5.26.2009

GG

gary rff 2 So this is what a ton of bricks feels like...raining down on you to get your full attention and make sure you take nothing for granted...to ensure that the "New York Minute" Don Henley wrote so eloquently about will not just be a clever lyric.  Gary Gerloff is dead and that resonates with an impossible but familiar ring evoking memories of others who've left us wanting for more...Otis Redding, Gram Parsons and yes Jerry Garcia...larger-than-life characters who've shaped our appreciation of music and our time on the planet.  For someone to have made such an impression on one who's only heard him perform maybe twice, speaks volumes of his private persona...a gentle, thoughtful, caring soul who had so much to say.  I'm just glad I caught a part of it...here's more from others pleading for more, like Don Harrison.

I remember making a quick phone call after I got out of my first National Folk Festival programming committee meeting a few years ago. I rang my friend Brent Hosier — a Richmond music historian of the first rank — and asked with an exasperated tone (as if some big secret had been kept from me all these years):

“Alright, tell me all about Gary Gerloff.”

Gary Gerloff, who passed away Saturday morning, made an indelible impression on me from the moment I met him. I’m told he specialized in that sort of thing. The longtime local musician — who performed a type of Americana music that he referred to as “Psychedelic Dixieland” — continued to be a distinctive and unavoidable presence at those committee meetings. With a build and a beard not unlike Jerry Garcia, Richmond’s own “Captain Trips” was kind of like the precocious class clown who keeps wanting to start his own discussion groups at the expense of the lesson plan.

Ah, but who would usually be the first among the group to bring up a topic nobody wanted to discuss, or to suggest an artist/genre/aesthetic that was somewhat provocative? Who was sure to get the discussion flowing with a thought or an argument that no one else anticipated? It was Gary, who could quickly become as serious, insistent and persuasive as a prosecutor when it suited his fancy. This guy was no clown — he was as sharp as they come.

According to his pal Todd Ranson, viewing arrangements are currently being finalized and “a full Catholic funeral is planned.” Reading this fine essay on Gary over at the Cool Stretch of Highway blog, I wished I had known him better… a lot better. I’m proud to have known him at all.

An excerpt:

He’s never left his hometown for more than a month. And if the former capital of the Confederacy, an aloof and well-mannered place, never will be considered a musical Mecca, it does hold special appeal for him.

“I just love the dignity of living in a once-defeated city,” he says. “A great deal of pride once carried us here. It gave us a noble cloak, and adorned us with the air of some ancient Greek city-state. Richmond is like some old whore or piece of architecture. She’s been around forever, it seems. But when you notice her in a certain light, why, there’s a real charm to behold.”

He’s talking in his basement over a 20-foot bar with three sinks. (“One to wash your hands. One to wash your face. And one to throw up in.”) Behind the bar are display cases jam-packed with the things he holds precious: bobble-head dolls of Satchel Paige, Grady Little and Keith Richards; miniature ceramic hand-painted jazz ensembles from New Orleans; an autograph from Hunter S. Thompson; a collection of Three Stooges shot glasses; an English nose whistle; two James Brown posters from concerts at The Arena; a stuffed and mounted bear’s head casually draped in a feathered Mardi Gras mask and beads; and a 1970s photograph of his late brother Peter, arm-in-arm with the family’s maid.

Behind him, on a 9-foot Brunswick regulation pool table, lie seven bamboo fly rods, an assortment of air horns, one birdhouse in the form of the Parthenon and two Halicrafter short wave radios. Behind the pool table stand 15 vintage guitars and six worn-out, antique tube amplifiers.

He says he’s tempted to call his 1960s split level, with its 1400 sq. ft. terraced deck, “a tumbled-down shack in BigFoot country,” but instead refers to it as his roost, his outpost and his thinking line of defense. He lives here on a densely wooded hill a half-mile from the James River with his wife who’s an accomplished pianist, his 11-year-old daughter who’s an aspiring writer, and his seven-year-old son, whom he tags a “yellow-haired monkey.”

All are unimpressed with his musical persona, one that plumbs the depths of American music and its attendant emotions.

Known to his fans as “Gary Garcia” because of a likeness for the late leader of the Dead, he labels himself a relic from another era – a living fossil. “I see myself as a bluesman first. Second, I am a champion of heartfelt emotions. I like awkward displays of love. I am an encourager of dreams,” he says.

Richmond musician Johnny Hott has played with Gerloff for 15 years. “His fans are about 30 years old and up. There’s this jam-band, Grateful Dead tie-in,” he says. “We were opening once for the Jerry Garcia Band after Jerry had died. There was this one guy in a tie-dyed T-shirt who was walking slowly to the stage from the back of the crowd, getting bigger and bigger, and he was chanting to Gerloff in a trance: ‘Jerry…Jerry…Jerry…” totally transfixed on him.”

Gerloff picked up his first guitar at age 12, and promptly abandoned all other ambitions; music became his life.

There will be a lot said about Gary Gerloff in the coming days. But his buddy Tim Timberlake passed along along a couple of quotes from a Times-Dispatch article on Gary from 2001 (written by Jim O’Brien) that helps us to get a grip on what a special dude that he was. [Say what you want about the man — he gave great interview. Here is another revealing Q&A, from Plan 9's 9X Magazine.]

Let’s let this beloved “force of nature” — who could always speak for himself very well — speak for himself:

On new music:

“I may not understand it but I don’t fear it,” Gerloff said. “When I go by Twisters or some place and I hear sounds like the end of the world Parts 1 through 4, I encourage every bit of that. You want to know why? That’s the launching pad and kids are going to develop and their final twist after I’m done and gone will incorporate everything we’ve been through.”

On how he would like to be remembered:

“Well I’ve been described as a force of nature and I don’t know whether I like hearing that or not. But if I’m going to be viewed, I want to be viewed as somebody who cared about other people and the impact music can have. I want to be viewed as someone who made a stand for what I consider to be important music.”

And that you are, my friend. That you are.

Gary's life will be celebrated at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church on Huguenot Road tomorrow.  Visitation is from 4-6pm and a full-blown mass will follow at 7.  Then it's on to the Positive Vibe Cafe for lively reflection.  Throat lumps and tears guaranteed.

TT

5.22.2009

One-Two Punch

 ocms leader Back to back experiences like the two I just had make me very proud and glad to be here in Richmond...perfect weather, world-class outdoor venues, nationally known bands and record crowds were exciting combinations to behold.  Last night saw hundreds turned away at the Lakeside gate as Lewis Ginter's Groovin' In The Garden reached capacity before Old Crow Medicine Show took the elegant new stage.  They followed an engaging solo set from Shenandoah Valley native son Scott Miller.  Then there was tonight's huge gathering on Brown's Island for Friday Cheers with hot country shooting star Zac Brownzac brown band 2-erika gay Those who should know say it's the biggest crowd the island's ever seen...ever!  Educated guess is 16,000.  And all for a breakout down home artist playing solid country tunes, many co-written by Richmond's own Wyatt Durrette.zac brown band No, not his dad, the former delegate and GOP gubernatorial hopeful...Wyatt III, who's surely picking up some nice royalty checks these days now that Zac's arrived big time.  He also co-wrote "Chicken Fried," Mr. Brown's signature hit.  My hat's off to Tom Beals of Haymaker Productions and Stephen Lecky of Venture Richmond for having the vision and savvy to snag these two acts that one might've expected to be "out of our range" and raising the bar on our town's summer musical offerings.  I urge you to check the coming lineups for Groovin' and Friday Cheers.  Along with the Folk Festival, they're signs that Richmond's come a long way. Now if they could figure out how to shorten those endless beer lines and lines for the places where you deposit the beer, once it's been internally processed.  Much patience and strong sphincters required.

After giving you guys a few days to get back to me with your guesses, I'm happy to announce the two winners of a pair of tickets each to the June 11th Music For Massey concert at the Science Museum with the Sam Bush Band and the Waybacks.  I did an eyes-closed drawing from among the right answers and pulled out Maggie Rainwater-Budd and Barry Lawson.  Oh, and Sam's eight string pride and joy is a 1937 Gibson F5 lovingly referred to as "Hoss"...one of the most recognizable sounds in all of string music.  The rest of you will just have to pony up to hear Sam jamming with guitar marvel James Nash of the Waybacks on the tracks.  Will that ever be worth the price of admission...whew!

Hope to see a bunch of you at Graves...but first, have a meaningful Memorial Day, the holiday we don't celebrate, we commemorate.  God bless our defenders of freedom.  TT

memorial day 

(I hope the cartoonist who did this, whose name I can't make out, won't mind my sharing it.)

And thanks to Erika Gay of Venture Richmond for the Friday Cheers photos.

5.21.2009

Back and Forth...

Now that Kris Allen has upset Adam Lambert to take the crown of this season's American Idol, I can finally get back to the business of getting my head around the local music scene to recap a few worthwhile experiences and focus on the near future and all the promise it holds.  Since my last post, I've witnessed the first two Groovin' in the Garden concerts at the magnificently-enhanced rose garden and terraced lawn at Lewis Ginter.  ocms web Shooter Jennings and Brandi Carlile proved to be strong leadins for tomorrow (Thursday) night's blockbuster featuring Old Crow Medicine Show, which promises to produce record-breaking numbers.  General admission tickets should still be available here at $25 (plus $3.75 handling), or for $30 at the door.  Discovered by Doc Watson and revered by everyone from Merle Haggard to Gillian Welch, these guys bring a powerful arsenal of vocal and instrumental prowess to the Americana tent...with attitude.  Should be a major night under the stars with the Commonwealth's own Scott Miller opening well.

zac brown web The next night, Friday Cheers brings a free chance to find out what all the Zac Brown buzz is about.  I've been hearing folks drop this Georgia boy's name all over the place for the last six months, so where there's smoke, there's usually fire.  Let's go see what all the fuss is about, and enjoy some "Chicken Fried," starting on Brown's Island (they've already named the island after him) around 6pm.

We're getting dangerously close to the week when so many of us head west to Gordonsville and then up the Old Blueridge Turnpike to Syria and the four-centuries-old homeplace of the Graves family where Jimmy, Rachel, Lucky, Lynn and the whole hospitable bunch open their idyllic spot on the Rose River for the 17th year to thousands of bluegrassers new and old.  Charlie Rainwater and I look forward to hosting from the stage again this year with a solid lineup and a special reunion of the Heights of Grass on Friday.P1100153 For those who just can't wait until opening day, Thursday the 28th, the campground opens day after tomorrow, the 22nd, for those with 3-day tickets.  It's one of America's best small festivals, and the food is legend.

And the hits just keep on comin' as Friday Cheers presents the Jerry Douglas Band on Brown's Island, again for FREE!, on June 5th and on Thursday, June 11th out on the tracks at the Science Museum of Virginia, the fifth annual Waybacks poster Music for Massey benefit raises the bar with the triumphant return of the west-coastal Waybacks and this year, the Sam Bush Band, to make it extra special.  Tickets are available here, and if you're sharp, you might even win a pair of comps to the big show.  album15.jpg Just tell me by email (mail@timtimberlake.com) the model year and nickname of Sam's Gibson F5 mandolin.  I'll do a drawing in case of more than two correct answers as I actually have 2 pairs to give away.  Bring it on...it's gonna be a really big show!

In closing, let me mention a major jazz event that JAMinc, the Richmond Jazz Society and WCVE Public Radio are co-presenting on Friday, May 29th at In Your Ear Studio A.  Gates-Black-200 Legendary Richmond reed man James "Saxsmo" Gates is recording a live CD and you can be in the audience if you hurry and reserve your seat here.  Just check out the who's who of a-listers who'll be there to lend a musical hand:  John D'earth, Hod O'Brien, Desiree Roots, Dr. Weldon Hill, Justin Kauflin, Jim Branch and Russell Wilson among others.  Saxmo's Jazz Summit gets rolling at 6:30 with a pot-luck buffet...it'll surely be one tasty and tasteful night.

Do it live...TT

5.01.2009

For the love of Pete...

bwpete You look up "folk singer" in the dictionary and you'll likely find his picture.  Iconic activist, musician and banjo player Pete Seeger turns 90 on Sunday, and you're invited to his great big Richmond birthday party at The Camel on West Broad Street, with a whole host of local folk gathered to pay him homage starting at 6pm.  For a ten buck donation, benefiting musicians in need, you can catch the likes of friends George Turman, Jackie Frost and Sheryl Warner, plus Amy Ferebee, Becky Taylor and event organizer Ron Gentry.  Lots more. Kudos to Ron for his hard work.  Pete should be appreciative.

The big hootenanny follows another big benefit south of the river earlier in the day...it's Vibefest 2009 on Forelogost Hill Avenue out in front of the Positive Vibe Cafe.   If you aren't a regular, the Cafe is quality restaurant that offers employment and training to those with physical and developmental disabilities.  A serious roster of Richmond's top-drawer performers are lined up to sing and play for the cause starting at 11:30am.  Also a bargain @ $10.  Click here for the schedule, with one note:  that lovable rascal Gary Gerloff is on the mend after some surgery and won't be making this one.  We'll be pulling hard for his speedy return to the scene.  Garth Larcen's, the Cafe's owner is a real positive force in our community.  Hope he has a big day on Sunday.  Hope you all do too.

Thanks to all who will make our Cadillac Sky concert at In Your Ear tomorrow our fifth sell-out in a row.  And thanks to the writers at Style Weekly for voting JAMinc one of their First Annual Music Awards as "Best Musical Potlatch." Don't miss the next one...a jazz summit with James "Saxmo" Gates on May 29th.  Details on our Website soon.

And don't forget JAMinc presents The Isaacs for a night of stirring bluegrass gospel at the West End Assembly of God on Parham one week from tonight (May 8). Tickets here

TT