined towards pursuing the arts. For me it started with drawing, then painting, acting, and eventually music. It’s hard to put into words but there is something so infinite, expressive, and therapeutic about any medium of art. Another thing I love about it is it’s a universal language on it’s own and everything correlates whether it be dance, music, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, there’s many more but whatever it is you can make sense of it in other mediums. There’s also so many avenues and paths you can take with a creative path that make it so exciting because you never know what you might come up with next, and you also really never know what people are going to be attracted to the most when it comes to putting out your creative projects. Art and creation bring us all together for the betterment of humanity.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
When it comes to my art one of the biggest aspects of it that I always want to convey is vulnerability and humanity. What I mean by that is that I find more beauty in things that aren’t perfect, and when it comes to my art I don’t want it to be perfect. I’m drawn to art that tells an honest story and art that is a little rustic, or rough around the edges and so I want to try my best to engrain that into my body of work. In my paintings you’ll find cracks and ripples, irregularity in shapes. In my music you’ll hear that I’m not the most perfect singer or instrumentalist. In my acting you’ll see some choices that I make are what I feel in the moment, and are less rehearsed and more improvised. Maybe it sounds a little cliche but in the world we live in today a lot of us feel the pressure to be “perfect”, but being the opposite is what makes us human and that’s something I want people to connect with and accept more. I want to give people a real, emotive, and honest experience.

In terms of what I am really excited about it is my band Vagabond just dropped our debut single “Strikes at Midnight” which you can find on Apple Music and Spotify. We are also gearing up to release our second single “I’m on Fire”. We’re playing a show at The Mint LA June 1st so feel free to come on through! Shoutout to my bandmates Jasper Henry, Ashley Calton, Mike Bonomo, and Luis Gutierrez

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Ohhhh Tough question since LA is so vast and there are so many areas, it’s nearly impossible to keep tabs on all the events and things going on here but I do have a solid Itinerary for a trip. When most tourists visit LA from what I have experienced the main attractions are Disneyland, and the Hollywood walk of fame and you know the wax museums and all that jazz but the nature in LA is so assessable and is very breathtaking. I think a hike up to the Hollywood sign is a bucket list item and view. There’s also a million different coffee shops to check out all around the city. Checking out Tarantino’s theater, driving around Mulholland to get a scenic view of downtown LA. One of my favorite food spots is Melrose Ramen which has some of the best noodles in town. Malibu and riding down the PCH feels like pure bliss. You can also rollerblade down Venice Beach and just soak in that Cali sun. Take them out to a cool music venue, club, bar, or maybe check out a local comedy club during night time. The opportunities for entertainment are endless here and not to mention taking a ride down Sunset at night is always a cool experience since you feel what a lot of people have felt in the past. Overall that’s a rough idea of where I would take a friend visiting

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are definitely a few select people that come to mind in my story thus far, but the person that will always be my number one is my momma Ms. Christina Medina! She was a Chief in the Navy and she has always been an example of stout work ethic and overall resilience, which is something I can struggle with and something that I really admire her for. She really let me explore who I was growing up and has always supported me in pursuing so many different things no matter what it was. At one point it was playing football, and at another point in time it was to one day be a NASCAR driver haha. She has been my muse and my endless light on the darkest days so I would like to dedicate this shoutout to her. I would also like to mention my best friend Jacob Newman for always supporting me, my Step Dad Ben Medina who definitely helped shape me into the man I am today, my sister Gianna Gunderson for her endless inspiration and support, my brother Grant Gunderson who is always updating me on the news and everything going on in the world, and my best friends out here in Los Angeles; Antonio Josh Medina, William Cook, and Jasper Henry. Without these individuals in my life I truly do not know where I would be. 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garthgundersonjr/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUt8aTE9Jj3_jfuN7M797CQ

Image Credits
William Phillips Cook