Benj Gershman says he wants to share with the world his conversations with people who have struggled with trauma and recovered—just like him. The graduate of Rockville’s Thomas S. Wootton High School and original member of the rock band O.A.R. was on tour in February 2020 when he was infected by COVID-19; for the next two years, he battled extreme fatigue from long COVID. Gershman says he was so focused on rebuilding his physical strength and identity as a musician that he overlooked the toll the ordeal took on his mental health.
With hard work and support from others, Gershman, 44, says he’s now in a good place. O.A.R., which formed in 1996 in Rockville, is recording a new album and touring this summer with a stop on July 27 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia.
In May, Gershman—who grew up in Gaithersburg and lives in Encinitas, California, with his wife and 5-year-old son—launched What Could Be Bad, a mental health and wellness podcast to discuss his journey and those of other performers and producers.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
How do you stay grounded? Connecting with my family first and foremost. … I look at the ways I used to live before as very reactive. Now I look at living as preventive maintenance—a part-time job where I need to take care of myself. That means waking up before everyone else in the family [at 5 a.m.], stretching, exercising, doing breath work and meditation, taking a walk for 45 minutes to sometimes two hours. That’s my time.
Who did you listen to most growing up? Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, Aerosmith, Red Hot Chili Peppers. My first live concert was at Merriweather to see the Monkees with Weird Al Yankovich.
Do you have a favorite D.C.-area music club? The Anthem [in Southwest D.C.]. That place is glorious. I grew up loving the 9:30 Club, and the Anthem is the 9:30 Club magnified.
What influence do you think growing up in MoCo had on your music? There are so many cultures and there is so much music. You can pull up at a light and hear somebody listen to music from another part of the world. I remember that happening, loving it, and [being] like: What was that sound? I need to figure that out.
Where is your favorite place to be? Home. I spent so much time here that I thought when I got through all this stuff I’d take my wife and kid on a nationwide adventure. But my wife has a career. My kid really benefits from the things he has here. I live in a beautiful place, and I love being here to support them. Being of service as a father and as a husband is my greatest priority.
What’s the best advice someone has given you? Do the work.
What book have you read recently? This Is What It Sounds Like: A Legendary Producer Turned Neuroscientist on Finding Yourself Through Music by Susan Rogers. It’s an incredible book that analyzes what it is about music that we all appreciate and get attached to.
What’s one song you have on heavy rotation? “Welcome to Hard Times” by Charley Crockett. It’s country music. I feel like he’s one of the new outlaws like Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson or Merle Haggard. I just dig his low voice, and we share the same birthday, March 24.