Help finalize Zwerg's last album, his final wish

Hi, my name is Jared Betts and I am fundraising for my brother Jason Betts (Zwerg) who recently passed. My brother was an extremely talented artist, musician and actor and was trying to get his latest music album released. I am working with his record label trying to get this accomplished, as it was extremely important to him thus very important to my family and I.

My brother was the most beautiful man I have ever met in my life, a musical genius, so original uniquely creative, he was of my blood and he was me. Often creative minds are not always of this world. He left this imperfect world on Tuesday, March 5th, 2024, so that his spirit could soar into the light of eternity. Jason was a true light in this world. His soulmate Tim Obrien passed away 1 month before. I miss my brother and Tim more than words could ever describe, everything in my life I did because my big brother did it first, my art, 80s fantasy movies, my skateboarding, my snowboarding, 90s grunge, shoegaze music... he lead the way for me, I followed.

In the wake of a profound loss and as we grapple with the departure of our beloved beautiful ethereal brother and son. My family is heavy with grief yet determined to honor his memory in a way that resonates with the very essence of his being. Through this loss remains a deep resolve to channel our grief into a legacy that celebrates the beautiful soul that he was, Jason was an artist, and his work will be remembered till the end of time.

In 1997, he won the Best Male Actor Award in the Atlantic Film Festival. This landed him representation with a top agent in Toronto where he worked for 6 years as an actor. I went to live with him in Toronto many times for a while and I got to act in films and tv shows as well. I would go to Finnish Pentecostal sauna retreats with his amazing & gorgeous Scandinavian friends. We were also in a big fashion show modelling Scandinavian fur. I had just landed from a flight and he said Jar, I have to be in a fashion show, you can be in it too. He left out that it was for thousands of people at the Toronto EX and I just said sure, let’s do it. My brother, sister Jessica and I are ethereal artists and have never been normal or even human I think, we connect with art, the stars and feel things extremely deep on another prismatic wavelength.

Jason's first self-produced music DVD, “To Stand, Kneel” (the Parable of The Ten Virgins) was released in 2004 and was played on Much Music. It featured friends who were members of the Finnish Saalem Pentecostal and Airport Churches (Toronto). He returned to New Brunswick in 2006 and focused on his music, releasing 8 CDs and earning 11 Music N.B. Award nominations. He collaborated with many incredible artists; the awe inspiring psychedelia Rick white and Mark Gaudet of Elevator to Hell and also the incredible cello master ceramic fire wolf Tim Isaac, just to name a few. Zwerg, released 10 music videos airing on Much More Music and his music was played on radio shows all over North America. He worked with producer John Philip Shenale who worked with one of his favorite musicians Tori Amos, Jane's Addiction, Billy Idol, The Beach Boys, Janet Jackson and Diana Ross. Zwerg also worked with Ron McMaster who mastered albums by Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Robert Plant & Allison Kraus, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Miles Davis, R.E.M at Capitol Records, Hollywood.

His dream was also to be on the show Dragula, he was a master of fashion and created orginal fantasy creature looks and clothing that Gwar, Alexander McQueen, Clive Barker and Cronenberg would be proud of, that is a fact. He was a miracle man. Regardless of being on the show or having a major commercial success, his art was on another level and it was incredibly strong, he was a master of his craft, with everything that he set his mind to, it would be perfect. This last album, the songs are perfect and so profoundly whimsical and deep like an angel abyss. What an incredible gift that he left for the world, his art and his music will live on forever.

For the last 12 years, Jason lived in a log cabin on the Bartibog River, Miramichi with his soulmate Tim Obrien, surrounded by woodland creatures and without internet or TV, it was literally like a fantasy movie going to visit them. Writing and recording music and videos was his passion. In 2022, he signed a recording contract with Emm Gryner’s Dead Daisy Records. Several songs and videos from this album, “Centurion”, have already been released online and a full album was planning to follow.

Jason was deeply spiritual, incredibly eccentric with an iridescent soul which he expressed through contemporary avant-garde art and his heart felt music.

Please help us finalize Zwerg's last album, help fulfill his final wish, your generous contributions will go towards covering the costs of production, mixing, mastering, manufacturing and distribution — everything needed to bring Jason’s vision to life. Together, we can ensure that their music reaches the ears of countless listeners, spreading joy and inspiration just as Zwerg always intended. "Zwerg" is German for dwarf, and for my brother this meant the under dog, he always was rooting for the misheard, the lost, the suffering, the misunderstood; he had a heart of solid gold.

More, than just completing an album, this is about honoring the memory of a beloved friend, family member, and artist. It is about celebrating the beauty and power of music—a universal language that transcends boundaries and connects us all.

Please join us in honoring Jason’s legacy. Whether you can contribute financially or simply share this campaign with your friends and loved ones, every bit of support brings us one step closer to realizing Jason’s dream.