Rock & Roll Jubilee

This is the tribute show that Brad & I are in, along with Jim Wark, George Garrett, Brian Sulser and BJ Kocen. We pay tribute to Elvis, Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, Ricky Nelson, and the Everly Brothers in a 2-hour show that’s a mix of songs & live comedy. So far we’ve had 5 shows over the last year & a half, with another scheduled for September. We’ll post updates about the shows here, as well as on the Tater calendar and the new Facebook page.

Sensory Lullabies – The Ultimate Tribute to Jellyfish

This tribute CD was released 2 years ago, and features 38 cover versions (?!) of Jellyfish songs. The Taters contributed our take on an unreleased tune, “Queen of the USA”. You can find the CD here, and it’s also on iTunes & Amazon (CD or MP3). As of this posting, you can get it on the Burning Sky site for $19.99 for the 2 CD set.

If I… If I… If I… The Songs of Squeeze Revisited

This is the latest project we’re involved in, another tribute CD from Burning Sky. This one features the songs of Squeeze, a big influence in Taterland, as any true Taterhead knows  We did a calypso version of Goodbye Girl on this one, which featured several guests along with the regular Tater plate – George Garrett added bongos, and Cole Evans put some percussion on. Can’t wait to hear the whole project when it’s done. No date announced at this point, but maybe sometime next year.

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, 2009

James 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.