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We’re getting setup for the show at the new Six String Cafe in Raleigh, NC. Beautiful new spot since they moved, and this is our first time here. Good crowd so far, so that’s nice.
Been really bad at posting over the last few months, so it’s a new year, gotta try harder!
poster
And so… circular! The latest Tater CD menagerie is finally here! They came in on Monday, along with new posters, download cards and shiny new display units! The stickers arrived today, so the UPS guy is very aware of us at this point!
Hope to have them in all the online locations as soon as possible – they’ve already shipped off to CD Baby and Amazon, and DigStation will have it up very soon for download as well. If you want a CD copy and just can’t wait until it wanders online, contact me and I’ll work out how to get it to you. It’ll have to be check or Paypal at this point, as I don’t have a way to take credit cards outside of the usual channels (like CD Baby).
I don’t think this has made it to the blog yet – The Taters won this year as Best Ensemble (and I don’t think it has anything to do with our wardrobe. Although, with Greg’s shirts…?). Here’s a bit about the prize, from the Richmond magazine website:
Richmond magazine invites you to celebrate the artists whose words, fine art, music, choreography, acting, directing, film and photography enrich the cultural life of our regions. Since 1998, readers have been asked to nominate artists to the panel of selectors, made up of former honorees and arts leaders, who then choose the honorees for recognition with the Pollak Prize for Excellence in the Arts at our awards ceremony in October.
It was a huge surprise to us, since we had no idea we were even up for a nomination. There’s a write-up in the October issue of Richmond Magazine, which is on the stands now, and you can also read about it on the Richmondmagazine.com website. And while we’re at it, here’s a bit more about Theresa Pollak. Thanks to all who nominated us, whoever you may be!
Just a quick posting, so I can get something up here! Here are a few videos posted by a Tater fan on YouTube. These are from a recent show we did with Willie Nelson in Richmond.
There are lots of other Tater videos from a variety of folks over at our YouTube site -- Tatervids
OK, I just noticed tonight that I have 2 entries on IMDB.com, and I think that’s a hoot! I was looking up long-time friend and “real” animator Eric Daniels after watching a movie. I noticed a film we both worked on way back in 1987 when I was living in LA and working in animation. In a pure fit of six-degrees-of-separation-post-modernism I searched my name and sure enough, I’m listed out there. Just seems funny to me!
the world just got smaller…!
Not sure if I’ve posted this at all yet, but here is a sneak peek at the cover for the new CD – 
We’ve also started adding shirts & buttons with the new cover to our CafePress site, so if you haven’t been over to see those now’s as good a time as any 
We’ve finished the mixing on several songs, so (dare I think it?) the end is in sight! Back in again next week to continue mixing. In the meantime, here is a clip (unmixed) from the intro to Spend a Little Time with Me, featuring Chris & Alan from the Grandsons on horns!
For Virginia folks, we’re up at the Ashland Coffee & Tea tomorrow night, Sat, May 30 starting at 8pm, so come on out and say hi. And the Grandsons are there on June 5, so go see the show and tell ‘em you heard them on a Tater track!
This was in the Richmond Times-Dispatch today:
Death of Gary Gerloff will be a loss to area music scene
JEREMY SLAYTON AND JEFF E. SCHAPIRO TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITERS
Published: May 26, 2009James Gerald “Gary” Gerloff cast a large presence throughout the Richmond music community.
He was quite literally a bear of a man whose shock of wiry white hair and beard recalled the late Jerry Garcia — a likeness Mr. Gerloff, an admirer of the Grateful Dead co-founder, welcomed.
Mr. Gerloff was a talented musician, singer and songwriter in his own right, but his impact on the local music scene went deeper. He was quick to champion other musicians and deflect praise from himself to those with whom he played.
“Just an amazingly generous spirit. Such a giving and loving guy; he was always thinking of others, always willing to give credit,” said Coby Batty, a musician and friend of Mr. Gerloff.
Mr. Gerloff, who led the Gary Gerloff Band performing his own compositions as well as rock, blues and soul hits by other artists, died Saturday at his Richmond home after a brief illness. He was 58.
To those who knew Mr. Gerloff, his was a life spent helping others.
A longtime resident of Richmond, Mr. Gerloff’s philanthropic activities across Richmond were numerous. He helped launch an annual concert series to support the Positive Vibe Café, a restaurant in South Richmond with many handicapped employees.
He performed at fundraising events for the Massey Cancer Center at VCU Medical Center and was on the program committee for the Richmond Folk Festival.
“Probably at the sacrifice of his own life and maybe his family’s life, he was willing to give to one and all,” said Garth Larcen, owner of Positive Vibe Café. “Gary was one of the guys that whenever I did ask him, and I made it a point not to ask too many times because of that, he consistently always found a way to do it.”
Mr. Gerloff was a man who lived life to the fullest, said those who knew him. Batty described his friend as someone who always lived in the moment, while another local musician, Susan Greenbaum, said Mr. Gerloff was at ease with himself, which helped those around him relax in sometimes intense situations, such as recording the vocals for “Ancestor Worship,” his first-released CD.
“I think he provided other musicians a reminder to enjoy themselves, because sometimes when you play music a lot . . . you sometimes forget that you’re lucky as can be to make music and have people listen,” Greenbaum said.
Mr. Gerloff’s interests went beyond music. He was an avid baseball enthusiast and longtime season-ticket holder for the Richmond Braves. A devoted gastronome, Mr. Gerloff could often be found poolside at Granite Pool in South Richmond discussing recipes, meals and beverages in detail.
Greenbaum said Mr. Gerloff’s death is “a huge loss for the Richmond music community and a huge loss for Richmond generally, because Gary had a very warm, fuzzy presence.”
I’d echo all of that. Gary was a truly a larger-than-life character, and it was a privilege to know him and to play music together.
Very sorry to hear that our friend Gary Gerloff passed away yesterday. We’d known Gary for years, and it was in his band that Brad & I began playing together again after an absence of several years. Gary was great fun to be around, and had a huge love for people. He’ll be severely missed!
http://www.garygerloff.com/
No matter how many hours or years I spend on the computer, mostly online, I’m still always surprised at how many hours and years I can spend on the computer, mostly online. I get very easily distracted and before I know it I’m 12 more tabs away from what I was originally reading or working on. I love tabbed browsers, but they have their cost!
Recently found 2 tools that may help a lot if I can remember to use them. Readability is a tool that removes pretty much all but the text on a web page, and formats it to your liking for easy reading. Try it and see if it doesn’t help!
Quietube does a similar thing for videos. Just use the bookmark while you’re on a YouTube page, and it will show you the video without all the rest of the page behind it. Granted, if you’re out just browsing for things to look at or listen to, or are in an exploring mode, these tools will be at cross purposes, but if there’s something you want to concentrate on, they are great!
Here’s another clip from an early mix for the new CD. This one, Lonely Like That, is one of the quieter songs on the CD, and features guest-Grandson Alan MacEwen on trumpet.
Lonely Like That (early mix, clip)
We’re in the mixing stages now, with almost all recording finished. As always, time and money are slowing things down – never enough of either – but it’s coming together. Thanks very much to the folks who have made donations toward the completion of this behemoth – I hope you’ll love the results! We’re looking at a few fund-raising opportunities to help finish the thing up, so I’ll let you know about that as soon as I figure it out!
We got another tremendously appreciated gift towards the CD this week, which will really help us get this thing moving along! I continue to be amazed and gratified by the amount of support we get from folks who’ve seen us and like the music! Who’da thunkit! A big Tater THANK YOU – you know who you are
I think the horn parts on “Spend a Little Time With Me” are done – we’ll know more as we mix. Chris Watling sent his part across the ether and we’ll be adding it to the trumpet parts that Alan already put down. After that, there are a few small fixes to work on, and then mixing, which is due to start any day now. I’m traveling a lot for work right now, so that’s slowed me down a bit, but I hope to catch up soon!
Had a great time at the VibeFest 2009 last weekend, rain notwithstanding. It did hold off a bit during our set, so that was nice for us. Big thanks to Chris Guidry for sound on that show, and to all the techs who helped keep the rain water off of us and the electrical cords! Bzzzzt! Here’s a nice little video piece that I just found about the VibeFests. We’re not in the clip, but it’ll give you an idea of what this is all about:
We’re back at the Positive Vibe this evening for a show with Offering. We tried to schedule this a month ago, but it didn’t work out, so I’m really looking forward to it tonight!
just a quick update to let you know that the recording on the new CD is nearly finished! We have a few tweaks here and there and then we’re ready for mixing, so I’m still hoping for a late Spring or early Summer release! Working with The Grandsons this week, who are putting horn parts on a few songs – Alan came down to Ashland to add trumpet to “Spend a Little Time with Me” and “Lonely Like That”, and Chris will be recording his parts in MD and sending them through this marvelous new Internet thing I hear so much about. I’m looking forward to hearing how the final mix comes out! Those who have been around Taterland for any length of time have heard the Grandsons before, either live – we’ve done Christmas shows with them for the past 5 years – or on our live CD, “Just One Night” from 2005.
We have young Jim Wark back on a tune this time around. Jim was also on the live album, and it’s fun hearing him on the new material. Jim’s been playing with Brad & I, along with Brian & George in the Rock & Roll Revue shows, another of which happens this Saturday in Ashland. You can see the videos from the last show on the new Taters YouTube channel, TaterVids!
OK, that’s it for the nonce. Stay tuned!
